Some days I wake up and still find it a bit weird that I’m back in my home town. I’m totally enjoying myself here, more so with each passing month, but certain aspects of being here are still strange to me. High school literally feels like yesterday to me, probably because I spent so much of my 20s in school, but when I think back to high school here, I have a hard time putting all the pieces together.
For example, I went by my old house I lived in when I was 17. Strangely enough, I couldn’t remember how I got to school in the mornings. I’m pretty sure I walked to school, and I’m pretty sure I met my friend Landy on the way, but I really couldn’t say what route we took or where we met in the mornings. It’s hard to believe that it’s been about 13 years since I was in high school.
There’s a certain tranquility that comes from living out in the country here that I found I’ve really been missing these last few years. The other night I was sitting on an outdoor chair swing with my niece Jessica, staring up at the stars and talking about all the boys in her class and what-not, and it was pretty awesome. In fact, just being able to walk out my front door and walk over to my sister’s house in about 10 minutes is a pretty nice feeling.
I have a couple of goals this summer. First, I want to reconnect with a few old friends back here, something I’m slowly starting to do. I’m also trying to undo about five years of abuse on my body, mostly as a result of lack of sleep and eating crappy restaurant food non-stop. To that end, I’ve been going to the gym fairly religiously for the past few weeks, and have been trying to eat at home as often as I can (something I rarely did in the city). I’ve been strengthening my knee at the gym, so I’m pretty sure I’m going to try a hike one day soon and see if I can get back into that. I’d like to do Mount Cheam this summer, something I missed out on when my friends did it a few years ago.
I’m hoping this will be a really memorable summer. Given that I’ve already visited San Francisco and am currently preparing to go to Victoria this weekend, it’s off to a great start already. A couple other random things I want to do this summer are :
- A wine tasting tour in the Okanagan
- Camping up at Cultus Lake
- A road trip, either to Banff or Oregon
- Play guitar at a coffee shop
That’s it off the top of my head, but I’m sure I’ll come up with many more items over the summer.
I know people might think you’re nuts for leaving the city for the country, but I am so envious of you. Between the noise/air pollution and the gimme-gimme attitude of the city, the country is a welcome respite. It’s why I go to the Island so often. Enjoy every minute of it – I’m stoked for you that you’re doing things for you and taking care of the things that have become apparent to you. I definitely need to get out there one of these weekends with the Bollwitts for a visit at Chez Duaniac.
If you end up doing Oregon the Columbia River Gorge is an amazing drive. Everything from the Old Hwy up to Crown Point and Vista house to hundreds of trails and waterfalls to walk through. There’s wine tasting and museums out at Maryhill even a replica of Stonehenge. I also recently discovered a train that goes out of Hood River and brings you up to a town called Parkdale with an amazing picture spot of Mt. Hood. Oh yeah and less than 45 minutes to the west is the coast which includes Lincoln City and Tillamook which is where all the good cheese and ice cream comes from. Look at me I should be a tour guide for Oregon!
Don’t know how you managed living in the city for so long, for me I like living with a place with a yard to call my own.
Good luck with your goals this summer. Mine already fell though 🙁
Have a good weekend on the Island
Glad you’ve got a Bucket List- I really should start one too, as my days are a little too one-dimensional.
Also glad to hear about your routines, it’s awesome to know that you set these goals and are working to achieve them.
Hey Duane, I definitely know what you mean, too bad we ended up going in opposite directions from yvr though 🙁
Be careful if you take your car up mnt cheam! One of my most vivid memories from childhood was getting the old stationwagon stuck up there on one of those ditches they run through the road so that water doesn’t wash it out. we got unstuck pretty quick but didn’t come home with all the car parts 😉 Of course, things may have changed in the last 20 years…
Congratulations on all the good stuff you’ve been doing for yourself lately! I definitely envy you the ability to go home, and to walk to see family. Whenever I visit home I get that weird feeling, too…sometimes it feels like yesterday and sometimes it feels like another life. Oddly enough, the importance of all the stuff that happened in between visits seems to go out the window once I get there. Makes you wonder.