'I hope....

...you get your guys back,' said the border guard. It was a good sentiment. He had asked me where I had lived in the UK and I'd told him Portsmouth.
'Ah, isn't that where the British Navy are?' he asked and I had said that yes, it was the home of the British Navy.

Friday morning it started to look as though we weren't going to the States. Laurence couldn't find his Permanent Resident card - needed to get back into Canada. But we're in a grey area at the moment. Just as Canadians now need to have passports to go to the States by 'plane, so our British passports have to be accompanied by our PR cards. But it is not yet the case if we simply drive across the border.

'Have you brought any goods with you?' asked another official.
'Just a box of cereal,' said Kevin.
'Shreddies?'she asked.
'Yes!' said I, astounded.
'It's always Shreddies,' she said, 'Americans cross the border to buy Shreddies. Everyone brings Shreddies back.' How bizarre.

It's still six dollars to buy a three month visa waiver. I handed the officer twenty and he gave me two dollar bills back. It took me by surprise, I'd forgotten there are one dollar bills in the States, up here we have coins. The smallest bill for us is a fiver.

It's easy to forget that Nature itself doesn't know international boundaries, the trees, the shrubs, the wildlife just over the border in Washington State are the same as in our part of BC.
It's the human activities that change. The US still uses miles as we do in Britain, so suddenly we are driving not at a sedate 50 Kph (in fact in Canada we say Kmh) but at a much faster 45 mph and then a MUCH faster 70.
It's beautiful along that coastline that we share. The mountains, the sea, the trees, the eagles and hawks that sail the air just for the sheer joy of flying. But that's romantic, of course they're always looking for prey, but when you see them ride the air currents it's easy to think they are flying for pleasure.

There is something very appealing to me about RV living. It's compact, but it's not basic like camping. You have a shower and TV, a cooker, microwave, heating, everything really, just smaller and right in there among the trees.

For me, we were on the border of a State Park, so although we didn't have much time to spend, it's a great location.
And I too hope we get our lads and lasses back soon. Very soon. And yet again I'm reminded that it's a good thing that I'm not in charge, because I'd have sent in the gunships by now.