Fun weekend!!!

It started on Friday night with Art (Sheri-lynn's dad), Kathy (his wife) and his son, Morgan coming to our house for supper which we had out in our outdoor room (our backyard). The mosquitos surprisingly were not too bad at all and it was beautiful and warm. We then took our guests up to the Home to visit with Gramma while I did her hair and of course we had tea and cookies. Saturday morning we got up and chatted around the breakfast table. They were on their way out to Drumheller to go to the Passion Play later on that day but wanted to go the Drumheller museum first so they wanted to get a good start and I had to go up to the church to help prepare food for the Stampede Barbeque we were going to have on Sunday. After I got home from the church, I packed a picnic lunch - fruit, cake, cereal bars and coffee and we took off for the Kananaskis - the Kananaskis village to meet my cousin and her husband who had just come through the mountains from Golden on their motorbike. I guess we got there about 2:oo P.M. It was gorgeous in the mountains. We drove up to the lakes and had coffee there! It was beautiful!! Then they got on their bike (they are in their fifties - good for them!!!) and we got in our car, (they decked out in their leathers and we in our shorts - it was hot!) and we drove highway 40. They had never been that way right to Longview!!! It is one of our favorite drives through the mountains. Finally arrived at Turner Valley where we had supper at a cute little restaurant called Route 40. Then came home to baths and a comfortable bed. They had been camping in a tent the whole week and had driven to Jasper, Ft. St. John, Prince George, Kamloops, and then on to Banff and Canmore so they were so glad for a bed in a house!!!!!! Sunday was sunny and hot. We went to church and had the service outside. The musical part of the service was special guests from Arizona who sang then and also when we were having our barbeque. It was great!! Our pastor always has a good sermon for us and also a story for the kids. We got home and changed into shorts and sat outside under the lilac bush in the shade. About 3:00 P.M. we decided to take them out to my brother's place in the country where at the moment, they are living in their R.V., soon to be moving into their son's brand new house in the parent's suite which is being built unto the garage. When we looked to the west, we could see huge thunder clouds and we knew we were in for a storm so again, all the plants went into the garage!!!! We got out there, had our coffee and before you know it the rain started!! We quickly got into our car and started back to the city!!!! OOooo, the sky was black!!!! We drove right into the storm, decided we better take some shelter, so we drove into a driveway lined with trees and waited for about 1/2 hour while golf-sized hailstones rained down upon us!!! We couldn't see very far at all because the rain and hail were so intense!!!! The poor horses out in the pasture were galloping back and forth trying their hardest to get away from the hailstones. I felt so sorry for them! Anyway, finally started home, had to drive slow but made it. We had not gotton any hail at our house, just rain and thank goodness, the only damage our car received was two little dents in our roof. A town east of the city had hailstones as big as apples and windows of a van was broken by the hail. The people down at the Stampede grounds had to take shelter anywhere they could find it!!!! By the time the sun was setting, the sky was clearing and the sun was shining!!! O the awesome power of wind, rain and hail!!! How small and finite it makes us feel when we see it!!! Dale and Darlene were definitely glad that they were not on their bike!!!! They left yesterday morning, they were anxious to see their children and grandchildren!!!!! So fun to have them.