We had a hot stretch this June and my peonies popped open like firecrackers!

They are my favourite flowers of summer ~ short lived, but stunning. 

With the hot temperatures, we were able to have people over in the yard again! After so many restrictions for so long, it felt like every time visitors came by it was a full blown party! 

Including delicious food like this charcuterie board from Festival City Catering.

We had one of our nephew's over for a little work project, which broke out into a mini jam session ~ 

And the return to fire pit jams was very much welcomed ~ 

The hot temps carried on into July, which was a little distressing during the days but made for beautiful sunsets and very comfortable evenings outside. 

And some of my flowers thrived like never before! Look at this impressive rose bloom, just gorgeous!

The hops have grown thick and lush on our pergola and we planted a bunch of veggies including corn, celery and hot peppers, which have all been enjoying the heat as well ~ 

Oh! The sour cherries! They're the sweetest they've ever been. I made 12 jars of cherry jam and, according to my cherry loving hubby, it's the best batch yet ~ 

Speaking of him, to celebrate his birthday, we went to a restaurant, *gasp*! I cannot recall the last time we went out to eat so this was a real treat. 

Afterwards, we walked down Whyte Ave and had a drink on a public patio. It just all felt, well... normal again.

We also had a bbq to celebrate his birthday and the weather was glorious ~

Even fireworks returned this summer!

I drove down to Drumheller in July for a quick visit with my some friends who have a place at an RV resort. We popped into Wayne for lunch at the Last Chance Saloon, which is always a fun place to drive to, passing over 11 small bridges that wind through 6 kilometres of badlands. 

The Last Chance Saloon is always worth a visit, the inside is full of old timey paraphernalia and they have an awesome patio to drink beers and watch the interesting characters that roll up to the joint for food. 

Back at the RV, I was able to visit my little nephew, Sully for the first time since last February. Of course, I had to bring him a bunch of fun candy including this giant gummy rat ~ 

We walked down to the river to catch the sunset and wade our feet in the cool water ~ 

 It was a fun time, but the next day, I had a date to see the Van Gogh exhibit back in Edmonton.

And afterwards, we finally got to go for dinner with my Mom to celebrate her birthday (back in March). We went to one of our favourite restaurants, Sabor for Portuguese. 

I had been craving authentic paella for so long, I had to order it and it did not disappoint. 

That same weekend, on a street near us, we stumbled across Festival in a Box ~ a circus like festival that has been circuiting various Edmonton neighbourhoods putting on quite a show: 

And in July, we even went to our sweet cousin, Dakota's lovely wedding. It was wonderful to be out hugging and celebrating with our family again!

In August, my Aunties from Florida and Calgary came up for their annual visit after missing a year ~ 

And we started back up our D & D game nights ~  

The scariest monster we encountered was a giant, vicious cat that wanted to eat our miniature characters, we barely survived his savagery (haha).

Enjoyed another short visit with my bestie, when she came up to Edmonton after a 2 year hiatus, what? 

The girls in my family also had a couple nights out at our lake cabin to reconnect, what a treat that was! 

The cocktail club continued with icy refreshments and good company during the dog days of summer.

And we even got to a few Fringe shows after missing out on my favourite festival in 2020. It was so wonderful to be out seeing live theatre and enjoying the beer gardens off of Whyte Ave again:

 

It's been a great summer, but now that fall is fast approaching, it's that time of year again to get back into the Bead Tree groove. 

I hope you had a wonderful summer as well and that it felt a little more normal. Here's to staying sane this autumn as it seems like we might have to restrict physical contact again. I'm really hoping we'll be able to host a Christmas show this year. I'll keep you posted and in the meantime, stay safe and happy. :)