Floating bonfire Night

Old friends are the Best

Jamie Stube at the Dinner Dance
Alec, Andrea and Andrew

Hennessy and Wybar bonfire at the beach.

Playgroup at the Blott's

Lee, Katherine, Jess and Andrea

There was so much to do in so little time. It was difficult to spend time with everyone when the kids were flying all over the place, but we all made an effort. I think we all appreciate the time we had there together.

Tennis and Golf Lessons

Granny always says that you can not start a child in tennis lessons until they are taller than the net. Luckily, Toby and Ethan are tall enough, but poor Simon will have to wait another year.

Overall, the tennis clinics with Stuart were fantastic. The were fun, active, repetitive (helps build confidence and basic skills) and entertaining. Golf with Chris was pretty good, but the boys need to mature a bit before they are ready for a game involving such calm, quiet, patience and self-control. It might take a few years...

Granny

Granny is 86 years old. Taking this into consideration, it is quite a gift that she is still willing to allow us to visit her home in Metis. Every year we visit Granny in Metis. We take over the entire house and leave her with no peace for a week!
Metis is a magical place where the same families gather every summer year after year.

The central hub of it all is the Cascade Golf and Tennis Club www.cascadegolfandtennis.com. That is where I have met many of my oldest friends. This year Ethan and Toby started going to the tennis and golf clinics just like I used to. At one point there were 22 children on the court!

Granny no longer plays tennis. However, we managed to spend time with her at the annual Garden Party, covered bridge, Birks beach, Turrifs beach, and Ian took her to the farm, Ste Flavie for fish and to visit the tomato lady.

Most days, Granny slept until 7:30, but she didn't seem to be bothered by the noise of the boys playing downstairs at 6:45am. She said they had "such happy voices in the mornings".

She ate her breakfast on the deck every morning where she watched rising and falling tides of the Ste Lawrence and listened to the birds.

In the evenings, she moved to the middle part of the deck for libations where she watched the red sunsets and tried to predict the weather for the following day.

She was always playful with the boys and had a twinkle in her eye. I think she genuinely enjoyed the hustle and bustle of it all.

It has been a wet one.

It has been wet, but I had no idea that we were breaking any records.

Check out this article: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/official+July+Ottawa+wettest+month+history/1841495/story.html.

Thank goodness we were exposed to so much rain on the West coast. The funny thing is, they have had record breaking heat and humidity in Vancouver and Seattle this month!

Baloo

We have waited a long time and although Baloo's behaviour isn't perfect, he is pertty close. He is sweet and lovable. The boys are learning how to behave so that he doesn't get over excited. The boys are larning to give him space and they are learning a little about forgiveness, because puppy teeth hurt, but Baloo doesn't mean to hurt them. I have found that the relationship between the boys and the dog has been better than expected. I have found Ethan more than once snuggling in a special place, just him and Baloo singing a song to his pal. Of all the kids, I think Ethan has benefitted most from having a little bit more responsibility and feeling, as he says, "more grown up". He needed that!
With some training, Baloo will be a wonderful family pet that we hope to have to many many years!

Male #3

This weekend we are heading to Little Britain to pick up our newest member of the family. We got the following note from our breeder:

Thanks for being so patient with me and waiting until I completed the final temperament test.I have watched the pups very closely over the last 4 weeks trying to figure out their temperaments and then a few days ago I did the final temperament test. When deciding which pup is best I look at how they interact with myself, other objects, animals, sounds and their mother and litter mates and also I look at the final temperament test score.I've put all this info together trying to determine which one is best for you and yes,

I've concluded that male #3 will be amazing for you guys. He is the calmest and most gentle of the litter and I think this is very important since you guys have young kids (compared to all the other families who are getting dogs from this litter) I usually but the calmer, more laid back pup with families with small kids. I find it works out better).

He also has a wavy coat which should be OK for allergies!

He is a fun, playful, loving dog that isn't to crazy or hyper but he still loves to play and is not shy or timid! He is a very social pup and a very affectionate pup. I can flip him on his back and he just lays there. He is very people oriented vs independent and would rather be with people then off doing his own thing. He adjusts very well to new situations and he is a dog you can take anywhere and he will not be shy or sketch (obviously you have to socialize him when younger) but his personality would not cause him to be like this.

Obviously as you know a lot has to do with training as well and if you read some of the book I sent you and follow all these techniques in the book a long with all the things I send you in the puppy packet you will have an amazing dog!

Let me know what you think about this pup!I will see you on the 25th at 1 pm sharp!

Sherrywww.swissridgegoldendoodles.com

We have been on the waiting list since March for this little guy and we are really excited to bring him home! If you want to take a look at Male #3, check out the Swiss Ridge website and follow the Puppies link to English Goldendoodles (not mini's).