WINTER! - I know, you are thinking ... it isn't even November yet! But to survive (and thrive) in winter, you need to plan early and get excited about the possibilities - and living in the National Capital Region there are so many possibilities.

Last week I met up with the group I spent time snowboarding with last winter. It was the first time we had all been together since April, and it was great seeing them. Our meeting last year was serendipitous; we all carve, which is an obscure sub-category of traditional snowboarding (and I believe the original incarnation of the sport). There are only a handful of us in the NCR and five of us ended up on the same slope one night! Four of us became a pose with regular week-night expeditions and some fantastic road-trips. The winter flew past and we spent a lot of time outside embracing the best (and worst) of the hills. As we left the bar on Thursday we saw the first snowflakes of the season and took it as a good omen - one that tells of a winter full of fun and friends.

A few other past-times that I love during the long dark winters in and around Ottawa:

• WINTERLUDE: Geeky clean family fun. I am not usually one to embrace any activities where there are likely to be children, but Winterlude is one of the few I am willing to make an exception for. The ice-carvings, the great tasting menu's across the city, and everyone just being outside no matter how cold it is.
• SKATING (especially on the canal): Again with the geeky fun, but also exhilarating. To be outside crossing the city on ice-skates, stopping for a hot chocolate or beaver-tail, while the rest of the world sleeps.
• SNOWSHOEING: Weekends can be crazy on the hills, and so spending a nice day out in the woods away from the busy canal or ski-hills is wonderful. My favorite memories of snowshoeing was after a heavy snowfall with trees heavy under snow and the sun glinting off the ice in little brooks. It was cold but clear and crisp.
• BAKING: Sure, I bake in the summer - but it takes on a life of its own during the winter, breads, cookies, beasts, breads. Nothing beats a pizza made from scratch at home - including home made dough. The house is warmer and smells so great!
• MY FIRE PLACE: It isn't a practical fireplace since it seems to suck warmth out of my house, but there is something about sitting in front of a roaring fire after work, alone with a book and a mug of hot chocolate, or with friends, wine and great conversation.

The ski and snowboard show this weekend made it clear - it is time to put away the bike and deck furniture and find my mitts. It is time to turn on the heat and dig out the sweaters and locate my winter boots. It is time to plan a few road trips south of taller mountains that already have snow and it is time to remember how to live. November and winter can be long, gray and nasty until you find a way to really live them. 

So here are to seasons to be experienced and embraced. Winter is almost here - bring it!