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I’ve seen the movie “The Wizard of Oz” probably twenty times in my life and I’ve never failed to cry at that moment as Dorothy prepares to climb into the balloon that will carry her and the Wizard himself back to Kansas (but which, of course, leaves without her) when she goes up to the Scarecrow and says, “I think I will miss you most of all” (or something to that effect) and it’s not simply because the misty eyes of Judy Garland get to you so powerfully; it’s also because of the mixed feelings that emerge as you get ready to depart from a foreign place in which you’ve had great adventures for the (perhaps not quite so thrilling) location you call home, so it’s no wonder I feel a bit melancholy, but ultimately mostly happy and at peace to be back in Seattle after the last five days of roaming around points north, notably our Canadian sister city, Vancouver, including its charming neighborhoods and lovely in-city beaches.

Canada’s cool and all--so much so that it’s almost like being in another country, but when all is said and done, I prefer the delights my hometown has to offer, none the least of which is the opportunity to sit on my own couch, drinking a beer from my very own refrigerator, reading books from my very own bookshelf, and falling asleep in my very own bed.

Additionally, it’s tough to overstate the natural beauty of this place which, while it may not be quite as spectacular as Vancouver’s, somehow just strikes my own aesthetic as slightly more accessible and hence, more appealing.

None of this is to say that we didn’t have a grand time up there nor that we won’t go back at some point in the future when our bank balance rebounds from the subterranean environment even a short vacation invites it into.

Especially when it comes to money, there’s no place like home.