Finally

I finally had a chance to look at the pictures from our Canada trip. I thought that when 86% of my kids were in school, I would have time to work on a few projects. It turns out that although it is a blast having Zachary as my only buddy at home during the day, he is very entertaining, and he also likes to be entertained. He is so talkative and curious and energetic that as soon as we get home each day from the marathon of dropping kids off at 3 different schools, he is ready to play. I can usually sneak in a little bit of housework first thing, because he thinks it is really fun to "help" me vacuum, dust, clean toilets, etc. But pretty soon I get tired of this "help" and decide to move on to something else. We read and play and run around outside, eat lunch, play some more, and before I know it, it is time to go pick up kids from school.

OK. So our first stop in Canada was Banff. On our way up, we always have to stop and take a picture at this spot. The Continental Divide--the boundary between British Columbia and Alberta, and also between Kootenay and Banff National Parks.As this was our 3rd trip to Alberta, we had fine-tuned our accommodations. The first time we went, we stayed at the same hotel the entire trip. It was the Rimrock Resort, and it was luxurious. We had the most incredible view, and we loved it there. Only problem, it was a little fancy schmancy, and people there don't look kindly on a family of then-6 kids walking into the hotel with bags of groceries from Safeway. We also learned that although Banff is a pretty town, it is very touristy, and there are many, many things to do that required an hour or more of a drive from Banff. The second time we went, we found the perfect place to stay. Canmore is about 12 miles east of Banff, and cheaper to eat and stay in. We rented a 3-bedroom condo at Fire Mountain Lodge which had lots of room for all of us, and a full kitchen for cheapskate people like me who are perfectly capable of making oatmeal, pouring cereal or toasting a bagel for breakfast. We stayed here for the first 3 nights of our trip this year as well. It's a quick drive into Banff, and also a beautiful place to stay and explore on its own.

One place we always go in Banff is Bow Falls. It is a huge waterfall (likely a class 6 rapid--no skill necessary) with a park below where the kids love to throw rocks into the bright blue water. Despite the excellent throwing arms some of our kids have, nobody got hit in the head, and we enjoyed the afternoon there.In Canmore we took some walks along the Bow River. One day we came upon a beautiful park that we hadn't ever seen before. What an incredible location for a park. Huge Canadian Rockies on one side, and the Bow River on the other side. The kids played there forever.

Jacob noticed this huge head one day driving through Canmore. How have I NOT noticed this thing before--even when I ran by it every morning?
Mark and I didn't miss a run the whole time we were on vacation. We got up early and enjoyed the beautiful morning scenery. Our lungs didn't necessarily appreciate the elevation, but it was worth it to see the sun come up over the Canadian Rockies every morning. Poor hemoglobin.

Next stop: Lake Louise.