Playing in the Snow!

Not very often do we as a family get to play in the snow!! The last couple of snow events were no exception and I really feel that I'm missing out on the last snowmen and last sledding. Yesterday, we headed out to find the snow. Our trek took us to Cypress Mtn and the tube park.

As we approached North Van it was really snowing and Dwayne and I started questioning how sane we actually are! The tubing is a set price for a tube and 2 hours of sliding...it was about all the cold and wet we could take. The kids could have gone all day! Cypress even has a tow rope if you're feeling tuckered out nearing the end. We did take advantage of it a couple of times but found it faster to hike up (after all it was about maximum runs!!). If you get a hankering to play in the snow, I totally recommend Cypress, there's even a toboggan run if you bring your own!

Christmas letter blog

The year is quickly coming to an end and this year we are reflecting in a most unusual way. Blogging has become a great way of keeping up with friends and family easily. I hope you enjoy reflecting along with us!

Our babies seem to be growing in leaps and bounds and it really doesn't seem fair. Sarah is almost 13 and is in Grade 7. She is still dancing and riding and is still able to hold an A average at school. She is described as a social girl but is so helpful with everyone. Her joy is dance...and of course her friends. Sarah amazes us all the time with her ability to adapt to new things and even enjoy them (or pretend very well). She took the babysitting course in the summer and now the odd babysitting job for Auntie Jo-Ann. If you're looking for a sitter, she even does dishes!

Cam is growing like a weed! He turned 10 on Dec 22 and he is still very much a home body. Cam is still not afraid to show his friends who his parents are and I still get hugs at school (I take advantage of this as it will end soon enough!). Last winter Cam took to BMX racing. He is eager to get back at it after Christmas break is over. His decisions are still very lead by his heart, he's one kid that wears his on his sleeve. I love that he is concerned with me being lonely during the day! His teacher this year is amazing and is really bringing out the best of him.

Dwayne and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary in 2007. We celebrated in Jamaica so the actual day in May was low key. We did dinner and talked about the things we want to do for the next 15!

The kids goofing around on the cruise!

We have had many adventures during this year with our family. We did a Caribean cruise in March and then Dwayne and I spent 12 days in Jamaica by ourselves. It was a much needed vacation and break after a crazy snow season.

Dwayne diving in Jamaica

In August, our usual family summer vacation time, we took off to San Diego. What a blast! We did absolutely everything that a tourist could do...Legoland, Zoo, SeaWorld, shopping, tour of the Midway (a must do!) and many other things. We then spent a few days in LA doing things like Knotts Berry Farm and Universal Studios (that was Cam's fav). We had an amazing time!

Our year began with a bang...SNOW! Last year was a great year for Chinook Winter Management which meant a busy season for our family and of course work team. Chinook continues to grow and just recently we have been named to #49 on the top 100 Snow and Ice Contractors in North America. Doesn't seem like much to some people but our sweat and tears are in it so it's amazing. I was on the cover of the Snow Business Magazine for December 2007 with a really great article. Like I said, it's been a great year of growth!

Pacific RIM Services is still growing at a steady pace. They were named #99 in Profit Magazines top 100 fastest growing companies in Canada. WOW! Dwayne is still making very strategic plans for the company and is a great driver on that bus!!

We hope you've enjoyed a little piece of our lives. You can go back and read the posts to learn more. This is a time to be reminded about our friends and family near and far...we are so thankful for each and every one of you. Even (an especially) during our busy times, we are thankful for family and friends to lean on. THANK YOU!

Love to you all from us...Diane, Dwayne, Sarah and Cam xoxo

Busy Saturday...whew!

What a busy weekend we are having...but it's extremely productive!! We are fed up with clutter...it has taken over our lives and we can't seem to find our way out. In October we decided to look into a garage organizing company. We had them out to check out our space and agreed to have them come and de-clutter and give us spaces for everything. They were great!! Mostly it was a catalyst for us to do the work that should have been done a couple of years ago when PRS moved out of the office (including the garage that got turned into an office when they grew too big!!). Kyle came and took away our garbage, did a donations run and even went with Dwayne to our storage unit (yeah, yeah) and cleaned it out!! I am glad to say we have our garage back(and no payment to Uhaul storage!) !! Check out our before and after shots!




Clearly there's a difference!! Everything is up off the ground except for the lawnmower!! I just can't believe it! (yes that is the same side of the garage in the pic)


THEN...while the men were installing our new system, we ducked out for our Christmas tree.


A hunting we will go...a hunting we will go....





We are now de-cluttered (mostly) and totally Christmas-ified!! What a great weekend!!

Dancing Princess!

Sarah has been dancing for many years and continues to love what she does! On Friday she performed for us in the dance schools' Christmas celebration...a jazzed up Nutcracker! Emily Lang joined us as she LOVES pretty dresses and having her with us just made us appreciate everything so much more! Here are the girls being crazy (notice the yummy in Emma's hand...she loved the pretty dresses and the yummys!)

Here is Sarah doing her ballet dance (she's the one in the back)

Cam is a funny kid!

Cam woke up this morning and was so excited.

"It's only 8 days Mom!!" "And then it's 10 days!"

I couldn't figure out what he was talking about. Then I had to ask what in the world he was talking about. Ohhhhh, it's 8 days until he turns 10 and then 10 days until Christmas Eve!

We work so hard at making his birthday separate from Christmas and this year the party was December 1st, and honestly I hadn't forgotten but it's not the countdown for me that it is for him. I do so love that those little things make such a big deal for him.

The other thing he is totally stoked about is that Garage Tek is coming tomorrow to outfit our garage. Come on dude, it's a garage!! They will come and take everything out (absolutely everything) and then install organizational stuff. I have no idea why he's so excited but I suppose he'll be more helpful then!

Check back here for our Christmas Family blog. We are doing cards but our usual Christmas letter is going to be on here....is that lazy or smart??

Asking....(just a rant!)

Is it too much to ask for a week of no below zero temps?? As I sit here waiting for the guys to finish the salting routes, I hope beyond hope, for a GREEN Christmas! Our poor drivers have been out nearly every night for the past 2 weeks, good for the bottom line, but not so good for their sleep patterns. I do get to sleep but it's so restless, thinking about them and how they're doing that I should probably get up and do the housework or go to the office....ugh!

Now my girl is up and I have to head to the office for a bit and then get the kids off to school. Has anyone wrapped all their gifts yet?? I am going to sit by the phone this morning in the office and wrap and wait...that's my speciality, the waiting part!

Hey....I feel totally better now! Thanks for listening!!

SNOW!!

It has been a week of work and it ended with a really fun night of play! Dwayne and I, along with many others, have filled our week with a snow fall (starting on the 26th) and a full week of nightly saltings or anti-ice trips (we don't actually do that work, but it's on our minds). It finished this weekend with an amazing party.

It's the annual Pacific RIM Services/Chinook party in Harrison. I had decided this year our theme was going to be Grad '80s style. IT WAS A BLAST! The decor was amazing, the food was even better than that and the company at our table was over the top! My '80s style/colored dress (light teal) was nice but the white tuxedos complete with pink vests and bow ties were so cool to see. Our band, 60 Cycle, was incredible!

Thanks to everyone who made this week an amazing ride!

Alright, I've been told!!!


Met Kristin today, quite by accident at a card class...but really is anything 'by accident'?? She told me I had better start up dating my blog or she's going to start sending hate mail!! I know my parents check in occasionally also so I thought I had better be more consistent at updating!


The thing is we have a new computer and I haven't yet figured out how to add pictures.....hmmm, maybe a weekend project??


Wanna know my fun news? Our company has been selected to be the cover story for Snow Business Magazine (yes I know, you've never seen that one at the grocery store!!!). I get to be the cover...THE COVER!! I always wondered if I would be a cover girl, I just never imagined it would be on the cover of a snow magazine!!


Here is the pic from our recent photo shoot...it's got everyone in it who has a part in daily operations with us...it's just so exciting!!

Left to right front: Phil, Diane, Dwayne, Janet, Stu (tucked back), Jenn, Chantell, Kyle, Kathy

Back(up on the truck): Jeff and Jinnell

The joys of a happy athlete!

Finally, it has happened...we have found and purchased an actual BMX race bike!! We looked at 3 different shops and found 'the one' at Cap's in Langley. They guys there were so helpful and knowledgeable that we weren't even scared!! The old bike weighs in at 40lbs, the new bike weighs in at under 15lbs....a much nicer way to load the truck!

Here it is....a Ripper Extreme in two tone blue and silver. Matches his race colors and helmet. He wasn't taken with the color and had his eye on a lovely bright yellow number...when he found out it was custom made and was over $1200, he was very happy with the Ripper.

The world BMX races are being held this weekend in Victoria and then he'll be back on our local track trying his hand on the new bike...yeah!!

Anglers!

Today was the day I took Cam and his friend James to Rolley Lake to try their hands at fishing. After a detour due to the Ruskin Dam road being closed, a trip down a winding road and a new friend announcing he gets car sick(....EEEK!), we arrived at Rolley Lake. It is a lovely spot with a swimming area and a campsite. We wandered down the path to a little beach area built for 3 to fish at.

The boys had a great time and even enjoyed laughing at me getting my one and only cast caught in the trees above!! James was disappointed that we didn't catch anything but I told him if it was easy it would be called 'catching' and not fishing.

We came home a nicer way (no car sickness) and then proceeded to the 50's diner for lunch.

A great day to enjoy the sun...we are sure glad the sun is back!!!

Fresh Summer Fruits and Fun!!

It's been a long time since my last blog, a camera issue and some good summer fun. In the last couple of weeks we've...

-Gone to Science World to see Grossology (don't waste your money...it was not worth it) and braved the many kids and parents who also had the rocket-science of an idea ;0) .

-Volunteered our truck for use in the Canada Day parade (absolutely NO connection with Christine Caldwell...she's passive aggresive...but get's nothing done!!). The kids dressed up on the Sister City float and we drove the route...we had good fun!

-Cam has practiced his BMX riding and attended the opening of the new track.

-Dwayne and I joined facebook...or is it crackbook...so addictive!!

-We went to a family funeral in Ladysmith and then down to Victoria for a night and then to see the Titanic exhibit (definitely spend your money there!!!), Parliament buildings and the Wax museum.

-Sarah danced at the berry festival

-The kids have attended summer camp at Evans Lake and had a wonderful time...we also had a great time by ourselves!! Dwayne even took me flying over Allouette Lake and other small lakes in the area, simply breathtaking!

-And....we have made our quota of summer jams! First Strawberry, with 41 containers and now today the Raspberry with 45 containers. I only ever make Freezer Jam as it maintains the structure of the berries and also the incredibly fresh taste. YUMMY!! (this is the pic of the strawberry jam pile!) I happened to see Kori Unrau at Kraus Farms, she was totally soaked with her buckets of berries, that's dedication!!

-We held our annual company family picnic at my parents house. There were 110 people there and Dwayne cooked steaks, chicken and salmon for all. My parents were very gracious (or silly!) in opening their home to us for the second year running.

Here are some pics from the last little while. I will endeavor to update better for those that care to read.

Happy Summer days everyone!!

Camera update....

I suppose I had my lucky horse shoes on that day...after I brought the poor little camera in and dried it off (keeping it level the whole time) I took it upstairs and applied warm dryer heat to it. I totally panicked when the lens fogged so badly. So I left it for 24 hours and then picked it up with a little prayer and turned it on. IT WORKS!! Just the same way it did...you know focusing when it wants and all!!

I will post some fun pics tomorrow! We had a great day today after a sad day yesterday so I'll show the nice pics!

Oh Oh!!

I haven't payed any attention to blogging lately, clearly....and now I've done it! Dwayne left the house via the back porch this am on the way to the IGA for breaky supplies (he requested something we didn't have) and there it was...a loud nasty gasp....and I ran out to see. Was it a bear, a dead body or what? Nope, I left the new lovely expensive digital camera out in the rain last night.....GASP!! I have pics of the kids over the last couple of weeks so I am hoping that in the morning everything will be ok again!

DUMMY!!

On the brighter note (and keep in mind, pictures pending!) Dwayne has finally solo'd in the plane. His lovely little plane! He was able this week (with instructor on board) to fly my Mom to and from Naniamo for my Auntie Jo (Dave passed away on Monday), and Dwayne got her there so fast. It was so cool!!

The kids are coming to the end of school...I am torn about this. I'm so excited to not have lunches to re-invent and clothes to ensure are clean and I'm sad that the evenings won't be mine anymore...Sarah will go to bed at the same time as us likely!

Oh well they are off to camp for a few days in July, so that'll be a break!!

Fun in the Sun!!

Alright, so I decided to be a friend and not a Mom last Friday.

I picked the kids up from school at noon and then we went out for lunch. Following lunch we headed home to change into swim suits. They were thrilled to find out that we were off to the water slides. It was June 1st and it felt like summer!! The slides at Cultas have a great deal on right now with sliding after school (2:30 to 6:30) only costing 7$ per person. I was so excited about this as it is usually 21$ per....a 3 for 1 deal!! We were in the line at 2:20pm and the staff let us in. As fast as the kids could run up and slide down they could go again. There were no line-ups until about 4:30. We headed for home about 5:15pm and started a great weekend!

We will likely go one more time as we don't go when it gets out of control crazy in the summer.

Baby birds

I have been bad about keeping up with the baby birds.

Here they are on day 11...almost ready to fly the coop!

We hear them now, flapping their wings in the nest and practicing using their voices. Mama isn't in the nest at all during the day now and just hunts and brings food. She spends the night in the nest with them and is gone by about 8am. I can't imagine how 3 of them would have fit!!!

Check out how they looked in the beginning....pretty cool that these changes have happened in 11 days!

Boys will be boys!

Our weekend was full of 'boys' stuff! The boys started with Spiderman 3-Imax on Friday, continued with air hockey, pool and video games on Saturday and on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, we all spent the day fixing the fences at my parents. What fun!! Truly!

When we arrived for a visit we thought we'd stay for a bit and then head home for dinner. Dad needed me to pick up some posts in the truck and when we got back we all decided to get to work installing the posts.

A couple of years ago, a large storage container blew over from the neighbors and broke off 15 fence posts that have since been resting on the page wire. Dwayne dug the holes and installed new posts, Cam and Grandpa (John) drove tractor and mower to rid our paddock of buttercups, Sarah and Grandma(Judy) provided us with water and food and I did re&re'd the wire and insulators and electric fencing. Our fencing finished with the install of our usual spring fence to keep the horses out of the back field (easier on their waist lines!!).

Mom made us a lovely dinner at the end of the day and we sat down and iced our respective sore parts (you know--shoulder, elbow, feet etc).

Sarah even got to ride for 45mins and that made her smile!!

And then there were two.....

Sadly today, we when we checked our little nest, there were only two babies. Curly and Laurey are left as we think Jet was just too far behind in hatching to be strong enough to fight for dinner. Check out our picture today....amazing!! The birds are 7 days old now and will ready for flying lessons in 4 days. There voices are now being heard quietly and eyes are beginning to open.

Lonnnnng Weekend Fun!

So this is the weekend that symbolizes the beginning of summer, the planting of many lovely little annuals and the celebration of a dead Queen!!

Dwayne has been away (more on that later) so I have been trying to come up with fun things to do with the kids. Last night we went to Earl's for Chili Chicken and Caesar Salad and then off to Castle Fun Park for fun and candies. Today was the May Day Parade in Fort Langley. I thought it would be a fun idea to go and watch the festivities.

We started earlier than normal because Dwayne was supposed to be coming into the Abby airport. When we found out that he had diverted to Qualicum Beach we headed to the parade route. We got premium parking and very good seats...all of that didn't matter with 1 1/4 hours to sit and watch cars go by!!!

The parade was great and we had found a spot in front of a church that had a real potty and even provided free hot dogs and pop for lunch...SCORE!!

When the parade was finished, we headed to the airport to pick up Dwayne.

Alright now the deal with Dwayne. You see, a couple of years ago I gave him a flying lesson for his Fathers Day gift. Chilliwack Flying school does it for $50 and includes a 1hour class instruction and 1 hour in the plane... what a deal! Well, he was hooked!!! So I suppose, it's all my fault (is that what the good wife says!?!).

He left on Mothers Day morning for London Ontario to pick up his new plane...yes you read right! He will be a 1/3 share in this plane but, he was the guy to go and pick it up as he was the one that ordered and started the process. On Friday, the 18th, he left London bound for home. We expected him in late Saturday but weather was not on his side. I will post an email he sent regarding Devil's Lake, North Dakota. After overnighting in Devil's Lake, then in Lethbridge, then in Kamloops, he headed for home this morning. With a call at 7:30am that said "we'll be in at 9:00". The kids and I headed off as I really wanted to get pics of the first flight into Abby. They had to bypass and searched for a hole to come through the clouds (he is currently visual, not instrument flying), they ended up in Qualicum Beach.

It was a very long wait for him to get home, but he's here now and I have time to sit and watch tv...it's so good to have him home!!

Dwayne's Story!!

Let me tell you a little bit about Devil’s lake.

If you find yourself flying at 4500 ft past Grand Forks North Dakota, and you see a line of thunderstorms on the XM weather, and you hit NRST, up will pop KDVL Int, with 2 runways, and friendly people.

We landed here, and then while I fuelled up, Jim went and introduced himself to Connie, who is a local pilot, and just so happened to be at the airport at 7:15 at night. She very kindly hooked us up with the keys to the courtesy van, located outside the gates. It had not been driven since Bush was first elected we think. It literally had cobwebs on the mirrors and wheels.

Of course it did not start, so Connie took off and eventually came around with Frank. Frank had a portable booster kit that worked great. We are off. Where to? Well there are several, by that I mean 3, motels in town, and we figured the one with the “Casino” was the best bet to have internet. Well turns out that in their King rooms (fancy schmanzy) they have “DSL”. Do you have a cord we ask, but of course, there is one per hotel. Okay, so we share the cord. It’s my turn as I write this.

Then we go to the Casino, Bar and Lounge. This is a scene directly, I mean actually stolen, from My Name Is Earl. The waitress is very nice, in a manly sort of way. We order 2 Corona. These bottles have a best before date of 2005. Okay, so this is not the local drink of choice. Onto the nachos, which come covered with 1’ of lettuce and tomatoes. Okay.

Jim says, do you have any hot salsa. He likes it a little spicy, she returns with a full bottle of Dave’s Insanity Sauce. You know the one, we have one bottle that has lasted since the last house. Now in her defense, she said add a couple of drops to the actual salsa. I get curious about the game on TV and look away for the 5 seconds that it takes Jim to liberally apply Dave to his actual nacho. Nacho, singular.

So while Jim uses up all of the sour cream trying to put out his tongue, lips, etc. I enjoy the atmosphere. Close your eyes for this. Well, perhaps read this first, then close your eyes. You are in the bar from My Name is Earl, facing from the bar towards the pool tables, now just add the following: to the right hand corner we have a blue permed 60 plus lady working the blackjack table, and in the other corner we have some sort of spinning wheel that people bet on. This is the casino. There are 4 customers. Enough said about that.

So then the tornado warnings come up, and we find out from local Jim, whose Dad was raised in these here parts, that the roof of this building was ripped off one time in a twister. Great. We are staying in the only mobile home like quasi casino pub in town.

So after some fun in the hail, and lightening etc. (Video pending) We try to start the car again to go check on the plane. Dead, naturally. So we ask Jim if he can give us a boost. Sure he says, “ I got me a jumper cable at home, and I am 1 block away”. We never saw Jim again. I hope he is okay.

So the next morning, today, I get up at 6:00 am, shower, pack what little I have unpacked, call AAA for a boost, and make sure Jim is ready to go.
F&*^%. It is 35 degrees F, windchill of 27F, and an 800 ft ceiling. We are not going anywhere.

Off to see the plane anyhow, she’s certainly cleaner, and most importantly, she is still in one piece. So off to breaky.

Well let me tell you, that was a blast into the past. We saw Connie again, naturally, and enjoyed the atmosphere with every local over the age of 60 filling the place talking about the weather. Jim and I walk in, and you literally could hear a pin drop. Like we were from Mars. Conversation picks up, because once Connie saw us, we were clearly were not here to sell them anything. After our serving of grease, well done, we stood in line behind a nice lady who used her personal cheque book to pay for her $23 breakfast bill (table of 8). Wrote it out right there she did. I thought of paying with loonies, but thought that might not go over well.

So I have plenty of time to kill. I was thinking about taking up Pike fishing, but it’s too cold. We might go over to the tractor dealer 3 doors down and sit in tractors for fun, not sure what else to do.

Curly, Laurey and Jet

It's been a couple of days since our last post and the babies have changed so much.

On Friday when we looked the babies had begun to lift their heads and open their mouths for food. What a surprise! When the mirror first went up to have three little silent open mouths begging...very cool!! Curly is the most persistent as his mouth is always open!

Saturday saw changes in their appearance with feathers starting and on Sunday even more strength and little feathers.

Today, their coloring is noticeable as little robins. They have reddish feathers and dark brown ones. Their eyes are more visible but they are still covered in the membrane. It continues to thin out and we can even see slits starting where they will begin to open their eyes, from what we have read it'll be a couple of days until they are open fully. If you click on the newest picture, you can even see that their beaks are forming properly.

Curly, Laurey and Jet are now five days out of their eggs and will likely begin to fly around the 11th day. Can you imagine...they are growing so much each day!!

This has been so much fun for us and all of the kids that rotate through our doors to check out everyday.

Three little Robin Red Breasts

And this morning there are three little wee tiny teeny babies. The blue egg hatched at some point and we have THREE!!

Sarah and I have named them Curly, Laurie and Jet-as she is currently dancing in Oklahoma and they are the main characters.

They are quite ugly with hardly any feathers...more like hair.

Little Robin Red Breast!

For a couple of months a Mama (to-be) Robin has been building and tending to her nest. Amazingly, she chose her nest to be at our back patio door where there is a lot of activity. The kids and I have watched closely to the going's on and Dwayne makes sideways comments every chance he gets about her. You see....for the past couple of years this Robin (we think it's the same one) has built a nest on top of our speakers outside and with the slope the way it is, the nest always slides off as she gets to the end of it. This year she built on top of a support for an outdoor light. Dwayne hates her and the mess she left while building, but she persevered!!

Today our little birds emerged from two of the eggs. A third egg has yet to hatch but we are awaiting the little arrival. Mama Robin has been very good at sitting on her eggs and tending to her new babies. This has been so much fun for the kids and I to learn about birds and their breeding, incubation and impending rapid growth. I will post the pics every couple of days to show the amazing growth of the birdies!!

PS. We used a mirror above the nest to get the pictures....no birdie was injured in the taking of these pictures!!

Happy Mother's Day!!

Happy Mother's Day to all you Mom's!

Today, we started early with breakfast and gifts. How early you ask? Well, our alarm went off at 6:24 AM....WHAT??? Dwayne got up and started breaky and then got the kids up and we all ate together. Kids gave me beautifully made cards and a new movie and cd. Then we all got dressed and got in the truck. You see, Dw had to be at the airport in Abby at 8:30. Yes, he is off to Toronto today and not returning for a week. Soooo, we got home and did dishes etc. We also started getting ready for dinner at my parents tonight. Sarah made the fruit salad and Cam made Chocolate Chip cookies. I got the Chicken and Beef Satay's skewered and seasoned.

When the cookies were done, I made homemade ice-cream sandwiches....YUM! They look so yummy, can't wait to try them. I bought an ice-cream sandwich mold last year from a chef party, thinking I might use it one day. Today, I actually used it! It works so well. They are going to be soooo gooooood!

Then we went to our usual Mother's Day thing. Each year at Ravine Park by McKee and Old Clayburn, there is a giant Coho fish release. They release 10,000 little fishes and you get a bucket each with 5 fish to take down the trail and find a nice quiet spot to let them go. It's so much fun running up and down the trail. With not many people knowing about this, we usually do 10 or so buckets each so there is lots of time spent giggling as we try to come up with new names for each fish. We met Kathy and Jeff, Ren and Wayne and all the kids at the fish release. There were 6 kids running up and down the path today...so much fun...really!!

We ended the day with dinner at Smith's. Stu and Carlie played soccer with the kids and the little ones enjoyed biking around the driveway. It was a great day but I'm sure glad it's over!!!

History....add-on from our precious boy!

A teary eyed boy (Cam) called me to his room this morning. I hugged and loved and then asked what was wrong. He said "this weekend was so great and I really want to write about it in my journal, do you think that would be alright?". I didn't understand why he was asking though so I told him it was always great to write about our fun family days (we have a rule about what is said in our house, stays here...must be my upbringing in politics). He started to get agitated and said that I would have to write him a note to say it was ok. I still was puzzled but agreed and he reached over and put his hand on my cheek and told me he was afraid of going to the principals office for writing Hell's Gate, "cause it's a swear word Mom"!! I had to explain the reason for the name and that if it wasn't Heaven then it was surely Hell (as written by Simon Fraser in 1808). A bit more of discussion on names etc and he started to get dressed.

He was fine in the end but I sent the note anyway just so he would be fine writing about the day. He is definately my soft soul!!

A day of History

To follow our Historica Fair with an educational day, we travelled to Hell's Gate today. I had read in the paper that this weekend is Canyon Appreciation Day (now a weekend). Tram rides were free, usually $15 per adult and $9 per child...WHAT A DEAL!!

We started with a breakfast in Chilliwack and then out to Yale area. The drive was beautiful with loads of waterfalls. Hells Gate was busy today but was not as busy as we thought it would be. The tram was fun and we headed for Ice Cream and Fudge to snack on while wandering around...the waffle cones were dipped in Fudge...oh my! Sarah, Cam and I attempted to strike it rich Gold Panning, but alas, the nuggets didn't materialize.

After trekking the suspension bridge, checking out the cement spawning ladders and the band, we decided to head for the car. Up the tram and to the car in the nick of time as the rain started falling.

A great day with everyone learning lots!! I'll put this in my calendar for next year!!