I just found out that (steadfast, loyal, dependable) Caleb is going to be visiting this weekend with his parents and brother Gabriel (meaning: Hero of God). He is very excited that they will be sleeping over! So I need to gather together all of the supplies I need to make this a memorable visit for all of them - of course, the food is at the top of the list. But we also Arts and Crafts supplies so the boys can take something home with them to remind them of the visit.

There's no better place to find arts and crafts supplies than right outside the door and down the river bank. Driftwood! Rocks (smooth river rocks and chunks of rough rocks with golden and silver speckles.... could this be genuine Gold or Silver?) There are a lot of abandoned mines in these here parts and up until WW1 they were hauling tons and tons of copper from just up the road at Phoenix. Prospectors are still checking out the Boundary area for another motherlode of some precious metal or another. The sand in the river is filled with tiny gold speckles which I believe must be the real thing, but very hard to capture without gold panning skills. And then there is clay. I just happen to have a potter's wheel in my garage, so we might put that to use.

But even if we don't make something to take home, we will make memories by eating a really good cut of steak and a nice salad and fresh veggies from the farmer's market down the road.
Maybe we'll venture into Greenwood for a bowl of the best Russian Borscht you ever tasted or go over to Grand Forks and check out the crystal mine where you can take whatever you can chip off the crystal rocks. Then we'll go for a refreshing swim in the deep hole by our back door, float down to the US border and hike back.

And you can bet on the fact that I will be carrying my camera no matter what we do and will have another 200 pictures by the end of the long weekend.

Have a Grand Labour Day Weekend to everyone who might stumble across these ramblings.