One of Bowen's wonderful beaches! 

Seasons Passing

Fall coming to Bowen Island. It's a very strange sensation. This is the first change of season I've experienced somewhere other than in southern Ontario. I guess this means I'm really living here, and not just visiting! The golden and red sugar maples are conspicuously absent here. OK, the arbutus trees make up for it with their bare, sensuous branches and fat, glossy leaves. The kids are back at school - a NEW school - and all the lessons and activities are starting up. They have made a lot of new friends, which is a relief. It helps a lot when you are missing old friends. I'm hoping we will settle into a routine soon, because right now it just seems as if we are rushing from one place to another with barely a moment to breathe. Luckily my twice daily ferry commute allows me time to take a deep breath and enjoy the scenery. I feel like a tourist when I board the ferry, because I still spend most crossings on the top deck, braving the wind and watching the mist rise from the mountains. I hope the excitement I feel being surrounded by mountains and ocean never wears off!

September

September: the psychological end of the summer. It always seems a shame that September is associated in my mind with the coming of cold Fall weather. Sometimes the most pleasant weather is in early September. Now that I live on Bowen, instead of in southern Ontario, I'll have a whole new weather pattern to become accustomed to!
It's time to get ready for the kids to start school. That means the freedom and lack of routine that is such a welcome part of summer is replaced by tight schedules, homework, lessons and club activites. I'm still trying to get used to living with a ferry schedule, one of the joys of commuter life!
My girls are starting at IPS (private Middle school on Bowen) next week and are very excited about (and somewhat intimidated by) the 4 day hiking trip in Garibaldi Park that kicks off the school year. Me, I'm jealous! What a great ice breaker! Maybe next year I'll volunteer to go along! Or maybe my girls would be happier not to have Mom tagging along. Better find my own fun while they're away and go camping with them another time.
To me, even New Year's Day does not have the same "Fresh Start" feel to it that accompanies the beginning of September. The first days of Spring and Summer are also times of change, but often the weather is not in synch with the calender date and therefore lessens the psychological impact. The beginning of the school year must be a major factor.