It's looking less and less like a white Christmas, but we can only hope!
Sorry for the lack of updates - it has been crazy busy with all our visitors. Good but crazy!
We're both taking some time off between Christmas and New Year so I am hoping to put up a few pics of our latest adventures then.
Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas celebrating the birth of our Saviour.
Lach & Shae xx
Monday, December 21, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
It's raining ice balls in Vancouver
Yesterday we celebrated 1 year of being in Vancouver :-D
And today, it rained ice balls aka hail...snow cannot be far away!
Eagerly awaiting the arrival of Bek and Sandra...then Mum and Dad.
We will have a full on family Christmas with Turkey and a real tree! yippeeee!!!!
And today, it rained ice balls aka hail...snow cannot be far away!
Eagerly awaiting the arrival of Bek and Sandra...then Mum and Dad.
We will have a full on family Christmas with Turkey and a real tree! yippeeee!!!!
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow....
Woo hoo!
The mountains are so much prettier with snow :-D
Woke up and looked out the window and saw THIS:
First snow on Grouse Mountain...well, we've seen a small patch on there previously but weren't 100% sure if they were testing their snow making machine!
The mountains are so much prettier with snow :-D
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Hi everyone.
Ok, maybe we shouldn't give up our day jobs to become bloggers...
So yeah, we haven't blogged cos we haven't been up to much. Oh yes, Lach's been travelling the globe for work but other than that it doesn't feel like we have anything else exciting to tell.
Especially now that I've jumped on the facebook bandwagon, it's harder to think up things worth writing about here...all the little snippets are recorded there instead.
Well, no news is good news...but it was too good to be true. A couple of days ago (after waking at 5 to speak to Lach in Korea) I received an email from Jocelyn that Ruby and her doggie best friend Rainie had run away! Talk about adventure.
Unfortunately it was a bit of a hassle for J to get Ruby back from the shelter...but thankfully both pups were well and as J said "They were so happy to see us and looked at those two mad women, maybe thinking ‘why it takes you so long to pick me up’? hahahaa………" CHEEKY!
Unfortunately it was a bit of a hassle for J to get Ruby back from the shelter...but thankfully both pups were well and as J said "They were so happy to see us and looked at those two mad women, maybe thinking ‘why it takes you so long to pick me up’? hahahaa………" CHEEKY!
Thanks J for taking such good care of our naughty fur-baby!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Check this out, our friends Sally and Mitchell
Watch the video to the right. There is an ad first...
Happy Thanksgiving.
Holiday snaps etc to come soon...still catching up from being away for 2 weeks.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Hi everyone.
Just a quick note to let you all know we are well.
We enjoyed having Lach's parents here last week. They are on their tour now.
We are getting ready to travel in a week and a half. Lach is going to Norway for work, then San Fran. I am going to Vegas, Disneyland and San Fran. Can't wait :-D
We went to the PNE (the fair) on Monday, which was a public holiday. It was great fun - we went on rides, ate 'fair' food and saw the lumberjack show and the 'superdogs'. Made us miss Ruby heaps.
Hope everyone is going well.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Shae's 30th
It's birthday WEEK. We know at least SIX people who had birthdays...oh, 7 including me.
Happy Birthday to Papa, Boulto (both on the 18th), Timmie, Carlye (same day as me), Jennifer and Elliot (on the 20th)!
They say 30 is the new 20, i don't know about that because this has been such a busy week and I'm now not feeling so well. I came home early from work and slept for 3-4 hours. Yikes.
Here are a number of significant things that happened around my birthday:
1. I had to retire a fave pair of shoes on my last day of being a 20-something. Rest in peace.
2. I got a giant Mr Potato Head - actually we got him a few days before but I had to wait to open and play :-) Here's what my cousin Joyce did to him before my birthday dinner.
3. A bunch of us went out for dinner at the Alibi Room. It was fun! We didn't get any group shots so I will put pics with everyone on Facebook.
4. I GOT FACEBOOK. Find me. you can be my friend. Yup, I gave in after Lachie hounding me the few days before my birthday. I have to learn how to link this to it and put pictures up.
5. The War College Students graduated the day after my birthday. It was cool. But sad that most of them will be leaving soon :-( Sorry, no pics. I forgot my camera.
Exciting that Sally will be back from Oz, MARRIED! We're having her shower tomorrow (saturday) and then I'm having a partaaay on Sunday. Will post more pics then...if I remember to take any.
Happy Birthday to Papa, Boulto (both on the 18th), Timmie, Carlye (same day as me), Jennifer and Elliot (on the 20th)!
They say 30 is the new 20, i don't know about that because this has been such a busy week and I'm now not feeling so well. I came home early from work and slept for 3-4 hours. Yikes.
Here are a number of significant things that happened around my birthday:
1. I had to retire a fave pair of shoes on my last day of being a 20-something. Rest in peace.
2. I got a giant Mr Potato Head - actually we got him a few days before but I had to wait to open and play :-) Here's what my cousin Joyce did to him before my birthday dinner.
3. A bunch of us went out for dinner at the Alibi Room. It was fun! We didn't get any group shots so I will put pics with everyone on Facebook.
4. I GOT FACEBOOK. Find me. you can be my friend. Yup, I gave in after Lachie hounding me the few days before my birthday. I have to learn how to link this to it and put pictures up.
5. The War College Students graduated the day after my birthday. It was cool. But sad that most of them will be leaving soon :-( Sorry, no pics. I forgot my camera.
Exciting that Sally will be back from Oz, MARRIED! We're having her shower tomorrow (saturday) and then I'm having a partaaay on Sunday. Will post more pics then...if I remember to take any.
What's going on eh?
So, blogger just cracked the sads and I lost what I just wrote.
Lucky it wasn't very important...lol
Just had a pic of my new hair, and that we'd had dinner at the Irish heather (awesome meal and beer/cider for $12!) and that we met Andrew, my cousin's son....along with a whole stack of relos I didn't know. haha
There will be more posts. Lucky this one was just a filler.
Lucky it wasn't very important...lol
Just had a pic of my new hair, and that we'd had dinner at the Irish heather (awesome meal and beer/cider for $12!) and that we met Andrew, my cousin's son....along with a whole stack of relos I didn't know. haha
There will be more posts. Lucky this one was just a filler.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
It's the final countdown....
Luckily the sky was a bit grey and the wind was up. Otherwise going home would've been 113% harder.
After a scrumptious breakfast of french toast, bacon and blueberries (and maple syrup of COURSE!) we gave the Chadney family a Space Van experience and drove out to a trail where the Salmon Run happens. It's the wrong time of year but we'd like to go back and see it in full swing!
It was nice to walk, despite the mozzies. We even saw a blue heron!
Back at the shack we then relaxed a bit, had some lunch, played with the neighbours gorgeous puppies and then packed up and began the long ride home. We had a little friendly bee hanging on the side of the van for at least 3 towns!
It was sad to get home, but we're really thankful that we got to experience this amazing landscape of Canada.
After a scrumptious breakfast of french toast, bacon and blueberries (and maple syrup of COURSE!) we gave the Chadney family a Space Van experience and drove out to a trail where the Salmon Run happens. It's the wrong time of year but we'd like to go back and see it in full swing!
It was nice to walk, despite the mozzies. We even saw a blue heron!
Back at the shack we then relaxed a bit, had some lunch, played with the neighbours gorgeous puppies and then packed up and began the long ride home. We had a little friendly bee hanging on the side of the van for at least 3 towns!
It was sad to get home, but we're really thankful that we got to experience this amazing landscape of Canada.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Shuswap dahp dahp doo bop...
Got up and packed up quick smart - we were about to drive through THREE national parks today!
First Up, Yoho National Park. Because we hadn't planned it really, we didn't get to do the limited-quota bus trip to Lake O'Hara (it's so secluded and they're trying to preserve it so they only let a number of people visit each day). So our first stop was Takakkaw Falls. WOW. It is one of the highest waterfalls in Canada, and it's name is Cree for 'magnificent'. It certainly is.
We then stopped at the town of Field for lunch. It is an old mountain town - very cute houses. We had a really tasty lunch then continued on our way.
We decided to stop at Emerald Lake since it is a 'jewel of the Canadian Rockies'...but we stopped for about 10 seconds. Seriously, we parked the car, walked down, said yup, it's nice, took a few snaps then left! We *could* have done a drive-by! lol
We then cruised through Glacier National Park and Mount Revelstoke National Park. We didn't stop at anything there - most of the 'points of interest' were trails and we didn't have time today, as we wanted to get to Shuswap :-)
What is Shuswap? It's a valley...but there is also a Lake. On that Lake there is a house...and that is where we stayed, hosted by the Chadneys! (Shae works with Michael). It was really nice to spend time with a family and their kids are so cute. They took us out on their boat and for a wild (not really!) ride on the sea-doo. Was a really warm day and perfect for some watersports. It was a very relaxing time and we were really glad we could stop there and visit with them.
After being fed til our eyeballs would pop, we went to bed completely exhausted :-)
First Up, Yoho National Park. Because we hadn't planned it really, we didn't get to do the limited-quota bus trip to Lake O'Hara (it's so secluded and they're trying to preserve it so they only let a number of people visit each day). So our first stop was Takakkaw Falls. WOW. It is one of the highest waterfalls in Canada, and it's name is Cree for 'magnificent'. It certainly is.
We then stopped at the town of Field for lunch. It is an old mountain town - very cute houses. We had a really tasty lunch then continued on our way.
We decided to stop at Emerald Lake since it is a 'jewel of the Canadian Rockies'...but we stopped for about 10 seconds. Seriously, we parked the car, walked down, said yup, it's nice, took a few snaps then left! We *could* have done a drive-by! lol
We then cruised through Glacier National Park and Mount Revelstoke National Park. We didn't stop at anything there - most of the 'points of interest' were trails and we didn't have time today, as we wanted to get to Shuswap :-)
What is Shuswap? It's a valley...but there is also a Lake. On that Lake there is a house...and that is where we stayed, hosted by the Chadneys! (Shae works with Michael). It was really nice to spend time with a family and their kids are so cute. They took us out on their boat and for a wild (not really!) ride on the sea-doo. Was a really warm day and perfect for some watersports. It was a very relaxing time and we were really glad we could stop there and visit with them.
After being fed til our eyeballs would pop, we went to bed completely exhausted :-)
Banff and Lake Louise...sorry, but we think it's overrated.
Day four brought us to the cute little town of Banff and the smaller village of Lake Louise.
You would not believe how long it took to get this photo - people kept walking in front of us...rofl.
Lachie had not been feeling well this whole time, so today was a bit of a rest day - we took it easy, going into the Township for coffee and a browse in some of the shops.
Overall, we think Banff is a good basecamp but really, Jasper is the goods.
We then drove to Lake Lousie, had lunch and set up camp. Wow, the restaurant was so funny - we nearly left without paying our bill because it took..ooh..at LEAST 30 minutes to get our bill! Needless to say there was no tip.
We decided to have a little nap and wait til the sun went down a bit again so we could get some better photos. After a couple of hours we headed out to Lake Louise - another famous picture perfect lake. It was FULL of people, even walking around it to the end - we saw some climbers which was pretty cool, and got a few good shots.
Even BETTER though was Morraine Lake - Lake Louise's better, more beautiful neighbour. Seriously, I would even suggest skipping Lake Louise (if it were not such a destination) and only going to Morraine Lake. It was spectacularly beautiful. It's in the valley of 10 peaks - so you get the lake and then a rim of mountain peaks. Just Breath takingly beautiful.
We'd packed chocolate and wine so we walked to the lookout and sat for a while, watching the sun set. Bliss.
You would not believe how long it took to get this photo - people kept walking in front of us...rofl.
Lachie had not been feeling well this whole time, so today was a bit of a rest day - we took it easy, going into the Township for coffee and a browse in some of the shops.
Overall, we think Banff is a good basecamp but really, Jasper is the goods.
We then drove to Lake Lousie, had lunch and set up camp. Wow, the restaurant was so funny - we nearly left without paying our bill because it took..ooh..at LEAST 30 minutes to get our bill! Needless to say there was no tip.
We decided to have a little nap and wait til the sun went down a bit again so we could get some better photos. After a couple of hours we headed out to Lake Louise - another famous picture perfect lake. It was FULL of people, even walking around it to the end - we saw some climbers which was pretty cool, and got a few good shots.
We'd packed chocolate and wine so we walked to the lookout and sat for a while, watching the sun set. Bliss.
Day Three - heading to Banff
One of the best days for sites...well, heck, EVERY day was spectacular. But today we went to Athabasca Falls - the most powerful flow to be found in the mountain parks the guide says. And it was FANTASTIC!
We walked a couple of the trails to the Canyon and River - where we saw some whitewater rafters...unfortunately we didn't get to join in this trip. Maybe next time.
We stopped at the Sunwapta Falls but after the Athabasca it really was no contest. You know you're somewhere mind blowing when you're comparing awesome waterfalls!
Next we headed in the direction of Banff, Banff National Park and the Columbia Icefield. We didn't have the 3 hours to do a Glacier walk/hike, but we got ourselves onto the Ice Explorer (think snowmobile crossed with a monster truck!) and got to walk on the Athabasca Glacier. It was so cool (literally!) and we even got some glacial water from the stream :-) The glacier moves forward and backwards up and down the mountain according to the seasons. Fabulous.
Final stop for the day before setting up camp in Banff was Peyto Lake - one of the most famous turquoise lakes. Just magnificent.
We decided to do a little bit of a trail (well, we started off following some Lonely Planet instructions but never quite made it to the rockpool they were supposed to lead to!). We ended up finding a mountainside of squirrels, so I got to hone my picture taking - the running joke is that we will have a gallery of squirrel photos, since no one else is doing it!
We went to the Irish Pub for dinner and had the Pub platter - ribs, wings, calamari and chips. With full bellies we went back to our home away from home.
Ahh, camp. Nitey nite.
We walked a couple of the trails to the Canyon and River - where we saw some whitewater rafters...unfortunately we didn't get to join in this trip. Maybe next time.
We stopped at the Sunwapta Falls but after the Athabasca it really was no contest. You know you're somewhere mind blowing when you're comparing awesome waterfalls!
Next we headed in the direction of Banff, Banff National Park and the Columbia Icefield. We didn't have the 3 hours to do a Glacier walk/hike, but we got ourselves onto the Ice Explorer (think snowmobile crossed with a monster truck!) and got to walk on the Athabasca Glacier. It was so cool (literally!) and we even got some glacial water from the stream :-) The glacier moves forward and backwards up and down the mountain according to the seasons. Fabulous.
Final stop for the day before setting up camp in Banff was Peyto Lake - one of the most famous turquoise lakes. Just magnificent.
We decided to do a little bit of a trail (well, we started off following some Lonely Planet instructions but never quite made it to the rockpool they were supposed to lead to!). We ended up finding a mountainside of squirrels, so I got to hone my picture taking - the running joke is that we will have a gallery of squirrel photos, since no one else is doing it!
We went to the Irish Pub for dinner and had the Pub platter - ribs, wings, calamari and chips. With full bellies we went back to our home away from home.
Ahh, camp. Nitey nite.
Day Two - Jasper is SO awesome!!!
Breathtaking views...even on the road!
In the morning we headed out to Maligne Lake - pretty nice :-)
On the way back from the Lake to the Canyon, we saw a BABY BEAR!!! You know what they say, where there's a baby bear there's a mama bear! But we didn't see it. The baby bear was really cute - looking under rocks for bugs and stuff. Now, the say not to get out of your car, but a lot of (stupid) people were out on the road getting close to take pictures. STUPID! We got some good shots courtesy of Lach's zoomie lens.
We moved campsites - if anyone goes camping stay at Wapiti...this is the second campsite we stayed at (because we couldn't decide when we made our reservation! haha) and we liked it much MUCH better. When we drove into the campsite we saw ELK! Wapiti is another name for the Elk...hence the name of the campsite - it was really cool to be right near the wildlife!
After setting up camp and a little rest (and waiting for the sun to go down! It was HOT) we headed to the Miette Hot Springs - they are the 'hottest' in the Rockies at 40 degrees. Was nice and relaxing. Would've only been better had the sun gone down a little more - sitting in the pool looking out at the mountains isn't quite the same with the sun right in your eyes.
On the way back we saw...MORE ELK! On the side of the road. We also got some fantastic shots of the beautiful scenery. Photos can only show you so much. In reality the grandeur and majesty of the mountains is amazing.
In the morning we headed out to Maligne Lake - pretty nice :-)
We moved campsites - if anyone goes camping stay at Wapiti...this is the second campsite we stayed at (because we couldn't decide when we made our reservation! haha) and we liked it much MUCH better. When we drove into the campsite we saw ELK! Wapiti is another name for the Elk...hence the name of the campsite - it was really cool to be right near the wildlife!
After setting up camp and a little rest (and waiting for the sun to go down! It was HOT) we headed to the Miette Hot Springs - they are the 'hottest' in the Rockies at 40 degrees. Was nice and relaxing. Would've only been better had the sun gone down a little more - sitting in the pool looking out at the mountains isn't quite the same with the sun right in your eyes.
On the way back we saw...MORE ELK! On the side of the road. We also got some fantastic shots of the beautiful scenery. Photos can only show you so much. In reality the grandeur and majesty of the mountains is amazing.
Day One - Jasper bound
Not a lot of good pics today...because we spent about 10-12 hours in the car!!!
We headed off early for our Rocky Mountain adventure.
Thanks so much to Jon and Carla for lending us the Space Van. Man we love the Space Van!
We headed off early for our Rocky Mountain adventure.
Thanks so much to Jon and Carla for lending us the Space Van. Man we love the Space Van!
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
Another Ruby Twin...
Wow, it's been a while!
We had a chance to catch up with Lach's relatives Rhys and Jane a couple of weekends ago. Was great to see them and it was a beautiful day for exploring so we walked around to the aquabus (tiny ferry thing!) Was fun! We forgot our camera so I don't have a pic...sorry!
We have also been to the Celebration of Light (Canada) fireworks competition (yay, more fireworks!). Again, no pics...but it was cool. Missed last Saturdays (South Africa) because of rain - it actually thunderstormed here which is very unusual for Vancouver. There are two more days of the competition (UK and China...apparently china always puts on a good show) but we will probably miss them as we gear up for THE ROCKIES! :-D
We leave on Thursday and get back next week. Will have HEAPS of pics for you then.
In the meantime, we saw this on news.com.au...It's Ruby's twin!
Monday, July 6, 2009
God Bless America...
Hire car - check!
Passports - check!
As much other paperwork you can find so they don't think you're trying to sneak into their country - check!
We woke up early on Saturday morning and headed to SEATTLE!!!
Since we're over here we thought one of the best days we could choose to visit the States would be the fourth of July - Independence Day.
It's only about 3 hrs drive from Vancouver to Seattle. We had beautiful weather all weekend (I'm talking blue skies and 30 degree days) and had such a wonderful time everyone just *has* to go visit! Here is a pic of the famous 'Space Needle' - more on that later.
Anyone recognise THIS?! Yup, The 'hospital' helipad of Seattle Grace from my fave Grey's Anatomy!!!
Nearby, we decided since we only had 2 days we should get the capsule tour of the town. So we boarded our 'duck' for a fun filled tour around the city and on Lake Union. I haven't included pics here in case you take the ride yourself. While I had second thoughts just after we bought our tickets (it is a bit cringeworthy lol) I do have to say it is well worthwhile.
Here's a pic showing one of the ducks going from land to 'sea':
After our duck tour, we decided to take the monorail downtown and have a look around on foot. We checked out a must-see of Seattle - the Pike Place Market.
It is a hustling bustling market to rival the best of them, and home of the first Starbucks store. Lach said his coffee was fantastic, so we're not sure what happened after they opened their other stores. lol
The main 4th July festivities were taking place at Gasworks Park, and we tried to get across there - it's north of the Lake, but we were staying South of the lake in the downtown area. BUT after getting into 2 different cabs and the drivers not knowing where the heck we were talking about, we aborted that mission and just decided to walk around to find a good pozzie for the spectacular spectacular. Well! What a fantastic idea that turned out to be because we got to experience the excess and grandeur that is associated with America - we ended up walking behind the houseboats (worth a few million thank you very much!) where people were having parties on their roofs. And by party we mean full on with live bands and all. Crazy!
We found ourselves in a kind of street party, with a stellar view of a fantastic fireworks show. Completely amazing. Here is a sample.
While we weren't exactly 'sleepless in Seattle', it was a jam-packed day that we thoroughly enjoyed. Sunday we explored Pioneer Square (old Seattle) and actually went up to the observation deck of the Space Needle.
The afternoon included shopping at the outlets and a leisurely journey home via Chuckanut Drive, where we discovered beautiful views and a wonderful restaurant called The Oyster Bar. We'll definitely be back.
Passports - check!
As much other paperwork you can find so they don't think you're trying to sneak into their country - check!
We woke up early on Saturday morning and headed to SEATTLE!!!
Since we're over here we thought one of the best days we could choose to visit the States would be the fourth of July - Independence Day.
It's only about 3 hrs drive from Vancouver to Seattle. We had beautiful weather all weekend (I'm talking blue skies and 30 degree days) and had such a wonderful time everyone just *has* to go visit! Here is a pic of the famous 'Space Needle' - more on that later.
Anyone recognise THIS?! Yup, The 'hospital' helipad of Seattle Grace from my fave Grey's Anatomy!!!
Nearby, we decided since we only had 2 days we should get the capsule tour of the town. So we boarded our 'duck' for a fun filled tour around the city and on Lake Union. I haven't included pics here in case you take the ride yourself. While I had second thoughts just after we bought our tickets (it is a bit cringeworthy lol) I do have to say it is well worthwhile.
Here's a pic showing one of the ducks going from land to 'sea':
After our duck tour, we decided to take the monorail downtown and have a look around on foot. We checked out a must-see of Seattle - the Pike Place Market.
It is a hustling bustling market to rival the best of them, and home of the first Starbucks store. Lach said his coffee was fantastic, so we're not sure what happened after they opened their other stores. lol
The main 4th July festivities were taking place at Gasworks Park, and we tried to get across there - it's north of the Lake, but we were staying South of the lake in the downtown area. BUT after getting into 2 different cabs and the drivers not knowing where the heck we were talking about, we aborted that mission and just decided to walk around to find a good pozzie for the spectacular spectacular. Well! What a fantastic idea that turned out to be because we got to experience the excess and grandeur that is associated with America - we ended up walking behind the houseboats (worth a few million thank you very much!) where people were having parties on their roofs. And by party we mean full on with live bands and all. Crazy!
We found ourselves in a kind of street party, with a stellar view of a fantastic fireworks show. Completely amazing. Here is a sample.
While we weren't exactly 'sleepless in Seattle', it was a jam-packed day that we thoroughly enjoyed. Sunday we explored Pioneer Square (old Seattle) and actually went up to the observation deck of the Space Needle.
The afternoon included shopping at the outlets and a leisurely journey home via Chuckanut Drive, where we discovered beautiful views and a wonderful restaurant called The Oyster Bar. We'll definitely be back.
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