Our B&B in Seattle was gorgeous…. when we found it!

Situated on 'Millionaire's Row' in Capitol Hill and surrounded by equally impressive homes, Shafer Baillie Mansion was not particularly well lit or clearly numbered for a night time arrival but after the cabbie sprinting up and down the street we eventually located it and were not disappointed.

This 102 year old building was built by a brewer initially but as Prohibition came to Washington two years before the rest of the US, he didn't live there long. The current owners have extensively renovated the building and furnished it beautifully and we had booked the 'Southwest ballroom.'

The best thing about the mansion though, is that it is literally on the same street as Bonnie and Sam's apartment, they are a few blocks walk away (down the non Millionaire's end) but very convenient nonetheless.

After dropping our bags in our room we set off, passing ornate houses decorated with stunning Christmas lights to find Sam and Bonnie's first home. Although we had seen Sam for the bike pick up in Vancouver, we hadn't seen Bonnie for nearly six months and the reunion extended until nearly midnight as we made plans to meet after breakfast the next day.

Next day, with the temperature hovering around a balmy 8C we headed off to Wallace Falls State Park where we met up with Bonnie's twin, her hubby and his parents.

Situated about an hours drive north east of downtown Seattle, the park boasts an 265-foot waterfall and verdant old-growth coniferous forests. We made it to the lower Falls with numerous photo stops en route.

We finished the day in style with a roast turkey dinner expertly cooked by Bonnie and enjoyed with the rest of our hiking party over several glasses of wine.

Thursday brought a typically rainy Seattle day and probably against Sam's inclination, Russell and I wanted to reacquaint ourselves with the iconic Pike Place Market which we had last visited together in 2007.

The market didn't disappoint, we spent some time checking out the local artisans and food stalls culminating in a visit to Sam's workplace and Bonnie's favourite spice store.

Our flight on Friday didn't leave until 6pm so visiting the Boeing factory at 9.30 am made good use of our last day. The 90 minute tour was very informative and nearby Mukilteo provided a waterside brew pub for lunch and a great view of the ferries servicing the nearby islands.

Back in the apartment for afternoon tea, it was time to re pack the bags one last time before saying our farewells to Sam who was heading off to work whilst Bonnie drove us to the airport.

Picturesque Mt. Rainier dominated the skyline as we headed down the I-5 toward the airport, hoping the check in staff would be sympathetic to our excess luggage and wondering when we would be back to visit.

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Saturday was Christmas Eve and as tiny as it is the village still provided some last minute Christmas shopping opportunities.

Russell began his prep work for Christmas lunch and then Zoe and Andy joined us for dinner before heading out with Ben for festivities at the pub where apparently they won the gingerbread house competition.

Christmas morning didn't quite deliver the forecast 'bluebird sky' but after present opening, champagne and Russell's famous pancrepes we were sufficiently fortified to head out to the Sunburst foot traffic lift for the eight minute journey up toTod Mountain.

Whilst the view wasn't optimal, snow falling on Christmas Day has an undeniable charm and we spent a while at the top before succumbing to the cold and heading into the lodge for a hot drink. Skiers in Santa hats abounded with the odd tiger onesie also in evidence as families, couples and friends celebrated Christmas.

We waited for Zoe and her group to arrive outside and then watched them board and ski down the mountain before heading back to start lunch preparation.

Eventually, at around 3pm seven of us sat down for late lunch/early dinner at a table literally loaded with enough food for an army and which finished at about 7pm.

I'm pretty sure a good time was had by all and the next morning as Ben prepared to meet the shuttle for his trip down to Kamloops and a lunchtime flight, Russell and I were glad of a quiet day for rest and recovery!

The greatly overstocked fridge was gradually divided into leftovers for Zoe's household and that which would be tossed or eaten in the next 24 hours before departure. Bags were repacked and weights checked and we were thankful of the spare bag when Zoe's no longer needed summer wardrobe arrived.

Tuesday lunchtime farewells were painful as farewells often are and as Zoe headed back to work we began our drive down to the airport. We passed a couple of snow related incidents en route but arrived safely in plenty of time for our late afternoon departure to Vancouver and then ultimately on to Seattle.

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Late Thursday afternoon Zoe got word from a friend that there were spots available the next morning for Sun Peaks newest non-skiing activity, ice fishing.

At 7.30 am Campbell arrived with Zoe and Andy already on board and the five of us headed down to the lake with snow falling steadily en route.

Unloading the truck, first came the post hole digger which Campbell quickly put to work drilling four holes into the lake surface where the ice is roughly 5 inches thick. The tiny fishing rods came next and within a very short time we were all dropping bait into our respective holes whilst Campbell set up the 'hut' for our ice fishing creature comfort.

Once we were covered with the hut it was amazing how clearly we could see through our holes and Russell saw the first fish gliding by but Andy was the lucky one to hook him with Zo matching the catch not long afterwards.

With a propane gas heater and hot chocolate supplied, conditions were cosy and comfortable. When the action slowed a little we moved camp to a different area only about 20 metres away in deeper water and Andy was hauling in before the hut was even in place!

Snow fall remained constant and when nature called a little later there was little to do but pare back the layers and get on with it by the relative cover of the truck – there were fish to catch!

Soon afterward I was lucky enough to hook the longest fish of the day ( ok Andy, yours was the fattest!) despite Russell once again having first sight of him.

By the time we packed up we were very happy with our efforts, more than enough for dinner with some left over for Andy and Zoe's freezer. Who would have thought that ice fishing would be so much fun!

Zoe unfortunately had to head to work for the afternoon so Russell and I decided to check out the largely unoccupied hot tubs.

Snow continued to fall all afternoon ( would be about 20cms by the end of the day) and we enjoyed the surreal experience of sitting in steaming water with snowflakes collecting on the tops of our heads for long enough to completely thaw out.

Ben met us for lunch at “Bottoms Bar'N Grill” and then we took it easy until 6pm when our next adventure beckoned – the horse drawn sleigh.

Two grey mares (“Victoria” and “Tudorbelle”) ably pulled the four of us around the village and surrounds for about 30 mins, a great way to see some stunning Christmas light displays in the back 'streets.'

Happily covered in snow we headed back to the apartment to dust off and where Russell did what he does best …..

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Given that neither Russell nor I necessarily intend to 'hit the slopes' – if we spend time doing nothing more than reading a book and drinking coffee (or wine), with this view, I think we'll be pretty happy.

With an understandably late start to the day on Tuesday, a leisurely stroll around the village was in order in order to familiarise and acclimatise. The weather had warmed up for our arrival and was a balmy 6 below.

After Zoe finished work we 'trimmed the tree' before having a quiet dinner at home.

Our two bedroom apartment at Sun Peaks Grand Hotel is quite spacious and has a lovely dining room which will be perfect for Christmas lunch, as well as a sizeable lounge room and quite well equipped kitchen for the chef in the family.

An early night ensued as we had an 8am departure for dog sledding the next morning.

The dog sledding was to be my early Christmas present to the family and I don't think it disappointed.

Our two sleds plus a third being piloted by some 'L' platers in training had a beautiful morning run through the forest out to the lake and back, the dogs loudly voicing their approval.

In the afternoon we braved the drive down to Kamloops to do our Christmas grocery shopping in 'Superstore' – coincidentally where everyone else was doing their Christmas shopping too.

Eventually, with the back of the Forerunner just about filled to capacity we headed back up the mountain where some of us relaxed in the hot tub and Russell cooked an amazing dinner.

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After a pretty good (albeit drug assisted) sleep in premium economy, we landed safely in Vancouver, collected all three pieces of luggage plus the two bikes and headed out to arrivals where Sam awaited us.

The bikes fit in his car, the remainder went with us via taxi to our overnight accommodation. After a quick change of attire and footwear we headed off to find SIM cards and Victoria's Secret, exchanging news with Sam en route.

Robson street was resplendent with Christmas trees, lights and rugged up Christmas shoppers and after successful purchases we had dinner in Earls, a favourite from my previous trips with Rosey.

Sam's plan was to head off fairly early the next morning as snow was expected in Vancouver and we would leave for the airport soon after to meet Ben and then fly on to Kamloops.

A quick check of our original booking on the Qantas website showed our rescheduled Air Canada flight was Thursday the 22nd!

We waved Sam goodbye and caught a cab to the airport, lining up at several counters before being told to get in the ticketing queue to see what 'our options might be.' This then is the stuff of North American weather events that we see in movies and hope won't happen to us lol.

As we slowly advanced in the line we had word from Ben that he was below us on the Arrivals level and was waiting for his bag.

Finally we reached the understandably harrassed ticketing man who confirmed that we had indeed been rebooked for Thursday and Ben for Wednesday. Mmmmmm, I said, not really acceptable…. we were beginning to contemplate driving when he managed to secure three seats to Kelowna in the afternoon and we decided that was our best option.

The drive from Kelowna to Kamloops is a couple of hours and several phone calls to Zoe secured a rental car for the one way trip to collect our original booking.

Ben, meanwhile, had now been assured that his (as yet unseen) bag would re routed to Kelowna so we had lunch, watched snow falling outside and hoped we would get away on time at 2.55.

Eventually our flight was called and we hurried on board and then watched as our plane was sprayed with de-icing chemicals before takeoff – not something we are ever likely to see in Australia.

An uneventful flight saw us landing in Kelowna on schedule but evidently Ben's bag hadn't made it with us. Another lengthy wait in the lost luggage queue ( a family from Australia were missing seven bags!) meant it was nearly six pm by the time paperwork was completed. Give that sunset is at 3.56, Russell and I made the decision to stay in Kelowna rather than risk the drive in dark unfamiliar conditions and we checked in to the Sheraton conveniently across the road.

At the airport the next morning we were pleased to hear that Ben's bag was waiting for us at our Sun Peaks hotel.

The drive was easy enough in the daylight but it was approaching dusk again by the time we had swapped cars, completed grocery shopping in Kamloops and began the drive up the mountain to Sun Peaks.

Walking in to Zoe's workplace a little after 4.30pm and then a short while later checking in to our apartment and receiving Ben's bag was a great relief.

Not being the types to rest on our laurels however, we quickly spruced up and headed out to dinner and the famous Monday night trivia!

The four of us plus Zoe's friend's Andy and Lucy proved to be a winning combination and a good time was had by all.

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