The symbolic opening of the boathouse doors signifies the beginning of a summer week at the cottage. The first of three obligatory boat people photos. In this one, Graeme is really happy.. ...here Jenn holds Catriona... ...and here Grandpa/Dad/Jim is enjoying being with his grand kids for the first time in ages. Approaching the landing. That boathouse is sinking lower every year. I'm not sure what Graeme likes more, the boat ride over, or the store that sells freezies. Orange Ye Olde Cashe Registere Ahhhh popsicles, life is worth living. Dad is fond of that siphon. Ok, Catriona is happy now. Happy: I post shots like this just for the smiles. Obligatory photo of the cliff. Ah, finally, we meet up with Peter and Alexia. Catriona will now play shy for 3.5 minutes. Graeme, on the other hand... not shy. Hello Thomas. So very good to finally meet you. I love that smile more than you'd think was possible. I enjoy being a Dad. At home, Catriona's favourite stuffed animal is a puppy. Is Peter keeping Thomas safe, or looking to dangle? Look at the jowls on that kid. Good evil smile, btw. Practice that. Again with the ridiculously cute. Catriona loves meeting Thomas who is, I believe, less than half her age. I really like this family portrait. Also, unconconciously illustrated is, each person's size is relative to their importance. He looks like his old man. Peter, that is.... looks likes Thomas. I don't know, maybe it's the cardigan. A panoramic view of the shore around our cottage. Obligatory photo of the cottage from the water. I take this shot every summer to see how the trees have grown. Graeme is a fish this year. Nice dive, Graeme! Woop, someone got a bit cold. Grandmas give the best cuddles. It's Super Grandpa! Catriona has swapped laps. Grandpa is quite happy to see how Graeme's swimming has progressed since last year. Eventually Catriona will consent to let us put things in her hair. Graeme swam back and forth to that raft, repeatedly. The chair thing is an optical illuion. Catriona is quite happy to walk around with Grandma. Sir Thomas (and Alexia) have arrived! Maybe it isn't the grandparents, maybe she just likes those stairs. Always up for a boat ride, Graeme crosses the lake with Peter. Peter looks quite fatherly here and Catriona is quite happy to demo-snuggle. It's not a proper family & friends dinner unless someone (usually me, but Dad in this case) is doing something unusual for a photo. Thomas is so tired that he has chosen to snuggle up to the garden hose. Small chair: Cute. Graeme: Cute. Thomas: Cute. Two small boys hugging: Cute. Okay, we're good here. Ah yes, Bark Lake sailing races. Where people get together to point their boats in different directions and float around buoys for an hour. This is probably one of two times all day that Peter was able to hike. Side view of me, Doug! You're going the wrong way! Buoy room! Aaaaand... float. A view from the shore. Graeme has joined me on the Laser for the second and third races. Graeme has strategically wrapped himself around the mast. It's a father and son moment. It's a boat, it's a plane, it's... Super Amphibious Flying Device. Graeme really enjoyed riding in the sail boat. Next time I hope we can show him some wind too. Catriona and Grandpa play a game of "I got your nose"! Peter in the foreground, Graeme and Doug (me!) in the background. This picture really illustrates the fun. We're going to put this one up on the photo wall. Sue and Thomas enjoy a snack together. Thar be speed here captain! Probably the fastest the boat moved all day. Sailing on Bark Lake teaches you how to handle a wide variety of conditions. Often all at once. A hot Peter dumps his boat (yes, deliberately) after winning the third race. Candid portrait time! Here's a nice smile from Mom/Grandma. Dad/Grandpa and Bruce, in a brief moment of not talking about roads. Robin, looking attentive. Happy Jenn. Even Annick was there for the race. The world of a one year old is one of constant discovery. Here Thomas is introduced to a... what do you call it Mommy, a grape? And the race is done. Grandma and Grandpa tow the sailboat back to the cottage. Graeme is quite happy to bail after the ride back. Cute on cute. Jenn and Catriona both try to illustrate what a truly happy smile looks like. Sunset over the de Schulthess house. Catriona loved the chickadees. Specifically, she loved saying "Chicken Dee" over and over. Awww... someone got the kid's pool wet, and it shrunk. Hey, wait a sec... those are fall colours! Rusty garden art This little guy entertained us for a while. (especially Catriona) Stripes A shot of Catriona watching the chipmunk. Graeme joins her. More orange. This is for Mom. Hummingbird Nature at work. Graeme and Catriona are trying to entice the chickadees to their hands. Graceful floater They grew tired of holding out their hands, so Catriona and Graeme switched to waiting for the chipmunk to return. Over to Goulden Island for the "Around the Island" hike. Grandpa helped Catriona over the tough parts. We all came out for this one. After all, how could either of them give up a chance to photograph their grandchildren? Grandpa/Dad, on a high perch, overlooking the lake. Graeme, obediently posing for the camera. The walk was filled with mushrooms of all shapes and colours. After our hike, we swam from the dock and Graeme got to play on the diving board. He caught on quickly. Windswept Just having fun Catriona is playing with Grandpa's hat. It's time to head home.