Dirty Dash - Oceanside - Picnic and Ride

We lived a few interesting days of late.  

Ginette and friends participated in a humongous dirt defying race, this past Saturday...

A family/friends ocean side picnic was shared this past Friday...

Another picnic in the park was lived late Saturday afternoon.....

...and a Sunday motorcycle ride provided a cooling effect in the Rolly Lakes District north of Mission/Maple Ridge.

A lot of activities captured our attention, since our last blogging foray.  It was fun too....whether as a spectator or participant.

Ginette and Darcie

The Friday family/friends picnic on White Rock beach followed a yearly tradition between our family and the Hains family.  Long time friends, their kids and our kids gew up knowing each other and they remain friends today.  Lorne and Mariette live on the coast but one of their sons is a fire fighter in the city of Edmonton, Alberta.  His little family was visiting and it was fitting to throw together a last minute beach picnic.  The timing was not good for me though.  Friday is our regular men's golf round and I was hosting this past Friday.  I could not get out of that event.

Peace Portal Golf Course

Our golf outing was great fun....and the course of choice was Peace Portal Golf Course. It was only mere minutes from where the families had gathered for the beach picnic. 

Jeanette's cousin's daughter, Darcie, who lives near Victoria, BC, Vancouver Island, spent the weekend with us and she joined in on our family activities. Several of her 'Dirty Dash' race photos are evident in this blog.  She hustled along the course to capture photos while Jeanette and I looked after Easton and Brie near the Start/Finish line.

Being fired at by mud cannons (right side in this photo)

What would draw sane minded young people to enter a race that would take one through a mud infested obstacle course?  I don't know!  What I do know is that Ginette, Trevor and another couple did enter the 'Dirty Dash' race this past Saturday. At the last minute, Trevor could not participate but the others loved the event and had a blast! Thousands of registrants met at the Thunderbird Equestrian Centre in north Langley for this well organized event.  It was a HUGE event!  I did not realize that muddying would be such an attractive event for people - young and old.  Oh yes, I did see  several +60's participants getting dirty.  Jeanette and I would most likely have been participants in this type of event when we were younger.

Some mud wrestling before the race.  OK to watch, I suppose, but certainly not an event I would enter at this stage in life.

The music was stupidly loud and the announcer must have ingested too many sugar/performance drinks because he was over the top with yelling.  Loud is one thing ( I can take some of that) but over the top screaming is simply ridiculous! Although the younger crowd loved the hype, I sure didn't....at least not the deafening sound!  We were looking after Brie and Easton and we needed to get away from the noise. That yelling had to be really tough on young ears!  When Easton covered his ears a few times,  it was clear that the sound was annoying him too.  We had to find a spot where the giant speakers were not directionally pointed at us.  Phew! We found a shaded spot that also provided some really good reduction in speaker noise.

Let the race begin

It took about one hour to run the extremely difficult 4 kilometre race.  Under normal circumstances, a 4K race would take about 25 minutes.  This obstacle course proved most challenging.

The first obstacle - to swim through a mud filled slough

Part way through the course....

A hard climb before sliding into a mud filled ditch

Getting dirty

Anyone who knows our daughter knows that she (along with husband Trevor) is always up to testing her physical prowess.  Offer up a challenge and they will go for it.  Anything to test their physical stamina is fun.  At the last minute, Trevor was summoned to the Langley Fired Department and was unable to run the race.

One of the easier obstacles

One of the tougher obstacles

Ginette, and her teammates, had a great time.  So did the thousands, upon thousands, of other registrants.  It was fun for Jeanette and I (with baby Brie and Easton) to watch the start and finish.  Ginette and her team members' heat was for 10:00 am. We were told that heats started much earlier in the morning and the last set of heats would roll out by mid-afternoon.  

We were back at our home by noon, Saturday.  Ginette showered and later, when Trevor was freed from his firefighting duties, we headed to a local park for a nice afternoon picnic and barbecue.  A fitting close to a fun day in the sun (and mud too, for some).

A nice Saturday afternoon picnic in the park

Our house guest, Darcie, was leaving back for Vancouver Island on Sunday. I left early for our regular 'Open Mic' coffee meeting in White Rock.  Back home, I shared breakfast with Jeanette and Darcie before she followed us to Ginette/Trevor/Easton and Brie's home.  We said our bye byes and motorcycled off on a cool down ride through the heavily forested mountains on the north side of the Fraser River in the Mission/Maple Ridge district.

Being in the trees did have a cooling down effect.  The higher we climbed, the nicer it was.

The west coast has been hit with some very high temperatures.  Although unusual, it does happen and to find cool places is another reason to ride.

We took a break at this southern end of the Ruskin Dam area.

Back home at 4:40 pm, Sunday, our home was nice and cool and we stayed indoors till the evening air offered a pleasant outdoor temperature to sit out in.

And that covers our activities from here, for now.

Thanks for dropping in.

Return to Routine....

Ginette, Brie and Jeanette return to the BC coast from Edmonton, Alberta.

As expected, the three girls in our family (Jeanette, Ginette and baby Brie) returned from Alberta, on the scheduled Monday evening flight.  Trevor was at the Abbotsford Airport to gather the travelers.

Letting Jeanette out at our home...

Jeanette texted me as soon as the WestJet flight had landed and later,  they were in our driveway.  The 90 minute flight had been on time.  Ginette, Brie and Trevor opted to head back to their home and get re-settled.

Cousin Owen sharing his hand in Brie's mouth.

The Edmonton  visit was successful.  Ginette was occupied teaching several courses for two days and managed to get some visiting in as well.  Jeanette looked after Brie.

Owen with mom, Courtney

The BC contingent were housed at Deni, Courtney and Owen's house and, from the hundreds of photos I saw, it was clearly a really good visit.  

L-R  Deni, Owen, mom Jeanette and Brie.

My nephew Brad, his wife Jamie and one of their two daughters, Alyssa, were invited to share dinner with the gang at Deni and Courtney's home, last Thursday evening.  Good fun had there.  Brad is the youngest son of my oldest sister (since deceased).

Jamie, Brie and Alyssa

Brad, Brie and Alyssa

Alyssa sharing some special time with Brie.

Ginette did not have to teach on Saturday so they planned a 90 minute road trip to visit Jeanette's mom at her long term care facility.  When they arrived, Jeanette' sister, Darlene  was wearing her birthday colours (her birthday is shared with the US July 4th holiday).  She had a nice cake to share on the occasion.

Darlene with mom, Mary.

It was Mary's very first meeting with her great grand daughter, Brie.  It was the opportune time to take several photographs of four generations.

L-R  Mary, Brie, Ginette and Jeanette

Following several hours visiting at the long term care facility, it was time to make the drive back to Edmonton to attend another function.  Saying good bye is never easy....but it was such a thrill for Mary to finally meet, greet and hold her precious great grand daughter.

Another project completed

I did manage to complete another of the planned summer back yard projects.  The flagstone walkway from the sidewalk to the recently installed shed had been on the 'to do' list for several months.  It was finally completed this week.  We are making progress.

It can't all be about work....?

Tuesday evening saw Jeanette head to White Rock to join a group of like minded nurses who enjoy monthly games nights. With that in mind - and the stunningly beautiful summer weather - I opted for an evening motorcycle ride into the Fraser Valley.  I did not have any destination in mind but after meandering through so many awesome country roads, I found myself in Cultus Lake.  The lake was busy, but in a good way.  Families were enjoying the numerous offerings this area offers. 

The lake was busy with boaters and swimmers. 

Riding in the beautiful back country, south of Cultus Lake.

Cultus Lake has a special attraction to me.  During the 2nd World War, my father was a member of the Army Corps of Engineers.  He was stationed in Chilliwack - for military training - and, while there, my mother, my oldest sister Rhea, and my oldest brother Bernard, lived in a cottage in Cultus Lake.  I have no idea which cabin they lived in but it is kind of fun to ride around and imagine what living there was like at that time.  That was  before I and three other siblings were born.

Hanging out with Brie and Easton yesterday (Wednesday)

Jeanette and I had some errands to run and one of those included looking after Brie and Easton for a couple of hours.  We took them to the park where Brie got to sleep while Easton played on the swings.....and with his Nana too.

This is fun.....

Returning back to Easton and Brie's home...

I continue to work on the back yard projects; often starting early in the morning and shutting down by 2:00 pm.  I am self assigning.....and can therefore work when, and if, I feel like it, without fear of repercussions. LOL  By early afternoon, the heat of summer is at its highest and I usually head for the shower and follow that up with other interesting, non-work activities. How nice is that?  Another benefit to being retired.....or semi-retired....!

It's all good!

That's it from here, for now.  Thanks for dropping by.

All Over The Place...

The title for this blog paints a fairly clear picture of life in RVVoyageur land.  Jeanette is in Edmonton with daughter Ginette and grand daughter  Brie.  I am holding down the fort here on the coast.  So.....we are all over the place!

Siblings:  Ginette and Deni with their respective babies, Brie (L) and Owen (R) in Edmonton, Alberta.

Ginette, a Kinesiologist, is in Edmonton to teach a course, and her mom  Jeanette  went along to assist with taking care of Brie and to take advantage of the opportunity to visit with her mom who lives in a long term care facility outside of Edmonton. While in Edmonton, they are staying with our son, Deni, his wife Courtney and their baby Owen.  It makes for a very nice family visit.

Jeanette's mom has not met Brie yet but that will happen today.  Ginette has Saturday off so they will make the 90 minute drive to where Brie's great grandmother resides. Exciting day for all.

Sisters in law - Ginette and Courtney - sharing some special time with their respective babies.

Jeanette, Ginette and Brie flew to Edmonton this past Wednesday evening.  Their return flight is for Monday evening.  

I am holding down the fort here in south Langley.  Other than continuing with some back yard works, I spent most of yesterday with our oldest grand child, Easton.  His dad was busy at work and I relieved Easton from his paternal grandmother, who had to deal with her own mother's agenda.   I planned a fun day out with Easton.

First time on a putting green.

We started our morning with some golf fun.  Although only two years old, I was curious to see how Easton would respond to a little bit of golf time.  After picking him up at his house, gathering his golf set and driving to the Langley Golf Centre, we started with a quick putting lesson.  Although interested, I had to chuckle when Easton got more focused on watching the golf course machinery at work.  Lawnmowers were far more appealing than trying to putt a little white ball in a cup.  That said, Easton actually did OK with the putter.  After all, this was his very first time on a golf green.  The objective is that this activity has to be fun. 

Trying to figure out the grip on the putter.

We moved from the putting green to the driving range and that's where I noticed quite a difference in his focus.  He was more interested in hitting the range balls.  We focused on one club - a 7 iron - and he was able to knock the ball between 1-4 yards. Not bad for a first time out.

"This is fun......"

Easton would hit a few balls and then take a seat and watch me hit.   My expectations for Easton were well grounded.  Let's just have some fun....and play till he tired of this activity.  Surprisingly, he wanted to hit more range balls.

Exposing Easton - and the other grandchildren - to the game of golf is simply that.  The grand kids will be exposed to several sports and they will decide which suits their fancy.  I took up golf much later in life and teaching an old dog new tricks is much harder when compared to those who start much earlier in life.  Easton and I had a fun time out.  The little social butterfly that he is got the attention from seasoned golfers who marveled at his people skills.  He asks everyone how their day is going!  

Easton spent the balance of the day with me at our home and once the fun was over - and his dad was back at home - I drove him back.  Trevor and his mom invited me to join them for some sushi.  Dinner was enjoyed with them before I drove back home.

Owen is busy with baby push ups and spending time with his cousin Brie.

Back in Edmonton, Owen and Brie got to spend some quality time together.  Playing on the floor or going for stroller rides seemed to be the order of the day.

Owen @ 6 months of age with Brie @ 4.5 months of age.

Jeanette and the babies shared a lot of special time too.  The Edmonton weather was very, very nice and warm and once back from a stroller ride, the two babies were sound asleep in their respective strollers.

Sound asleep

Courtney with Owen and Brie.  They posed well for the camera.

Back from his office, Deni got his barbecue going and I know that his and Courtney's combined culinary skills led to a fantastic Friday evening dinner at their home.

I have plans to complete more work on our back yard projects but it could be sketchy to accomplish anything today (Saturday).  The weather forecast is calling for intermittent rain for the entire weekend.  Monday - and for the foreseeable future - calls for a return to bright sunny skies with great summertime temperatures we enjoy here.  We'll see. 

Should the rain take over the day, I am enjoying a great novel written by Nicholas Sparks.  I could find myself reading while listening the the patter of rain in our sun room. 

That's about it.  Thanks for dropping in.

Canada Day Well Celebrated...

Canada Day, here on the west coast of British Columbia, was record setting, temperature wise.  It was a stunningly beautiful (and hot) day.

Our Maple Leaf Flag....

Our Canada Day began with a nice visit.  Brie, Easton and Ginette dropped by our home and Jeanette had just finished baking some delicious muffins. Trevor was busy with some home and business related chores.

Enjoyed with some fresh coffee....

Brie wondered what all the fuss was about.....(four months of age)

And Easton wondered what the hold up was with the muffins......

Our Edmonton based little Owen was quick to get his folks to message a photo to us.  He was also enjoying Canada Day festivities.

Dapper little fella.  I especially love the cool cap Owen is sporting. (Approaching the ripe age of 6 months)

We enjoyed a nice visit and after our family left back for home, Jeanette and I cleaned up the house and we readied ourselves to join other friends for a Canada Day outdoor dinner at our friends home in White Rock/South Surrey. 

Denis (red shirt) and Odette (standing behind Denis) were the hosts for the Canada Day outdoor dinner.

This was the early group.  A few others joined in a bit later.  Suffice it to say that we enjoyed a truly wonderful outdoor meal in the company of truly good friends.  Many laughs were shared - as is always the case.

L-R  Mike, Denis, Rick, Me, Linda, Chris & Odette.

Denis took our camera to capture a photo of Jeanette with the group.  A sincere cheers to our lovely Canada.

A walk through the forest with Easton.

A day earlier, Easton's folks were painting the last bit of their home and we offered to take Easton on a bike/hike through the Aldergrove trails.  This area also boasts many great picnic spots.  Jeanette packed a good lunch and we headed off on the trails.  Easton rode his little bike.

Easton and Nana explored all types of foliage....!

A curious little fella, Easton enjoyed seeing some small fish in the stream, checking out some large leaves, seeing some huge west coast cedars and listening to the numerous birds singing in the forest.

A picnic is always a treat and we thoroughly enjoyed it in the great outdoors.

We delivered Easton back to his home and with the painting all done, we visited for a couple of hours before heading back to our home.  

Brie @ four months of age is keen on standing up. 

One weekend evening, Trevor (Easton's dad) set up the tent on their back lawn and Easton was so enamoured with it that both father and son ended up camping out.  That was a fun thing to do.  Easton was quite thrilled to tell us about his back yard camp-out. 

Fun time sleeping in the tent.

 

Mount Baker (Washington State) in all its glory - seen from our home yesterday.

We have featured Mount Baker in previous posts but when the sky is blue and the mountain stands magically out on the eastern horizon, we always take a photo.  It is a majestic mountain that often draws our interest to motorcycle to.  It also boasts a well regarded winter skiing facility.

So that was how we spent our Canada Day - and the associated long weekend.  We avoided the long weekend crush of tourist traffic by staying close to home.  That in itself was a blessing. 
 Thanks for dropping in.