There was a fall here - actually a beautiful one - but life went by so fast that I completely missed writing during it. So now we are in the middle of what is turning out to be a very strange winter. Shh, don't say it too loud... but we have not been the cold and frozen North this year! It has actually been unseasonably warm, we had one really cold stretch for about 4 days and other than that it has been between +5 and -9 it seems. It has also been a lot cloudier and we have received very little snow, compared to normal. I am not certain what this will mean for the long term, but for the short term everyone up here is enjoying the warmer temperatures. Well, everyone except for Hubby. He was really missing the snow... we didn't have enough to go snowmobiling until recently.
Apparently though, one of the ski hills that is nearest us (up here something that is near is within a days drive, this particular hill is about 2.5 - 3 hours away) has the most snow of any ski hill in North America (as of the other day anyway). So we are planning to head up there soon and try out snowboarding. The kids are very excited to try snowboarding - I am a little uncertain! I was never a very good skier, I don't see that I will be any good at snowboarding - but I will give it a shot!
Other than that, winter has been a flurry of activities with the kids sports (basketball and speed-skating, currently), school, birthdays (Maria is TEN!!), the High on Ice Festival (was fabulous but the sculptures are all melted already!), and life in general. Life is good.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Summer Fun!
Summer arrived late this year and apparently we may have frost tonight - so summer is leaving early, but we sure enjoyed it while it was here!
This year, more than any other so far, we have really enjoyed Charlie Lake. We have been kayaking a few more times (still with just the kids boats) - Maria and I really enjoyed it the other evening as a storm was approaching - we got to ride the waves!
We have also been fishing... a lot!! Michael has finally figured out the secrets of fishing at Charlie Lake and has had quite a bit of success this year - enough that he catches something almost every trip.
So far there have been numerous walleyes and quite a few pike... so far no sign of the fish that is supposed to look like an eel (thank goodness!).
The kids have each had a turn bringing in a fish as well, which was a lot of fun for them, especially Allan. He is hooked now (no pun intended!) and often requests to go fishing.
kids are calling so this is it for now... more to come!!
This year, more than any other so far, we have really enjoyed Charlie Lake. We have been kayaking a few more times (still with just the kids boats) - Maria and I really enjoyed it the other evening as a storm was approaching - we got to ride the waves!
We have also been fishing... a lot!! Michael has finally figured out the secrets of fishing at Charlie Lake and has had quite a bit of success this year - enough that he catches something almost every trip.
So far there have been numerous walleyes and quite a few pike... so far no sign of the fish that is supposed to look like an eel (thank goodness!).
The kids have each had a turn bringing in a fish as well, which was a lot of fun for them, especially Allan. He is hooked now (no pun intended!) and often requests to go fishing.
kids are calling so this is it for now... more to come!!
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Kayaks!!
Before heading off to the houseboat this summer, we purchased some inexpensive Pelican Solo Kayaks from Canadian Tire. These have been awesome. The kids have played on these so much already... at the houseboat they paddled them around for hours. We also pulled one, with a kid on it, behind the zodiac! These little kayaks are so strong and sturdy and they are so stable that the only time the kids have fallen off was when they tried to fall off... and it was no problem at all to get back on. I even went out and paddled a few times and it was great fun.
Since coming home from the houseboat, we have taken the kids to Charlie Lake and they paddled around and explored and are still really enjoying them... They have also figured out that the boats are so stable that they can stand in them and use them like paddle boards, which is particularly fun when other boats go by and they can ride the waves that come in.
So the outcome of these inexpensive toys... is that they are not going to be inexpensive for long. Hubby and I have watched the kids go out and have so much fun that we have decided WE would like kayaks too... and of course the adult version of kayaks are a fair bit more money! However, it looks like something we can do as a family and spend a day out on the lake (and maybe the river if we practice a lot more!) and use for years and years... I want to play too!
Since coming home from the houseboat, we have taken the kids to Charlie Lake and they paddled around and explored and are still really enjoying them... They have also figured out that the boats are so stable that they can stand in them and use them like paddle boards, which is particularly fun when other boats go by and they can ride the waves that come in.
So the outcome of these inexpensive toys... is that they are not going to be inexpensive for long. Hubby and I have watched the kids go out and have so much fun that we have decided WE would like kayaks too... and of course the adult version of kayaks are a fair bit more money! However, it looks like something we can do as a family and spend a day out on the lake (and maybe the river if we practice a lot more!) and use for years and years... I want to play too!
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Mid-July
Well, we are now in the middle of July and the common question around town is... are we ever going to get summer?!?! Up here that is pretty much the truth as we only have about a month left for a potential summer, before the colder weather starts in! We have had three weeks of rain - although there have been the odd nice day thrown in to tease us! There have been three different weeks of flooding - I feel bad for the people who have been in the low areas - I can not imagine cleaning up after a flood only to have it flood again less than a week later! We have major roads that have been washed out and worse than that we have BUGS!!
I can't even describe how bad the bugs are this year... they have had so much standing water to multiply in it is ridiculous. A brief foray out to the garden to see how my stunted, water-logged veggies are doing results in a mad-dash back into the house sporting a number of new bites. A few weeks ago it was (I was told) gnats - my daughter had bites all over the back of her neck, behind her ears and on her forehead. These little bugs would leave a trickle of blood behind as they took a chunk out of her, leaving her a complete mess. Now we are inundated with mosquitoes...
We had some visitors last week and we were very limited with the activities we could take them to do, as a result of the rain, high rivers, mud and bugs... however we dragged them around as best we could! When they left here they were certainly looking a little worse for wear and covered with bug bites! It was a lot of fun and we are so glad they made the trek up - although I don't know if they will ever want to come back!!
Another thing we have been having to deal with this summer is vehicles. Hubby's truck self-destructed a few weeks ago, while he was working a 3-4 weeks of straight night-shifts at work. As such we never really had to worry about it because he was working nights, so he used the van when we didn't need it and we used it when he didn't need it. Now that he is back to his normal schedule at work, we are starting to notice the lack of a vehicle. For instance yesterday and today he is at work, with the van, and we are at home without any transportation. We took it as an opportunity to try out the local transit system yesterday.
We have a bus stop three houses down (and around the corner), so we caught a bus there and headed down-town. We wound up at the mall, bought some shoes for the kids and some groceries that we needed, had lunch and then hopped on a bus at the mall back home. We had to get a transfer to get home, but that was easy enough, and all in all - I was impressed! I have always been intimidated by public transit and transfers and what bus goes where... but it was easy and if I didn't know which of the three buses to get on, the drivers were all friendly and helpful. It was clean and bright and not at all yucky - and we got a little giggle at the lady who waited ten minutes for the bus at the mall and got off the bus at Walmart across the street... I don't think I am prepared to give up my vehicle entirely and replace it with buses but it is good to know that in a pinch, or if desired - that option is there.
Well, I have just looked outside and I see the rain has started again... my daughters summer camp starts tomorrow, I think we can forget the sunscreen, maybe a snorkle instead!
I can't even describe how bad the bugs are this year... they have had so much standing water to multiply in it is ridiculous. A brief foray out to the garden to see how my stunted, water-logged veggies are doing results in a mad-dash back into the house sporting a number of new bites. A few weeks ago it was (I was told) gnats - my daughter had bites all over the back of her neck, behind her ears and on her forehead. These little bugs would leave a trickle of blood behind as they took a chunk out of her, leaving her a complete mess. Now we are inundated with mosquitoes...
We had some visitors last week and we were very limited with the activities we could take them to do, as a result of the rain, high rivers, mud and bugs... however we dragged them around as best we could! When they left here they were certainly looking a little worse for wear and covered with bug bites! It was a lot of fun and we are so glad they made the trek up - although I don't know if they will ever want to come back!!
Another thing we have been having to deal with this summer is vehicles. Hubby's truck self-destructed a few weeks ago, while he was working a 3-4 weeks of straight night-shifts at work. As such we never really had to worry about it because he was working nights, so he used the van when we didn't need it and we used it when he didn't need it. Now that he is back to his normal schedule at work, we are starting to notice the lack of a vehicle. For instance yesterday and today he is at work, with the van, and we are at home without any transportation. We took it as an opportunity to try out the local transit system yesterday.
We have a bus stop three houses down (and around the corner), so we caught a bus there and headed down-town. We wound up at the mall, bought some shoes for the kids and some groceries that we needed, had lunch and then hopped on a bus at the mall back home. We had to get a transfer to get home, but that was easy enough, and all in all - I was impressed! I have always been intimidated by public transit and transfers and what bus goes where... but it was easy and if I didn't know which of the three buses to get on, the drivers were all friendly and helpful. It was clean and bright and not at all yucky - and we got a little giggle at the lady who waited ten minutes for the bus at the mall and got off the bus at Walmart across the street... I don't think I am prepared to give up my vehicle entirely and replace it with buses but it is good to know that in a pinch, or if desired - that option is there.
Well, I have just looked outside and I see the rain has started again... my daughters summer camp starts tomorrow, I think we can forget the sunscreen, maybe a snorkle instead!
Friday, June 24, 2011
Pouting...
When will this rain END?!!? It has been raining off and on for about a week or two but today it has rained ALL day - not even a peek at the sun today... I don't like it.
Tomorrow is the kids soccer tournament - it had better be better weather, we are going to be out there from 8:30 until after 6!!
I will stop pouting soon, but not yet.
Tomorrow is the kids soccer tournament - it had better be better weather, we are going to be out there from 8:30 until after 6!!
I will stop pouting soon, but not yet.
Monday, June 6, 2011
This spring...
We had the most amazing May... it was hot and dry and beautiful and green! I have never noticed this much green up here... and flowers and trees galore! At the kids school I walked by a tree, which I have walked by almost every single day for the past three years without noticing it, and this year the tree was spectacular. I am fairly certain it is a variety of crab apple but its flowers were red and almost resembled an azalea - and the smell!! It was really amazing.
I think that there have been more varieties of trees and flowers blooming and green showing than in the past years due to our earlier than usual thaw. I don't know when our last frost was - but I think it was near the end of April. I kept expecting one in May - every other year I have planted my garden too soon and then had snow and or frost come along and spoil my plans. This year I kept waiting and it never did frost or snow through May. So I finally planted veggies and a few flowers near the end of May... which is of course, why we got snow last week. Although thank goodness it didn't seem to frost at all and the snow was gone quickly - we are back to normal weather, although a bit rainy!
Another result of our lack of a late frost (at least I think so) are mosquitoes. Before we moved up here everyone kept talking about the bugs up here and how bad they are. I have not been bothered by bugs at all since we moved up. There are certain areas - at marshy lakes and in the woods, where there will be more mosquitoes, but not in my yard. It was no different than anywhere else I have been - until this year. I think that normally the late frost must kill off a bunch, because this year without a late frost - holy crap!! It doesn't matter what time of day or how hot it is - they were out there biting! I am hoping that the snow killed the little buggers because that was most unpleasant.
June has just begun and we have already exceeded the total precipitation that we had for all of May - and it looks like we will be having more... but May was nice while it lasted.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Switch!
Well, yesterday before the storm it was about 25 degrees... hubby received a very nasty sunburn while fishing. Today we woke up to snow!! Tomorrow is supposed to get back up to 17 degrees... I think the weather has a mood swing disorder!
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