Doug wrote: >As far as day trips and odd overnighters, anywhere near water is fine. I'm in complete agreement. I've paddled in San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, Tacoma, Vancouver (this past weekend--gorgeous city!), the CR Bar area, and the Oregon Coast. They were all beautiful, and I met and have friends in each of those areas. However, I wouldn't trade my inland lakes for all the marine life in the world. I'm in a great location to raise my daughters, have 15 minute access to a huge freshwater lake, 20 minutes to good mountain biking, 30 minutes to downhill skiing, 45 minutes to the backcountry, 25-45 minutes to Class III-V whitewater. I have a great job (but otherwise jobs are scarce), and we enjoy a somewhat low cost of living. Not a lot of cultural opportunities (not a college town). As with anything, there are tradeoffs...I'm sure most of us can find a spot we'd love to live 50-100 miles from where we live right now. We can probably find a spot that would really suck in the same distance. Do we really need to move 1,000-2,000 miles to where the grass is greener? I made a 120 mile move 2 years ago, and love it. Is the grass really greener (or in Sooke's case, more smokable?!) somewhere farther away? Happiness is where you choose to find it. Ask yourself hard questions. Are you moving to where the "grass is greener", or do you truly live in the wrong spot for your lifestyle. Let's face it, life is too short to live somewhere you hate, but would you really like another spot that is just a little nicer? Will it really be just a little nicer when you get there? Shawn __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The New Yahoo! Search - Faster. Easier. Bingo. http://search.yahoo.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Shawn said (snip): >As with anything, there are tradeoffs...I'm sure most of us can find a spot we'd love to live 50-100 miles from where we live right now...Is the grass really greener (or in Sooke's case, more smokable?!) somewhere farther away?< Funnily enough my wife and I were just talking about our game plan for the next few years early today. Her words, "Doug, you're a kayaker, what do you care about a big place in the country. Just as long as you have gas money for kayaking and a place to dry your gear, that's all you really need to worry about, and that's fine with me." Wow, she said that. My wife did. So I went out and bought my two girls new quality mountain bikes, and we will just continue to enjoy the outdoors where we are planted. As for kayaking, I'm sure there are many places around the world that are just as lovely as BC. Anyway, kayaking isn't a destination, it's a journey. Amen. Doug Lloyd Victoria BC ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ "Whatever can be said at all can be said clearly and whatever cannot be said clearly should not be said at all." Ludwig Wittgenstein ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
--- Doug Lloyd <dalloyd_at_telus.net> wrote: > Funnily enough my wife and I were just talking about our game plan > for the next few years early today. Her words, "Doug, you're a kayaker, what do you care about a big place in the country. Just to play Devil's Advocate for myself....my wife is a "horse person", and now wants a big place in the country where she can raise and train horses. If any of you think kayaking is an expensive sport, you ain't seen nuttin' yet! Uggh!! I kayak quite a bit, 2-3 evenings a week in the summer time. I work 5 days a week year around. For me, it makes the most sense to budget my time and have a 5-minute, 3-mile commute 5 days a week. When I have "time" to play, a longer drive to water makes sense and is easier. It would be fun to have a lake right out my back door, but realistically, I'd be then spending more of my life time driving back and forth to work every day. But I might paddle 1 more time a week... Trying to convince my sweet wife that pasturage for her horsie separate from our dwelling would make the most sense (and also not contribute to "urban sprawl") > As for kayaking, I'm sure there are many places around the world that > are just as lovely as BC. Driving from Hope toward Grand Forks on Monday, I couldn't help but imagine myself floating the Similkimeen (sp?)...gorgeous Class II wave trains, canyon walls, mountains...and then I rounded a corner and the whole thing funneled into a roaring Class V slot! It doesn't get much prettier than BC, but do you have room for all of us to move there? As for snobbishness in BC, I haven't seen it yet in 5 trips there. More of it in the States. You got it good, man! Snobbishness is largely a factor of the people around you. Co-workers you can't do as much about...if your friends are snobbish, they're probably not your close friends. I grew up in a town where people were quite snobbish...and it wasn't a very cosmopolitan town. I can walk around the town where I live now in polypro and walking shorts and Chaco sandals and not get a second glance. (Most people would probably think, "hmm, I wonder what interesting things that dude is up to today") I went back to my hometown for Easter, and was going WW boating with my little brother...dressed for boating in the above attire, we went into a couple of discount stores to find a skateboard helmet as he'd forgotten his ww helmet at home. I got the twice-over from many people. ("Hmm..that dude must not be able to afford clothes"). We decided that it's a somewhat uninteresting town without a lot of outdoor recreation. Rather than finding interest in the world around them, many people 'create' interest and differentiate themselves by what they wear..and judge others by the same measuring stick. Would I live in that town again? Probably never. Could I find a great place to live that would suit my interests within 50-100 miles? Absolutely! (I could even find a spot with a position under my present employer). Wow..that was a lot of rambling.... >Anyway, kayaking isn't a destination, it's a journey. Amen to that, brother! Shawn __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Calendar - Free online calendar with sync to Outlook(TM). http://calendar.yahoo.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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