I have one more brief interlude, and then I will get back to the Japan posts. I promise! I had a quick work trip last week to Taiwan. Taiwan was a new country for me, and after this too quick visit, I hope I’ll be able to get back there again. We have an office in Taipei and many of our most important partners/suppliers are based out of the same area. It was a bit of a whirlwind, and I don’t have a lot to share so it should be a pretty quick one.
Read MoreA Japan Interlude - Off to Taiwan, and a Weekend on Galiano
It looks like it’s going to take a long time to get my Japan posts completed. There’s basically a post a day for our two-week trip, we did so much. I have to fly to Taiwan for work tonight, so I am going to have to take a break from working on the web ste. Before I go, I thought I’d do a bit of a catch up post on the last week or so.
Read MoreBack to Japan - The Imperial Palace and Exploring Shinjuku
Early start for the Imperial Palace East Gardens viewing, followed by a transfer to a hotel in lively Shinjuku. We immediately checked out the busy station and spent the afternoon exploring the beautiful Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. Evening brought drinks at a rooftop bar and then immersion in the tiny, character-filled alleys of Golden Gai for whiskey.
Read MoreTeamLab Planets and More Exploring on a Rainy Day in Tokyo
The day began with TeamLab Planets, a mesmerizing, full-body immersive digital art experience. Then we grabbed fresh tuna at Tsukiji Outer Market; explored the sumo district, admiring the massive Edo-Tokyo Museum and the solemn Tokyo Memorial Hall. A river cruise to Asahi Beer Tower for drinks followed by Harry Potter then ended the day with delicious Miso Ramen at Ramen Street in Tokyo Station.
Read MoreAsakusa, Sensoji Temple, Kappabashi and Akihabara
Explore Tokyo in a single day, from the ancient serenity of Senso-ji Temple and the specialized kitchenware shops of Kappabashi Street (where I bought a Japanese chef knife!) to the neon-lit, pop culture paradise of Akihabara's Electric Town. Discover local quirks, from maid cafes to the discount madness of Don Quijote.
Read MoreTokyo Fish Market, Hamarikyu Gardens and Ginza
Our Tokyo adventure began with a 4:15 AM wake-up call for the Toyosu Fish Market tuna auction—a fascinating, loud, and smelly spectacle. After a fresh sushi breakfast and a stroll through the market, we explored the historic Tsukiji Outer Market before unwinding at Hamarikyu Gardens. We finished the day shopping in Ginza & enjoying dinner at Tokyo Station. 26,053 steps later, a well-earned rest!
Read MoreOur Trip to Japan!
The first post (of many) on our two-week Japan adventure! Follow our long journey from Vancouver to Tokyo, including a stop in Seoul. An easy Narita airport arrival, and the first impressions of a high-rise hotel near the massive Tokyo Station. After 17 hours of travel, it's straight to bed for a 4:15 AM start—the world-famous Tuna Auction awaits! Get ready for Tokyo, Kamikochi, and Kyoto.
Read MoreA Quick Fall Post
I realized that it has been a while since I posted anything. Work has been busy, we’ve had a few uneventful trips to Galiano, but generally there has not been a lot to report on. That’s going to change soon, as Justine and I are off to Japan next week!
Read MoreAugust Long Weekend on Galiano
We were on Galiano for the August long weekend, and while we did not get up to much, it was nice to just hang out and relax. We haven’t done a lot of that of late. On top of the island updates, there’s a few small things from events back in Vancouver that bookend the long weekend.
Read MoreSnowbirds, Fireworks, Baseball and Random Galiano Updates
This post is a bit of a catch all from the rest of September. We had a really busy stretch with some fun things going on in the city, as well as more trips over to Galiano as we tried to keep everything alive as we head into drought season. We had Celebration of Lights (fireworks), a fly over by the Snowbirds, a Vancouver Canadians game with Alex and Matt and those trips to the island.
Read MoreHiking on Cypress
A short post on a fun hike that I did with my friend Bill up on Cypress Mountain. It had been months since we had managed to catch up, so we were long overdue. We met up after work one day and headed up Cypress for a walk in the woods and then some dinner at this great lookout afterwards.
Read MoreNETGEAR Summer Party - Grouse Mountain
The big news this summer was my change of jobs from Semtech to NETGEAR. It’s been a little over a month, and while there are challenges I think I am happy with the decision. A couple of weeks after I started we had our Summer Party, up at Grouse Mountain. This was great, as it gave me a chance to meet with many of my new colleagues, and the two people that report to me were also attending in person.
Read MoreA Visit from Mark, Katherine and Family
In early July, we had a visit on Galiano from some of Justine’s friends from Ontario. Mark and Katherine, and their kids Claire and Julia were doing a summer trip to the west coast and had decided to stay at an AirBnB on Galiano for a weekend. We were of course happy to play host for their visit and show them our island.
Read MoreQuick Post on Some Vancouver Activities
I will get back to the Maritime Adventures, but we had a fun day in the city yesterday, so it seemed like I should do a quick post! Staying ahead for a change. We had a beautiful Saturday, where we crammed in a lot of activities - there was the Khatsailano Street festival, followed by a free concert at the beach by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra! And I found a few photos from June on my camera that I had lost track of and thought I should share.
Read MoreCanada Day Week on Galiano
I had almost a week between jobs with Canada Day in the middle. We were spending most of it on Galiano, and there was lots to do! Alex and Matt were coming to spend a few days with us over the weekend, which meant we would be able to relax and have some fun, for part of it at least!
Read MoreTime for a Change
We’re going to take a short break from the Maritimes updates (yes, they are going to take a while longer…) as I have some exciting news to share! I have changed jobs, leaving Semtech (Sierra Wireless) after almost 10 years (!) to join my new team at Netgear! I’ll share some more later in the post, along with an update the the week we spent on Galiano at the end of June and beginning of July. It’s exciting times!
Read MoreFredericton - Visiting with Tabitha
The last part of our trip was spent in Fredericton, visiting with Tabitha, Colton and Tom. We hadn’t really spent any time with them for ages, and since we were in the “neighbourhood”, it seemed the perfect opportunity to do so. We had a bout a day and half to explore Fredericton, before driving back to Halifax for the flight home on Sunday afternoon.
Read MoreExploring the Bay of Fundy
Our first real day in New Brunswick was spent exploring the Bay of Fundy, at Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park before driving up to Fredericton to spend some time with Tabitha and Colton. It was another full day spent exploring, and a long day of driving. But I finally got my lobster!
Read MoreOur Last Day on the Cabot Trail
Today was going to be a big day! We were starting at Inverness on the Cabot Trail, had plans to hike the Skyline Trail, and then we had about a 4 1/2 hour drive across Nova Scotia and into New Brunswick to end up at our cool geodesic dome on the Bay of Fundy. As usual, we were trying to cram in way too much.
Read MoreThe Start of the Cabot Trail
Our Cabot Trail day started early, with a bunch of new birds added to the life list (you’ve been warned). We spent the day driving, admiring the stunning beauty of the place and making a couple of stops to do some short hikes (and to feed the bugs….) It was an amazing day.
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