Echoes of Laughter

I am trying to read some of the books my book club here in N.S.,”The Greek Muses” have read over the last year, along with some other books. I am more than half way thru ” A Continent for the Taking” and I have finished “Like Water for Chocolate.”

went to this movie on Monday night. We loved it! Tyler is wild about this movie.

Every morning the kids get up and ask me if they can go downstairs to see if Grammie “is up”.They were making sugar cookies before I even came downstairs for breakfast.Kirk arrived with Madison and Hayden.The kids had fun playing.Grammie made sausages and pancakes for everyone.Grampie went to Wolfville to pick up Grammie Pineo to bring her over for the day.Then we had hotdogs and hamburgers for lunch.Rained for part of the afternoon. So we watched, “Yours, Mine, Ours” & “The Pink Panther Strikes Again.” I think Mom, Dad and I snuck a little nap in there somewhere.Just a great, Read More »

We just “hung out” most of the day.Went to the Farmers’ Market in the morning.Did a little shopping in New Minas.Grammie bought some outside toys for her house.Super Soakers and balls.Went out to Swiss Chalet for supper.Rented some movies at Blockbuster.Watched “Pirates of the Carribean” before bed.

We are so grateful to have such wonderful friends.Again, Phyllis Anne planned a day for us to Upper Clements Park.We set out around 10 and arrived at the park a little after 11am.Phyllis Anne, Charlotte, Matthew and Phyllis Anne’s mom Jeanette.Phyllis Anne’s cousin Erica, & children Will & Kate, visiting from Savannah, Georgia.Me, Hunter and Tyler.We took 2 cars.Packed a picnic lunch.The weather was terrific. Not too hot. No lineups at the park.We enjoyed the water flume ride. We enjoyed continuous rides because of no lineup.Note to self: Bring a dry change of clothes next time.Kids had cotton candy and Read More »

We started the day off with the zip line.I tried it too.Sand up your mouth and nose is great.

What you do not see here…. the spin that Tyler and I were stuck in when we first got into the bumper boat.Around and around and around and around.For 2 minutes. It was like a nightmare in bumper boat hell.I thought I was going to throw up. or have a panic attack.But somebody bumped us and it pushed us out of the spin.

Tyler and Matthew love this ride.

This is what Matthew and Tyler did while the others went on the roller coaster.

Again no lineups.

Final train ride around the park. Such a fun day.

Yes.Tyler had the privelege of going grocery shopping with Grammie last Friday while Hunter and I were at New Minas Elementary.They came home with orange pop.Tyler proudly tells me that Grammie said he could have one orange pop everyday.And everyday he asks for his orange pop.This morning he asked for it at breakfast.Thank you Grammie.

an orange-pop induced marathon thru the kitchen looks like.

Pat got the “layout ladies” together tonight at her house.Ruthanne was the only one who couldn’t make it.It was so great to see them. We shared a lot a great laughs together.Caught up on all the news on Wisteria Lane.Miss those girls so much.

Today we were treated to a trip to historic Lunenburg.A world heritage site. Home of the famous fishing schooner the Bluenose.We packed a picnic lunch and left at 9am for a 1 hour drive.We spent a great day visiting the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic.

This is a jaw bone of a whale.The guide told us that a whale can eat in one bite as much as a human can eat in 3 years!!(and ooops, i dropped the camera, maybe that is why this picture is so wonky)

The is the “wheel room” of the Cape Sable. A retired fishing vessel.The gentleman in the backround is a retired fisherman.I enjoyed a brief but interesting chat with him.He told me a vessel of this size would go out for 7-10 days at a time. Fishing on the Grand Banks. He did not fish on this particular ship, but he did fish on the sister ship, The Cape Blomidan, which went down in a bad storm in 1993. 11 men were saved, but 5 lives were lost, among them the Captain, First Mate and Cook. Amazing, one man spent 20 Read More »

Me and all the kids. ( who got to listen to me yapping all day-“stay away from the edge!)

Our tour guides for the day, as well as our much loved friends!

We had the opportunity to explore the “Teresa Collins”.A retired fishing schooner.This is the “forecastle” of the ship.It is comprised of both the galley and sleeping births.Fishermen were offered 3 hearty meals every day, and when fishing on the Grand Banks, a fourth meal was offered between 9 &10 pm at night. It was called the “Last Mug”.It struck me how difficult it must have been to sleep in the same room as the cook banging pots and pans about for meals.

Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic.Lots of displays.Atlantic Salmon. Giant lobsters.Fishing gear and model ships.Maritime fishing history.Fishing Schooners.Memorials to Fishermen lost to the sea.

On our way home. Our picnic is over. What a fun day!Hey, do you smell something fishy in here?

And a peek at what we have been doing in the evenings….playing Bingo. Isn’t great to teach your minor children how to gamble at a young age? Actually, there are no prizes or money involved. It is strictly just for fun. Grampie is Mr. Caller. We play a game or two before bed.

Today we were at the berry fields at 9am. The plants were ripe and full of luscious berries-just the way I love to pick ’em! It took us about 30 min to pick 10 boxes. $1.25 a box. The kids loved it-Tyler was running up and down the rows saying excitedly, “here’s another juicy one….. here’s another juicy one.” Hunter was a great little picker. She picked 3 boxes. We came home and made 5 batches of jam. The freezer jam recipe is the best recipe and the easiest to make. 1 & 3/4 cup crushed berries. Add 4 cups Read More »

Yesterday was my Aunt Zelma’s 60th Birthday.We celebrated by having a gathering at the lake. It was a gorgeous day. I saw many relatives and community people that I had not seen since last year.Uncle Phillip & Aunt GenevaPhil & Sue.Aaron & AmandaChetAnley & BevWe had BBQ and potluck. And, of course, birthday cake.Over the years, Aunt Zelma has been a terrific aunt. She never forgot a birthday. She has always been so cheerful and interested in our lives. She is a doll. I gave her a scrapbook which I plan to add pictures of the party for her. So Read More »

Canada Day.Kirk & Pat invited us for a BBQ.They set up a new waterslide for the kids. They had so much fun in the pool and the waterslide. Just playing and running back & forth. It was just a great day to relax and chill. We had hamburgers, hot dogs and strawberry shortcake for dessert.Wonderful day.The pictures tell the story.

Peonies in my yard. Love them. Remind me of Grammie.

Most of what I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be, I learned in kindergarten. These are the things I learned:Share everything. Play fair. Don’t hit people. Put things back where you found them.Clean up your own mess. Don’t take things that aren’t yours.Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody. Wash your hands before you eat. Flush.When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together.~Robert Lee Fulghum Tyler. Kindergarten Graduation Party. Friday, June 23, 2006.PS-love your spiky hair, dude!

“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.” ~Josh Billings This dog has been a part of our life for 12 years.We picked him out shortly after we moved into our first house and brought him home when he was only 7 weeks old.We named him Brandy and he has made us laugh, cry, pull our hair out, and love him.He has always been playful and extremely full of spunk.He never did “settle down” and mellow out. We kept him anyway.He was always just Brandy. He has chewed socks and underwear. Swam Read More »

This has been one of my scrapbooking projects for the last 2 months. I have been putting this album together to show everyone back home what our year in Alberta was like. The fun. The friends. The action. While putting this project together, I could not help but reflect on this past year. Life is good. We have a nice life here. And I, in particular, have gained so much. I was part of the workforce for 13 years. I think I was managing work and life quite well, but everything felt “rush, rush, hurry, hurry” all the time-like you Read More »