Nice slow start to the morning, with a yummy pancake breakfast by Heather! Kiddos slept in Ally's room and got to get up and start their morning cartoons in the basement. Something that they won't get for awhile when we hit the road again!
Packed up a few beach items and drove to Castlegar to check out Millenium Park and Pools. Our family drove Heather's car over and on the way we saw two big deer, one of which decided to leap onto the road in front of our car! 😳 Jonathan expertly hammered on the brakes and stopped enough for it to jump off the road without incident. Close call on that one, yikes.
Had a nice time digging in the sand at Millenium pools... cool swimming ponds made with water diverted from the Columbia River that rolls beside it. Ben was the first to go in and test the temperature -- COLD! Amelia wasn't to be left behind, and she dragged her dad over to the little slide that drops you into the frigid water. Too cold for swimming (except for Ben) and we enjoyed wading around instead. Ollie and Meems made some fun sand castles and turtles, and after snacks we all went for a walk along the trails to look at the pump track/dirt jumps (LUCA, you would have loved it). Amelia insisted on wearing her swimsuit for the walk and was getting hammered by mosquitoes. Ollie counted at least 20 bites on her by the end of the day. After a play for Gus at the dog park, we climbed back into the car and drove a short distance to Zuke's Island (zuckerman) to check out the suspension bridge. Amelia was unimpressed at the shenanigans of Uncle Brad and Jonathan as they bounced the bridge. She immediately spied a land crossing over to the left and vowed not to cross the suspension bridge on the way back. Zuke's island was neat... little trails through the woods, and a cool old cabin/house that was made into a chapel of sorts.
The plan was to split up and eventually go to the Dairy Queen for a treat. Our family loaded up and drove over to Uncle Dan and Auntie Judie's house on 10th Avenue to see if they might be home for a hello. We had called earlier but they were out. Luckily, they were home when we dropped by and we had a lovely visit with the two of them. Nice chats with Dan, and hugs and kisses from Judie. xo
Went to DQ in town to get blizzards and treats for the drive back to Fruitvale (20min drive or so). Jonathan and I regretted our blizzard choices (too sweet), but the kids had no trouble packing back their hot fudge sundae and dipped cone. No deer incidents on the drive back. whew.
Back at Chez Mason/Larson, the kids were in the pool right away. Ollie got out to hang out with Ben, but Amelia stayed in... her diving and swimming has really stepped up a notch. After pizza on the patio, and another game of cornhole, Ben offered to take Ollie over to their back yard area and show him how to shoot BB guns. Oliver was, of course, thrilled. Ben popped his head into the indoor pool area and offered the same to Amelia. She was interested but also very keen to keep swimming, so they wandered up and Meems joined them after a few more dives for treasure (poker chips), a shower and fresh clothes.
Ben was sooooo sweet with the kids, showing them how to load up the soft pellets and try to shoot the cans up on the hill. He kept it very safe, and Amelia got the hang of it. Oliver was away to the races as soon as he learned what to do. Felt very small town, haha. Very fun! (and the ride back to the patio on the golf cart with Ben was another little thrill)
The rest of the evening was the same relaxing chill as last night. Visits and drinks around the table top fire on the Larson's patio, and the kiddos settled in on the couch at the Masons next door to finish watching Sonic the Movie.
snuggles with Gus
Millenium Park and Pools
Sand Turtle!
bridge to Zuke's Island... Amelia was NOT impressed with Uncle Brad and Daddy's bouncing on the bridge as we crossed. Gus wasn't super happy about it either!
BB gun practice with Ben!
No comments:
Post a Comment