The goat-boys of Whytecliff Park

ETA I'll add pictures later. This is just the text for now.

This weekend Robert was home for the first time since he moved. Saturday he spent the day with Seth catching up with friends. Sunday we had a family day. Church was cancelled this week due to renovations so we packed a picnic and went to Whytecliff Marine Park in West Vancouver. We arrived just after noon and were lucky to find a parking spot. (The last time we went we got a ticket :P)

We found a shady spot on the grass and enjoyed our picnic and then hauled everything back to the car before heading down to the beach. The criteria for finding a spot for the day were: it had to have water (for Dad) and it had to have rocks and places to climb (for the boys). Whytecliff is perfect for the latter. There are lots of cliffs and interesting rock formations for goat-boys to have fun on. One of the best spots is an "islet" (that's my new word of the day) From britishcolumbia.com:

A rocky breakwater leads out to nearby Whyte Islet. At low tide you can clamber up its steep slopes and find a sheltered spot beneath a lone shore pine. Keep one eye on the progress of the tide.

Mom stayed on the shore with our backpacks, towels and swim stuff but Dad, the boys and I "clambered up the steep slopes" all the way to the far point of the islet. It was quite a hike and the first little bit is getting slick because so many people use it. It was beauitful though.

Of course the goat-boys weren't happy to just go tip to tip overland. No, they wanted to go around the bottom. When they realized that wasn't going to work they tried to climb up the side. With proper equipment it *might* have worked. Instead, Seth slipped and fell about five feet. He dislocated his shoulder and scrapped his whole chest up. It was horrible. Dad and I were standing above them cautioning them to be careful (while I took numerous pictures). I actually saw Seth fall, I'm glad Dad didn't. I'm not sure if it was his first aid training or quick thinking but once Seth got his footing under him he grabbed his arm and shoved it back into the socket. N.A.S.T.Y! He is SO skinny and I could see the bone sticking out where it didn't belong. It was sore but functional after that. He wasn't sure how much damage had been done, and judging from the pain that was still there, he decided it would probably be best to go to the hospital.

So, we climbed back over the rocks to the shore, met up with Mom and headed back to the car. Once on the highway we all started brainstorming on where the closest hospital would be. I suggested we just keep driving until we saw the "H" sign posted. It worked :) Lions Gate Hospital wasn't that far away. Of course Canada and their "free healthcare" are down right pathetic. We got into the emergency room and were there for a full fifteen minutes without even being acknowledged, except for by a security guard who told us to stand back.

Seth got tired of waiting (after a mere twenty minutes :P) so he decided we should head home and try the emergency room there. He was thinking that he'd need x-rays. The good thing about being in our hometown is that both of us live about five minutes from the hospital. We dropped him off and took Robert to the house to pick up his car (Robert was going to stay with him). By the time Robert came back and ambulance had arrived with two "stat" victims and a cardiac arrest. Seth decided that he didn't hurt THAT much and went to a walk-in clinic instead. (Don't you love the impatience? :))

The doctor at the clinic checked him out and prescribed ibprofen for the swelling and polysporin for the scratches. He figures that his shoulder is fine and just advised him to not baby it. He'll be sore for awhile but he should be fine.

So there you go. Adventure!!!

I also made major headway in packing yesterday evening. There is something about knowing you are moving in less than a week that makes putting stuff in a box easier. Granted I probably haven't touched half of it since I unpacked it when we moved in November but, what if I need it!!! I also found a bunch of boxes in the garage so that made packing easier too. The main areas I have to tackle now are my desk and the top of my dresser. I'm getting there though.

Friday is the planned official moving day. Of course with Seth being somewhat incapacitated it could be interesting. Oh well, we'll just rely on Aaron lots.

Have a great week!

~Heidi