July

All month my kitchen has been looking like this. Not much excuse for it...but at least before I work on dinner, my breakfast and lunch dishes get put away.

 And the last two weeks the kids have been taking turns having the flu. Sure hope we're all finished with it by Friday!!

Killarney July 2, 2016

Last chance to use the far away thunderbox! I didn't miss it. ;)

We had to get clear out of the park this day, which meant going back two days worth of travel in one shot. Plus driving home after that.

The long portage felt just as long on the way back. This time I estimated halfway pretty well. But getting energy for the second half...was not easy!

The kids stuck together, and this time they snacked more often, which probably helped keep their energy and spirits up a bit longer. And we saw other people....and that is always a distraction from your troubles!

 Whew! That is the top of that hill!

 I passed the kids going up, but then they passed me while I tried to recover. ;)

 The other portages were a piece of cake after the big one was done. But the  last stretch of paddling was a lot of work. Waves and wind. And that loud ominous thunderhead! And the thunderclap just as we jumped into the canoe to head out over the open water? Yeah, that was nerve wracking. But it blew overhead and we were in the car zooming home nice on time.

 Mmm! Junk food!

 No mice got into the chips...I really should pack a rubbermaid container next time just in case they think about getting into it...that was I don't have to worry about it.

 We now have a favourite restaurant that we stop at halfway between Killarney and home. We even called in a reservation ahead, from the park. But then, when you reserve, it's not busy when you get there. ;)

Killarney July 1, 2016

 We've had such a dry summer that when we had 10 hours of rain on Canada Day, we did not complain. It wasn't nearly enough, but it was something!
Besides, with such a short trip we came in expecting rain, and so it wasn't a surprise. Melanie complained of being bored...but Philip pointed out that she'd complain of that at home too, rain or not.

Thankfully not all 10 hours were "waking hours" so we had the late afternoon with no rain. We could dry some things up. Roast marshmallows. Joke around. Throw rocks in the lake.

And because I have a sister-in-law living in the prairies raving about the ever changing sky all of the time, I have been spending more time observing the skies over the Canadian shield too. After all, it's kinda flat here too, so there's a fair bit of sky to look at. And I agree with her, there is a lot of beauty up there!

 We paddled over here, and the kids, when it wasn't windy, could explore that area as well. No sense loosing them on a gigantic lake, so keep them where they won't blow out of sight!

This sight, which we enjoyed for two days, had only one disadvantage. The thunder box was in Timbuktu. I couldn't believe even the 20th time I walked it, just how far it was from the main part of the site. 

We alternated using the potty and the thunder box. Even Daniel used the potty...'cause it was SOOO much easier. For me too!

The bandaid on the cheek is so she can't pick the mosquito bite. I think she still is picking that same bite! It keeps almost being gone, then she rips it open again! :o

Killarney June 30, 2016

 The next day was also beautiful and clear!  The only down side to a sunny day is that I have to get out sunscreen and slather everyone before we hit the road.
"Hit the water!" Melanie says.

The canoes, fully loaded. Minus 1/4 of the food, that is. Yes there is a potty in Philip's canoe. Yes, it was worth taking. Totally.

And how to carry it all in one go?

 Backpacks all around!

 I think Melanie had the heaviest pack! At least, on the way back she did (as far as kids go).

 It was a fun adventure setting out. But after 15 minutes the fun wore off. The 1km portage was a long go. We all needed lots of breaks. 

 You can't tell from this pic that I am developing a blister. And we're not even halfway yet. Yup, new sandals. I did take my old falling apart pair along though. So I could make it back home again. Good thing too! (I didn't tell Philip I packed spare footwear! But he didn't carry it, so I didn't get it trouble later. ;)

But we made it to the other side!! And it was a beautiful view when we got there. Well worth it. :)

Then we paddled around. We were on Three Narrows Lake. This, we think, was one of the narrows. It was a huge lake. I was very grateful that I could convince Philip to settle on the first campsite. We only had to verify that one other campsite wasn't as good as the first one before we paddled back and settled in on it. If we had to check all the campsites, we might have been paddling for two hours!! That lake was pretty huge! But narrow. 

A rewarding swim after the hard work. Gotta have lots of pics of that so we remember that camping is fun. 

 It is nice to have a beach all to ourselves. This one even had a gradual entryway into the water. It always gets deep fast...but now we have more than half of us who venture into the deep!

This is the second time Nathan was filtering water when a turtle came to check it out. So we stopped and checked him out.