It's nice down by the water

I was born in Nova Scotia, but I do not pretend to be a sea dog, sailor or old salt. Having said that, I have always been drawn to water, especially the ocean. When I moved from Nova Scotia, I came to Vancouver. Being new to the area, I noticed that the 'ocean' around the Lower Mainland was not the same as the Atlantic from back home. It didn't smell the same. It wasn't nearly as wild and unpredictable. It was close in the same way that a knockoff product isn't quite the same as the original. I was left disappointed.

Eventually I made a trip over to Tofino on Vancouver Island, and I found what I was missing. Here was my wild ocean, the strong salt odor undiluted by the Fraser river being forced into me by unobstructed winds. The Pacific was in fact just as great as the Atlantic, at least to my senses. Once I understood why Vancouver's waters were different, it no longer seemed to matter. I was no longer away from 'home.'

Now, when I am out walking the dog, I tend to walk along the shore line, and spend time looking at the boats going by. I can feel the breeze, and even smell the diluted smell of salt from the water, faint as it may be. I can see the sea life growing on the rocks just under the water surface and watch the light from the sunset glint off the water. It's the perfect backdrop to my life. I may not be a sea salt, but I definitely am a coastal boy at heart.