It snowed up high

Winter is just around the corner. I love the changing seasons and it seems to happen quickly here. There have been two patches of snow visible to us on Mt MacKenzie for most of August and just last week they melted. The pictures above show you they were quickly replenished. There is a bit of a chill today and I am wearing a jacket, but with shorts and sandals. I am sure there will be some more hot days, after all Wednesday was thirty degrees .
We have made an offer on a house, Josie and I are both now employed, it is a bit ahead of schedule especially for a slacker like me, but the right house came up at the right time. We are hopefully only waiting for the credit approval. More information on this will follow as things progress.
I presided over my first shot ski Wednesday night. They were Burt Reynolds and it was pretty cool. They went down without even the slightest mess. Revelstoke is a shooter kind of a city. I will learn accept and prosper from that.
MadB’s wound has healed quite nicely, with some lovely bruising that looked like she had been too the mall for eye shadow. She starts kindergarten in a week and a half. Josie fells sad and I am excited. CeeCee is still not committed to walking but I guess she will someday. Will is covered in wounds and scabs and just generally looks like one of the wild boys all the time. He is a classic dude who loves to pick at scabs and do outrageous stuff to amaze and amuse his sisters, friends and peers, as long as it is not scary.

What has happened since last blogging. Well the prize goes to Amy as she was our first visitor, she won the pleasure of being roused from her slumber several days in a row by the lovely MadB and the wild Willie. Plus we even let her take us to dinner one night for which our gratitude will forever be extended. Who will come next, I promise we will take the full extent of what you will offer us. And we will show you some fun and open at least one great bottle of wine. I had a lot of fun with Amy and I know that the kids and Josie did as well. We saw many sight and had many adventures plus her dog Max saved us from at least three or four cougar attacks. We also had a nice little camp trip for two nights. We returned with a few wounds, MadB and WillB both have lacerations around their eyes, Madeleine’s the more serious of the two. William tripped over a root and hit Sydney’s makeshift bowl, a stainless steel garbage can with a rolled edge that needed just a bit more of a roll for Will. Madeleine has been riding without training wheels and crashed into a tree. That one could have been prevented by me maybe but I am not sure so won’t worry too much. I think I have already mentioned this but it is ten and Cee Cee is still awake so good day. JH

We had some great camping at Wadey on Lake Revelstoke. Will and Madeleine both have potentially scarring wounds incredibly close to their eyes. Our site was close to the lake and noone else camped nearby. Lucky for them because one morning the Will and Madb were up at 6:15 so then all the other three were too. It was fun to go hiking before eight and run out of things to do by two. Good thing we set up at he beach with books and shade and played around the water. Then the Patry's came and we all had a good time. It seemes so much easier when everyone has somebody to play with. Let's see if there are some good pictures. Our first visitor has arrived and it is??????? There will be prizes if it is you and that will be fun and drinks with us and breakfast and other insanity.

Madeleine on the ferry

Just tryiing to keep child photo equtiy. MadB has not had a picture in a while so here we are on the Shelter Bay ferry going toward Nakusp. Will would not get out of the car and Mad really liked it. She actually rode this ferry when she was three months old back in 2005.
MadB and JH

Some more camping

We are on our way to a nearby campground today. It is right on the water of lake Revelstoke, the Columbia river between two dams. I cannot wait to go swim in frigid water on a hot humid day. The kids are pretty excited too, they love that trailer and always look forward to campfires. Josie knows how to make s'mores and they like that. MadB is riding her bike in straight lines without the training wheels and for as long as the alley. Very exciting and liberating as I think the training wheels only inhibit and injure. They should be banned right along with other social ills like incandescent bulbs. No news on Will and CC is still just doing little walks.
My new job is going pretty well. I like it a lot and hope the best of it, I am not getting as much sleep as I have been the last two months, but I will adjust. I encourage everyone to come visit. This is a fun town and I have a fun place for everyone to hang out in now so come visit, my kids miss you all very much.
JH

Thursday was busy

Madeleine had a tea party with three friends and I am told it was a great success for the kids and neighbours. Will and I went for a nice walk in the woods for about two and half hours to go see Begbie falls. He did very well only needing to be carried for about fifteen minutes. We also had a boys lunch out where we got to sit on a ski lift for our chair, eat french fries and then go look at the toy store after we finished. This toy store also turns out to be a sports memorabilia store too with cards old and new. That night we were invited out for dinner where there were seven other kids and a great yard to play in. After getting home and Cecilia in to bed the remaining four family members stayed up to watch the meteor showers. I also got a new job as a bartender in a pub. What a busy day and it was all fun.

Josie and Lisa made it back safely from their excursion, and they had a lot of fun. Josie had not done something of that nature for many years and was glad to back to it. I am quitting a job already and should have another lined up soon. Madeleine is having a tea party with her friends today and Will and I will do boy things. Biking hiking and beer drinking is the plan

Will was at Mt. Revelstoke NP on a short trail in yesterday's picture, you can actually drive most of the way up. Josie has actually been up there since nine this morning on a park walk to Eva Lake to celebrate something, 100 yrs as park maybe. She is not back it is four now. The bowl behind Bren and Mad is where Josie and Lisa went. All is well here CC is asleep, She went to sleep with the hiccups and only needed a bit of rocking and singing. The other two are ferrying trains around in larger vehicles, reenacting our ferry crossing last week. Slocan Lake Storm from Summit Lake and CC having her 1 year cake are the others.

Fun is different now that I work

I have started a full time job for August that was only supposed to be part time. I am serving tables and no too thrilled about it. It is good money and the food is good so I will give it some time and see. So this means summer fun has got to be adjusted, I need to keep track of the time and groom myself a bit. Neither is too fun. The kids really don't notice as we went to three Valley Gap yesterday and visited a ghost town and a cool train museum/collection. They had a tonne of fun and were exhausted. Cecilia has done a four step walk, a three step walk, and a two step walk this week and still prefers to crawl. She is completely recovered from her malady whatever it was. the prognosis was swelling in throat and ears some sort of virus. I must go to work.

Trailer time

We stayed at Summit Lake near Nakusp our first night after an extended trip. The water was great and the spot was all we could imagine needing for the kids to play and us to relax a bit. That means we chatted and drank beer sitting down doing nothing else while the kids all slept for about a total of one hour, maybe. More later if I get to it.

CC and camping

No further word from Josie. They are being taken care of by the fine staff here at the hospital, Josie assured me they are going to be seen quickly unlike in Alberta where they may be back for breakfast. We just returned from camping and I am sure there is a lot to tell but I will just post a picture of a ghost town from a logging road for now. The first picture has the cut from where the second came from in the background. The kids were intrigued by the old stuff more than the idea of a desserted town.

Cecilia is ONE

Today is Cecilia`s first birthday and we are having company over for the occasion. It is also the first time we have had guests at this house. I hope it goes well and CC has some fun. She took two steps last night but that is it. We will see how she does today. She woke up a bit grumpy so it may be a challenge with the crowd and the mood.
It is nine hours later now and Cecilia is on her first trip to the Revelstoke Hospital. She was primarily grumpy with about an hour of grace after some baby Tylenol and cake and milk but after her party she went right down for a quiet sleep. A hour later she was writhing throughout the bedroom, looking like a candidate for exorcism. Completely out of character and no strange foods or incidents. Josie has just phoned and she is asleep but whimpering, going to emergency regardless.
The birthday party was a lot of fun and we all had a good time. Great times especially for Will, who had so much fun he had to have a cool out session in the house and don't forget all the kids in the pool and sandbox. I hope the other parents had as much fun as I did cleaning kids. It was her craziest party ever I hope.