I'm back from Canada!

[Dung Beetle]

I know, I know, you never noticed I was gone. But I went on my honeymoon and had a lovely time attempting to ski. By the way, the wedding went smashingly...many thanks to Jess, featherlou, and anyone else who offered advice; it was all appreciated.

The main thing I want to tell you about Canada is that it's unbelievably beautiful. I kept trying to write this OP in my head and all I came up with were lame, disjointed bits like "the huge mountainside covered with dark trees dotted with sparkling snow reminded me of a sky filled with stars." Eventually I gave up trying to describe it. At one point, I felt so overwhelmed that I just started to cry. That's how beautiful it is.

We went to Vancouver, Whistler, Lake Louise, and Banff, then returned to the States by way of Montana and cut across to Seattle to catch a plane back home to Florida. One of the best places I saw was eastern Washington state....miles of empty fields and sky. It gave me the urge to just ditch everything and start walking. Montana was great too. I saw more deer on one evening in Montana than I had seen in my whole life up to that point. We were also introduced to Italian sodas there. The girl who served us the soda was flabbergasted that we had never heard of them before, so I've been asking everyone since then if they know what an Italian soda is. Must be a Northern thing, because I haven't found anyone yet.

Anyway, I took a couple of weeks off from posting and thoroughly enjoyed my trip, but I did think of y'all. I hope you saved all your humor and brilliance until I got back!

[Antigen]

Originally Posted by Dung Beetle

At one point, I felt so overwhelmed that I just started to cry. That's how beautiful it is.

Hard to leave, eh?

[Dung Beetle]

Originally Posted by Antigen

Hard to leave, eh?

Oh yeah, that's another thing...everyone says stuff like "eh" and "no worries". It's cute as all hell.

[What Exit?]

I am Jealous, I have only been to Vancouver. If I can get my passports for the family, we might head north this summer.

Welcome back and Congrats.

Jim

[Dung Beetle]

Well, I hope you get to go, Jim!
I have a new "if I win the lottery" plan...I will move to Canada and offer each family member one million dollars if they will follow me and stay one year. I know they'd never want to come back to Florida.

[Sunspace]

Yes, the western mountains are some of the most stunningly-beautiful places I have ever seen.

:: pause ::

Why am I still in Toronto?

[GingerOfTheNorth]

Now you have seen why I'm so homesick, living in Maryland. I moved here from Canmore, just outside Banff park gates.

[Nic2004]

Originally Posted by Dung Beetle

Well, I hope you get to go, Jim!
I have a new "if I win the lottery" plan...I will move to Canada and offer each family member one million dollars if they will follow me and stay one year. I know they'd never want to come back to Florida.

Yeah, but doesn't it get, like, reeeeallllyyy cold up there? Like buried in snow? I mean, compaired to Florida and all.
Just sayin'.

[Lissla Lissar]

Because Toronto has me, Sunspace! And Kytheira!

Yeah, the Rockies are stunning. I'm glad you had such a great time on your honeymoon, Dung Beetle. Did you ever successfully ski, or did you just attempt?

[Sunspace]

Originally Posted by Nic2004

Yeah, but doesn't it get, like, reeeeallllyyy cold up there? Like buried in snow? I mean, compaired to Florida and all.
Just sayin'.

Ha ha ha ha ha! We have had so little snow this winter, that we've been able to see grass* on the ground all winter! Global warming! Ha!

Of course, it has been below freezing.

_{*Frozen, dead grass. But still grass.}

[Dung Beetle]

Originally Posted by Nic2004

Yeah, but doesn't it get, like, reeeeallllyyy cold up there? Like buried in snow? I mean, compaired to Florida and all.
Just sayin'.

But Florida gets hot. Like reeeeallly hot! And it's ugly all the time. (Relatively ugly, you know.)

Lissa, I did manage to ski a little, and fall a little as well! One of the most memorable falls was directly off the lift. My new husband sailed gracefully away down the slope, as I crashed into the lift guy's little hut and floundered around on my back in the snow.

The skiing was fun, but walking in the boots was horrible. I was worn out by the time we put the darn skis on!

[cowgirl]

Originally Posted by Sunspace

Of course, it has been below freezing.

Yep, now that the buds are out on the trees.

I hope they survive.

I thought we'd get away with no winter this year, but I guess it couldn't hold back through February.

lousy winter ... grumble grumble ... just when I was starting to enjoy global warming ...

[Sunspace]

Originally Posted by Lissla Lissar

Because Toronto has me, Sunspace! And Kytheira!

:: smacks head ::
That's the reason.




And congratulations on your honeymoon, Dung Beetle! You'll have great memories in the hospital as you recover from skiing.



What?

[Rodd Hill]

Just to say...the magnolia tree outside my office is going to bloom any day, and the cherry trees all over town have been in flower for close to a month...

[Aguecheek]

Originally Posted by GingerOfTheNorth

Now you have seen why I'm so homesick, living in Maryland. I moved here from Canmore, just outside Banff park gates.

What she said. I had to move away from the DC area, even if it was to Seattle instead of back to Vancouver.

[Cat Whisperer]

Let me get this straight; you were in Banff, and you didn't even INVITE the Calgary Dopers up for a beer? It's less than an hour away - Canadians drive farther than that for our morning coffee! Ooh, it's a good thing we're so nice and polite...



Congratulations. It really is something else, isn't it? I remember the first time I saw the Rockies - they just about stop you in your tracks with their bigness.

[Dung Beetle]

Originally Posted by featherlou

Let me get this straight; you were in Banff, and you didn't even INVITE the Calgary Dopers up for a beer? It's less than an hour away - Canadians drive farther than that for our morning coffee! Ooh, it's a good thing we're so nice and polite...

Well, I would have, but seeing as how it was our honeymoon and my husband doesn't Dope, I'd have felt kind of awkward bringing it up. We'll be back one of these days, though...

[Cat Whisperer]

Originally Posted by Dung Beetle

Well, I would have, but seeing as how it was our honeymoon<snip>

Who doesn't want to meet a bunch of strangers from the internet on their honeymoon?

What?

and my husband doesn't Dope,<snip>

He could have talked sports with my husband, who also doesn't Dope.

<snip> We'll be back one of these days, though...

Well, that's alright then. Come back in the summer next time, and enjoy the beautiful, cool mountain summer. It actually cools off at night here - can you believe that? You can't really swim in the lakes, mind you, but being able to sleep at night...priceless.

[Rysto]

Originally Posted by featherlou

It's less than an hour away - Canadians drive farther than that for our morning coffee!

We do? But there's a Tim Horton's on every corner!

[Dung Beetle]

Originally Posted by featherlou

Well, that's alright then. Come back in the summer next time, and enjoy the beautiful, cool mountain summer. It actually cools off at night here - can you believe that? You can't really swim in the lakes, mind you, but being able to sleep at night...priceless.

That sounds great. We kept saying to each other, "Wonder what it's like in the summer?" I'm ready to go again right now.

[Cat Whisperer]

Originally Posted by Rysto

We do? But there's a Tim Horton's on every corner!

I should say we would drive farther for coffee, not that we have to.

I have to say, Dungie, (may I call you that?), the summers in the Foothills and mountains are truly spectacular. Not too hot, cool in the evenings, no bugs to speak of, no humidity, no tornadoes/hurricanes/mudslides/avalanches or typhoons.

[moes lotion]

As a dyed-in-the-wool Canuck, and one whose parents were both from out west, I remember flabbergasting one of my B.C. cousins once by telling him "these mountains are all very nice, but don't you find after a while that they get in the way of the scenery?"

[Larry Mudd]

Congratulations on your nuptuals, Dung Beetle. It sounds like you had a lovely trip.

I'm glad you 'fessed up about getting a bit misty. Makes me feel better about when it happens to me, when the weather's right.

I hope you do win the lottery and bring yourself and your family back up here.

If you do, though, I can promise you one thing: Each of you, one December day, will look out the window and suddenly feel an irresistable urge to return to Florida, if only for a little while -- and on that day, you will be True Canadians.