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What a whirlwind beginning to summer this has been. As it turns out, I had a break from goat tending after all when my parents came up for a visit last week and we rendezvoused for a vacation and some family time.

David was so excited to greet them and sad to return home. He had an amazing time with my family, who he doesn't get to see often, and was showered with love and presents and ice cream.

We went to a local farm and saw the cows getting milked, did the wine tasting tour and left with many bottles of delicious wine and fancy spiced cheeses.

At the farm there were a couple of baby goats, sheep, and this stunning llama, Karl. He was so sweet, he didn't even get up but he let us scratch his ears and pet him and even pose for photos as he sat there happily chewing his cud. How I wish I had the room in my yard for a llama!

The family trekked around through old growth forests and mountainous lakes, big beaches, and waterfalls. 

Only a light rain fell on us as we visited The Butchart Gardens, in Victoria on Vancouver Island.

Somehow the rain added a dreamy effect to the exquisite grounds and luckily we didn't get wet as the sun kept peeking out from behind the clouds.

The diversity of the flowers as Butchart Gardens is just amazing. So many different colors of iris were blooming, from blue to yellow to maroon and a deep purple that was almost black. The rhododendrons were in full flower, the roses were just beginning, and the japanese garden was full of blue poppies and gnarly bonsai.

The visit ended too soon, but we were cheered up by the discovery of our first eggs in the chicken coop when we returned home! The girls laid a beautiful clutch of little eggs while we were gone.

The eggs aren't full size yet but several of them have had double yolks!

The garden is full of greens and the strawberries are beginning to ripen, the onion crop is probably a write-off this year (they were neglected and planted out late) but the potatoes and garlic are looking good. With any luck we'll have some beets and tomatoes in a couple of months.

It is amazing how much more I'm able to do in the garden now that David is a little older. When he was a baby I remember kneeling in the garden, trying to plant onions with him at my breast, and raking leaves with him strapped to my back. Now he is three and he loves to help me out with his little shovel or the watering can. The radishes we planted are ready to be pulled out to make room for something else, maybe some "magic beans" (all beans are magic in David's world).

Purple peppermint in memory of Snowdrop.

The sadness of losing baby Snowdrop has ebbed somewhat, though I will never forget her and she will truly always have a special place in my heart. Life keeps moving on, and the other goats are growing. I have some new updates on the herd and I finished a quilt while I was on vacation. 

More photos and blogging to come! 

Thank you for reading and I promise to pay a visit to my blogroll friends.