Beach Day

Hot and sunny again in paradise, so off to the beach......! Air mattresses to float on, snacks, warm water and lots of sunscreen!

The beach was busy, but no where near as crowded as last week.

There go our swimmers/bathing beauties out for a swim and paddle, with 3 wind surfers behind them. Burgers and video night completed the day.

Teen week

This week it is Amber and her friend Brianna at our place. We went to Nanaimo yesterday to shop, troll the malls, see a movie and have supper.

We got Amber's passport pics done, as we hope she and Dad Jason will come to Mexico this winter!!!

Then we all saw Step Up 3D - a fabulous dance movie!!! Dinner was at Montana's where we all promised each other we would never go on a birthday - those crazy horns.....!!!!

Hair and kids

Here is a closeup of Vanessas hair wrap - looks very cool!

Friday night Jutta, Andrew, Jonah and Ambers friend Brianna arrived. We all had a great visit, dinner and breakfast Saturday morning and then Jutta and family headed back to Victoria.

Amber decided she wanted a change (AGAIN!!) in hair colour, so Nanas salon did the transformation.....!

Here is our beautiful redhead!!! It actually looks very cool, as it kept some of the blonde as highlights! Wait till her school friends see this!!

Mount Washington

Friday we went to the summer version of a great ski resort, Mt. Washington. Lots of green grass, we enjoyed lunch in the main lodge, then took the chair lift to the top of the mountain.

It was quite cold and cloudy on the way up.....!

At the top, we could hardly see the village below, but then the clouds lifted and we were able to see further. There was an inukchuk gallery where we all built our own version, and then back down the mountain on the chair.

The village was visible from the mountain top, as were local mountain ranges and lakes. Very cool to see in the summer!

At the main lodge there were summer activities - mini golf, disc golf and the favourite - bungie trampolining which both Nessa and Amber did SO well!!!!

MV Frances Barclay

As a special treat this year, we took the girls on the MV Frances Barclay, a supply boat that leaves Port Alberni and travels the waterways all the way to Ucluelet and Bamberton.

We arrived at the port, had a great breakfast on board, and set off on our day long journey at 8 am.

The day began rather cool and cloudy, but by noon was back to sun. The trip up the channel, stopping at several little communities to deliver supplies and mail, was amazing.

The girls really enjoyed the boat - we arrived in Bamfield at 12:30, had a snack and checked out the town, and then headed back down the Alberni Inlet.

The town of Bamfield was small and charming. We walked the boardwalk, went into the only restaurant and store, and enjoyed seeing all the little waterfront homes along the walk.

braids and parrots

We took the girls to the last Tuesday evening market and Vanessa had a turquoise hair wrap done in her hair - awesome!

Next day we went to the Parrot sanctuary and with the noise and the birds landing all over us, it was an amazing experience. Amber had a green parrot and a cockatoo vying for her attention.

Nessa had Andrew on her arm, followed by Angel, the cockatoo.

Miki and Nana got into the act, too, with a variety of birds all over them!!

Mini golf and bumper cars.

What is a kid holiday without mini golf...! We played both 18 hole courses at Riptide, both fun and challenging.

Lots of fun holes, one inside a cave, if you please.

Nautical and car motif runs all through the place.

The bumper cars are a hoot - the girls enjoyed 2 separate runs on them. Ice cream completed the day!