The Pirate Ship

We had an excellent day on the South Sask today! Andrew, Gretchen and Karsten (my nephew, his wife and their son) had set off from Outlook on Friday and timed their return for a family breakfast at the Berry Barn.

Andrew (my husband, not my nephew) and I haven't been avid kayakers this summer so we didn't join them for the whole trip but paddling back into the city from the Berry Barn was manageable. And with other family in attendance, we didn't have to worry about vehicle shuttles. (Thanks Bev & Al!)

A, G & K have a pirate flag on their canoe and could often hear people say, "Hey, they've got a pirate flag!" It seemed like a fun conversation starter.

Captain and crew of the Pirate Ship

Family breakfast at the Berry Barn. Waffles . . . . Mmmmmm . . . . 

Setting off. The Berry Barn is a popular spot for starting or ending a paddling trip.

The Pirate Ship crew

The Captain of the Pirate Ship

Bald Eagle

Watching the Bald Eagle

Taking a break

Approaching the big city

Yay! We made it!

Drayton Valley Flying

We just got back from another short road trip out to Drayton Valley to get some high tows at Air Adventure Flight School. Thermals weren't great but we scratched as best we could. Andrew managed an hour long flight but most of them were 20-25 minutes. More importantly (for me), I was much more confident in my launches and landings than I was when we here a few weeks ago for my first "post-ankle-surgery" flights.

It was awesome to get up high again and take in the views. There's so much colour this time of year with the canola and flax crops. And I really appreciated the farmers who were baling hay which made for some nice big, clear landing zones!

Andrew high in the sky. (Just right of centre.)

Tow launch

As per usual, Andrew way above me.

Blue sky day. No clouds. Very light thermals.

New helmet! You can actually see my face now in my flying selfies. 

Claudio had a couple paramotor students while we were there.

Crazy cloud formation.