Not a Success Story for All

O.K. ... so last year I impressed everyone (including myself) by getting up on waterskiis for the first time in many years, and on only the second try. This year...not so good. After four tries I admitted defeat for 2009. However, maybe I will get more strength as I enter my next decade, so I WILL TRY AGAIN! I think I will hope for a day which is a bit warmer though! Son in law was much more successful than I was, and on the wakeboard, which I am told is harder than are skiis. Congrats! We enjoyed the show!

In spite of the cloudy skies, we had a great day at the cottage. It is so nice to visit such a beautiful location . Here are the men chopping wood for the fire, which was welcome after the dip in the lake.

So...good food, good company, no rain. Who could ask for anything more this year in Manitoba?

Rockin' with Rod

Thanks to family, we went to see Rod Stewart last evening. Have to say, while I listened to his music before, I was not what you would call a fan. However, after having watch this 64 year old guy entertain for close to two hours, I am now a real fan. What a performer. As always, we were very impressed with the "backups". Each singer had a voice that could launch a solo career, in my impression. The drummers and guitarists were phenomenal, and the violinist and saxaphone player outstanding.
Thanks to all who made this evening possible. It was a real treat!

Another Beautiful Summer Wedding

While it wasn't quite the bright sunny day for which people were hoping, the rain held off in spite of low hanging clouds. The photographer said that this was actually the best kind of day for photos! So, the guests assembled, the music (wonderful) was sung and played, the attendants did what attendants do, and the bride and groom were wed. Since the bride and her family have keen interests in horses ( and connections!), the wedding party left the church in a wagon pulled by six enormous horses! Here they are climbing the step ladder to get into the wagon. Quite a feat in a wedding dress, or in four inch heels!

Sister-in-law and sister of the groom. Both have been the brides within the last year.
Maid of honour and the beautiful bride. The attendants' dresses were all created by the mother of the groom and grandmother of the groom.
The guys - groom, brother of the bride and best man, younger brother of the groom, and older brother of the groom.
And they are off! Thanks for the invitation - we had a great time. Best wishes to you both.

Go West Young (or not so young) people - Part 2

The alternate title for this blog entry might be "Ascending into our 39th year". Some of you will remember last year's entry - "Zipping into our 38th year". This year we climbed, and climbed, and climbed, as we took a few days to visit Waterton Lakes and Glacier National Parks. We enjoyed glorious hot weather, beautiful views, lots of exercise, and of course, a glass or two of wine at the end of the day to lubricate our aching joints.
But we began our short journey locally, visiting something neither of us had ever seen before - the swinging bridge in Souris. We have both heard about this our entire lives, and now we can say that we crossed and recrossed this famous bridge.
Waterton Lakes National Park is beautiful. It reminded us of Wasagaming in Riding Mountain, but was a lot smaller. On the patio overlooking the lake at this restaurant we celebrated anniversary number 38.
The rich and famous stay at this landmark hotel on the cliff. We stayed in the campground!
Even the gas station is very much like the one in Wasagaming. The movie theatre, though, hasn't nearly as much character as the one in Riding Mountain.
The deer have right of way throughout the townsite and the campsites. They were very well behaved, however, and were content to munch on grass rather than ask for handouts. On one middle of the night venture to the bathroom, however, I was rather startled to run into one of these guys right outside our camper door!
When I woke up in the morning, and unzipped my "window" in the camper, this is what I saw. Glorious!
"Bear's Hump is a trail almost straight up, beginning at the information centre. It leads to a cliff from which you can see the entire valley. Not quite a kilometre, but the grade makes it challenging, at least for me!
We "ascended" Bear's Hump, and stood about 2/3 of the way up this rock.
At the top of the climb, looking out onto the lake, with the townsite below.

Can you find our camper? (Hint - it's right by the lake!)
While we had wonderful weather, we also saw some glorious skies. This is an example.
Beargrass - I had never seen it before. It is strange, but very interesting.
The male climber of the duo with a snow "chair". This was quite a bit smaller here, on our way back, than it was on our way up the trail.

Yes, the path does go that close to the edge, and the drop is deadly. Can't say I was all that comfortable with a lot of it. It would be a long way down before something stopped you.
Another mountain valley we saw on one of the hikes.
We stopped for lunch after 3.5 miles into this hike, and ate by the glacier.
The wild flowers were in their glory - so many kinds I hadn't seen before, as well as a few familiar ones.
We saw a few creatures, like this woolly marmot (one of several)....
and this guy relaxing just above the trail.

Beauty and majesty.
A couple of days in Great Falls completed our trip. From our campground we could see forever.

All in all, it was a wonderful, albeit short, trip. One more part of the world to say we have experienced, and this one is very close!

Go West Young (or not so young) people - Part 1

Make a Smilebox slideshow Here is a sample of what we saw on some of our hikes. I thought I would put all the "scenery" type photos in one place, so those who don't like mountain scenes don't have to watch any!

Wedding Day!

So...to those of you who are saying - "does she have nothing else to do but put stuff on the blog?"- the answer is "No!". I am waiting for my grandchildren to wake up, and have been awake myself for many hours, so I may as well get something done (and be first to blog the big event!)
And it was a big event. It was the absolutely most perfect day for an outdoor wedding. The sky was clear blue (not a cloud that I could see) and the temperature was just right. We all arrived ready to celebrate with the bride and groom. The guest below arrived a tad early, looking for brunch. He didn't find it at that hour!

The chairs were set up...
the rose petals led the way...
the harpist played...
and the bride and groom were wed. The stunning attendants (above) performed all their duties,
and the knot was tied! Congratulations to the newly married couple. We are all so happy for you.
There were a few moments between the ceremony and the brunch, so some of us went to visit the animals, real and not so real.

Then the brunch was served. And what a brunch it was. I have already made my request to go back for Mother's Day. Pictured below are the mother and father of the groom, and mother of the bride.
Th bride and groom ready to cut the cake (lemon poppy seed - yummy!)
And here is the other couple celebrating today. 62nd Anniversary for the grandmother and grandfather of the bride ( the bride's dress was made from grandma's dress) and a birthday for grandma. What a great present - a wedding!
Two sisters-in-law. Both spent time chasing each other's kids.
Love this shot.
Who is looking after the suit and the dress? The couple get ready to jet off.
One last hug from mom and dad,
and away they go!
Between the wedding and the after party, some were lucky enough to get some rest. Didn't we see a shot like this of this same young lady after a winter wedding?
The after party was more fun for those who took part in the "games", which seemed to be kick or throw the ball, chase after it, and fall down occasionally.
The chocolate mousse dessert was delicious!
There was time for a little conversation, and an opportunity to make new friends.
Below are a few videos, in random order. They are titled "Dangerous Dancing", "Who is leading who?", "Cold Face", and "Away They Go". See if you can match the title to the video.