Bridge Jumping

Sure no big deal, it's done before, but every year, that first jump off the bridge seems a little bit intimidating.  Hey Darius, don't worry, let's do it together.  1..

Darkness sets in

This can't be.  This is early August, just past the peak of long days and bright evenings and we have darkness. It's gotta be the camera.  

We had an exceptionally special summer this year.   

Four Corners

Representing the four corners/cultures of Switzerland (German, French, Italian, Romansch) we are 4 little Swiss kids.  How proud are Grandma and Opa!

Swiss hat?

Little Conor is sure into the festivities, but we're just not sure if that hat qualifies as a traditional hat.  The tilley seems more of an Australian hat, mate!

Swiss Day

Unable to score an invite for the official Swiss National Holiday party, we decided to have our own party, complete with full national attire.  Okay, no lederhosens and alpenhorns, but the Swiss cross was in full sight.  Since we weren't about to do the stone throw, we wondered if trampolining would qualify as a Swiss national sport. 

Keep your head up

This is what we learned from our visit with Yulia and Pablito.  Know matter what, keep your head up, keep persevering and things will work out for you.  Just look at these two hard-working Cubans. 

La Piscina

We never had a chance to swim with Yulia in Cuba.  Our pool was much smaller and it seemed that she was always watching over us.  This was a chance to show her how much we had improved our strokes in the DR. 

Siesta

It really didn't take long for me to get comfortable around Yulia again.  One minute I was hanging out with Yulia, the next minute I climbed into her bed to fall right asleep. 

Pablito

It was great to see our Cuban friends so happy with so much opportunity ahead of them.  They miss their friends and their family, but other than that, they are ecstatic to be in Canada.  Look at those big grins.  Of course, when you have fresh Cuban tobacco, that can make one grin too.

Yulia's boys

You can see that Darius did not really feel the bond, whereas Soren, who was there from the beginning in Havana with Yulia could just sense there was a special bond there. 

3 year reunion

3 years after leaving Cuba, we finally had a very special reunion.  Our original nanny, Yulia, who we left behind in Havana, has made it to Montreal by emigrating to Canada.  While Darius did not remember her, and Soren took a little bit of time, there was no need to jog Yulia's memory of "her" special boys. 

Reflections

I was a little more curious than younger brother Darius to take advantage of this cool display.  There were a few others joining me as well. 

Singing in the rain

This was a cool science display which we didn't fully understand.  When it said you need to stay still and quiet and observe things, we knew we weren't going to see the results. 

Where's the Pole?

These penguins are very cool to watch, however, watching them begs the question - Are they a little confused?  They're from the Antarctic and there's certainly no south pole near Montreal.