In May 2001 Craig Bridgman came for a visit to Vancouver. Highlights included a hike of the Squamish Chief, a visit to Whistler, a visit to Tofino/Ucluelet on the West Coast of Vancouver Island and a couple of nice rounds of Golf including at Morgan Creek where Nicole scored her 1st hole-in-one (2nd later in the same Summer in Ottawa).
Jen was visiting with us for a few days and we had an opportunity to do a hike on the North Shore of Vancouver above the town of Deep Cove . This short hike offers great views over the bay and towards the city. Deep Cove is also popular for its Sea Kayaking and great Ice Cream (according to Nic anyway).
The Sunshine Coast is located on the BC Mainland North of Vancouver. It's accessible by ferry and this coast has sheltered waters since Vancouver Island is West of this area. It's popular for camping, boating, and its beaches. One of the highlights of our trip was a day visit to Savary Island . Savary boasts a beautiful secluded beach with the warmest water temperatures in the Pacific Northwest. Still not that warm!
More friends from McMaster spent a couple of weeks with us in July. Some of the highlights of their visit included a girls day trip to Victoria , a few nice BBQ's at home and at the beach in Vancouver, and a terrific visit to the rugged West Coast of Vancouver Island. We stayed at the fabulous Roots Lodge for a night.
Nicole's cousin Dana, husband Rob and 3 girls (Kaitlin, Madison, and baby Emma) stopped to visit on their way to and from Vancouver Island. Some great photos were taken of the girls before they headed back home to Kelowna.
Nicole's cousin Wendy and her son Adam came out for a visit from Ontario. Our first stop was Victoria to go whale watching and hiking on the Coast Trail in East Sooke Park . Back in Vancouver, Adam and Dennis played a round of golf at Northview Golf & Country Club , the home of the local PGA event. An exciting boat ride through Howe Sound including high diving by Adam completed the visit.
We headed down the Washington , Oregon and Northern Californian Coasts for our late summer vacation. The highlights included a huge Kite Festival in Long Beach, WA, lots of playing on stunning empty beaches, and visiting the Redwoods Nat'l Park in N. California. Java had the time of her life playing in the surf and being a perpetual "wet dog".
On our way home from the Oregon Coast we stopped in to visit our friends Dhana and Greg at their family cottage in Sudden Valley, Washington. Highlights included a delicious fresh seafood BBQ on Friday night and waterskiing on Lake Whatcom on Saturday.
In September we joined our good friends Nic and Heather from Ottawa at their wedding. Dennis along with some of the other pals that worked at Gray Rocks a number of years ago was involved in the wedding sporting a Scottish kilt. It was a beautiful ceremony at the Mackenzie King Estate in Gatineau Park. Check out Nic & Heather's website for more beautiful photos of their wedding.
We travelled to visit with Nicole's cousin Dana, her husband Rob and their three girls - Kaitlin, Maddison and Emma. It was a fun weekend including a hike in the hills above Kelowna and a visit to the very picturesque Gray Monk Winery .
In October we organized an evening with various Vancouver friends to catch the BC Lions playing the Winnipeg Blue Bombers . A big night of partying followed and a great time was had by all.
Our first week was spent in the Florida Panhandle visiting with Gord and Nicole. They had a huge penthouse overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. We had the opportunity to play a few nice rounds of golf, walk along the beach and shop our hearts out at the outlet malls. The sunsets overlooking the Gulf are spectacular and the beach all along the panhandle has white fluffy sand.
Our second week was spent in Hilton Head visiting with Butch and Lynn. We played some great golf, had lovely meals and enjoyed our 2nd Christmas celebration. One of the highlights was a day trip visit to Atlanta to meet Lynn's family and take in a showing of the Nutcracker ballet. A great vacation in the South!
