downhill from here

the snowy weather returned after a mushy January thaw,

leaving an inviting layer of white over 

slick-icy surfaces.

PERFECT for a little lawlessness.

the downhills were exhilarating, and the back-up-the-hills were grounding.

not only is it lunar new year,

and celebration of our friend John's birthday, 

but also serves as the anniversary of our hard working wooden toboggan. 

 it was gifted to us, by John, 4 years ago.

I don't know how many years of service it provided to his family before then...

but we have certainly put it to good use!

cheers to John,

to more adventures at the arboretum

and to the year of the cockerel!

marshmallow world

 

 

the snow sifted down one windless night last week.

we awoke to the frosting of real winter, and the kids were out of bed

and into snowsuits in a flash! 

(I would have just tossed them some muffins and carried on to school from there, but under all that insulation, they were still sporting their pyjamas...)

 

 

 

 



go fly a kite

 



the wind was windy.

 

 

what can I say?

 

 



sometimes a little thing can seem miraculous.



 





Garden file, #2

A small haul from my morning garden visit.

sunday.

eager for beavertails

we have been out skating on the canal a few times;

the kids pretend to participate in the excercise and fresh air just for the fun of it.

and although the novelty of the world's largest outdoor rink does entice,

it really is still all about the snack at the end.

mini rave

bought $10.00 of glowy bracelets, sticks and doodads, and sent out the invites one day before...

invitations to neighbourhood parents who don't mind the kids being out after dark.

we all met at a local park just at dusk, passed around the glow-stuff

and enjoyed the fun...

crisp cool air, running bodies highlighted by neon green, red and purple,

 the comfortable sounds of adults catching up, and children catching each other.

an hour or so later, the gang wound down and headed home,

but the event made the shorter days seem pretty exciting.

next one?  mini glowsnow-rave.

birdfeeders

  a few of the greenbelt trails are excellent for having a closer relationship with chickadees and nuthatches...no, not just these two; i mean the feathered kind as well.

we walked a loop of a very promising trail, but didn't meet any winged friends...

until the very last few metres of our return leg.

a great spot to sit, take a break, be peaceful, and enjoy the little birds' company.

hitting the trail

we bundled up and headed to the visitor centre at

gatineau park today,

to learn a bit more about our local flora and fauna, and to let off a little steam!

adjacent to the visitor centre is the sugarbush walking trail,

 about 700 metres of mostly gravelled light hiking.

 there is also a short, more rugged detour offering some hands-on experience!

the girl was pleased to be able to find a spot of colour in a land prepared for winter sleep.

and david was bold enough to ask the professional photographer we encountered on the trail

(clearly hired by a cold but happy looking couple to provide engagement-type photos)

to take a quick snap of us; "free, and in the wild".

puppets

our family attended the puppets up! festival in almonte last weekend.

the town hosts international puppet acts for one weekend each summer.

the whole main drag  is a carnival of street performances and kiosks,

while the shows themselves are housed in tents, businesses and even the town hall.

talented puppetmakers have created twin selves for many of the towns' prominent citizens,

and these folks are showcased each of the days in a grand parade.

we arrived just in time to witness this parade.

while there were an amazing assortment of stilt walkers,

crazy costumes and people parading around carrying their mini-dopplegangers,

 through the din of it all rode this peaceful gentleman,

who protected his small likeness like a calm and confidant big brother.

he didn't even animate his small companion, but somehow, for me, he stole the show.

swingin'

we took a spontaneous trip to kingston to visit my parents,

where there are parks with SWINGS!  they are the girl's favourtite

playground entertainment, and although she has long since figured out how to "swing" herself,

she still far prefers being pushed around.

A happy grandpa snapped this shot!

fair enough

in our 'hood, the annual victoria day celebrations usually include a visit to the

cheerfully painted travelling carnival.

modern-day gypsies seem to run this caravan of fun...

there is a marked contrast between the rugged carnies

and the glowing freshfaced children.

the ferris wheel is still the main attraction,

the view helps plan the rides to come.

some of them are a little time-worn...so it is good to know there are controls for specific incidents.

this year, we washed down all the fun with purple.

farm fresh

we finally managed to co-ordinate a trip to our friend's acreage near calabogie.

(somehow, this has taken years to accomplish)

although we live in a great city, with lots of urban greenspace,

therre is nothing like the expanse of new green to put the spring in ones' Spring.

we all enjoyed the vistas and the blue sky, while the kids collected pinecones, juniper berries,

and other treasures they found along the way.

great skates

 kingston has a really great little refrigerated ice-rink at the town square,

and this year it was warm enough for us to give it a go...

i had intended to showcase these shots during the winter...

(dad had sent them through after our visit with them in january)

but i lost them on my desk-top.

kind of nice, though, to re-visit the frost and snow

after the recent 26 degrees C in march nonsense...

thanks for the lovely outing, grandpa,

and the post-skate pub lunch was pretty lovely too!

this was mexico

a beach

a beverage

a sombrero,



a dip in the pool,

then back on board!

labadee

first port, labadee, haiti, was the kid's first experience with the ocean.

labadee, untouched by the earthquake, is a consturuct of the cruise line...

it employs haitians, but from what i understand is not so haitian.

there were two main beach zones;

this one, exhibiting a sportier side of the ocean waves,

(and alive with the whirring of zipliners whizzing past on wires)

and the lagoon side; better for sandcastles and sunbathing. 

also great for those passengers worried they might miss the boat...

i had forgotten how buoyant one feels in the salty water,

and how the sand was once coral, not stone.

a few bands of men performed what may or may not have

been the ancestral music of haiti.

regardless, it was hauntingly lovely.

we didn't miss the boat...even though esther successfully begged that we stop

for a "labadoozie" on our walk back.

this ceremonial beverage of labadee

is a tropical fruit/coconut based smoothie.

e + e had them without the traditional top-up of rum.

(the 'doozie' part?)

details

it is impossible to relay the scale of the ship through a few photos, but i must at least try.

 lots of room to sun and splash,

 and promenade.

and the dining room.