Aylmer Express "MoHo" Extravaganza 2006

Finally, this is the first day in a long time where we have nothing planned. The focus will basically be relaxation. We started off with a lazy morning. Big surprise, eh? We got up late enough that we decided to combine breakfast and lunch together … brunch, if you will. Next step, since it was a beautiful, hot and sunny day, we headed to the beach to take it easy. The lake is quite large and surounded by the foothills of the Rockies so it is a very enjoyable environment. We squeezed in a little swimming, a little Frisbee, and a little soaking of the sun while we did some catching up with Carol and Neil whom we have not seen in a couple of years. You have got to love afternoons like that. Meanwhile, Morgan and his new buddy Reilly were fortunate enough to get a “tube” ride behind a boat of one of Carol and Neil’s friends so they were happy campers too. Paul, the owner and driver of the boat, is friends with Reilly’s family and he ended up spending most of the day piloting the many different kids, and some adults, around the lake in a two-man tube. Paul definitely knows how to show everyone a good time. He is rather liberal with the throttle which results in quite a bit of “air time” for those following in the tube. Morgan and Reilly loved it. Thanks Paul. Paul said afterward that for the kids, this is what summer is all about. And he added that just seeing their smiles is worth it. A-P decided to get back into business mode and open up his “Trendy Candy” stand at the beach today. He did reasonably well selling the multifarious items he has in stock ranging from chewing gum to gummy bears but I am sure he would have done even better if he was selling ice cold drinks. Then we joined Carol and Neil and Quinten for a lovely salmon dinner at their campsite after which we retired to the campfire along with John and Sonja. They live on Pender Island which is one of the islands we passed on our ferry trip to Vancouver Island. It was interesting to hear what life is like on an island that only has 185 residents. As you would imagine, some things are quite different. For instance, at their school they pay attention to the “grade-to-teacher” ratio rather than a “student-to-teacher” ratio. They said that there are only about 100 students in total at the school and this results in each teacher handling about three separate grades. What do they do for a living out there you might ask? So did I? He runs a nursery where he grows a lot of the more exotic plants that retailers like to sell. Very interesting and definitely a more alternative life style. He mentioned that they only have dial-up internet access and high-speed is actually hard to find on their island. And they don’t have cable or satellite tv either. They just use an antenna which allows them to get 3 channels reasonably well … and Reilly can get a forth too if he takes the tv to his room upstairs! Great company and another very enjoyable campfire. This day turned out to be just what the doctor ordered.

Today’s word:

multifarious \muhl-tuh-FAIR-ee-uhs\, adjective:
Having great diversity or variety; of various kinds; diversified.