Raptor Encounter

Raptor encounter at Mountsberg Raptor Centre - a behind the scenes visit (thanks to my wonderful sister Bonnie who works in the Avian and Exotics department of the University of Guelph Veterinary Teaching Hospital and has some great connections).  The boys had a chance to see the housing, feeding, and care facilities of the center, meet some of the staff, and learn about the eagles, hawks, vultures and owls.  The highlight was, of course, being able to take turns visiting up close with a screech owl.

Bowling, and the drama of cousins

I am so lucky to have an absolutely wonderful sister who is also my best friend.  And I am even more lucky that she has 2 great kids, Max and Tory, and that they live only 1/2 hour away.  Most of the time, the 4 cousins play fairly well together, especially if they can be outside.  But once in a while they go through some challenging times, where somehow the group dynamics don't go all that smoothly.  Lately, it has been the clash between the 3 boys, William, Charlie and Max, and our one lovely girl, Tory, who is also the youngest.  My sister and I try to mediate as much as we can, but it is not always easy to keep the peace. 

Today, Tory was invited to a birthday party for one of her girlfriends, so Bonnie and I took the 3 boys out for some guy time.  They decided on bowling, and had a blast.  Anything loud, physical, and that allows you to throw really heavy balls around is fun, right?

They were a little irritated that the Mommy Team beat out the All Boy Team, but hey - you can't have it all.  And girls are pretty cool, aren't we?

First canoe Trip

The boys and I spent a great afternoon canoeing at a local conservation area - what a fabulous way to spend the day!  There are definitely parts of me that miss my boys as little babies - I won't go into all of the details, because, well, it is just not a happy place to dwell.  But I also love it as they grow.  Our time together takes on a whole new flavor as we do things together on equal footing.  William can hold his own with a paddle, and Charlie is not far behind.  Together we were able to explore parts of the lake that would have been too tricky with only one paddler.  My goal was to spend more time in a kayak this summer (rather than only the week that we are away at family camp) but Charlie is not quite confident enough to kayak on his own, so canoeing is a great compromise.  There are a tonne of great places around to take out a boat, and we are working our way up to a 4 hour trek down the Grand River. 

Camp Season Begins!!

We have all been excited around here now that the 2013 camp / camping season has officially begun.  The first event is the Cuboree, a 2 night camp out that William looks forward to with his local cub scout troupe.  Today, both William and Charlie spent the day at Camp Brebeuf, going canoeing (which seems to be a new love for both of them), archery, challenging themselves on the high ropes, doing outdoor adventure games, and playing field games. 

This is such a great time of year for all of us.  We don't officially take the summer off from 'lessons', but things definitely slow down a bit.  After all, who in their right mind would choose math over hiking, or geography pages over swimming?  Not that we do a whole lot of 'table time' these days, but still.  The camping season leads our learning in a whole new direction.  Identifying trees and animals, learning new skills on the water, building forts and practicing carving, telling stories around the fire, and staring up at the stars. What learning (and life) is all about, isn't it?

Now that the first 2 adventures are over, we are counting down to the weekend camping trip south of Tobermory with my sister and her friends,  and William's first week away at Wanakita residential camp while Charlie and I do some camping at McGreggor point just the two of us.

Let the season begin!!

Mapletons Organic

The spring weather finally feels like it is here to stay and we needed out of the house today, so we called up Grammy and went up to Mapletons Organic.  I will tell you all that it is a great little farm, with a cedar maze, a tire swing, a boat play structure, and of course lots of animals.  But really, anyone who is from around here knows it is about the ice cream.  Mapletons makes the best organic ice cream around.  Today's picks from the kids were maple sugar and vanilla chocolate chip, with a container of Ginger ice cream to bring home.  Ice cream is really one of those things where there is a world of difference between good quality and bad, and this, in my mind, is top of the pile.

But, since I was too busy gobbling up the ice cream to take any picture of the creamery and store, here are some pics of the animals instead...

The Hole in the Wall

One of the boys' favorite places to hike (especially when they can bring friends along) is called The Hole in the Wall.  It is only about 20 minutes away, the perfect 2 hour hike, and full of rocks to climb over, in, and around.  Today we took Ben and Maddie (or fabulous neighbours) along.  The kids chatted, ran ahead, played and climbed, and I got to enjoy a relatively quiet walk in the woods.  Perfect!

Charlie is a White Tail!!

I have gabbed here before about how much William and Charlie love Beavers and Cubs.  It is the only class / club / group that they have consistently enjoyed since they started.   William is loving Cubs this year (especially the camping trips) and Charlie is in Beavers.  It is a favorite evening out for both of them, and for me - a whole hour to myself!!!

Tonight was Charlie's investiture ceremony, where he traded in his Blue Tail for a White Tail.  No more fooling around - having a white tail comes with a lot of responsibility!!  Helping out the younger kids, knowing your promises and all of the rules for the opening and closing ceremonies, and being able to pat the special beavers head at the beginning of the hour respectfully rather than bonking him on the head.

Charlie was so proud of himself, and so was I.

Play With Clay

Charlie especially loves getting hands into crafting, and one of his favorite places to create is Play With Clay, a pottery studio in Guelph.  It tends to be a bit too far out of our rather tight budget these days, but today was their annual open house with great deals (and free cake, too!)

It is always interesting to see how different 2 boys can be, coming from the same parents and the same home.  Charlie picked out his piece (a little Halloween decoration), slopped some orange paint on it, went for a piece of cake, and was happy to sit and watch the rest of the action going on around him.

William, on the other hand, spent the better part of an hour carefully working through the different colors that he wanted on his bowl (in multiple coats, of course).  That boy is nothing if not meticulous.

Regardless of their different approaches, they both had a great time and can't wait until next week when they can pick up their final products, glazed and fired.

Guelph Lake Hike

Our Friday Friends group went to the Guelph lake Nature Centre today for a water study that didn't end up happening (darn scheduling conflicts!!).  But never fear, we all went for a hike instead and had fun.  There was hiking, birdwatching, fort building, tree climbing...

And, of course, rolling down the side of the really big reservoir hill.

Is it just me, or did this activity seem significantly more fun at 9 years old than at 39?

Strange Days Indeed

I am sure you are all sick to death of hearing about the crazy weather these past few months.  In our little part of Ontario we spent most of the summer months with almost no rain.  A little worrisome, to say the least.  Never one to miss the silver lining in such 'minor' catastrophes as global warming, William and Charlie decided to take advantage of the situation and explore the bottom of a nearby man made lake that is usually under several feet of water at this time of year.

They found all of the usual rocks, shells, and dried plants...

Some great animal tracks in the mud...

And a few other treasures.  You know, the usual stuff - golf balls, coconuts and golden statues of Ganesha...

Strange days indeed!

Carrot Fest

We are so lucky to have a tonne of great local community events that take place throughout the year.  Today was the annual Carrot Festival at Everdale, an organic farm / community shared agriculture / learning centre just about 5 minutes away.  This is where the boys went to Farm Camp this summer, and they had a wonderful time.

Today's festivities where a little more interesting for grown-ups, too, but there was still lots to keep the boys busy.  Having spent a wee there this summer, they have developed a bit of a feeling of ownership for the farm and loved showing Grammy and I around.

Caledon Badlands

The boys won a long standing battle today and got me to take them back to the Badlands.  It is not that I don't enjoy going there, but in the summer it is insanely hot on the clay hills, with the sun beating down and no shade to be had.

For a mid September day it was still hot, but the kids had a great time.

The Bruce Peninsula

I can't resist the chance to publish a few more of the pictures I took when we were camping, so here they are in the form of a guide to some of the most beautiful places to hike around Cyprus lake.  These places are all within an easy hike of each other, and are spectacular.  One of these days I will be able to go and just sit on the beach enjoying the sounds and the views, but for now we all loved hiking and exploring them together.

The Lookout:

Boulder Beach:

Boulder Beach:

The Overhang:

The Marr Lake Trail:

The Boulder Beach:

The Grotto:

Singing Sands:

Somehow I managed to miss taking any pictures of Indian Head Cove (just around the corner from the Grotto, but it is even more spectacular.  If you are at all the 'outdoorsy' type, you will love this place.