the sun at last (harm and marion, part 2)

part one of harm and marion's visit can be found here.

we spent the last of the rainy days on commercial drive - formerly known as 'little italy', (this is the place to watch a soccer match and grab an espresso), this diverse neighbourhood is now dominated by ethnic restaurants, european-like delis, and bohemian shops.  our intent in coming to the drive was to bowl - it is the perfect rainy day activity after all. and much to everyone's surprise, my father-in-law proved to be quite the bowler!  just as our day on the drive came to an end, the sun shined and we found ourselves on a patio with mojitos and sangria in hand - the perfect sunny day activity.  rain and sun in the same day is a typical (and this time perfect) vancouver day. 

  

 

  

 

 

 

 

  

 

the bounty of food items we collected along the drive made for a very yummy dinner

with the sun shining we spent the next day in whistler.  but first a stop at medina for a yummy breakfast was a must and we also picked up cartem's donuts for the drive (indulgent? i know).  we planned on taking the gondola up the mountain for a wander but then my father-in-law reminded us of his fear of heights!  although we didn't get to the mountain top we did find a great little hike that led us to and around lost lake; a perfect spot to take a break and enjoy the view (and tadpoles).  on our stroll back we stopped in the village for drinks (a bellini!) and snacks.  at the whistler farmer's market we discovered the best gelato courtesy of lucia gelato - it's dairy free, seasonal ingredients are used, and the flavour is pure. i am so hoping to find it in vancouver, fingers crossed.  such a great little daytrip!



the sun continued to make a marvelous presence on thursday and we decided on a family outing to farm country.  british columbia's fraser valley, east of the city, is referred to as vancouver's breadbasket (farms offering vegetables, wine, hazelnuts, honey, and goat cheese patches).  we went berry picking at krause farms and then after driving along more winding country roads we found a lovely little spot at visto d'oro to sip wine and snack on artisanal cheese (kai discovered a love for brie) and delicious jam made from this season's raspberry crop (they added peppercorns to the jam which was surprisingly very good!).  it was a lovely few hours in the country (despite the unbearable rush hour traffic going back into the city, but i won't mention it). 

 

 

  

 

   

 

 

  

   

   

 

  

and, of course, the days included more soccer - this time oma joined the action too. i think the boys were surprised by her powerful kicks...

have a lovely weekend!  we'll be boarding a ferry, perhaps do some swimming, and i think more sipping and snacking will be involved too... it's been quite the week of indulgence!  i am not complaining, it's been a delight to share our love of vancouver and food with my in-laws.  see you back here on monday.