Canada is an amazing country with amazing sights and things to do. I love most everything about it and its people. There is one thing I could do without is the weather. Thankfully, the weather mostly turns around in June and if we’re lucky, it lasts until October. The shortness of the warm season is one of the big drawbacks of living north of the 49th parallel. Like a lot of us Canadians, we clamour for the warmth and try to pack in as much as possible as we can into these months. Covid-19 has made this year’s summer solstice more complicated than other years prior. I have some very specific things that I need to get done this summer to make it complete.
Simple time spent outdoors
It seems like the logical starting point for summer but easier said than done when things like work chew into the available daytime hours. This would be an easier task if you could wake pop everyday and just hit the outdoors but not totally realistic at this point of my life. My best ways to capture some of of the rays come from the the combination of evening walks with the pups, playing some family basketball and getting some selected moments with the family sitting on the deck. Getting outside doesn’t always have to be momentous, it just needs to be outside.
Lake-time Living
Mary has always been the driving force behind this in our family. I didn’t grow up camping, had done a bit in my early 20’s and with the boys when they were younger but largely never developed the full itch. What I did develop the itch for was the simplicity of sitting in the sun and doing very little. I like to read and write and there is no better time sitting in a lawn chair to do either. Oh sure, there are traditional lake fun things to do like boating and swimming but the best times are had sitting in the sun and soaking it up. Mary was right. Camping can be fun if you are with the right people and the sun is out.
Take up a new sport – biking
Like the old adage goes, Before buying a lighter bike, start by making yourself lighter. I could use some new exercise in my life after Covid took its toll on my routine and I think biking may be it. I have been on some recent rides and realized that it might be the perfect storm of my favourite things to do; exercise, music & sunshine. There are so many amazing places to bike in Calgary and I plan to try and explore many that I’ve never seen. I would also like it if Mary would take this up with me as I think it would be amazing to have a partner along for those rides.
Spend some time with Mary, outdoors.
We spent the early part of Covid doing some work around the house inside and out. The weather was pretty good in mid-April and we took advantage of the time. She loves to camp and I’m a fair-weather camper. I like to exercise outside and she likes to do her work inside. I am not a fan of the rain and she is not deterred by it. Through all of that, we generally like being outside more than inside and we will do as much of that as possible in July/August. I think I’ve finally realized that it’s less important what we are doing and more important that we do it together. There is no better place to hang out doing something, outdoors with her.
Do some travel within Alberta and Canada.
Normally, we would be using the summer months to travel to destinations unknown, trying to get away from normal life in Canada. This year, it’s time to do exactly the opposite and stay closer to home. Let me be clear, I am not a “staycation” guy. It’s impossible to escape the business needs and this model won’t work for me. But you don’t have to get very far away from home/work for you to turn things off and relax. Seeing parts of Alberta is something we all should do, and do it in a way that allows you to soak it all in. We don’t spend nearly enough time in the mountains and there are some amazing parts of the eastern part of the Province that need to be seen. I think we are all looking for new adventures to take us places this summer. Travel close to home, wherever you live.
There will come a day where Mary and I will spend parts of our year in places with far better weather than Calgary. In the meantime, the 2020 goal is to embrace the summer Calgary-style. There are amazing things to see and do here and why not do it during the best weather of the year. Take on your own personal challenge to spend more time outdoors, wherever you are this summer.