Failing at Boating

Since I, insanely, brought my parents boat home while the cabin was being remodeled, we have had the pleasure of being able to enjoy puttering around on our small lake out in Minitare.  Last fall we used it several times, but since we have had such a LONG winter we still hadn't been able to use the boat by mid-May.  I looked at a calender and realized with dance and baptism coming up we only had 1 weekend left to use the great "banana" boat before I headed back up to Canada and left the boat.  Only one problem: we couldn't get the boat to actually start.

Eric thought he had it all figured out.  We bought a battery charger, charged said battery, and headed up to the lake to enjoy...

 playing in the boat while Eric tried to get the still not running boat to work.

 Eventually I left to go get a new fuse for the motor while everyone stayed at the shore.  The fuse ended up needing to be replaced, but still didn't fix the problem.  Throwing our hands up in despair we decided to just enjoy the rest of the day from the shore.

 Livi made sandcastles, destroyed them, then reformed them from the rubble.

 She also loved the game of "throw the ball in any direction but at daddy so he has to run through the water to get it before it floats away." Always a classic.

Ella and Ethan kept trying to get as far away from shore as possible before we would notice.  When I showed up I shuddered thinking how far they had actually gotten before Eric noticed, since I seemed to be yelling at them to come back when they were up to their chins (this is why they have a mom and a dad).

 It was a pretty hot afternoon and even Tonks ended up voluntarily going in the water just to cool off...

Although once the clouds came she did get a little shivery.

Luckily Livi was more than happy to cuddle (squeeze) Tonks the whole way home.  When my dad came out the next weekend he figured out it was a totally different fuse that also needed to be changed.  At least the boat worked when I finally got it back up to it's home.

Down By The Bay...or the really gross lake

A few weeks ago we were lucky enough to go with the Bagleys to Lake Minatare.  It has been drought conditions here, so the lake was a little lower and...stinkier than usual, but it was still a great time.

Eric and Chad took the kids out in shifts to ride around the lake.

While the  big kids took their turn on the boat Livi, Carter and McKay played in the murky water while Melissa and I tried to keep them away from the grosser sections of the shore.

Livi loved all the frolicking, but Carter got a little chilly.

How many adults does it take to start a fire?  3 adults, 2 of which are Scout leaders, and 2 wind blocks (one of which is the very manly princess towel around Eric's legs).

Our happy group enjoying hot dogs and S'mores roasted on the (eventually) roaring fire.

Oh Canada, pt 1

I know I have said it several times, but "I Love Canada". There is just something about Waterton that lets me finally completely relax. It is the one place in the world I can feel my mind settle down and my anxiety just melts off.

This year started out as awesome as usual. We had some AMAZING adventures...dum duh duh da (suppose to be exciting music, not saying you are dumb).

First off Ethan and Ella were able to take control of Grandpa's Banana Boat (for a very short, and terrifying time). Ethan loved it so much we were able to get a rare picture : Ethan smiling!

Speaking of rare and undocumented, I give you, never before seen in captivity or the wild: Dad in shorts!!!

The park was just full of water after the very wet winter and spring. Waterfalls were more like water-thrown-over-with-great-forces. My newest bro-in-law, McKay, surrounded by millions of gallons of water and his fan club.

Our group with Cameron (Torrential) Falls behind us. I like how the two son-in-laws were too cool for the picture.

On one of the first days in the park we went hiking up to Bertha Falls which is normally a very relaxing and serene hike. This time we took someone with us who was such a crazy hiker he would run ahead of us, see we were lagging behind, run back to us and urge us on. He was a true taskmaster. I have never been on a hike with someone with that much enthusiasm and zest for hiking. He is Ben, my second cousin, and... he is 4 years old (he is the cutey in the white shirt in the front)!

On our hike to Bertha Falls Livi heard something in the bushes and did the only thing an intelligent and safety conscious 2 year old can do... she poked at it with a stick.

I also threw caution to the wind and let Livi take short rides on the scooters with Eric. She held on really well and I'm sure in years to come we will be at her mercy taking rides constantly to throw rocks at the lake, or go get ice cream, or just check out the perimeter of the cabin.