Late September - Early October 2009

I haven't written anything in a little while, so I have some catching up to do. We have been very busy. The week before last Jamie, Theo and I went to Rapid City, South Dakota in the US for a Western Mining Action Network (WMAN) conference. It was a really great conference and we were even lucky to get some time to look around on our fist day. The mine tour we were supposed to go on had been canceled due to bad weather (rain, wind, snow, ice - it wasn't safe for the bus to drive to the mine sites), so we rented a car and drove around. We went to the Mount Rushmore monument, drove by the Crazy Horse monument and saw quite a number of animals while we were out and about.


Jamie and Theo having a look at the hundred year old steam engine just outside of Rapid City in the Black Hills.


Jamie and Theo at the entrance to the Mount Rushmore Monument.


Me in front of the Mount Rushmore Monument.


The first Buffalo we saw accompanied by some form of mountain sheep!!!


The second Buffalo we saw coming towards us and passing us on the road!


One of two very large mountain goats we saw.


One of two mules we saw (the other one was a pinto coloured one). As we drove off I turned back and realized that just over the hill a herd of about 15-20 donkeys had been hiding waiting for the two mules! This white one came really close, but took off again when he realized that I had no food for him. :)


Our very wonderful son having fun and posing for the camera! YAY!


Rapid City in the distance as we were returning to town from our little trip.

And here is Theo, bouncing on one of the 'unbreakable' beds in the hotel in Rapid City!



On Friday we went on the O-Train to Carleton University to see the butterfly exhibit at their greenhouses! The train was the big hit, although the butterflies were pretty cool also! But for a three year old to have to wait for a butterfly to possibly sit on the piece of orange he is holding - it was a bit frustrating, although Theo did end up holding a butterfly that looked like a dry leaf on his piece of orange!!!


Theo holding a butterfly that looked like a dry leaf as it was sitting there with its wings folded up!


A picture of another butterfly that I managed to take a picture of.

This weekend was Canadian Thanksgiving weekend. We had a nice time. On Saturday we did our usual market shopping, then we went to a street festival/street sale in Westboro and then we went to our cottage. We had a lovely time overall. The streetsale was really more of a fair for Theo. He got to ride a horse twice, he got to feed the animals in the petting zoo (mostly the goat, who in true goat fashion monopolized Theo's time), and got to look at some reptiles! Oh, and not to forget, he got his face painted again! Here are some pics!


Theo riding Sam - a rescue horse who was just lovely!


Theo riding Sam again.


Theo with his face painted - the innocent look!


And out comes the inner dragon! ROOAARRRR!

On our way home from the cottage we stopped off in Wakefield to see if we could visit the steam engine again. But this time we were not as lucky as last time. But we did walk around and stopped by the Kaffee 1870, which is owned by our friend Tom. On our way home we stopped at the spring just outside of Wakefield to fill up on water. While we were there our friend Jane pulled over in her truck and gave Theo a little pumpkin, a big pumpkin and she gave us a spagetti squash! That was so nice of her!!! She works at a pumpkin farm right now and was just on her way back there with the leftover pumpkins! Theo thought she was absolutely great and gave her a big hug! We thought she was pretty great also! Overall we had a lovely afternoon and made it back to Ottawa in time for Steffi's and Joerg's housewarming party! And we even saw the train pass by the Kaffee in the end!

Yesterday Theo asked Jamie to write something on his box that he considers his cave today. His sign said: 'no people in my cave!' In those words - with no prompting. And so it begins... :)