Vacation Time!

Despite all of the challenges we have faced since moving to BC, we have been able to enjoy the beautiful weather and begin to explore our surroundings. Certain parts of BC feel so much like home, or atleast much more like home than the Prairies! Mountains and lakes are all within driving distance and everything is green! There is so much greenery, even in the larger cities. And every property boasts beautiful flowers or hedges. I am so glad that there is so much natural beauty here. Somehow it makes the "big city" seem a bit friendlier.

One of the first places we visited was an Antique Carousel at Deer Lake Park in Burnaby. After some hesitation we decided it would be a shame to visit the carousel and not atleast ride it. So I (Jessica) took Rebekah in arm and seated her on a tiny little carousel horse especially for toddlers, the kind that are stationary.

As the music started and the carousel began to turn, she clung for dear life to the pole. The carousel began to speed up and just as I started to think it may have been a bad idea, I look up to see Rebekah kicking her legs and squealing in delight! She loved it so much that she rode the carousel twice that day and we took her back for two more rides a few days later. The carousel operators and other tourists had as much fun watching her on the carousel as we did.

Our next outing was to Crescent Beach in White Rock. We packed up our suits on a very hot 36C day and drove to the beach. Luckily it was a Friday afternoon and the beach was not crowded at all. The view was amazing and the the Pacific Ocean is much warmer than Lake Superior, that's for sure! The tide was out so we walked to a sandbar and let Rebekah sit in the pools of water. We saw all sorts of seashells and even a crab or two and Dave thought he saw a jellyfish! We also learned a lesson about the importance of sunscreen. Of course we were very diligent in making sure Rebekah was covered, and had a hat on at all times, but foolishly we didn't bother to do the same and our bright red backs and shoulders suffered the consequences.

The next day, we decided to check out a different type of beach, so we headed to Golden Ears Provincial Park, north of Maple Ridge. Being a Saturday, it was absolute madness there, but fortunately the beach area was gigantic so it didn't seem quite so crowded. The beach here consisted of gravel type rocks which meant you needed to wear shoes in the water and it wasn't terribly comfortable sitting on the beach. But the scenery was definitely worth it. Beautiful mountain views and cool, refreshing lake water. There are still many places we hope to visit this summer and fall, and we'll be sure to post more pictures when we do! Wherever you are this summer, we hope you can take some time to relax and enjoy yourself!