DINOSAURS GALORE

Just as we thought winter was on the downhill slide .... we awoke this morning to what looked like fog but upon closer inspection was a steady snowfall. 

And - it's still falling.... 

Actually, it's good. Things were warming up a bit and melting - the snow was getting crunchy and dirty looking. So - now we have a new dusting and it looks pretty.

The first two weeks of 2016 have been more of the same for us - we are getting really good at laying low. We've been to town exactly twice and have chosen well since they have been pretty much the only two days so far with some blue sky and sunshine. I would have to say that the constant cloud has been the most difficult thing to deal with this winter.

To start us off I have to go back to a week ago - in addition to grocery shopping, we had made a date.

But first - here is the ride into Vernon. Although it's a pretty drive - it's long - 45 minutes. The road is narrow and winding - Cas and I generally get car sick since the driver, at times, thinks he's actually in a race!

The road travels along the lake but goes up and down and side to side to maneuver through and along the hills and trees. 

It was a partly sunny day..... I was a little late with this picture - I was trying to capture all the ducks, geese and swans hanging out in this area of the lake. Cassia figures that since we stayed home so did some of the geese!

This is a cabin community along the lake.

Our favourite area when the landscape changes from forest to farmland. 

Our main destination was the Towne Theatre in downtown Vernon. We had a date with Cassia's friend Emily, her Grandmother Jean and our good friend Rob. Sorry - completely forgot to take anymore photos with all the excitement. We saw The Good Dinosaur which really wasn't all that good. After that we all headed over to the library for a while.

When we got home Cas and I got to work on finishing Derek's Cake! 

Cas is always there to lick the beaters.

We MAY have gone a little crazy with the sprinkles!

The Wood Clan always seems to find fun ways to wear Birthday Hats!

Happy 51st to Derek!

Cassia and Derek continue to find new hiking areas. Here they found where the deer overnight.

It's hard to tell but with all the melting the waterfall is running again.

Another of Cas's forts.

Cas and I finally finished our paper mache dinosaur land. With all her dinosaurs I thought they needed a hang out better than our floor!

I did most of the paper mache but Cas was there for the painting.

She could have used a dinosaur land 5 times the size - and this is only a small sample of her dinosaur collection. After all she has been collecting them for three years now....

Apparently there were airplanes and soldiers during the dinosaur age....

This is along the creek towards the lake - definitely some melting going on. And - some more blue sky yesterday.

A pretty neat picture by Derek.

Cassia has been busy drawing spring last night and this morning. That's a dragon fly by the way....

This one shows our creek. 

Boy I can't wait until this is happening. I'm working on my seed order right now ..... lots of plans for our gardens this year. 

Last year was a good start but we ate all that we grew - this year I'm hoping to have enough frozen and canned to enjoy next winter. In addition to the regular crops, this year I'm adding Holy Basil, Watercress, Catnip, Purslane, Goji Berries, Daikon Radish, Micro greens and much more I'm sure.... This year I will be focusing more on growing flowers and herbs for tinctures, infused oils and to use in my skincare concoctions.

If you had or have little ones in your life you've undoubtedly heard of the Magic Tree House Series. Derek and I are working through them with Cassia. We take turns reading while I work through the worksheets with her. They are a great way for kids to learn about history. This is the first book which of course Cassia just loved. We have also finished the Mummies in the Morning, so while we were at the library the other day I picked up a history book about Egypt.

We just started the MTH as we first read through the Canadian Flyer Adventure series by Frieda Wishinsky. We highly recommend these stories for those interested in Canadian History!

Well, I've been working my way through this post for the last few hours and it's still snowing!

Derek is out shovelling and Cas is out playing!

Spring may still be awhile.....

Teresa

By the way - we'll be looking for Volunteer Park Hosts here at Fintry for the 2016 camping season. The term runs from April 1 to mid October. The hosts need their own RV but are provided with full hook ups. If you are interested or know someone shoot us an email - alifemadesimple3@gmail.com! More info is at Kaloya.

Be a Fan