Tagged

The time has come.  

I must face the facts.

Right after I turned 45 someone pointed out my blog tagline was now incorrect.

Let's not dwell on the fact it was my therapist who pointed it out.

He was the first but not the last.

It's not that I was avoiding it... ok maybe I was avoiding it just a little bit. 

But not so much for the age part...for that is unavoidable and although my actual age actually catches me by surprise sometimes..it is more about how fast I went from 41-45.

I know it is no faster or slower than anyone else on the planet but I feel a bit of
panic in my belly at how much has happened in the few years since I inadvertently started to blog.  

Maybe it feels fast because I have taken the time to write some of it down? I have a record of when things actually happened, not just some vague idea that I may think was "recently" but is actually "years ago".  

And why does "years ago" sometimes feel like "yesterday"?

So as I now change the tagline to reflect my age more accurately I am beating down my alarm at the passing years and reading back over posts and feeling grateful for the fullness of the years, the joys, frustrations, trips, laughs, food, adventures, friendships that have made these years rich and satisfying.

Dear Second-Half-of-my-40's...Please slow the heck down.  Please.

A hike (and a highway) with a view (or two)

Some weekends are pretty wonderful.

Some are barely a break.

This weekend was the former.

From a delightful Farm to Table dinner at Terra Nova farm with friends on a perfect evening...

To a drive on the ever unpredictable but always magnificent Sea-To-Sky Highway listening to 15 year old boys chatter away about school and technology and the appropriate length of finger nails.

To a well used 2 hour wait for said boys to do the Britannia Mining Museum tour.  Lindsay and I did some more hill training by hiking up a mountain side road and were rewarded with views, magnificent views.  A stunning reminder of just how lucky we are to live here.  Having just seen a dreadful accident on the highway, also a reminder that we were lucky to be hiking, healthy and alive.  I have loved all our hikes so far but this one seemed really perfect to me as we crisscrossed the river, taking switchbacks up and up.  And then the speedy descent!

We saw this property for sale and stood and dreamed a little while about waking up to that view everyday...until we remembered the snow that will come, the highway that has to be travelled to get anywhere (not to mention the price tag of said view).

Onward to drop the boys at the campsite in the woods after driving through this magical tree tunnel.  This was a final hurrah for the Explorations program David has been in for the last 3 years and a great time was had by all thanks to 3 dedicated teachers! (and some dedicated parent drivers).

Lindsay braved the cold cold water of the river for a second or two...the color of the water caused by glacial run off is beautiful to see though.

Traffic was mad coming home and after a lunch stop and a shopping stop it was 5pm when we walked in the door to Allan who had been marking all day.  By 6pm we were showered and out the door to see a movie, for me, my annual trip to the movies, to see Spy.  A good laugh and then a bite to eat  before we retired to bed tired but oddly refreshed from a day completely and utterly recreational.

Sunday morning we did the whole drive again to collect the boys but Allan drove this time and I enjoyed the views from the passenger seat.

Lindsay had baked cinnamon rolls while we were gone and we had a little family catch up over coffee and fresh warm rolls in the sun before work and groceries and reports and marking and laundry demanded attention.

Looking forward to a BBQ dinner and a walk in the sunset with my peeps.

The next two weeks are a zoo as the last two weeks of June always are but with university course registration, Grad and Provincial exams thrown in to make it extra fun!

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday - Seeing Trees

The more often we see the things around us - even the beautiful and wonderful things - the more they become invisible to us. That is why we often take for granted the beauty of this world: the flowers, the trees, the birds, the clouds - even those we love. 

Because we see things so often, we see them less and less.                                                                                                                                                                                        Joseph B. Wirthlin

Lake Loop

Week 2.  Hike 2. 

We inducted two new members of the Yo Yo Hiking Club and headed out to Buntzen Lake earlyish Saturday morning (50km from home).

In what is fast becoming a tradition, we grabbed a fresh croissant on the way...because...fuel..and the knowledge the butter would have no time to settle on our hips before we melted it on the hike...right?

We arrived early enough to be in the first row of parking which is also becoming a benchmark for how busy we might find the trail.

Allan and Spanner led the way and I have now assumed my place at the back of the pack.  Which is good for photography and doesn't slow everyone else down too much although the do keep looking back to make sure I haven't been eaten by a bear.

This easy 8km was a) not exactly easy and b) also not 8km.  My fitbit had logged 11km by the time the parking lot came into view after 2.5 hours of pretty non-stop hiking. And although the path started out wide and flat and lulled me into a false sense of easy...

There were soon some steep climbs that my legs had no problem with but my lungs...my lungs tried jumping out of my chest.  The noise that sounded like a herd of elephants approaching on the trail was in fact the sound of blood pumping through my ears.  Each time I recovered pretty quickly only to be faced with another steep section.  I am calling this interval training which I think is pretty legit.  I am a big open mouth breather / panter when exerting...another good reason to be way back lest people think a Mastadon is chasing down the path behind them.

The trail was varied but mostly wooded with the occasional views of the lake that were beautiful with crystal clear water and wooded slopes. Coming to North Beach after 2/3 of the hike made me wish I had a bathing suit on!

Spanner did so well on his first hike and got better and better at leaving people and other dogs alone and walking on.  It is an on-leash area and it bugs me to no end that so many dog owners do not leash their dogs.  There is a huge sign saying it's a $115 fine and a ban from the park if you are caught but we seldom see any enforcement.  Seeing as most people were doing the loop in the reverse direction I took great pleasure in telling people there was a ranger ahead of them and seeing them scramble to leash their dogs.   Yup, I am that person.

It was a great hike, a very good work out, so my butt tells me this morning, and a reminder of just what a stunning place we live in.  By the time we got back the park was almost full and the sun was hot at 25 degrees.

I'd like to tell you we came home and had a productive afternoon but after lunch and a shower we kept the couches company for a while.  

Allan and I met friends for Sushi  (followed by gelato) on Commercial Drive (locals - Kishimoto - amazing!) on a perfect Summer night.

Another super Saturday! 

Wordless Wednesday - Mine