… and that’s all she wrote.

posted by Scot

The suspension bridge at the top of the Squamish Sea to Sky Gondola

Aaaaand we’re back.  We finished off our mini tour of B.C., visiting family and friends who are so close that we consider them family.

Hanging out with the McC's in the water park at Stanley Park, Vancouver

We had a great quick stop in Vancouver and saw D and the kids, then headed up to Squamish where we barbecued, visited with the McJs, and checked out the new sea to sky gondola.

The incredible view from the top of the Sea to Sky gondola.

After that we drove the gorgeous Duthie Lake road to the Okanagan, and stayed with A, G and M in Vernon.

A, G and M at the end of their dock in Vernon.

And now we’re home.  It is a bit weird being back.  After all the living we managed to cram into the last year, it is strange how little things have changed here.  I guess maybe it is us that have changed, and it feels like the world should have changed with us.  But it hasn’t.  In a way I suppose that is reassuring.

The rest of our summer will be spent catching up with everyone here.  I have a few days before I go back to work, then I’ll be full on, getting back up to speed.  That is a bit intimidating, but I’m sure it won’t take long to get back into the full swing of things.

I feel like I should write something profound now that we are home.  I have thought a lot about this blog post.  Would it be the last one, or would we try to keep going?  Given how busy our lives tend to be with everyone in school and at work, at least for now, I have decided this will be the last post.

So what deep and emotionally satisfying thing can I say in closing?  Frankly, I am at a loss.  Did we learn some lasting life-lessons in the last year?  Absolutely.  But I’m not sure I feel comfortable trying to dispense them as some kind of new-found wisdom.  If anything, I would hope this blog might serve to propel a reader or two out into the world on an exploit of their own, to gain their own personal insights and perspectives.

What I will say, though, is how grateful we are to be back here.  We have seen a lot of places, and a lot of different lifestyles in the last year.  We have seen unbelievable wealth, and unimagined poverty.  Sometimes in the same country.  That has made us more thankful for everything we have than we have ever been before.

We have seen beautiful places, but none to rival our daily surroundings.  We have met phenomenal people, but haven’t been anywhere that people are as happy, friendly, kind and supportive as they are right here. 

The world we have seen is a great place to explore.  But the home we have come back to is unparalleled, at least from what we have seen so far.

Our little corner of the world.

So if you have the inclination, why not get out there and explore a bit of the world yourself?  If you find some deep meaning or profound lesson that you want to share, write us a comment at the end of this post.  And if you are ever in our neighbourhood, drop us a line to let us know you’re in town.  We’d love to share a hike, a bike ride, or a ski run with you, and hear about your experiences, now that you know about ours.

Until our next adventure, though, that is all for now.  Thanks for reading.  We are glad you came along for the ride.

The end .... for now.