Fun Fair

Last night was the Annual Lytton Fun Fair. It's held at the Lytton Elementary School but the whole town turns out for it. Money raised goes towards field trips and such for the kids.

What a great turn out last night! People were lined up at the doors waiting to get in. I drove in early and picked the kids up from school. We did some grocery shopping, went out for dinner, and then walked around town. Lytton is small, very small. Here's Main Street, the buildings on the left are quite new and have filled quite a gap on Main Street.

On one side of town you'll see this sign, and if you want to visit me you'll turn left :)

I took some pictures of the kids playing on the equipment at school.

Sydney loves climbing on the rope ladder.

Jevan, on the other hand, would rather go under.

We stopped by the church on Main Street and I just love the windows.

Sydney was excited to tell me all about Chief David Spintlum and how he stopped the war during the goldrush.

She warned me that I was stepping on the Chief while taking the pictures, I thought it was a memorial and didn't realize that he is actually buried there!

The Village Office is in the middle of Main Street. Notice the street signs, they are in English and Nle?kepmxc'in language. Don't ask me to pronounce it, you'd be better off to ask Sydney because she learns the language in school and is really great at speaking it.

When we came out of the playground I was surprised to see my brother's truck parked behind mine. I was even more surprised (and a bit shocked) to see his new hat and jacket. Him and my sister had gone through some of my Dad's old clothes, I think Dad had this stuff around in the '70's, my goodness look at the shine on that jacket!! Good Lord...

After our tour of town it was time for the Fun Fair! Jevan tossing a bean bag at the bats.

We sponsored the bouncy castle, and the RCMP who were running it made up a sign with our company name. Jevan had a blast!

Sydney is too cool to hang out with Uncle Frank and I so most of the pictures I took are of Jevan playing the games. Here he is picking out his prize.

The fishing pond and Jevan claiming another prize. The little girl there is Jevan's sweety, he sure does like her and I think she really likes him too :)

We had to work The Lollipop Tree for 1/2 an hour. You pull a lollipop and if the end has red, yellow, or blue on it you get a prize, if it has no colour you still get the lollipop, a win-win situation :)

We didn't get home until 9 last night so bedtime was quite late... it made for a grumpy Jevan this morning. But a fun time was had by all and we get to do it all over again next year.

Going for Walks

Yesterday was Hubby's 43rd birthday, so for 12 days we are the same age :)  He's in camp right now so on Sunday we had a birthday supper and cake for him.  Sydney baked the cake and using Tipnut's "Bigger Cakes From Mixes" it turned out excellent.  A friend out visiting on Saturday gave us a few packages of elk steaks, I threw them on the BBQ and yum yum, they were delish!  Thank you Kelvin :)  The next day I opened up the fridge to reheat some for lunch and, lo and behold, Hubby had taken the whole container to work with him... hmph!

My twin brother Frank is still visiting but is bouncing back and forth between our house and my sister's house.  He doesn't have much time left before he heads back to work up in Ft. St. John and he still has to drive to Sicamous to pick up Mom and take her back to Nanaimo.

The kids and I had been going for regular walks before school started again.  We haven't had the warmest weather and one day Jevan was dragging his butt so Sydney and I said "meet up with us."  He did alright... in his underwear and no socks!

Ah well being in one's underwear doesn't stop me from taking pictures :)

One night Hubby and the kids were out burning some of the willow leaves on the lawn.  I zipped out and used a lense that I normally don't use because it doesn't have IS (image stabilizer) on it.  The last time I tried it a lot of my pictures came out blurry, but in my defence I had only had the camera a few days.  Things are improving and I'm happy about that :)

Another shot on a different day.

One day I stopped in at the shop.  I now know why Hubby never... ever... ever complains when I get a bit lax on the housecleaning.  How on earth does he find anything in there?

I carried on and ran into these three.

One took off right after the pic and one just stared, but that one on the end started scratching and doesn't it make you cringe?

I just can't see using a barbed wire fence for scratching, I guess a cow's hide is much thicker than ours!

The weather has been improving, I can tell by how much wood I'm not having to throw in the woodstove lately.  I expect the hummingbirds to be here in less than a month and I'd best dig out the feeders and maybe take a quick trip to Costco for a huge bag of sugar :)

A Trip to the City

One doesn't get much shopping in when they have their Hubby tag along to Kamloops.  Actually it was me that tagged along this time :)  Pops needed some tractor parts repaired so Hubby and I left the kids with my brother and headed off.

We stopped just outside of Lillooet on Highway 99 North and I snapped a few pics of the Old Bridge and the CN Train Bridge.  We don't often drive this highway but we had to zip into Lillooet before heading to Kamloops so rather then drive back out towards the ranch we took the other route.

Our "Old Bridge" is a suspension bridge that was in use for many, many years before being replaced clear across the other side of town with the "Bridge of the 23 Camels."  Yes it's really named that.  Apparently back in the gold rush days there were camels that hauled stuff like the pack horses did... I did not know this until the bridge was named and you would think we would have learned this when we were in school but we didn't, go figure.

The Old Bridge is only a walking bridge now and no vehicles are allowed but I'm sure motorbikes zip across now and then (My Dad & I did when we had our motorbikes).  If you have really good eyes (unlike me) you can see the other bridge in the very far distance.  For exercise a lot of people "walk the bridges" and do the loop from one end to the other.

The Fraser River is quite frozen underneath.

Looking north is the Train Bridge.  CN Rail runs on it now but it used to be BC Rail until it switched hands a few years ago.

I'm hoping with spring finally here that the ice will start melting soon!

After taking the above pics it was difficult to take anymore non blurry ones.  Hubby doesn't like to stop because he's a "gotta get there" kind a guy, and taking pictures from a moving truck doesn't make for nice pictures.  So I end up taking pictures of stuff like this because I get terribly bored waiting.  Thankfully he heads back to work on Monday (his birthday) and I can leisurely drive anywhere to take pics :)

"John Deere Brandt Tractor," a favourite place where Hubby knows everyone by first name and where we get our skidder parts... and where I should have bought stock many moons ago :)

Jess & her bike

This is my niece Jess.  She is currently going to school over in Merritt but she still considers the ranch her home :)  She was here this weekend and I asked her if she'd take her bike for a spin so I could get some motion shots.  I don't think I'll ever ride on the back with her ;)

Jess can throw a calf, run any piece of equipment on this ranch, and change pipes like she's lifting feathers!  Oh how I wish to be young again :)

I don't think Jess is scared of anything!

She loves to ride.

The front tire is off the ground and the dirt is flying in this pic.

It didn't take long to get the pics, she was zipping all over the place.

I got quite a few shots but a few of them I cut off her head... I guess I've got to stand back or tell her to keep her butt on the seat!

The Mossy Shack

This building is what we refer to as "The Mossy Shack." It's pretty obvious it has moss growing all over the roof, hence the name. Inside, well... let's just say when you open the door you don't have a whole lot of room to walk. It's jammed with all kinds of stuff. I'm sure the building has been around since the original owners first staked claim but don't you think it's weathered well, other than the roof? Some day I may venture in there because I'm just a curious kind of gal ;)

One reason I'm posting this certain picture is because I'd like to know if everyone can see the whole frame? I'm pushing the size of my pictures and although I can see the whole thing I'm not sure if my readers can. I'd have my Mom test it but right now she's up in Sicamous with her sister and no computer. Lord I don't think I could handle that!

My brother Frank is visiting, he drove Mom up to Sicamous and then headed over here. If you're not sure how to pronounce Sicamous it's "sick a moose," I know, one of those weird Canadian names we have up here :)

An update on the school incident. I spoke with Jevan's teacher on Friday and she told me that the meeting with the child and mom went well. The outcome is that the child be separated from Jevan. She has been moved from his table, they are not allowed to interact in the classroom, no contact on the playground, etc. I wasn't prepared when I spoke on the phone but now that I've had time to think about it I disagree with all of this. I don't think this is a way to solve the problem. If anything they should have been made to do stuff together, work together, and play together, under supervision of course.

How is this little girl ever going to work things out if she isn't allowed to interact and is simply separated? I told Hubby that unless one of us move these two will graduate together and be in every class together 'til then. The other thing is it seems as if Jevan is being punished as well and he did nothing wrong, he wasn't even there. He will have a rough time with this because he won't understand why he can't play with someone. He would never hold a grudge against anyone, I don't think he even knows what that means :) When I asked him about the girl after school on Friday all he said was "Name is being nice to me." (Not sure where as they aren't supposed to be together, I'm assuming the bus?) I know it will be difficult for Jevan to stay away from her, mainly because he doesn't understand that there is anything wrong. How do I tell a 5 year old that this girl accused him of attacking her and giving her a black eye, but that she lied and made the whole thing up and then was caught in the lie? You don't, simply put you don't. Darn like gets difficult doesn't it? :)

Meet Emma

Emma is my niece. She's my BIL's daughter and is the cutest thing, although Em tends to say no, mean yes, and whine about it :) Ah but what kid doesn't?

Yesterday Mike dropped Em off and the first thing she wants to do is watch Shrek the Halls... have you ever seen it? Well I've seen it 326 times or pretty darn close to that many because Em's been here before. I gotta teach the girl how to use the remote.

She loves to dance and quickly found Sydney's new pink hat. We're working on the singing part.

I think she's getting a bit dizzy from spinning in this pic... whoa slow down Em!

One day she might let me comb her hair. Apparently she lets everyone else but I wasn't going to
push. Besides, I'm allowed to spoil her because I'm her Aunt and I can give her back :)

Excuse me?

I received a rather strange call from Jevan's teacher this morning. Apparently a little girl in his kindergarten class had dark circles under her eyes and yesterday when she got to her Grandmother's, who thought she had a black eye and questioned her, told her that Jevan had attacked her! Uh... excuse me??

The grandmother then called the school and went off on the teacher, something I disagree with because after raising a teenager I know that you have to hear BOTH sides of the story no matter what age kids are!

Of course an investigation is started and the teacher said she spoke with the little girl this morning. The child said the incident happened in centers. Jevan's teacher told me that Jevan was not involved in centers and was playing by himself with a bunch of marbles at the time. There was also two TA's and a teacher (three adults in total) in the room and they had been photographing the children, and there was no interaction between the little girl and Jevan. When questioned more the little girl changed her story and said that it happened on the bus after school. A meeting has been set up with the Mom and child today.

The teacher went on to tell me a few other things and all of a sudden with a big realization I said "When did this happen??"

She replied "Yesterday on the bus after school."

I calmly said "I picked Jevan and Sydney up yesterday, they weren't on the bus after school." I seldom picked the kids up from school but as luck would have it Dallas showed up here and rather than head into Lillooet and wait at the Big Slide, we decided instead to drive into Lytton to get groceries and do some banking.

After finishing up my banking I went to the school. I stood and spoke with Eric, the kids' bus driver, when Jevan came bombing down the stairs all excited to see me, hollering "Mama, Mama!" We chatted for a few minutes, waiting for Sydney, and then the three of us walked to the truck where Dallas and Lexi were waiting. I headed to the grocery store and then we drove up to Jade Springs for an early dinner.

I know in my heart of hearts that there is no way that Jevan would attack anyone, EVER! I'm not one of those Mom's that just believes my child is right no matter what and I will make my kids "do the right thing" if they do something wrong. What scares me is what would have happened if I didn't pick the kids up yesterday? Jevan's word against her's? I think this child should be banned from the bus for a spell and she should apologize to Jevan. What is the little girl going to grow up to? Yes she may have problems at home or whatever, right now I have very little compassion for her or her Grandmother! There is no way this is the first time that she's lied, after all this is a biggie... my only concern is for the other kids in the class who have been wrongly accused or will be wrongly accused in the future by this child.

I didn't think to asked the teacher to call me after the meeting to find out what happens so I think I'll call tomorrow and put this to rest :)

Lytton Ferry

I've always associated ferries with oceans, probably because my Mom lives in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island and we take a large ferry to get there. We live a few hundred miles from the nearest ocean but a ferry is less than a half hour away.

This ferry takes two minutes to cross the Fraser River. Yup a whole two minutes :) It's just outside of Lytton (2.4 km) on Hwy 12 and the ferry is the main connection between the Indian Reserve and town. Both my younger kids attend school in Lytton and today when I drove in I stopped and took a few pictures.

It hold two vehicles, or as Sydney says "one bus Mama."

It has a cable that pulls it across (I'm assuming it must have a motor too), and I've heard that the cable has snapped a few times, probably the reason for the sign, although there would be no chance of asking the Operator anything if he was sailing down the Fraser, I guess you could holler on the banks ;)

You know this is the ultimate ferry... why you ask? Well it's free, the shortest run I've ever heard of, and it's schedule is "on demand," you pull up and it toodles over to get you if you are on the other side. There are two short breaks during the ferry's daily schedule which is 6:30 AM to 10:15 PM. It doesn't run between 10:30 and 11:00 AM and 6:30 to 7:00 PM. Coffee breaks? Early lunch? Dinner? Refueling? I have no idea why.

Oh one other thing, it doesn't run during high water... hmmm... what do people who live on the other side do when that happens? The only other routes I know of are a rather long slow detour (2-4 hours) on a rough gravel road through Texas Creek into Lillooet and around (been there done that and not fun), or a pedestrian walkway along the CN railway bridge. I was on the ferry once, more than 15 years ago, when we took the nasty gravel road through Texas Creek, that was quite an experience! Don't you think a bridge would be a lot easier for everyone?

Pot of Gold

Jevan came out of the kitchen tonight with the "Kraft Dinner pot" because that's always our first meal together when Hubby heads off for camp :) He was wearing the pot on his head so I grabbed my camera and hustled him in the studio.

Hubby won't be home until Friday and lordy lordy it's cold here! I'm trying to remember what the weather was like at the beginning of March because if it "came in like a lamb" it's "going out like a lion!" It's like winter all over again, I think it's even too cold to snow out there! The thermometer says -13 Celsius but with the windchill factor it's got to be closer to -25... I'm going to throw some wood in the stove and go snuggle up with five dogs and a cat... stay warm everyone!

Accident on Hwy 12

This morning, while sitting at the kitchen table, I heard one of the local Highway guys (I won't mention names) call on the radio that he was just in an accident.  He said he was bleeding and had banged his head, and that he was a bit trapped in the gravel truck.  I instantly recognized his voice and knew who it was.

He said his location "the Lytton side of the Big Slide" (that's about 5 minutes from our house) and I rushed for the door.  Hubby was throwing wood up on the deck and I hollered at him that (Name) was in an accident down at the Big Slide and that he was hurt.  Hubby went rushing for the truck and off he went.  We both know the guy quite well and our families have known each other for years, small town thing.

Hubby came back in about 20 minutes and said that (Name) was okay and there was another guy that had stopped and was with him.  Thank goodness!

About 1/2 an hour later I had to go to town to do a computer job, I grabbed my camera and headed out the door.  The truck was still there and no one was around.  Here's a couple of the pics.

The driver was heading into Lillooet.

Just around this corner is the Big Slide... sorta sends chills up my spine!

We have no idea what the cause of the accident was, maybe the road was that slick this morning, the temperature was well below freezing.  I'm just grateful that he wasn't right in the Slide because it would have been a lot worse.

Falling Trees

Hubby returns to work on Monday so we are in a mad dash to get rid of some bug kill trees on the ranch. You can't leave them standing because they will fall when you least expect it, so the morning started out with a chainsaw in hand. After cutting down a few Hubby also used the skidder to push down a couple.

The first one.

The second one.

He saws the pieces up because they will burn better.

This one had long roots on it.

Everything is pushed into a big pile.

You know I think he likes this :)

Then Grandma (MIL) comes along. She usually has a wee bit of tissue and a couple of matches on her at all times.

While we were up on the top field Pops (FIL) was down near the outhouse falling a monster of a tree.

The outhouse is in pretty sad shape and I'm one of those people who fear outhouses so I've never even opened the door!

When the kids got home from school they play on the tree Pops cut down. Hubby has placed it on the side of the bank to get it out of the way.

The limbs are piled up and burned in a huge fire.

Hubby uses the skidder to continually push up the branches so everything will burn.

I think he's crazy but he likes it. It's a wonder the skidder doesn't burst into flames!

But all seems okay at the end of the day.