The Searchlight of Insight

Not Lost At Sea

Tess reports that the forest fire is a non-event. This is a good thing because no one would want this beautiful house consumed by flames. But what is an event is the terrific holiday that everyone is having at Tulameen. I have chatted a few times with them on the phone and this is what I learned.

Jasper described to me how he and Sebastian went floating out to sea in the floaty thingy, pictured a few blogs below. Jasper reported that they went a bit too far and there was some sort of challenge with getting back to shore. He mumbled a bit at this point so I never really got the end of the story. Jasper is also quite proud of some handwriting that he did during his homework session. (Tess has all the kids doing a little bit of homework each day.) Jasper can’t wait to show me his very neat handwriting. Neatness is Jasper’s goal. Jasper tells me that his favourite part about Tulameen is going to the lake (as opposed to being lost at sea.)

Sebastian then spoke with me.  After being re-assured by me that nothing bad was happening in Hong Kong, Seb proceeded to explain how there were some necessary corrections to Jasper’s version of the floaty thingy drifting out to sea. According to Seb, he had to jump in the water and help to pull it back to shore. How very brave of him. Upon returning to the cabin, they each had a shower, drank some hot chocolate, ate dinner and watched a bit of TV. Sela then told me how she had read some very long books on my Kindle. For more from Sela have a look at the picture below. (Click on all the pictures to enlarge.)

Finally I spoke with Carys, who was in quite a chatty mood. Carys described how they went into the city to go shopping. They bought new toys, some baseball things and hula hoops. Then they went to a water park where it appears everyone got very wet. Since I am updating Carys’ Gratefully Book, she explained to me how she is grateful to God for police, because they protect people. Carys is also grateful for firemen, like Uncle Ed. And speaking of Uncle Ed, Carys and Sela made a “Cinderella” out of beads that they plan to give to their cousin Alex. (Auntie Pam, if you’re reading please don’t tell Alex.) Alas, Carys described how it had rained very hard a few hours earlier, during which everyone hoped (or should I say prayed) it would snow. Somewhere during all of this activity Sela and Carys made a sand castle on the beach. Charmaine and her two kids went to visit relatives this past weekend and Carys, along with the others, was very happy they had finally returned. Carys likes her new friends.

60 firefighters containing wildfire near Merritt

This fire is in Brookmere. Charmaine writes, "It is in Brookmere, B.C. which is about 23 km north west of us as the crow flies." But Charmaine also adds: "Apparently the owner of the cabin we are staying own the helicopters fighting the fire and he says it is totally contained and will not come here. Cool!!!!!!"

Forestry crews say a wildfire burning south of Merritt now covers 1.5 square kilometres. Fire information officer Kevin Skrepnek says the Matthew Creek fire, 40 kilometres south of Merritt, is three times larger than first thought. But he says the apparent growth in the blaze is due to more accurate mapping, not a leap in fire activity. Sixty firefighters, heavy equipment and two helicopters are assigned to the fire and Skrepnek says it is already 50 per cent contained. Elsewhere in B.C., smoke from massive fires in Siberia is creating haze across much of the province — and that smoke also packs staggering ozone levels, raising potential health concerns from some central Interior residents. And this is a file photo courtesy of Trevor Rockliffe from Castanet.net!

via www.theprovince.com

The view from Tulameen

If everything went according to plan, then just a few hours ago this is the view that Tess and the kids would have enjoyed. They are traveling with Charmaine who chatted with me via Facebook prior to departing Toronto for Kelowna, but since then I have heard nothing. Charmaine is super organized so I have no doubt that between Tess and Charmaine, the now six kids are in very good hands. Today at church a number of people asked how “the gang” was doing and if Sebastian prayed for snow. Indeed, he did.

Meanwhile back in Hong Kong I have completed my four weekend work projects as I enter the new week. Sleep has still been somewhat scarce this past year so I am retiring early to hopefully get caught-up. I am about to read “My Descent into Death: A Second Chance at Life” by Howard Storm. The author will be speaking next Sunday at all three Union Church services. His book is about his near death experience that was extraordinary enough to have Anne Rice write the foreword. If you are in Hong Kong on July 15, you might not want to miss the experience of hearing Howard Storm’s talk.

Finally, here are two pieces of artwork completed by Sebastian this past year. Again, I have no idea what they represent, but I thought them rather unique and precise. Sebastian has a very creative side that he needs to better channel. (Thus the word precise.) In the last few months Sebastian took one of his workbooks and started writing and drawing comics early in the morning. Another time when he was at a tutor, he said to the lady, “I am going to write books and when the books get published the money will come rolling in.” Maybe Anne Rice will write his forewords.

Tess and the kids have left the building...

Tess and the kids have gone to Canada. With the exception of Liza and our new fish Dobby, the house is empty, clean and quiet. Tess and the kids are gone for six weeks until mid-August so the flat is in for a long haul without them. I remember last year it was turbo-charge mode after they left, with all sorts of projects kicking into high gear moments after watching them pass through Immigration. Today it felt different – there are twice as many projects but the turbo hasn’t yet kicked in. Maybe I just need a good night’s sleep. Union Church is hosting an evening for summer bachelors, “Cigars Under The Stars” on the church’s rooftop. This will be my first port of call but meanwhile, I have way too much to do before a hit-and-run, seven day visit to Toronto and the Okanagan later this month.

Tess was a master packer, too. She managed to get an entire summer’s worth of clothes into two suitcases. (I am highly suspicious the “summer collection” will expand once Tess finds herself at outlet malls.) Each one of them also had an appropriately sized carry-on and Tess had her laptop in a backpack. The triplets legally need to sit in booster seats while in Canada. When we dragged the luggage out of the car each one of them dutifully carried their booster seat in one hand while pulling their “wheelies” in the other hand. Sebastian is delighted that he has now graduated from needing a booster seat.

Tess and I had mixed views on technology this year. For a while we contemplated a technology free summer but finally surrendered albeit Sebastian agreed to leave his iTouch in Hong Kong. Sela took my Kindle, loaded with The Bobbsey Twins, Enid Blyton and more. We have four Android tablets, the equivalent to iPads, but much less expensive. The kids call them T-pads. Carys’ t-pad is in the shop for repairs, which is partly why I surrendered my Kindle. The T-pads were also loaded up with books and some of the kids’ favourite movies.

The beauty of technology is that we can communicate back and forth so easily. The kids love to play “DrawSome” and leave endearing messages whenever they send or receive a drawing. Sela wrote me the above message after being unable to send me a text message a few days ago. As I drove home from the airport I somewhat kicked myself for not installing Skype on the T-Pads and realised Seb wouldn’t be able to Skype without his iTouch. But technology is remarkable. Upon arriving home I remotely accessed the kids’ T-pads via Market Android to install Skype. Next time they connect to a wireless Internet connection, Skype will be automatically installed.

Alas, sceptics, nothing replaces the tactile feel of a paper book – that’s the story I’m sticking to for sending my Kindle to Canada – so the kids still had a few paper books in tow. I, too, will appreciate the palpable feel of a paper book this summer. My hope is to finally get to read “Left To Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust,” by Immaculee Ilibagiza and hopefully get caught-up on some blogging, too. After all, there is the remarkable story of Dobby.

Final pics of Phuket...

As promised here are some final pictures of our vacation in Phuket. The last day of our holiday I finally convinced Jasper to swim with me in the deep water. Up until this point he had been too apprehensive to go in water any deeper than his waist. Finally he took the plunge... he loved it. In fact, he loved it so much that he finally figured out what he had been missing all along! When we pulled him out of the water at dinner time he was furious. Can you say "toddler meltdown?" What follows are some beach shots from the first morning in Phuket, and pool shots from our last late afternoon and beach side dinner. We had a great time and I am sure we'll be back.

Another day in paradise!

Alas, the triplets crashed on Saturday night while Sebastian crashed on Sunday morning. Upon awaking, Seb had very sore arms and chest muscles - most likely from non-stop super-hero exertion the previous day - and announced he was going to throw-up. So he did, but made it to the toilet first. We had brought breakfast cereals and decided the kids would eat en suite. Seb, like Sela the night before, refused to eat. He was too tired and clearly suffering from something - probably sun stroke - that came complete with a fever. The kid enjoyed a mixture of Cheerios and CoCo Puffs (hey, they're on holiday, who cares about the sugar!) while Seb lazed in bed in front of the TV where he remained until about 4 pm. (Left: breakfast in the hotel room.)

Tess stayed with Sebastian and I took the triplets down to the pool where they swam and swam and swam. The morning dragged late, and before I knew it lunch was on top of us. I quickly made peanut butter sandwiches in our hotel room then went back to the pool to inform the triplets of our impending "picnic on the beach." Little did I know that this would turn out to be one of the most inspired ideas of the day. (Left: typicalview looking up the beach.)

Maureen and I settled each triplet into a beach chair and cracked open lunch. we were in the shade but wow - it was hot, with the sand retaining the sun's energy. A cool breeze wafted by, when it occured to me we could probably pull off naps on the beach, not just a picnic. Sure enough, after sandwiches, a tube of yoghurt each and Yakult yoghurt drink, the eyes were getting heavy. Not long after the kids were deep in sleep. Okay I'm sorry, but I was pretty impressed with myself. Maureen and I had our own refreshment, then I headed back to the room to give Tess a break from babysitting Seb. Fortunately, Seb was feeling much better, even managing to consume some crackers and a peanut butter sandwich. (Left: Crashed out under the tropical heat!)

At this point Maureen and Tess showed up in the hotel room. "Where are the kids?" I asked. "KIDS CLUB," they exclaimed in glee. On cue Maureen and I headed down to the beach for el cheapo, one hour massages after which we joined the kids back in the pool. Seb had made a remarkable recovery, but his volatile well being + sudden expenditure of energy in the pool + sudden temperature change = another crash. The triplets played a little longer then everyone was ushered up to the room to get changed for dinner. (Left: Grandad Blake tries to cheer-up Seb as he comes in for another crash landing.)

In the middle of all the changing I asked, "Why not room service, besides Seb doesn't look to hungry?" Such a simple solution! The kids enjoyed hot dogs and french fries while Sebastian laid low on the bed watching TV. Post dinner everyone was ready to sleep pretty quickly. We plied Sebastian with his 3rd bottle of Gatorade then put the gang to bed. Maureen predicted Seb would be 100% by the next morning and true to her prediction, he was. (Left: dinner time and TV for the triplets. Don't get used to this kids!)

Monday morning found us down by the pool with lots and lots of sun. The kids were playing with an array of toys and Carys was pretending to pour water on various items that she'd pretend to cook. As Jasper looked on Carys explained, "JJ, you need to pour water on it because it's spicey." "Aha," I thought rather satisfied, "so you do listen to me." Elsewhere Maureen and Tess splashed the kids through a variety of up-in-the-air throws. At lunch Maureen and Tess headed into town to shop. (Left: one of the many shallow pools that we hijacked.)

Blake and I had a repeat picnic on the beach. Took a little longer to get the kids asleep and Seb played happily in the sand throughout. Naps were unfortunately short - maybe an hour long - due to a line squall and downpour that put us back into the hotel room. One of the highlights of our trip was the resort baby elephant. The kids were quite skeptical but curious of this small, two-year-old beast who appeared several times a day. The little guy had a whole variety of tricks up his trunk including a big smile and pose for pictures, kissing people on their necks or cheeks with his trunk and... ah... going after ladies breasts as he did with Tess! Hah! (Left: Sebastian plays in the sand while the kids nap behind the camera.)

More random pics of the kids having fun in Phuket, starting with Carys playing in the pool...

Below, Sela's turn in the limelight...

Below, Sebastian relaxes then splashes...

Little nudies... Blake & Sebastian... Sela cuddles Carys while sporting her new goggles...

You are probably wondering where JJ is in all these pictures. Well, the poor little guy has been painfully shy of the water but we do have some amazing progress to report. So stay tuned for another update. Meanwhile, what do you think of the synchronized swimmers? (Left: a final splash from our brave little swimmer, Carys. Overall, the kids made huge water progress this week, including shy Jasper.)

Typical day in Phuket with Triplets + 1

Last time I was at Le Meridien Beach Resort in Phuket was November 1997. I'd always wanted to return with Tess because it is a good combo of family-friendly and couple-friendly. The resort has huge pools, so it is easy to find quiet areas, which is probably a good thing considering we are the noisiest family at the moment! Saturday morning the kids woke-up at 5:45 AM. We managed to keep them occupied until about 6:30 AM, then down we went to the breakfast buffet for pancakes. They ate more than you could possibly imagine. (Left: Sela looks at the resort from the balcony.)

Next we were off to "explore the resort." We found the best place to sit next to one of the pools, the Penguin Club for kids over three, then had a long walk along the beach. We couldn't delay the inevitable any longer, though, and by 9 AM had all four kids playing wildly in one of the many kids' pools. Lunch saw us at the main cafe where the kids enjoyed chicken nuggets that I am sure were loaded with a full FDA warning's worth of trans fats. Post-lunch the kids played at the Penguin Club (read Kids Club) for a few hours. Finally they were back in the pool for a final 90 minutes of swimming. We decided since the kids were on holiday another round of trans fat would do no harm, so with the promise of mid-life angiograms, we treated them to Pizza On The Beach. (All part of the hotel complex.) (Left: the kids out exploring early in the morning.)

And this is where they hit the wall... except for Sebastian. Having gone full speed for two days straight (the trip here the kids were super excited, then the first day here even more so) it was inevitable the kids would eventually run out of steam. Upon arriving at the beach cafe the pizza was ready, cut-up, sitting on plates and cooling for consumption. (Tess and I always divide by sending one or the other ahead to prepare everything.) Not long after sitting down, Carys and Sela whined of having to do wee wees. Back-up again to the bathroom they went. Along the path we bumped into Mo, where I handed off the girls. Back to the table, where suddenly it was JJ's turn to do a wee wee. Back-up again he and I went, wee'd and returned. We took the most direct path whereas Sela and Carys took the long route along the beach. JJ promptly dug back into his pizza. Sela and Carys arrived a few minutes later, sat down, bibs back on, Carys started eating but Sela was holding out.  (Left: Carys crashed out on Mo's shoulder after dinner.)

Nothing was right: sand on her feet, she wanted her sandals off, blah, blah, blah - whatever - the little whinger wasn't happy. Even sitting cuddled on Tess' lap Sela wouldn't eat. Warning 1, Warning 2 and finally just before Warning 3, Sela volunteered going straight to bed. Tess took her back to the room. Meanwhile, the sausage on the pizza had a real spicey bite, giving the tired kids additional reason to whine. Being in Asia, one can regularly count on finding spice in food every here and there. We always respond with, "well have a drink (of water or more) to cool your mouth." The kids never really respond to these suggestions so I never really know if they get the message. In this particular case they sipped their water, but I still wonder. In all, the kids wolfed down two medium sized pizzas. With only a few pieces remaining Carys began slipping away. After a while Mo took her up to bed. Then it was just JJ, Seb and me. The boys finished the last of the pizza and headed up to bed. Needless to say, it didn't take anyone long to fall asleep. (Left: the triplets sound asleep after a long day of play.)

This is what a typical day in Phuket has been like for us. Dinner usually consists of ordering room service but one night we'll get a babysitter so we can go out for a proper dinner. There have been some curious and hilarious moments that I'll report on in the next blog so stay tuned! (Left: a typical beach scene at the resort. Unlike most resorts in Phuket, Le Meridien has an exclusive beach that is not shared with any other reorts or hotels.)