August 4, 2008. Western Head, N.S. Men.

It is a man thing I think. At least it would never cross my mind. Last evening we all came back from Gills, from a very lovely cocktail reception. Ken and I were first home because Ken was weary from all these people and wanted to rest before dinner. People came back in dribs and drabs, while I organized the light dinner of left overs. It was overcast and a bit drizzly. My sons, Andrew and Davis, immediately built a fire down by the shore, and as people arrived, they went down to talk to the kids, then wandered up for dinner when it was ready. Most adults ate in the house, but four of the men stayed down by the fire all the rest of the night. My nephew Ken Buckley and his son Eric stayed down with Andrew and David all the rest of the evening, never coming in except to take a plate of dinner then return to the fire and the water side. It sounds lovely, except it was raining, sometimes hard and sometimes just a drizzle, but definately raining, but they just built up the fire and kept talking. Now it is true that Andrew and David have not seen Ken and Eric for sixteen years, so they had some catching up to do, and Eric is going into second year of Eingineering at U.B.C. and Ken does Physics there, so they did have a lot to talk about. Bit by bit our relatives left to their respective homes, but those four men just stayed out by the fire talking. They were happy as clams. But I think it is a man thing.

Today we went walking on the beach in the fog. The little girls all told us they were not going into the water, because they knew the water was so cold, so we took no towels. I was walking down to the water with the six little girls, and within thirty seconds, they were all in the water. Shirts and shoes thrown in every direction as they raced into the water. It was quite a sight to behold. After lunch at the Quarterdeck Restaurant, the girls finally warmed up in the hot tub at home. Ken commented that it was a good thing the hot tub had been repaired, or the girls might be cold now. The rest of the afternoon, the kites came out and up successfully. David loves to fly kites, and the wind always blows, so kite flying is high on the list of activities. They actually brought four new kite with them from Texas. Now we all go to the Mitchell home for a reception, then back to our home for dinner, cooked by Mitch Williams, the best Caterer in Liverpool. How sweet it is.