The Sand Brochus (+ one Sand Mahoney)

sand people, originally uploaded by Mister Wind-Up Bird.

I spent most of the past week with the family at Chesterman Beach, on Vancouver Island’s beautiful west coast. Oddly, while the last time I was there was the middle of last winter, the weather didn’t seem to have changed — there were just a few more surfers. The internet went out on the second day of my visit, but it turned out I didn’t miss much.

The reason for the gather is that my parents were looking at retirement properties on the island. House prices back in Regina have risen to the point where a large, middle-class home there can now buy you a small, unimposing home on the island, as long as you stick to the little untouristy towns on the east coast and don’t insist on a view of the ocean. At the risk of sounding self-absorbed, I’d just like to take a minute to congratulate myself on the number of people in my family who have followed me to the West Coast. The number is several, depending on whether you count Gillian as family. Well done, me. Well done.