A12

Bill Robb

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There's something peaceful about taking a stroll down any roadway marked "Waterfall Drive." It immediately calls up connotations of healthy living, of fresh air and sunshine and summer and all the good things of nature.

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Bill Robb/This Week

Waterfall Drive is pleasure to walk in any season.

Waterfall Drive in Riverview, which connects Trites Road and Canusa Drive just one green space of woods past the Claude Taylor School, is a different street in west Riverview, in that most of its homes are town houses or semi-detached.

But the wonderful way that neighbours have so obviously worked together to landscape in symmetry, to grow healthy and flourishing trees on their front lawns, and to make this a great family area is clear from start to finish.

Although I am taking this walk now as the carefree days of summer are giving way to a return to routine as children go back to the classroom and workers complete their summer vacations, I have strolled this street in all seasons and it always impresses me.

The most striking time is actually in December, in the weeks leading up to Christmas, where you see the tremendous overall harmony of the neighbourhood.

The decorating themes of homeowners in the semi-detached homes are frequently in sync with each other for a quite magnificent impact.

If you want a really pleasant walk, make the entire circle from White Pine and Trites down to Waterfall, across Waterfall to Canusa, and back up to White Pine by the school.

We are now gearing up to the season of the year when the days are just a little bit cooler and the nights quite crisp which makes for ideal walking weather. If you are just looking for that push to get started, try taking the weekly neighbourhood walks featured in This Week.

Remember, as Lao Tzu wrote, "meandering leads to perfection."

I wish my motive was as pure as that. For myself, after a summer of doing a lot of sitting on the beach or reading on the porch out of the rain, I'm more a disciple of Bruce Barton who said:

"If you want to know if your brain is flabby, feel your legs."