A Quiet Sunday

Buddy and Mr. Ji escaped to Portland, Maine with B and I for some rest and relaxation. We stayed at The Francis, a lovely boutique hotel. This photo was taken in a sitting area right outside our room. We hope everyone had a fab weekend!

A Snowy Day in Cambridge

Oh hello there! How is everyone these days? We've been keeping well. B is in Boston for a one-year fellowship. Buddy is there with him to fulfill his lifelong dream to study at Harvard. Buddy is majoring in Monster Studies.

Buddy was keen to show us around Cambridge last weekend. We paid our respects to John Harvard...

...We sampled a cannoli at Mike's Pastry...

...we picked up some school supplies at the Harvard Co-op...

...and we had a cocktail and snack at the newly opened Longfellow Bar.

Thanks for being our tour guide, Buddy! And good luck studying!

Happy 2019!

Hi there! Sorry we've been MIA the past few months. We were very busy at work, selling my condo, moving into a new condo, and family get-togethers.

On behalf of B and I, Clem is excited to announce that we're engaged! She played a strong role in the proposal. She was glad to help out since she likes to hold sparkly things.

We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday, and wishing you the absolute best for the year ahead!

Introducing Trevor!

Meet Trevor! Our sweet honey bear friend. He joined us on a quick trip to Philly over the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend. We climbed up the Rocky Steps...

...had tacos at South Philly Barbacoa (Chef's Table, anyone?)...

...admired impressionist, post-impressionist, and early modernist paintings at the Barnes Foundation (yay for free admissions on Sundays!)...

...relaxed in a park close to our hotel...

 ...and at the new Rail Park...

...did a self-guided tour of the Mural Mile...

...this was Trevor's favourite (at a vet's office)...

...and visited Independence Hall!

Trevor has become fast friends with the rest of the Quatch Watch gang, especially Tim. We look forward to sharing more of Trevor's adventures soon!

Maggie to a T

As a very belated birthday celebration for my mum, we ventured to Laduree for a leisurely afternoon tea. Maggie's favourite sweet was the pistachio macaron and her favourite savoury was the croque monsieur sandwich. Everything was very Instagram-worthy. Speaking of Instagram, do you use it? We are thinking of getting an account for Quatch Watch.

Amazon et al.

My friend JK works at Amazon so he took us around the Amazon campus. Here's Clem at the front desk of Day 1 (all the buildings have nicknames). 

The Amazon Spheres are open to the public every other Saturday. You need to book a ticket in advance (and they book up quickly).

Clem enjoyed making a monster-sized Sphere in the learning centre.

 A highlight of our trip was Amazon Go. Clem was trying to find a snack to bring home to B.

Clem was curious what would happen if she climbed onto a veggie tray, or a yogurt. If you take an item off the shelf and put it back, you won't be charged for the item.

No trip to Seattle is complete without a trip (or several?) to Starbucks! The Roastery in Capitol Hill was really cool. Their menu was extensive. We were tempted to try a flight of espresso but didn't want to be up all night.

Pro travel tip: avoid the wait and order your chowder from Pike Place Chowder online! Clem had the Manhattan style chowder.

We explored Bainbridge Island on our last full day in Seattle. Clem liked the downtown since it had several cute shops. I liked the harbour. We had a local pint there to cap off our trip.

Girls Trip with Clem!

I went on a girls trip with friends from school last weekend. My friends met Maggie on previous trips to Ottawa and Nashville. This time, they met Clem! Our first stop was Pike Place Market.

We went on a nice afternoon stroll along the waterfront.

We also had a great brunch at Shaker + Spear the next day. Thanks JK for the recommendation!

We checked out the Space Needle and the surrounding attractions.

And we checked out a bunch of neighbourhoods, including Ballard. It had a lot of hip stores and restaurants. Clem tried Beecher's cheese with peppercorn toffee ice cream from Salt and Straw.

Kerry Park was a great place to view downtown Seattle. You should be able to see Mount Rainier on a clear day. Our first few days in Seattle were cloudy (and one day, a bit smoky from forest fires).

Clem joined us on a nice hike to Rattlesnake Ledge, a 35-minute drive away from the city.

At the end of our hike, we spent some time at Rattlesnake Lake.

Clem found the perfect shop in Pioneer Square! She was very happy because she loves (loves!) shopping.

Northern Escape

Dumbo and I spent the past weekend in Thunder Bay. The last time I was there was in 2013 with the Mins (see photos here). On this visit, Dumbo and I hung out a good friend at her family's camp (a.k.a. cottage). My friend had a baby not too long ago so it was nice to meet Baby A too.

On our last day, we had a nice stroll along Lake Superior...

...sampled beer at Sleeping Giant Brewery...

...and had a tasty lunch at Nook.

We're spending this weekend in Toronto. We hope you are well, wherever you are!

The Mins' Amazing Wheel

Big shout out to LCH for this fun Ferris wheel. The Mins loves it! He put it together himself.

Tourist Tings

Tim nerded out with me at two very important landmarks - the U.S. Capitol and the Library of Congress.

Tim thought the architecture was pretty impressive.

This is a photo inside the dome (which is actually made of cast iron, and not stone, otherwise it would be too heavy). The Apotheosis of Washington is the fresco in the middle. It is the size of a basketball court!

Here's Tim looking at another striking ceiling. This room had several statutes on display. The statutes were donated by individual states.

There's a tunnel that connects the Capitol to the the Library of Congress. Tim liked the beaux-arts decor at the library. The ceiling was a feast for the eyes!

Tim got up close and personal with the Gutenberg Bible. He said he could read some of the Latin.

The main reading room was stunning. Tim said that if he had to study, he wouldn't mind doing it in this room.

A few minutes away from the library is the Supreme Court. There were lots of press on the steps so I think Tim may be in the background in a newscast or two.

If you're looking for recommendations in DC, Tim's your bear!