Third Week of May » Aldergrove Family Photographer
Post #50 of personal project 52 weeks.
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* Minter Gardens for the day. This was the more formal English garden section.
* We were celebrating my parents 40th wedding anniversary with this lovely day outing. Happy anniversary Mom & Dad V.
* My parents were amazed how much energy the boys had. Amazed. Shocked. We laughed. Because yes, they have a lot of energy. But they were also wiped by the end of the day. Really wiped. They ran around Minter Gardens for about 3 hours. At some points we did strap Mattias into the stroller because he was just too much work to run after. It was one of the hottest days of the year. High 20s.
* Minter Gardens definitely has gorgeous grounds. We loved the water feature.
* Before heading to Minter, my father wanted to share his love for farming with the boys. It’s been a long time since my dad was a farmer but it’s something that is near and dear to his heart. So we headed to the Ecodairy farm owned by a family that my dad used to farm for when he first immigrated to Canada.
* The farm offered a tour of the facility. Here we are in the viewing room of the robotic milker. Noah and Mattias were completely engaged with the cow and robotic milker system. Cheering for the cows. Noah, a real milk lover, refused to try the milk at the taste test. We think that the whole cow producing milk concept was a little too much for him to swallow. I love this photo. Super low light. And I love their little faces learning something new.
* What is a day outing without a group shot taken on a self-timer?
* I’m shooting a wedding at Minter in August and am so happy to have visited first. There are so many possibilities. I can not wait!!!
* Water feature. They almost jumped in.
Dad V - Very nice post.
The real story about my relationship with the Van der Kooi’s is a bit more complexed.
In the Fall of 1965 I became Hank’s neighbour in Hazelmere Valley. We chummed around for a number of years. I moved away to the Otter district when the Hazelmere dairy sold its cows. Later, I became Hank’s relief milker while he went on weekend visits to see his girlfriend Henriette, now already his wife of over 40 years, in Sunnyside, Washington. I also was in his wedding party. We were also members of the same church.
When on a visit to the Netherlands in December 1967, I visited Hank’s family.
You are so right that my interest in farming remained strong. While living as an urbanite I have tried to keep in contact with old friends.
When I first visited Bakerview Eco Dairy in May, I was very amazed at the set up, and very impressed. The Van der Kooi’s are showcasing the farm in a suburb way and have thought of all sorts of imported details.
The way Noah and Mattias watched things during the tour was the biggest reward for this effort. Am glad you liked it too.
Now you know the rest of the story!