Canada Day

We spent a very quiet day on July first - just another day - no grandchildren or other visitors. We did watch the celebrations on Parliament Hill.

Bob had his flag up in good time for Canada day.



We didn't go over to watch the fireworks. We watched from our front yard. We did miss seeing them reflect in the lake, but I didn't miss the crowds.

Dragon Boat Festival

After a few weeks of all time record setting rainfall, we have finally had a week of good weather. Our sump pump ran steadily and still we had water in our basement. We are glad for the good weather and that the water has quit seeping in.

The weather is perfect for the annual Dragon Boat Festival held at Henderson Lake in Lethbridge. We walked over to the lake for the opening ceremonies last evening and watched the dancers wake up the dragon. The following picture came from The Lethbridge Herald as we didn't take a camera.

We are lucky to live so close to a beautiful lake and park. There are about 60 crews from all over western Canada taking part in the festival. Each team has a tent set up be the starting line.


Bob walked over this morning and took some pictures of Henderson Lake and the boat races.



A race is starting.
St. Teresa's is coming up from their slow start.

They are catching up with the leader.

St. Teresa's boat pulls ahead just in time to win the race.

Even the dogs enjoy the festival.

A Cool Day in Waterton

Bob, Nathan, Darwin and families left early in the morning to climb Bear's Hump before the predicted rain at noon. (I stayed home because I had been ill overnight and didn't want to go anywhere until I knew how I was doing.) The group did Bear's Hump, Cameron Falls, Zum's for lunch, and Cameron Lake. They didn't get out of the car at Cameron Lake because it was pouring rain.

Trail to Bear's Hump

Owen and Keaton

Top of Bear's Hump

Caden and Chloe at Cameron Falls

Keaton

Orson, Liam, Caden & Owen

Tara and Lochlan

Caden, Darwin, Owen, Liam & Nathan

Cardston Temple on the Way Home

Lehi and Mount Timpanogos

We did a lot of shopping while we were in Lehi. Thursday evening Amber, Sue-anne and I went to Jo-ann's and then to Ikea. It was the first time I had been in Ikea since we were in China. I have fond memories of our Relief Society visit to Ikea when we were in China.

Saturday morning was Caden's baptism. A wonderful experience.

In the afternoon Bob, Sue-anne, Langley, Carter, Darwin, Caden, Chloe and Amber's father and little brother hiked up to visit Timpanogos Caves. It is a very popular spot and if you don't make a reservation you have to wait at the bottom to go up the trail and then at the top to get into the cave.

View from the Parking Lot

Waiting to go up to the Caves

More Waiting

Beautiful View

Rest Place on the Trail

Inside the Cave

On the Way Down

Pictures from Lehi

View from Darwin's Back Yard

Lehi, Utah

Well, here we are in Utah and I didn't bring the cord to download pictures from the camera. This will be the thousand word method.

Sue-anne, Langley and Carter arrived in Lethbridge at 6:50 on Tuesday morning and we spent the day traveling to Utah. It rained a bit as we drove along. It was green, green, green in Montana. I don't think I have ever seen the hills so green there. We stopped for lunch at Subway in Dillon and stopped for gas at Ulm and Pocatello and arrived in Lehi by 8:00 p.m.

Wednesday was a beautiful day and we went out walking. The five children had a water fight in the afternoon. Everyone but me went to Cabellas to look at the fish after supper.

Langley and Carter's main objective (well other than visiting with their Uncle, Aunt and cousins and riding for twelve boring hours with their grandparents) was to go to "The Hatch Family Chocolate L.L.C.". Apparently it has something to do with a TV show (The Little Chocolatiers). We arrived there within minutes of the 11:00 a.m. opening and got in line to buy hand dipped chocolates. Langley thought the chocololates were the best she had ever tasted, but they didn't hold a candle to Tara's chocolates. Carter was quite disappointed that Steve and Katie from the TV series were not there. Was the company named after Bob's great-grandmother, Arabelle Jane Hatch?

The chocolate shop was in downtown Salt Lake, so we were very close to the Family History Library and it was the first time I didn't start drooling as we got near it. I remember the many thousands of hours that I sat in front of a microfilm reader winding through a film. It doesn't compare to finding original documents on the web, so I don't have much need to go to the Library anymore.

Another objective that Carter and Langley had was to go to "Five Guys, Burgers and Fries", so we met Darwin there for lunch. If you like 'loud' that was the place to go. The burgers were good though.

We did a little shopping before we came home. Bob and I each bought a pair of shoes. Amber tells me my shoes are "in"!

Home in Lethbridge

We left Halifax early on Saturday morning (7:45 a.m. Halifax time but 4:45 Lethbridge time). Edward, Miranda and the boys picked us up at the airport and we went out to the CrossIron Mall north of the city. We wandered around the Bass Sports shop and looked at the fish and stuffed animals and the boys tried their luck at the shooting gallery.

Stoney Road is the beginning of a new ring road around Calgary and we went back to the south part of the city on it. Edward took us out for dinner in honour of mother's day and then we drove back to Lethbridge.

During our absence a couple of storms blew through Lethbridge. Our plants looked rather battered but they did survive. The tulips are in bloom and our first Iris of the season is blooming. It has been cloudy with showers since we returned.