My Copilot Is A Troll

Rodeo and the cats playing hide & seek Once the Trolls and I returned from our epic European trip, it was May Long Weekend. Or, as I like to call it, gardening weekend. A dear friend took care of my seedlings while I was away, and it was time to get down to business. I had a greenhouse to fill with tomatoes and peppers. The raised beds needed to be planted. The soaker hoses and drip irrigation needed to be laid out. The hammock was calling to me! And so the rest of May and all of June was spent in the happiest of seasonal routines. The Canada Day long weekend lies between two very important birthdays, my Mom's and my youngest son's. We often visit Medicine Hat because of this. It was a fairly chill weekend, with not much on the agenda. However, there was one important task, to visit the memorial statue honouring the Germans from Russia immigrants, which included my paternal grandfather's family. It is on display in front of the Esplanade - the art and cultural centre in...

Medicine Hat (or The Hat) has a beautiful downtown, filled with unique restaurants, shops and parks. In addition to pottery and glass, bricks were produced locally, which makes for some amazing turn of the century architecture. Rudyard Kipling visited in 1907. Upon learning about the huge natural gas deposits in the area, uttered his famous quote "This part of the country seems to have all Hell for a basement, and the only trap door appears to be in Medicine Hat." The city's original planners filled the Hat with parks and greenspaces. In more recent eras, the entire city has been connected through and elaborate trail system.  There are people who are part of your life that time does not affect. My oldest friend is one of those people. Marcella and I met when I was 12. Our lives were so intertwined as teenagers, that she was with me on most of our first adventures. We were in 4-H, youth group and high school together. Our parents became friends and we married b...

 A little bit of Viking goes a long way! Some adventures are right in your own backyard, or at least, your in-law's back yard. We have always spent the February break in Medicine Hat. The kids had the week off, due to Family Day and Teacher's Convention. This was our last teacher's convention ever, since my youngest graduated this year. What does one do in Southern Alberta, in February with a 19 year old, a 17 year old, a 12 year old and a 6 month old (and an assortment of adults)? Six One Six Entertainment in Medicine Hat has virtual reality and axe throwing. The boys were very excited about the VR. I think we had as much fun watching the boys play the VR games as they had playing them.  Who knew VR was an entertaining spectator sport! We laughed so much as the boys ducked, swerved and shot at things that weren't really there! I was very excited about the axes! Axe throwing is one of the activities I have wanted to try for a long time. It did not disappoint! I was a li...