Here is a better picture of Josie, she was not happy with that last one.
She is at the day spa with the cities finest beauticians.
jh

There was another thunderstorm that rolled through last night that started a small wildfire part way down MT. Macpherson, one of the two peaks we see from the porch. It was a bit strange for us but it must be the norm in fire season, there was no smoke by morning so no big deal. There is a fire ban already so no campfires while we are gone camping but that is only less work for me and our kids won’t have to stay up so late. Life here is still the same, swim play beat the heat. Cecilia is not quite walking as there is nice carpet to crawl on here, we feel she would have been up and at it if we stayed with the rough and sliverful floors. MadB was a week over one and Will was 15 months. Cecilia is waving and saying hi, and a lot of gibberish growling and howling. Madeleine was talking we are sure moments after birth and has kept up pretty well since. I don’t recall with Will but he seemed pretty normal on that front but a bit chatty at three. It is hard to gauge as I was pretty intense with MadB reading and talking, I still claim she could read at 18 months and would be way further along now without all the other distractions of parenting multiple kids. The focus I find out later for small kids is to play and develop social interaction not learning through lessons. I guess I was not so creative on the play front with MB or maybe it was the long winters in Calgary. We played lots anyway and that is all we do now and read. Any way I am sure these kids will make out OK in the smarts department and with all the mistakes I’ve made they will at least get good leadership and direction, tempered with whatever kind of safety advice and cautious optimism Josie has to offer.

Very Hot

It has been a hot string of days here, luckily not too much to do. Splashed in our yard after lunch hit the basement by three to stay cool and I went riding. I took my camera but neglected to take any pictures. I remembered beer and so did Jeff so that was fun afterward. William had a sleepover at Brodies and it went very well as far as I know. Lisa tells us he was awake until about eleven, he told her his eyes just would not shut. I am sure he was just excited to be included in such a grown up event like staying over without mommy and daddy. Bren stayed with MadB, after dinner at Lisa's and a trip downtown for the evening music, they were asleep astonishingly quick and did sleep to seven or so. Little Bill was up at six. \More Giant cedars trail.

Clearing up

That last title did not make much sense, but Josie made some points which I related but failed to make clear she had made them. Anyway Will is no Classy Fred Blassie but can irritate the same when clothes are concerned. He traded in his sweet Cubs jersey for a superstore pirate t-shirt today amidst fuss.
We looked at old pictures last night and I had lots of hair as a 0 to 1 yr old, something no one has yet told me. So Cecilia is my little twin now I believe, we are both very cute and hairy on the head.
Giant Cedars with MOM
jh

Josie on Will's Fashion

The picture in the snow he is wearing a dirt bike pyjama shirt and it is one of his two faves. The last picture is on The Skunk Cabbage Trail in Mt Revelstoke NP looking at Columbia Spotted Frogs and he has his other favourite shirt. A monster truck muscle shirt with yellow trim. He picked it out himself somewhere. He also pulls his socks up high, real high like a soccer star. Cecilia likes corn on the cob and pretty much any other food especially if it belongs to someone else.

I think I have lost track of time and really gotten into this no work all play lifestyle. I sure hope Josie finds a job first so I can continue a little longer. I was on a nice ride last night and think I should do it more often. Evening is a great time to ride here, it is cool and the light is great. Waterfalls, glaciers, clear skies, big moon and great trails made this a nice ride. The new bike is going OK and see that here in Revelstoke what a priority it is for having sweet bikes. It really is a fabulous culture of equipment and I know it is the same for skis but understand it better with the bikes too. In short I already want a new bike, but will ride this one into the ground first. Tom and group of guys we ride with have been very patient waiting for me to keep pace, my riding is coming along but really need to get some leg bulk and trail expertise. The riders are awesome here and all been great to ride with so far.
A rainy day here, so lots of indoor play with our friends the Patry's and short walks in the rain. Will has developed a clothes issue that first surfaced with his raincoat. I really don't think we have created it through any kind of gender role stuff/expectations, I think he is just picky. He has a brand new, sweet raincoat that is dark dark green and black, something I would love. He has a fit any time we ask him to wear it. He wants blue, he says, there was no blue I say and it turns into a fight and really can ruin a morning. I guess he is only three and is still pushing to see what levels of control he has and what techniques in manipulation are best. Josie does a better job getting through it than me. I like the battle and "you will follow the rules" approach to confirm dominance through control, but the creative convincing or distraction techniques she uses work best, especially when we really need to get something done or be somewhere. He is testing limits at three still I guess, or is he really that fashion conscious. I remember being self conscious about clothes and all that stuff, but not at three. I had a red raincoat poncho with this goofy robot rainbow picture and I ripped it off first time wearing it and put a hole in my poncho, but that was probably high school, no really grade three or even lower. So I did have a cloths thing early but I got over it last year. Also, a great shirt in retrospect with Popeye on it, but baby blue and gape necked. It was a kind gift from Aunt Blanche and I tried to wear it but couldn't, I even got Mom to fix up the neck but still couldn't do it. Will's coat is cool and I am sure my fashion sense is good. He will learn to follow my cool advice and parenting commands. MB does what she is told most of the time so I expect WB to toe the line but I need to remind myself he is new and needs to learn himself not just follow. I will let CC do whatever she wants because she is charming and I will be distracted, tired confused and expect her to know things like her big siblings.

Madeleine and Will at Mt Revelstoke NP last week. We had some other trail adventures there yesterday too. I put some up tonight.

Hanging around

We have been riding bikes and paying in the water as much as we can, it has been quite hot. A thunder storm is rolling through right now with lots of colour in the clouds and wind and rain. This should cool us off for tonight. Not much to say as things here are returning to a sense of normal, the daily routines are pretty well established and old attitudes and behaviors have resurfaced. That is not why I moved so tomorrow something fun will have to take place. This picture was before I got here, a couple weeks back. That is the kind of attitude I like to see, and these guys do get on pretty well, being together all the time.

Starting to think of something to do

We are having such intense days it is time to start thinking of having some regular and ordinary days. Maybe we will just go camping instead. We have the process started of getting the trailer readied so maybe by the weekend we can go pop up trailer camping. The kids will be crazy for that, i can just see it now Madb and Will running around in a circle hollering trailer trailer trailer until I blow my top and make them sit in a time out until I get the thing put up. I am sure Tom will actually put it up the first time or two as we will probably go with them. Oh yes we will have fun though. I can't wait to find out the crazy sleeping arrangement Josie will have marshaled up. It will be cozy I am sure. Cecilia has actually napped in that trailer as a 3 week old and the two big kids have camped in it last summer. It will be just like visiting old friends. I think we will be in the northern Okanagan, Enderby maybe. Here is a picture of William in his new dining spot, it is a corner with a window on each wall, southwest and northwest, there are mountains to see and ravens to watch, with plenty of nice sun right now. This is only one reason he never wants to leave this place.
jh

try again

I wrote a few times recapping the last six days but the connection is not reliable. I think it is the wiring in this house or outlet. Everyone is fine , we have been living like vacationers sightseeing and settling in. We have been about town daily doing all there is to do and discovering more each day. William repeats daily that he wants to live here forever, Sydney just sits on the back porch watching the birds and glaciers, MadB is just play play play and go to the post office or the Modern or the museum or the pool or the dam etc. she loves it here too. Cecilia is just cute and cuddly, just a real precious babe. Josie and I are well and enjoying this lovely west facing deck with Begbie glacier and Mt Macpherson adorning our skyline. It is quite comforting. The girls have daisy chains from the yard in the previous picture and here is begbie glacier.

We have a strange connection

I've been trying to post some entries but the service here is stange. All is well this is quick so I can get it on.

I am crazy

It worked OK. That is the Keystone trial North of Revelstoke. Tom or Jeff or Kevin and me are on the bikes I can't tell for sure. The picture I am after is not in the right format yet I will do that later, but here is little little William.

Pictures experiment and Independence

I am all set here. I think this is the first time in ages I have woken up with nothing to do. I went for a run, read, sat around and wondered what to do, and then decided to go spend the big city gift cards in my wallet. The stores are not in Revelstoke if you wondered, no Chapters, no Bay, amd no, no Ikea. What a shocker to all city dwellers, not to be able to run out Ikea whenever you need a cheap rug or cutain or pot or unusual light bulb only available there. I cannot wait to be free of the trappings of commerce, no Winners no Superstore oh yay I am liberated. O no wait I am wrong I will buy ski stuff and bike stuff and will happily shop a the local bookstore, we will be her new best customer We devour books at a rate that shocks me. So long Chapters, hello small reatiler. I should remember the store name as Mad B and Will B have already met the owner and her dog, they are both quite friendly. The CeeCee Xmas gift card to chapters from my parents was good though because I found a book I have been trying to claim from my parents house for years, Richard Scarry's Best Story Book Ever. Now CeeCee has it, but I still want the old one if any one is paying attention. I will make trades if necessary, I have some great 80's crap rock albums of questionalble ownership. Not that Rush is crap,or these album's owners are in question but I have decided that Spirit of the Radio is one of the greatest rock and roll songs ever. Thanks Alex, Geddy and Neil, hey is my nephew named after A. Lifeson, I have always wondered where that was from. Probaly Alex Tanguay of the Calgary Flames though, yes that sounds right. Any how Books are good and rock and roll saved the world especially the Russians. If Burt Bacharat played the Soviet Union in a polyester leisure suit do you think all those Russians would have wanted to join the free world. Any way we are all living in mixed economies now, yes especially all my american cousins, isn't Frredom great. Hey Yes, Happy Independence day too, good going. Hopefully soon we'll ditch the monarchy too, time to be big kids I think. I will put the PBS independence day special on at work in kind regards to the USA for buying our stuff and being a good neighbour. USA USA. I will play my fave USA band too good ole WILCO.
I am trying a picture of the funny files before I go searching for me and Lil'Bill on Constitutional Democracy Day, last year. Don't use Olympus' digital camera software it is very limiting.
JH

Canada Day

Happy Canada Day.
I hope everyone is doing something fun. I am cleaning the basement and BBQing perogies and peas. I am trying to use food in the freezer and empty the propane tank. I had a celebratory drink last night, in the first few hours of Dominion Day. Willie W. came out to relive the old days of drinking on Stephen avenue and say bye. It was good to see him. The usual suspects were there and I was cool drinking O'Doul's. I did have an Okanagan Springs Pale Ale though to start. It was lean and hoppy just about right for drinking slow and enjoying. Good beer but I am not a fan of the brewery as much as I would like to be. Any way I talked to the kids today and they sounded rowdy, Josie is going to be exhausted by the time I get out of Calgary. They are off to celebrate with the Patry's. I am not sure what goes on in Revelstoke for Canada day but I hope they have Fun. I am trying to get pictures of last year July 1 as I cannot post any of this year but the file is weird. I'll work on it. Which means don't count on it.
JH