Down by the Creekbank

Harv's been spending alot of time hanging out down by the creek these days.

Here's a smattering of what's been occupying his attention:

These little guys seem to be mulling over whether this sign is directed to them:

while these Cedar Waxwings take their nightly bath.

This little fellow got in first and is drying off and doing a bit of last minute grooming.

Look at that - it's becoming a popular spa .

Give this fellow lots of room - he loves to splash.

After the Waxwing clan leave, the American Goldfinches take their turn.
Ah yes, there's nothing like a sip of cold spring water after a hot flight.

In the pond above the waterfall, some waterspiders are
providing lots of entertainment-

If you can take your eyes off of these beauties:

Who else do you know that can walk on water?


Last but not least there was this busy mama muskrat, completely oblivious to her audience,

trundling back and forth bringing mouthfuls of grass home to her babies.

Now if we could catch a glimpse of those 4 playful otters Harv saw the other day...

(the day he didn't have his camera!)

They were hunting for some of these:

This crayfish knew enough to get out of the creek and into the pond
(we think he might have had a bit of help)
He'd be a good sized dinner for one of those otters.



That's all from the creekbank today.

How we spent a Summer's Week

The weather has been perfect up here in BC. After a very long, cool and gloomy spring, summer is all the more appreciated. We've taken advantage of the good weather and the following pictures document some of the ways we enjoyed the gorgeous days in the past week.

On Tuesday we cruised Chuckanut Drive just south of Bellingham with our friends Gary and Peg. We enjoyed a fresh seafood dinner at the Oyster Creek Inn.

During the weekdays, we did all the regular things - office work, watering flowers, laundry and such but our errands to the bank or grocery store were done on the motorcycle or my VW convertible.

Thursday we brought a brand new computer to my Dad. It's going to be great for him - the computer itself is built into the screen as are the CD drive, the speakers etc. so it is nice and neat on the desk with a cordless mouse and keyboard. There is only one cord besides the one to the printer. So nice! I get pretty impatient with the mess of cords around my desk.

I also picked up sour cherries for the freezer on Thursday. It took almost 2 hours to stem and pit them but I know I'll be glad I did that come winter and we're hungry for cherry pie.

Friday night we had friend sover for dinner and sat late on the patio listening to and catching the odd glimpse of the owls in our neighbour's Cottonwood tree.

Saturday I had the joy of assembling a gorgeous fruit salad.

Don't you love this time of year when all the summer fruits are ripe? I could live on fruit salad.

I brought that lovely salad to my Aunt Barb's 80th Birthday Party. She has a gallery in her home near Fort Langley BC - you can look her up on her website www.barbaraboldt.com/ . Most of my cousins and uncles and aunts from my Dad's side were there and it was great to reconnect with them and celebrate Barbara. She has been such an inspiration to those who know her and is one of those rare people who choose life and a positive outlook even when the going gets tough.

Then on Sunday Harv and I packed a lunch and headed out on Harrison Lake to go look for a beach we'd found several years ago and had not been back to since. We were on a mission to find some of the beautiful rocks there to bring back for our pond.

It was a gorgeous day and the lake was at its most beautiful.

We surprised a pair of loons and I got a good shot. If you click on the picture you can see the detail of it's black and white feathers.

The picture I took of the loon taking to the air was too blurry to use on the blog but it showed clearly how they "run" on the water before they are airborn. Their haunting call one of our favourite lake sounds.

We found the beach - or one just as good and what a variety of rock we found. Every colour and pattern and type - I wish I knew all the names - quartz, agates, granite, lava, - some with shiny mica lines and pure white ones with pink and or black marbled through.

While Harv manhandled the big rocks, I collected several bowls full of smaller ones.

On the way back Harv took this panorama of the lake

Our deck was heavily ladden with rocks so it took a little longer to get back.

Harv made one more stop to pick up this curved piece of driftwood to decorate our garden.

Here it is - adding just the right touch to the rustic bench brought by Diana who has been helping us with the yard.

We ended the day going to a hymn sing with a young couple who live up the street. It was held in an old Anglican church building recently purchased by their small Mennonite congregation. We sang all the hymns acapella and enjoyed visiting over refreshments afterwards.

How are you spending your summer days and evenings?

Happy Birthday Tim

Today, on your birthday we want you to know how proud we are of you. As our oldest child you were both our easiest and hardest child to raise - taking the brunt of our inexperience in child rearing.

Today you are:

• a godly man with a teachable spirit- always seeking God's direction
• a husband who takes his role seriously, loving and honouring your wife
• a great Dad to your 3 precious children, playing with them, listening to them and showing them the wonderful world around them
• a fun loving man who loves to laugh with your family
• an example to your family in integrity and godly living
• a lover of all things outdoors, hiking, 4x4ing, camping and fishing
• a friend to your parents and siblings
• conscientious in your professional responsibilites
• faithful and loyal to all your friends

We love you and wish you a wonderful year ahead.

Love, Mom and Dad

Daytrip to Mt Cheam

I'm a bit late with this post but thought I'd let you know how we spent Canada Day.

First thing in the morning Harv and I headed up the front side of Mt Cheam on a hunt for a few wild ferns and some rocks for our pond and waterfall. It was a pretty grey day and the road was VERY rough but we enjoyed the beauty of the forest and the views from the top. And we did find a few common ferns and a lovely mossy log to fill in some of the bare spots around our pond.

We got back in time to meet my sister and BIL at the Wild Cat for lunch.

In the afternoon we planted our ferns and found a place for the rocks and mossy log and I potted a few more flowers for the patio.

My cousin and his wife showed up in time for supper and then the 4 of us joined friends on their boat on Harrison Lake for an evening of visiting and watching the fireworks.

Harrison village always puts on a great show.

All in all, a very fun and satisfying day.