BC Branch of the Family

Although we lived in BC (Prince George) for six or seven years throughout the past 35 or so years, and four of our children were born there, none of us has been back to live there since 1995. Ten months ago Mary and Greg moved away from the Alberta center of our family and settled in Oliver, BC, the wine capital of Canada. I find there's a real psychological factor to having one of our children's family on the 'wrong' side of the mountains - makes them seem farther away than they really are. That's what makes visiting them special.

On my last day there, last Thursday evening, we went out looking for nice locations for their first family picture since Baron joined the family. This is what we ended up with.

Oliver, BC - The Last Day

I couldn't finish my Oliver, BC blog while I was still there because of problems with the internet - so here's my final report - I think.

It was a hot day - at least 35C. We took Layla to her day care and then the four of us - Greg, Mary, Baron in his stroller, and Chester on his leash - drove to a starting point for a 5 km+ walk along the Okanagan River. It was a beautiful spot - the river on our left and trees on our right. I was pushing the stroller and Baron slept the whole way. At one point where the river was shallow there was a small beach-like cove with easy access to the water. It's a spot where Mary and Greg always let Chester go into the river to cool off. This time Greg and Mary waded in almost to the center of the river. I was in long pants, socks and sneakers so just stayed on the side - that is, until Mary called to me that there was a great photo op from where she was standing and I should come and photograph it. They were both completely shocked when I proceded to do just that, shoes, socks and all...I hate to be predictable! It was so-o-o-o cool. By the time we walked back to the car, my clothes were completely dry.

In the afternoon we went to the Burrowing Owl Estate Winery - the largest one in Oliver. What a beautiful place! There are acres and acres of grapes, and the winery itself if amazing with a great view of the valley. I wish I could afford to stay there, but at $350 a night with a minimum stay of 2 nights, it's a bit out of my league. I also discovered that I'll never be a wine drinker - I can barely stand the smell of it, let alone the taste.

Osoyoos Adventure

We went to Rattlesnake Canyon amusement park in Osoyoos today. There were only a couple of rides that Layla was tall enough to go on, but she had fun on them as you can see by the pictures. Our outing ended with my very own humiliating adventure. I didn't notice until I was washing my hands in a public restroom that the doorknob was disconnected and laying beside the sink. I had locked the door with the deadbolt and didn't think of checking for a doorknob - who would??? When it came time to leave, I had no way to open the door. Luckily Mary and Greg and Layla were just outside the door and I let them know I was stuck. Ten or fifteen minutes later, a park employee destroyed the doorknob apparatus and rescued me. How embarassing! And then to finish it off, we went to a Chinese buffet for lunch and my fortune cookie was empty!! What does that mean!!???

Beautiful BC

Just a couple of the sights in and around Oliver.

5th Day Pictures

Here's a few more pictures of little Baron. His favorite sleeping position is with his hand up by his head - there's an ultrasound picture of him in the same position. He's been a really good baby since coming home, but like all babies, he has his days and nights mixed up. Layla is having no difficulties with sharing her home with a new kid...yet.

Layla's Cookies

We had a quiet day today - a trip to the grocery store and fruit stand was our biggest excitement. We came home and Layla and I made chocolate chip cookies. She's pretty proud of herself - everyone, including the dog, enjoyed them.

Fun in the Okanaghan

While Sara and her kids were here, and Mary was in the hospital, we took the kids to the beach in Penticton, to the water park in Oliver, the native cultural center in Osoyoos, and places in between. The kids really enjoyed one another - Layla misses her cousins since she and her parents moved to Oliver 9 months ago.