2021…Exploring Close to Home

I feel like we all had high hopes for 2021, the roll out of vaccines and the thought that this can’t go on for another year kept many of us confident that 2021 would be much better than the previous one. Unfortunately the pandemic dashed many plans for a lot of us. Early in the year I lost my dad, and like many other people who have gone through a loss during Covid it was made harder because of imposed restrictions and the possibility of spreading this disease. Thankfully modern times meant lots of emails and phone calls…things many of us may have taken for granted in the past.

Travel this year meant a few trips to Vancouver Island to visit my mom. The ferry ride through Active Pass and the Southern Gulf Islands never disappoints and we got to spend time together going for walks and exploring downtown Victoria, the beaches close by, and the gardens at Government House.

In May the news that unmarked graves were being found on the site of former Indian Residential Schools both in our province and in other provinces made us pause and reflect on our past. Memorials began to appear and the Vancouver Art Gallery steps became the location of one of the larger sites to honor the remains of 215 children found on land of the once used school in Kamloops.

The summer brought lots of opportunities for hikes close to home and I explored some Metro Vancouver Regional Parks such as Boundary Bay Park, Campbell Valley Park, Minnekhada Park, and Brae Island.

A trip to the Sunshine Coast was a fantastic getaway close to home and didn’t disappoint both for hikes and for views! This is definitely a place I’d like to go back and see more of!

Fall is a favourite time of year and bike rides past pumpkin patches, walks in crisp leaves, and visits to gardens to see the fall colours provide lots of enjoyment as the year begins to draw to a close.

After a crazy weather year here on the west coast that saw soaring temperatures like never before and devastating flooding in areas, the end of the year brought us some sunny skies to take in the Vancouver Christmas Market…

…as well as the VanDusen Festival of Lights…both cancelled last winter due to the pandemic.

Christmas came all too quickly this year and with it came snow…an unexpected, but beautiful surprise forcing us all to slow down a bit and appreciate the beauty that is close to home.

Looking back on a year filled with highs and lows I am certainly grateful for family and friends both close to home and those that I’ve gotten to know a bit through sharing these blogs. I wish each and everyone of you a very Happy New Year and all the best in 2022!