Max piled on the airplane charm yet again on his 15th and 16th flight legs, to and from Winnipeg. In fact, Max slept through the entire flight west, allowing mommy to watch a wonderfully schlocky film in its entirety.
The day after arriving, the three of us, along with Max's Winnipeg aunt, uncle and grandma headed out to Sioux Narrows, Ontario, to spend two nights on a houseboat at Tomahawk Resort on Lake of the Woods. Max's aunt Kathy's family owns and runs this spectacular resort and they were extremely generous in extending their hospitality to us. The Resort and lake were both gorgeous! We beached the boat in a secluded bay and proceeded to do all of the following, in some order: swim, tan, read, sleep, eat and hang out. Neither Max nor his parents had ever been on a houseboat, so this was a terrific opportunity - a million thanks to our generous hosts! We even got to go out on a fishing trip with one of the Resort's skilled fishing guides. The Ottawa Stardoms got smoked by the Winnipeg Stardoms to the tune of about 8 keepers to 1. Oh well. Everyone had a wonderful time! Here are some pictures:
Max, Dad and the houseboat
Max exploring on the houseboat
Max sitting in the fish fryer. Oh, if only Mel Lastman could see this picture...
Dad attempting to fish, but being distracted by his tie-dyed junior sailor.
Mom and Max clearly having a good time.
Max attempting to wake up his uncle
After forgiving Max, Uncle M posed with Dad and Grandma for this shot.
On our way back to Winnipeg, we stopped off for a visit with Max's one great-grandmother. We made it a surprise visit and, sure enough, great-grandma was surprised. We arrived as she was having tea and she told another gentleman at her table "that's my great-grandson". (fatherly pride:):) It was a cute moment. Max took a shine to crawling up and down the hallway, hanging on to the wheelchair and playing with (what else) any available cord he could get his hands on. Considering the time of night, Max put on a show and charmed the pants off of everybody. But our night didn't end there! We still had a bit of a commute back to the Peg and some stomachs to fill. We made an emergency stop in Beausejour, MB and ate at pretty much the only place open (Chicken Delight). The bucket o' chicken and perogy pizza at 10 p.m. was at the same time the best decision and the worst decision. Here is the visual evidence of the visit and meal:
Max with Dad and Great-grandma
Max taking control of the world via remote
Everybody in a good mood prior to ingesting a Phelpsian amount of calories at 10 p.m.
When we got back to town, we took in a night of Folklorama, which I believe is touted as the world's largest multiculturalism festival. Different ethnic communities in Winnipeg rent out spaces such as arenas, halls and community centres and put on "pavilions" that feature food, performances and cultural displays. If you're ever in Winnipeg in August, check it out. We went on the closing day, when some pavilions open early, in order to give Max a taste before he turned into a pumpkin. First up was the Brazilian pavilion with its capoeira (now acceptable in Scrabble!), dancers, and delicious food. As Max's uncle said "Who knew the Brazilians would be the first to create zero-gravity?". Max had some rice, danced up a storm and checked out the ladies in full Carnaval regalia. A great start to the evening. Afterward, it was on to the Caribbean pavilion with more yummy food (the hot sauce was actually pretty hot) and fun entertainment...although we were pretty disappointed that the pair of limbo dancers (professionals flown in from Toronto, even) failed to get under the lowest two bar heights. Step your game up! Max was so enthralled by the goings-on that he missed his nap and so we figured he wouldn't be able to get through a third show. Mom and Grandma whisked him away while I headed out to the German beer tent, er, pavilion with Max's aunt and uncle. Zwei Warsteiner bitte! Sehr schoen. Here is a sad video of a failed limbo attempt. Oh, I guess I neglected to mention the bar was on fire. Don't worry, the dancer simply fell down - it's not like she caught fire or something similarly awesome.
We didn't have much time left in Winnipeg after that, but we were able to sneak in a trip to Assiniboine Park to check out a family fun day...too bad Max was indifferent to all of the activities (in another year or two, I'm pretty sure those types of things will totally be a staple of our summer holidays) and the temperature was well into the 30s. We still managed to tour the English gardens and Leo Mol Sculpture Garden. We also squeezed in visits with other family members and an old high school friend (exactly what Facebook was designed for!). We also spent a morning introducing Max to Winnipeg Grandma's colleagues at the University of Manitoba. Max had a great time exploring various offices and hallways and generally putting on another adorable show. We even got swarmed by wasps at a backyard BBQ - right ON! It was great catching up with everybody and many thanks to all for the meals, company and treats!! Here is a last batch of pictures:
Max at the Instruments of the World tent at the park. Why must everything go in the mouth??
Mom and Max in the park...likely just after a snack:)
Max trying out the play structure at the Winnipeg airport. And they said it was for kids 5 and up...pshaw!
Finally, possibly the neatest thing that Max learned to do while in Winnipeg was clap his hands. Here is Max putting his newfound skill to good use while out celebrating a birthday at a German restaurant:
1 comment:
Sehr gut klatschen, Herr Stradom!
J.
Post a Comment