Great flight to DC after a wonderful two weeks in Ontario! Sad to leave but excited to finally see where Papa has been working all these years! I saw Linda Hamilton on the plane. She was in the Terminator movies. Our eyes met and we both smiled...it was a funny moment. She was probably amused at watching me struggle to get my bag on wheels down the aisle. Or maybe not. We met the pilot and the boys got to enter the cockpit and take pictures. He told us that our boys could become pilots before they could get a driver's license. Frunty cheered!

We arrived at the airport and rushed to the Aviation Museum after picking up a very big Ford. The museum was excellent and the boys donned their Scout caps so we could take photos of them for their Aviation badge. There were many amazing planes there and a space shuttle with a Canada Arm in front of it. It was unsettling though seeing the real Enola Gay.

We enjoyed the gift shop where Pit chose an AH-64 Apache Helicopter and Frunty chose an E-Z Build Scale Model kit of a F/A-18 Hornet. Followed by dinner at Cheeburger Cheeburger, we were flying to the moon with fun! I almost forgot how we purchased a Canon camera which does not work and will have to be returned today. Rats. After a big shop at Wegman's where the freefrom section is excellent, we got to our Homewood Suites tired but happy.

Papa has gone to the office. We will study now and then maybe hit the pool! Or go return the camera...

Cheerio!

We are having a wonderful holiday in Canada after an incredible June! We celebrated our birthdays in Bali again and had a week of surfing at Seminyak beach and a week of snorkeling at Nusa Dua. The highlight was visiting the island of Lembongan with our French friend and former teacher, Chloe, and her mates. We loved staying at the Tropicale for $8 a night and eating marvellous food. We met Christophe who caught some huge fish which were cooked for us at a small restaurant. We hiked along the beach for about an hour with the stars overhead to find this restaurant. It was magical when we arrived and saw the candles glowing. The food and friendships were great! We took mopeds back to our little villa. On Lembongan, we enjoyed scuba and snorkelling at Crystal beach and the Mangroves. I was impressed that Pit joined in too as sometimes he does not like jumping off boats to swim around the fish. Frunty was also impressive as he doesn't prefer to get on the back of a moped but he did it anyway. I'd prefer to have helmets next time...note to self to bring our own along with our own life jackets...always a good idea!

We all enjoyed massages here and there, mocktails, cocktails, island living, eating Balinese food, and sticking to our diet by eating in our own villas. Our room at the Novotel Nusa Dua had our own kitchen so we could control what we were eating. On the last morning, the boys went nuts though at the buffet and despite some tummy troubles, they had fun! What a trip!

Now we are in Toronto for Gramma's 70th. I'll write more about what we did last week at the cottage. This week we are sharing our time with friends in Toronto and our nonni in Mississauga. It feels so good to be home, I cannot tell you. Lobster prep is happening upstairs as I write beside the pool. Must skidaddle. Will write later and try to add photos soon! Hope everyone is enjoying their summer as much as we are...so grateful and so great-ful!

The Investiture at Scout Camp continued!

The Viking Scout club in Singapore! Hope our boys have many wonderful years of Scouting ahead of them whether here or abroad! Congratulations, Frunty and Pit!

The Investiture at Scout Camp: it's official!

More Scout Camp Photos!

Pit and Frunty spent the weekend goofing around with new Scout friends, some of whom play Badminton with us on Tuesdays! And doing serious Scout stuff like tying knots and star gazing!

 They hiked through the mangroves and studied mud skippers too. One mud skipper was eating a crab!

 Grand Howl Eric used bamboo in which to steam rice on the bbq. Delicious!

Parents took turns coming to camp with food and other needed items throughout the weekend. This couple cooked an incredible bbq for us on Saturday night.

The Scouts put on funny skits and sang songs like Boom Chicka Boom. We were really impressed with Pit who had a speaking part. He was the narrator of a skit called "Disasters at Scout Camp." It was truly hilarious! (at Shark Savers, we performed a play during which Pit had a non-speaking part. A few months later, he is the narrator! That's progress! What an achievement!)

Our first Scout camp Weekend: Pasir Ris, Singapore

 Arriving at Camp!

 Having fun with new friends, Burton and Johnathon!

 Star gazing!

 breakfast time!

Pit woke up this morning and the first words out of his tiny mouth were, "I am a boy Scout now!" Yesterday he told Papa that he would never forget this day for the rest of his life. Frunty and Pit joined the Viking Scout group in Singapore a few months back and we just attended their first overnight camp at Pasir Ris park this past weekend. Papa and I attended the camp to help with supervision especially at night and in the jungle too! About 20 children from several eastern and western countries participated: Singapore, India, Korea, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa! What a special opportunity!  We all slept in tents near the beach so star gazing was fun as was roasting marshmallows on the bbq. The first night was exciting as there was an equatorial storm. Taking turns escorting the children to the toilets meant windy, rainy walks in the dark for the parents too! But it made it memorable!

One father spoiled the parents with incredible Singaporean delights and a marvelous bbq on both nights while the kids ate weiners! We brought all gourmet, healthy options for our two boys so they ate well too! Camping in Singapore means always being very close to a supermarket! Very kind parents brought in provisions throughout the weekend and made sure we all had everything we needed! On the last day, we had a big potluck party and then the newcomers like Frunty and Pit participated in a ceremony called an investiture. With the sun shining on the sea and the breezey trees keeping us relatively cool, our boys became official scouts with their new friends! It was a special moment for all of us and indeed, we'll never forget our first Scout camp weekend in Singapore!