Home is on my mind

So much stuff swirling about this busy little head - I should have known that it would be tough to go back to Canada for a weekend of helping out on the home renos! (Which, for me, meant picking out floor tiles and making trips to Home Depot for things like vapor barriers, coils of wire, and double gang electrical boxes...I think.)

Why tough? Because...I miss it, so much. It's like anything else or anyone else - the longer the separation, the more you think you are "getting over" the thing or the person...til you see it or them again and it all comes flooding back. Was I "over" Vancouver? Not at all.

Sure, the rain sucks. But I quite like the cool temperatures...I find I am more energetic and creative when I am cool. And it's not snow! It's, to me, the best place to live in Canada.

I'd forgotten the beauty of the city nestled at the base of the mountains, with the ocean waves lapping at its feet. I had forgotten about the air so fresh that it hurts the nose. I had forgotten the feeling of safety that is somehow intangible but overwhelming, to be on Canadian soil.

And I'd forgotten about the lush natural life. (This colorful flowering bush is in our front yard - my mom thinks it's a rhododendron.)

Now, the house! It is going to be pretty amazing. My HUSBAND is amazing...and his Dad. They've been hard at work for two solid weeks, and are still pushing through to get it done. As usual, the project turned into much, much more than originally anticipated!

Plans were to get in there, tear down wallpaper and pull out carpets, maybe replace a few appliances and finish the hardwood floors, slap on a few coats of fresh paint and call 'er done. Instead, they raised the ceiling, put in insulation, are patching a leaky roof, and on and on the list goes. Can I help it if I want to be back there now?!

Here are some pics from the process.

This is (will be) the kitchen area.

Dining area.

Bathroom. And doesn't this picture capture the question, "Is this tub going to fit?"


Our second home, Home Depot.


My husband sent me this picture last night, now that the drywall has gone up. It's starting to look gorge! Gotta love beams. We're going to paint them white...the wood isn't the prettiest, and it will open it up so nicely.

The back yard.

The property is on a cul-de-sac and the side is basically a ravine. When it rains, we have a river down there. It sounds amazing!

Here's that lovely rhodo. There is a row of them hedging the front yard.

As I spent time in the construction zone, I couldn't help but think back to the pictures I had seen of the house my parents built...pics here with my brother and sister.

And then it was time to fly back to California.

Bye, Vancouver. See you soon.

Thank goodness I had this guy to come home to - hubby is still there working, and won't be back for a while. He is going to love it there, if we ever move back.