Summer break - Day 1

The end of term and the school year could not have finished faster. Since the 'warmer' weather hit we had been busy with school field trips, dinners out, catching up with friends and hanging out. We were very excited about seeing our family arrive from Australia. The 29th June we flew from Calgary to Vancouver to board a cruise ship bound for Alaska. Not only were we excited about the cruise but were also very excited that Frank and Helen would be joining us.
Seeing them again for the first time in six months were great. A few tears lots of hugs and beaming smiles from Grandma and Pop and the boys. We decided to head straight to the Celebrity Millenium ship to check in our luggage and to our surprise they had lunch being served on board so we went to check it out. We had to first clear through US customs - which was a bit strange considering we were still in Canada and had to cross a gang plank to the ship which was in theory the US.
Walking on to the boat our jaws dropped. We were all given a glass of champagne (the boys a juice) and it was 5 star decor. We were all so pleasantly surprised at how lavish it all looked and hoped this would be a great 10 days. Sailing out of Vancouver Harbour was lovely. Standing on our balcony with a beer in hand and waving to all who would wave back from the shore.

Leaving the harbour at Vancouver.

Relaxing with a beer on our balcony.

Vancouver City

An Aussie Onslaught weekend

An exciting week for us Aussies when Christine and Mozza announced their engagement. We celebrated with some champers and beers in Sylvan Lake on the Friday night and waited for Saturday to collect some more friends from Oz.

We were excited all week for our next round of Aussie visitors. Jo and Bern arrived for a weekend of Canadian fun. First stop the Bass Pro shop near Calgary - Redneck heaven!

We also picked up Karin on the Sunday who joined us for the weekend. So in total we had Christine, Mozza, Hudson, Jo, Bern, Kaz and the Cant family all from Australia and Corrie, Rob, Chloe, Mel, Tim, Cadie, Cale and Callin from Canada joined us for some Canadian fun. A hot weekend ( for Canada standards) saw us don the t-shirts and share a wiener roast, perogies and s'mores around the backyard firepit.

On the Monday Paddy conveniently missed the bus so Jo had her first driving on the wrong side of the road experience - lots of laughs! Kaz was my taxi driver to and from ortho appointments and Bern had jet lag so had a few naps.

An awesome weekend that just flew!

Spring break- Part 2

A trip to the ortho showed Ali's arm healing well (at least he thinks so). He did say that it will probably not heal in straight normal alignment but that it would have full function. Surgery was not an option at this stage due to a high risk of infection and lack of mobility post surgery.

Arm in the cast

Arm out of the cast - YUCK.

We have caught up on the washing so now it's time to pack the car again and this time we are heading south.  through the badlands of Alberta. First stop is to Drumheller - home of the Royal Tyrell Museum where loads of Dinosaur specimens have found a home. Kids LOVED it!

We found the landscape so incredibly different - it was like being on another planet.

 The Badlands of Alberta at Horseshoe Canyon was another really interesting spot.

The Hoodoo's - south of Drumheller.

The Atlas Coal Mine near Drumheller. It has been closed for many years now but at it's prime provided an essential resource for the now very small communities around this area.

 Grain store - at the moment there doesn't look to be much grain growing in this area but the snow has just melted and there are lots of farms nearby so this could be the major source of farming for the area.

We took a drive along a road that had 11 bridges to the small town of Wayne - population 27.
Unfortunately the pub was closed.








Hiking in the Dinosaur Provincial Park. The kids were hunting for fossils as many of the exhibits at the Royal Tyrell Museum in Drumheller were dug up here. It's also Rattlesnake country so I had my eyes peeled too.

Medalta Pottery at Medicine Hat in Alberta's south. Still make a few sample pieces for the gift shop but this place had most of the porcelain shipped all over Canada for ceramics, bricks and toilets.

The World's Largest Tipi at Medicine Hat

So ends our our Spring Break :(. We saw loads of interesting things from snow capped mountains to dry arid regions. The boys have learnt so much over the last 10 days about other cultures, seasons and industries. We have loved it - bring on summer! We still have so much to explore of Canada.