Happy Canada Day

Canada's birthday today and it is a very hot and humid one. Even for me too much to sit outside. The FIFA World Cup tournament continues with Canada still in it and Holland sent home by Morocco! By the way, the national team of Morocco ranks higher (6th) than Holland (7th) at the moment. They have been on a great run since reaching the semi-finals in the 2022 tournament. Mark and Macy came over a few times to watch games with us...

Too hot to hit some balls at the newly painted practice wall at the tennis club these days. My favorite work-out during the past weeks: on the e-bike to the club (about 20 minutes) as a warm-up, 20-30 minutes at the wall and then on the bike back as cool-down. On cooler days combined with some grass-cutting at the club or weed removal around the clay courts.

Another grandchild of my sisters going into adulthood after her Grade 12 graduation: Pleun, the oldest of Berry, who is the youngest of Ger. In Holland they still hang out the flag + schoolbag upon leaving high school. Berry took the other two kids this week to see his parents. Bert is looking better again....

And then a few pics of little Brooks who is becoming more aware of things in his 3rd month. He seems to be most content without clothes in this warm weather, even though he looks darn cute in some of the outfits made by Hilary. He grows out of his clothes quickly.....

Shayd's mother Sharon is a few weeks over from New Zealand and enjoying getting to know Brooksy a bit. A nice photo here with her son and grandson....

Football mania FIFA 2026

We are waiving the Dutch flag (next to the Canadian) during these five weeks of soccer madness. So far I have watched all but two matches; love these games, especially when smaller nations hold off the mighty football nations. Little Brooks in the meantime has a visit from his Oma from New Zealand. Sharon is over again for a few weeks in Penticton to meet her grandson (she has a granddaughter from her daughter with whom she shares a house with in the south island of New Zealand).

Hilary has many talents and hobbies. She makes most of Brooks outfits which of course make him look even cuter than he already is. Almost two months old now....

More visitors for Brooks

After Carly and Mark left, Mary and I still had a week in Penticton, but also to our stay came an end. On the day of departure we had a nice breakfast along the lake on our way to the airport in Kelowna. But now Grannie Mary is every day on Facetime with Hilary & Brooks....

Yesterday Uncle Parker visited Brooks. He worked a few years with CN Rail in BC on the freight trains and was based in Kamloops, about three hours north of Penticton. The past eight months Parker has been travelling through Australia and South East Asia. He now picked up his car in Kamloops, swung by Hilary & Shayd to see his little cousin before going to Calgary where he plans to stay a while, train to become a barber and see what the future can bring him there. He met Canadians while travelling and some of them live in Calgary. On goes his exploration. Oh to be young (23-24). Joe and Marcy had all three boys home in Sarnia for a few weeks, because Spencer also returned from his world travels, and Wil is doing a landscaping job this summer in between his ongoing college training years.

Kettle Creek Railway

During the visit of a week of Carly and Mark we made a fun day in the old steam train of the Kettle Creek Railway. The ride started in an old station turned museum and ended on a bridge; both ways about 30 minutes. Halfway the locomotive changed sides; a moment for photos....

The KVR trail on the other side of the lake is where we went cycling. The trail is made on the route of the old steam train of the Kettle Creek Railways (KVR). 

So many photos of little Brooks

Sleep, drink mother's milk, poop. Rinse and repeat. The first weeks of a new little human being are needed to get all the amazing bodily systems working. This fellow is of course the cutest baby in the world (no bias there!). Little by little the eye-brain connections are formed and Brooks becomes more aware of faces, sounds, etc. In the next photo he looks thoughtful, but he did not really recognize things yet. Now - six weeks after birth - he starts to recognize more and gives his parents big smiles....

Poncho is getting used to being a bit of "number two" but he continues to be a funny little dog. He loves to cuddle and wants to be close to Hilary and Brooks...

Cycling along Lake Okanagan

The views along the KVR trail (more about that trail in a next post) are spectacular. Mary and I had both a nice electric assist bike which made the hills to take a bit easier for us. I made a few trips on my own during days that Mary was kept busy with Brooks, and I made a longer trip to Chute Lake Lodge with Carly and Mark during their visit to Penticton (about 70 kilometers in total). On that longer trip we went through a reasonably long tunnel which was pretty cool...

With Mary we went once about halfway that trip to Chute Lake where there is a short tunnel with beautiful views both ways along Lake Okanagan. We had almost all the days sunshine and nice temperatures, ideal for trips on the bike.

Opa Jos with little Brooksy

Holding the little "mannetje" was very special. A new generation Nolle, because Hilary and Shayd decided to give him the Nolle last name. No more new Nolle folk in Holland, because the kids from my two sisters took their father's names. But now a new one here in Canada, and if Mark and Carly call their baby girl also a Nolle, we will be on our way to outnumber the Vandenbooms in Canada 😀