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 ;)

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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.

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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 !