Edmonton marathon

 The Edmonton marathon was on this past Sunday and for the second year in a row, my church mission team and I organized a cheering station along Ada Boulevard, just down the street from the church.  We handed out wet sponges and orange wedges which were very much appreciated by the runners.

Unfortunately as I was downloading my pictures, I inadvertently deleted half of them!  So I've included some pictures here from last year's event.

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Motorcycle visitors

I had two Harley riders drop by my house this week. My sister, Sharon, and brother-in-law, Rick, took a motorcycle holiday, driving from their home in Manitoba through the northern states including the Going-To-The-Sun-Road in Montana and then back up into Canada to Cranbrook, BC. On their way back, they took in Banff and Jasper and then stopped in Edmonton for three days.

 

If you had told me ten years ago that my big sister would end up a motorcycle rider, I would have laughed. But never say never!

 

I still remember the day several years ago when I asked Sharon what she'd got for her birthday from Rick and she said, a motorcycle helmet! I couldn't believe it. I didn't even know Rick was getting back into motorcycles, but suddenly the two of them turned into Harley riders.

 

For the first year, Sharon rode as a passenger with Rick driving. But a female friend of her's got her motorcycle driver's licence and before you knew it, Sharon had decided she would do the same. Now she and Rick each ride their own bikes and are loving it!

 

The funny thing is, if you look up my address on Google Street View, you'll see Sharon & Rick's bikes parked in front of my house. The Google folks must have taken my street photo last summer when Sharon & Rick were here.

We took a ride out to Elk Island Park one evening hoping to see some wildlife, but someone must have told the animals we were coming and they went into hiding. We only saw three bison, a coyote and a beaver on the side of the road who disappeared as we approached. Oh yes, there was also a rabbit and a squirrel!

 

Sharon & Rick lucked out the following evening and saw two moose on their way home from Gord & Laura's acreage south east of Edmonton. We're a family that considers wildlife sightings an integral part of any drive.

 

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Garden tea party

I spent a delightful afternoon today at a garden tea party hosted by my friend, Gailene.  She lives in a beautiful, historic house surrounded by flower and vegetable gardens, which she shares with three other people.  They actually rent the house from the city of Edmonton.

 

For those of you familiar with Edmonton, the house is tucked away at the northeast end of Jasper Avenue next to Kinnaird Park.



 

 



Gailene taking a quick break to pose for a photo

 

The invitation said "garden party hats optional," and since I happened to have a brand new hat, I couldn't resist

 

This woman came in a beautiful vintage English garden tea dress

 

Guests explore the gardens

 

Caryn and Elizabeth, friends from choir tour

 

Elizabeth and Joy share a laugh

Gailene with two of her grandkids

 

A view of the house from the street

 

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Summer's not over yet!

We've had a number of cool days here lately, making it feel more like autumn than the beginning of August. I especially can't get over how chilly it feels in the evening. We have a summer student from Quebec at work and he keeps saying how it feels like summer is over, and I keep trying to assure him that this is unusual. It's just a blip, I keep telling him! We'll get more nice days yet before summer is over. (I sure hope I'm right!)

Meanwhile, the garden is still putting out its finery. This week the daylilies have started blooming, and I love them! I keep forgetting what colours I have so it's often a surprise when they do start to bloom. Unfortunately, each bloom only lasts for a day (hence the name) but luckily there are quite a few buds on each plant. I only know the names of a few of them.

This one is called Christmas Day. I got it at the Beverly Farmer's Market last year.

 

This is Catherine Woodbury. I got it as a bulb years ago, I think from Home Depot.

 

This is Stella d'Oro, which is the only one that tends to rebloom throughout the summer.

 

The Oriental lilies are also starting to bloom. I have them planted in two different spots and this one must get more light because it's already blooming whereas the other group is still in the bud stage.

I think this is Stargazer (or one that looks very similar to it)

 

I had a craving for BC peaches today so I headed off to the downtown farmer's market this morning. I ended up with a lot more than just peaches! Yummmm -- nothing like fresh produce!

 

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Saskatoon picking

My brother, Gord, has planted a lovely hedge of Saskatoons on his back 40, and the berries tend to ripen around the end of July/beginning of August. For the last two years, that also happens to be when Gord & Laura head out of town on vacation.

 

So, my niece, Michelle, and I headed out to the acreage last Friday and spent a lovely evening picking berries, until the mosquitoes got the better of us. 

 

We ended up with about 2-1/2 gallons between the two of us, and left one gallon of those in Gord & Laura's freezer. I've been enjoying the berries on my morning cereal, and come wintertime, I'll be happy to have berries in my freezer for things like Saskatoon muffins.

But I must say, one of my favourite ways to use the berries is in Blueberry French Toast, a delicious recipe from Taste of Home. I alter the recipe by using Saskatoons in place of blueberries and also reduce the cream cheese to one package instead of two, which is just too rich.

Yummm-mmmmy!

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Birthday week

It's been a busy week of birthday celebrations. Sharon flew out from Manitoba last weekend, and Gord and Bert organized a family birthday get together held at Gord & Laura's.

Chocolate zucchini birthday cake made by Bert!

 

Sharon went home with a suitcase full of rhubarb!
 

 

I was also treated to a number of dinners out with friends and family, but unfortunately didn't get pictures of those.
 

This past Saturday, Annette and I headed off to the Blackfoot Recreation Area and enjoyed a perfect evening in the great outdoors. We cooked hobo dinners over the fire and had fruit salad on the side, and then, surprise! She brought out a black forest birthday cake!
 

Love the rifle candle lighter!

 

 

 

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