Living the Dream. In PEI.

How I've missed you, Prince Edward Island!

  

 

That bumpy drive down the cottage lane towards the red shore...

waking up at our cozy cottage to the gentle lull of the waves...

 

and enjoying this dazzling panorama every morning, without even getting out of bed.

Aaaah. It was two weeks of cottage bliss.



Happy Birthday.

Yesterday was a special day at our house.

Baby of the family turned 11 years old.

And the restaurant of choice for her birthday dinner was... Wendy's.

 

 

And a DQ birthday cake.

Candles all extinguished in one blow.

So no boyfriends this year.

 

 

The youngest brother and youngest sister. Almost sixteen years apart.

 

 

Only a slight resemblance in looks. But they definitely share the same personality.

Canada Day. 2013.

I guess when it comes down to it, we are pretty patriotic. In years past, we've typically spent our Canada Days at local festivals, standing on guard for the true North, in all its red and white glory.

This year we showed our patriotic side by going to the Jays game at the Rogers Centre. Which, might I add, was known as the Sky Dome when I lived in Toronto. New pet peeve. I think the new eponym of "Rogers Centre" is downright boring. What were they thinking? The original designation has a much more entrancing ring to it. "Sky Dome Stadium" emanates excitement, panorama and architecture. Just my own personal opinion of change not being for the better.

Here we are, on our way to the game, first port of call at the Toronto Eaton Centre.

No name change here!

 

Hubby in his element. Starbucks in hand... and headed for the sports field.

Love him. And love drinking coffee with him. Watching sports? Um... not so much!

 

Two living reasons why I don't do exercises.

All that stretching and swivelling around... looks like too much pain for the gain.

Picturesque view of the CN Tower, taken from our seats in Sky Dome Rogers Centre.
 Happy belated Canada Day to all you blog-readers.

More on our Canadian vacation destinations to follow!

By the way, if you're following me, please take a second to leave a comment, or send me a private email.

That way i'll know if there's enough interest to warrant keeping up with the blog. Thanks!

Friends & Family.

Part of our time in Toronto was spent catching up with friends and family. Most of whom haven't changed a bit. They're the best friends to have... ones who simply pick up where you left off, despite the passing years and distant miles. Friends, counting memories and wrinkles together!

Delicious breakfast with the Hannah clan.

Lookin' good for a couple of middle-aged people, aren't we?

 

Taking a walk along the waterfront with Mark and Hayden.

Yummy eats at Mark's and Laurie's place.

 

Love this family. So many fun and crazy times with Irv and Sheryl.
Beautiful kids... Caitlynn, Katina and David. Missed you... my little Tescha-girl!

Love this family too!

 

Pretty, sweet little Sarah is now a stunning young lady!
So loved and adored by these two ragamuffins!

Jamie J, David U, Victoria U, Sarah U, Sarah M, Alana and Kayleigh.

We also got to meet a few four-legged friends during our visits. In one sense it made us miss our own little Bella. So we shared some of our puppy-love.

Janet's sweet-natured little dog... Chloe.

Katina's brand new Shiba Inu puppy... Sadie.

Responsibilities.

R and R...

Pardon me for hoping I would be able to wake up every morning and kick back. You know, get away with doing the bare minimum in the six weeks of vacation time I have left. Uh... no. The children and the canine and the chores are still waking up every morning too.

Been walking the dog every day. The exertion of a short walk plus the hot weather are seemingly doing her in. Here she is, post-stroll. Mighty uncomfortable way to sleep, if you ask me.

 

On to the children. If only they were as easily tired as Miss Bella! Yesterday they spent three hours swimming at a local pool with a couple of friends. They were crinkled up like raisins, but apparently all that water time did nothing in the way of zapping their energy. 

 

 

A little friend slept over. Why in the world are they called sleepovers, when all they seem to do is stay up half the night and do everything but sleep! I'm bracing myself for dealing with a couple of Crankies later on today. Early to bed is on the agenda tonight, even though it's the middle of summer. Because the old lady didn't get her beauty sleep last night either!

 

The chores are ongoing. And I'm guessing you really aren't interested in hearing about those.

Niagara Falls.

Niagara. I think it means Thundering Waters... but whatever it's translation, we definitely had water coming at us in all directions that day. If it wasn't the spray from the Horseshoe Falls, it was the drizzly rain, which became pretty torrential when we finally embarked on the Maid of the Mist.

 

Behind the Falls brings you to stand just a few feet away from those thundering waters.

 

 

Niagara Fury... a 4-D presentation with a anti-creation theme.

Delightful special effects, but a little over-rated.

 

 

Birthday girl got to create her own chocolate-dipped caramel apple from Lolly's Sweet Shop.

 

Happy 12th birthday, Miss Lannie!

 

Little sister managed to twist someone's arm and wangle one for herself.

 

Miss KP, Maid-of-the-Mist-ready.

 

 

 

Celebrating the birthday of the day continued with more of those sugary treats.

We ate supper at Kelsey's, where she was well-wished with cinnamon churro 'fries' and an ice-cream cupcake 'burger'. Then back at our Toronto digs, we had yummy chocolate cake.

Can't believe she's 12 already. Loved her way back then, when she came into our world screaming. Love her still. Happy birthday, girl!

Canada's Wonderland.

If you've never been to Canada's Wonderland, think Six Flags USA. Sprawling roller coaster park. Then add a 20-acre water park, with all the splash and thrill any pre-teen could ask for. 

The day we chose to go, they were calling for thundershowers. Not exactly the forecast you'd hope for, knowing that in stormy weather, many of the rides are shut down. This prediction seemed to deter the crowds, though, and in the end, the weatherman's rain clouds never came!

Which meant the ride waits for us were no more than 15 minutes, often no wait at all. Definitely got Big Bang for our buck, that day!

A Snoopy welcome. And still trying to believe we're actually here!!

They rode Flight Deck... over and over!

 

The Bat is an exhilarating ride. Suspended, then released like a boomerang, forwards and backwards.
The girls had several back-to-back runs on it!

Love their facial expressions here... post The Bat experience!

Break for a picnic lunch.

Dragon Fire riders.

The Wild Beast. Not a roller coaster for the faint-hearted.

Wild Beast wildness! The most rickety wooden roller coaster ever!

Cooling off at Splashworks in the afternoon.
Actually, only the kids cooled off.
The adults napped peacefully on those grassy banks.

Some evening company added a new dimension of fun and conversation!

All the cousins... first, second, once removed, twice removed. It's all here!