August in Canada

One of the Best Trips Ever - we had a great time - spent almost 2 weeks at mom and dad's house.  We got to spend some of the time with Libby and Sean who were spending the summer in Canada after finishing his fellowship - He was doing a month of surgery with dad as he prepared to go back to Dallas and start his private practice.

Calaway park is always a part of our visit.  Carleigh is hanging with the girls below - Taylor and Charlotte chillin on the dune buggy ride.

And of course Dairy Queen is a must - especially if you just had fun at the amusement park!

The first of a couple of hiking trips was spent at the Heart Creek trails - we have done this one before and it is particularly appealing to our family because it is a gentle hike, it is in the Rockies away from people but the kids can make the whole mile and a half trail both ways without any complaining.  Unfortunately we didn't take Carleigh - though retrospectively she missed out and would have had a great time as well.

Something about the smell of the Canadian Pine trees is so different from the NC pine trees and forests - It is intoxicating.  

This kids had their moments and as usually they would jockey for position of who was leading the group up the mountain - usually it was bri fighting for this spot with Drew - but they were able to end up sharing the lead and exploring up the mountain.  On the way down there was a constant contest of who could splash the other people by dropping large rocks and small boulders into the stream that ran down the valley floor.  Every time we would cross over a bridge, we had to look around to see if one of the rug rats was going to heave a rock into the stream to get you wet!

This water was so cold, it actually hurts your feet to be in it.  It is a burning cold pain.