First day of school and the rest follows.

Trusting that if you are reading this, you are aware that I claim no expertise in the technical side of writing...right, that being said I have a couple of things on my mind.

I dropped my youngest daughter off for the first day of her last year in high school. The irony is that I was not able to take her to the first day of her first year of school. So it was with a happy heart that I performed that small service this morning. When I asked if I could take her picture , she wasn't too excited, so I took a picture in my mind, it will never leave me.

Deciding that being in the car already was a good start to getting errands done, I proceeded to head into Courtenay along my old friend, The Dyke Rd. Now, I have polled a few trustworthy individuals in regard to their opinion of my status as an unofficial Traffic Cop. Particularly 4 way stops, so today I was able to let them off easy. ( I hear the odd snicker..) After turning left onto the 17th St bridge in my own lane, there was an assault in the air as the oblivious fellow in front of me seemed to be under the impression that he could just hop right over into the right hand lane.....yes, the one that is the right of way lane for those drivers turning right onto the bridge. Oops! ( that was all my inner cop could come up with today) It all straightened out very quickly, but it turned my thoughts back, waaaaaay back, to when that bridge was a thought. It did not exist. I still refer to the 17th St bridge as the 'NEW' bridge. It helps me to determine the longevity of a persons time in the Comox Valley. If my reference passes in an unnoteworthy fashion I know instantly that they have been here more than 20 years. Very often the response is something akin to 'there is a lady with 3 heads'? I then know that they have been here for less than 20 years!

The thoughts that I was actually referring to when I said 'waaaaaaaaaay' back were in regard to the growth of the entire Valley. Some changes are sad, landmarks that had sentiment for many, or even just a few. Many changes are incredible! The new bridge for example. wink! The pavement up to Mt.Washington ski resort, the Aquatic Centre, the walk in clinic by Safeway, Northgate reno, the public transit system. The list is endless. There is no desire on my part to turn this into a political statement, so there are a few things I won't even mention, even in saying that you probably know what I am talking about, so enough said.

When I moved to the Valley in 1975, things were very different, much slower. Like so many towns of its size in that day I imagine. It was very lovely, easy, safe, quiet. How many of us learned to drive in the, then Safeway now Shoppers, parking lot on a Sunday? Wow! Have things ever changed. I choose to embrace it!

Here is a thought that I will wind up with- water. Still water goes bad, it rots, cannot sustain life, it smells and is unlikely to be of any benefit to humans. Moving water is fresh, clean, filled with life. We must choose, change is not always fun or easy, but when we get to the other side... moving water!