Fathers, Forest and Beach

Four of the finest fathers I know - my own father, my husband, our son and son-in-law. Our daughter and son-in-law were camping for the weekend, so the rest of us (minus the Vancouver lovelies) drove up for lunch on Sunday.

Although the weather was cooler than we'd hoped, fun was had by all. Travis blew bubbles for the littles. Don't they look magical in the forest?

What fun to try and catch a bubble before it pops. Miss A caught several with her mouth and confessed that they didn't taste all that wonderful. 

While the grandchildren tried to catch bubbles, I caught some ocean spray (holodiscus discolor) with my lens. And some pretty "bubbles" in the background.

After lunch ("We're eating al fresco," said Miss A, demonstrating a newly learned word), we headed off to the beach. The tide was out and the sand stretched far into the distance. However, the girls wanted to plop down immediately to start their sand castle. We convinced them to wander a bit further, to the edge of a tide pool. 

These cute little feet splashed and ran... 

and sat on top of the sand pile accompanied by plenty of giggles. 

Kite flying was popular that day. 

Success! We (my parents and Tim and I) didn't linger very long on the beach. It was chilly. But as we drove the 2 hours homewards, the sun began to shine and the evening was warm and lovely. I hope it was the same for those who stayed longer.

How was your Father's Day weekend? 

At the Beach

For one reason or another the boat trip planned for Sunday was cancelled. Plans were adapted to a picnic at the beach. A rain shower on the drive out had us all wondering if the picnic would be moved to Nana and Grandpa's house. However, as hardy Canadians (cough), we persevered and enjoyed ourselves in spite of cloudy skies, chilly breezes and the occasional spatter of rain.

A kite left at the beach provided fun entertainment for Miss A and her father. 
 

Can you guess the theme of these three photos? Fathers and daughters. One daughter (and her husband) was missed.  And it would have been nice if my own father could have been there, too, but he lives on the mainland. I'm so grateful for the men in my life who respect me, love me, and encourage me - and make me laugh.
 

Little Mister F spent most of the picnic sleeping against his mother. I managed one decent photo, although his eyes are mostly closed. The Little Misses didn't mind the weather at all. They dug, they poured, they drove, they poked - the beach has infinite play value.

All that fresh air had a most soporific effect; we came home and napped, then slept wonderfully last night. I hope the families with little ones enjoyed the same results. 

Another week begins - what's on your list?

 

Do You Have $95 million to spare?

 Before I get to what this post has to do with the title I thought I'd show you a photo of Tim with our two granddaughters, each wearing a little dress made from one of his worn out shirts (The parts that wear out are the cuffs and collars, leaving lots of perfectly good fabric to work with.) This link will take you to the original post (but no tutorial.) We had a fun lunchtime barbecue with the family (minus two).

In the evening Tim and I went downtown to walk along the Inner Harbour. One of us loves looking at boats and the other one loves taking photos. A massive yacht was tied up to the dock. These masts rise nearly 200 feet into the air.
 

The boat is a mega yacht, the Athena. I looked it up via Google, and as of last summer, it was for sale for just $95 million. So if you have some spare cash lying around, this boat could be yours. Click on the link for more information, and to see some wonderful photos of the yacht under sail. At the time the article was written, the Athena was the largest sailing schooner in the world. Since then, other yachts have surpassed it in size. Now it's only the 4th largest.
 

After oohing and aahing at the boat and strolling along the water, we took a front row seat at a restaurant. It felt almost like being in Europe watching the tourists and locals alike pass by. Above was our view - the Inner Harbour with the Legislature behind it. It was a great way to spend Father's Day.

I don't have $95 million, but I'm blessed to have a wonderful husband and a wonderful father, and to see my daughters married to loving men, and my son following in his father's footsteps. It's not something I take for granted. Thanks be to God.