Callahan Valley

A beautiful day in the Callahan Valley in crystal white snow and bright sunshine. So much beauty all around. The girls are now able to ski and are keen to do so most of the time - what a change from a few years ago when each fall was a tragedy and each hill a major ordeal!

The four intrepid cousins

Lily did spend much of her day trying to keep up with big cousin Molly - something which was impossible but always worth trying.

Lily, Molly, Ellen, Alice, Eric, Candy

Douglas on the 'top of the world'.

Ellen the forest fairy.

Alice the impressive

Lily, still feeling sorry to be left behind

Lily with Black Tusk in the distance

Eric, mon amour

The amazing field of snow ferns

Christmas at Wiltshire Street

Not quite to the standard of Larch street or Winnipeg perhaps but a very fine dinner all the same.

Sister to the power of three

So nice to have all the sisters back at home this fall. Here are three of them during a visit with Tai-tai and Papi in Sherbrooke.

Halloween - 2015 edition

Once again, with some help from 'mon oncle Marc' and some make-up assistance from Mama, the girls came up with some splendid costumes again this year.

Alice as Une clowne épeurante

Lily and Annaelle as two Maharani - the female version of  Maharaja and so - indian queens. Lily declared that her favourite coutumes were not the scary ones.

Flor, who you can see in the back ground here, stayed home to answer the door to the streams of trick-or-treaters. She was dressed as a Spanish widow. Very convincing!

The 'white' house always wins the most decorated category!

The new improved Fragments Libres

Here is the new enlarged Fragments Libres. Éric spent one week hard at work with his new Serb/Croatian friend - and there it is. We all wonder now how we all fit before in half the space.

Alice's soccer début

Here we have Alice Back on the soccer pitch after having been sighted by an eager coach at Gabi's final match of the summer season. So Alice joins the fine family tradition of team sports. All good for now and she seems to be able to kick the ball occasionally!

A few mountain pictures that I could not resist shareing

Lily on her way DOWN whitewater after a miserable night with fever manages  a real smile after a leisurely coming of the mountain...  thanks to her patient Pa .

 And the superbe Lyle Basin

 

Alice in the paintbrush 

Meo's concert

A grand event in the valley, Meo's first harp gig at the Hidden Garden Gallery along with talented and beloved Paul and Koko. We were quite a crew of Harris supporters - the concert quite upstaged the art show in many respects. Well done Meo!

The ritual hair braid before departure.

Front row supporters

 The artists at play

A captivated crowd

Oh the lake!

Thomson was almost a match for his aunt this summer!

 

and the trail home again

cousin power!!

Here they are, the fearsome five. Fearsome indeed, they spent a good deal of time this summer in the orchard sitting in a pile like this one telling each other scary stories. I think that they all managed to sleep despite their best efforts to spook themselves.

Some New Denver Summer moments - Émile and Paul-Antoine

Trumpet to the lake. 

el fotographo - setting up for the family portrait. 

This same camera was hauled up white water by the photographer himself!

New Denver - First things first!

I am back from a very full three weeks at the Ranch. Eric and the girls return tonight, one week later. I post here a smattering of our time there.

 Before anything else can happen there are iris to contend with. I spent my first couple of mornings with mattock in the marsh. I would return to the marsh at the end of my stay but this time in performance mode. Quite a different rapport with the mud!

Day Four - Moose Mountain, Saskatchewan

No pictures yet today but I talked with Colin and Eric earlier. They all seem to be doing well. Colin says that the term 'mountain' is used here rather loosely and there don't seem to be any sign of moose either.

They are making very good time. In New Denver by Saturday?

Day Three - Blue Lake, Ontario (near Kenora)

Day two - Pukaskwa

I don't have much news today apart from hearing that they did make it to Pukaskwa provincial park on the shores of Lake Superior. Colin was there last time and was keen to go back, and back they are. They should have one more day of Ontario before they hit the prairies.