Showing posts with label waterton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label waterton. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

A big nauseating dose of reality

Here's a tip: When you take a 17 day vacation, it's hard to go back to reality. Ryan and I have been suffering from some serious end-of-vacation-depression after our Canada trip. I know you want to slap us because how awesome is it that we can take 17 days in the summer to vacation and believe me, I'm not complaining about that. This summer has been the greatest thing ever. Like the fabulous pot of gold at the end of a double rainbow. Except I don't know if my first year of teaching is what I'd call a "double rainbow" but I wanted to fit "double rainbow" into this post somehow. The good news is, we are suffering because we had such a great time. We packed in the fun this year and thanks to my mom being a wonderful grandma who loves to take care of her grand kids, we got to do these things sans children. Not that I don't like doing things with my kids but I have found that when it comes to Canada, they'd prefer to stay with my Grandma and play with their cousins.

The quintessential Waterton photo but what's special about this one is that there is no wind. I think it's because I've been living right. This reminds me of a fun Magrath story. One of my old teachers/church leaders stopped me in church and while we were conversing she asked me if I knew so-and-so. I said I didn't but that she was most likely younger than me. She replied, "Oh no, she can't be younger than you. She already has five kids." Well sister, she is five years younger than me. I guess I'll stay young forever because I only have two kids.

Beth was at our house for a week before we left and then they spent two more weeks together in Canada. I think there were only a couple of disagreements. These girls are fun.

Becky, the girls and I took a nice hike up to Crandell Lake. The lake was beautiful and even more lovely because of the no wind day that I created due to my good living. Grace declared that it had too many bugs. I think you would call her "a city girl."

My grandma had a crokinole board under the bed in the pink bedroom. We took it out all the time and "played". Did anyone know the rules? Hell no! Monti and Becky bought my mom her own board for Christmas one year and we actually played it the correct way this visit.

Don't mess with us when we're playing. I will talk some trash here and say that Becky and I kick crokinole ass.

Yay! Driving to Calgary/Banff. Let the wild times begin! Monti is still mad because I beat him at crokinole.

We stopped at Lake Louise first. This is where Ryan and I spent most of our honeymoon 16 years ago. I wish I could have captured the color of the water. The glaciers/light do something to it that makes it very turqoise.

I thought this picture looked a lot like one Ryan took of me on our honeymoon.

We obviously had different weather in April.

This made me a bit scared when we were driving in Banff. I kept thinking about the people who first saw this area and that is must have blown their minds. "What does it mean?!"

Columbia Ice Fields. Proof that global warming exists and it's sad. I had this idea that we would park and walk onto the glacier but only if it were 1849. We are standing where it was in 2000 and we still had a bit of a walk.

Toly/Van Fleets at the Banff Springs Hotel. Monti captioned this "Nature-1, Humanity-0" but I don't think we look too bad for being so old.


Monti and I wanted to take a tour of the small farm and town we grew up in since it was on the way home. Everything seemed so much smaller except for the trees. This is the farm we lived on. Monti and I learned to entertain ourselves with old farm machinery and star wars action figures. We also learned that snakes coming out of your kitchen sink drain were no fun.

Making ice cream just like the pioneers did.

Hanna went to the Lethbride Airshow with Ryan. The day before, a jet had crashed but luckily the pilot bailed out soon enough.

Good-bye Canada. Thanks for the good times, dill pickle chips, Earl's salads, mosquito bites and slurpees with soft ice cream.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

An unhealthy respect for authority

Canada was great. We came home sleepier and fatter but it's all worth it. I figure if I'm good the rest of the year, I can eat as many dill pickle chips or slurpees with ice cream as I want while I'm there. So many good times this year that I don't know where to start. Be prepared for the photo onslaught. First I have to tell a Hanna story. Some of you may know that Hanna thinks she is pretty hilarious and I probably spends a lot of her day thinking of ways to be more hilarious. Sunday morning we got up early and headed to the border. I used to get really nervous when we were crossing but the years have hardened me and I don't worry about it anymore. I mean, what could they possibly do to us? Maybe detain us for being too prepared. I noticed today that they were being extra vigilant, opening the doors of the car in front of us and checking around a bit more than usual. We pull up to the gate and two border cops start opening various doors on our van. One guy opens the side door and starts talking to the girls. I could tell immediately that he was a nice border cop and not one of the grumpy kind we sometimes encounter. Still, I'm a little nervous and begin to wonder about what they are looking for.

Cop: What games are you playing?

Girls: Animal Crossing.

Cop: I hear that's a fun one.

The cop then asks Grace who Ryan and I are respectively and she says, "mom and dad." Then he asks Hanna.

Cop: Who is that? (pointing to me)

Hanna: My mom.

Cop: Who is that? (pointing to Ryan)

Hanna: pauses...I don't know.

I whip around and say, "HANNA STOP FOOLING AROUND!" I'm thinking Ryan is going to be pulled from the car and arrested and Hanna is smiling like she just thought of the funniest thing ever. The cop, since he is nice, asks her again and she, now with the fear of God in her, confirms that Ryan is her dad. He seems okay with that and then checks our cooler and doesn't even mention our illegal B.C. cherries. The ordeal ends with me being asked to go inside to be, once again, fingerprinted and photographed. Between work and immigration I think I've been fingerprinted more than most felons. We were all extra glad to leave the border this trip. A few hours later near Butte, Montana, Ryan and I start laughing about Hanna's "joke". If you think about it, it's really funny.

I liked this picture with my mom because it kind of sums up what goes on at home. We think we are super funny and my mom has to put up with it.

Serious photo

My mom let the girls pick out fabric and then helped them sew their own skirts. Isn't she awesome? Here Beth and Hanna are letting Kermit help sew.

The finished product. These skirts are really cute and were relatively easy to make.

The obligatory bad family photo by Cameron Falls.

The whole family except Monti and I took the boat from the Waterton town site to Glacier in Montana. The tickets were $34 for adults so since I had already gone as a teenager, I decided to let Ry go instead. Monti and I hung out in town eating fries and gravy and then went to The Prince of Wales where Monti regaled me with stories from when he worked there. I now know how the laundry chute works! Grace on the U.S. side with Canada behind her.

Saturday we finally got a really nice day and decided to head to Writing on Stone Provincial Park to float down the Milk River with the Tolys and the Beres.

HOODOOS!

Rick and Monti are funny.

Perfect day and thanks to Dar (her foot in the picture) for bringing her camera.

Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Waterton


I wanted to go to Waterton when we were home this time because it had been a couple of years since we were there. I knew the kids were old enough to do hikes and I wanted to climb Bear's Hump with them. We did the typical Waterton things, went to The Prince of Wales, ate at Zum's, had ice-cream and fed the squirrels at Cameron Falls. It was also a typical Waterton day, cold and windy, but as the day went on the weather improved.

Mom with all the grandkids at The Prince of Wales.

The obligatory Cameron Falls shot.

Hanna at the top of Bear's Hump.

Aww how romantic. Monti and Ryan sharing a moment.

I'm tired. That hike is a killer. Short but deadly.

Bear!


The squirrels were loving the Spitz Becky had us bring.