A highlight of this summer was our yearly trip to Boundary Bay, in Point Roberts USA. this place is special to us because I went there in the summers when I was a girl, as did my Mom and my Grandma. Our family no longer owns a cabin at "The Bay" but my Grandma has rented a cabin for the last seven years so that the next generation can also build memories of special times spent there. There's something so completely peaceful about being at Boundary. Point Roberts is a little peninsula of land belonging to the US, but only accessible through Canada. The Boundary bay side of the Point is made up of a bunch of cabins, many of which were built in the 1920's and 30's and most of which are owned by Canadians. There is not a lot to do in the Point but walk the beach so it is a great way to escape the frantic pace of everyday life. We enjoyed just being able to relax and enjoy each other's company while we were there. I took way too many pictures (yeah right, there's no such thing as too many photos is there?!) I won't subject you to them all, but here's a few :), in collage form to make for quicker viewing. If you want to see them better, you can click on a collage to enlarge it.
This picture is a great representation of how we feel about Boundary Bay!
Evan, Colby and Ashley spent time perfecting their performance of "The Wandering Weirdos."
The boys were often found with nets in hand, searching for crabs and fish in the tide pools.
These two girls had lots of fun together. I love that our kids have so many cousins their age and that they have the opportunity to spend so much time with them.
We played lots of cards the first few days we were there because it was cold and rainy.
We introduced the Labrums to Bonanza (we call it the Bean Game) and they were addicted. They all wanted to play it every day.
Mom, Colby, Evan and I entered a sandcastle building contest one day we were there. We had fun making our Ollie the Octopus, even though it was rainy and cold that day. But we were obviously the amateurs there. I wish I had remembered to take some pictures of the other sandcastles that people built. There were some really amazing ones that people had obviously been thinking about for a long time. Next year, we'll be more prepared. :)
After the sandcastle competition we rushed up to the border and went over to Centennial Beach, on the Canadian side of the Bay, where we met Chad and Roberta, who were down from Vernon for a very quick trip to attend a friend's wedding. Here are a few photos of the amazing playground there (which I mentioned in a previous post.)
Being from the Okanagan, Chad and Roberta's kids haven't had much experience with the ocean. It's too bad it was rainy while they were here but they still enjoyed walking the sandbars and searching for shells.
Aaron trying out Evan's skateboard at the park,
while Ryan and Grandma looked on.
Family photo of my brother and his dear family. We are so thankful to have them living close to us and to be able to spend time with them regularly!
One of our yearly traditions at Boundary bay is a walk to the clay cliffs where we carve our names in the cliff.
Finding treasures in the tide pools between the sandbars. Too bad it was 3 days before crabbing season opened - this one might have been dinner.
Auntie Debby found a playdough centre at the thrift store and brought it down to entertain Alexis on the rainy days, but she didn't realize it was going to be such a hit with the big kids too. Many hours were spent during the week, making playdough food and selling it at the playdough restaurant.
Every year, we try to get out to the Boundary marker at least once. There is a marker just like this on the shore that marks the border between Canada and the U.S. and this one is one mile out. Often, the tide doesn't go out far enough for us to make it to the marker, but this year, we had a really low tide day where we were able to walk and wade the whole mile. When you get out that far, there are so many fun things to see, crabs, sand dollars, and starfish being among them.
A highlight of Boundary bay was spending time with Alexis. The innocent joy of a two year old discovering the sand and the sea was so fun to watch.
One morning I walked down to the wall to see where the tide was at and I saw this beautiful sight. The mist rising off the sandbars was so stunning. The beauty of God's creation is so evident out at the Bay and it's one of the reasons I love being there.
There's always lots of fun to be had on the sandbars - wading, catching fish, skimboarding, flying kites.
It has become a tradition for our kids to set up a stand selling candy or something over the last few years at Boundary. this year it was freezies they were selling and they did pretty well because they had made a sign that said "saving money for a puppy" which got them lots of sympathy customers. :) Also, lots of people stopped to talk to them and we met lots of different kinds of dogs which helped us in our information search of what would be the right kind of dog for us.
Mom, Colby, Evan and I entered a sandcastle building contest one day we were there. We had fun making our Ollie the Octopus, even though it was rainy and cold that day. But we were obviously the amateurs there. I wish I had remembered to take some pictures of the other sandcastles that people built. There were some really amazing ones that people had obviously been thinking about for a long time. Next year, we'll be more prepared. :)
After the sandcastle competition we rushed up to the border and went over to Centennial Beach, on the Canadian side of the Bay, where we met Chad and Roberta, who were down from Vernon for a very quick trip to attend a friend's wedding. Here are a few photos of the amazing playground there (which I mentioned in a previous post.)
Being from the Okanagan, Chad and Roberta's kids haven't had much experience with the ocean. It's too bad it was rainy while they were here but they still enjoyed walking the sandbars and searching for shells.
Aaron trying out Evan's skateboard at the park,
while Ryan and Grandma looked on.
Family photo of my brother and his dear family. We are so thankful to have them living close to us and to be able to spend time with them regularly!
One of our yearly traditions at Boundary bay is a walk to the clay cliffs where we carve our names in the cliff.
Finding treasures in the tide pools between the sandbars. Too bad it was 3 days before crabbing season opened - this one might have been dinner.
Auntie Debby found a playdough centre at the thrift store and brought it down to entertain Alexis on the rainy days, but she didn't realize it was going to be such a hit with the big kids too. Many hours were spent during the week, making playdough food and selling it at the playdough restaurant.
Every year, we try to get out to the Boundary marker at least once. There is a marker just like this on the shore that marks the border between Canada and the U.S. and this one is one mile out. Often, the tide doesn't go out far enough for us to make it to the marker, but this year, we had a really low tide day where we were able to walk and wade the whole mile. When you get out that far, there are so many fun things to see, crabs, sand dollars, and starfish being among them.
A highlight of Boundary bay was spending time with Alexis. The innocent joy of a two year old discovering the sand and the sea was so fun to watch.
One morning I walked down to the wall to see where the tide was at and I saw this beautiful sight. The mist rising off the sandbars was so stunning. The beauty of God's creation is so evident out at the Bay and it's one of the reasons I love being there.
There's always lots of fun to be had on the sandbars - wading, catching fish, skimboarding, flying kites.
It has become a tradition for our kids to set up a stand selling candy or something over the last few years at Boundary. this year it was freezies they were selling and they did pretty well because they had made a sign that said "saving money for a puppy" which got them lots of sympathy customers. :) Also, lots of people stopped to talk to them and we met lots of different kinds of dogs which helped us in our information search of what would be the right kind of dog for us.
When business was slow, Evan became a water fountain, I know that kind of crazy behaviour is such a surprise coming from Evan! ;)
My Mom brought her kayak out to the bay and Grace got to try kayaking for the first time. She did well on her own for a bit, then got a free ride, towed behind Grandma, then her brother showed her how it's done!
I know this has been a very long post with way too many pictures, but it gives you a glimpse of why we love this place so much!!
My Mom brought her kayak out to the bay and Grace got to try kayaking for the first time. She did well on her own for a bit, then got a free ride, towed behind Grandma, then her brother showed her how it's done!
I know this has been a very long post with way too many pictures, but it gives you a glimpse of why we love this place so much!!
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