A log about those Silly Folks and their Escapades

During Zachary’s visit we did a craft project with him. The following are pictures of the finished stepping stone project in the garden along with Sage and Conrad’s.

Cute……… EH!

Last weekend we got to visit with all our grand-kids; it was great.

Zachary was here with Jeff and Lindsay and their friends Mark and Jill from Calgary, so we had a pretty full and busy house for the weekend. Mark was competing in the Canadian National Disc Golf Championships that were held at the Rose Hill Course and in Logan Lake. Jeff was supposed to be competing however he injured his shoulder earlier in the week mountain biking and had to drop out so his shoulder can heal properly. He needs a strong throwing arm as he is headed to the Canadian National Ultimate Frisbee Championships in Ottawa in August; the team he is on is competing to attend the World Championships.

Right now everything Zachary grabs onto goes into his mouth; he is teething again.

Also, Jeff has been working at getting Zachary to use his thumb and forefinger to pick up Cheerios; it will help develop his fine motor skills. By the end of the weekend he was doing pretty well and actually got a few Cheerios into his mouth.

While here Zachary did his very first project with Namma and Pops. It was making stepping stones for the garden. Zachary was very helpful and kept his foot very straight and wiggled his toes in the cement so we could capture a perfect mould of his foot. After that Jeff and Namma added a few colored pieces of rounded glass to make them look at little fancier. Once the cement started to set we added Zachary’s name and the date.

On Saturday, Sage and Conrad along with Kevin and Tamara were visiting GGMa and GGPa in Westsyde. So Brenda, Jeff, Zachary and I headed out to see them. It was great to get the three cousins together.

Zachary is modeling the new sweater that GGMa had just finish knitting for him; Zachary really loves his new sweater. GGMa certainly looks happy and contented to be holding Zachary?

Tamara with the cousins……….. cute eh!

Finally on Sunday afternoon Zachary and I got a chance to sit down and watch the US Open Golf Championship……………. Zachary really loves golf!

Last Thursday Brenda and I headed to Whiterock for a family vacation. The past couple years we have had a family vacation in the winter up at Sun Peaks. But this year due to a number of circumstances we decided to have a family vacation near the ocean. One other reason is that the grand-kids have never been to the ocean and had the chance to experience the wonders of the ocean and all the marine life. We were able to find a large 4 Bedroom house in Whiterock about 2 blocks from the beach. It was called Whiterock Manor and it was perfect for our vacation.

Friday was a family day at the beach. We got real lucky with the weather; it rained a bit in the morning however by the time we headed to the beach and the ocean walkway the sun was coming out and it was beautiful. Lunch was on an outside restaurant patio right on the main strip and the sun was shining…….. it was almost too warm after the cool weather we have become use to.

Saturday was the day for a somewhat impromptu family potluck luncheon. Actually we sent out an e-mail a couple weeks ahead and we were surprised by the response we received. In the end about 32 people showed up it was a great afternoon to reconnect with our extended family. There was too much food, a ton of pictures taken, lots of visiting and too many people to thank; however thanks to everyone who showed up. Also thanks to Tricia for being officially the unofficial photographer, you did a great job. Finally thanks to Duane for being the bar-b-que chef……………. we hope you found time to get yourself a burger of some sort!

It was a great weekend and it was all about family. Aren’t these the cutest?

What a great looking family!

Last Saturday morning we headed to Princeton for Easter with Kevin, Tamara, Sage and Conrad. Of course there was the required stop at Tim Horton’s for a Coffee, Muffin and Large Box of Tim Bits. As an aside we have noticed that the recipe for the plain Raisin Bran Muffins has changed significantly. In the past there was a lot more bran and lots of molasses that made them yummy, they are now more like the old Oatmeal Raisin Muffin…… not near as good.

We arrived in lots of time to spend outside with the kids and see all the work Kevin and Tamara have been doing in their yard with landscaping. It was a fun afternoon and we tired the kids enough that Sage rested by watching a movie with Namma and even though he wouldn’t admit it Conrad had a nap; proof is in the pictures. Saturday evening Tamara cooked a great Easter Dinner with ham, potatoes, carrots,buns, etc…… it was delicious.

Sunday morning we got up early and the Easter Bunny had arrived outside so the kids were off on an Easter Egg Hunt.

Right after lunch we headed to friend’s of Kevin and Tamara’s (Heather and her daughter Alley) for an Easter luncheon. Most were Weyerhaeuser employees or friends of someone from Weyerhaeuser. Alley organized an Easter treat and gift scavenger hunt; more chocolate treats for the grand-kids! It was neat to be included in a local small town celebration and get together.

Saturday morning Jeff, Lindsay, Zachary and Willow arrived for an overnight visit on their way to Vancouver and then on to Hungary… but that’s another story.

Anyway, it was great to see them and get to spend time with Zachary. He has grown so much and is getting very strong and definitely very alert to everything going on around him.

Jeff and Lindsay gave us a break from the kitchen and cooked a great meal on Saturday night and a great omelet breakfast on Sunday morning. In addition Jeff and I turned the fall rye in the garden and planted the peas for this year.

Saturday we also had a quick visit from GGMa and GGPa, Dean & Judy, Judy’s Mom Betty and Sabrina and Mike. It was a whirlwind visit but it was great to see everyone.

Namma and Zachary spent a lot of time together on the couch and I got entertained by Zach during his “tummy time” on the floor.

Sunday afternoon Jeff, Lindsay and Zachary headed off to Vancouver and Willow stayed with us. They are off to Hungary for 2 weeks and then over to Northern Ireland for almost a week. What an adventure for them and a 5 month old. Check out their blog for regular updates.

Enjoy the pictures!

On Friday Kevin, Tamara, Sage and Conrad came for a visit. Actually it was more than that, they came to cook us dinner, pamper Namma and give me a break from cooking.

Dinner on Friday night was delicious. Chicken, baked potatoes, bacon wrapped asparagrass and after dinner Sage & Conrad decorated us all sugar cookies with icing and sparkles for dessert.

Saturday morning Kevin and Tamara made Omelets, Bacon and Hash-browns for breakfast…………. Yum! Yum!

After breakfast it was time to decorate Namma’s cast. Now, we weren’t quite awake and forgot to get pictures during the cast decorating party on the kitchen floor; however afterwards I took some pictures while Tamara was giving Brenda a pedicure. Pretty colorful Eh! 

Meanwhile in the kitchen Sage & Conrad were playing with toys and eating the leftover candy sprinkles from cookie decorating.

Just before they left it was time for a silly family picture and then Sage the up and coming professional photographer took the picture of us with Kevin & Tamara.

Tuesday we started the long trek home. After leaving the Villa we headed to the St Jean Airport to catch our 10:30 a.m. flight and we left lots of time to spare.

We met Nurse Brigitte at the airport where she assisted in administering the daily dose of Lovenox to Brenda. Thanks Brigitte for all your assistance and help over the last 13 days, it was truly appreciated and helped us both deal with an unexpected turn of events on a vacation.

We checked in early and so they got us out on an earlier flight. Getting on the Twin Otter was a bit of a challenge but thanks to the crew and other passengers Brenda finally got a seat at the back of the plane. The challenge was getting her up the stairs on one leg. The stairs of course are part of the fuselage and they bounce as you climb them since they are attached with a cable. You can see what I mean in the attached picture.

One final thing it was good we got an earlier flight out of St. Bart’s since the plane immediately after us had a mechanical issue and got stranded on the St. Bart’s runway and they had to close the airport for a period of time.

Anyway, we arrived into St Maarten with lots of time to spare. Checked in with Westjet 3 hrs. prior and were able to get front row (bulkhead) seats which gave Brenda a little more leg room. Once in Toronto we were met at the ramp by a Toronto Airport wheel chair assist person who helped us get through Customs and Immigration quickly and we checked into the Sheraton Gateway at the airport. It was super convenient and we will definitely stay here again.

The next morning we were up early and discovered that our flight was cancelled/rescheduled for a little later. Anyway after a late departure and stop over in Calgary we ended up in Vancouver at 3:30 p.m.; about 2 hrs late from our original travel plans. Overall the service by Westjet was outstanding and we would fly again with them to the Caribbean.

Since we were both itching to get home we hit the road and arrived in Kamloops shortly after 9:00 p.m. I’ve got to say Brenda was a trooper and never once complained about her foot even though it was getting extremely swollen by the end of the long day. It’s good to be home.

Monday was our last full day in St. Bart’s. After much planning and coordination by both of us we decided to give it a try to get down to Gouvenor Beach for one last time.

So we packed up one of the Villa deck chairs complete with cushions for Brenda to sit on and a small beach chair for her to prop up her ankle and of course beach towels, books, water, snack, a plastic bag to wrap around her cast so sand wouldn’t get in, etc.

Getting a close parking spot at Gouvenor is always a bit of a challenge. Anyway, we got lucky and someone was pulling out as we drove in and it was not too far from the entrance to the beach. The nice thing about Gouvenor is that once you are at the beach there is a large tree to sit under right at the entrance so Brenda could be in the shade.You can see the view she had from her chair…. not too bad Eh?. Plus   I walked the length of the beach and went for a couple dips in the ocean, we stayed for about 1 1/2 hrs and then headed back to the Villa.

We had a great final dinner on the deck, a couple glasses of wine and watched the sunset. What a gorgeous ending to an interesting vacation.

On Sunday we had a visit to St. Bart’s by Donna and Bob. They sailed over on Saturday from St. Maarten and anchored in Corossol Bay. This Corossol link is a local web site that has everything about the Village of Corossol. Corossol is known for the dried palm frond handicrafts that were made by Village ladies years ago; it’s a dieing art however there is a small store that still sells a few items. The most treasured one is called a “Quichenotte” which is a bonnet worn by the ladies to hide their appearance and discourage advances by male suitors. English translation of “Quichenotte” is “Kiss Me Not”.

Once we picked ip Donna and Bob (sorry we were a little late Bob) we did a quick circle island tour and pointed out the various areas of interest, look out points, popular beaches, etc. on the island. From the look-out at the end of Colombier road Bob was able to count the number of available mooring balls for their Monday night anchorage in Anse du Colombier.

We also stopped and showed them a couple of the Catholic Creches or Shrines that were built on the island so the people in the small villages had a local gathering spot to worship. We believe there is about 6 or 7 of these scattered around St. Bart’s.

After our island tour we headed back to our Villa for a dip in the pool and a shower; you sailors out there will appreciate the enjoyment a dip in a fresh water pool and nice long hot shower feels after being on sailboat for a few days.

We had a great Bar-b-que lunch of Filet Tournadoes, Quinoa, Potatoes and grilled Red Peppers andthen it was time for a photo and back to Corossol so they could get back to Bergybit for the afternoon-evening.

It was great to see them and we wish them Calm Seas and Fair Winds!

The roads in St. Bart’s are steep, twisty, narrow and a patchwork of concrete. However the local government is working at fixing them up a little bit at a time. They are slightly widening them, adding sidewalks and beautiful rock work along the edges; so in a few more years they will be greatly improved. However this post isn’t about the roads it’s about the variety of vehicles you see on the island. There are a lot of electric vehicles and for the most part cars and small suv’s are used. When it rains you need 4X4 to get up the hills as the concrete get’s very slippery. The first picture is our Suzuki Jimny we rented from Europcar, it’s much better shape than last years.

For years the island vehicle was the Moke or Mini-moke, you still see a few around and most have been restored, I don’t believe you can rent them anymore. Next are a few random images of a selection of island transportation.

Finally, one unwritten rule of the road in St. Bart’s is that some motorcyles, scooters and quads are exempt from all road regulations; including no passing on corners, no passing at the crest of a blind hill, no passing on the left, no passing on the right towards oncoming traffic, etc. You can also expect to have a motorcycle cut in front of your vehicle at any moment then wave and grin. Also expect to see 2 or 3 people riding a motor scooter rated for a single rider, or if you are fortunate you can see the ladies riding with their small dog, groceries or other packages sitting on the scooter floor area. For sure any use of common sense does not apply to operation of these vehicles. Helmets are not required but a surprising number of riders wear them.