My weekend away - Part 2

We (my brother R and I) went to Alberta last weekend to help our older brother M celebrate his 65th birthday.  We also took took the opportunity to tease him (just a little bit) about being a dinosaur. :)

The drive to the B&B took about 7 hours; after we had unpacked we drove the 20-30 minutes to M and D's house for a short visit.  M was so excited to see us, he came rushing out the front door as we got out of our vehicle.  It's been nearly seven years since we've seen him (at Dad's funeral).  We didn't stay long as we were both tired but did some catching up.

The following morning, after our respective run/walk and a lovely breakfast we headed back over to the house.  D was just heading to the store with her sister and her mom, so M, R and I decided to go to Pigeon Lake to check out M's boat and take it out on the water.  On the way there the guys realized neither of them had fishing licences so it was just for fun.

When we arrived the guys set about readying the boat while I stayed on the dock taking photos.*

Once out on the water we saw many, many boats with fishermen looking  to catch walleye.  I was impressed by the dog as although he/she was interested in what was going on, it appeared to be content on the boat.

It's not a big lake so M took us around much of it.  When we turned back, though we realized the clouds were closing in and looked oh so dark.

M opened up the engine to try to stay ahead of the rain, but then something plugged the intake and we stopped when the engine started overheating.  He and R did something and cleared the blockage and we were on our way again in a very short time.  Phew, I was worried the two of them were going to have to paddle us back to shore.  We got a bit of rain on the way in, but I wasn't nearly as wet as I had been after my walk that morning.

By the time we made it back to the slip the rain was heading south but there was a bit of lightening around and not nearly as many boats were out on the water.

The drive to and from the lake was around an hour each way and we were out on the water for almost an hour.  By the time we got back to the house, it was beehive of activity....

Their newest pup, Cloe was in her kennel to keep her out of the way while D, her sister and mom put together the food for the party.  

Cloe is about 7 months and was adopted from a rescue.  She was found wandering the streets of a nearby community when she only a couple of months old. Cloe is very energetic and a sweet pup.

Mr. Mugs is the elder statesman.  They're not certain how old he is, he was thought to be about three when they adopted him and has been with them for over 10 years.

As my dad used to say, Mugs is deaf in one ear, and can't hear out of the other but his sense of smell is still keen.  He had no problem finding anything anyone dropped on the floor.

Before we ate, M and R played with the grandchildren.  After twisting the poor child up on the swing, R joined M to catch the baseball as the rest of the grandchildren practiced their swings.  (There are total of 8 grandchildren....lots of fun and activity!)

It had clouded over but just before we were about to eat the sun came out and it was absolutely beautiful.

There was lots of food; BBQ burgers and hotdogs, potato, marinated vegetable, and Caesar salad, bean dip, chips, and fruit...no one went hungry!  (Not even Cloe who was obviously finding something in the grass).

After we'd eaten and finished the clean up from dinner, the clouds rolled back in again, it started to thunder and lightning, and a bit of rain fell.  We all headed indoors for birthday cake.

There were two cakes, both made by D's daughter C.  She's only taken two cake decorating classes but is obviously very talented and creative.

The cake on the left was signed by all the grandchildren...very special!

The cake below is very special too.  It depicts M on his boat, with Cloe and Mugs there too. M's favorite candy is licorice all-sorts so she used these to decorate the cake as well.  I can also tell you it was very yummy!

Later M opened his gifts, with some help from various grandchildren.  It was easy to tell he was a little overwhelmed by all the attention, but he so deserves the love...I might be a bit biased but I think he's a pretty special guy!

I grabbed this photo from my D's Facebook page.  It was taken the first evening we were there. (It's pretty easy to tell which one of us is the runner, isn't it?)

It was so wonderful to spend time with my brothers.  Before we left, the boys (I use that term loosely) were teasing me that I'd be next to reach senior status....I reminded them I still have 9 years to go.  I said I expect them to attend my party too.



It was a great weekend, despite the long drive and the uncertain weather.  I sure hope it won't be seven more years before we get together.  M and D said they wouldn't want to make the drive, but I reminded them Regina has an airport and R told them we'd be their Enterprise family and "we'll pick you up". Perhaps we've convinced them to make a trip out here soon.

When we left, we reminded M that at his age, he probably needed a nap.  He agreed. :)

*I did manage to trip over R's big foott and just about about fall into the water.