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Vancouver natives (like our own Buzz) had taken to calling this last month “OctoJune” — we hadn’t yet found an opportunity to shed our sweaters and Gore-Tex and boots, even though the official “First Day of Summer” had long come and gone.

This Canada Day long weekend was a much better effort. It looks like there will be no “NovJuly.”

Or maybe there will be.

But you know me… I’ll stick with the aggressive hope of fair weather.

We did all the summer things we’d wanted to do for weeks in the space of three days, from long drives along the coastline to a fresh baby-pink and ruby-red mani-pedi for me (thanks, Dean and Karen!)

And we spent July 1 on the deck, waiting to watch two sets of fireworks to commemorate our wacky nation’s birthday.

And we lay out in our turquoise mesh chairs, smelling coconutty.

And we drank coffee in the garden in the mornings.

And we ate dinner on a toasty restaurant patio.

And we went to an air-conditioned movie in the heat of the day (”Knocked Up”… very funny. Not for my grandma, but very funny. I could totally picture Ruth going, “Oh, for land’s sakes…” every second scene.)

It was just lovely, really, and got us excited to plan our September return to California.

This air on my skin is magic.

These leaves glow like stained glass at the brightest light of day.

These freckles were long-missed.

This beat make me want to dance.

This sky seems to unfold forever.

These blossoms make the night smell like cotton candy.

This ice in my glass sounds like music.

This shirt makes my eyes look more green.

These sunglasses make me look like a happy bug.

And this — all of it — was worth waiting for.