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| Winter at Buck Lake |
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| Snowflakes up close |
Well, it is hard to believe it has been over 5 months since I wrote something. Time to do a little catch up. We had a fantastic winter - a decent amount of snow blanketed Buck Lake this year. We were able to get a lot of skating in at the beginning of the season. We've got a bunch of retired guys on our lake that have plowed a skateway with their four-wheelers in the past few years. This year they went all the way to the top of the lake and back - our skateway was longer than the Rideau Canal! It was fantastic. We had our 2nd annual Winter Fest on the lake and there was lots of shinny hockey, snow golf, and snowmobile rides. While Tom and the kids partook in the festivities, I was holed up in our basement painting away to get ready for my art show in Bancroft. That ran from February 8th until March 6th and the opening night was on the 9th. There was a formidable snowstorm on February 8th which was the original date for the show. The gallery decided to postpone it to the Saturday so that Tom, the kids and I could get there. It was lovely to spend time with my relatives, John and Carol Kirby, who I have not seen in a while. They have a lovely spot on a lake in Bancroft and they were wonderful hosts. I didn't end up selling anything at the show but it was a fantastic experience and rewarding to achieve the artistic goal of having my own show.
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| Lovely Sibling Easter Picture |
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| Not so lovely Sibling Easter picture... |
During the March break we went to Le Massif for our annual ski holiday with our friends, Kelly and Matt and their girls, Ruby and Neko, Shawn and Julia, and Kristin and Patrick and their kids, Teagan and Ross. We had a fabulous time. Unfortunately, on the second day I tore my Lateral Collateral Ligament and my skiing was over for the year.
Rein had a great hockey season with his team the Storrington Stingers. After the season ended, they had one final tournament in Ajax. They did well and it was nice to spend some time with Tiiu and Peter. Andres also came out to watch and we enjoyed dinner with him after Rein's last game.
The following weekend was Easter and we were back in Toronto for our annual tradition of going to a delicious brunch at Donalda Golf Course in Toronto with Tiiu and Peter, Asta and Peter's brother, Andy.
Then it was birthday month - My mom's and her twin sister, Cathy, Tiiu, Kelly, Ruby, Rein, Nicholas and Silka. The theme for Rein's birthday was Survivor Buck Lake and it was a blast. Lots of great challenges with a Tribal council ending in our sauna and then some of the boys slept over. Silka had a Fancy Pants Sleepover party. The girls made their own fascinators, and dressed up in fancy clothes and enjoyed a "fancy" meal. They watched a movie before going to bed. Rein and Silka are now 10 and 7 years old. Where has the time gone?
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| Annual Paddle on Massassauga Creek |
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| lunch break |
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| Rein takes a cat nap |
We were graced with some beatuiful weather end of April early may - haven't seen much of that since then. We went for our Third Annual Massissauga Creek paddle and our friends, Shawn and Julia joined us this year. It was a glorious day. The kids took turns in both our canoe and Shawn and Julia's canoe. We portaged by a waterfall, paddled some mini rapids, ate lunch on a lovely rock overlooking the creek, made it over a beaver dam and played on a zip-line near the end of the paddle. It is always a great way to begin the canoeing season.
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| Zip line fun on the creek |
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| Bulldog Beauties vs. Atom Bulldogs |
Then football and soccer season began. Silka was still doing comtemporary dance and had a very successful recital on June 16th. Rein has really enjoyed football and wants to do it again next year. He plays full-back and tight end. I had the pleasure of playing against him at one of their practices - the coach asked six of the moms to help the boys with their defensive plays. He kept it a secret and told the boys they were going to be playing some scrimmage against Bantam boys. Rein was very nervous. When the moms showed up in full gear, they were even more nervous - we apparently looked really big. Then when we got closer and they heard our "wussy" chant, they realized we weren't guys. We had so much fun and I think the boys loved having the opportunity to tackle their moms. I would do it again in a heartbeat.
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| Bulldog Beauties (moms) playing offense against their sons |
Well, that is the update and we are looking forward to what the summer brings. One more week of school and then Tom and the kids are off for the summer. Rein and Silka will be in camps for two weeks and we will be heading off in August for our annual two week canoe trip - haven't decided on a destination yet....
Next year will be a different trip with two canoes - I am excited and a bit apprehensive about what this change will bring. We will not cover the same distance as in the past - the daily distances will be shorter and the challenges will be different. We will be passing on the torch somewhat to our kids giving them the opportunity for more independence and to increasingly use the knowledge they have gained over the years. I am always pleasantly surprised that in this day and age where kids are bombarded by technology and social media, Rein and Silka never get bored on canoe trip. Rein is content to just drag a piece of driftwood in the water beside the boat imagining it to be the fastest speed boat out there while Silka paddles or paints. There are stretches of silence and idleness from them that we don't witness at home. Tom and I witness "imagination gone wild" every day.
