Flying The Coop....

Last Thursday, Jeanette - along with two Alberta based sisters - flew the coop to Las Vegas, for a girls weekend.  This past Tuesday, I flew the coop, so to speak, and drove 11 1/2 hrs. to Edmonton.  I drove solo....and with the expressed objective of building a small back yard deck project for Deni, Courtney and Owen.

The "Paris" hotel and resort - the sisters' home, away from home.

The three sisters thought they could connect at the Las Vegas airport but, because Jeanette flew domestically, from Bellingham, WA, USA, and Deb and Darlene flew internationally, from Calgary, Alberta, the flights landed in separate terminals.  So, they met at the hotel.

Let the fun begin......!  And it did!

L-R  Deb (Calgary, Alberta), Darlene (Myrnam, Alberta), Jeanette (Langley, BC).  One of their primary activities was to take Darlene to which ever touristy thing she wanted to see.

This was Darlene's first trip to Las Vegas.  Jeanette and Deb have been there several times. The objective was to show Darlene the sights, enjoy some entertainment, shop till they drop, tour till they couldn't, walk the walk, talk the talk and just enjoy being with each other. They had planned this trip several months back.

Deb and Jeanette aren't slot machine gamblers; neither is Darlene (when it comes to slots, that is) but she wanted to give it the old college try.  She dropped a couple of bucks in and, once done, they moved on to other things.

All the sisters tried sitting on different motorcycles but the one Jeanette chose is the tiger striped version below.  She could actually ride this bike because her feet can actually touch the ground.

Enjoying being entertained at the Venetian by a singer come boat handler.

The sisters did choose to see a couple of Las Vegas shows and one, in particular, "Cirque du Soleil," appealed to them.  Dressed up for an evening out, the girls had to paint their nails....and the evidence is below.  

Jeanette chose the red colour, Darlene selected blue and Deb chose purple.

The pool view from their room at the 'Paris Resort'

I was at the Bellingham, WA, airport, mid-day on Monday to retrieve Jeanette and her stuff.  By all accounts, it was a fun 'sisters' weekend.  I sort of got the hint that more sisters' weekends could be in the plans for next year and more.

On the home front, Trevor, Ginette, Easton and Brie invited me for a Father's Day dinner (and birthday celebration). That was a nice time.

Trevor and Brie

Sunday dinner was nice.  Trevor's mom, Sandi, joined us too.  Brie took centre stage, during dinner, when she joined us at the table; sitting in her stable baby seat.

Easton helped to blow out my birthday candles.

Bright and early yesterday morning (Tuesday), I drove away from home on my route to Edmonton, Alberta. 

About one hour east from our home, on the Trans Canada Highway - near Hope, BC

There were very low clouds, early on my drive into the mountains.  I drove through some clouds a few times and, at other times, the sun shone.  

Beyond Hope.....(get the drift?)... heading north on the Coquihalla Highway.

The Great Bear tunnels; mere minutes from the highest peak on the Coquihalla Highway.

Approaching Merritt, BC - in the Nicola Valley

Mount Robson - half covered with clouds.  Compare this photo to the blog header photo above.  These two photos are of the very same mountain.

Jasper National Park, in Alberta Rocky Mountains.

This Ram chose to show me its best side.....

I did get to see a variety of wildlife during the seamless drive.  There was one bear that drew the attention of many motorists who were stopped on the side of the highway.  One deer played chicken with me....but it was all under control.  It chose to jump a wire fence and head south into the trees. The Ram, in the photo above, stood on the highway in Jasper National Park and, with little traffic behind me, I could stop and take his photo from the driver's seat.

Being greeted by Owen when I arrived at his house in Edmonton.

I arrived at Owen's parents' home at 5:30 pm - just in time for dinner.  I delivered this little bear that Owen's Nana, Jeanette, had found for him in Las Vegas.  His stuffed animal collection continues to grow.

Following dinner, Deni and I drove to the Rona home improvement store and we loaded up his utility trailer with the required lumber and hardware for the deck project.  That is my primary focus while in Edmonton; deck building.

So....that covers things from our side, these past several days. Time to get going on the work.

Thanks for dropping by.