The weather here is sunny, very hot (especially for this part of the world) 33C (91.4F) and the best place to endure the heat is at a lake. Mission is in an area surrounded by lakes, forests and the Fraser River so after Makai’s nap; we drove 20 minutes away to the Whonnock Lake Park. Whonnock Lake is a coastal bog lake, not very large, but with a beach, a concession stand and a public washroom and a real draw for local folks on a hot, summer day. Going to the beach with a toddler entails a great deal of planning and a need to take with us, a lot of “stuff”. We had two blankets, two lawn chairs, a watermelon, some cookies, a diaper bag, a change of clothes & diapers (for a little boy), toys, water, sippy cup, “Bear” (his “cuddly”), hats, suntan lotion, a patio umbrella, our kayak and a ball, not to mention four adults and a child.

It seems Makai has become a real water baby because almost immediately after we arrived, he was wet up to his chest (by his own choice) splashing in the warm water with his dad. Rick inflated the kayak and he and I went out for a cruise on the very calm lake, enjoying a warm breeze and enabling me to take some pictures. After we paddled around the shore and into the middle of the lake, Rick and I headed back to the beach where we picked up a little passenger. Makai seemed quite delighted to paddle around in a kayak, watching his mom and dad on shore and enjoyed being surrounded by water while not getting wet.

As I write this it is 10:10 PM, the temperature here in Mission is still 26C (78.8F) and in Vancouver the mercury has already dropped to 15C (59F), a more comfortable temperature for sleeping. The forecast is predicting some record breaking weather for the next few days for the entire lower mainland and after a cooler spring, I think it is safe to say that summer has finally arrived.