Lydia's too short visit...

My grandaughter came and left already. I never saw 10 days go by so very fast. During her visit, we also were visited by dear friends, Cathy & Eric and their daughter Nathalie, my mother-in-law and her husband, my sister and brother-in-law along with their grandaughter, and two of my little nieces. The house was alive with merriment, the kitchen was constantly envelopped with the aroma of great food in the making, but it was the pool that was the center of activity. We actually had a few moments of sunshine! But Lydia didn't need sunshine to jump in the pool - she's a true water rat!

My sister Louise was wonderful in that she took Lydia one evening, brought her to her home to be with the cousins and then took all four of them to the Chalet the next day for a fun filled day of activities. Since it was raining (as usual this summer) they spent a lot of time in the sugar shanty, painting, playing cards, and then my Dad gave them a true "Partie de sucre" - he boiled maple syrup on the wood stove, and they licked the wooden spoons full of the thickening syrup, and then when it cooled, they gorged themselves on the taffy. Lydia had never tasted anything so good - she did, suprisingly enough, have a bit of a tummy ache later that day.

Keith & David & I joined the partying girls in the evening and enjoyed a impromptu song & dance presentation that the girls had practiced, and a great campfire, complete with songs, stories and lots of marshmellows...yum.

The next day, it was all over - time to say goodbye and head for the airport and make that long trip alone back to Vancouver. She's a brave soul, and I know that Lydia will never forget her great vacation - and we are already planning her visit for next summer.

My sister Louise is so right, the bonds created now in childhood with her cousins will last Lydia a lifetime - what a wonderful gift that is!