botanical, biking, and the beach (harm and marion, part 5)

the house is feeling empty.  my in-laws, harm and marion, are now back in holland.  we had such fun having them with us.  kai is especially going to miss his opa, i loved how kai would look adoringly at his grandfather and always want to be by his side.  it makes me sad that he won't have him close by.

thankfully, we can visit harm and marion via the gazillion photos i have taken since they first arrived.  here are the last of them (and there really are a gazillon of them!). 

harm and marion have a lovely garden back home and i knew they would appreciate a wander around van dusen.  such a lovely way to spend an afternoon.  kai led his oma and opa to his favourite place at the gardens - the maze.  he had such fun but not sure they appreciated being abandoned in the maze.  no worries though, he went back in and rescued them!

 

 

      

at jericho beach we had some fun playing bocce and croquet.  none of us were particularly good at either which brought on some giggles to the games. 

 

we biked along the seawall towards stanley park making stops along the way for lunch, play, and coffee.  it was a glorious day.  so much so that kai decided to go for a swim fully clothed!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 



we met up with stefan for our last dinner together at dockside restaurant. they have a fantastic patio by the water with great views... it was a good night.  kai enjoyed a last play with his opa in the morning before we said our goodbyes.

 

 

have a lovely weekend!  harm and marion, we miss you!

then again

movie poster from here

then again is a charming book.  it reads pretty much as diane keaton speaks - rambling and endearing.   what prompted me to purchase the book was that it wasn't a typical celebrity memoir but instead focused on family, in particular her mother dorothy keaton hall.  in a way, the book is her mother's memoir too - thanks to the countless journals her mother wrote throughout her life and from which diane keaton quotes copiously.

what surprised me most was finding out that diane keaton experienced feelings of inadequacy.  she was open and honest about her personal and professional insecurities.  some reviews of the book haven't been very kind because she's too self-critical (and not enough celebrity kiss and tell) but i think it took remarkable courage.  and really, many of us feel much the same way at some point in our lives whether we share it or not.  it's common.  i like to read stories that resonate with me.

if you like quirky, this book is for you.  when my in-laws are flying home tonight and my hubby is out tonight and my little guy is asleep tonight, i will be cozy on the sofa watching annie hall.