I last updated 6 months ago. Time flies when you're having fun! Here are photos of some of the activies, friends and family get togethers this past summer. But first, I must include the joyous moments when the garden starts to come alive: 

Tiptoeing through the tulips, more like on my knees pulling weeds, but that doesn't sound as nice. ;) 

A Happy Birthday celebration for our friend, Mike (he's holding the blue  50 balloon), found us at the Raceway in Balzac during the Kentucky Derby.

Picnic season commenced in May and continued throughout the season ~ 

June was full of outdoor activities, walks in the woods to spot the new Great Horned Owlets in the park and bike rides to little ponds and creeks.

July started with a boat trip down the river to watch the fireworks on Canada Day:



And then there was a whole lot of construction around here. We finally got our lower deck removed and put in a stone patio. It's so pretty! We still have to redo the steps to the upper deck (they had started to rot so we pulled the trigger on removing them at the last minute). But wow, it's nice to know we have a patio that won't need replacing for as long as we're living here, feels very grounding.

Before:

After:

Bonus: it's also pretty after a rain.

We had family reunions including our annual visit with my Aunties (one lives in Florida, the other in Calgary). Always so nice to see them. 


And my Mom's brothers and wives came up for a week (from South Carolina, Phoenix and Victoria). One day, we went on a VIP tour of Roger's Place, home of the Edmonton Oilers. It was a 4 hour long adventure, including lunch and a superb tour of the building with a guide who filled us in on interesting facts about our hockey team and it's history. 


August was filled with more family and friend get togethers, and enjoying being outside as much as possible. 


I had a volunteer sunflower smack dab in the middle of one of my garden beds and I became obsessed with it, taking a ton photos of it as it grew, here are just a few.


Judy and I continued to work on some art projects, here's a few that are done. This is called, "Oh Sweet, Canada", a depiction of a White-throated Sparrow, a migratory song bird that is one of my very favourites. 

A sweet Red-breasted Nuthatch:

A regal Great Blue Heron: 

These pieces, along with many more are now on sale at the Alberta Gallery of Art gift shop.

I'll wrap this one up here. Stay tuned for a fall update and in the meantime, I hope this finds you on the greener side of the grass!