Camping adevntures

So we went camping.  That single sentence says a lot.  We drove eight hours west to camp in the middle of British Columbia on Lake Okanagan, in the Fintry Provincial Park.  This park was really interesting.  The historical aspects of it Bryant and I very much appreciated and enjoyed.
http://www.fintry.ca/history/index.php  Check it out- it was pretty neat! 
But even camping at an interesting historical sight is not why we go.  We go to have fun and torture  play with the kids as a family.

Here we are getting ready to hike up to a waterfall. Despite some of the faces, we have a good time exploring and discovering things.  And we made it !  Bryant and I were feeling our years ( or perhaps one too many late night goodies) and realized that our kids are part mountain goat.  They had no problem whatsoever.

 

First family picture with all eight of us :-)



 

The entire family had a lot of fun explore the grounds of the old Fintry estate. The kids had fun looking at the old fashion stuff, discovering the barns and playing in the gardens.

This was the view from our tent

This is the original manor house. Great workmanship and incredible engineering.  First to have electricity in the area,  And the impossible- underground sprinkler irrigation.

Beautiful roses planted in memory of the owner's beloved wife

incredible barns and sheds.

The grounds had this great labyrinth on the manor grounds just north of the house.  It was constructed, copying the design of the great garden labyrinth at Chartes Cathedral in France.  I thought the boys were be completely bored with this, but everyday they wanted to come and do "the maze".  Some days they ran, but other days they walked it.  It was incredible.  If only we could find a way to put one in our backyard...

Then Bryant surprized us by renting a boat for a day.  The boys had so much fun.  And truth be told, so did the parents.

 

 

Every boy had a turn out on the tube.  Even Nathaniel was determined to not miss out on the fun.  I went with him and helped him to hang on and he had a blast.  We all did.  Perhaps a little too much...

 

This was Seth and Jeffrey's view. 

This stud can still pilot a boat, even with sleeping kids all over him :-)





Playing with the kids (and Bryant of course) was a blast.  Camping with our tribe, despite all the invariable complications and hassle and headaches, is something that has blessed us.  Sometimes it is the shared memories of fun and family.  Sometimes it is simply making the time to slow down and realizing the innumerable blessings around us.  Our last views helped us understand that.