A Chocolate Slip & Slide?

We've thought about it for the past few years and this year we finally did it. We went on a family camping trip. Both Kerry and I did some camping as kids. My family had a tent trailer and would spend time at our lake property and Kerry's family had a trailer and toured Vancouver Island a lot. We have neither of those things and for now can't justify the expense. We've also decided that we're not tent campers so that left us with one real option. Renting a cabin and luckily the KOA network in the US offers just such a thing.

Our destination was the Concrete/Grandy Creek KOA campground about 30 minutes EAST of Burlington in Washington. It's an excellent family camp ground at the base of Mount Baker and they have these nice little cabins that sleep 6 people with a double bed and two sets of bunk beds. It was good that there were two sets of bunk beds because it meant both kids got their own top bunk. They even came with electricity and a space heater. This is luxury camping.

I mentioned that this was a great family camp ground. The reason for that was all the activities that were available for kids. There was a jump pillow which is like a giant trampoline, mini-golf, a pool and hot tub. Did I mention that this was luxury camping? Most of the site was well maintained and my only real complaint was that the cabins were on the edge of a very open field. At first I thought this would mean no privacy but it turns out you're so far from people on the other side that you don't feel exposed at all.

The campground had an 'Everything Chocolate' theme for the weekend. This meant chocolate ice cream, chocolate themed craft time, a sucker hunt in the dark, a night time showing of Charlie and the Chocolate factory as well as a pie throwing event where the kids threw chocolate pies into their parents face. (I unfortunately couldn't attend because I had to look after Wilson at the cabin. Too bad.) The highlight for the kids though was the chocolate slip and slide. Luckily they added as much soap as chocolate.

We went with family friends Melissa and Kathy and their families and it sounds like we may make it an annual event. Great fun!

My First Attempt at Canning

This year I decided to try canning. Canning is definitely a dying art. With the cost of canned goods being so cheap in the stores most people don't see the need to do home canning anymore. To some extent I agree but it is a skill that I'd like to have. I've also found that you can get most fruits canned in the store and they taste pretty much the same. One exception however is cherries. Most canned cherries tend to either be the very heavy syrup or the candied ones. I wanted just regular cherries in a light syrup.

I started with a 20 pound box that we picked up on our way home from Oliver and I picked up the canning supplies for about $50 dollars at Canadian tire. For the 14 cans I got I think it ended up costing about $100. The good thing though is that about $75 of that were one time costs. So although it was about $7 a jar this time, the cost will drop dramatically as I do more. So far they've turned out nicely. Every one sealed properly and show no signs of any kind of discolouration or mould. Callie and I both agree that they taste delicious.

Callie's Birthday Party

Although Kerry continues to try to convince Callie to do her birthday at bowling or swimming, Callie continues to insist that we have her party in the backyard. This of course means a lot more planning but for Callie I think that's the fun part. This year she decided to have a 'Frozen' them which if you haven't heard is the biggest Disney animated film ever. The planning started almost at the beginning of the summer and much effort went into the goodie bags including knitted bracelets and custom made goodie bags.

As per usual Kerry's friend Kathy contributed some of her amazing sugar cookie creations. This year they were individually wrapped and placed on a stick and included snowflakes and Olafs. There was also a nice one that said Happy Birthday and they were all delivered as part of a bouquet of flowers. Kathy definitely knows how to class up a party.

Other events included craft time where they made their own Olaf finger puppets, pin the nose on Olaf and a treasure hunt where each team had to search the yard for Olaf parts to build their own snowman. (Again, if you've watched the movie you know all about 'Do you want to build a snowman?')

Kerry made the cake which was a white cake with blue jello. My contribution was placing the editable decal and making the chocolate snowflakes. Callie thoroughly enjoyed her frozen summer party.

Summer Vacation - The Rest of the Story

I decided I would blog Silverwood as an entry on it's own and fill in around it with a separate entry. We left for Oliver on Saturday morning. We had planned on leaving at 6:00a but when Kerry was up watering she discovered we had yet another pre-trip flat tire. I probably picked it up driving through the construction zone on Highway 1 the night before. From now on, no more last minute trips just before vacation. Our first destination was in Oliver where we had to drop off Wilson. We didn't want to leave him in our Hotel room all day while we were out.

We were only in Oliver for about 18 hours. We would have stayed longer but we had already set the day for Callie's birthday party so we had to work around the August 7th date. Kerry might go up again with the kids later in the summer. It was long enough however for some more knitting lessons from Gub. Callie is making some items for her party and is getting quite proficient.

On our way to Silverwood the day before we had seen a very nice looking mini-golf location that we wanted to check out. It was the perfect morning event before we started the drive to Omak. It was a very nice course though even at 11:00a it was already very hot. I now know why the guy asked if we wanted to do the indoor course. It's the opposite problem from the winter and I think more people do that course during the hot days. Callie ended up spending much of the time in the shade. (If anyone is keeping track, I won by five strokes.)

After mini-golf we started the drive back to Oliver. We decided to spend the night in Omak in a hotel with a pool and do a bit of shopping in Spokane. This time it was shopping for me. They happen to have a Woodcraft store that I've always wanted to go to. I've decided I like Lee Valley better. Kerry also stopped off at the Fred Meyer to pick up some cheaper alchohol. After tonight we head back to Oliver to pick up Wilson and then home to get ready for Callie's party. A quick trip but lot's of fun.

A Day at Silverwood

We have already gone on two big vacations this year so for the summer we decided to do something a bit lower key. Kerry had heard about Silverwood from a few of her friends and it's not much of a drive from Oliver so we packed our bags and headed out on a good old fashioned road trip. After a quick stop in Oliver to drop off Wilson we headed to the Motel 6 in Coeur D'Alene. We figured we'd be gone most of the day so there was no sense wasting money on a nice hotel.

It seems that amusement parks open quite late which meant we didn't get into the park until about 11:30. By that time it was well over 30 degrees. We decided we'd start with the train ride around the park to get our bearings. That turned out to be a terrible idea. With our bad luck we got robbed!?!?! They got $5 Canadian off me. I was happy to find out later that it was all part of the show and the money went to charity. All kidding aside, it was a nice 30 minute ride with a 15 minute show with train robbers and an abandoned mine.

After that we tried some of the other rides. I was very impressed by the layout of the park. Nicely groomed landscaping with proper paths and each ride looked very permanent. (Unlike Playland where it seems the place could shut down any year.) After an unfortunately very long wait for the old fashioned cars, the kids went on one of the twirly rides. I hate them. Callie looked like she did as well but seemed to have forgotten her screams of terror by the time she got off. Must be amusement park memory.

After a few hours at the amusement park side we headed over to the water park side. Bounder Beach. Our kids have not done well with water slides on the past. Not sure why but we just can't get them down a slide that they can't see the end of. It was good that this one had some smaller slides. Carter went up and down a few dozen times. Baby steps I suppose.

Although we didn't get to go on any of the bigger slides we still had a great time. There was a great lazy river that was all one level but with a current and only a few feet deep. Kerry walked the kids around 5 times. The other highlight was the wave pool. It too is only a few feet deep and unlike some other ones we've been to was that deep the whole way. This meant the kids could get into the big waves and still stand up. We stayed at the water park until it closed at 7:00p.

The amusement park side was open until 10:00p. We went on several more rides, won some prizes on the midway. Our food highlight was Dippin Dots ice cream and something called funnel cake. I think they make it by funnelling batter through a funnel into oil. Kerry bought it for herself but once we all tasted it, it was gone very quickly. We stayed until the park closed at 10:00p. That made for an 11 hour day with no breaks. The kids were surprisingly good for that amount of time. I highly recommend Silverwood if you're planning a road trip.

The Big 1st Anniversary of Kerry's 39th Birthday

It was a big birthday year for Kerry this year. I won't mention the exact number but let's just say that people often celebrate this particular birthday with flamingos on the front yard. You'd think that because it was a big birthday that it would have meant a lot of work for me. This might have been true if not for Kerry's best friend Melissa. I think she started planning on July 20th of last year. I was more of a logistics guy for sourcing the local things like food, drink and tables and chairs. (Though true to Kerry form she somehow handled some of those things too.)

I think the hardest part for me was getting the deck re-stained in preparation. It badly needed it and we managed to finish it just a few days beforehand.

Barb and Reg and I took care of getting the tables and chairs ready the day before and doing basic setup. The weather for the weeks leading up to the event were clear and hot but somehow turned the morning of. We were prepared but were lucky enough not to need the cover. The rain stopped in the afternoon and didn't start again till later that night.

Kerry didn't know everything. She knew the event was happening and found out the theme was Hawaiian but after that much of it was a surprise. The extent of the decorations were a surprise to even me. I had no idea Melissa had so much Hawaiian themed merchandise. I guess she's done a few of these before.

The guest list was also a surprise for Kerry with a mix of local friends, colleagues, family and a surprise visit from Julie from Hazelton who flew down and crashed on our couch.

It wouldn't be a party without kids running around getting into trouble. One of the highlights for them were the candy filled squirt guns which were quickly emptied and filled with water. I think they spent about an hour running around with them. There were surprisingly few naughty incidents and I'm glad I purchased the smaller ones. Even when an errant shot did come your way it wasn't enough water to worry about.

Other highlights included.
1) A pinata for the kids. Kennedy took care of that nicely.
2) Prime rib cooked by Reg.
3) Various drink stations including snow cones, margaritas, wine and coolers.
4) A giant cake from Fresh Street farms. (And a second to cover Melissa and Kathy's birthdays.)
5) A limbo contest for the kids. (Another win for Kennedy.)
6) Amazingly decorated cookies from Kathy.
Kerry was thrilled with the whole event.

A Little Free Library

If you follow social media you've probably seen recent articles on a kid in the states who built a little free library for his front yard and was asked by his municipality to take it down. (He got a lot of support and was able to keep it.) This was the first I'd heard of such a thing though I later realized that I bike by one on my way to work. The idea intrigued me so I decided to see if there were any in Surrey. There was only one and it was more of an open box with a single book in it. I felt it wasn't doing Surrey justice so I decided I would take a few weekends and build one myself.

It turns out that Little Free Library is a not for profit organization that started a few years ago in the U.S. There are now over 16,000 of them around the world. (16, 232 assuming I'm one of the most recent ones.) They send you instructions and a name plate and the rest is up to you. I've researched hundreds of them and they range from old suit cases on the back of a bike to elaborate phone booths meant to look like the Dr. Who tardis. Much of mine was with scrap materials from previous projects so the cost was low and it was fun trying to figure out how to keep it water proof. A tiny house on a post.

It's already been quite a success. I've had several people sign the guest book and there are books coming and going almost every day. I'm looking forward to when school starts again because we get quite a few parents with kids walking by. The kids are always intrigued with it which is why I kept it quite low so they could check it out them selves. No vandalism problems so far though someone did temporarily steal the guest book. (I don't think they could read english and didn't understand what it was.) They brought it back though. Now I'm just waiting for it to rain so I can be sure it's waterproof.

A Hammock Store?

In June Kerry and Melissa signed up for another half marathon. This year it was in Seattle and they went down with Kathy for the weekend. This left me to look after the kids. (Sort of, since Barb and Reg were in town and did most of the work.) To get the kids out of the house for a bit we decided to go on a Summer Safari. The plan was to use transit to get to Granville Island. This meant we took a car to the Sky Train, then the Sky Train downtown to Science World, then one of the False Creek Ferries to Granville island before taking a bus back to the Sky Train and home.

We got lucky with our boat trip. The day happened to be the day of the Dragon Boat races and they were going on right in front of the boat docks. Our boat even had to wait while one of the races went past which meant we got a front row seat.
It had been a while since we had been to Granville Island so I informed the kids we would go check out the Hammock store and the Umbrella store. They didn't believe me but once we got to the hammock store and tried one out their tune changed quickly. They were very surprised and couldn't stop smiling about it.

For lunch we each got to get a meal we wanted which included Fish & Chips, a Nutella Crepe and a Hot Dog.

We spent most of the trip in transit which for a 5 year old and an 8 year old was all part of the fun. They don't get to ride a bus very often and certainly don't get to ride an aqua-bus. The weather was amazing and I'm pretty sure they will remember the hammock store forever.

A Trip to PG to Visit Jackson

We usually go up to Prince George for the July long weekend. The weather is nice and Canada day at Fort George park is a tradition. This year was extra special because my new nephew Jackson had been born just days earlier. He was born on June 25, 2014 and was a healthy 7lbs 3ozs. Callie and Carter were very excited to visit with their new cousin. Having such a large family I usually get to tell them about a new cousin every three months or so but this one was a 'real' cousin. Not a fourth cousin twice removed situation.

We went up on the Monday and the following day was Canada day. For the first time in a few years it managed not to rain on that day which was a pleasant change. I think the highlight this year was the giant inflatable Mr. PG. The kids always know when we're in Prince George when we hit the corner of 97 and 16 and see the real Mr. PG, but we never get out to visit him. This time he came to them.

For the afternoon on Canada day we went out to West lake. This year we went every single day, even when the weather wasn't great. The kids really enjoy putting their life vests on and playing in the water. They get much more adventuresome with the life vests and even Carter was going out over his head. I even managed to get them both into the canoe. Callie came with me last year but Carter would chicken out before we could get him into the boat. (Once they are in there is no escaping.) We went on several trips including to the boy scout camp, the plane dock and the provincial park.

For the evening on Canada day, (It was either a very busy day or I've mixed up a few of the days here) Eric and Tara brought Jackson and we went down to get GG Jackson and bring her up for dinner. This was the first opportunity for her to see her newest Great Grand Child. We got some great photos including the traditional four generation shot. I had it printed at Walmart and when I went to pick it up, the photo centre clerk loved it and asked if it was a four generation shot. (I guess she saw it come out of the machine and was intrigued.)

The remainder of the trip was filled with the usual, playing in the play house in the backyard, trips to the lake and of course several meals with GG. It usually takes a few days for Callie and Carter to warm up to people and we don't see GG very often. I also think the wheel chair scares them a bit. By the fourth day however we did finally get them to interact with her somewhat including a high five from Carter.