August was a fun filled month...
Seelowen's Laughing North Wind (aka: Winnie) joined the FitzGerald family!

I couldn't hold back my tears when we finally picked up our new pup at the airport and she was in my arms! I'd waited two years for her & she was well worth the efforts!

Adelaide & Winnie were an instant team :)

We had time to fill before her first vet visit so we visited Bruce :) He was gentle with our new little bundle and she seems to rather like the boy !

Dr Candice, Adelaide & Sarah gave her a thorough check up and she passed with flying colours :)

And by the look on Dr Candice's face...I knew Winnie had scored a new fan :)

Daddy instantly fell in love too...we ALL did! It was rather amazing that this little pup had taken her entire day in such calm stride! She had been on two different planes, been handled by various staff in the process, had been decended upon by four very excited strangers (us), had been sniffed by a 135 lb dog and then rushed to the vet for a check up! And as if that wasn't enough, she still had to travel 100 miles to her new home!! All the while Winnie was calm, charming & cheerful. I'd say that is beyond impressive!

Welcoming our new pup home really was a family event as was the prep work! We bought a new pen and brought in some gravel...then the hard work began! The girls were right there shovelling & raking with Daddy to get things set up...We knew, at the time, that this was just the beginnng of a new adventure so the work was done with enthusiasm!

But a new puppy wasn't the only thing that we got this month!! Pink eye arrived!! Poor Daddy & Sarah were it so hard that we ended up in the nurses' station where nurse Sue took care of them! We are SO lucky for the nurses we ave here...they are the best :)

Much to my great delight, Auntie Joanne arrived too!! And it made my heart sing to see her talk "quilts" with the girls! I dearly love my friend and miss having her near. Hummmm...I'd have to stop & really think - was this her 5th visit? Wow!! My heart always lightens when she arrives & weighs heavy when she leaves. Guess that speaks to how much she means to me, to us.


With Katherine babysitting this month, our two little girls were never idle and the creativity and energy Katherine brought to the cabin was greatly appreciated! Adelaide & Sarah always look forward to visits with this ever so charming girl & it's no wonder!!



(Our newest neighbour...Pig!)


This month, Daddy & I drove home from work one day & found a love note in the driveway. I did everything to avoid running it over with the truck so this heart lasted for a few weeks at least! I can't wait to see what messages might greet us next summer :)

Me, Joanne & Kathrine...Three Quilters, Three Friends!

Down time with Winnie!

A play dates at Kathleen Lake just days before Reme & Claree left on their year long adventure. As I watched on, I thought about how different they would all look this time next year, when they were all reunited!

The mail man delivered a big surprise in August :) Heck, it wasn't even anyone's birthday!!! Even Winnie was right in there helping to open the parcel from Grandee & Grandad...wriggling with anticipation and delight!

I was wriggling with delight when I saw the content!!

and the girls were just as excited!! I'm sure they were both thinking, "Oh Mum, put the camera DOWN!!! But we all know that THAT is an unreasonable expectation!! When you have girls as beautiful as MINE, there can NEVER be enough photos! ;) Couple their good looks with the world's cutest outfits & I'm filling up camera cards like there is no tomorrow!

Even Winnie fell victum to the shutter bug ;) But again, the reasons are obvious ... just LOOK at this face!! ;)

Speaking of Winnie, She was settling into her new home quite comfortably :) and during her first few days, all three of the wee ones wore each other out!!

Winnie, Adelaide & Diamond enjoyed the outdoors together! Increadibly, Diamone turned 15 this spring and yet she still proved to be an awesome "Auntie" from the get-go!!

This photo still rates as one of my favourites of my girl!!

In hind sight, this photo makes me smile...Winnie was SO small at 8 weeks old...today (October 20) Winnie towers over dear old Diamond!!

OK so maybe THIS is one of my favourites ;) There is a rule in the cabin about no kids being allowed in the dog beds because these are sacrid places for the dogs!! Having said this, I couldn't resist taking a few shapshots before evicting Adelaide & letting Winnie back into her place!!

As Daddy & the girls continued to rake gravel for a few days, Winnie supervised from the highest point of the mound...never was a puppy so stunning, so kerasmatic, nor so focused on a job well done!!

At the end of every day, a serious nap was enjoyed :) Enjoyed & much needed !!! While Sarah LOVES this pup, this pup LOVES Sarah's curly hair!! Winnie chews it every chance she gets...some days I wondered if Sarah would go near Winnie when she was something OTHER than asleep ;) Luckly, the answer has been "yes" :)

Hummmm....what happened to that cabin rule about kids in doggie places? Guess it's a good thing I got an extra large bed, don't you tink? ;)

July started like a fairly normal month...

with me driving to work and doing the day to day family type of things...

My "normal" included driving to the base of is lake 6 out of ever 10 shifts & some times more... and I never tired of the of the commute. Working in the Yukon, usually means that any commute is trafic free and amidst only awe inspiring spaces.

Family time included bike rides...

and trips to the playground!

The swingsets never dissappoint ;)

*****

July was an imporantant month with lots of activity and millions of photos! Most of you know that Sean & I were looking at job opportunities in BC and after months of waiting, Sean was screened into the last stages of the competitions which. This included a trip south to

have face to face meetings in Ucluelet & Revelstoke.. Sean was gunnng for a coastal move & I was gunning for the ski slopes! Either way, it was an excitng time!

so....AirNorth carried us South so that we could start our BC tour...The girls were off to Aunt Maureen's for a lengthy holiday while Sean & I took off to the Island & then across the provence on a mission...

BC Ferries carried Sean & I to the Pacific Rim...in the sunshine!

I kept hearing that it rains every day on the island...but the sun wouldn't give up the goat ;)

and the Angora Goats at "Goats on the Roof" were enjoying the warm rays ...

Little Beach was a yummy place to take a break from the world and from all of the stresses of the whole idea of a possible move! In fact, the girls were going to arrive at his very spot with their Aunts & uncles, the very next day...SO...we set up a scavenger hunt here for the girls, hiding a baby crap and some kelp in a bag...I made a photo treasure map & sent it to Aunt Maureen!! By the time the girls got to the beach, a few extra days had passed so the crab-kelp compo (in a bag) had rippened a wee bit....I'm so glad I wasn't there to experience the first wiff ;) YUCK!!! It sure was fun planning the surprise though :)

It didn't take long to find Ucluelet's interesting places!

The Welcome to Town corner was beautiful with it's ocean feel & beautiful gardens & to think...the sun was still shinning!

"Sew Tuff", the quilting shop in Tofino, has the most interesting sales rep maning the counter now! I sure hope I get to visit Winston again...he was (at the tender age of 8 weeks) quite the charmer...and nothing like meeting a fellow quilter (no matter how "piggish" he might have been when it comes to his quilting books! ;)

"Reflecting Spirits Gallery", A artsy place to find great pottery...
And for the record, upon our return home, Winnie broke the mug that I bought here...but one phone call later, Ursela had a new one wrapped up & in the mail and my morning coffee & I are back in business :)

Ships Bell...on our way off the island & onto the Sunsine Coast to see Cindy & the pups!
and yes...the sun was still shining ;)

My smiling mug :)I was SO excited to be on the sunny coast! AND...still, there was NO rain!!!

And finally...puppies!! Sean & I took a night in Powell River to drink in the puppy-breath of our new little girl...only thing was that, the puppies had not been judged yet, so we didn't know which girl would be making her way to the Junction!

At 5 weeks old they were a joy to snuggle :) and I could have easily taken ANY of them home! I actually woke up at about 4 a.m. and snuck out to the puppy pen to cuddle & play for an hour...Sean & Cindy were amused ... I was in heaven!

And to think..People have outhouses in the South too!! Cindy's has great charm & character...& given that it over looks the ocean AND has NO bugs, I think I could actually give up my chamber pot for the likes of her kibo! All in all...Sean & I felt right at home at Seelowen's Leonbergers Kennel and the dogs were a welcomed break from talk of jobs & real estate!! Leos have a funny way of crawling under your skin...and Cindy's were no exception...Sean & I were bot hooked! :)

With our future pup & Cindy behind us we were East bound t Revelstoke but there was an important stop on route! Kamloops!!! The kids were born here so we popped into the NICU to give them an update & some long overdue photos of the girls :) Both Sean & I had a pang of emotion as we remembered the early days of parenthood in the hospital!

& then there was Revelstoke

with its world class skiing, stunning mountains and quaint little town...I was sold in about zero seconds! Heck, I haven't even seen the ski hill yet!!

Yuppers...I was loving it here!

Old growth forests too...Yes sir...still loving it! No need to convience ME Revelstoke is a great family place ;)

With the two interviews behind us & thousands of kilometers on the rental car, it was time to get back to our girls... We were separated for far too long & all four of us were feeling it to the core. Daddy & I drove & drove & drove, only stopping for a few very short map checks & then back on the go to our girls again:)

The fastest train couldn't get us back to Adelaide & Sarah quick enough...so all we could do was enjoy the last of the beautiful scenery that BC had to offer as we headed back to Vancouver...and return a wave to the Train Conductor that passed us along the way!
One of the things that intregued me about BC was the vast number of trains...they were impressive, abundant...and friendly!!

It was late when we rolled into Vancouver to hugged out children & by morning it was time to board AirNorth to head home! And with that, the goodbyes came...

& good-byes are never easy for grown-ups or kids!

But the mountains called out to us, and the Glaciers welcomed us back

And once on Yukon soil...we were happy to be home.

****

So, the question remained...if given the choice, were we to be a be Coastal family or live for the snow of the ski mountains? Either way...we'd had an interesting adventure, taken in beautiful places, gotten our fill of puppy breath & had a much needed break from the worst Yukon mosquito summer on record !