Grande Prairie

After a night at UnkaGee's place, and a visit to Laolao & Laoye's good friends D&D (who live in a lovely house with a neat and tidy yard, large garden, and prosperous farming operation - which helps one to realize that life up in Silver Valley doesn't have to be as basic as AuntieH and UnkaGee's) we arrived in Grande Prairie around noon. We did some shopping, visited a park, and spent some time enjoying a little festival in the city complete with face painting!






After supper we headed out to my cousin Vee's place. She and her husband, McG, have a huge house on a 2-hectare lot on the southwest edge of town. McG is a very successful businessman (car and RV sales). Three of their four kids were home, though we only saw one as the youngest was suffering from a bad cold and feeling pretty lousy. (Their 16-year-old son is in highschool at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet school, and next year their 18-year-old daughter, Toy, whom we met, is heading off to New York to study at a prestigious hairstyling school!) The oldest, Fate, is finishing off teacher training (if I recall correctly) and has just gotten engaged to be married to a young fellow, Dusty, who works with her dad. They plan to be married next summer. Dusty was also at the gathering.


The house:Vee and McG have two miniature dachsunds that the kids loved to play with. At the back of their property is a small pond - again, Mustang and Button spent over an hour catching frogs and whatever else moved. They ran around the lawn and generally had a blast.

The whole Grande Prairie gang joined us at Vee's place for an evening roasting marshmallows around the firepit, soaking in the hot tub and generally relaxing. The gang includes my Uncle E and Aunt M (Laoye's brother and sister-in-law), and their son Diggory with wife Soo and daughters Kay and Bee. Bee is also engaged to be married and I think the wedding was at the end of August. (Or was that Fate & Dusty? I'm so confused!) Daughter Lin (I think I have the right one) lives in Calgary with her husband, who is in medical school, and they are soon to present Diggory & Soo with their first grandchild. (According to Soo, Diggory is in deep denial!! He's only about 2 years older than me!)

The whole gang:

Vee and her daughter Toy (I think):

McG, Laoye, and my cousin Diggory:

AuntieEm, granddaughter Bee and daughter-in-law Soo:
UncleEn & AuntieEm:
Bee and her Aunt (my cousin) Vee:
Bee & fiancé Jay:

Diggory & Button roasting marshmallows. Mustang & Button soaking in the hot tub with Bee & fiancé Jay (or is it Fate & fiancé Dusty?).

Mustang & Button couldn't get their heads around all these relatives! Where we live, we have no relatives close by, so it's just our little family and friends. But here they were, meeting scads of people that were Mommy's cousins, uncles, aunts, Laoye's brother, nephews and nieces. And this after meeting a bunch of Laolao's brothers and sister in Silver Valley! I tried to take a series of "close-up" shots of each individual that I'll put in a "Family" photo album for them... maybe that will help.

We don't get to see these relatives often, but when we do get out west I like to make a point of visiting, to keep in touch at least a little. And I think it's important for Mustang and Button to have some sense of belonging to a larger extended family than just our little unit.