For the first time in a long time I'm not working on Sundays. It's glorious. Don and I get to see each other in the daylight on a regular basis. What a luxury!
We went to visit Don's parents this afternoon so they could have the opportunity to see the progressive development of baby D. They live just a few neighbourhoods over from where we are so it's very easy to make a visit. Don's dad is regularly biking over to our place for one thing or another, and vice versa. Mr. Iveson senior currently rides Don's old Amsterdam Mens Sport in red. Don bought it a few years back when I got mine, but it's just too small so it had to get passed on to somebody who would put it to good use.
I've waxed poetic about mature neighbourhoods before. Don's parents live in Parkallen, a neighbourhood that was chosen as a pilot 'hood for this past summer's ecomobility challenge. I'm so jealous Don got to grow up there. It's one of those cozy little pockets with a nice mix of old/new houses, lots of little paths that help you cut through the neighbourhood, and now his parents' house is about equal distance to the South Campus LRT station as ours is to the McKernan Belgravia one.
Our neighbourhood is great too. And moving here is one of the big reasons we impulsively decided to start a family last year. Great schools. Dog park. Ravine. Transit. It's neighbourhoods like these where I imagine kids are still allowed to walk or bike to school with their friends instead of getting dropped off and picked up by car. Sadly, I still often see the one mom and one kid combo inside a huge car, driving maybe 5-10 blocks. I TRY not to judge but... couldn't people at least attempt a car pool with some other kids or something? Anyway, I'm sure the answer to that question is that all families are all busy in all sorts of different ways.
I'm still judging.
Anyway, check out beautiful Parkallen!
Although we have brutally cold winters. One thing I love about living here is the prairie sky. So crisp.
And here's mom-in-law, recovering slowly and steadily. I get a lot of comments with you readers reiterating how cute you think Dexter is. Just for the record, I never tire of these comments!
Leaves. And more leaves.
I am sad they don't seem to make lawn chairs like these anymore. Classic.
I think a lot of people are narrowly focused on their destinations. Hence all the driving? Perhaps the lure of getting there safer and faster is just too good to pass up. I hope that we can teach Dexter that it's about the journey, not just the destination. It's good for his nose to feel the temperature outside. It's go to know that his muscles work. It's good to interact with his neighbours.
I have a lot of hopes for Dexter, but will always try to enjoy our journeys and maintain hope that we're moving in the right direction. For me that's the joy about biking. It's not just about where we're going... getting there is the fun part.
8 comments:
I am trying not to be envious of the fact that both your parents & your husband's parents are close by & involved with your wee fella. Instead, I'll just say how fortunate you all are. Wonderful.
You've got some nice lookin' fellas in your life. (just doing my part to keep the 'cute kid' comments coming.
Ah, the judging. A funny thing happened last night when Mom remarked that Auntie Helen is super anxious about how to looks etc. and I told Mom that she, herself, has the tendency to be vain as well and her response?
"Only about my looks!"
Dexter is so cute! ;)
I like you description of the kinds of neighborhoods that "work." Hopefully the trend of people preferring houses that are big but far from everything is reversing.
I hear you. My sister lives in SoCal and about a 5-10 minute bicycle ride from the kid's school, yet we all hop in the SUV when I am there and drive to drop off and pick up. I also try not to judge, but... We actually had a discussion about it when I was there last. I was like, 'um...it's beautiful here all the time...why don't the kids ride their bicycles?' a list too long to recount came, some of it with good reason (a girl in the neighborhood was kidnapped, there are no bike paths or lanes, etc.), some was for a perceived time savings. If I lived there and could swing drop offs and pick-ups, you KNOW I would be on the bikes.
Winter though, that's tough. We were just trying to figure out how to get out of it, but sadly there is no escape at this stage of our lives.
I have a soft spot for Parkallen, I use to spend every summer there with my Grand Aunt and Uncle. They have both passed away and their house is gone and two huge houses were erected on their lot. They had one of the original sized lots not too far from the park and community hall. It's definitely a good neighborhood.
You have such a cute baby.
Hey Ms Sarah, I stop by your blog now and then. Grass and trees... Cool! Cheers! Bruce
Hey Guys,
(Sara), having the parentals nearby is definitely a bonus. It was a huge factor in having kids this "early". I use quotations because it's all relative, but Dexter was a good 5 years from our plan. I figured I wanted to have a baby while my parents were still abled bodied. It was a good call because they LOVE him and love taking care of him. Not just the make the baby hyper and give him back sort of care. Like, taking him overnight and feeding him in the middle of the night, etc.
Love them.
Ilona - You know Parkallen? As you know, it's awesome! In Belgravia where I live there is a higher contingent of like... million dollar houses by the river. Don and I are among the normal people, no maids for us!
Sigrid - I know exactly what you mean. As a mom now I realize that everybody makes choices for their family that works for them. I am just weary of fear mongering. Of course I don't want anything bad to happen to Dexter, but there are so many alternatives to the ridiculous and monotonous commuting! This might start with location. People often buy houses or live in places where they feel they HAVE to drive their kids back and forth. How about living somewhere where there are schools without walking distance? Problem solved!
Having a car free lifestyle, or even a car less-frequent lifestyle just requires some thought and planning. Thinking is a GOOD thing!
S*
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