First week of summer

Summer has just begun and it's been a busy week.

I'm not sniffling so much, but the kids are all going through something. I'm trying to remember to treat my allergies because I think I spend most of each summer feeling stuffed up. In spite of sickness though, we've been having fun so far.


With only one day off of school, we immediately set off for the land of the dinosaurs. We did go to the museum, but it wasn't the highlight. The whole point was to get together with family as we do every three years. It was great to see everyone and it's never really long enough. I didn't even get one game of Scrabble in, but I did play a game of Upwards.

On a day threatening rain (I know - rain in Drumheller?!), a group of 27 of us toured an old coal mine, donning hats and headlights and climbing up to the mine.

And on a day not threatening rain, we went to the Tyrell Museum and hiked through the hills and hoodoos.


The only mountain goat among our small family unit, Beth climbed from the base to the prairie grasses at the hop of the hill with her cousin. It's hard to show how high Beth is in this picture. It's high. See the white dots in the picture below? Those are other people being goats as well.


Looking down makes me nervous so I didn't follow her very high up. I enjoyed the caves and lumps and bumps at the base of the hill with Laura and Alice.

The last time we were in this area, I needed five arms to swat the mosquitoes and wasn't able to step foot out of the tent, and the time before we spent our one day crossing the 11 bridges of Wayne, a trip that was supposed to end at a ghost town but really just ended at...nothing. I was determined to walk in the hills this time and I did.

Family and camping. A great way to start our summer.