5 day weekend is too short

Yes, we've had a busy 5 day weekend!

It all started Wednesday morning when we unpacked the new clippers and gave Ursa a trim. She was pretty laid back about the whole experience, only starting to squirm towards the end, just because she'd been still for so long. We took her fur down to about half an inch, just to help her stay cool and clean. She's still soft and fuzzy, but now she looks like a dog instead of a black mobile dandelion!

Once that was done, we packed up the trailer and hit the highway for Cypress Hills. The highway out of town wasn't busy at all and even with a brief stop in Medicine Hat, we were checked in and had camp set up before 7pm. Stuart went for a long run the next morning, but other than that, it was a very indolent couple of days. We took Ursa for walks, had naps, read our books and, in a fit of energy, played a game of mini-golf. The weather was gorgeous - warm with a light breeze - for most of the weekend. There was a cell of thunderstorm that went over Friday morning, but we slept through it and the tent was dry by the time we packed up after lunch.

We got back to Medicine Hat with lots of time to check into our hotel and have another nap before dinner. We stayed at the Ramada because I got a cheap rate through Expedia. It turned out to be a renovated motel. The rooms were small, but clean and well-appointed and they only charged $10/night extra for Ursa. It was perfectly fine as a place to store our stuff and sleep - except that the rooms had window mount AC, rather than central air, and the one in our room was crazy loud. Thank god I'd had so many naps in the days before...

We had dinner Friday night at Stuart's Aunt Brenda and Uncle Gary's house. Grandma and Grandpa Elle were there, along with Stuart's parents and his cousins Kayla and Kevin. The food was good and everyone had a good time. Except for their dog Sammie, who doesn't like other dogs and spent the whole time perched on the back of the couch to keep away from Ursa. On Saturday, Stuart went for another run, while Ursa and I walked around the coulee park. The Elle Family Reunion started at 2pm and was in Redcliff this year. The turn-out was bigger than the last one and the weather was perfect, warm with scattered clouds and a cool breeze. Much better than the debilitating heat of two years ago! Ursa charmed everyone, as usual.

On Sunday, we all had brunch back at Brenda and Gary's before the three of us hit the road for home. I was tired after two night of bad sleep, but fortunately the roads were pretty empty again and we had a quiet drive back.

Now we're just home for a few days of work and errands, before we head to Edmonton for next weekend. Dontcha love the summer?