across the water

The corollary to "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence" for me would be something like "life is always better across the water". The idea of needing to travel over water by boat or ferry to reach a destination somehow feels magical to me -- getting away, however briefly, without the hassle, stress and forethought of a flight or hours-long drive. I think this goes way back to summer days of visiting a family friend's cottage as a kid. It was only accessible by water taxi, and while my mother white-knuckled it the whole way, putting everyone in the boat a little on edge, I just loved being there, and the sense of separateness from everyday life it gave.

So, though the ferry ride is just a few minutes, our visit to Barnston Island -- a little agricultural oasis in the middle of urban sprawl -- felt like an adventure and a sweet taste of warmer times and summer getaways to come.

And dog-Barley crossed a couple more firsts off his puppy experience list: cows, chickens and a ferry ride.

I think he agrees with my crossing-the-water theory too.