Here's Miranda flashing a big smile for the camera! She's wearing her favourite hand-me-down pink sweater from Raia, along with a cute dress that Nanny Lorna bought for her at the Montessori fundraiser "Kid and Kaboodle" sale. Although Miranda no longer attends Montessori (she's now full-time at the Bowen Children's Centre doing a combination of daycare and preschool), she still keeps up with the members of her old gang: Jada, Ainslie, Ailsa, and the girls (in fact--although not seen in this photo--Ailsa's former "Tinkerbell" shoes completed this outfit before Miranda went out to play!)...
Miranda wanted to try the recipe on the back of the graham cracker box, so here she is creating a delicious (?!) concoction of peanut butter (we substituted almond butter--this may have been a tactical error), chocolate chips, and mulitcoloured mini marshmallows. Don't try this at home, folks! Even Miranda couldn't quite bring herself to choke back more than a mouthful or so. "They look pretty," we all agreed.
Steve went on a guided mushrooming tour of Bowen with a botanist and group of fellow enthusiasts, including our friends Rodney and Kat--he even brought back some edible fungi (NOT those pictured here), which we enjoyed in an omelette the next day. Ordering a portobello burger at a restaurant is usually about as adventurous as I get, but we suffered no ill effects (although we're not about to start harvesting our own...)!
Miranda loves to paint (among all manner of crafts) and spends many happy hours in front of her easel (a great find last summer at a local yard sale). Her favourite working attire (as seen here): PJs. She takes it all very seriously, as evidenced by her facial expression, regardless of the lightheartedness of her subject matter--flowers, fairies, and butterflies, etc. Move over Picasso!
Guess who's been racing to complete his siding project on the workshop before the Fall rains begin? We've been lucky to have several fine days, and Jon Bell has been over many times to help Steve finish putting up the new cedar! Needless to say, now the little old outbuilding (or, as our neighbour Claire says, the "man cave") looks better than our house. Maybe we'll move into the shed!
I had to pirate this photo from Steve's regatta trip--it actually is a place we also passed through on our camping trip--Cowichan Bay on Vancouver Island. Among the items I forgot to pack were camera batteries (along with an egg-flipper, lawn chairs, and many other necessary items). Great weather, though... and excellent swimming at China Beach!
Steve and I are both enjoying re-reading CS Forester's "Hornblower" series, detailing the (brilliantly fictionalized) 18th century exploits of the British Navy. Of course, Steve gets all the sailing stuff much more than I do. I'm nonetheless struck by all the words and phrases that come from naval lore: for instance, "three sheets to the wind" comes immediately to mind... Aye indeed! (Steve's fellow sailors in the photo are Jon and Clive--the three jolly rogers headed to Cowichan Bay for a regatta, leaving behind hearth and home, ball and chain, life and livestock, etc.) Ahoy there, mateys!?!
We spent a lovely long weekend in New Brunswick with friends and family. Highlights included a surprise shower for Cousin Christina and her hubby Darryl (baby girl due in September). We had a memorial service in honour of my Dad (Nov. 1939-Jan. 2009), who grew up in Sackville: we interred his ashes in the cemetery there, then drove back to Murray Corner (see photo!), where we were staying with Janie, just two cottages down from Cousin Catherine and girls (Miranda's second cousins Evi and Mei Mei). We also had a great visit with Cousin Eleanor, who came from Halifax with her son Dylan (2); it was great to see my Uncle Andy and Uncle Graeme, as well as Cousins Rosalie and Florence Joy...in all, quite a reunion!
My wonderful godmother Linda Murray spent a week with us, joining in all our activities including swimming and sailing as much as we could: the weather really cooperated and we managed to spend many happy hours in (and on) the water. Miranda was, shall we say, a reluctant sailor (wonder where she gets that from) but we have hopes of full conversion eventually--or at least a more positive and articulate response than screaming ("Oi-noi-noi-noi-noi-noi!") when the boat heels to one side...Maybe she was trying for "Ahoy!"??
Steve took several photos of this sea otter, a bold fellow who ambled up on the dock near where the Iska is moored, and proceeded to have a roll in the dirt of the window boxes of the houseboat next door! (the otter, not Steve... yeesh, for an English teacher, I should be able to write clearer sentences than that!!! Oh well, it's summertime...)
Linda Forster spent a week's vacation with us after a conference she attended in Victoria. The day we took her sailing was a real adventure: our motor quit in the middle of nowhere (and no wind) and we had to radio the coast guard for help. We ended up being rescued by a charming (if taciturn) fisherman named Mike, who hoped to have better luck catching something, having done his good deed for the day. Jon took this photo of us ladies on the high seas (Steve was below in the engine room, trying to make peace with the fuel filter)!
I really think I should hire Miranda to help me through grading all my papers at this time of year. She's cute, she's efficient, and she'll work for goldfish crackers! I took a break this weekend to celebrate a friend's birthday on Saturday night at Granville Island while Steve and Miranda held the fort at home. OK, I don't have her trained as a marker yet--but she's a great daddy-sitter!
Miranda kept busy with markers and paper while the adults chatted away the afternoon--we had planned more of a tour of the area, but the weather didn't cooperate, so we had to (literally) take a rain check on that. Mom's new apartment is beautiful and spacious: great for entertaining (especially entertaining us!)... the drive up to "God's country" was pretty as well, even under cloudy skies.
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