Author: Denise

Spring Fling: Fun & Games (and no one got hurt!)

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I promised the girls an afternoon tea while in Victoria, which is probably something I should have done some basic research on first–so many tea rooms in BC, so many are closed on Mondays. 

However, ninth time’s the charm and we found a public house that offered a decent tea, and substituted for our dinner.  
 
 
Meanwhile, Super Dad Dwayne was left to deal with a grouchy Wesley, who was not at all happy that we had spent part of the afternoon at the Bug Zoo.  But Brilliant Dwayne checked in at the Visitor Center and found, of all things, axe throwing 2 blocks away, and a Virtual Reality center another block up.  I can’t emphasize this enough, Wes loved axe-throwing.  [To the point, I had to interrupt a conversation with Papa Jim, because I saw Wes headed to the backyard, carrying an axe and a piece of plywood.]

Dwayne says throwing an axe isn’t that hard.  You get your throw down, and then step back or forward enough to have the axe rotate the correct number of times to hit the target. Wesley bulls-eyed 4 times in the hour, and hit the target often.

One more thing I love about British Columbia: it always seems more progressive than Seattle.  This sign was in the women’s washroom at the Public House we had tea at. 

Spring Fling: Bug Zoo

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 This post is only important in that Dwayne and I are both holding a tarantula and Kyla held every bug she could as well.  Piper listened closely but refused to hold any.  Wes stayed in a corner, determined to hate everything and complaining until Dwayne charged him $1 for every whiney thing he said. I hope Dwayne remembered to collect!

Spring Fling: In search of dessert, and evidence of my last cartwheel

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We meandered miles (and almost twice as many kilometers!) around historic Victoria after a day of sailing and Butchart Garden-ing.  We found ourselves with sun, a pleasant evening, and acres of grass in front of the capitol building.  The kids did as I always pictured Mary and Laura Ingalls did in the Little House books–started cartwheeling through the grass.  

They were cracking me up, as Kyla in particular, reminded me of myself trying for years to master this basic gymnast trick.  Finally, in 3rd grade, I accidently cartwheeled down a hill, and perhaps centrifugal force took over, because I finally got my legs up and the feel for a decent cartwheel.

That was when I was 10.
Now I am 44.  I haven’t done a cartwheel for years and years…possible since before I became a baby-maker. There was a good chance this is going to be the last time in my life I attempt such a (underwhelming) feat. Here goes: 

Notice I’m cleverly dressed in heeled boots and rain jacket.
I’m too wimpy to go barefoot, but I at least took off the jacket. 

And Wesley, of course, can do a decent cartwheel.

There were more tricks in store, as Wesley was trying to balance on Kyla’s and Dwayne’s shoulders.  And what Wesley can do, Piper needs to prove she can as well.

 


I led our march, and after the kids were fortified with chocolate and ice cream, we explored until we found ourselves across a bridge looking back onto the downtown we had started from. The kids played nesting dragons on the rocks for as long as we–and the daylight–would allow them.

Good first day in Canada, eh?

Spring Fling: Butchart Gardens

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We haven’t explored these world-famous gardens in the spring before, so I was more than willing to ignore Wes’s attitude and dive right in.  However, to keep the peace with (the males in) my family, I didn’t insist on exploring the grounds a second time once we finished the first round.

You never know when you may die, so see the Sunken Gardens first.  You’d hate to get all the way here and keel over before actually experiencing all the elevations in this first quarry-cum-Eden.   
Piper and I want to plant a knot garden at our home now. 
 
None of my children are too old for the carousel yet, and the Rose Carousel is particularly fine.  I’d like to ride the ostrich or frog someday, and Wesley was excited to leap onto the cheetah!

We were here almost 4 years ago, and got a few of the same shots!

Oh, Kyla, I apologize that you have siblings.  My bad.

And Wesley didn’t pose 4 years ago, but he’s making up for it now….

We got one family shot, and it’s too small to tell if we are smiling, so I’m going to assume the best.

Augh! I really am curating the collection, and whittled the number of photos significantly, but wow!  Isn’t this beautiful?

And I’ll sneak this one in, too.
There be dragons in this pond!  Kyla and I strongly approve.
 

And there be another dragon in the Japanese Garden!  This guy is new in the last 4 years, and he delights me.

Many things delight me in the Japanese Garden, but red bridges make the top 3.  

The Boar-Scarer also makes that list, and someday I’m going to engineer one near our front door.  We may have to upgrade the species (maybe cat-scarer?), but I want one!
 Clever of them to sell gelato right within the Italian Gardens. It almost cheered up a Wesley.

And I just found this picture to add!  From June 2015:

Spring Fling: Going International. Ish.

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The Itinerary

Saturday:
Catch the early afternoon Anacortes Ferry to Friday Harbor.  Pack passports!

Sea lions (or seals?), HO!

Explore Friday Harbor (first San Juan Islands experience for our progeny), have dinner and stay in local suites (with a jacuzzi to thaw out that April wind chill).










Sunday:


Leave for Sidney, BC, on the WSF, and get through customs early afternoon.  




Spend the afternoon before we can check into our Airbnb at Butchart Gardens

Wander downtown Victoria looking for fun, adventure, and most of all, dessert.



Monday:
More fun, adventure, and most of all, dessert.



Tuesday: 
Return to Anacortes via ferry.
Return home via Tulip Festival.



Wednesday:
Plan to go to the cabin for the next few days, but cave to exhaustion and stay home instead.

How Girls Play

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Piper and her BFF spend long hours drawing plans for their forest clubhouse.  It’s got bells and whistles, and they even wrote a pledge that they spend time memorizing.  (I’m in awe, because I can’t imagine any world where Wes deliberately writes more than two words he doesn’t have to, then recite it over and over until he has memorized it.)  

The Pledge:
I pledge allegiance to the Inspiration Palace, and Peace. To her nest and to her eggs, we stand tall with our creative ideas and to a healthy environment for all creations of God.

-Neppipa
“Nest-Eggs-Peace-Palace-Inspiration-Piper-Abby”

Another Brag. Yep, we were that stupid.

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You may remember our earlier misadventure with Wesley’s boomerang last July.  Even after all the weather we’ve had since then, it was still firmly stuck in that fir tree.  In an effort to distract Wes from throwing rocks when I wasn’t watching (yeah, that cerebral cortex of his wasn’t up for the task), I got out our Little Giant Ladder, and got up as far into the tree as I could.  Then taking the water extension wand, I pulled it as long as it would go, then javelin-threw it from the ladder to the branch, still several yards away.  Over and over.  
It only cost me one water extension wand, and we finally got the boomerang down from that tree.  God save him if it goes back up.

Math Olympiad

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For the last 5 months, I coached the 5th grade team at my kids’ school, and had half of all the 5th graders (though, notably, not Piper) at weekly practices. We just took 10 kids to our districts Math Olympiad, and I was proud of the 3 teams–“we” brought home a gold, silver, and bronze.  The snow shaved off two weeks of practice, so we shoved probability into one week (which was unfortunate, since the only part of the test my mathletes got stuck on was the many questions about ratios), and skipped Olympiad practice all together.  Sigh.  However, I was glad to wrap up this math team, and immediately started recruiting for the 4th grade team, to start after Spring Break.  This year has been a fun break to take on math in addition to all things books as a volunteer!  And I’ll have my revenge–Wesley gets to be an honorary 4th Grade Mathlete this year.  At least one of my kids will be on Math Team.

And, on a related note, Kyla just passed the qualifiers to sign up for Algebra as a 7th grader!  She and I were both really excited for that accomplishment.  Sure, she’s really dyslexic, but she’s also extremely book smart, and it’s fun to watch her have achievements after years of extra tutoring and her feeling like the dumbest kid in class.  This kid is going to be fun to watch!