Staying Safe and Cool

Hello hello from the North.  I am very happy to report that we are staying safe and fire-free lately, and the weather has been seasonal to cool.  I can't believe the fires down south and the crazy heat that other parts of the province and country are experiencing!!  And Trump says global warming isn't happening?! I think he's been sniffing glue... for a long time.

In any case, it's been a great few weeks here for Tom and I.  For starters, it's Tom's birthday today (hooray!) and yesterday I took him out kayaking on Lake Kathlyn, just on the edge of Smithers.  I rented a paddleboard for myself which was fun too but I found it hard to navigate... or keep up with Tom as he raced around the lake.  We saw a pair of loons with a baby and they let us get within feet of them!  Tom also had an otter that followed him for a bit, popping up here and there.  And I had fish jumping all around me for some reason! Everyone was celebrating Tom's special day : )

Hudson Bay Mountain, Lake Kathlyn and Tom

Today we hiked up the ski hill to Crater Lake.  We went up right after breakfast and were driving back down the mountain by 11 so we missed the crowds - usually a popular hike but we didn't see anyone else until close to the parking lot.

"You belong among the wildflowers..."

Hi Mom!

The birthday boy

Marmot! 

Last weekend we hiked the Seaton Ridge, just outside of Moricetown.  The views are supposed to be spectacular but it was one of those trips when the clouds move in and we didn't see everything... however, I was happy because we did get to see a rainbow in the valley below.  And being inside of a misty cloud just added to the wild BC mountain life.

Wildflowers : )

A magical rainbow in the clouds

Tom trying to stay warm (it was only 6 degrees!)

I need to stop posing into the sun... always squinting!

Tom is still really enjoying his job, and I'm jealous that he gets to come home to the cats at lunch and finishes early enough to hit the gym... I'm still waiting to hear about a possible interview for the Permitting job I applied to with Canfor.  If I get that, I'll try to hit the gym at lunch a few times a week.  My back feels so much better when I can work in the office, but then everything else (including the waistline) complains.  So a nice blast of blood pumping work mid-day would do the trick.

We are both very excited about my dad and little bro coming to visit next weekend!!!  I can't wait!  Dad arrives Friday afternoon and Stefan's arrival will depend on his work schedule this coming week.  I'm hoping he can make it up on Friday night, but if not it sounds like he may take the following week off and stay here and bike the mountain.

Jill has offered to host a party at her place next weekend - wohooo!!  All we have to bring is dad's margaritas and his cheesecake.  YESssss.  Should be a wild night. I can't wait to see Jill let loose hee hee
She is excited to meet dad and Stefan after all of the stories she's heard about them.  Next I'll have to convince Jill to come back to Ontario to visit mom - they both share a love of scotch which I think could cause trouble.

My cabled sweater has taken the back burner for a bit, as I've started a mystery knit along for a shawl (sections of the pattern or "clues" are released every week and you have no idea what he finished project will look like until you're done), and have been feeling a bit guilty that I haven't started any potential Christmas presents yet.  I always say I'll start them early and never do, and then it gets too close to Christmas to finish anything... one year - I'll get it one year.

I've also taken on a spinning and knitting challenge with the spinner's group from back home.  Spin sock yarn and knit a pair of socks with it by the end of the year.  I just got the fiber in the mail and will start spinning very soon.  I have to first finish some other fiber on the wheel... I wanted to make sure I was all practiced up for sock yarn.  I've never spun for socks before, and the yarn will be more fine than I'm used to.  A good challenge for sure.

Soon-to-be-socks.

Speaking of spinning, this will sound extremely nerdy to some but I really do find it so entertaining - there is a show on Netflix and probably available elsewhere, called SLOW.  It's supposed to be all the rage in Norway and features hours of mundane things, like the view out of a train window as it ges cross-country, and apparently this is supposed to be very relaxing.  Well... they have one on spinning.  There's a group pf women and one man who shears a sheep and immediately the wool is spun by six different spinner, right there.  Then as the yarn is made, other ladies begin knitting it, and the challenge is to knit a men's sweater out of it.  They talk all about speed knitting and the culture and history of spinning, and all the while are trying to set a world's record!  It's all being timed.  I'm only about an hour in to the 8 hr program (which Tom can only take so much of watching at one time - fair enough!), so I think I'll spin with it in the background.

Bruce the adventurer took off for almost 24hrs last week.  Tom and I were worried sick.  He's back and in one piece.  No clue where he went to but I wonder if he was stuck in a garage.. or off climbing a mountain. We've only let the cats out once since then and will keep a better eye on them.

I can't believe the end of summer is lurking around the corner.  Still a month left, but I feel like time is literally flashing before my eyes - it goes SO FAST.  Good when you're talking about the workweek, but in general I'm just trying not to let life slip by! There's so much to see and do and so much to check off the bucket list.  Especially since we know we will eventually make our way back to Ontario, Tom and I want to soak up as many experiences as we can in the mountains while we have the chance.

And on that note, I'm off to relax with Tom and get into some fiber.  Hope you all have a great rest of your weekend!

xoxox