Two weeks of *real* summer!

Lo & behold, it happened... It was already mid-August, but we finally got two glorious weeks of real summer weather. Sun on skin, blue skies, fragrant smells in the air. And we made the most of it!

Some pals came up for a BBQ on our deck, before everyone was taking off for jaunts to the western US. Now these guys are chasing elk in the mountains of Idaho, for Josh's PhD research (and we are actually feasting here on the remainder of last year's hunt).

Josh, Rob, Eliot, Céline and Ann

We had a blast the next weekend, visiting our friends in Yarker, near Kingston (Laura, Tory & their kids Willem and Samantha). How many outdoor pursuits can be packed into one weekend? Waterfall swimming, bridge jumping, kayaking, and motorcycle riding (Troy let Rob take a spin on his bike), for starters.

Making steady progress on the house. Rob built an adorable little deck, perched right amid the trees at the river edge. And his beloved fern garden is thriving - check out the cedar rain barrel we scored for $15 at a garage sale. (Its seller is fast becoming a new friend - he has a wood lot and was looking for help, so Rob's been spending some time there doing boy stuff).

The indoor renos are coming along too. The beach mural is now gone (hooray!) - can't wait to show the after shots, soon! (You can see our new buddy poking his nose out there, at about 18 weeks.)

The week before Labour Day, we headed back to Ontario for a round of visits. First we hit Markham, to see my Dad, stepMom, brother and sister (dang, we really wished Derek was there too). Perfect timing 'cause it was Lynn's bday that weekend. In Toronto we went out for dinner to celebrate Jane's 40th birthday. And the next night we stayed in Hamilton at Rob's Mom's, for his stepDad Ryan's 80th birthday shindig. It was FANTASTIC to be able to make all the remaining, important introductions, and to spend time with our families!

For those who've requested belly updates: this is ~19 weeks.

Rob with his sisters Caroline & Sheryl

At this point we were 3 days and ~1000 km into the Ontario tour (with 1500 km to go!). From Hamilton we headed north up to Tobermory to catch the ferry to Manitoulin. And that's where we spent the last, lazy days of summer, hanging out on the lake with Mom & Ken.

p.s. Finished my charity knitting for this year's Warm Hands shipment to Labrador, and dropped it off at the Knit Café while in TO. My favourite item was these socks. And with fall just around the corner, you know my needles are itching. Ooh, how I dream of the yarn time I'll have once I'm on maternity leave, only 4 months to go...