We're back...

at the cabin!

Coming out in August brings a lot of change but still warm weather, and most importantly, a slightly warmer lake!

 This is the water level now.... (Amyah is standing on the same rock in each photo.)

This was it in July!

We spent so much of the trip making plans for the cabin, and weighing out the pros and cons to taking it on, we missed the turn off and ended up in Lake Louise! Had a good laugh and then bemoaned how we added a half hour on to an already long trip!

This time we arrived with a dishwasher to install! We also learned that pop, being shook for about 8 hours in a tub, in the back of a trailer, will cause at least one of them to explode! The dishwasher took up most of the back of our vehicle so thus the trailer!

Chris and Max were in charge of the dishwasher installation. And, they did a great job! Wohoo! More time for sun and fun!

 And, Max was Chris's right hand man when it came to making an anchor for the boat bouy. Max even brought out his own little work gloves. :) Here is Max rolling down, one of about 6 cement blocks, from the top of the property down to the beach! What a trooper!

We managed to get up on water skis with lots of helpful hints from our friends who visited us. The kids continued to enjoy the tow-ables.

Spending time with friends at the lake is the best.

Max loved celebrating his 5th birthday at the lake this summer.

There are TONS of remote beaches to explore and picnic on. Here are two we visited this time. One is across the lake where we had a picnic lunch. The other one is actually made of saw dust for once upon a time there was a saw mill situated here, on the lake's edge. It was a gooey mess which the kids LOVED, me not so much.

As there should be the sign way in the back is saying NO FIRES on saw dust beach!!! Crazy people!

Up to their knees in gooey saw dust!

Our kids have been quite the keen hikers. 

This time out we hiked up the Plaid Lake trail to a ridge. After an hour or so of hiking we reached an incredible view of Crawford Bay and Kootenay lake. Much fun was had throwing rocks over the edge and watching to see how far they would go! We are an easily amused family. :)

Soon had to strip down as it was heating up!

Gathering rocks to throw off the ridge.

This is how it is done kids!

It was quite difficult to take photos at the same time as constantly saying, "make sure you don't get too close!"

We all enjoyed our time at Kootenay Lake. Here are some parting shots of some more fun.

From Pine Trees to Palm Trees

After about 5 days back home, to spruce up the yard and take care of life there, plus trying not to have ALL our blood taken by mosquitoes, we find ourselves in Palm Springs, California.

YAY!

Oh, how we do love this place. Probably the thing we like most is that the sun will be out, and in full force, about 99% of the time. (Not to mention there is a HUGE Target with their HUGE carts just down the road. Everything does seem to be bigger in the good ol' USA.)

This trip, we flew in on the tail end of forest fires, burning in the mountains to the west of Palm Springs. There was also the chance of thunderstorms, so it was cloudy as we landed. There really has not been rain since we arrived yesterday but a decrease in temperatures and winds has helped the brave firemen and women get a handle on the blaze. Today we saw blue sky and things are starting to clear out.  The bizarre thing to me is that it is still warm out, around plus 30  degrees Celsius!

This was actually taken at 6 P.M. a couple days after the weather cleared!

Well, enough talk of weather! You would think I was from Canada or something! :)

Here are a couple photos of the LOVELY backyard, and where we spend a lot of our day.  To stay in a house, is the way to go -  the only way we travel anymore with kids. I have to admit too, I like having a washer so we don't have to pack much. In this heat, the clothes dry in no time at all, laying out in the sun!

To have a pool is even better. And, come to think of it,  I would assume it is harder to get a house without a pool of some sort. It is a God send when you are visiting, let alone vacationing here in the summer. Temperatures can reach up in to the mid forties!!!! YIKES!!!

 

This being our fourth trip here, I have started to have a bit of a plan for our arrival. After picking up the rental car, we have a quick bite to eat.   P.F. Changs' chicken lettuce wraps and dumplings are what we devour! Then we get to the house, unpack, and check out what is there. While my family is frantically tearing apart my well packed suitcases, looking for swimsuits, I make a grocery list. I also unpack while they horse around in the pool, buring off the weariness of travel. I like to feel settled as soon as possible, so I totally unpack everything first.

Then I  take the rental care for a test drive, around the block, to Albertsons, and pick up groceries. We also head to Costco to get some items as well. It is a very large (of course), and a great place to be on a hot day. They also sell Churros which we all love, especially the kids! Amyah and Max were so good with our shopping, Chris gave them the money to go and get one each, ordering and paying on their own.

And, we are now off to relax and soak up the rays. :)

No Firm Decision Made as of Yet!

Well, this ends our stay at the cabin for now. We are back in August for another trial. We are trying to figure out if we want to be cabin owners. In the mean time, here are some photos of the place; tranquility and beauty.

What We Learned today at the Lake

It was one of those days....

However, lessons were learned. And, we soon were laughing about it all, To end a good note, we went out for dinner (a real rarity in our house).

Too bad we did not have a film crew following us around today. They would have gotten some great footage!

#1. Responsibility is a hard lesson to learn sometimes.
#2.  Mommy can run really fast back to our car to get a certain little lady's sunnies, hat AND life jacket when our boat is about to leave, and there is a que of others wishing to unload their boat. (also refer back to #1 on this point.)
#3. A red Canon Powershot WILL survive a quick dunk in a bitterly cold lake. However, from a previous trip we have learned a red Canon Powershot WILL NOT survive several dunkings, all in a row, in to a warm salty ocean. :)
#4. A buoy line, one of those yellow nylon ropes, can break pretty quickly, causing your "new to you" boat to come at a rocky shore awfully quickly!
#5.Chris can be out of his clothes and in to a floating away boat VERY quickly!
#6. Always eat a lunch down by the lake, when you have a boat tied up to a make shift buoy. Thankfully we were!
#7. Kids will keep going on and on and on... about Daddy in just his underwear swimming to the boat, and find it hysterical for hours!
#8. Two small children will flip a blow up tow toy on a windy day, on the lake, if they are not being pulled by a boat at that particular time.
#9. Melon bombs are the best when Daddy is teasing them.
#10. Hotdogs are best roasted over a fire on the beach and eaten on a rock.
#11.  Kids find just about anything fun, even pounding rocks apart to look for "gold"!

 

What a FULL day today was, living the life at the cabin!