Jan. 16th: SNOW DAY!!!!

If you want to know a quick and easy way to tell a Vancouverite from those out-of-towners - just wait for the snow to fall!  You'll quickly hear a bunch of people complaining, while another bunch of people are outside with their heads back, sticking their tongues out, making snowballs, and talking smack about how "it's just a light dusting ... why on earth are they closing schools?"

Yup - I fall into that latter bunch.  I'm one of those obnoxious Ontarians who thinks Vancouverites are weak and don't know how to appreciate a good snowfall on a cold day.  Though, having been in Vancouver for a number of years now, I have to give the locals some credit and note that their complaints are not completely crazy.  The fact of the matter is Vancouver is just not equipped to handle snow and ice like other cities.  The city only has the ability to maintain major routes leaving the frequented but less important routes to be a mixture of snow and ice, people do not get much practice in how to drive in the slick conditions properly, and I think there's just generally a state of shock that happens when you look outside and see a palm tree covered in snow ... there's something just now right about it.

That being said - I couldn't help but chuckle to myself as I walked to the bus stop today all bundled up in my winter gear as these big fluffy snowflakes fell down on me.  I knew at that time that there were lots of other people stressing about the snow and what it meant for their travel plans and thus their day (Luke being one of them), but I couldn't help but smile and enjoy the winter wonderland that I rarely get to see out here on the West Coast.  Even on my way to work my bus got stuck on a street behind two more of the same kind of bus, because they had yet to figure out a way up the hill they were about to encounter.  So - without cause for concern I stepped out of the bus and walked the rest of the way to work.  I even tried to help out some fellow commuters by offering a suggestion of how they could get where they were going - but I think they were more interested in an excuse to not get where they were going. 

I really enjoyed my day in the snow!  It was that kind of snowfall that in Ontario would be the perfect amount.  Just enough to make you excited for snow time activities, but you can go without shovelling and even have the plow go by - and yet you can still easily make your way out of the driveway.  I'm not saying that I want it to keep on snowing - but I am extremely grateful for the experience of seeing at least some of the white stuff this winter.  It's a good reminder that I'm still an Ontarian at heart.

Photos: Snow falls on Metro Vancouver