Doggy Day Care ~ On Location

A couple of weeks ago, we returned home from a trip we were able to take as a family.

My sister and brother-in-law needed someone to stay with their dog while they

vacationed in Hawaii with their children.  They agreed to have all five of us fill that role.

It was a sacrifice of love, but, we did it!  (Joking, of course).

Apparently, Cloe (doggy's name) has been known to go into mourning
and on a hunger strike for at least three days when left at a kennel.
We couldn't let that happen, so, we make the trek down to take care of her.
She was sad that her people left.  But, before too long, we were her people.

This was our fist visit to their new location in Northern California.  
It was fun to explore new things with our kids.

And, in the process, we made new memories together.
The Lord truly is so very good and gracious, isn't He?



There is a mountain not too far from my sister's house,
and we conquered it...in our car.  :)



It is a State park and a very beautiful spot.
Fraser wasn't quite sure how to get down, but, he made it
without tearing his pants or skinning his knees.

Our original plan included a walk around the trail at the top,
but, the winds were howling at 40 miles an hour, and it was cold!
The summit (nearly 4000 ft) provided a stunning 360 degree view.



Since we were dog-sitting, we couldn't all go away overnight.
However, Howie happily volunteered to stay behind while the kids and I
caught a flight to Anaheim to take in Disneyland for one day.
We flew out in the wee hours of the morning, and returned the following evening.



One of our outings found us driving for about two hours to reach
Carmel-By-The-Sea.  It was well worth the effort.



Bare feet in December....crazy!





We took a little longer route home to take advantage of the view points
along what is known as the 17-Mile Drive.
This is a common sight....Calvin with his camera.



They are a little difficult to see, but, Howie is
with Fraser and Emma in the photo above.



Once my sister and her family were back home,
we took a day trip together into the city.



No San Francisco visit is complete without
stopping in to see the shops at Ghirardelli Square.





Emma captured a shot of my sister's family
on their phone.  Calvin captured Emma in the process.



Buses kept on separating us from the rest of the group while
they waited for a walk signal.  So, I got the girls to do silly faces with me.
There's just something about being with teenage girls that brings out the best in me.  :)



Fraser is always on the lookout for a spectacular souvenir.
Click here to see what he found for his collection while we were in London.



Calvin worked his magic and got the BEST family
photo of all time of my sister and her precious family.



Three of our treasures on our last night in the city.
I won't elaborate on the fact that this was Howie's, Emma's
and my second time at this very location at twighlight.  Don't even ask.  :)



My sweetie and me.

Thank you, J and K, for allowing us the opportunity
to take care of your dog and stay in your lovely home.
We know that all these things are gifts from our Lord's loving hand to us.
Thank you for being willing to have us take over your home in your absence.

With Love,
Camille

**Images in this post courtesy of my two photographers,
Emma and Calvin ~ Thank you my loves xoxo

Flashback Friday ~ Nearly Eight Years Ago

Nearly eight years ago, the Lord graciously gave our family

a road trip that landed us in Desert Canyon, USA.

We really had no idea how precious the memories

we were making would become.

It was the first week of September, and while our children played on the shore

of this lake, other children were just beginning another school year.

Austin and Fraser enjoyed a little impromptu fencing session.

Howie captured us all on a bench enjoying some sort of treat.
L to R: Calvin, Austin, Camille, Emma, and Fraser.

All my men on the mini golf green.

Emma and I opted out and took pictures.  :)

Since it was September, everything was greatly reduced in price.

So, we rented two jet-skis and took the kids out on the lake.

The Lord is so very good to us, isn't He?

May we all remember that every single moment is a gift from Him.
And, may we be found praising Him throughout all of our days.

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,
and cometh down from the Father of lights, with Whom is no
variableness, neither shadow of turning."  James 1:17

Happy Friday!
With Love, Camille

Yoho ~ Men Out of Boys

The boys did it again.

Last month, they drove clear across our Province and 

settled themselves in the heart of bear country.

And, cougar country.  And, wildfire country.

It's a good thing I am unaware of the various dangers they come face to face

with until they are safe and sound in their own beds under our roof.

They are young and invincible.

Or, so it would seem.

I found out after the fact that helmets and rope were recommended

at some points along the trail.  Neither were used by our boys.

See what I mean?  Mamas are not welcome on trips like these.

By all reports, the trip was a success.

These are the experiences that help make men out of boys.

By God's grace, I won't stand in their way.

Thankfully, it will be nearly a year before I have to let them go again.

Little by little, the apron strings are being cut.  Little by little I let go.

But, as long as there is food involved, I think I can lure them back.

With Love,

Camille

**Photos in this post courtesy of Jonathan H. with the
exception of the panoramic image....it is Calvin's.
Thank you to you both!  :)

London and Wales ~ Final Installment

We went on a few walks with our Auntie Mary during our time with her.
Some were journeys down memory lane ~ for her and for me.  It was good.

One of those walks took us down a local path for a visit with Honkey the Donkey.
(I am not sure how he got his name, but, it seems everyone calls him by it.)
He was abandoned at the property of the people who care for
him about 25 years ago.  The current owners were given one payment for his board
and then the original owners never returned.  He was left with lovely people.

Isn't he cute?

Or...maybe not?

Do you remember when I mentioned the previous trip to Wales I took in 2008?   

It was on that visit that I had the opportunity to meet Honkey.  Here's proof. 

This is me meeting Honkey, and you meeting the much younger me.  :)

 Isn't the property just lovely?  You can see the gate in the centre of the photo below ~

Honkey lives in the pasture beyond it.

On our last morning with Auntie Mary, we went for one more walk.

It's referred to as *Top Farm Walk* since there is a farm on it by that name.
We were about to leave this cute little house for the last time.

Just prior to our walk, we stopped in to visit with Auntie Mary's
neighbour for a quick good-bye.

The sun was bright,  so it was difficult to get a good picture ~
but, here we are with our friend, regardless!

Top Farm has horses.

Much to the delight of our girl ~ remember this?

Calvin caught some photos of us coming....

...and going.

As well as a few views along the way ~ of course.

We said our good-byes and gave hugs all around.  And then we were gone.  

We drove back down toward London in preparation for our flight home the following day.

Along the way we stopped for photos.  (Surprised?  Didn't think so.)

This is our little rental car (it accommodated seven...barely).

We are all in this shot ~ if you include Calvin's shadow.

Calvin took this photo....

...while Emma was taking this one.  :)

It was a great blessing that we were able to take Auntie Mary with us on our journeys.
This car was an upgrade from what we originally ordered ~ there were two *jump seats* in
the very back where the clothes are in this shot.  Emma mostly sat there ~ sideways.

This is the field Calvin wanted to take photos of ~ the reason we stopped.
May as well make it fun, right?

Fraser really enjoys Coca Cola.  We don't have this type in Canada, so it was a novelty.
(He actually prefers the classic recipe, but, it was fun to try something different.)

One thing that I found very interesting in England was the well thought out placement of
these rest areas ~ Welcome Break is a brilliant idea! It's a one-stop-shop experience.
Each one is equipped with a choice of restaurants, coffee shops, convenience stores,
as well as a hotel and service station.  Usually, they were the same ones at each stop.

We watched for them and discovered that they
were strategically placed every hour or so along the major route.

Unfortunately, I don't have a *normal* photo to share as the camera was on paint mode ~
but, these images give an idea of how it (almost) looked.  It is definitely
one of those things we want to remember about our trip.

After a good night's sleep and a wonderful breakfast in our hotel (free with points!)
we headed on over to Heathrow to return the car and to catch our flight home.

Once again, we had plenty of time once we were through security.  (The way I like it.)

On this occasion, our extra time was used up with last minute souvenir shopping and eating.

And, then...we were off!
Calvin took this photo above the far north ~ amazing, isn't it?

We arrived home at about 4:30 in the afternoon our time ~
it's much easier to travel west (which is what we were doing on this
leg of the journey).  My brother picked us up and we went out for a bite to eat.
It took us a few days to get turned around, but, we did it with relative ease.

And that, my friends, concludes this chronicle of our recent trip to the UK.

We are so thankful to the Lord for the gift of this vacation ~
we know that all things come from His loving hand.  Always.
We do not in any way imagine that we deserved this ~ not at all.
Rather, we see it as a gracious gift to our family.  It really was!

Thank you for persevering through all these posts, and for joining in with me
in the remembering of it all ~ you bless my heart.

With Love, Camille

*Posts in this series ~ Introduction, Part One, Part Two, Part Three, 
Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven, Final Installment

**Photos in this post courtesy of my two photographers ~ Calvin and Emma.
Thank you SO much my loves...you bless my Mama heart.  xoxo