Sunburn, Families, and TinyBirds

This is someone who is serious about not getting sunburned.  Also someone who lives in a place where the weather has been very reasonable.  And has a stealth knee brace on.  Hi.  

Also, apparently, as of today, I may have a lot more trouble getting pictures into these.  Stay tuned.

#PrettyPlantsArePretty

Also, I have scored a great victory!  Finally successfully took pictures of the tiny birds!  Also a video that is very cheerful but that my computer will now not let me upload.  Here are some static birds.  (Maybe.)

#MaybeTinyStaticBirds

The family came!  A time was had!  Fish were petted!  No one got kicked out of the hotel for being silly!  There was a pool!  

#2DifferentPoolsForFishInTheHotel

Canadians hate shade?  I guess?  The hotel pool had 0 shade options.  So did the swanky top floor of my building.  Which I have now seen because I showed it to the visitors.  Seriously, not a single lick of shade in the whole place.  I don't understand.

I was able to grant my niece's greatest wish: to ride transit.  We did a streetcar trip AND TWO subway rides.  There is proof!

#BeholdTheStreetCar  #ThereWereSoManyDogs  #WePointedThemEachOut

The fam came during Canada Day, when most people apparently leave the Greater Toronto Area, and there were very few children about.  Almost everything was closed, but we did manage to find one of the ramen places recommended by my ramen-loving friend.  

The day after Canada Day was NOT a holiday, and there were still very few children around.  I suggested it might be because they have subsidized childcare because they believe it is a community and economic good, like many developed countries in the world.  I looked it up, and the goal is to cap childcare at $10 a day across Canada.  Some provinces are there.  Others have cut the cost for parents in half (Ontario).  The visiting fam say they have spent more on childcare than on their mortgages (they do not have a small house).  I hope we get costs for child care and elder care to a point where they are reasonable in the U.S.  I would love us to value caring for each other in community enough to make this happen in my country.

#OnTheFerry  #WhereThereWereMoreKids  #NotJustThoseInMyParty

#OldestNephewIsNotReallyGrumpy  #JustVeryTired

Oldest nephew has been doing a lot of growing and a lot of activity.  Oldest nephew is exhausted from this.  I encouraged oldest nephew to find a nice tree in the middle of the part to sleep under.  He walked to the first tree along a busy cross street and sacked out with a towel.  We sat at a picnic table in the shade and watched everyone walk past unconscious nephew.

#Unconsious6Foot3InchNephewCurledUpRestingInNature  #RightNextToTheRoads  #Don'tWorryItWasOnTheIslandsSoNotReallyAnyVehicleTraffic

#OnTheFerryBack

I like this blue/green set of buildings.  Youngest nephew approved.

We spent some time together across a couple of days. I had taken a third day off and spent most of it in bed from overdoing it.  I also . . . somehow got sunburned.  I used the serious sunblock generously and evenly and still got burned in some places but not others.  I planned to bring the hat, but then I was rushed leaving the house and then I was on the train and wondering where my hat was.  Answer: In the closet where it lives.  #IWillBringTheHatNextTimeDagnabbit

Family ended their visit with a ridiculous number of $1 hot dogs at a Blue Jays game (while I crashed) and then some ziplining at Niagara Falls and then excessive quantities of meat at a Brazilian steakhouse and a long drive home (while I crashed).

 

#IWouldWatchThis  #AndTryToGetOnIt  #IWantAllTheShelvesAndAWindowSeatSoBad  #BooksAreGoodCompanyBetweenNapsWhenYouOverdoIt

Taking it easy to continue recovering.  One of my favorite authors released another novella, and oh no I just had to rest while reading it on Saturday.  : D  #Penric4Evar.  

Hope you have a week of mild weather and calm and lots of poetry all around you and in your head.