On the Road Again...

July 8 - 23, 2006: After playing host to the Wilkinsons the first week in July, we started our own summer adventure in the wee hours of July 8. Our trip would take us to Toronto and Ottawa with numerous stops and visits in between.

We drove to Quebec City the first day and after finally finding our hotel, we rewarded the kids for their excellent behaviour during the car ride with a nice swim. A reward that might be disappointing to some, but not to them! Our time in Quebec City was short-lived as we continued our journey on to Cobourg the very next morning. The kids couldn't wait to get to Cobourg and love going to the beach. Unfortunately, some heavy rain put that plan on hold but they were able to hang out at Thingamazoo while mom, dad and grandma did some shopping. After two nights in Cobourg we continued on to Toronto with plans to return to Cobourg on our way back.

Our journey on to Toronto started with a visit the Forgies for 3 nights. The kids had a blast meeting up with aunts Sharon, Charlene and Cheryl as well as cousins Casey, Sarah, Elizabeth, Bobby and last but not least, auntie Margaret and grandma & grandpa Forgie. Aunt Charlene even joined us at the Toronto Zoo and the kids loved having her tag along. They also got to join Sarah, Elizabeth and aunt Charlene for lunch the following afternoon and still talk about all the dead fish they found at Kew Beach...wow! Aunt Sharon's hospitality was very appreciated and she didn't bat an eyelash when Grant kept giving her his not-so-easy-going attitude. I even managed to have a dinner date with my friends Kelly, Jenny, Jacqui and Kim.

Photos: (left) Grant & aunt Charlene at the Toronto Zoo (right) Grant getting what he deserves from cousins Bobby and Casey.

Photo: Ashley and cousin Elizabeth.

Photo: Grant giving poor aunt Sharon more abuse.

At the end of the week it was time to send dad back home on an airplane to earn some money so we could continue our journey. The three of us said goodbye to dad and the Forgies and headed to Newmarket to visit the Bell and Dempster families.

Our first stop was with the Bell family. Ashley and Grant had a great time catching up with Maddie and Cameron. On Saturday, uncle John had a get together at his house and he and aunt Shelley played gracious hosts to the three of us, plus the Bell and Leblanc families as well as auntie Linda and grandma& grandpa Dempster. The kids had a blast swimming with all their cousins and fulfilled their obligation to annoy the older cousins! Actually, they all played great and it was nice to see them having fun together.

Photo: Grandpa Dempster, Ashley, Grandma Dempster

Photos: (top) Cameron, Grant and Colin (bottom) John with his kids Erin and Colin

The following day we continued the barbeque and swimming adventures but this time we all headed to the Leblanc home where Fiona, Claude, Jeanette and John played host. Again, the older cousins were great with the younger ones and everyone had a lot of fun.

Photo: Cousins Maddie, Jeanette and Ashley

We ended the day with a short drive back to grandma and grandpa Dempster's in Cobourg where the kids finally realized their wish to go to the beach. So, the following day we packed up the sand toys and swimming gear and headed to the beach which is always a pretty spot. They played for hours and even went on to swim at the beach pool so no complaints were received that day from anyone.

Photo: Me, Grant and Ashley at Cobourg Beach, Lake Ontario.

After two nights in Cobourg it was time to bid a teary goodbye to grandma and grandpa Dempster and make our way to Ottawa where we would spend time visiting some old friends. Diana was kind enough to host a pre-birthday get together for Ashley & her old school friends since we would be back in Halifax by the time her birthday rolled around in August. Ashley & Grant loved spending the afternoon with Brock, Sabrina, Amber, Alexandra, Brayden, Charlie and Jamie. I loved catching up on life with Diana, Lara and Debbie. It was a chaotic but very fun afternoon!

Photo: Enjoying a pre-birthday party at the Wilkinsons in Ottawa

The moms even managed a night out at O'Connors that week and engaged in conversations that didn't include comments like, "stop pushing your sister, enough whining...!" Our time in Ottawa was spent visiting friends and hanging out. The kids had a great day with the Provans who include cousins Mitchel, Taylor, Collin and Rachel. Grant refers to the boys as his "big brudders" and Ashley and Rachel got along great and try to convince others that they're actually sisters! We are all very excited to have the Provans coming for a visit to Halifax in August.

Photo: Grant & Ashley outside of Benjo in Quebec City

Well, our plan to spend 4 nights in Ottawa got cut short by a night after learning that Rob needed to fly out earlier than planned so we'd need to get home in time for the dog. We started the journey home with our first night's stop finding us back in Quebec City where the kids got to spend hours in their favourite toy store, Benjo. Benjo caters to those of a smaller and younger stature. The price tag was fairly painless at the end and was worth the hours of entertainment they enjoyed.

Photo: Ashley & Grant at wharf in Fredericton (Holiday Inn, Mactacquac)

The following day we spent our last night of the trip in Fredericton. We were really impressed with Fredericton and loved the Holiday Inn as it's located just outside of town on the Saint John River and has a pool, outdoor playstructure and wharf. It was a relaxing final night and we took full advantage of the beautiful grounds. The next day we arrived home to find Rob had been busy during his week alone. The house had been painted and lots of landscaping had been done. We had a great time and have a quiet week or so before it's time to get ready for the new leg of visitors.

And the Tourist Season Begins

June 29 - July 7, 2006: The end of school brought the arrival of our first summer guests. The Wilkinsons (who include Steve, Diana, Brock, Sabrina and Amber) arrived on June 29 for 9 days of Forgie hospitality. As we're learning, the East Coast is a bit behind Ontario in terms of weather schedules so early July is a bit more unsettled than it typically would be in "central" Canada. However, we took full advantage of the good days and managed to keep busy on the wetter days. So, here we go with some of the highlights:

June 29: Ashley lost a day or two in her countdown so we were able to surprise her at her evening soccer game with some unexpected company. She was easily able to spot some familiar friends amongst the crowd and quickly forgot about the task at hand...which isn't too unusual.

June 30: This was a day reserved for picking up report cards, doctor's appointments, social lunches and other errands.









Photos: (left) Grant at Hubbards Beach in St. Margaret's Bay (right) A much warmer Grant flexing his six pack at Kearney Lake.

July 1 (Canada Day): You know, the ocean really just isn't all it's cracked up to be. While the idea of going to an ocean beach always intrigues visitors, it's definitely not BayWatch... at least not here and not often. If you enjoy water temperatures of 14C with strong winds, you'll enjoy the ocean. If not, stick to the lake because at least 27C air temperature really means 27C air temperature at the lake. We planned for a day at Hubbards Beach which has a beautiful ocean view with great sandy beaches. However, the agony of watching Diana wrapped up in towels and multiple sweaters while the kids braved the cold water was too painful. We soon decided to pack up and head to the oh-too-popular but always warm Kearney Lake where she was able to lose the multiple layers of clothing.

We wrapped up Canada Day by going to DeWolfe Park at the Bedford Basin for an absolutely amazing Canada Day fireworks show. Being from Ottawa, I figured Canada's capital would have one of the better shows but this was definitely the best we've seen and the kids really enjoyed it.

July 2: A rainy day didn't dampen the enthusiasm of 5 little people who donned some rain gear and a few fishing nets and headed to the neighbourhood pond to feed the ducks and terrorize some fish. Photo: Ashley, Brock and Grant at Kingswood Pond.

July 3: Upper Clements Park (Annapolis Royal, NS). This was definitely a day to remember. The sun was shining so the decision to make the two hour drive to the beautiful town of Annapolis Royal for a day at the amusement park was made. The kids had a blast and Brock proved that he definitely has no fear. Our own little dare devil Grant experienced a lot of disappointment as he repeatedly learned he was "too small" to ride. Finally, a kind operator made his day by agreeing that he was just tall enough to ride the log ride. Grant turned to us after what must have been his tenth turn and said, "I'm big now mommy, I can ride the big rides!" Of course, Ashley, who is big enough to ride had no interest in putting herself into the seat of anything that could cause her stomach to jiggle. The kids enjoyed everything from zip cords to bumper boats and water slides. The park is located at the Bay of Fundy and hosts spectacular views and beautifully kept grounds. It's a definite must see and a great value if you're in the area.

View from Upper Clements Park overlooking the Bay of Fundy.

The kids having some rest time outside the ice cream shop.

Grant riding the zip cord (Sabrina in background).

Ashley on the kiddy bumper boats

July 4: This day was spent at the Halifax waterfront. The kids enjoyed a ferry ride across the harbour to Dartmouth. We managed to convince them that the $1.40 for the transit ferry was almost as good as the $20 Theodore Too tugboat harbour ride.

July 5: This was another really good day that found us in Lunenburg, one of our favourite places. We all piled onto a lobster boat and took a tour of the Lunenburg harbour where Lobstermen Tours showed the kids some authentic lobster traps and even let them hold the crabs and lobsters. They couldn't get enough of the tour and it proved to be one of the highlights of the week.

Ashley holding onto one of the lobsters caught in the trap.

A view of Lunenburg from the lobster boat.

Grant watches on but never got quite
brave enough to actually hold the crab.

July 6: This was a day of rest. The dads went golfing in the morning and the moms went shopping in the afternoon. For the evening the adults called in the babysitters so we could have some grown up time. We went to the Nova Scotia International Tattoo for some pipe bands and acrobats. A little long but the night off was well deserved. Diana managed to stay somewhat sober this time! Hey Steve, where'd you put the peanuts?

July 7: Ashley joined the Wilkinsons on their last day for a visit to Peggy's Cove. Peggy's Cove has become to us what Niagara Falls and Parliament Hill are to people who live in Ontario...very pretty, but been there so many times we could probably have a street named after us there.

Well, that's pretty much it. The very next morning we packed ourselves up and headed to Ontario for 2½ weeks of visiting and fun. Stay tuned, we'll have stories and photos from that as well as more from our other hosting duties coming up in August. Hope all is well...keep checking!