commuters

When we knew we would be moving to this wee little town, Paul and I agreed that it would be reasonable for us to drive into the "big town" about once a week. We were really looking forward to the fuel we would save by staying close to home. That all changed when the school situation for our boys didn't pan out as we anticipated. They attend a school about 23 km away, a 15-17 minute drive.

The drive takes even longer if I get behind one of these dudes:

One day I counted 12 of those bad boys pass me on my way home from town. I give them their space, and only pass when it's very easy to do so. Little old lady drivers and no passing lane are also sometimes detrimental to us getting to school on time.

So far I really don't mind the drive. As long as I get a good sleep the night before and have my strong mug of tea in the morning - I quite like it. Tree lined on either side, mountains off in the distance, and bright blue sky. Not one single billboard or traffic light. It's definitely a big commitment of time and finances to make this drive, usually twice a day - but it's actually quite enjoyable. And we've calculated our fuel bill - it's not much higher than it was living in the Lower Mainland, and we're saving the same amount by not having easy access to fast food, Timmies, and S*bux.

So if a commute must be made, this one ain't so bad! I realize that people drive just as far through traffic in bigger cities to take their kids to school. As far as I know, we are the only family at our school from so far away. I have looked into the school bus schedules but they don't line up. I'm not too disappointed about that, as I'm not crazy about my boys being on there for 40 minutes each way. There is also the possibility to carpool on some days (even just one way) with other friends. Still working on the logistics of that. I'm also looking for recommendations for audio books to keep my boys quiet engaged en route.

Very pretty on a soggy day, too.

But deep down, I'm not sure how long we'll be able to maintain this (time-wise and financially). We have committed ourselves to the school (and thus, the commute) for this school year. As our current housing is only available to us until the end of June, things may look different in September.

Paul's commute isn't long, nor does it cost very much money at all - but lately he's been seeing some funny things in the bushes (and this is just a small representation!) ...

And sometimes they are lit up at night. And we've been told we'll get to witness their decomposition until spring time! Oo, goody.