our FLASH of summer

although we have only just been back for 4 weeks, it seems like it was MONTHS and MONTHS ago that we were home. and even though we knew the time was going to go fast, we just were not prepared for it go THAT fast. as in over! finito! done! we arrived on june 28th and kept going until we headed home in august. it was a very wonderful time (although hectic) in catching up with our family and friends - our only regret is that we did not have more time. highlights included watching wally pen; my (yvonne's) trip with mom to victoria; dave's "i-can-never-fish-too-much" time at the property; trip up to vegreville to see carol & harvey; dinner with pinders, mcelroy's;watching wally pen

meeting moorlags at waterfowl; camping with dan & cathy; dinner with jim & lillian (and a "spamalot" performance); nick and gill's wedding; yvonne watching DAVE pen (he decided to join the ranks!); a wonderful trip to atlanta (detailed later).


and a great weekend camping in banff with connie!!

of special mention is our very first bike trip. bonnie and wally patiently taught us the ropes as we toured from red deer to golden, then south through revelstoke and nakusp stopping at ainsworth hot springs for the night, then further south through creston, back up to radium and banff, and then home. as were driving through bc i thought it was so beautiful and could be so much smoother if only there were no corners - but those types of routes just don't happen there - not to mention the four seasons of weather we went through. by the end of the trip i was finding myself more relaxed and able to actually let go of BOTH, yes both, handlebars. how bonnie and company actually read and fall asleep while riding is still a mystery to me! dave mentioned that i was getting more like a certain family member every day - through this one DEADLY section of winding road (seriously, it was!) - he tells me - i was reading each sign and the appropriate speed that we were supposed to be going. each time i would see one that said "30" my stomach would just churn! but it'll come and i do think that i improved by the end of the trip. i have to mention bonnie's and my observation at the hot springs - we saw every type of body shape, and interesting enough, every type of skin disorder. we saw it all. we certainly intend our trips to become an annual event, and look forward to hitting the highway again - especially since now we have heated vests - what a marvelous purchase!



after the last couple of days getting ready to head back to macau came the dreaded goodbyes! and my-oh-my! we both felt it was much tougher this time around. friends at the school had warned us that it is usually harder (the second time), and they were right on. we know that is because we are so blessed to have all of you in our lives and that speaks for itself. we love you all! and we look forward to seeing you again.