Wow!

This guy amazed us with his academic accomplishments this semester. 

All his hard work paid off with higher grades in most areas.

He recorded 100% in two areas of math and a 98% in Science; unsurprisingly, he had a place on the honor roll.

Also, he received the Gr8 Science Award.

Adam has eased right into summer vacation. We've made a habit of a weekly fishing excursion. 

This week we were at Hartwell Lock.
The fun of watching the boats pass through the locks more than made up for the lack of fish.

Yup. Just a silly picture of the dog.

Housebound

From lunch until bedtime today these boys are housebound.

We've been home since Monday and they've barely been home.

Not the Sweet Spot

We're on a mission to find just the right fishing spot.

The first spot was a little urban, though it had lots of little fish. 

The second spot was beautiful but not much was caught and there were a lot of snags. 

Today's spot was good. A few fish were caught, mostly small, and there was lots of places to cast from. I think we'll try this one again another day, maybe a little earlier in the morning.

In No Particular Order

The Hoodoo Hike.

Some of us made it to the top.

Some of us made it close to the top.

These boys know how to smile.

They were in awe of the mountains.

Sometimes we took our own family photos.

Sometimes we were lucky enough to find someone to take one for us.

Both the boys celebrated birthdays while we were away.

This was their first 'stop and stare at the mountain'.

It's so beautiful it hardly looks real.

We would definitely travel by motorhome again.

 

Thank you M. It was a fantastic trip.

Day 8- Returns and Roast

Sadly, the end of the week meant the end of our rental. 

All my thanks to M for safely driving us 1600km in the course of our adventures this week.

The up-side to the return of the rental was that we got to spend an evening with my aunt & uncle's family (I even got a baby snuggle-Bonus!!). 

I love hospitality expressed through meat. 

Day 7- Museums & a Made Up Game

There were some things that were exactly the same as I remember from my last visit to Heritage Village Park.

But there were a couple of cuties that were new.

E made up a card game that was great for passing the time in the evenings. 

Day 6- Museum and Making it to the Bottom First

We were given a personal tour of the museum in Clrsholm. 

Very interesting. Great collection. 

We arrived back in Ottawa with enough time for an adventure before end of day.  

Now, the boys won't stop talking about 'the luge' ... and ... asking if we can go back before we leave. 

I'm using the very parental, "We'll see", as my answer. 

Day 5- Dinosaurs, Drive Time & Doggy

Cross the Dinosaur Museum off the list. 

Been there. Seen that. 

Also, saw some beautiful blue skies and wide open spaces. 

Aaah, feels like home. 

And, we had a great visit in Clrsholm with the mom (and her pup) whose house I was at ½ the time in Jr & Sr High. 

Day 4- The Hoodoos, the Mine, the Bridge

In retrospect I should have brought the laptop so I could post pictures from the camera. But then again, it's been nice to be mostly off the electronics. 

Mine Tour

The Suspension Bridge. 

Day 3- Ice Field

It was a beautiful drive from Banff up to the Columbia Icefield. 

The glacier was extraordinary.

And we all ventured out onto the Skywalk. 

Then it was time to leave the National Park.
Next stop ..... Drumheller.

It's great being able to make our own meals. It saves the expense and the time wasted sitting in restaurants. 

Day2-Part1- Bear, Boat and BigHorn Sheep

This morning we saw a bear (!!). The picture is on my other camera so this is a picture of the picture.
And we saw Big Horn Sheep.

We went on a great boat tour of Lake Minnewanka. 

Just so beautiful here. 

The pictures of our afternoon Gondola Trip and visit to the Hot Springs are also on the other camera. I'll have to wait until we're home to share.