Tales From The Weekend

          The weather on Sunday was so amazing that in spite of a raging ear infection (me) we headed out to enjoy the sunshine while we could. It really is only a matter of time before we get socked in with a low cloud ceiling for months on end- yes I am a weather nerd! So with blue skies and a dusting of snow atop the North Shore mountains we headed out for an "Urban Hike" in our neighbourhood.

    Initially we had discussed a hike in Deep Cove or our favourite Porteau Cove but we came to the conclusion that a day spent close to home with no driving was needed- we have been on the go all summer and now into fall that we wanted to day to just chill out and do nothing. So nothing is exactly what we did! The great bit about living in Gastown is that early Sunday morning it tends to be deserted- the sidewalks were ours and the line up for coffee was non existent. We wandered the empty streets, coffees in hand over to Coal harbour which is always a fun walk to do- fantastic people watching.

      Of course we had to stop and check out the antique store on Cordova Street- the sidewalk out front is always packed with interesting and unique finds. In addition to interesting objects one of the stores has a bubble machine hard at work just outside their door- so of course we always pause here for a moment or two with the Littles. We checked to see if our favourite cat Miss Frankie was back from her vacation at the flower shop. Stopped to admire how the trees at the corner of Water Street and Cordova have shed almost all of their leaves. Yes this city living can be very good some days.

       I am reminded daily how different our children's childhoods are than the one I grew up with- there are of course pros and cons to city living and country living but I think when you get right down to it every family out there is doing the best that they possibly can in any given situation. At this point our kids are decidedly city kids- downtown kids in fact- they feel comfortable walking every where and balk at the idea of going anywhere in the car.

    I think that the key to a happy life is finding balance- and for us finding the balance between city and country is a struggle we deal with on a regular basis. We-as in our family- are most at peace when surrounded by nature but the quiet beauty of the city on a day like yesterday brings contentment also. This life is a journey- it's not about the destination- it's about the ride and while I'm not sure where we will end up I can confidently say this ride is amazing weather we are in the city or not!