I sense myself moving into that group that often remembers what happened ten years, fifteen years, twenty years ago with ease, while thinking of yesterday brings nothing. So in the spirit of making note somewhere, I'm going to remember, with you, our first trip back to BC, back (home?) since we moved to Nova Scotia.
Holly came for a week, without Sean, to be a kid again, with her mom and dad for just a while before she started a new life as a fully fledged grownup and a new homeowner. At least that is what she told her grandmother. And we loved having her and pretending with her that our little girl had never left. We took a trip to Wolfville, , discovered a great little vegetarian restaurant, found out about ticks and shared recipes and time. Don and I loved it and I can only hope that Holly did too. But every good time must end and on the 26th of May, we three flew out of Moncton to BC. Taking Holly home and going ourselves to see what changes had occurred in the last three years and most specially, spending time with people we love and think of every day.
The first full day there, was with Holly in Whistler and I had forgotten how magnificent the mountains are! Holly and Sean are so lucky to be spending their lives in a place that is brimming with natural beauty. And we got to see where they will be living when their apartment is completed and the mountains and pines and the rushing little river that is a stones throw from their front door is breathtaking!!! I am so envious, but after the place that they have been living in for the past year and the hardwork that they have done to save the down payment, they absolutely deserve it all.
That first night we unwittingly chose a hotel room that turned out to be right over the front entrance to Wild Bills Pub. Nice little room - until the bar opened.....Word of advice, don't stay at the Adara Hotel and that is all I will say. After that we discovered Hotwire.com and from that point on each night was an adventure. We were in the Bayshore Inn, The Executive Suites and the Hilton in Richmond. Very, very nice rooms and affordable because we'd gotten them through Hotwire.com which is a service that sells hotels empty rooms at a reduced rate. And Andy and Monika invited us to spend a night with them and that was the best of all because we got to spend the evening with them as well as the next morning just catching up on what was going on with them and their girls. Thank you Andy and Monika for the bed and the breakfast and the friendship! We're really glad that we know you and you two are up at the top of our list of "Things We Miss About BC".
We'd also gotten in touch with two friends whom we'd been terribly close to when we were all in our teens and early twenties. On the Friday we had lunch with Laurie at the Banana Leaf Restaurant and the following day with Sheila at Earls in Coquitlam. Fifteen years apart and we slipped back into the comfortableness of shared experiences as though it was yesterday. It seems to me that the friendships that we make when we are young are stronger than the new ones that come along in our greying years. Exceptions to that rule of course, but generally speaking that seems to be the way. And of course, we spent a day with my mom and with Aunt Gertie. We talked and laughed and managed to keep Aunt Gertie up and going without a nap at all, until it was even past the time she usually retired for the evening. Of course I couldn't tell you what we talked about, but who really cares because what was the most important thing was the time together. So wonderful and the most important reason for being there, family and friends!
I'm so glad that we went and aside from the relationships, the thing that I discovered that I missed the most, was the gardens of BC. The abundance and lushness and the hugeness and the colors, and the variety and I could go on and on and on! Here, very few people, except perhaps in Halifax in a few areas, people don't garden. A shrub here and there, and vast and impeccable lawns (oh my gosh you should see the lawns), but no "gardens" and I miss them. I wonder if it is because of the black flies that plague you when you try to do a bit of work outdoors from June thru the end of August? Because I'm retired, I can get out there in the morning and do what I want to do, but others who work aren't so fortunate and their time after work coincides with the ravenous appetites of the dreaded black flies.
Yes we saw changes in BC. Building and more building and rows of houses that seemed to go on for miles up streets that cut through what used to be the bush areas around Langley and high rises going up downtown, replacing the ones that used to be there and the traffic that hummed and buzzed and crawled and careened! And when we drove home from the airport after we'd picked up the dogs it was like night and day. I miss BC and I don't, but I'm glad we went.
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