ABOUT ME

We're Nick Martin and Lyn Ferguson. On occasion, our children, Chris and Gillian Ferguson-Martin, will be home. We have not been in a position to accept guests since the summer of 2014, because of ongoing health crises with elderly parents; we have no idea when we will be able to again offer our bedrooms to guests. Our son Chris Ferguson-Martin returned in May of 2011 from close to 15,000 km bicycling around the U.S. since Sept. 14, 2010. He was met with incredible generosity and trust in four provinces and dozens of states, using Couch Surfers. Chris is now practicing law in Victoria, and Gillian is working for the ministry of natural resources in Peterborough.Lyn is an associate dean of social work at the University of Manitoba, and Nick is provincial legislature reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press.We live south of downtown Winnipeg in River Heights, a neighbourhood of century-old homes and mature elm trees, two blocks from the Assiniboine River. .We are a non-smoking household.Our family is GLBT welcoming.We welcome everyone into our home, though we caution that many members of the Republican Party in the U.S. and avid fans of Fox News would not approve of our family values.We have a screened-in porch out front, invaluable for sitting outside from May through late September. Don't believe those ridiculous stories that our mosquitoes can drain a full-sized adult dry in 30 seconds, that's absolutely ludicrous --- it takes them at least 45 seconds.We both leave for work by 8:30 a.m. We're often on the weekends at our winterized cottage in the Whiteshell, near the Ontario border.We tend to be asleep by 11 p.m., though occasionally hang in there until 11:30 or so. We don't tend to be home a lot in the evening. We both work out at the gym, Lyn has choir and other activities at the Unitarian church, Nick referees both outdoor and indoor soccer.We tend to eat healthy, lots of fruit and vegetables, chicken and fish, not that much red meat. We have coffee in the morning, one per cent milk, herbal teas available, lots of caffeine-free diet cola. We mention this because Chris relied during his bike odyssey on fuelling up in the morning with a big breakfast as he cycles 100-km plus a day, and while we could do cereal and toast, maybe some eggs or pancakes, we don't really have the makings for a lumberjack breakfast.If you're coming for the Manitoba Marathon, Nick can advise about the routes, and better yet, knows where to park to get in and out of the start and finish quickly.

PHILOSOPHY

We haven't really enunciated it. We're both very active, and take much enjoyment from our health and physical fitness. We delight in exploring the outdoors, and are enjoying doing more and more travelling each year --- the Florida Keys, Costa Rica , San Miguel de Allende in Mexico. We're trying to leave the world a better place than we found it, and have already accomplished that goal through the children we've raised.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

We're participating because CS was so good to our son on his bicycle odyssey around the U.S., and we were visiting him when he hosted a cyclist in Peterborough.

Interests

We are both avid kayakers at our cottage in Whiteshell Provincial Park, and we both work out several times a week at the Reh-Fit Centre.
Lyn belongs to the Unitarian church and is an enthusiastic choir member.
Lyn attends opera and ballet, and we have season tickets to Manitoba Theatre Centre and The Warehouse Theatre.
Nick is a distance runner, plays recreational volleyball, and referees indoor and outdoor soccer.
We like to watch Masterpiece Theatre, particularly the mysteries, and Murdoch Mysteries. We're both avid readers.

• fish
• ballet dancing
• education
• breakfast
• coffee
• fitness
• dieting
• marathon
• working out
• partying
• news
• traveling
• opera
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• fishing
• soccer
• volleyball
• teaching
• journalism
• law
• social work

Music, Movies, and Books

Sometime when we have a few hours, we'll fill in this space. Lyn likes opera, Nick favours Phil Ochs and Joan Baez. Lyn is a big mystery novel fan, Nick has read everything by Stephen King. And Nick can discuss 1950s low-budget science fiction films for hours.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

There were natural sights in New Zealand and Australia that I remember vividly more than 30 years later...Stonehenge was awe-inspiring....Cameron Lake in Waterton National Park is one of the most glorious places on earth...

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