Flying over the old 'hood

Rolling onto final approach
Montreal, QC
February 2013
For more Thematic on the water, click here.

In a certain respect, I was coming home.

To the left, Montreal, the city where I was born. To the right, Laval, where I was raised. In the middle, the Riviere-des-Prairies, the maligned, polluted, often forgotten little sister to the St. Lawrence River that flows around the other side of Montreal, to the south.

On both banks below, I had spent countless hours as a child biking the streets and paths, exploring an ever-widening world, wondering where it all ended. In an era before GPS or cell phones, I'd simply ride for a long as I dared before turning for home. Every time I pushed further from home, every next turn became a new adventure. With each turn of the pedals, I controlled my destiny just that much more.

Sadly, I'm not sure it's something I'd want my kids doing today. Different time. Different world. But as I glided far over streets that once looked so limitless, I realized how much larger the world really was, and how important it was for me to take those first steps so long ago.

Your turn: where do you like to explore?