from the west...: visits with R-C-G-J and Mom

at the beginning of october, while pete was boating around in the puget sound, i spent a long weekend in grand forks, british columbia, with my dear friends roly, christine, and gabriel, and also got to meet juno for the first time. it was a bit of a whirlwind visit that included roly's birthday and canada thanksgiving, but so much fun and good for my soul! we got to hang out with roly's parents too, which is always a treat. i wasn't too sure the border guard was going to let me back into the u.s. - apparently a short visit across the border puts you on par with drug runners. yikes!

face painting with gabriel - roly is being turned into a clock

christine's turn!

gabriel showing off his painted face - a bear faced pancake, a
seahorse-ish creation, and a rainbow on the other cheek. i don't
think i have face painted in nearly 10 years...it is hard!

gabriel and bugaboo enjoying an apple and the view from our hike

miss juno and her fabulous chick hat from sarah ann

two days after i got back from b.c., my mom flew in from minnesota. when she arrived, we had a functioning shower and toilet in the bathroom. when she left, we had added paint to the walls, concrete counter tops, and two sinks. thanks for being a trooper, mom!

we had a lovely visit - a change of scenery was good for both of us. her visit was nearly two years to the day after my parents were last here for our wedding and my phd defense. we definitely felt my dad's absence, but it was good therapy to make some new, happy memories too.

i think that i would call this trip "the essential california" tour. we hiked in the redwoods in henry cowell state park (with cassie in her buggy for the first time since she recovered from her leg surgery five years ago), took in the sites in san francisco (on a fog-less day!), hiked around yosemite, and visited the santa cruz wharf complete with sea lions and monarch butterflies. and then we put my mom to work in the bathroom... :)