Down river, up mountain

One of the subtle pleasures of parenthood is the vicarious joy you derive from the excited happiness of your child. So it was with Cian when we returned to Niseko for our annual rafting trip (and baked beans buying*). Where we put into the river is where the rest of the boats put out, for the section we traveled down was mellow and meandering. 
But that's looking at it through the eyes of an adult.
For Cian the river was a non-stop stretch of wild, watery excitement. That brown log, poking through the water - a ravenous alligator to be sure! The sharp, protruding boulder splitting the current - a shark, indeed most probably a great white shark. The Shiribestu river is notorious for them. Those sagging branches of a willow tree - a scraggly limbed monster attempting to pluck us from the raft.
Adding to our enjoyment was Sanae's hitherto hidden desire to make like a fish at every opportunity. The woman couldn't be kept out of the water. If she wasn't doing her Buster Keaton routine on the stand-up paddle board, she was plunging into the river at every chance, only saved from a watery death by the cool, controlled rescuing technique of her son. 






















After lunch we headed for the mountains. Now normally, sitting in a stuffy hot cable car slowly rattling our way up the hill would be something anathema to me, but for Cian, well if you could bottle the boys excitement and sell it, I would have enough money to sit down and recount this in person to each and all of you individually.

 I did salvage some manly pride by walking down the mountain where I encountered yet another snake. And today out jogging I nearly stepped on another one. Mother Nature is trying to tell me something but I am not quite sure what it is. Any suggestions?

Finally, at Sanae's insistence, we stopped at a local dairy farm for some hand made ice-cream. Also at Sanae's insistence, I can't show you any photos of same. Instead you'll have to just enjoy Cian enjoying the farm.