The Long Road

Before and After

Well it took us a year to get it done (yes, this weekend is the one year mark for us in our house), but we finally stained the house! I think it looks pretty good too. After getting a quote to have a company do it for almost $2000, we decided to do it ourselves. Final bill $427.30! An hour in I asked Mich if she still though it was worth it. “Yes!” was her enthusiastic response. At the end of that hot, hot day, sweaty, exhausted and covered in stain she wasnt’ quite so quick to answer the same question. But we stuck to it, literally sweating it out… and we are done!

Michelle toils under the hot sun…. and Kev has energy to finish the last bit well after dark thanks to a tasty and cold Yukon Gold that Crystal brought all the way from Whitehorse. Mich got no such treat for her efforts!

Well, we were worried we were gonna lose our peach tree to a peach borer worm… but Crystal helped us save it at the start of the summer! Good thing - we have over 30 ripe, sweet and juicy peaches ready to be picked!!!! Mmmmmmmmm

Well, I kinda hate Microsoft as much as anyone else, but… Bill Gates, the richest dude around, worth about 60 billion (yes, billion) by way of his foundation just gave about 500 Million bucks for AIDS research. That’s pretty good eh? He’s given up about 4 billion bone so far in charitable donations. Hmmmm, mabye I will buy Vista…

Well we just spent a great few days with Blake and Sandy and Hailey and Brendan. We haven’t seen them since we left China over a year ago so were really excited to have them visit. After lots of eating and catching up, we checked out the Wildlife park and then got in a few firsts for Sandy, capping off the visit with a camping trip to Paul Lake - Sandy’s first Canadian camping and canoeing experience. I think she had a great time!

And yes, Hailey doesnt’ look like she’s having fun anymore in the canoe… but she did! More to come about the incredible meal that Sandy made for us… Anyway, thanks for coming guys - it was great to see you, meet Brendan, and catch up!

Happy Birthday Dad. Now really…. mandatory retirement!!!!

Well we’re back! What a wonderful trip we just had up in Northern BC with Patty, Richard, Charlie and Bridgit and Jill, Travis, Ellie and Emmet.

Highlights included GREAT fishing for arctic grayling, northern pike, and dolly varden. Tasty!

We had wonderful days of paddling - some short, some long, all bringing something new and awesome around the next corner… and the bugs weren’t too bad!

We saw lots of moose, and bear. Mich and I even woke one morning to find very large wolf tracks just meters from our tent! The tracks indicate that two wolves walked out onto the beach and straight at our tent, stopping to sniff some little children tracks, fresh from the day before.

We had great company, great eats, a latenight beachside sauna, and yes, even some rain.

All in all, it was a great trip!