Saturday, in the Park

The weekend was truly spectacular (with the exception of that rancid game in which the women took on the men, and lost. But that's another story and best left to a later time, lest I drown this post in the bitter taste of defeat....)

The day started brilliantly, with a run into Pender Harbour where we slipped into a bakery to pick up the world's tastiest muffins. I have no photograph of that darn near perfect muffin, because somehow it wasn't on this earth long enough for a photo op. This tree in front of the cafe however, was also delicious, and luckily, too big to eat.

Mister Man headed out at "oh dark hour" to go fishing, so he was ready for a nap when we were leaving for our hike. I have to say that we are brilliant in Canada. Where else can you find the following signage 400 meters into an 8 kilometer hike? (I'm talking about the little oval sign to the left... Can you read it?)

Years ago I was working in Newfoundland on a one woman show with a writer/actor. Because the show was so physically demanding, we decided to start everyday with a workout. But we encountered a little hiccup in The Aquarena, a major fitness facility in St. John's. And that would be the little take-out stand NEXT to the counter where you pay to grunt and sweat. In the lobby of the fitness centre is a Tim Horton's Donuts!!

But I digress.

Our hike took us to the Skookumchuck Rapids.

Which was beautiful.

And busy! We decided that really, contrary to popular belief, the journey ISN'T more important than the destination!!

Because the destination was marked by a wee picnic on the rocks, where we got to enjoy the blast of the sun, the sound of the rapids, and a beautiful cheese that Aileen picked up from The Cheese Man.

On our way out of the park, we discovered something amazing about one of the dogs. If you tell Crea to get up, she will jump on the next obstacle in her path. And she'll teeter on said object until she gets her treat. Just look how she balances on the pointy bit of the rock with her eyes on the prize.

We got home in time for some r & r.

And then the cooking began. Here's Andrew pointing out what he's up to,

While Tamara mocks a flaccid carrot.

I liked the peek-a-boo-view into the kitchen, where I could spy on the action.

"No Mister Man, don't be stealing licks!"

Busted!

Then, when it came time to serve dinner, Aileen laughed her head off when she waltzed into the room with the salmon on a platter as if she'd just spent hours sweating over a hot grill. Andrew seems perplexed by her shenanigans!

How lovely is that?

We were having such a delightful time!

And then came the cutthroat game of Cranium. [insert ominous organ music here] In my mind, as a game, Cranium has always tried too hard to be all things to all people.

In a moment of delirium, we decided to have the women go up against the men. Aileen chose to sit on the sidelines cheering us on, and lending moral support in moments of utter disbelief and absolute disgust. Note the Canadian flag on the box. That's because it's the CANADIAN edition, which means the questions range from the ridiculously easy, to beyond obscure. Guess which questions Team Woman kept landing?

Yunh - hunh. Here Tamara is casting her eyes to the side in disgust.

That's because the men kept getting questions like: Which one of the following is NOT a division of minor hockey a)elf b)midget c)pee wee d)bantam. PUH-LEEZ. Or how about the fill in the blanks question that was answered with "Hockey Night in Canada"? Or the "Humdinger" which was "The Hockey Song"? And I'm not even kidding you!! It really happened!!

We also kept pulling the "All Play" cards, which meant the boys could weasel their way into our moments of glory...

At the end of the day, both teams ended up neck and neck on the purple brain in the centre of the board, fighting it out for their moment in the sun. The victory of the men was still a hard pill to swallow, made all the more challenging by the stench of smugness in the air.....

But Tamara and I managed to take the high road. And Mister Man and I didn't call off the wedding, and Tamara and Andrew didn't file for divorce the next day. In fact, I caught this smooch in the shadows, so I think everything's gonna be JUST FINE....