Sorry for disappearing like that. I'd meant to put up a note saying we were going away but wasn't sure posting to the world in general that our house would be empty for three weeks was really a good idea. We were in Vancouver enjoying the (remarkably sunny) fall weather and seeing some new bits of the city.

Vancouver is a city I usually just see in transit or for day trips. I have family in the area and went to university in Victoria so I used to pass through Vancouver a few times a year but rarely stopped for more than a few hours to do some site seeing. Rob and I both spent portions of our childhood living on the Island and lower mainland so it is an area of the country we're pretty comfortable with and were eager to learn more about. I've got lots of pictures of green growing things to share in the next few days but for now I'm just enjoying being home.

When we left we'd had some hard frosts and a few powderings of snow but it was not the kind that sticks around and it was definitely still Fall. When we got home yesterday afternoon my garden looked like this:

It continued to snow all evening too. Abby was up to her elbows in places when she went outside. Fortunately she's a dog with a good undercoat and loves snow (and hates rain). Being back with Abby was just great. She was excited to see us and had a hard time settling down anywhere when we were in different rooms - she really wanted to be able to keep an eye on both of us to make sure we didn't disappear again. By the late afternoon she was completely worn out with the effort.

And no, I didn't put her stuffie there for the picture, she did that herself.