British Columbia -- Summer 2010

July in NS is notorious for rain, so we packed up our free-to-fly baby and went west for three weeks to visit friends and family.

We started in Mike's old stomping grounds, the city of Vancouver, where we stayed with the lovely Katie, Geordie and Nicola. From their deck, we picked and ate delicious cherries from a tree. We went to parks, the beach and the very enviable Kitsilano Pool. It's Canada's longest pool and its turquoise waters stretch along the natural waterfront, so it has views of the ocean and the mountains. If we needed a reason to live in Vancouver, that's it.

In our rented Matrix, we ventured into the land of Ogopogo. We stayed in Kelowna with Scott, Claire, Milo and Esme and were visited by Christine. Jackpot! We went boating and swimming in Lake Okanagan and again, explored the local parks, ate great food and sampled the local wines. Chill zone.

The last stop on our BC tour was Vancouver Island, home of Tim, Brandy & Taylor. For the first time, two tiny coastal cousins met : repping the Atlantic, Chloe Mint and on the Pacific side, Taylor Rae. The tots crawled to each other shyly and ambled around various toys. Some syllables were exchanged but only they know the true meanings.

Together we went to Tofino where we rented a cottage near the beach. The water was freezing, but the atmosphere was warm. We strolled along the sand between the ocean waves and the enormous trees. Our babies were pleasant. We barbecued. Kristen left her wallet on the beach, but someone mailed it to NS a few weeks later -- with the money still in it.

I'm predicting the Luckhounds run that trip back in a few years. We l.o.v.e. BC.