Jenifer and Simon's News

We both got out (sort of) with a bunch of friends in the spring for the fifth annual Triple-S Slice, Schuss, Slosh Day (golf, ski, sail day). Visit the link for some great pictures.

Back on the home front, if at some time in the near future we manage to both get dressed nicely at the same time, we'll try and get a picture of it. In the meantime, here's some of the things we love, and some of the things we've been up to lately:

• Sailing - In addition to a bunch of day-sailing, we did make it out for a three-day trip to Bowen Island for the May 2000 long weekend (the rainy Sunday was spent at the grandparents, Shelagh and David). And Simon took part in the Thursday night racing on Gerry's boat, Pegasus. Here's a picture of our new boat, The Point.

  

  It's a 26 foot J.J. Taylor, (a slightly updated version of the Contessa) and is really quite lovely. It has have room for all four of us, which the beautiful little Yacht Cub didn't. Here's Simon sailing with Ian on the old Contessa ...

  

• Hiking - This used to mean overnight trips, such as up Singing Pass to Russet Lake (near Whistler), or ambitious day-hikes over Unnecessary Mountain to visit the Lions. Now it means walks in Stanley Park. This year was a bit of a wash ... Ian is still a bit young for real hiking, but he is too big for the backpack (anyway, where would we then put Shona?) But next year bootcamp begins, and we hope to introduce Ian to most of the trails in Lynn Headswaters Regional Park, plus maybe check out a couple mild hikes out towards Whistler (does the ten minute walk to Shannon Falls count as a hike?)
  

• Camping - We love camping and managed to get out to Long Beach for Fogust 2000 (that's what the locals call August). We didn't realize that there was so much fog in the summer. But we made the best of it playing on the beach and enjoying our hot chocolate by the campfire (although we had to get a new tin of hot chocolate when the bold racoons took off with our first full tin right out from under our noses).
  
• Climbing - Didn't we do some indoor climbing together sometime in 1997? Jen didn't make it up the 5.10b reverse-incline wall, but she did pretty well considering how long it had been. Simon's been a little more active, and has done some climbing with Rob both indoors and out on the crags.
  
• Skiing - We got out skiing together on something like December 23rd 1997. Simon's been since with buddies, but it's just not the same, is it? We hope to enlist Grandmotherly help with the babysitting and get out sometime this coming season.
  
• Scuba Diving - Yay! We got out scuba diving late in October 1999 (see the picture below). Simon's mum came over from Bowen to look after the kids, and it turned into a day-long adventure, because Jen's drysuit neck seal had completly deteriorated since she last used it (those pregancies have a way of interfering with one's diving). So Simon dove the morning dive with a zen divemaster and his pupil, and then we got Jen's suit repaired while we all had lunch. After much waiting for the repairs to be completed, we got in the water for a late afternoon dive. By then it was a very high tide, so the visibility was bad, and Simon lost his dive light, but we had a great time nonetheless. And Simon later recovered his dive light at the Diving Locker, where a staff member had turned it in after finding it on the beach at low tide.

  

  We previously went diving together in Mexico when we where there in February 1998. As the kids get older, we hope to get out more often.

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