Here the kids are at the big white rock...in Whiterock, of course. The tide comes in so fast here that if you don't get out on the sand right away it might not be there when you come back. Scott and Mandy found that out with us while they were here. We got there and ten minutes later we had to find another beach.

Here are two pictures from Amleside Beach in North Vancouver. The beach sucks -it's all rock and wood and the kids won't get in the water cause it's too cold- but it's really cool to watch the ships sail out of Vancouver harbor. We were already impressed by the tanker ships out on the ocean, and then three of these cruise ships sailed by. They really are hotels on the water. The tankers would hardly even reach the deck rails on these babies. We were all impressed.

Madi and Dan in the water, Clay on his way. Tanker in the background.

More than just sand

Lest anyone think all we do is lay in the sun, here are some pictures from the suspension bridge and hiking trails in North Van. We have beaches and mountains. Not too shabby...

Crabfishing

Crabfishing has become our new family activity. Well, Dad fishes and we play at the beach. It's a win-win. The kids really enjoy pulling them up and watching them try to get away. We've had three keepers so far and the hardest part is putting these poor live creatures in the boiling water. But they do taste good. This picture is, obviously, not a live crab because it would be snapping at Clay with a lot of gusto. This is just one he found at the beach. It seems like I'm never around with the camera when we get them pulled out of the ocean and I forget to take a picture when we get home. Maybe next time I'll put a video on of the cooking fun. Scott and Mandy came out with us yesterday and I think Scott had a lot of fun. He told Dan he could just do that for the rest of the week. It's also a good excuse to sit out in the sun and play in the sand. Of course, we do that almost every day...

West Coast Journey - Day three
We have finally arrived on the West Coast. We piled our things out of the trailer and headed straight for the beach. The kids are thrilled. These pictures are, I think, from Whiterock and not from the beach near our house, but you get the idea. Lots of shells, crabs, starfish, oh, and seaweed. Look like it ought to be a lot of fun.

West Coast Journey - Day Two

Well, it is officially hot. Made it to Kamloops tonight and we were glad to get there. We went to the Train Museum in Revelstoke which thrilled the boys, and made a stop at the Enchanted Forest to escape the heat this afternoon. That thrilled everyone. Some of these poses is how we'd like to have our children while we travel.... They are being pretty good, but five hours a day in the hot car gets kinda boring, even with movies. I guess I could watch mountains and lakes all day, but little ones think you've seen one and you've seen them all. We drove through the Shuswap and Clay was amazed by the size of that lake. Just wait til he sees the ocean....

West Coast Journey - Day One

Well, we're on our way. We made it as far as Radium Hot Springs today with stops at Frank Slide and the World's Biggest Truck in Sparwood. The novelty of the drive is still with us, and so far we've only had a few arguements over who gets to ride in the van with Dad, Grandma and the movie player. The terrain has been fairly flat so far and the van/trailer did fine. The test will come tomorrow when we enter the mountains at Golden...