Rodeo Rides.

The Cloverdale Rodeo.

Came and went this past weekend. This year celebrated sixty-five years of riding bulls and broncos.

We went for a visit.

Did not however, pay the small fortune required to be entertained by fearless cowboys trying to stay put on wild animals.

We went mainly to help out at the Gospel Booth. Hand out balloons and free literature to the many passersby. Encourage little people to "come into the Ark". Lots of fun. And after a couple of hours, when several others showed up to assist, it meant we could leave and go explore the sights.

And spend money.

Caramel apples were $5 a piece.

At that price, we made do with just one. To share.

Which, in this particular case meant that the girls licked off the caramel, and the loving parents ate the apple. Loving parents.

So, with all of us licking our lips for one reason or another... off we went to tour the grounds. Modelled some cowboy hats, posed for CTV, climbed on tractors (not me). Not quite enough excitement for our little cowgirls, though. They were persistently begging for rides.

Not rides on bolting bulls or bucking broncs or squirming sheep.

But rides on the Fairway. Crazy cowgirls.

Look at those happy faces.

Disneyland, here we come!

The Stare-Down.

There you have it. A particular scenario which is fairly commonplace at our house.

More commonplace than I'd like to admit, actually.

The wordless language of communication between sisters. The silent battle of smirks and stares.

The Older, having just shared some intelligent, far-fetched piece of pertinent information, is obviously not impressed by the jovial response of the Younger.

Captured in the picture above is the definitive difference in their personalities. Serious and informed vs. family clown, with ne'er-a-care-in-the-world.

Interestingly enough, both apples grew from the same tree.

Amazing, isn't it?

Summer Surprise.

I don't know about where you live, but where I live we've had nothing but rain, rain and more rain. There's not much sign of Summer. These chilly, cloudy days are dragging on too long. Even if you're not a pessimist like me, I think this weather would bring out the pessimistic side in just about anybody.

On the flip side of this dreary coin, and to the optimist who is my husband, the grass is green and growing. Really green and growing. The pink blossoms have popped out on our apple trees and despite our back yard being pretty soggy, it looks rather lush and healthy.

But with this cold Spring we've had, I'm sure the fruit season here will be way behind. (Sorry. The pessimist in me wrote that.) I guess apple pie at Christmas will be just fine. (I think that was my realistic side.)

Outdoor play has been pretty limited too. But this week the girls and their buddies needed some outside fun. Look at them. All smiles. They certainly don't seem to feel the cold like I do.

Blonde friends. Bike friends. Best friends.

Front yard camping. One way to stay dry outdoors!

Or the alternative is to stay inside.

Bake with mom.

Enjoy summer and winter together.

With a warm chocolate banana muffin and a glass of cold milk.

May 14th means there's six more weeks of school. Real and unreal at the same time. Real in that I am really looking forward to the break. Unreal that this school year is almost concluded. Really, where did it go?

Which takes us to Summer. And where to spend our vacation.

With neither Nicaragua nor Ireland being on our agenda this year, we decided to book a surprise trip to a destination where three of us had not been before. Here are the girlies, receiving the breaking news.

Woo hoo! Disneyland! You can see that Miss Alana, ever the Smart One, kinda figures it all out part-way through. And funny moment when Kayleigh the Patient Sidekick gets whacked in the head. But I think you can tell they are pretty excited about this trip!

Enjoy the video. Because is took almost all day to upload it.

And I sure hope our five days in the California sunshine won't be the only summer we get this year!

Canucks Frenzy.

Well, we've moved on from the excitement and thrill of the Royal Wedding. The newlyweds now appear to be living a quiet existence, after more than a billion viewers watched them walk the aisle at the Abbey just over a week ago.

Sharp contrast to the handful of locals who watched Kate last Friday walking the aisle at the Waitrose grocery store in Anglesey.

She looked every bit like one of the them.

Black pumps. Skinny jeans. White V-neck.

Well, I must say it's the first time I've ever seen a Duchess pushing a shopping cart.

Good on ya, Katie!


Now we have a new TV focus. Hello Stanley Cup. Hockey Play-Offs. And most of these games, especially those involving the Canucks, are dominating our telly.

For some of our clan, this is a monumental event. A time when it's pretty much considered a cardinal offence to miss even a minute of a televised Canucks game.

Me? Well, I may be Canadian, but I'm not really an avid hockey fan. Just sort of caught up in the thrill of it all.

Which of late hasn't been so thrilling, has it?

I would say, though, that if you're intending to see any of our beloved VanCans score a goal this season, you won't want to miss a millisecond of game viewing.

At the rate they're getting that puck into the net... be sure to take your pee-breaks during intermission.

One thing is true.

Alana and Kayleigh are much more informed on many aspects of this topic of Hockeyology than me. Embarrassing.

Hooking, holding, hand passing? I honestly can't tell the difference when it comes to hockey offenses. I recognize that a player is punished for breaking rules. Fair enough. It's all relative. I operate on that principle with my players too. Heehee.

But as much as I detest dealing with bad behaviour in my domain, I actually quite enjoy seeing it happen on the ice. The bad boys are sent to the Penalty Box. Zoom in on Sully and Force. The notorious Green Men.

And aren't they comicial, with their fan handstands, funny signs and wacky attempts to engage the opposition in the Penalty Box.

Ugly lycrasuits? Yup.

But innovative humour? Absolutely!


Here's another entertaining aspect... Mr Highlight of the Coaches Corner.

I usually like to tune in for Don and Ron. Not that I'm the least bit interested in their hockey opinion, but I do like to see what is the latest and greatest in the land of Don Cherry Suits. Nothing says Gerber Daisies like the ensemble in the photo above. What daises have to do with hockey I have no idea, but I can count on a chuckle from those get-ups. Every time!

But aside from all the Play-Offs Funnies, I'm kinda hoping the Canucks pull through. They need one more win against those Predators to get them to the next round. Can they do it?

Maybe tonight's game will prove they can.