The Countdown

As February fast approaches so too does a milestone for our small family: Miki will be 1 year old on Feb. 12th. Nana & Grampa Cote are flying out for a week-long visit next week. In the meantime I figured I should share some photos of Miki at 11 months. As you can see, she has become a voracious reader, thanks to everyone who gave her a book this past Christmas.

Taipei Night Market

A good friend (& her husband) took us to one of many night markets for steaming food, throngs of the young folk & good chatter.

"Ita daki masu!"

Ericka & I have got a genuine passion for great food & drink. Because she couldn't join me on this trip to Taiwan, these photos were snapped, savoured & devoured in her honour... The dishes you see here are a combination of typical mainland China fare & some genuine Taiwanese cooking.

"Xie xie"

Spent a whirlwind business trip to Taipei about a week ago. Many "xie xie's" to my wonderful hosts & friends at Daojiang Senior High School. Yu-ling, those were 2 of the most memorable 'tea sessions' I've ever had - The Landis & The Grand Hotel. Lovely food, warm temperatures, brilliant night market & getting rather lost looking for (yes another one!) cafe up in the surprisingly lush hills & sadistically snaking roads of the foothills just east of the city. My only regret is that I did not have enough time to travel south of Taipei & sample - what I've heard - is some of the most alluring island-beach environment in Asia.

Christmas Chariot!

With the help of Nana & Grampa Cote (and Santa, of course) Miki received a new stroller. This thing is awesome! Papa wishes they made an adult version so someone could push him thru the local parks... Miki loves it and it's a great excuse to get out in all sorts of weather. Papa is looking forward to the arrival of spring so he can attach the "bike kit" to the front and pull Miki along with him on the mountain bike trails. Don't worry folks, we'll make sure Miki's noggin' is encased in a helmet first.

Miki at 10 months

Miki is now 10 months old and beginning to utter her first words. "Mama", of course, and "boots". Why she would decide to talk about her gum boots over her Papa is beyond us? What does this bode for dear old dad?

Crazy Climber's Club of Tokyo - Reunion 2006

A handful of dear friends gathered in August this year for a much-anticipated climbing reunion in Squamish, B.C.

Mike "the professor" McKenzie & Travis slappin' together some lunch

"Beer" Bryan Bonser demanding some coffee!

Mike on the Petrifying Wall
Ericka pulling down on the overhanging prow with Nobu spotting

Travis 50 meteres off the deck and ropeless! Just kidding, it's a boulder
The Stawamus Chief

Miki meets Photoshop

Alas, that wonderful thing called Photoshop proves to be a big procrastination tool for Papa!

Miki's First Snow

In early December we got hammered by a snow storm and just this week we got hit with a wind & rain storm that left over 200,000 people without power (including us!). We did, however, manage to enjoy it a bit with Miki. We think this will be the first snow & Christmas that she'll remember. But at 10 months old how much are you really going to "remember", eh?

Just discovered today that it's absolutely free to start one of these things up, so why not? Not that I've got terribly important things to tell the world or anything, but I do have plenty of photos of our new daughter that I need to share with family and thus the impetus for this blog. Who knows? Maybe it will develop into something further.