Crossing things off the Summer Bucket List

With summertime almost wrapping up (tear) and school about to begin, it was no surprise that the highways were packed with people heading out for their last chance to enjoy the mountains. We were no exception. Despite the crowds and traffic we still took the opportunity to enjoy our little slice of the wilderness. Weather wise it couldn't have been more perfect, and hey, the scenery aint that bad either.

We headed out west to Lake Minnewanka in Banff National Park. All of the picnic tables were long-since occupied so we made do with Mother Nature's assortment of fallen logs. You know what? I kind of liked it even better!

There were plenty of trails and paths to explore. Ben had so much fun romping around, picking up sticks, pointing out trees and spending time with his Grandma.

We stopped in Canmore on our way back home to eat at one of our favourite restaurants in the area, Crazy Weed. Would highly recommend the calamari. Never disappoints!

We were all pretty exhausted on the way home but were so grateful to have crossed another item off our summer bucket list.

Summer Days

Ben and I made a trip to my parents' house for a couple weeks in August. It was a great opportunity for our boy to get spoiled, me to get a bit of a break while baby #2 continues to bake and Danny to live the 'bachelor' life back at home.

Here are a few snapshots from our adventures.

Running along the dock and looking at muskrats swimming in the water.

Cooking on an open fire and enjoying some s'mores.

Swinging with his cousins and playing in the open fields.

A Mother-Daughter date at a local restaurant downtown.

Plenty of adventures to be had in the backyard complete with fresh raspberries right from the garden.

A day trip to Great Grandma's house and a chance to reminisce about my own childhood.

Not surprisingly, there aren't any photos of me as I'm pretty much behind the lens the whole time. But that's okay too. Let's be honest - this trip was mostly for Ben and his Grandparents anyway, haha! We had such an enjoyable time and although Danny missed us quite a bit we all agreed that it was a great way to spend some of our summer days.  Perhaps we'll make it a yearly trip!

Prairie Girl at Heart

I grew up on the prairies of Alberta and Saskatchewan with many fond memories of big skies and open fields. As I grew older though, my heart lusted after the beautiful Rocky Mountain ranges and I knew that's where I was headed. Years later and I'm still mesmerized by the majestic beauty of those peaks.

That being said, when I saw this beautiful canola field on a recent road trip I just knew we would have to stop. Fortunately my dad was on hand to capture a few shots.

Nothing quite like the vibrant colours of a canola field in the peak of summer! Definitely a little prairie girl still in me.

Fort Edmonton Park

A few weeks ago we spent some time in Edmonton just hanging out as families do.  We were hoping to visit with some friends and cousins but it seemed that the sickness bug decided to visit them first. So, we had an opportunity to fill our time in other ways. A quick search on Trip Advisor directed us to Fort Edmonton Park for a little walk through history.

Choo Choo! First of all we boarded the train which took us back through time to the 1860's. We visited an old fort that used to be a major trading hub for the Natives and Europeans. Most of the log cabins were surprisingly cool despite the scorching temperatures outside. I tell you, these people knew what they were doing before a/c and electricity were even an option. Our own 'modern' home is definitely not as forgiving in the summer heat.

One of my favourite stops was the actual trading post. We learned about the different furs that were traded and what sort of goods they could be traded for. Although having never actually touched different pelts before, we sure felt like experts after this lesson.

As the day continued, we walked through models of different streets through various eras (1900's, 1920's etc.) Most of the stores and home structures were actually originals, re-built on site. The horses, barn animals and subsequent smells, however, were a little fresher.

I'm a sucker for vintage advertising, having studied it quite extensively through various forms in my University days. That and the plain fact that Danny likes his carbonated beverages from time to time.

The last stop was a 1920's midway. We didn't stay long as the clouds were threatening to open up and some people weren't quite tall enough for the ferris wheel anyway. Maybe next year buddy!

Centre Island: Beach Bums

Our day on Centre Island started with a picnic under the trees and a trip to Centreville's Far Away Farms and Amusement Park.

At this point of the day Ben had a great nap in the stroller while we walked along the boardwalk and through the various parks. People were walking their dogs, riding their bikes, having picnics and playing frisbee. To me, this is the stuff weekends should be made of... at least as often as is possible.

We settled by the North shore for a while and watched the gulls and swans swimming in the water. Too cold for my taste but I did get my toes wet. 

An hour or so later, Ben woke up and decided it was time to get his feet sandy as well. Thankfully he wasn't nearly as interested in eating it (unlike our time in Hawaii where he literally devoured fist-fulls of the stuff).

I never did grow up by a large body of water but can definitely see the appeal. Here's hoping we can get in lots of beach time in the weeks to come!

What a great day with the family on Centre Island.

Centre Island: Far Away Farm & Centreville

Our adventures on Toronto's Centre Island continued after our morning picnic under the trees.

Another treat for us was Far Away Farms. We're not quite at the stage where animals are more interesting then say, a leaf, but we stopped to look anyway. I think Ben was really happy to be able to run around and explore.

We stopped to look at a donkey, a goat, some bunnies and a dairy cow. Some smelled better than others, haha.

Next we ventured off to the little amusement park in Centreville. I wasn't sure if Ben would be interested in any of the rides (or if he was even tall enough to ride any in the first place) but we soon discovered that he was in luck. Danny's not a big fan of rides, unlike myself who loves them, but because baby #2 is on the way I got to play the role of photographer while Danny 'took one for the team'. Really, how bad could the kiddy rides be though?

Obviously things turned out okay for the both of them.

After all that activity was time for lunch. At first we stopped for a couple pieces of pizza but while en route to a picnic table we were literally dive-bombed by a seagull and our lunch was no longer ours. I'm serious - feathers in the hair, trays knocked out of hands, pizza on the ground, feast for a dozen crazy seagulls. Totally took us by surprise but what could you do but laugh? I would have snapped a picture but all evidence was gone in a matter of seconds.

Here was lunch v2.0. Very well shielded when walking to another picnic table by the way.

Hotdogs and fries on a sunny day in June. Life is good.

Center Island: Picnic

This past week we flew back to Toronto to attend Danny's cousin's daughter's graduation. Got that? The ceremony itself was only a one-day event so we decided to make a trip of it and revisit some of the places that we used to frequent when we lived there just eleven months ago. Seems like so much time has passed since then.

We stayed in the downtown core, just a few blocks from where our old condo was, as it was most accessible for us. It didn't take me long to remember just how brutal traffic is during rush hour (I definitely don't miss that AT ALL). Ben was so much more aware of all the activity going on around him. At some points we had to peek into the stroller to make sure he was still there - he was so quiet and observant. But all that hustle and bustle had me craving some quiet time, something more relaxed and slow-paced. Centre Island would fit the bill.

It was warm (but not too hot) the bugs were virtually non-existent (what?) and the sun was shining. What a perfect day for some family time. Ben loved running around in the open green space and found lots of interesting things in the tree trunks. I can see these guys climbing trees in no time.

We had stopped at Starbucks on the way down and grabbed some drinks, sandwiches, and a protein bistro box. Did I mention how much our kid loves cheese? Perfect for a morning picnic.

I felt like we had the whole park to ourself. So many trees, lots of dry grass and plenty of open space. It was so nice to get in some family time. Loving summer!