Have you seen these legs? I mean, these girls are powerhouses! Their mountain biking teachers call them the mountain goats since they climb hills faster than them AND all the boys in their team (they are the only girls in their group). They sure are… — Have you seen these legs? I mean, these girls are powerhouses! Their mountain biking teachers call them the mountain goats since they climb hills faster than them AND all the boys in their team (they are the only girls in their group). They sure are proud! You go girls!

I hope they keep bringing me heart-shaped rocks until I am an old grandma…

Taking selfies with a Nikon D700 is not for the faint of heart… Lots of laughter and not many keepers!

Getting down to the beach, Indiana Jones' style! — Getting down to the beach, Indiana Jones' style!

Our German neighbors had been fraternizing with the Americans camped beside them over a Duty Free size bottle of Peach Schnapps. They were loud and a bit obnoxious. When they started showing their kids how to throw knives and ninja stars on trees, it was my cue to move the bonfire down to the beach…

I read by the fire by myself for 30 minutes, then I saw her appear beside me, barefoot and dusty from the steep climb down to the beach. She snuggled between my legs on the little Therm-a-rest chair and started chatting. She told me she didn’t want to grow up because it meant she had to leave us. I said she could stay as long as she wanted (we’ll revisit that in 10 years…), then she said she didn’t want to become a teenager because she would become messy and rude (I told her she already sort of was, that seemed to comfort her… go figure!). As she collected wood to feed the fire, I asked her what she would do if we were stranded here and there was no food or shelter… She started sharpening a branch with a rock and said she would eat the squirrel that jumped in her bowl of homemade chocolate dip earlier today… I said I would definitely need a Wilson if she wasn't there, because I would go crazy... Then, I realized she hadn't watched Cast Away and I had to explain who Wilson was... This one on one time is such a treat…

Then, her sisters appeared a little after 10 pm (if you are not going to sleep anyways, might as well do it in a beautiful spot!)… Aïsha walked straight into the lake and stared at the mountains for a while. I looked at the 3 of them, all tangled hair and flithy. They have bruises and scratches everywhere from their numerous bike falls and spruce pitch stains on their hands and feet. They have big smiles and a fierce spirit. I love them so. My little Yukon wildflowers.