Happy to revisit Victoria, BC's capital

This Victoria West house is typical of the city. Sunlit on an October day, it's individual and beautiful.

Island living really is special, even on enormous Vancouver Island. People in Victoria live at a much more relaxed pace, neighbourhoods are friendlier, and traffic calmer than in our increasingly frazzled megalopolis.

Some young friends relocated to the island when their children were born. Selling their Vancouver apartment allowed them to buy a nice house in Victoria West.

Being in Victoria makes me nostalgic. While our daughter was at UVic, we spent a lot of time coming and going to the island, always a pleasant ferry trip. The weather is usually warmer than on the mainland, as it was on this day.