I doubt anyone in Squamish (or all of British Columbia for that matter) will argue when I say this past summer has been the most glorious one in recent - or even distant - memory.
Every day was super sunny and hot with bluer-than-blue skies and, just like the Energizer Bunny, the summer just kept going, and going, and going. If this was the result of that evil global warming we keep hearing about all the time well, pass me some aerosol cans and let fly the greenhouse gases, because I was totally and unapologetically loving it.
Every day I would check the temperatures in Squamish against my other most favourite place in the world - Hawaii - and we either had the exact same weather, or (unbelievably) we had it better!
I was also pretty unapologetic when I'd talk to my folks and friends back east in Quebec to let them know Squamish was better than paradise, while they all seemed to be getting our usual rain and average temperatures. I'm pretty sure I got crossed off some people's Christmas card lists, thanks to my incessant bragging.
But can you blame me?
I spent long hours with my kids splashing around Alice Lake, getting a really nice tan, and becoming an expert sand castle architect. I rode Squamish's awesome trails on my cheapo Canadian Tire mountain bike, with my 10-year-old daughter yelling "wooohoooo!!!" behind me as we popped over roots and rocks.
I also taught both my kids the fine art of skipping stones by the banks of the Mamquam River, feeling a surge of fatherly pride when they were finally able to make their projectiles skim and bounce over the currents. This, my friends, was a summer to end all summers.
Of course, it wasn't all glorious and awesome.
We did have to spend quite a lot of time swatting and battling the squadrons of aggressive wasps and hornets that seemed to be everywhere. Our poor little four-year-old got stung twice. The first was on his ear, and it swelled up so much it flopped over comically like a dog's ear for a couple days. He also got stung above his left eye, causing it to swell shut and make him look like the loser in a prize fight.
But overall, I'm sure you'll agree, it was spectacular, and I'm a little bummed now to see it ending. But here's hoping next year - global warming willing - it's much the same, because I can certainly stand to spend every summer living right here in our very own paradise.
