Cascades (WOW!)

Jeff and I passed the boys off on my sister Kami for a few days and headed to the mountains. We picked a few day hikes in the North Cascades (Washington) and I had no idea how impressive they would be - the trail book defined it accurately: panorama paralysis. I had a hard time sifting through the photos I took, but the only ones that even begin to do the scenery justice are the wide panoramas (so please click on the images to see them bigger!).

Friday was Maple Pass, a 9 mile (14.5km) loop hike:





On our drive back to camp, we saw this perfect little swimming hole for getting cleaned up (well, perfect except for the sign on the road saying that the flood gates could open anytime and wash us away to our deaths, but we ignored it!).


And our camp just outside the little town of Newhalem.


Saturday we decided to do Cascade Pass/Sahale Glacier, an 11.2 mile (just under 18km) hike that had our jaws dropping just at the trailhead.






The day took it's toll, however. Jeff grew a terribly painful blister and I had to perform first aid on my boots when the right sole came completely unglued.

Our planned hike for Sunday, therefore, changed from climbing Sauk Mountain to doing the Factory Outlet stores in Everett! What a weekend!

I can't say we didn't miss the boys, though, as we talked about them a lot and thought about them even more.

Sunshine Coast, again.

I can see there being increasingly more posts in this blog that include the Sunshine Coast, as we seem to really like it there. The boys and I all got healthy and happy again, so we left town for a few days to stay with Sven at a holiday-ing doctor's house (as Sven was covering for him at the hospital in Sechelt). It was a most relaxing and pleasant place (as you can see from the photo of me perusing a cooking magazine whilst sitting in a most scenic reading spot) and even Callum didn't want to come home. The house happens to sit on the largest piece on waterfront property in Robert's Creek, so it is just gorgeous.

We also spent some time on the project site to see the progress on Kim and Sven's house. Comin' along nicely, indeed. The first photo is patched together of a few shots, looking up the hill (click on it to get a bigger image), while the other two show some of the landscaping work with boulders and the front entry.

Ugly weather, strep throat, and grumpy Mom.

So, time flies when you're having fun? Well, what about time flies when things are crummy? The weather hasn't been so nice, so we were indoors a lot and then this past week my boys were sick. Fever and sore throat and a lot of whining, so I finally took them to the doctor on Thursday to find out they have Strep Throat. Now the boys are on antibiotics and after a week of only 2-3 hours of sleep every night, my own body is crashing - fever, sore throat, dizzy head, emotional up and downs, and I won't tell you about the exceptionally frustrating experience I endured at a Medical clinic in Delta yesterday.

Anyway, it's my birthday today (zip-a-dee-do-da) and I am home alone to feel sorry for myself while the boys are at grandma and grandpa's, Jeff is out sailing for the day and I am too sick to bother brushing my teeth.

Well, here is a couple shots of "fun" in the apartment:

What a Week!

Callum got a bike! We ended up buying a used one from Craigslist since we wanted a Run-Bike - no pedals (supposedly better to teach balance so he can skip training wheels altogether), and he has made incredible progress over just a few days. He loves it (and won't leave the house without it, actually).



So, this heat has motivated me to take my kids to about every waterpark, beach or pool within walking distance of our place, and actually, that is quite a lot: Sunset Beach, English Bay, Coal Harbour Waterpark, Second Beach Pool, Kitsilano Beach and Granville Island Waterpark (though we took a boat for those last two).

Holiday Monday we went to Lynn Canyon and met up with Kami and her boys, Scott, Samantha and Lorelei, plus Kim and Adam. Lots of fun.





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