More of Little Cayman

Gary and I clean the catch, the Mangrove Club in full swing, oops a non-Little Cayman picture of H&H doing crafts at home, and Jenn shows off her yellow-jack that was bitten by a shark right at the back of the boat!

First weekend "home"

We ignored the forecast track of Ernesto and headed to Little Cayman. I am not the weatherman's son for nothing! And luckily I was right. Beautiful weather all weekend; lots of tubing, fishing, snorkeling, swimming, you name it. But tired now so more later. Pics are the Twin Otter about to land (note the road is paved the runway is grass), Jen and Hayley at the terminal, Hayley and Whitney on the tube, and the girls swimming at Point of Sand.

All is well

Thanks for everyone's concerns about Hayley. She is doing just fine now and will spend the afternoon at Granny's beach if the weather improves! Then they will watch the release of some baby turtles tonight while I, unfortunately, will still be at work.

We are home

We are home after an uneventful trip. Arrived home to find a house full of people and no water! Of course it was Sunday but ended up with water before 5pm which I thought was quite an achievement! Hayley awakened at 4am with fever and vomitting and is having a rough morning and we will shortly collect Jennifer from the airport. Hopefully we will all settle in and get back to our "normal" routine.

Waterslide and petting zoo

As promised, kids to waterslides; daddy relaxing and driving around Vernon. Sorry, no pictures of daddy driving around Vernon.

Name that town

It is with regret that I inform you that I have been diagnosed with CDD; Compulsive Driving Disorder. On Monday we left for another city and after a short detention at the border (hint) and a 6 hour drive we arrived at our destination. We walked in the park looking at all the squirrels and Marmuts, we watched "Ant Bully" in the Imax (hint), we did lots of shopping, we went out for dinner, but the thing that H&H seemed to enjoy the most was having the Disney Channel on TV! They even gave up swimming in the pool and riding the rides in the small amusement park to watch it! On the drive back we saw the Grand Coulee dam and a humongous deer that just about kissed me as we zipped by at 100km per hour. We got home at almost 11pm and thankfully Canadian immigration and customs were a little more friendly. I guess they let any kind of riff-raff in! H&H playing with Kelsey, Taylor and Brianna today and then maybe the waterslides this afternoon. I will not go but instead do some more driving around.

If it's Sunday, this must be Kelowna

Up early and over to Kelowna to see Nicole before she returned to Vancouver. So there's a group shot of most of the Roed clan and Hayley and Taylor about to jump into the pool one more time. That was about it for the day; swimming and enjoying all the company, sunshine and warm temperatures. Randy and girls here in Vernon for dinner, then they head back to Edmonton tomorrow.

Saturday August 12

A sunny day in Vernon and an unexpected visit from Randy, Candace and their three girls. I got my haircut, did a little shopping while all the others went to the "beach". All in all a quiet relaxing day except for playing freeze tag!

Back to Vernon

After a cold, overcast, lazy morning in Victoria we said our goodbyes to Jennifer and caught the 11am ferry to Vancouver. After fighting through traffic and endless stoplights in Vancouver we decided to take the long but scenic Highway 3 home. It is a winding road and sometimes steep, but beautiful views and almost no traffic. It was also sunny and warm until just outside Kelowna when the clouds and rain returned. We had a quick dinner and the kids are already asleep in bed.

Victoria

A full day in Victoria with a visit to the Bug Zoo, strolling around the waterfront, a visit from Auntie Steph and Uncle Dan, a walk through Beacon Hill Park (we missed the running of the goats), "Whales" at the Imax theater and Hayley gave daddy a makeover (sorry no pictures of that!). Jenn leaves us tomorrow and we ferry to Vancouver and then a 5 hour drive back to Vernon. The road trip number two will be completed. Still cool but a little more sunny today.

Bruce and Peggy Boan's

We stopped in Mill Bay to visit the Boan's on our drive from Campbell River to Victoria.
Hunter collected lots of crab shells on the beach and Hayley fell in love with a friendly seal! Now in Victoria at a wonderful little hotel right downtown. Had dinner and walked the waterfront this evening.

Campbell River

No pictures today. Not that the scenery isn't beautiful, just that it has been cloudy and rainy (and downright freezing!) all day. Port Hardy is a pretty town and we enjoyed a walk around the dock area and a big breakfast at Captain Hardys Cafe this morning. Then made the three hour drive to Campbell River through the clouds and rain while H&H watched movies. Saw a deer right outside of town. Jenn and I went out to find some lunch and we plan a big seafood dinner for tonight since Campbell River is the salmon capital of Canada! Luckily the hotel has an indoor pool but none of us have had the nerve to test the water as yet. Jenn and Norma are now napping as Hunter and Hayley get their fill of Disney Channel. Tomorrow we will stop to visit the Boans on our way to Victoria. Forcast calls for gradual clearing tomorrow afternoon and we are staying next to the museum and Imax. Love to all, have not looked at any Cayman stuff but feel confident its a little warmer there! 15C here!

Ferry to Pot Hardy continued...

Having trouble posting the pictures and out of patience tonight. Humpback whales were a common occurance today but yes this is the same picture twice!

Ferry to Port Hardy

A cold rainy day for the ride to Port Hardy.
The snugglers did not spend much time outdoors but then again neither did anyone else. The wildlife was amazing with Humpback whales, Pacific White-sided dolphins, Beluga whales and lots of birds. But it was way too cold to take it all in. Much time was spent playing cards, watching movies and eating way too much.

Bella Coola Day 3

Had an interesting evening at a charity barbeque last night. Hunter and Hayley played with a huge but adoreable dog while Norma Jen and I struggled to get anyone to even speak to us! Guess it was the upercrust of Bella Coola society and they were not exactly the most friendly. Nevertheless the barbecued salmon was delicious and it was a change from eating in a restaurant. The ground of the home were amazing too. We went drifting down the river today after stopping at the farmer's market. The market was disappointing, but the trip down the river was nice. We saw two bears; one black and one grizzly, lots of spawning pink salmon and an eagle. Jen had the thrill of helping push us through the shallow part of the ice-cold river, and our guide was a most bizzarre creature, but all's well that ends well and it was hard to beat the scenery surrounded by beautiful snow-capped mountains on a warm sunny Sunday afternoon. Early all-day ferry ride and with luck we will be in Port Hardy tomorrow night. Off to bed!

Bella Coola Day 2

Chum Salmon spawning in a creek; the gang visits the salmon hatchery; and the magnificent Oddegard falls in the background as Grandma and H&H go to wash their hands in a small waterfall right by the road. Nice and cool, foggy in the morning, bright and sunny in the afternoon. Off to the Farmer's Market now and then drifting down the river to see Grizzly bears! Ferry ride all day tomorrow. Will try to post again tonight. Rushing, Bye!

Bella Coola Day 1

Grandma and Hunter at Clayton Falls, the gang at the Bella Coola Fjord, and the famous one lane dirt road "hill"!

Bella Coola!

We have made it down the famous hill and are finally in Bella Coola! A beautiful drive from Williams Lake this morning with a number of stops to admire the views and lunch in Cache Creek. Already we have seen two deer, a baby black bear, salmon running and a ton of chipmunks, birds and squirrels! Unfortunately the operating system of the computer in this internet place is in KOREAN and I cannot figure out how to post the photos! I will try somewhere else tomorrow but Bella Coola is not a very big place! The one store closed at 5:30pm and I don't believe there is a whole lot going on this beautiful Friday night! Kids were good for the long car ride and Hayley enjoyed seeing the hundreds of horses we crossed in the fields. Of course having the DVD player also helped. Will try the photos tomorrow... The Roulstones

Wednesday

Grandma, Hayley and Hunter went to the Science Centre, Davison Orchards and the store to buy Hunter's Birthday present from Nana (he selected a Pirate ship and shark; what a surprize!). Jenn and I drove to Kelowna to drop off the Roed's cell phone and had lunch with Murray, Debbie and Baylee. Later this afternoon Tanya and her three stopped by to play and then we all had dinner together. Two tired babies are now sound asleep as the rest of us try to prepare for the journey tomorrow. Off to Williams Lake tomorrow and H&H are excited that the hotel has an indoor pool! Will be taking the laptop and will update the blog if and when I can.

A special posting for persons from Alexandria Virginia and the Pappagallo area of West Bay

This photo illustrates the elegant and classy establishments frequented by the Roulstone family and their associates. You too could be enjoying the romance and allure of the Western US and Canada whilst enjoying fine dining and entertainment offerred by this modern upscale area. This lovely classic-roman design was located in beautiful Creston BC, also home of Kokanee Beer!

Aunt Tanya's

A picture of the fun with Braden and the twins at Aunt Tanya's yesterday!

Kelowna

A day at Grandpa's in Kelowna. Hike on the Mission Creek Greenway with Marlee, Baylee, Zack and Beau, then a swim in the pool. Dinner at Grandma's and hopefully an early night to bed.