Head Tale

It’s a silly thing but I sort of felt ripped off that, even after many provincial parks had a fire ban all year, the one we ended up at only implemented a fire ban for the last long weekend of the summer.

We still had fun shoving some red Christmas lights into our fire pit to have a virtual campfire and sitting with our neighbours who had brought out a propane heater that last long weekend and for the following weekend as well.  But I wanted better closure for what I keep referring to as “the best summer of my life.”

So even though we had pulled our camper out a couple weeks ago, today, on the last weekend that campers could stay at Valley View campground, we drove out with some hot dogs, buns, drinks and a few other things (hot dog stick, folding chairs, kids’ bikes) and had one last weiner roast at our site.

It was a beautiful day – there were a few campers left scattered about and everybody was happy to chat as we walked by though it felt like for many, it was a way to slightly delay the inevitable on a sad “packing up day.  There was a bit of a breeze but the sun was shining and the trees and ground were covered in a mixture of beautifully coloured leaves.

I asked everyone what their favourite memories of the summer were and here’s what they told me…

Sasha (these are a few of the things I remember her telling me on the drive home today though she probably listed fifty different memories!)

1. Eating ice cream
2. Playing at the playground
3. Going to the beach
4. Playing with her friends
5. Sleeping in the bunk bed

Pace

1. Riding down the hill on bikes with his friends then having to be rescued by his dad and grandpa
2. Setting up a bike ramp in front of the camper and having kids from all over come to try it out
3. The whole weekend he had two friends out to sleep in a tent with him
4. The time him and I went for a bike ride and ended up not only hiking down into the valley but walking to both Echo and Pasqua Beaches and then on to Standing Buffalo Convenience Store for a drink and snack
5. Every time we went to the Fort Qu’Appelle Skate Park but especially when we went with his friends.  Also finding some massive dirt jumps in Fort Qu’Appelle at the end of summer as well.

Shea

1. Having morning coffee every day before the kids woke up
2. All of our daily (and sometimes multiple times per day) walks around the campground and out to the scenic lookout
3. Preparing meals at our outdoor kitchen
4. Watching the kids have so much fun in so many ways
5. Rose wine in the daytime and red wine in the evening

Jason

1.  Pretty much every time we arrived at the campground, it was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders – whatever work or stress was waiting for me back in the city slipped away as soon as I drove through those gates.
2. I’ll echo Pace and say our spontaneous hike to the Standing Buffalo convenience store was one of many best memories I had with him.
3. And since I did one fond memory with Pace, I’ll do one for Sasha – seeing that her and her friend had hopped in a toy electric car with two boys and start cruising around with them was pretty funny (and hopefully not a foreshadowing of her high school years!) 😉
4.  And since I did one for the kids, I’ll pick one with Shea – of course there are many to choose from but, without giving too many details, her driving our “getaway vehicle” during one adventure that occurred outside the park was pretty hilarious.
5. Our final weekend when, although we didn’t have a fire, we had everything else that made the summer so great – friends, (extended) family, football (Riders and catch in the park), food, frosty beverages and lots and lots of fun!