Three Cheers for Ontario!!

I (Beth) am in Ontario for the first week of summer vacation. Being here reminds me of the following:

Three Cheers for Ontario!!! :)

1. The Weather: While everyone seems to complain about the heat and humidity here, I’m loving it! I really miss how nice it is to be able to sit outside, and go for a walk, even late into the evening while still wearing summer clothes and enjoying summer weather. Even when it’s cloudy and rainy, it’s still warm—and I LOVE it!!

2. The Lakes (and Cottages!): We have been so lucky over the years to have friends and family with cottages and boats, and to have friends who enjoy camping and canoe trips. There is nothing better than sitting out on the dock by the water, enjoying the sound of the waves lapping the shore, or even an occasional loon calling across the lake. Ahhh...I definitely miss those cottage weekends, and especially the canoeing trips. Glacier-fed lakes just aren’t the same!

3. Family: ‘nuff said...

Three Jeers for Ontario :(

1. The Traffic: Like the weather, when you live here, it doesn’t take long to get used to the busy highways. But after being away and coming back, the 400 series highways still seem pretty scary!

2. The Taxes: an extra 7% shouldn’t be that big of a deal, but it definitely makes me think twice about spending money here (maybe that’s a good thing?)...

3. No Mountains: ‘nuff said...

"Date Night": The Ranche Restaurant in Fish Creek Park

Dave and I went on a "Date Night" at the beautiful Ranche Restaurant--an old Ranch house located in Fish Creek Provincial Park. (I wanted to label these photos as "our new house"--complete with a white picket fence!!).

Canmore weekend and Virgin Festival

We were lucky to spend last weekend in Canmore with friends Karen and Adam, and Dave's race partner Joe and his little girl Niya. On Sunday, we joined a variety of friends for "Virgin Festival", featuring a variety of bands (City and Colour, Matthew Good, The Tragically Hip), and a well organized venue. What a great way to start the summer!

Underwear affair...

Here's my second attempt at a 10km run in recent months: the "Underwear Affair" for the Alberta Cancer Association. It was a cold and rainy 9c, so not as many "underwear" as there could have been, but we made the best of it, and managed to raise $2300 between 7 of us for our team. Thanks for all the support!!!
(see results at http://cl08.uncoverthecure.org/site/PageServer?pagename=cl08_homepage )

Handy-man Dave

While I was away, Dave has been busy working on building (and staining!) a new dining room table, and getting our gardens in shape for the summer. Here are a few photos of his handy-work!!

Ottawa Visit: "business and pleasure"

I (Bethany) was lucky to spend 4 days last week in Ottawa for both "business" and "pleasure"...Dr. Winnie Dunn was presenting a workshop on her "Sensory Processing" assessment tool, hosted by the Ottawa Children's Treatment Centre.

Coincidently, my cousin Gillian was also hosting a surprise 40th Anniversary party for my Aunt Joan and Uncle Fred over the weekend. The timing worked out perfectly that I was able to fly into Ottawa on Wed night, attend the course on Thurs and Friday (which was excellent by the way!!), and then head into Richmond for a brief but wonderful visit with the family: including Grandpa, Joan and Fred, Gillian and Warren, Mom and Dad, as well as Joel and Janet and Malcolm, and Amy and Jay and Nadine!

It was certainly a busy time, but so worthwhile! It was so great to see everyone--most of whom it's been way too long since our last visit. And of course, the babies provided non-stop entertainment for everyone! It is times like these that really reinforce the importance of family, and make me wish we lived closer and could see everyone more often. If only I could convince my work to pay for a few "business" trips!