Party
H had a dinosaur party - we think it went well (thanks to loads of help!)
We're not sure what the pirates were doing.
more for family on flickr.
15 minutes of fame
James gets fifteen minutes in the silverlight . Note: This post was updated on 2020-12-24 to fix broken links and on 2022-04-03 to remove broken links
Spring
It's that time of year again, but our first spring in the PNW.
Everything is the same, but different. Bigger.
Pit stop
Following the excitement of kart racing, we decided to go for a more scenic pitstop on the drive south from Vancouver. This is Larrabee State Park , about 15mins from I-5, looking across the sound to the San Juan Islands . Lovely.
Note: This post was updated on 2020-12-24 to fix broken links
Kart-king
Harold drove us out of the Vancouver suburbs to see Owen practicing for today's race at the Chilliwack track.
H was a key part of the practice session preparations.
Good luck Owen!
Capilano Lake
Upstream from the bridge is Capilano lake . The lake was formed by Cleveland Dam , to store drinking water for Vancouver.
A Capilano Bridge too far
Just north of downtown Vancouver is the Capilano Suspension Bridge.
It's in a heavily wooded area, so you need to watch out for the bears.
It turns out that H&F aren't scared of heights, so we had to go across...
...next time their mum can take them ;-)
Vancouver @ Night
It was easy to see why Vancouver rates as one of the world's most liveable cities . This was the view north-ish from the Century Plaza in downtown.
Culture Shock
A hotel room with a kettle, tea pot and a coffee machine! Where in the world are we?
It could only be Canada.
Run Away
BEDEMIR: Oh.... Um, l-look, if we built this large wooden badger-- [twong]
ALL: Run away! Run away! Run away! Run away! Run away!
[ Monty Python ]
International Fountain
We'd heard good reports of the international fountain at the Seattle Center - F&H had done a scouting mission earlier in the year.
You can get very close when the jets shut down between each cycle
Sometimes too close!
Second attempt
Our second attempt on Rattlesnake Ledge was much more successful.
Guest room ready
The guest room is ready. I wonder who's coming to visit. Can you guess?
The chart (that's chart, not map) above the bed is from Antigua. Did you know that most experienced yachtspeople consider that the north-east coast of Antigua from Indian Town Point to Horse Shoe Reef is the most dangerous area in the whole Eastern Caribbean?
Welcome web-visitors from Saint John, and welcome physical visitors from ......... ?
Clearing Squall
Clearing squall at Rattlesnake Lake after our little adventure on the path to the ledge.
Note: This post was updated on 2020-12-24 to fix broken links
Wet feet
On the appearance of wet footprints do you:
a) assume the kids have spilt something
b) assume that heavy rainfall has flooded the garage
c) realise that the water heater is leaking
That'll be the water heater then, a 50 gallon monster of a water heater.
and that'll be the hole in the wall needed to replace it. Good job they're built to last, they reckon that the new one will be good for all of, er, 9 or 10 years...
Rattlesnake Ledge
We did a walk this afternoon, from Rattlesnake Lake...
Since the white slippery stuff was starting to settle, we thought the prudent thing was to turn round and hightail it down again...
Another trip to add to the list of one's to try again — along with Wallace Falls (started too late in the day), Twin Falls (trail washed out), and getting to the top of Rainier (er, a little on the high side for young Finn).
Note: This post was updated on 2020-12-28 to fix broken links
April Fool
Beware the April fool in our house. Spiders and sea creatures appeared in drinks and breakfast cereals.
Best 'April fool' of the day? "Is it April 1st today?", answer: "No"
Spring in the garden
It's not quite the same as our garden in the UK last year, but spring has arrived and we're making an effort (we'll, Fay's making the effort ;-)
