Weather
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Weather |
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| The weather has been very strange the past couple of years. We had almost no snow last winter, (although we had some late in the year), spring started early, but then it got cold and snowed. The spring break up on the lake was a month late. The summer was the driest on record in over one hundred years. We had very hot weather, then freezing weather with snow at the end of July, then hot, then very cold in September, October (we were skating on the lake by the end of October - a month early), then unseasonably warm through November and December. While it snowed a bit in November, most has melted and it looks like we will have a Christmas without snow this year. I hope things straighten around. We will have a lot of farmers and others who will be hurting if we don't get some moisture. (This photo was after we had been biking, and skate boarding for weeks!) |
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Taylor |
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Lou's
younger brother Marc and wife Tina had their second child Taylor
(girl) in January. We were all down in April for the Baptism.
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Taylor |
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Neighbours |
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Our neighbours, Ron, Viv, and family Kait, Lise, and Melanie left for Mexico in July, and are staying for a Year doing a rotary project working with the young people in Colima, Colima. Ron is a cabinet maker, so he has set up a shop and is teaching kids how to make furniture. Hopefully when they leave next summer, there will be an operational furniture company which is sustainable. Viv is involved in lots of things from teaching sewing, to learning local crafts, to working with the kids. Their girls (age 11-17) are enrolled in a combination of On-Line learning with the school back home, and the local schools. They all sound like they are really enjoying it. What an experience!! They have a website - click here! |
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Christmas 2001 - A few days at Pepere's |
| Last Christmas we were at Louise’s folks (Bernie and Carmen’s). Brian and Paulette were there with their family. All together we had about 10 skidoo’s; (the average age of the skidoo's was a lot older than the average age of the driver). Bernie has a creek that runs adjacent and a ditch that runs through his land. Amazing how simple things like that provide so much entertainment! |
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| Brother Brian | Son Spencer |
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Who is getting more air??? |
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Family Day 2002 |
| We hosted Family Day (an Alberta Holiday) at our house again. We actually had all the Gillespie family together for the first time in a long time! Not much snow, but we had a good time skating - and some skidooing on the lake and in the trails around the lake |
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Back Row - Ross, Patty, Darcy, Micky, Grandpa, Grandma, Paulette, Brian, Louise,Ted Front Row - Rebecca, Kit, Devon, Spencer, Laura, Graham, Buckwheat, Fallon, Annie |
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Grandpa - Trying out Brian's new Machine |
The "P" Tree - on the battle River |
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Micky & Patty on the Rink |
Brian Paulette, Devon, Spencer, Laura, Fallon, Louise - A Field |
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Family Holiday - Nitinat Lake on Vancouver Island - 2002 |
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| We made the trek out to Nitinat Lake on Vancouver Island again this summer. We stopped in White-Rock again this year at our friends Scott & Carolyn's. They are wonderful friends, who also windsurf. As they were also heading to Nitinat a few days later, we left Laura with them (they have two girls Jen and Caitlyn) and then headed across on the ferry. We had some of the best weather yet, so Louise actually got to wear her shorts a few times - and even stayed warm. |
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The Beach at Nitinat Lake B.C. |
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We took our Jet-Ski this year, and it worked really well as a rescue vehicle. I thought some of the "Wind Purists" might really be annoyed by the idea of something motorized (and a Jet-Ski is the worst form of annoying motorized water craft), but after I pulled a few people into shore when they broke a mast or something similar nobody seemed to object. I was careful not to go racing around the beach. As I was trying to learn Kite Boarding this year, the rescue vehicle came in very handy. I'm still not quite able to stay upwind, so you end up slowly working your way downwind to the end of the lake - and it's nice to get a ride back. Also, if you crash the kite, it can sometimes be very hard to re-launch from the water without help - so again you head for the downwind end of the lake very quickly. Spencer and Laura were trying windsurfing again this year, and are gradually improving. |
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Spencer standing by a typical tree in the forest! |
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A Race Start at WIRED 2002 Check out this cool MOVIE produced by Glen McNab for Paul Betts of Bosun's Locker |
Spencer had a really good day towards the end of the holiday when he was able to make his way upwind almost the length of the beach with me following in the Jet-Ski. We took our Jet-Ski this year, and it worked really well as a rescue vehicle. I thought some of the "Wind Purists" might really be annoyed by the idea of something motorized (and a Jet-Ski is the worst form of annoying motorized water craft), but after I pulled a few people into shore when they broke a mast or something similar nobody seemed to object. I was careful not to go racing around the beach. As I was trying to learn Kite Boarding this year, the rescue vehicle came in very handy. I'm still not quite able to stay upwind, so you end up slowly working your way downwind to the end of the lake - and it's nice to get a ride back. Also, if you crash the kite, it can sometimes be very hard to re-launch from the water without help - so again you head for the downwind end of the lake very quickly. Spencer and Laura were trying windsurfing again this year, and are gradually improving. Spencer had a really good day towards the end of the holiday when he was able to make his way upwind almost the length of the beach with me following in the Jet-Ski.
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| Jen | Jen | Scott |
The favorite activity for the kids is swimming at the river (which is about a kilometer away - a very interesting hike through the bush. Of course with the bears and cougars around, one of us has to go with them. There is a big log that sticks out over the river, and someone has set up a diving board off it, so they have lots of fun climbing up and jumping in. The Nitinat Windsurfing Society host an annual Windsurfing event each year called WIRED (Windsurfing, Instruction, Racing, Education, and Demo's). The WIRED 2002 was one of the best in the past few years, and the wind cooperated for a change. That was great news for me, because in light winds, like we have had the past few years, the heavier guys are really at a disadvantage. I competed in the Amateur division, and ended up about mid-pack - which is much better than last year. The Pro-s are really something to watch. Sam Ireland, Bruce Peterson, and Dale Cook, (All pro's who are regularly in all the magazines, were there). Sam is on the international circuit, and walked away with everything. All are very nice people, easy going (except when competing), and very easy to get to know. On the way back, we stayed at Glen Convey's again. He is enjoying his retirement in Nanimo, and has a beautiful house and Garden.
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Clockwise: Laura, Caitlyn, Reghan (Cutie Pe-tootie), Jen |
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| Mugging Mark | Survivors - Jon, and Mark | Michelle |
After a few days at home, we headed to Red Deer again for our annual "Air Show" Reunion, with my Air Cadet Buddies. Liam and Kathy did a great job of hosting the event again this year. Liam has taken a year long assignment in Europe this year, so we're not sure what will happen in 2003. Maybe we will all have to go over there to visit - hope you have lots of spare rooms Liam!
