Visitors from the States!

My cousin Erin just left after a week long visit. It was so fun to see her and we're grateful she made the trek all the way up here. She wanted to bring her dog, Sylvie, and also see some sights she had never seen before, so she decided to make the 1600 mile trip by car. Whew - what a road trip!

We enjoyed some nice, albeit cool, weather during her visit. Since she was here for Canada Day, we checked out the local festivities. The fireworks don't start until it's completely dark, usually 11:30pm or midnight, so we skipped them in favor of a quiet night at home. We had fun just spending time together and showing her around town - a little peek into what our daily life is like. We checked out the Farmer's Market, where we picked up some fresh veggies. We grilled out and ate many of our meals on the deck.

Finley loved having a little girlfriend around, even though Sylvie is a bit older and isn't quite as interested in playing as he is. He was like a pesky little fly that wouldn't leave her alone, but she was really pretty tolerant. We took them to the dog park to run out some energy one day and they got plenty of walks.

We had brunch at our favorite spot, the Urban Diner, then checked out the Street Performer's Festival downtown. It's an annual tradition in Edmonton where musicians, magicians, dancers and such all perform in the streets. We hired a sitter one night so we could enjoy a meal out. We headed to our favorite local Indian restaurant. And of course, no visit to Edmonton is complete without a trip to the West Edmonton Mall, reputed to be the largest entertainment and shopping mall in the world.

Erin and Sylvie headed out early this morning to begin their two day journey. Already, the house seems quiet and lonely and poor Finley has been moping around all morning.

Bonne fête Canada!

Having a sword fight in "Noodle Town" with Daddy at the Street Performer's Festival

Playing the "Fishing Game"...

The Farmer's Market...
Watching videos on Ernie's computer