Snap shots

As many of you know - time with our kids at home these days is precious.  

We are all home for just 48 hours and while my trusty iPhone snaps are great for FB posts and for me to troll through when I am feeling like I need to see all my peeps - they are hardly "good" photos.

But with so little time I didn't want the stress of a photo session. And I wanted relaxed photos...not formal ones.

So I asked a huge favour of a friend whose photos I love.  He has a great eye and while he is not a professional photographer,  you'd never know it from his shots.

He agreed to hang out with us over family dinner last night and just shoot as we did our usual thing.  He was so unobtrusive and we felt very relaxed and had our appy's and sat down to a bbq dinner - as we so often have.  

Here are some of the photos.....I am SO SO grateful  - I love them.  I was determined even to love the ones of me (which I usually detest) and you know what.... I actually do love them.  Of course I see all my flaws first but I lingered long enough to see the joy and love too.  And the ones of my parents and the kids and Allan - so wonderful.  No staged group shots - just us as we are, right now....

Garth Poon - you did such a great job - we are so grateful that you took on the challenge - you did a masterful job - if that teaching gig doesn't work out we think you could make a go of the photog gig!  Thank you thank you thank you.

Byres4 + Gaga and Papa Summer 2017

We are lucky to have each other, to have this home and the means to enjoy wonderful meals.  Boy am I going to miss these gatherings as Lindsay leaves tomorrow and David next weekend but I will cherish these memories and photos and trust that there are more moments and meals to come - together.

Lindsay and David - I am so very proud of you.  I know you are ready for your next chapters and will do us and yourselves proud as you go.  Remember this Mama loves you to the moon and back 50 million times and that will never change.

Go well my sweeties

xoxo

Staycation Stats

It will come as no surprise that we had a plan for this staycation.  Allan and I each made a list of things we wanted to do, places we wanted to go and then we made a tentative itinerary for the week, weather and energy depending. 

So here's how it played out:

Monday! 

Well funnily Allan wanted to get up at the crack of and head to the Squamish River to try for a few Pink Salmon.  I stayed in bed like a normal person and enjoyed a quiet coffee in my favourite mug (not my travel mug as usual) and then drove Lindsay to work. 

Allan met me in Vancouver for a spot of shopping and then we headed to 33 Acres - A local brewery we have been meaning to check out. 

2 beers, 1 pretzel, 5 cornichons, 15 man buns, 1 hour of pretending to be hipster-ish

We ended Monday with 1 haircut (for me) and a workout at Maki for 3.  

A good start.

Tuesday!

This was a day I had wanted for a long time.  10 years ago we kayaked to a beach that looked onto Jug Island.  I have wanted to get back to that beach and found the hike to do it.  We loaded Spanner up, hit our fave Main St. Bakery for a Schnecken - if you can get yo'self to Main st - go and get a schnecken at Trafiq.  

And then we  drove to Belcarra Regional Park and Hiked to Jug Island Beach.

I love a wander through a coastal forest and a PNW pebbly beach with the water lapping gently - AHHHHHHHHH so good.   

We rounded out Tuesday with a long anticipated dinner at Osteria Salvio Volpe in Vancouver.  We selected the option to have the chef design a menu for us and we were not disappointed.  

2 baked goods, 5.5kms, 1 tired dog, 1 nap and an excellent 5 course meal

Wednesday! 

This was Allan's brilliant idea!  We headed out to the Fraser Valley to try some local wineries we have driven past so many times en route somewhere but never stopped at!  What a revelation!  We loved the ones we tried and had a lovely lunch at the Bacchus Bistro at Chaberton Winery.

Many sips of wine, 3 wineries, 3 bottles for the cellar

Thursday!

What is a staycation if one doesn't wander into the village?  An early morning at the docks, the early bird breakfast special at the Steveston Hotel and then we headed to the beach.

Centennial was busy but we found a corner and sheltered from the wind. 

$7 brekkie, 5km wander, 2 cheeseburgers , 2 iced coffees, 3 hours chilling on the beach, 1 sunburn (because I never learn that the sun is fierce even when I am freezing on a Canadian beach)

Friday!

Major fisher-wife points as we headed up to the Squamish again in search of the slightly elusive pink salmon 2017 edition.  Of course I have lots of photos - because what else was I going to do to stop from dying of hypothermia?  This fishing trip no issue from bears as there were dozens of outdoorsy type peeps all along the bank.  After a slow start Allan hit his stride and landed fish with alarming frequency - he let his somewhat frustrated fishing neighbour land one of them (you can only keep 1 and you have to land it) and gave his precious lucky fly to the birthday boy fishing next to him as we made a graceful exit. 

AM

4:40am start (it can't be emphasized enough), 7 salmon hooked, 4 landed, 2 friends made, 1 hear shaped rock, 0 bears, not enough coffee or washrooms.

All this was followed by 1 excellent nap and a lovely evening on the patio with the 5th glass of Rose.

All in all it was a fantastic week with my Honey.  We chatted, we walked, we ate, we laughed.... we were relieved to have enjoyed each others company and feel confident when the children depart in 10 days (insert very sad face) we will be just fine together and we have lots of adventures planned!