Grabbing back a day of summer.

Yesterday the boys and I went with Janice Lassen and her kids Annika and Kai to nearby Horseshoe Canyon. It was stunning. The colors were vibrant and the striped hills amazing as ever. The scoot down was tricky and 4 out of 6 of us slipped down to our bums.

Back in the 'Bud, it was a work day at the new firehall for Dave. I considered helping over there, but in the end I was glad to accompany Janice with the four young ones. There were some precarious times on the trail, but thankfully we made it through with only a bit of mud and minor scratches.

The kids found a fun little cave to stop for a snack.

The bentonite always amazes me. It's soft and pliant underneath with all the moisture, but crumbly dry on top. At any moment the ground could give way and little rocks go tumbling down. Other areas were like packed white sand and mud.

There were thistles and wild roses and tracks of deer and rabbit, but with three running boys we never saw a beast except two startled pigeons.

We found a few fossils, but never stopped long as there was always a new hill to climb and a new path to find. It was good we stopped when we did, however as some were getting tired, hungry and thirsty, and we were out of supplies.

While Janice went to get the van, Donovan found some nearby firewood and they all got terribly filthy drawing with charcoal, but they loved it.

I'm so thankful that warmth has returned to the province. Finally, a number of farmers turned a wheel for the first time in weeks. The outlook for this week looks good as well.

This morning's sunrise was so stunning: bright orange. It seemed a symbol of God's blessing for more warmth and beauty to come. And it was. Another dry day until a brief cool shower around 7pm that cleared soon after.

The world is suddenly glowing with gold and everywhere I look I'm stunned. The blue skies are amazing behind the bright leaves, and I got to go on a brief walk and then bike ride with Dave and the boys.

The only sad thing I saw was the top of the labyrinth tree that had broken and fallen, but was being held by the other branches. The broken part was easily identifiable because of its dark brown leaves, in stark contrast with the shiny gold of the old poplar.

I can't help thinking of my grief and struggle with God over Jeremy. Here was another image. I felt like the healthy tree was clinging to this dead weight that needed to fall to let the tree grow. Instead the yellow vibrant branches wouldn't let go. But gazing at it, it was apparent the broken top had to go. Its only good purpose now would be to warm folks beside a fire.