Strawberries....

Are ready....

Nothing tastes better than fresh strawberries from your garden.

I found a new recipe online that I tried out on the grand kids and they loved it...
Peanut Butter Squares and Fresh Strawberries...?
You can check out the recipe.
It actually was a nice to change to the regular strawberry shortcake that you make!

How do you like eating strawberries? 

I prefer FRESH STRAWBERRIES!

On the road home...

Well our short trip was a splash!!

But we had to head home..

Have you ever noticed that summer time 

Road Construction is always happening? 

Traffic is not only heavier than normal...

but it's slower because of the construction?

 In our country I realize that summer is the only time they can do it..

but what a way to wreck a beautiful drive!

 I guess roads have to be improved...mountains have to be blasted...

On this trip we go through a pass with a number of snow sheds. 

Every trip we think.. how many are there? 

I think it's seven...but somehow we always lose count...then when we do get the number...
next trip we aren't sure...is it 6 or 7 sheds through here? 

So I was driving home and I said to hubby...take a picture of each one...then we will know...

well you have to know my hubby...one picture of a shed is not enough...he needs one of every angle...so I have 30 pictures of sheds... so much for that!

 Is there anyone out there who knows...how many snow sheds on the Roger's Pass?

some are quite dark..others have light...

Wonder what it would be like to get caught in one? 

Daughter's saw bears...we weren't that lucky..but did see mountain goats. . .

 Stopped at Banff for supper...

That's it for our road trip thanks for coming along...

Road Trip continued...

Our time away was very short. 

We only had one day ...

but we did get see our oldest grandson row...

Visit the lake with our 2 daughters and 6 grand kids... 

We had 3 kayaks, 

one dingy, 

10 people to take from beach 1 to beach 2....

Hubby and I each got a kayak...(because we are old?) 

Youngest grand child had dingy...you can see him ahead of me...

Hubby had a rider...

(hmmm no lift jacket?? the kids needed them...and he thinks he can't swim!)

Oldest grandson got a kayak and a rider...

now lets see there are 10 of us.. 

four, five six on the water rafts...

count the bodies in the water 7, 8, 9, 10...(glad they got the lift jackets!)

YEP...we are all here! 

Now did the girls say we have 1 km to go???

Canadian Rockies

Hubby and I went on a little road trip. So I hope you don't mind...but I'll give you a little tour.

We took the little Miata..it is so wonderful to be able to smell the pines, and see the tops of the mountains with the roof down. Plus we were able to take pictures as we travelled...

Praire Meets Mountains

More snow than normal for this time of the year!

I love the colour of the rivers...

We passed numerous lakes and rivers.

Narrow roads...

Lots of rock...

Lots of waterfalls down the mountain side.
They were hard to capture driving by.
Some sprayed right onto the road.

A new part the highway. Driving thru a mountain.

The beauty of the rockies never cease to amaze me.
 I have taken this drive at least once a year for probably 40 years...
and I still am amazed at the beauty!!

Life

What is life? The older I get...the more I think about it.

We're born, we live, we die. A book in the Bible,  Ecclesiastes is Solomon's reflection on life. 

He was the wisest man that ever lived.  Have you ever read the book? 

It Begins...

Ecclesiastes 1:1-3

The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem;

"Meaningless! Meaningless! says the Teacher. "utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless." What do people gain from all their labours at which they toil under the sun? 

After analysing things such as wealth, power, pleasure, popularity and human wisdom the teacher finds they are all sheer vanity, meaningless and empty. Human insight cannot give us a clue about what life is about...only wisdom from above can fill one's life with lasting purpose.

The book ends.....

Ecclesiastes 12: 13-14

"Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter; Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.
For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. '

What are your thoughts on life?

Wanna Go on a Train Ride?

Alberta Prairie Steam Tours Ltd. have a number of Train Rides, from Murder Mystery to Teddy Bear Train Rides. Some for adults and some for families. Well it so happens that we have been on a few different ones, but the one we have experienced the most is the Teddy Bear Train Ride as we have taken all our grandchildren on this trip! I think we have now had our last Teddy Bear Train Ride...wanna come along on our last one? We head on over to Stettler Alberta! Don't forget your Teddy Bear...if your under 10 years old you get on free with your Teddy Bear!

We will be heading to Big Valley, the trip takes about 1 1/2 hours. 

We travel between 15 - 18 miles an hour. 

We board the train ...cowboys come along on this trip!

We had great entertainment...and some enjoyed it more than others!   

               

Bandits came...and we were robbed... but after a good gun fight the good guys recovered the money!

We had a delicious roast beef dinner...

All the Teddy Bears were promenaded around the train.

Big Valley was once a booming train town. In the early 1900's the town was booming with a population of over 1000 people. Now the population is 325.

This is the ruins of a 14 stall roundhouse.

Six hours later we are back in Stettler. Hope you enjoyed the trip!

Little Things

I sometimes wonder, after all,
Amid this tangled web of fate,
If what is great may not be small,
And what is small may not be great.
So wondering I go my way,
Yet in my heart contentment sings . . .
O may I ever see, I pray,
God's grace and love in Little Things.   

Robert William Service

Life's made up of little things,

no great sacrifice or duty,

but smiles and many a cheerful word

fill up our lives with beauty.

The heartaches, as they come and go,

are but blessings in disguises,

for time will turn the pages o'er

and show us great surprises.

 Mary R. Hartman