Sunny Days

Posted on March 2, 2015 by lifeonabramlake

Curled on my side, enveloped in the luxury of my down duvet, I feel a a small nudge against my feet. Silently, Ada jumps onto the bed and nestles tightly against my legs, filling the c-shaped space created by the back of my knees. As the pre-dawn gray light faintly illuminates the bedroom, my attention is pulled towards the wriggling bundle of warmth snuggled against my chest. With his feet pressed against my bent legs, Henry nurses while periodically reaching out with his palm to touch my chin, my neck and my chest. From front and back, I am sandwiched between two equally cuddly and loveable beings. I gaze out our bedroom window and watch as the morning sun slowly reveals the face of the mountains, inch by inch. Our world is silent save for Blake’s deep breaths nearby and Henry’s suckling. This must be the definition of happiness.

Morning view from our bedroom window

6am is so much easier when you have this face to wake up to!

Family bed!

Morning snuggles

With only two weeks left of my maternity leave, I am acutely aware of how precious quiet moments like these are. Each day with Henry is a joy, especially since he has been consistently sleeping 10-12 hours straight a night! I definitely feel more functional and more human. I can’t even remember the last time I cried and my memory is slowly returning 🙂

Over the last four weeks, we have been blessed with endless visits from friends and beautiful sunny, spring-like weather. Although Blake has been pretty disappointed with the lack of snow, I have secretly been happy with each consecutive bluebird day. With temperatures consistently above zero combined with cloudless, sunny skies, Henry, Ada and I have been slowly returning to our usual outdoor adventures. As my knee has healed, I have been gradually doing more and more, working diligently with one of the local physiotherapists. I am now back to the gym, cycling daily and have been cleared to return to the trails snowshoeing! It has been fantastic to get outside again and to move around with more confidence.

We never get tired of our view!

Welcoming the sunshine!

About a week after Cat & Meg’s holiday, our friends D’Arcy and Colin paid us a visit from Vancouver. After 15 years of friendship, Colin is one of my oldest camp friends from my days at Camp Hollyburn in Muskoka. Although we are no longer producing wildly hilarious plays from C&C Productions Inc., planning camp-wide events, spending days off at the Bracebridge Dollarama and generally being goofy, whenever I am around Colin, I still laugh like I am fifteen again. It was a pleasure to have Colin, D’Arcy and their dog Blackberry for their mountain vacation.

Colin & I at Camp Hollyburn

After a canoe-trip!

Camp besties circa 1999?

Our week with Colin and D’Arcy kick-started the beautiful weather here in Revy and the boys gave up their skis for drinks on the patio, walks about town and a night out at the local curling club.

Spring skiing in February?

The boys on our patio

The boys doing a shot-ski

Having an apres-ski beer on the patio

Patio beer!

I can’t believe this if February!

Mom & Baby workouts 🙂

Loving it!

D’Arcy, Henry & Blake strolling through town

Relaxing in the carseat while we have lunch at one of the local pubs

Fantastic dinners made by chef Blake

Wine? Don’t mind if I do!

D’Arcy, Colin & I

D’Arcy & Henry watching curling – just a typical Friday night!

Swedes vs Canada

Colin & I on a walk along the Columbia River

Being connected to Revelstoke locals definitely has many perks. One of which was a tip on the secluded location of a natural hot spring outside of the tiny town of Nakusp. During D’Arcy and Colin’s visit, we decided to take a day trip out of town.

To get to the hot springs, we packed up the car and drove to the Shelter Bay Ferry which we took across beautiful Columbia River. From there, after a few false starts down rough, muddy logging roads, we finally found the unmarked trailhead for the hot springs. Following along a small creek, we then hiked about 45-minutes through towering cedar and hemlock trees to the natural hot springs. It was a tiny slice of paradise! Along with a few other bathers, we spent the early afternoon soaking in the hot tubs of water staring up at a canopy of conifers. As the pools were completely undeveloped, the logistics of changing and nursing Henry definitely required some creativity and teamwork but was well worth the challenge. Henry loved the warm water and didn’t fuss throughout the whole day of adventuring. I hope this speaks to his future love for the outdoors!

Henry’s first ferry ride!

Hiking into the hot springs

Snoozing away

We made it!

Soaking in the pool

So relaxed

I love BC forests!

The Columbia River on the ferry back to Revelstoke

So beautiful!

Following Colin & D’Arcy’s visit, we had a few days on our own before our next visitors arrived. Henry and I kept ourselves busy by venturing up to the peak of the ski hill via the gondola to meet Blake for coffee, snowshoeing on Mount Mackenzie and taking trips to the community and resort pools. Henry is really becoming a little fish and actually likes to be dunked underwater! I also took Henry to the library – an important ‘first’ which lasted all of ten minutes after he started fussing loudly 🙂

On the gondola

At the peak

Snowshoeing on Mount Mackenzie

Sunny days!

At the resort pool

Our next guests were close friends from Calgary. Blake’s long-time college friend, Dirk, his wife Kelsey and their dog Summit drove up for another fantastically sunny weekend. Since there was little snow to be found, we went for long walks with the dogs, dipped in the hotel pool and had a wonderful dinner out at the Woolsey Creek Cafe.

Blake, Henry & Dirk reading ‘Powder’ magazine

So warm in the sun!

All dressed up for dinner!

Back at the condo, Blake has been religiously checking the weather while muttering ‘Winter has been cancelled!’. He has become more and more disappointed about the lack of snow and sub-par skiing conditions. It has gotten to the point where he actually believes that the weatherman who writes ‘NIL’ on the snow report is secretly out to get him! Since I’m worried about his mental health, we are off to Nelson for a few days and will be hosting more friends over the last two weeks here at the Revelstoke Mountain Resort before packing up and making the cross-country trek (again!) home to Sioux Lookout.

How time flies!