The Chilly Chase

Last year the kids entered their first 5k run. It was the Donut Dash at the PNE. A lot of the local runs include a 5k option now which is the perfect distance for kids because even if they walk it they can still finish it in a reasonable amount of time. It starts at the same times the 10k, 15k and Half Marathon so even if you take your time it doesn't feel like you are last since the longer race racers will still be behind you. It's only January so there wasn't a lot of training to be had but Callie and Carter were still very excited about the race.

Leading up to the race Carter always seems a bit more excited that Callie. This is definitely one of the key personality differences between the two. Callie does a lot of worrying before new things while Carter goes with the flow. Come race time however the roles were definitely switched. The race started out great with both kids running but after about 200m, the rain and cold caught up with Carter and he was not impressed. Callie on the other hand wanted to run ahead but had to wait for Kerry and Carter. Near the end Kerry let her sprint ahead and she looked like a natural.

Despite the cold and wet conditions everyone finished and running memory appears to be short. Carter seemed to have a miserable time but he's already looking forward to the Hot Chocolate run in March. We'll try to do a bit better job training him with some runs around the park this time.

Christmas

With all of the time we spent on house renovations from September to early December Christmas came on very quickly and we really didn't feel prepared. I managed to get the guest bathroom done just in time for guests to start arriving. My goal was to get as much done as possible and everything cleaned up so that we could put decorations up without having to work around them as I finished bits and pieces up. We did get 99% done but we still have the backsplash and a bit of floor moulding that we decided to leave to the new year.

For a few weeks I was quite happy with the way the outdoor Christmas lights looked. I buy one or two strings each year at Rona when they go to 50% or 60% off and after 10 years we've amassed a nice little collection. We are now definitely the most decorated house on the block. Someone must have been jealous though because our beloved Snoopy was stolen. I had him screwed to the top of the Little Free Library and he lasted all last year and a few weeks this year but he was just too tempting. They sell him each year at Rona so I will watch for him next year and this time I'll put him on the roof so he doesn't go missing.

This year we were lucky enough to see the ultimate Christmas Light show at Stanley Park. Corey, Carmen and the kids had planned on going with some family members but several of them came down sick so they gave us four tickets. We arrived just in time for a train ride through Stanley park looking at some very amazing light displays. My favourite was the one across the pond where the reflection duplicated all the lights. The other great one was the tree lit with tens of thousands of lights. It must have taken a week just to decorate it.

We also headed down to the German Christmas Market. It's a closed market downtown with nice wooden huts and lot's of food. It alway seems very cramped with so many people in such a small space but I suppose that's part of the charm. We went down right when it opened to avoid the biggest crowds and we used our tickets to get a savings at 'Fly Over Canada'. It's a 4D movie experience where they fly you over the screen. During most of the year it's just regular views of Canada but at Christmas they add a few minutes of Santa's workshop. The kids really enjoy it.

Santa was very good to us and the kids got their annual present of Christmas pyjamas. This was the first year that Callie had to get big kid pyjamas and he couldn't get everyone the same kind.

We only had one Christmas this year. Ordinarily we have one with Barb and Reg and a second with my parents but this year my dad and brother were in Finland at the World Junior Hockey tournament and my mom decided she would visit later in the year.

Gingerbread House Making

This year we had Carter's friend Luca and Callie's friend Anya over to make gingerbread houses. Although it is easier to just buy a kit, I bought a mould from Lee Valley several years ago and I much prefer to use it. The best thing about it is that there is no wasteful packaging. The kits come with all sorts of plastic and cardboard bits that really aren't necessary. The other good thing is that we get to pick our toppings. It only takes one evening to make all of the parts and set everything up and the houses are the perfect size.

I made four sets of parts this year. One for each builder. This way the kids visiting get to take their house home when they are done. Luca seemed very proud of his when his Dad came to pick him up. Callie did an excellent job on her house. (The one on the left.) The only trouble with it and unfortunately all the houses was that we got very heavy candy this year. The trick to gingerbread house making is to decorate before you build so once the parts are loaded with candy it can be tricky to assemble. I had about a half dozen soup cans with each house as support while the icing dried.

Christmas Tree Hunting

The title of this post could also be "Christmas Tree Hunting But Not Finding". Last year was the first year we got a real Christmas tree and although it was a bit difficult for Callie to take the tree down when we were done, she did enjoy having a real tree and agreed to a real one this year as well. There are several tree farms relatively near us so we picked the one at Aldor Acres and went on our hunt. It was the last weekend in November and although the farm was open it only had the trees it had grown itself. It's a relatively small farm so it trucks additional trees in to meet demand.

We did our best to find a tree and there were several hundred to choose from. Each family member managed to find at least one tree they liked but the difficulty was finding one everyone liked. Carter wanted big, I wanted a fir, Callie wanted a friendly looking tree she could name. After about an hour of searching we decided we weren't going to find one. We still took some time out for cooking marshmallows, playing in the hay stack, petting the bunnies. We decided we would try out the nursery near us once they had their Christmas Tree lot set up.

The Christmas Tree lot didn't disappoint. I think those lots get their trees from professional farms rather than the local farmers that just plant some trees. They are pruned much more consistently and the price is very reasonable. In the end we chose a Norman Fir and Callie named it Norman. He was a great looking tree however he didn't seem to have a scent. I think we'll try out a Noble Fir again next year.

Now I just have to figure out what kind of woodworking project I will make out of him now that Christmas is done.

A Trip to Britannia Mines

In December Callie had a field trip to Britannia Mines. Kerry has taken her class many times however I had only ever seen the outside of it as it is on the way to Whistler and is a prominent set of buildings on the side of the highway. Callie really enjoys it when I get to go on her field trips so when she brought the permission slip home I knew I didn't have any choice but to volunteer to chaperone. This was a bus trip since it's such a long drive so I didn't have to take our car.

The mine was a copper mine up until the mid 70's and was handed over to the province mostly intact. The province acted quickly to preserve what the could and a more recent renovation has brought it up to a caliber that rivals any other historic site we have in BC. The province doesn't have a long history and much of it was built with wood so very few things have survived. This location however has much of the original equipment and buildings. They've also added some mining equipment from other areas such as the giant mine truck at the entrance.

The highlight for me was getting to take the mine train into one of the mine shafts. If you are claustrophobic this would not be the field trip for you. It's all very safe and they only take you a few hundred feet in but you can't help but think of the millions of pounds of rock sitting over your head. The tour inside was great with a short train ride to a spot where the guide shows you the different mining techniques that existed throughout the history of the mine. He even turns on the air hammer drill which was deafening in such as small space.

Callie's favourite part was panning for gold and other gems. The mine itself was principally a copper mine but they have included a few gold panning troughs as a fun activity. The best part was that even though it was December and we were outside, the water is heated so you don't get cold at all. The trough is mostly sand but they've seeded it with gold, pyrite and various minerals. Callie and I had a bag of minerals and about 7 flecks of gold. Not enough to get rich but still fun.

The trip had to fit into a day trip from school so we only got to stay for a few hours. I think I would like to come back in the summer and explore more of the buildings. This was an excellent attraction.

Aldor Acres Pumpkin Patch

We took our annual pilgrimage to the pumpkin patch at Aldor Acres with the Kilden's this year. This was a very hot summer so the pumpkins were ready much earlier than normal. This isn't really a big deal for us though because although the experience of Aldor Acres is amazing, we're not about to purchase our pumpkins there because they charge by the width. It's much cheaper to buy our pumpkins at Superstore and just get a small one from the pumpkin patch.

There were several new pumpkin picture boards but not many of them have four heads. The kids like to take turns being the various portions of the picture. Carter enjoys being the corn and the scare crow and Callie and Kristen just fill in the extra spots. It's very difficult to have all of them smiling and looking at the same time. There is usually at least one of them talking and often another looking at each other behind the board.

The petting zoo will always be known as the place that Callie got bit by a turkey. I'm not surprised that they haven't had turkeys for a few years now. The goats can be quite the handful as well. The bigger ones are not shy about going after you if you have food in your hands so you have to watch yourself the entire time. In this picture Uncle Corey appears to be kissing the goat. I'm not sure exactly which tactic he's attempting to employ with that move.

The bunnies are another fun spot. Callie spends the whole time picking each one up to pet them. We usually have to do a bit coaxing to get Carter to pet one but he is getting better. The toughest part is getting them into the barn where the bunnies are. Kristen and Carter are both afraid of the singing pig. (It's a mechanical pig that plays the banjo.) I think they are getting over that fear though because when we were about to leave they said they wanted to go see the singing pig which turned out to be a trick. They ran right by him to spend more time in the hay bales with the bunnies.

The weather was excellent and the pumpkin patch gets better every year. I hope the family that runs it passes it on to the next generation. It was so busy when we got there I think there were about 100 people in line. This was at 2:00p well after the morning rush so it's a steady stream of people the entire time. We were happy to get our pumpkin and goat fix for another year.

Thanksgiving in Oliver

We had a somewhat unconventional Thanksgiving this year. We had planned on staying home for a quiet long weekend however Barb and Reg had volunteered to help the Silver Sage Winery run their table at a wine tasting event for the weekend. They got the weekends mixed up and it fell on the same weekend as the advance polls for the election. Rather than leave Silver Sage without any help Kerry volunteered to help. She had to get her servers license in advance and was rewarded with a case of Silver Sage Pino Blanc for her troubles. Well worth the effort.

The highlight of the weekend for Callie and Carter was getting to go for a ride in Barb and Reg's new Miata. Reg had one a few years ago but it was a standard so Barb couldn't drive it. They found an automatic they liked and bought it. This was also very good for me because now they needed another parking space in the garage which meant they had no place for the trailer. Now I get a trailer for doing my wood purchases and gardening tasks in the spring.