Summer-time in Wintertime

So last weekend Mudzuks and Vecais loaded up the car ("Cheesy crocodiles? check! books and books on tape? check! sippy cups? check! Let's go! ... Why aren' t we going? ... Oops ... Mamuks and Papuks? ...er, Mamuks and Papuks...?") and headed out to our Nation's Capital to visit their friend Summer.

The weekend got off to a good start with a trip to a neighbourhood park (well, as they soon found out, the whole neighbourhood was pretty much a park of one sort or another, but this particular one had lots of slides and climby things.)

While Hugo perfected his Goat Boy routine, Mamuks and Jen played a new and very fun game called "Pull Your Daughter Across Very Thin and Already Cracking Ice With Your Scarf." The object of the game was to see if your daughter would actually plunge through and be submerged neck-deep in stagnant freezing water, but luckily neither Mamuks nor Jen were very good at this game.

But the houseguests had to get a good night's kip because the next day they were headed on a quickie road trip (white out conditions be damned!) to Montreal, otherwise known as the Best City in the World (er, that is next to the Hammer of course). Here's Mudzuks enjoying the requisite hot chocolate andVery Big Sandwhich With Weird Stuff On It at Santropol.

If you look closely enough, you can see the good ol cross atop the good ol Mont Royal herself.

Vecais and Papuks at coin Duluth et St Urbain (ah, the memories, sighs Mamuks wistfully, thinking of those days of her youth when her hair was somewhat longer and her tolerance somewhat larger...)

Next Mudzuks and Vecais insisted on getting their cultural fill at the CCA

But before heading out they made a pit stop at the CCA bookshop for a little rest and some ... TREATS.

Uh-oh (as Vecais would say). Vecais seems to have quickly mowed through his entire package and appears to be looking for more....

While Mudzuks has cleverly hidden away a secret stash.

But no stash is too secret for the long arm of Vecais!

So Mudzuks relents and acquiesces to a bit of sharing.

All's well that end's well.

Or that ends upside down.

The next day back at the ranch, the troops headed out for some owl-spotting in the woods. Lots of spotting going on, but owls - not so much.

And in the afternoon Mudzuks got to try her hand at spidermanning for the first time.

Then back to Summer's to wreak some more havoc and cook dinner.

mmmm pizzzzaaaa

Did we mention we had quite the room with quite the view?

But all good things must come to an end, as Mudzuks and Vecais watch Papuks packing up the car. But no worries - they've already scoped out the best biking paths and swimming beaches for the summer - and Summer-time in summertime will undoubtedly be even more fun (especially because its eponymous.)