A weekend with Mimi and Pipi

Friday morning, an hour’s drive outside of Ottawa, we arrived at Storyland and spent a morning in this charming if slightly shabby park in the middle of absolutely nowhere.

We drove all afternoon through Algonquin Provincial Park (perhaps one of the loveliest drives I have ever been on) and arrived at Mimi and Pipi’s house – also in the middle of absolutely nowhere – in the late afternoon. The boys loved roaming their exquisitely landscaped acre carved out of the bedrock of the Canadian Shield and the forest.

We saw lots of creatures, both familiar and wild: snakes, turtles, fish in Pipi’s pond, and a huge moose having breakfast in Mimi and Pipi’s neighbour’s yard. They called us to tell us they could see two moose in their yard, and we hopped in the car and made it over just in time to see one loping away into the woods. The boys had fun tracing following the humoungous hoofprints across the loamy soil. Simon actually caught this monarch butterfly, and I’m not sure who was more surprised. He let it go, and it fluttered on its way.

The weather crapped out on us on Saturday, but we managed to have a lovely day nonetheless. Mimi just this month got her licence to drive a school bus (at the impressive age of 62 no less – don’t you love her to death?) and so the boys enjoyed their first school-bus ride with a personal driver. Sadly, cameras were left at home.

Sunday, the weather improved enough for a trip to the beach, and a ride in Pipi’s boat. And yes, that last picture is of the boat that towed us back to the dock after the motor died in the middle of the lake. My biceps are aching as I type this from the paddling!

But the true highlight of the weekend was riding around the property and the local snowmobile trails on Pipi’s tractor. Every four year old needs grandparents who operate heavy machinery and let them drive boats and tractors, don’t you think?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_j9xGcaPPc

Author: DaniGirl

Canadian. storyteller, photographer, mom to 3. Professional dilettante.

8 thoughts on “A weekend with Mimi and Pipi”

  1. Wow, that was one wonderful weekend. Sorry the weather crapped out on Saturday.
    Seeing Storyland is kinda strange for me. I have only been once and it was a field trip in Kindergarten or Grade 1. I remember my lunch the most, because it was in a special airline bag (the ones they used to give to kids years ago). And in it there was a grape soda (the kind with two holes on top to open the can) and a “Mae West”, my Dad’s favorite pastry in a bag. Other than lunch, I remember playing on the Storyland creatures and that is about it. I often wonder if it would be worth the trip to take J?

  2. Wow, that was one wonderful weekend. Sorry the weather crapped out on Saturday.
    Seeing Storyland is kinda strange for me. I have only been once and it was a field trip in Kindergarten or Grade 1. I remember my lunch the most, because it was in a special airline bag (the ones they used to give to kids years ago). And in it there was a grape soda (the kind with two holes on top to open the can) and a “Mae West”, my Dad’s favorite pastry in a bag. Other than lunch, I remember playing on the Storyland creatures and that is about it. I often wonder if it would be worth the trip to take J?

  3. all kids LOVE riding the tractor, a common pastime here 😉
    sounds like a great getaway alla in all
    as for Storyland, I wasn’t too impressed by it when we went a few years back, but then kids tend not to see all teh shabbiness that us grown-ups do…there was an awesome view over hte Ottawa River from an escarpment though!

  4. all kids LOVE riding the tractor, a common pastime here 😉
    sounds like a great getaway alla in all
    as for Storyland, I wasn’t too impressed by it when we went a few years back, but then kids tend not to see all teh shabbiness that us grown-ups do…there was an awesome view over hte Ottawa River from an escarpment though!

  5. yeah Not big on Story land. I was there as a child on a school trip and Got bus sick. Go figure.
    I absoultely love the video. That is too cool. It’s always fun to drive a lawn tractor. I have one to cut our grass and I try to keep it to myself.
    Hugs

  6. yeah Not big on Story land. I was there as a child on a school trip and Got bus sick. Go figure.
    I absoultely love the video. That is too cool. It’s always fun to drive a lawn tractor. I have one to cut our grass and I try to keep it to myself.
    Hugs

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