weekend abroad

Camping in our friends' backyard was a highlight of our weekend visiting Canadian friends (for Elsa, anyway. Some of us prefer beds. And some of us -aka "Mommy"- were smart enough to sneak out of the tent and onto the nearby indoor couch).

Stanley Park may be hard to get to, but what a great park. Elsa was particularly interested in the figures on the Totem Poles, the sandy beach with treasures of beach glass to be found, and the outdoor water park.

Sparklers!

Elsa enjoyed the fourth of July festivities. She had her first experience with bouncy castles at the city festival and stayed awake happily until almost midnight (yes, we are good parents). On our way to view the fireworks, Elsa said "Hey! We're nocturnal! The racoons and owls are waking up now. Did you know that a long, long time ago, owls came from the jungles of the northwest? Good thing that's very, very far away." (I'm not quite sure sometimes where she gets her information...)