Little Will Henry: August 2017

Camp Qwanoes!

This was the first year you were eligible to go to Camp Qwanoes and we decided to send you two together. You were a little bit nervous (and so were we), but I knew you would do great on your own.

So great in fact that on the Wednesday they encourage kids to call home there was definitely no call from a Mr Will Henry Cooper...
The Aquapark was pretty rad. You did your swim test right away and were deemed safe to go without a PFD (your dream).

The most exciting thing for you no doubt.

Such an emotional moment for us:

With your camp counselor Micah:

Until next year everyone! You had the best time ever. We watched your weeks' video together a few times afterwards and you were hit with nostalgia each time. I think it's safe to say you'll be back :)

A weekend with Grandma and Papa

While Mom and Dad were away in Uke Grandma and Papa sure entertained!

The highlight was a trip to Victoria to do Motocross. Awesome!

Uke

Happy Birthday Dad! We got to take our trip to Ucluelet when Grandma and Papa came to stay.

It was so picturesque and we had some fun meals out.

Funny story: my high school friend Brain Astl had posted a story about his dad making a set of stairs in a Toronto park for $550 when the city had estimated $60,000. Brain posted the local story on FB for all friends to see but by the weekend it had made the national news! I posted this photo for him taken from the Victoria Times and he was stoked to see it. Unfortunately the city made him take the stairs down but sharpened their pencils on the estimate...

The best Benny ever:

Hiking the Pacific Trail:

We saw so many of our Provincial birds the Stellar's Jay!

The view from our balcony, WHAT!

Boat Ride to Saltspring

Last year, for Grandma's 70th we gave her a boat ride for the day, but unfortunately the day we had planned to go was very windy and had to be canceled. We rescheduled for this summer and finally got to take that trip. It was fun!

We did a little fishing and caught some Spring Salmon but none big enough to keep.

We went to Saltspring Island for lunch:

Caught some crabs:

I couldn't even watch this:

They really were tasty suckers though. And we made a delicious chowder.

Cottage fun

At Marley's Joint:

We finally got an air rifle. The geese had it coming.

Mikayla and Charlie at the NIC. Such a fun morning.

More Summer Fun

My kayak buddy:

Dinner at Drinkwater:

The way you two tell me that I'm not driving fast enough:

Kim and Conan come to visit:

Visiting Dave and Devon at their new place:

Summer Fun

Charlie, you are still asking to go to BMX (Will not so much). We took you one night on a Wednesday race night and we were kind of nervous to enter you since it had been so long. You blew away the competition. I'm talking, as you were crossing the finish line I couldn't even see #2 rounding the last corner yet. Come on! You are a natural.

When we arrived at the cottage this year we discovered a nest full of mess-making, chirping barn swallows in a next directly above our boat. Ugh!

We didn't want to disturb the birds so we rigged up a big blue tarp underneath the nest to catch the droppings but boy were the hyper attentive parents agitated.

They were really good parents actually. Each week we were shocked at how the babies had progressed until one day we saw them adjacent to the nest and in the rafters and then eventually a bunch of them circling the boat house until they were all gone once and for all.