the best of both.... The Phillips

i've had a few comments from folks saying they didn't know i liked camping/fishing/the outdoors. somehow they couldn't see me doing those things. i found that surprising.

i grew up with two vastly different ways of life - which i suppose explains why i am comfortable in the outdoors and in social settings.

my dad's parents were not rich. grandpa was a cowboy in his younger days. he worked on a ranch in Alberta and when the RCMP at Fort McLeod had a horse that couldn't be broken they would send for Grandpa. He once rode his horse, Scarface, from Alberta through the Rockies looking for a stray herd of cattle. He found them somewhere around Cranbrook, wintered over with them there and then herded them back in the Spring. He loved the outdoors - fishing, hunting. Even in his 70's he was going on hunting trips as the cook/guide. Grandpa taught his three granddaughters to fish. Family vacations with grandpa and grandma were spent either camping or staying at fishing resorts in the interior. Grandpa was tough and resourceful - a never say never, never say it can't be done kind of guy - very independent.

I wish I could remember my grandma better. She passed away when I was 16. I remember their home was simple and warm. Grandma spoiled us, we never had to eat our vegetables and we could lay all over the furniture and bounce around. She was generous to a fault, sweet and kind. She was often ill and I don't have many clear memories anymore of her. I do remember she always stood up for us when Dad tried to make us behave at her house. He eventually just gave up - it was her home and her grandkids could do what they wanted!

From the Phillips' I learned to love the outdoors, camping, horses, adventure. I learned to be resourceful, making the most of what I have. I learned that more is not always better. I learned to make any place homey. I learned perseverance. I learned to be ok with being dirty and not having a shower for 7 days! And I learned to drink 'cowboy coffee' from a mug.