David, his Mom and Dad, siblings, siblings and their spouses and kids, are all really close. We try to get together as often as possible and have meaningful, enriching activities and reunions. This year we included Dave's Grandma and Grandpa Wilson from Ontario. We planned to have a reunion in Durango, Colorado this year for a little change of scenery and because it was relatively easy to travel to for most of us. During the year since planning it, many have moved further away and it actually became a little less easy to get to! But, we all made it there anyway!
It was great to go back to the U.S. It always feels like coming home for me, even if we are just taking a 40 minute drive over the border for cheaper groceries. Getting to Colorado was a long process with wiggly kids, but we got to our nice Cabin lodge at about 1:00 AM. We had a little mix-up and some long lines with the rental car company, and were thankful that some of Dave's family came to the airport to meet us. They led us to the lodge, which would have been impossible to find at that hour of the early morning, along dirt roads in the back country of Durango.
As always at family reunions, we enjoyed great food and mingling together. During the 4 days there we got out and had a picnic and walk in Durango and enjoyed a small children's museum. We went to a Mountain setting attraction called "Bar D Chuckwagon" where we could look around some shops, take a little kiddie train ride, and have dinner and a show. The show was put on by a local old west comedy group called "The Wranglers". They were quite funny to listen to! We also did some white-water rafting along the Lower Animas River, attended church, took some family photos, stayed up late for late-night talks, movies and board games sessions, and aroused a few water fights and leather bracelet- making activities for the kids. Here are a few pictures to illustrate:
The white water rafting was a blast! The section of the river we did was very family-friendly. Our group of 17 had to take 2 boats. The company had a photographer, thankfully! **Hint: Watch Caleb's face in the 2nd boat's photos!**
Next up, is Stanley Park. This park is a peninsula all of it's own off the mainland north of Vancouver. The famous seawall runs along part of it. This past Saturday, we took a walk around the southern part of Stanley Park and the seawall. We saw some old totem poles (many restored in the last few decades), a canon called the Nine O' Clock Gun (no picture, sorry), and Third Beach, where we let the kids wade/swim in the water. It was a cloudy day, with rain off and on. We tried not to let that stop us and ruin our spirits...which was a difficulty, but we were successful, I think. We even had lunch in the rain, under a big tree. The tree sheltered us pretty well from the rain, which stopped just afterward, and we were able to have a much more enjoyable afternoon. Here are some photos from walking along the seawall and the Totem Poles
Below, we created a "Family Totem Pole". Each person was copying a figure from one of the poles behind them. Haha!
Thanks for Stopping by today!
It all looks so very exciting! White water rafting!? Cool! I'm jealous! Love ya!
ReplyDeleteWe went to Durango last year on our family vacation and loved it too! We did lots of the same things you guys did, so it was fun to see your pictures and reminisce. :)
ReplyDeleteHow fun! I'm glad you guys didn't let the rain spoil your fun!
ReplyDeleteLove Caleb's facial expressions on the raft, too cute! Looks like you guys had a great time!