Hail

The boys and I went to Barrie for the afternoon to shop. While we were gone Wasaga Beach had a major hailstorm. We could still see the piles of marble sized hail pellets when we got back. There were cars driving by covered in wet leaves and puddles covering much of the roads. Kevin said the noise in the house was incredible from the drumming of the hail on the roof and he could only see 4 houses away the hail was so heavy. Kevin took this picture. You can see the streaks left by hail as it travels to earth. The storm lasted about 10 minutes.


This is our deck. He said he brushed piles of hail the new patio furniture.

This is one of my gardens, now mulched with hail. Some of the other plants didn't fare as well. The veggies are flattened. Hopefully they will bounce back.

More on the Unicycle

We went to the skateboard park and playground tonight after an Air Cadet meeting. I wish I had thought to take my camera. After a few tries Connor could make it up and down the ramp at the skateboard park and he had quite a few interested kids watching. Then he moved onto the playground and went down the stairs and up and down the ramps. He wanted to try the twirly slide but I said no. Our neighbour (a surgical nurse) kept gasping and said she'd be patching him up soon. Alec was quite a daredevil when he was little but outgrew it. Connor however, is getting more and more daring!

Connor and his unicycle

We bought Connor a unicycle for Christmas 2006. He had asked for one and I would much rather encourage a physical activity than say Nintendo so that was his big present. He tried unicycling along the deck railing and down the halls Christmas day but really hasn't tried since. Well, he got himself grounded (a regular occurrence) for not calling us and leaving the house when we were in Peterborough at Alec's convocation. For an hour and a half we had no idea where he was and there really wasn't much we could do since we were 2 1/2 hours away. So he was really bored this weekend at home and pulled out the unicycle. He can go pretty far now after only 3 or 4 days of practice. He came with me when I walked the dogs tonight - about 4 or 5 blocks. He built a teeter-totter out of a brick and a piece of plywood at the construction down the road and practiced on that too. Next stop - a circus!

Alec's Convocation

Convocation (noun) - 1. calling together
2. large formal meeting

Why this is a convocation and not a graduation, I couldn't tell you. We were nevertheless pleased to attend this occasion yesterday. Here is Alec receiving his diploma from Dr. Tony Tilly, President of Sir Sandford Fleming College (Peterborough).


Outside after the ceremony.

With his proud parents. Can you tell he hates hugging? I was pleased to get a good picture of Kevin and Alec. You rarely get anything other than a mug shot from either of them.

The Men in Black, Cyberspace defenders. Of the 72 who started the CSI program (Computer Security and Investigations) 3 years ago, only 24 graduated. We are proud of Alec and his friends. Why do I feel like listening to the Arrogant Worms "The guy with computer know-how" now?

This was however a bittersweet day. Caitlin graduated last year and went out to Jasper for 6 months very shortly thereafter. So none of us attended her graduation ceremony or got to see her recieve the Equine Spirit Award.

Prom Night

After weeks of changed plans, arguing about whether or not she could borrow my truck, where she was allowed to go and with whom and what time she had to be home prom night is finally here! After appointments for her nails, hair and make-up here is our little princess Victoria.


Not quite so regal in this picture!

She asked us to the park to take pictures of her and her friends and it was interesting to see the attire. Formal gowns with flip-flops and suits with t-shirts and running shoes. I can barely remember our prom. I remember what I wore (because I have a picture) and that we went to Casa Loma but nothing else. It is so funny to look back and see the things you put so much emphasis on in high school and how trivial they seem now. Oh well. Here's to happy memories anyway!

Air Cadets

Last year Connor could hardly wait to turn 12 and join Air Cadets. The squadron here is very unorganized and within a few months he wanted to quit. Most of the older cadets did quit, leaving mostly first year kids. I told him he could only quit if he found a replacement activity. I wanted him to stick it out because he has a habit of quitting activities. He wasn't happy but he made it through the rest of the year. Last week he was selected to attend a two week camp in Trenton so now he is ecstatic. Today was their annual review and here is a picture of Connor in uniform.


Here is Connor and his proud grandmother.

Our Magnolia

We have wanted a magnolia for a long time. They can be tricky in our zone as the flower buds can be killed by a late frost. To make a long story short, I finally bought one late last spring and we have just enjoyed it's first blooms. It is a Yellowbird. Unfortunately, they don't last very long. I guess the consolation is that the lilac is blooming now so I can enjoy their scent while mourning the passing of the magnolia blooms until next year. That is one of the things I love about gardening - the everchanging sights and scents.