Pipers Lagoon Park

 We explored a new park this afternoon. It's actually just across the bay from Neck Point Park. We had seen the colourful shacks from that park and today we actually got to visit them!






Evelyn loved the view as much as I did.

We were at the park near the end of low tide and were able to walk across to the shacks on dry ground. It was heavily covered in oysters, so I think it may be a farm ground for an oyster company.

 By the time we got over the barnacle encrusted oyster field, and had poked around the shack for about 5 minutes, the dry ground was already starting to disappear. We ended up wading back through calf deep water! I was surprised how fast that tide turned!

 The park is comprised of a long narrow neck with beach on each side, and a sort of island at the end of the neck. It reminds me of Esquimalt Lagoon except it only has one access point. The land at the end of the long spit is very rocky and hilly. In many areas, the footpath disappears into a rocky hill and it is left to the walker to choose their path. Later on, the trail will resume. This island (sort of) is criss-crossed with multiple trails. I think a person could explore the island a different way for weeks. The trails were uneven, rocky and narrow. It made for a good adventure.

After walking around the point of the spit, we checked out a really sweet fort some kids had built in a small wooded area. They had even built a couple lofts in the trees! Evelyn and Ethan were eager to help build and play in the fort, but as they added sticks etc, it began to collapse in a couple places. I decided that climbing up to one of the lofts, or being inside the fort was not the safest idea and I made them leave. As you can imagine, they were not happy campers with that decision. 

 But, once cooler heads had once again returned, they understood my reasoning and got busy enjoying the beach. They found the log above with a maze of insect tracks.

They also decided to make the roots of a fallen tree into a pirate ship.

 That tree kept them occupied and engaged in imaginative play for about 20 minutes. It would have lasted longer, but I had to get home.

Ahoy!

Cousins

Look who's walking! Tyson is pretty steady on his feet now. Look at his curls! 

These are all of the Great-Grandkids. Evelyn, Tyson, Matthew and Ethan.

Really wonderful Website.

We have watched a few videos from this website at church lately. They are basically all testimonies of how each person discovered that when they put themselves first, life did not go very well. But, when they moved themselves into second place, and put their Father in first place, everything started to fall into place and they found peace.

The stories we viewed were from a heavy metal rocker, a major league baseball player (last years MVP) a former beauty queen, and a Brazilian Mixed Marshal Arts athlete. The clips are all extremely well edited and have a rather artsy feel. They are also authentic, raw, and honest. I encourage you to check out the site and watch a few clips.

www.IAmSecond.com

Disney World Photos #2

 A small portion of a mosaic wall in Cinderella's Castle. The whole thing was so beautiful and detailed. 

Meeting Baloo in Animal Kingdom. He had just returned from a water break and we were the only people waiting to meet him, so he goofed around a bit and played in the jungle with Ethan. 

Ryan really wanted to meet Baloo, and he got Kink Louie also! 

Some White Rhino's we saw on Safari. 

 A warthog in his den. They are really very odd creatures.

Some tropical fish at Animal Kingdom.

A hippo taking a break. 

A gorilla having a snack. 

Ethan and I with 'Mount Kilimanjaro' in the background. This 'mountain' housed a large roller coaster called 'Expedition Everest' Ethan was just tall enough to ride and he loved it. I think we went on 3 times. 

Waiting for the 3D movie 'It's tough to be a bug'. Last time we saw it, Ethan ran screaming from the theatre. This time, he made it to the end, but Evelyn ran screaming. 

 Ethan fighting Darth Vader during his participation in 'Jedi Academy'.

 Evelyn battling Darth Vader as she trained as a young Padawan.

A photo with Mary Poppins. 

Arrrgh! My family has become pirates! We rode the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction many times.

Disney World Photos #1

 We're off! The Clipper Ride was wonderful. Great scenery and relaxed customs experience. Customs at the ferry terminal is not nearly as intimidating as at the airport.

These two guys have been favorite characters for both Disney trips. Both times, they stole Ethan's hat and goofed around with the kids. We now have 2 Chip and Dale fans in the house.

 Ethan used a good portion of his spending money to build his own light sabre. He's very pleased with it too.

 This was part of the waiting Que to meet Buzz and Woody.

Ethan and Evelyn spent most of this character greet time dancing with the characters. 

 Ryan volunteered to be in a special effects show at Hollywood studios. He played a frigate captain during an attack by air and torpedo.

 He only got a little bit wet and got to have a very unique experience.

Donald was a lot of fun too. We met him right after his water break, and I think he overheard us giving instructions to Ethan because he signed his book "To Ethan". 

A family photo at Animal Kingdom. 

 We saw a 'Lion King' show in Animal Kingdom. We were selected to have front row seats and Ryan was invited up to lead our section in our 'team' warthog sound. Warthog sounds are not easy to make! The show was fabulous! Acrobatics, Singing, Dancing, and lots of interaction.

It was set as a theatre-in-the-round.

 Evelyn and Ethan got to make music and parade around the centre stage.

 My little Prince Ethan. He was kissed on the cheek by Tinkerbell, and she left a big lipstick mark on his cheek. The same day, 'Alice' (from wonderland) also kissed his other cheek. He was slightly embarrassed but secretly gleeful of these kisses, the next day, however, he was kissed by 'Aurora' also. At that point, he decided he did not like kisses from princesses and became very wary of them. He easily went on scary rides, embraced the stuffed characters, and happily performed in front of several hundred people, but cowered in fear of any other princesses we met. He refused to touch them or stand next to them.

He agreed to wear this prince charming jacket for one morning. I love how handsome he looks!

 Lady Germaine, Anastasia and Drysella were my favorite characters to interact with. They were well cast and really played their roles well. I enjoyed listening to their banter and bickering as they signed and took photos.

Evelyn had a 'Pop Princess' makeover. She chose rainbow hair because it would go with everything.