Beaches and Butterflies and Beavers, Oh My!

It's good to be back home after visiting my mom's place in Canada but I do miss the beaches, butterflies and beavers that I saw while on our many adventures throughout my home province of Manitoba.

Beaver house on one of the slews near Russell, MB 

The kids and I often took the car to the beach loaded to the gills with beach toys, boogie board, towels and snacks in lieu of the short jaunty walk from Mom's -- for obvious reasons. You'd  think the three of us could handle the gear in tow, but Manitoba summers can be just as hot as Texas and if there isn't a stitch of wind to be had, you're melting in a puddle by the side of the road. Luckily for us, Mom's place had air conditioning and the wind off the water kept the bugs away until dusk that is.

Beach at the Village of Dunnottar

The kids enjoyed swimming lessons in the lake for the first time and what started off as protests quickly turned to joy as lessons take on a whole new dimension when there aren't any walls to contain you! My iphone however couldn't take any decent pictures as they were pretty far out with their instructors. You'll just have to imagine bobbing heads in the water and scrappy swimmers splashing about.

Many days, the kids and I ran or walked in the early mornings stopping on the piers to see calm waters on Lake Winnipeg (referred to as the Inland Ocean) or choppy seas depending on how hard the wind was blowing. There were butterflies everywhere and they flitted and flotted from grass to tree to knee. I caught this butterfly on a chair before he lifted off.

For the first time, my two youngest met some of the relatives in Russell, Manitoba at the Cusitar family reunion. I confess (hanging my head) that I haven't been back there since my grandmother passed away in 1987. I let far too much time slip away before returning. It was just as beautiful as I remember and even more so sharing laughter with aunts and uncles and cousins. Middle child loved learning how to knit from Aunt Marg and youngest one we call "Big" couldn't keep out of her lap. We were thrilled to spot the beaver houses in the many slews and marshes that surround the greater Russell area. Cattails and ducks and geese were plentiful. Skeeters, too!!

I'll try and post a few more pictures to document our grand time in Canada but first this gal has got to get herself to the salon and get her mop cut. Vacation left it in a tangled mess.

Happy writing everyone!