Being home

It's been way too long already, but I'm going to try to put some pictures up from when I went home to Thunder Bay. It was great to be there again, but always too short. Tom was fishing with my dad, his dad and some other guys for most of the week at a fishing resort, which they had a lot of fun with. I was enjoying being the rest of my family and seeing friends again. There's probably going to be more pictures here than anyone wants to see, but bear with me anyway!

Ethan and Grandpa Allan looking at the trains in the basement.

These pictures are from one of my favourite places in Thunder Bay -- the Marina. It's one of the things I miss the most about living in Thunder Bay!

One of the first nights we were there, my Aunt Janet and Uncle Hughie had a bonfire. It's silly really, but this is one of the things I really miss about being so far away from my family ... just getting together for a bonfire or a picnic or something like that and hanging out together .... and eating, of course! :-)

For some odd reason, my uncle likes to his marshmallows very crispy! If they're not burning, they're not done!

My mom and I took Ethan to Chippewa Park, where I remember my Mom taking us many times growing up. They had the Muskeg Express running this time (a little train the lumberjacks used to use) so we took a ride and Ethan had a blast. He had fun checking out all the heavy equipment they let you play on there, too. It was fun to see him enjoy things that I remember enjoying when I was a kid. Brings back a lot of memories and makes me realize how lucky I was to have a mother who took the time to take us to parks and enjoyed playing with us. Thanks, mom! Actually, I'm not sure who was having more fun this time, my mom or Ethan!

These are my cousins, Douglas and Benita. I feel like they grew up while I wasn't looking ... well, I guess they kind of did, since I moved away 8 years ago already. It doesn't really seem that long ago that I used to babysit them and take them to the same parks I've been taking Ethan when we're there. You have turned into such nice people, you guys -- not the bratty kids I remember babysitting -- just kidding! (you were actually pretty good kids, especially now that I have my own to come you to! )

While I was home, I got to have a good long conversation and lunch with my friend from high school, Joanna. She's just recently married, so of course we had lots to talk about! It was great to see you again, Jo! I think it's great that even after all these years, we can still find so much to talk about. This is Ethan with my Grandma Elsie. Ethan was quite the performer for her while he was there. He enjoyed her attention and her baking. Grandma always did believe in spoiling her grandkids and now she's working on her greats.

Ethan was a bit overwhelmed by his cousins, Brody and Evan, and mostly just watched them rather than participating in their games. I think he's got a lot to learn when it comes to playing with kids his own age. He's been spoiled having everyone do things his way! Look out, Ethan, you're going to be dethroned in a few more months! Rose and Brad have a new puppy, Lilly, who is very cute and rambunctious (sp?). I had fun late night scrapbooking with Rose. She mostly spent her time giving me ideas on how to improve my layouts, so not sure how much she got done, but I did appreciate the help. Some things never change ... I am still the younger sister!

The last day before going home, we toured Old Fort William -- a historic fur trading fort. It's a must-see if you ever make it to Thunder Bay. they have re-enactments of life as it was, so it's more than just reading a bunch of plaques and looking at old buildings. My mom got invited to dance with the voyageurs, which she had a hoot doing. The kids got to pump water at the old well, watch a fire bridgade at work, go for a wagon ride, etc. They had fun things for the kids to do and Rosemary and Mom tried their hand at milking cows. Mom, at least, had done it before, since she grew up on a dairy farm. Rose was a city slicker, I'm afraid.

All too soon, our trip was over, but we're glad for the great memories. This is how they all begin ... we're so glad to have a family!