Salt Water.

I've figured out what I miss about Nova Scotia.

Okay, it's a given that I'd miss my friends and family. If you don't miss those people after a big move then you're a heartless guppy. Or are just surrounded by idiots.

But there's one thing in particular that I miss more than anything else for the time being, and I realized it as I drove home from getting a smoothie last Saturday. I live near the Red River in the West end of the city, and the smell on some days is...well, let's just say if you're windows are rolled down you're in for a treat. That day in particular was one of those days, and seeing the river gave me an epiphany.

I miss the smell of salt water.

You know that incredibly refreshing smell that typically accompanies beaches and oceanfront properties? That crisp, unmistakable and sinus-clearing air blowing off the ocean. On the Halifax waterfront this smell would be permeated in everything, from the wood of the several docks to the stone bricks of the many high-rises in the city. I was so accustomed to it that had I gone back in time and tried to detect it apart from other city odours, I probably couldn't. But now, without it's gritty aroma (not to mention the drier air in general) I am going insane without it kind of miss it.

Added to Safeway grocery list: scented candle in "ocean breeze."