Why I love where I live....

most canadiens live on the border...why is that?...because it's warmer is the # one reason...

...there's people who live in vancouver who could live anywhere argument...there's people who live in new delhi who could live anywhere in the world...shit there's warren buffet who chooses omaha nebraska

..cultual activities are subjective & for whoever thinks there are more eccentrics in vancouver should think so cal in general & venice beach in particular...there's a bunch more venues as well in...once they finish the fence around the state of california they will have the biggest zoo in the world as well.

......we just had a $47 million lake tahoe home catch on fire in incline village this past week.. & it's not the most expensive house on the lake...how many of those do you have in vancouver?..of course most all of our lakeshore homes aren't even occupied other than caretakers for most of the year...

...though i'm a state's citizen i receive a monthy retirement check from norhern telecom...i loved calling on bc telephone in vancouver when i was in their employ ...but i wouldn't live there year round...it was also nice to combine with a ski day or 2 on washington's mount baker...easier access in those days between the 2 countries & closer to an airport

...incidentally my initial victory at getting my check in us$ is looking less victorious these days...nothing is a sure thing forever.

whew, you must be having a grouchy day, germuno!!

Just as I believe that there is more than one right way to do things, the same goes for more than one right place to live. I'm just delighted I've found mine, and from what I' ve read, so have others. The imperfections are more than balanced out for me.

what makes you think i've had a grouchy day lotusland?...i've had a wonderful one...but i do have more time on my hands today..including taking advantage of a bank card bonus offer....where for every $1 rental movie i rent in july from a machine they pay me $5...love to put it to banks, insurance companies & of course uncle sam...but i'll sadly never get even with them on the long run...but we're talking $144 more for stone ipa beer...that's 6 cases at costco

but i'm glad you found the place of your dreams...but will it always be the place?,,,if the island had july weather year round it would be on my short list...but it doesn't...arthritis sucks in cold weather

...i'm still looking for mine but haven't found one place...& apparently a lot of canadien snowbirds haven't either over the years...

...in my estimation the best year around places are between the 30s & the capes... weatherwise that is...the most outdoor sporting opportunities are during warm weather...winter sports i limit to less than 2 weeks...burrrrr

..now if you are an indoor person at least 4 months of the year...canada is definitely the place to be

...as i said before san diego is probably the best weather in north america year round...no humidity, no ice or snow, great ocean with year round surfing albeit i always use a wet suit, can snow ski & surf on the same day 4 months of the year..

...san diego also has one of the greatest zoos in the world...but we don't have a rotating restaurant ..let alone 2 of them...how many cities have that lotus...i'll give you time to google it

...told you i had a lot of time on my hands today

..

I've been eating cherries for a month now jb, the peaches are just starting to be picked but the plums are a few weeks away yet.

San Diego does have one of the best climates Germuno I don't know why you find the winters too cold. It still hits 70f often enough. Why don't you just drive over to my favourite spot in Borrego for a few months in the winter it would practically qualify as commuting from SD.

Actually on a more serious note, now is a good time to be looking there. Prices are so low it's ridiculous. They can't give places away. How does a decent single wide with a florida room and on a golf course for $26,500 sound? It's been for sale for about 2 years now and still no takers. I had a look at it but can't see the sense in $6,000 a year in pad rent for just a couple of months a year of use. You could even go for weekends from SD. At this point I think they might take your hand off at the elbow for an offer of $20k cash.

I'm with Lotusland2 and Canayjun. Where I live on the Saanich Peninsula, we feel that we live in the country, yet we can drive to our "big city" of Victoria in just half an hour, a wonderful place to go walkabout. I can cycle to Sidney, our village. We even have a small first run cinema! Our house is modest,but our neighbours are grand - even have a pot luck street party once a year. I can walk through a park and, weather permitting, swim, or trundle my kayak down the trail and paddle to Brentwood for lunch (taking care to have a favourable tide). Generally speaking, drivers are courteous. People are friendly, and are comfortable chatting with strangers. We moved here from the Okanagan 29 years ago, and congratulate ourselves that we made such a wise decision. We love travelling - by sail, land cruise, or 747 to exotic places with a backpack. but ahhh, as we near our home, I start to count my blessings yet again.

Very early on in our move here, my motto was "don't make the house too good, we won't want to travel anywhere!". Well, of course, we did improve the house little by little, I'm not much of a gardener, but the back lawn is grand for a "no holds barred" croquet party.
Right now, the weather is gorgeous, but I do like the seasons (especially since we can escape to a warmer climate in the winter), and, rain just makes my hair curl!

i certainly admire your eco views jb but i'm uncertain of the disparity of carbon trails stats between locally grown vs big business bulk delivery...just don't know.

...fortunately for me i love just about every fruit & veggie out there so i almost always go for what's on sale

...again almost the same goes for beer & wine, distilled spirits & cigars.

...i only buy the best weed available...but whatever is available will do

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I'd have to be desparate these days to buy other than Aussie produce and thank goodness for that law jb. We now choose to be homegrown.

I accidently bought non Australian garlic the other day and it was crap quality and didn't last more than a few days before I had to chuck it.

What do you do if you want Buffalo Motzarella, jb? Do without? I'm all in favour of local fresh grown produce in season but I'm not about to do without some of my favourite foods that have to come from somewhere else. Have you ever eaten Tete de Moine cheese? Watch the TV ad on this webpage. http://www.tetedemoine.ch/en.aspx You have to have a special board and cutter to eat it properly. It's shaved off in a circle and looks like a carnation when you take it off to eat it. They don't make that locally anywhere but in Switzerland.

i'm with you jb on cheeses...but the same goes for a lot of my favorite foods & beverages...the local stuff is the best stuff for the palate & the wallet usualy

...on your response for energy comparisons for local & long distance foods i have seen & observed the same responses elsewhere...& while convincing on the surface it may not be the total case

...what i'm looking for are statistical sources, studies etc...how energy efficient is the farmer & his machinery?...

...how does the product travel?...via cargo ship...very efficient...via plane...not so

...30 days via cargo ship container for melons from centra america to the states have a good record for low carbon print

...overnite delivery via air of course is the opposite

We also have Cheddar cheese made here in Canada jb but it doesn't taste the same as English Cheddar. Nor does the Canadian made Mozzarrella taste the same as Italian Mozzarrella and most definitely not the same as Buffalo Mozzarrella which is made from water buffalo milk.

My point is simply that local grown is fine if it is what you want. If what you want is only grown/produced elsewhere however, you have no choice in the matter. Scotch comes from Scotland and a fine cigar comes from Cuba. No substitutes are acceptable.