July ... That OTHER Part!

So, while one might have 'escaped' for 5 days ... the hot, dry spell at home certainly through haying into the limelight on our return!!!  And with that, our haying season began ... just don't try to burn your first field down!  Eeeek!  That will get the heart pumping!  If your heart is still pumping ... then resume cutting!

Followed by ... raking and baling!  

... And a flat tire thanks to a deer antler!

Followed by a bit of late evening maintenance before heading off to the next field ...

Which is delayed due to RAIN!

But after the rain ... cutting resumes!  

Of course it would appear cutting hay attracts storm clouds ...

If your lucky, just a few drops fall and raking and baling can resume!

BUT it would appear the clouds like to threaten ...

When the threat is only a threat ... the hawks do their "thing!"  (I LOVE hawks!)

BUT ... if we are going to continue doing our "thing" another tractor tire needs to be replaced!  

In the meantime ... the night sky was calling me (from twilight to 3:00am)!!!

I often think back to when I was young and I remember just how much darker that big ole' beautiful night sky once was!  Light pollution is a bit of a pet-peeve!!!

Alas ... haying STILL isn't over and equipment needs to be moved north!

But as one man cuts the hay ... the woman patiently waits and therefore checks on hawks, cows and the odd moose!

But with the dawn of a new day ... raking and baling resume!

But as the day proceeds ... don't let your husband install air conditioning like this, despite the +30C temperature!

Make sure your children are involved ... that's how the learn!

And ALWAYS kiss your washing machine and keep the best laundry soap on hand!!! (And kiss your husband who works endlessly!)

And when you have most of the hay baled that was cut and the dust is beginning to settle!  Say "Good-bye to July!"  (Don't worry ... we're not done!  LOL!)

July ... The Fun Part!

Sometimes "Life" happens and when it does ... time seems to speed up just that much faster!  Our July has been jam-packed with a much needed short holiday sandwiched in between the necessities of running a mixed farm!  So, here is a run down of just what has been going on around here this summer!

Trying to escape for a few days meant a few extra long days trying to process calves, sorting cows and heifers and moving them all out to their summer pasture!  Of course, if you can sneak in a lesson on 'how to milk a cow' while your at it ...

After literally throwing together our camping gear ... we were off!

After a smokey start thanks to the forest fires burning near Nordegg, AB, we found ourselves at Purden Lake, BC!!!  

Then it was off to our actual destination ... Bowron Lake Provincial Park and historic Barkerville, British Columbia.

Looking at this small historic gold rush town, one might question what there is to do there.  However, we spent 2 days immersed in the mid 1800's and could have easily spent at least one more!  Barkerville is rich in Cariboo gold rush history and the people that keep that history alive are worth their weight in GOLD!  Truly an amazing place and one we highly recommend!  

Of course, if your going to go all the way to Barkerville ... you might as well throw on the canoe and paddle Bowron Lake!  We didn't have time to do the approximately 7-10 day circuit of lakes but ... we'll be back and SOON!!!

If you cram all of this into a couple of days (including a 5:00am morning paddle) ... very busy boys have naps in the vehicle!  Haha ... a method to my madness!  LOL!  And with that we started our journey home!  

When your husband takes his turn in the passenger seat and falls asleep ... who knows where his wife is likely to turn off!  I spotted the signs on our way out but was determined to stop on our way home!  Who Knew????  Simply amazing!!!

Our final night of camping ... Mt. Robson!  It really is beautiful and of course, camping just wouldn't be the same without Banana boats ... campfire style!  SO GOOD!!!!

And with that, we packed our gear and headed back into Alberta!  

Of course we did have to stop for one final family pic op!!!  Although we drove about 2500km (a few extra km's thanks to some charming road closures on our way home) in only 5 days ... we laughed, learned, relaxed and had a blast!  Family time is precious time and I hope we can do some more family R&R SOON!