If I’d had to guess at the beginning of the summer when I figured we’d have the best weather, it certainly never would have been September. Still, of 2011, I’d say September was about the most comfortable and driest of the weather we’ve had. And I made hay. Went camping last weekend in Peter Loughheed park, which was truly gorgeous. I have not been able to sit outside in the evening near the end of September in a T-shirt and be completely comfortable in a very long time. Of all the things that I miss most while living in the city, it’s really probably the stars. I never really see them with all of the city lights in the background, and when camping in the west here, they're more spectacular than ever. Between that and the hiking, it's a little slice of heaven.
I have been watching with interest the Republican race, and I don’t know quite what to make of it, but it does underscore to me exactly how much I have changed since leaving the US so many years ago. I’d like to think that I am considerably less dogmatic and myopic in my views. As much as anything, I think leaving gave me a lot more perspective than I might have otherwise gotten. There are few things more valuable to genuine insight than being to step away from a situation to critically evaluate things with a much broader view. I would certainly qualify myself as an Independent, before anything else. Maybe that would have happened anyway, even had I stayed in the US, but I think leaving accelerated the shift. Either way, some of the best laughs of the week come from hearing Jon Stewart lampoon the candidates. Keep it coming, Mr. Stewart, keep it coming.