Goodbye Rondo, Hello Sportage

After 9 years and 160,000 kilometres it was time for us to get a new car. The Rondo was still going pretty strong but we were looking to get a new car within the next year and 12 days before our trip to Disneyland the air conditioning broke. We also had quite a bit of service items that needed to be attended to. Rather than a $1,200 bill and any number of additional items that may have come up in the next  year we decided it made sense to take a look at moving up our plans. (We realize it was likely cheaper to fix and repair for another 5 years but new cars are fun too.)

We had already been checking out another Kia called the Sportage and after a couple days of test drives with a few others in the same class we made our decision. We probably would have gone with the Suburu Forester if we had unlimited funds but cost was a consideration we had to factor in. This one isn't a seven seater and it isn't fully loaded like the Rondo but 9 years later and most of the extra features from the Rondo are now standard. The only thing we have left to do is to replace the Disney family. Luckily we are headed there in a few days.

Summer in Prince George

The school district that Kerry, Callie and Carter are in has a rule that states that the last day of work for Kerry must be a Friday so the last day of school must be a Thursday. This year, July 1st was a Friday so the last Friday of June was a week before. As per tradition we go to Lheidli T'enneh Memorial Park. (Formally known as Fort George Park and no, I don't know how to pronounce it.) As per usual it was a great place to stop for lunch, watch a few dancers and enjoy the sunshine. The kids also got to get their picture with the RCMP bear.

Once we were done with Canada Day at the park we went to GG's house for a visit. It was fun to see her as she met us at the door wearing her Canada Day hat. You can't quite see it in the picture but it was a picture of the Canada Flag from the front page of the paper that she had turned into a hat. Even at 94 she continues to be full of life. She always has treats for the kids and this year we surprised her with a new puzzle. We helped her with the outside and got her started in the middle but left the rest for her. 1000 pieces. I think she was happy. ;)

One of our favourite things to do when visiting Prince George is to go out to West Lake where our family has property. As soon as Carter finds out we are leaving for Prince George he goes to get his fishing rod. It's a small plastic one but with the right bait he was able to catch his first fish that didn't catch him. The last fish he took stole his fishing rod. In this case the right bait was a piece of hot dog. Not quite big enough to eat but bigger than the minnows we were catching with the nets. I think we need to get him a tackle box for Christmas.

While we were there we also decided to take Oliver for his first hike. Our destination was the Fort George Canyon trail. I didn't have proper shoes due to a shoe mishap that happened in Oliver so we could only go about half way. I was fully expecting to have to carry Oliver most of the way since he was only 3 1/2 months old but he was a great hiker. As long as one or two people were in front of him he walked the whole way. I think if we had done the full 10k instead of just 6k he probably would have done the whole thing. Good to know as we like to go on family hikes.

Silver Sage's 20th Anniversary

At the end of June we departed on our annual trip to visit family in Prince George. Ordinarily we do the trip to Oliver for family on a different weekend but this year we had to go there first to help out at the Silver Sage Winery's 20th anniversary. This has always been one of Kerry's favourite wineries because of the people that serve you during the tasting. It's best when the owners family are the ones doing it because they have a one liner for every one of their wines that always makes you laugh. Over time Kerry's parents have developed a relationship with the owners and have volunteered to help out during big events.

The big event this time was their 20th anniversary. A free event for their best customers that included drinks and lot's of food. Reg was helping out serving wine while Kerry and Barb helped out in the kitchen and with setup. I came later with the kids but couldn't avoid helping out as well. Even the kids got involved with carrying food out to the tents. The weather looked like it wanted to rain but things stayed dry and it looked like everyone had a great time.

While we were there we walked across the street to visit some friends of Barb and Reg who own a kayak. In past years we've done it where Kerry and I each take a kid on our lap. Callie is getting too big for that so she got to go out on her own. I was a bit worried when she set off because she only seemed to be able to go straight away from shore but after a few minutes she got the hang of it and had a 45 minute tour of the lake. I think she really enjoyed it.