Any visit with my brother in law involves the opening of the “Green Socks Cafe” for breakfast. On a recent visit to Edmonton, for a family gathering, the “Green Socks Cafe” was once again opened. Cousins (and second cousins!) knosh on pancakes, and occasionally sausages and bacon too, if there is some one else who wants to undertake cooking those as Army Dude invariably invites the local fire squad when he cooks those!
These past three weeks have been the busiest of all the summer! While during the weeks themselves have not been too bad, but the weekends have been down right hectic!
This past weekend, was the gathering for my brother’s 50th birthday. Not all the family was there, but enough for all the kids to thoroughly enjoy themselves!
Happy Birthday Big Brudder!
Nana knits. Nana has started knitting Christmas stockings … Healthy Weighty Wee Man can’t help but get in on any action that involves creating things! Here he is learning how to put Santa on the stockings.
I didn’t include these in the last post because of the sheer volume of them. Healthy Weighty Wee Man was adamant about throwing this boulder in the creek … look closely at his facial expressions with each step he takes! Completely hilarious!
We made it. Everyone came back alive. And if you have any notion about my children, you’ll know that alone is a feat! Oldest Large Child and Winsome01 went ahead of Wee Blonde Child, Healthy Weighty Wee Man and me as the campsites are first come first serve and I still had dayhome children. So they got the site got everything set up while waiting for the rest of us to arrive.
the carts are for taking your belongings to and from your car as you can’t drive in. Healthy Weighty Wee Man and Wee Blonde Child thought that it would be a fun rickshaw ride!
Winsome01 laying down the rules for the tent, which Oldest Large Child later broke!
Friday night was mostly uneventful albeit a bit of an unrestful sleep … I’m getting an inflatable sleeping pad for future camping trips! And in hindsight … maybe we should have brought the pup tent … BOTH Healthy Weighty Wee Man AND Wee Blonde Child are restless sleepers and need lots of space when sleeping.
Saturday we hiked up to just below the Emerald Glacier. It was a hike. And to have listened to WBC on the way up … “WORST. DAY. EVER.” it was a slog. Although, now that we have done it once, I know what to expect the next time. The trail we took was called the Iceline Trail in that it skirts the glacier along the apex of the trail. We did not follow the entire trail, stopping just below the apex where we stayed for a while and played in the glacier fed creek, and on surrounding rocks before heading back the way we came up. It wasn’t long once we were back at our camp site before it was dinner and then quickly bed time. The Monsters did make use of empty campsites around us to play and the girls even serenaded the entire campsite while pretending to put on a stage show on an unoccupied picnic table although I’m still sure they had no idea that they could be heard down by the river!
views of Takakaw Falls from across the valley on our ascent to the Iceline Trail and the Emerald Glacier.
The trail we started on which lead to the Iceline Trail head.
at least my monsters know how to entertain themselves with whats on hand even in the middle of no where!
once we arrived at the glacier fed stream, it was not long before the Monsters quickly lost socks and shoes to play in the water! 
then it was time to collect big rocks to throw in the water in an effort to get each other wet!
Then I was able to look around and take in some of the beauty that surrounded us. I can only hope I did it justice with the pictures I took to share with you.
the view of the other side of the valley
the landscape felt almost lunar in it’s solitude and silence.
the gauges in this rock was created from the glacier advancing and receeding.
I looked across the plateau and saw that OLC had climbed up on a rock that obviously had come away from wall, with WBC and HWWM close behind.
Winsome01 went over to assist and ”spot” the climbers although, as it turned out, they didn’t really need it. there are times I think I have hairless, tailless Spider Monkies for children!
and of course, once on top, it was time for more pictures!
here are some pictures of the scenery and views onour descent.
a stone bridge
an Inukshuk (pronounced in-’uk-shook)
Takakaw Falls creating a rainbow
a wooden pipe!
do you think OLC is just a tad bit tired?
Sunday morning dawned … yes imagine that! The sun actually came up! As far as Winsome 01 and I were concerned, it came up all too soon! After breakfast, we began the task of packing up. Once our site was clean and clear and everything was in the vehicles, we were Calgary bound ~ sort of. First we went to see the falls up close we saw from across the valley the day before. Healthy Weighty Wee Man wanted to go up behind the water and Winsome01 attempted to humour him, but it was a bit of a climb and as soon as the climb started to get slightly difficult, HWWM decided, maybe it wouldn’t be so much fun after all! The girls clambered about some of the rocks while I took some pictures of Takakaw Falls before Winsome01 and Healthy Weighty Wee Man came back.
while you can’t see the trail from this vantage point, the far right just below the ice line is where we were on Saturday afternoon. Just to give you some perspective of where we went.
Takakaw Falls
No matter where they are on the planet, the Monsters always love to play at the edge of any body of water! Weirdos.
the water was clear! You can’t tell, but I was ankle deep and it was freakin’ freezing! So much it hurt
Soon it was time to get in the car and head east toward home. Just down the road from the camp site, are the Spiral Tunnels in which trains use to ascend/descend a steep hill. HWWM thought this was just great as he did get to see some trains on the way in to the camp ground. Sadly, with no cellular reception, we had no idea when the trains were scheduled to pass and when we reached the tunnels after leaving the camp ground there were none passing through the tunnels. Something to plan for next year!
Winsome 01 wants to go camping with me and the monsters.
This will be interesting. So after spending the past week gathering the needed stuffs we are off later today. Now let me make sure you know that Winsome 01′s definition of camping is in a tent on the side of a mountain. Now this is not far off my definition … but the monsters have not EVER been camping. Unless you count the time that Oldest Large Child and Healthy Weighty Wee Man slept in the pup tent in the back yard … which in the end doesn’t count. We have slept in tee pees, but again that is not REALLY camping as we went to a mess hall for meals and there was still electricity, flush toilets and water from faucets.
We are headed to Takakaw Falls, Field, BC. There will be no electricity, running water will mean run and get it. Entertainment will be the hike planned for tomorrow …
This should prove interesting! The question will be who gives in and heads home first! 
Off we go in to the wild untamed wilderness!
This past week the Monsters were at the Talisman Centre for a week of sports orientated day camps. They loved it! I think the day they loved most was the last day of the week and they got to dress as super heros. Well Healthy Weighty Wee Man already had a Superman costume from last Halloween, so that was dug out and dusted off. Wee Blonde Child wanted to be a Musketeer from Barbie and the Three Musketeers, and thankfully we had a Barbie dress up costume from a few Halloweens ago and that just needed a few bits added to it to complete a Musketeer look, like a pink feather boa covered cowboy hat and a purple dollar store samurai sword. Now Oldest Large Child. Not to be out done, OLC wanted to dress up as Wonder Woman. Did I mention that OLC is still 9 years old? Yes on the cusp of young womanhood, but she’s NOT THERE YET!
Now if you Google Wonder Woman, you’ll see that the costume is not so …. young-girl-only-nine-years-old-mother-is-never-going-to-allow-THAT-to-be-worn friendly. Here go look! Now see?!?! AND I also have to work with what I have on hand …. I had found some knee high purple boots from Value Village, so those would have to do for the boots … but the rest?? Well. Further searching discovered that there is now a NEW Wonder Woman you can go see that here. And this NEW Wonder Woman has a costume that is far easier to morph in to an acceptable nine year old girl costume. However, once again, having to work with what was available … we used a purple tank top instead of red, one because it matched the boots, and two because there was no red to be found. Add to that some artistic creativity in the form of some yellow fabric made in to an iron on eagle in flight to go on the front of the tank top, a fabric covered head piece, yellow fabric stars that were meticulously cut out and ironed on the sides of a new pair of jeans bought for hte occasion, but could be converted BACK for regular wear AND some aluminium foil covered Starbucks hot sleeves as wrist bands …. and I rock that I figured all it all out. OLC absolutely LOVED it! On the way in to camp there was many compliments on all three costumes and once at Camp there was lots of kudos for all three Monsters to have dressed up so well. Yep that was one proud parent moment. Even if I have to say I impressed myself once again with my creativeness!
Yep I rock!
Haters are like sandpaper, they will scratch at you, but in the end you will be nice and polished while they are completely worn down.
On a recent trip in to Kananaskis we came across some of the locals … while this one was not too shy, he didn’t seem too interested in hanging about getting to know us!
Okay the move is over with and slowly are we settling in. There are many people to thank. Friends, old neighbours, extended family. None of it could have been done with out them. Literally!
Boxes are every where and thankfully Nana is spending time unpacking. I, in my INFINITE wisdom, took a temp job to help out a friend and former collegue at his new company for this week. It is a bittersweet week with trying to get a place for everything and everything in it’s place AND working AND making sure I have office appropirate clothing while I’m at it! Slowly but surely we are getting there and boxes are coming in from the garage full to leave the house again empty. The new house is cooler than the old one and while I miss the coziness of the old house, I am looking forward to creating new memories, and growing with the Monsters in the new one.
Until then … Venti, 2%, caramel drizzle Starbucks Doubleshot please!
Recent Comments