Strawberry Picking Pics

Feeling so much at home, being outside, working in the fields,

getting down and dirty while picking 

strawberries earlier this summer.

Get the BUCKETS - Check!

Get the BABY - Check!

Sunblock to block the sun's kisses...

...cute as can be (The Jane and her son Malcolm)

Don't worry I got this...

...block that sun with a very distinguished...

SUN-HAT!!!

READY TO START PICK'IN!

Good to go.

Look at that technique.

Malcolm form is amazing.

Five minutes later he is bored.

Who's that?!?

Father and Son working the field!

Family shot.

Malcolm shot.

Family shot part DEUX!

Don't worry guys, I will carry all the strawberries!

(thank gawd I am so ridiculously strong)

  

Mom and Baby Samm-O resting after a hard day of work.

All days should end with a nosey-smoooouch!

Just saying.

Lucky Number Five - YAY Another GIRL!

Introducing the fifth grandchild to the 

WELLS FAMILY!

Evelyn Mary Wells.

She already goes by her nickname - Evie!

AWESOME.

(the alien thing is just for the first little bit, promise that look goes away after a while)

This means I'm off the hook with creating any of my own little monkeys.

BOOM!

*sigh of relief

Besides five kids is a lot for Gaga (gran-Marie) and Papa (Sir John) so 

the pressure is off!

DOUBLE BOOM!

Signing off 

from the 

HAPPIEST AUNTIE LOLO YET!

Conversation between Me and My Dad

ME: Hey dad, let's take a picture?

DAD: Sure, okay.

ME: Oh crap, I cut myself out. Lemme try again.

DAD: Again? Yeah, okay.

ME: Oh MAN! Why can't I take a good photo? Okay just oooooone more.

DAD: Fine.

(dad is already looking to escape in the boat)

ME: BAH - What gives? Okay, let's try quickly....dad? Dad? 

DAD: 

(Already took off) 

Solo shot.

Clearly it was the other person in the photo making 

me look so bad...or taking all the good looks for himself.

Live and kicking at the cottage.

Smiling.

Calgary to Winnipeg to the Lake of the Woods - Boom!

It started with a lot of white picket fences...

and a lot of clear Calgary blue skies.

A beautiful little neighbourhood, stuck between two parks, an ice cream joint and 

the cutest little coffee bar which I never got to 

go in and try - sigh!

(next time Meghan ;-) )

Loving the one way streets which I ran down all the time...

...the WRONG way!

 Houses all lined up in a row, so orderly, so proper, so NOT 

Bangladesh.

Bryan and Meg's little round window was a 

one of my favourite features.

Sigh.

Clean sidewalks.

No fear of stepping in water, pooh or garbage.

(nice shorts, why thank you P.E. department at Bangladesh)

Saying good bye to Calgary with one final nighttime walk.

Good bye beautiful park, good bye beautiful trees.

YOU WILL NOT BE MISSED!

(sorry Matt, I had to!)

Then after a short flight and an even longer drive 

(the drive was longer than the flight - UGH!)

Dear 91 year old Margaret Peacock (loving known as granny),

Uncle Brian and Lauren HilaryWells make

it to Lake of the Woods, Keewatin Marina in one piece.

Too excited....

...there are no words to express my

EXCITEMENT!

We are OUTTA HERE!!!

See ya later shore with road side access....

Passing the many island in Lake of the Woods.

Feeling a little Canadian as we pass many flags blowing in the wind. 

(Will probably feel more Welsh tomorrow when making 

pots of tea for Dad and I to drink six times a day at the cottage)

Last island we pass before we get to the

one and only 

WILDCAT ISLAND.

Stay tuned.

TIPS For Travelers; Healthy Flying (I Never Knew)

Tips to remember while flying?

After reading an article in READER'S DIGEST the other day at the airport (don't judge), I discovered that there are some serious risks that I'm taking every  time I fly. Yes of course, the obvious one (flying can sometimes be very dangerous and result in well...accidents) but the other risk (the one I did not know about) is blood clots.

For those of you who know who RON MACLEAN the article was about his wife and how as a woman in her 50's, in shape, healthy (she ran marathons for crying out LOUD) had taken a plan in April from Vietnam to Toronto and only in November did she suffer complications from the blood clot that had moved from her CALF to her HEART. A very scary situation indeed and actually, without giving the story away went to the hospital and had a very life threathening 40 minutes were doctors had no idea what was going on. Why was she weak? Not breathing? Close to heart failure? Real danger of losing her life.

In short (SPOILER HERE) her doctors DID figure out what was wrong and quickly (with very little time) saved her but it was really by luck since her signs for PE (pulmonary embolism, which comes after getting clots) were not visible/showing at all (and what is crazy is that 70  percent of patients who die from pulmonary embolism die within the first hour - YIKES! Think about it, travel time to hospital, getting admitted, doctors looking at files, WHOA! An hour can go by fast!))
If you get a chance, take a quick PEAK at the article

OR

keep reading....

WHAT DID I LEARN??? The following (if a traveler or travelling  this summer/fall/ever - PAY ATTENTION!)

IMPORTANT NOTE: FOUR hours or more can trigger the formation of blood clothes, known as a deep-vein thrombosis, the condition that precedes a pulmonary embolism. Here how to avoid them;

1) While on the plan, a few minutes of low-intensity activity every two hours will boost circulation. Consider a quick walk up  and down the aisle, or simple flex-and-point exercise with your toes ( I am one of those who always gets up but only after three movies...OPPS!)

2) A single 81 milligramme dosage of Aspirin a half hour before boarding can help thin the blood and help prevent blood clotting.

3) STAY hydrated! (DONE AND DONE!) Drink fluids regularly during flight and go easy on the booze (WHAT!?! Boooo!).

4) Watch your calves months following the trip. Any swelling could be the telltale sign of a clot (Did you know this? I DID NOT KNOW THIS - kinda scary, don't you think?).

Just keeping it real people, just trying to keep it real.

I hate to say it by I think Ms.Wells is slowly coming back from summer recess.

UGH!

What is THAT?!?

Nope - this is NOT a cute bunny.

Nor is it an over-weight rabbit.

This is Calgary's version of a rabbit, also known as "a hare."

This guy scared the BE-JE-ZEUS out of me because

he was just sitting there, not moving while we all walked by him....

...CREEPY!

Normally I would help poor creatures who looked stressed

(check out those eyes people - popping out of his head stressed)

but this one looked as if he might POUNCE!

I am sure he would have bitten my hand RIGHT OFF had I tried to pick him 

up and take him to the animal hospital.

I wanted to but I just couldn't do it.

I couldn't help the poor, crazed over-sized rabbit.

Sigh*

In conclusion?

Hares are too big, too powerful and clearly taking too many steroids.

(did you see how big his back legs were in picture number one?)

I have added this animal to my list of most 

FEROCIOUS and AGGRESSIVE

 animals that walk (or hop) on the planet.

Stay CLEAR of 'hares' in Calgary.

Just a thoughtful warning.

Not Sure I Want To Leave...

Do I have to go?

Never enough time with family.

Sigh*