The family and I took a 10-day holiday to Vancouver, mostly Vancouver Island, spending time in Victoria, Tofino and Campbell River. Whales, salmon, mountains, beaches, seals, eagles, bears, surfing. I was hoping to get to Alaska, but apparently the distance from Vancouver to Alaska is like Jersey to Florida. My states visited count remains at 45. Aside from the usual joy of taking three boys on a 6-hour flight and 5 hotels, I of course had to take in the surroundings. Lots (dare I say oodles) of old growth and new growth trees, biodiversity, and wildlife blended within the population. Everything was clean. Most of the cars and houses were smaller, and the 5-year old couldn't keep up with the amount of buses. You saw more recycling containers than individual pieces of litter, and there was definitely potential for abuse. With all of the fried food/coffee house/donut shoppes, Vancouver could easily be as polluted and overweight as anywhere USA. Cigarettes were prevalent however, as was beer (more expensive, but higher alcohol content).
So how was it like the USofA? Although my media following was minimal, it appears their political and economic issues are similar. Revenue and therefore tax collections are down, so it's easy to blame the other guys, whoever they may be. Mills, car dealers, retailers closing as overspending stops. Soldiers overseas. Hockey all over the sports, even in August.
On the flight back, we had 6 hours of clear daylight to see the earth below. I skipped 17Again and Confessions of a Shopaholic and read The Family and more of Atlas Shrugged. The story in The Family flat out scares me. American politics as a holy war for several decades? I hope not. The view was amazing - Great Lakes and Rockies still inspire. Forests and lakes of Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota are impressive. Plains states look like jigsaw puzzles of crops separated by highway.
Came home to Jersey and rotator cuff surgery and a guvernatorial election with two qualified men reduced to mud-sligging.