More Aussie visitors

The week after Ben's parents left, we had some more Aussie visitors! Nicole and Lawrie arrived in Vancouver in mid June, and stayed with us for 6 days while they got some things sorted out for their 6 month working holiday in Canada. This included buying a van to go travelling in for a couple of months, and building a platform for a bed in the back of it. We were very impressed at how much they managed to accomplish in 6 days, since they also did some sightseeing and met many of our friends!

Nicole and Lawrie

On Friday night, we went to the Richmond Night Market, and Nicole and Lawrie met us there after they finished the day's tasks. We also met up with Meryl T, who was visiting from Australia, and Vic B. For dinner we tried out a few of the exotic food stalls - spicy fried chicken, mini teriyaki burgers, deep fried ice cream... yum!

We were amused by a huge yellow duck towering over the market... and a pool full of large, transparent, floating, person-containing spheres (similar to zorbs)! $10 a ride  - what a great idea! 

Below are a few phone snaps from our fun evening at the market...

I love this pic!

We had some Groupons for stand-up paddle boarding that we ran out of time to use when Jim and Jenny were here, so on Saturday we used them with Nicole and Lawrie instead. I took the photos below on Nicole and Lawrie's camera as they departed from and then returned to the dock at Granville Island. Ben fell in a couple of times in the meantime, but they all had fun!

While we waited for them, Finley and I hung out in the Public Market. We ate lunch and watched part of the 16th Annual Plywood Cup, where teams of 4 have 90 minutes and a few simple materials with which to build a boat that will carry one of them across False Creek in a race.

Later, as we were all getting ready to leave Granville Island, we were unsuspectingly treated to a ride-by of participants in the World Naked Bike Ride (no photos of that...)!

(Nicole's photo)

We didn't take too many other photos during Nicole and Lawrie's visit, but we also hosted a backyard potluck for our friends to meet them, went to Julia's 1st birthday party, and Ben took them to Queen Elizabeth Park to get some good views of Vancouver.

Vancouver, taken from Queen Elizabeth Park

Mount Baker in the USA, taken from Queen Elizabeth Park

We really enjoyed getting to know Nicole and Lawrie a little, and are looking forward to their return to Vancouver after their US travels!

Stand Up Paddle Boarding

On Friday, we had a spontaneous opportunity to try stand up paddle boarding!

We'd driven out to Maple Ridge (an hour away) to experience the $12.99 Prime Rib Night at Bruce's Country Market with some new friends, David and Deborah...

L-R: Me, Ken (the prime rib cook), Deborah, Marky, David, Ben

Verdict: DELICIOUS!

...And by the time we got up from the dinner table, David had offered to take us out to a nearby lake and give us a lesson on his new Father's Day gift (note so that makes sense to Aussie readers: the North American Father's Day was last weekend)... a stand up paddle board!

We went back to their place and they loaned us their kids' shorts and t-shirts to wear. Then we threw the board and paddle in the back of their car, and David, Ben and I set off for a small lake 15 minutes away.

It was about 9pm by the time we got out on the water, so there was just enough daylight left for David to give us a demo (he'd only done it once before!), and for Ben and I to have a few turns each. David had assured us that we would not fall in... and, to my surprise, we actually didn't! (The water temperature wasn't a bad incentive to stay on the board either!) It felt pretty wobbly at times though...

So, what did we think of stand up paddle boarding? ...It was fun, surprisingly easy, and definitely worth another go sometime!

Thanks, David and Deb, for an enjoyable and unexpectedly spontaneous evening!