We found a off-season rental home in Fairmont Hot Springs, and decided to spend the winter in the mountains of BC. The house was very nice, and even though we worked out a deal with the owner, it was still not inexpensive. Sara's friend's house on Gabriola would have been free, but we decided to let Diamond experience her first real winter. And, it also gave us the opportunity to see if we would seriously consider living someplace with real winters.

Diamond made it to the age of 12 without ever seeing snow, so our time in Fairmont Hot Springs let her experience the climate that her body was designed for. I took her for daily walks thru the neighborhood, and some days when returning from the walk she would sit outside in the snow, enjoying the freezing cold weather.

When we moved back to Gabriola the next spring, she had more hair than ever before. Up until that winter, she had spent her whole life in Los Angeles.