Alec's 50th birthday 28 June 2009

We celebrated Alec's 50th birthday with friends AND family on the 28th of June. Alec knew that Helen (Anita's Mum) and Stephen, Fiona, Seb and Nic (BIL/SIL and nephews) would all be here from Australia but he was totally amazed and delighted to have his best friend Duncan Shave over from Australia for the event.

A huge thank you to all our special friends in Canada too for coming and celebrating with us, this fantastic milestone!

Happy Birthday Alec!

Grade 9 Celebration at Vic

Curling

In April 2009 we had a try at curling at the Saville Centre, Edmonton.
They call it a funspiel which means "fun play"

House renovation, the journey so far...

As many of you know, we are renovating the basement and kitchen. It started awhile back and has been happening in spare minutes around work, studies and kids' lives. This three-day weekend we made excellent progress on the kitchen and even had time to share it!
PS: typing errors throughout the slide show are embarrassing but this was a rushed effort!

Ottawa (aah-da-waa)

This week Anita went to Ottawa to present at the Canadian Network of Innovation in Education conference. It was an excellent event, held at the Chateau Laurier in the centre of Ottawa. Even Brian Mulroney was staying... he was in town to (try to) defend his reputation!

Ottawa is a beautiful city with stunning waterways (lakes and canals and rivers) and as it was Spring and the annual tulip festival there was colour everywhere.

Photos tell a better story so I'll add pics!



View of Parliament buildings with the circular parliamentary library behind
Lunch in the Byward market district with Jessica Goertz, Rob Kelly and Erika Smith


Looking down the Rideau Canal towards the Ottawa River

Anita and Jessica Goertz at the Rideau canal, the Chateau Laurier is behind us.

Visit to Hutterite Village

I will post pictures and a story about our visit to a Hutterite village

More photos from Jasper

Sammy at 5th Bridge on the way to Maligne (pron: Mah-leen) Canyon (Sixth bridge is where we had supper on March 31st)
Sam and Anita at the top of a waterfall at Maligne Canyon, we had to slide down to the Canyon, holding on to the fence as we didn't wear cleats and the stairs had become an ice-ramp. We borrowed cleats to get back out of the Canyon and threw them back to our friends in the Canyon so they could get out!!! Thanks Tania and Nic :-)

Nic (he is an Aussie on teacher-exchange with his family from Inverloch) had a go at ice climbing... up the face of a waterfall at Maligne CanyonThis is behind the waterfall in Maligne Canyon, we are standing on the frozen river taking this photo. On the left hand side is rock, on the right hand side is the frozen waterfall. This is the waterfall that Nic is climbing in the photo above! It was was brilliant!!!

This is Sammy heading down the slopes, she makes it look too easy! Almost final run for the holiday, boo hoo... back to reality.