stubsadventures

Go figure. The new awesome house is even more awesome after todays inspection. Although there were a few minor things and a few things that will need to get done for the winter, nothing was a deal breaker and the house is mine, free and clear. It feels fantastic.

I did see the grossest spider I’ve ever seen in Canada today and it was on the side of my house, which was discouraging. I’m pretty sure it had a hard shell. Hopefully my can of spray Raid can penetrate this spider force field. We also saw a really big spider run across the floor when we opened the big shed. So, at this point, it looks like I won’t be spending much time there.

Here are some awesome things I learned about my house or the area today:

– This will now be the second house I’ve owned where my truck doesn’t fit in the garage.

– Bear are common and there is a neighbourhood “pet deer” who sleeps on people’s porches and is very friendly. They also call the      river that runs behind my house the migratory trail for lots of different animals

– My neighbour was attacked by a cougar and says the neighbourhood gets stalked about once a year.

– There is a path that runs along the river a short distance either way from my house. One way ends up at a pool you could swim and the other ends up on a rocky beach and when you look west, there is a huge mountain.

– There is a path that runs from the end of my street into what they call “the back 40”. Neighbour said she hikes it all the time, never comes across another soul and you can go as far as your imagination or legs will take you. That is where she got attacked by the cougar.

– My hot tub seats 8 people!!

Those are just a few of the awesome discoveries of the day. I can’t wait to make it a home. Check out the pics from today.

I didn’t want to post the MLS listing because I’m not crazy about people knowing the price of my new house. So, instead, I copied the listing description (also, that way I would have it forever) and have posted the pictures from inside the house. The outside pictures were taken in the spring, and they have done lots of work to the landscaping, that will show up in the later pictures.

Check out… my dream house… that requires a little bit of work. See below the pictures for the MLS description!

Stubs

While diving in Iceland, our dive master was taking pictures of us the whole time. I have finally uploaded some of them to the blog. All of these pictures were taken by Val, the dive master who was awesome! We used a company called Arctic Adventures in Iceland and I would recommend them any day of the week.

In most of the pictures in Silfra, I’m the one with my arms crossed, just trying to stay a little colder. There were five of us on the first dive and just he and I on the second dive.

The third and fourth dives it was just Val and us, diving in the volcanic crater. So badass.

Stubs.

For my east coast friends who don’t know: a shut down is when you do this really big amount of work at the plant you work at in a really short amount of time at a very (very very) high daily cost. My first shut down lasted something like 39 days. I was so cranky when it got to about day 20, I can’t do anything else but think back and laugh. I was actually sent away and told to take a night off, which is when Poncho and I drove to Lower Lake in the mountains, laid in a tent next to the lake, ate food, drank booze and napped, in that order for about 24 hours straight and heading back for another 2+ weeks. In reality, your first shut down is nothing like you ever could have expected and it seems like everything is crazy, nothing goes right and there is no end to the early mornings. The updside: you make HUGE cash and somehow, that makes the morning alarm clock seem a little less annoying.

At this point in my career, I have been through quite a few of these and you learn to accept the madness, ride the wave of never ending situations that potentially threaten the air tight schedule and carefully crafted budget and even, through it all, actually laughing probably more than I should. I have learned that freaking out requires way more energy and if I’m calm, so too will be the people around me (generally). I manage people, time, money and most of all, their safety. Along the way, for all my care and attention, I am awarded several more grey hairs.

So, just over three weeks away from shut down, I am selling my house. This is baffling for the people at work who know how much stress is just around the corner, and not at all surprising for the people who know me well. I strive on being busy and productive and often push myself and my life to the limits. I have finally sold my house and have finalized everything with my dream house. September 21st, it’s mine!

Stubs.

Living in Canada provides us with the most amazing of last minute opportunities. In this country,  you can be out on the ocean, down a river, swimming in a lake, climbing a mountain, camping, quading any number of things. This weekend, it was a one day trip down the Red Deer River.

About 35km, totally about six hours of paddling down the lazy Red Deer River. The badlands line the river the entire way and the shores are filled with birds from tiny little ones to bald eagles. Saw a couple of fish jump and then there was that mysterious river monster Caper, who went for a swim. Caper has hated the water since the day I met her. When she was a tiny puppy and I picked her up from Winnipeg, I thought it would be fun to take her on a camping trip on the way home, so we stopped and camped in Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba, just the two of us. Our first morning together, the first thing I did was drive her to a lake so she would get used to the water right away. We found a lake, ran across the sand on the way to the water and just before taking the plunge, she skidded to a stop by digging in her heels. Since then, I have seen her swim in a pool (after me throwing her in) and chase a stick a little too far in a stream and have to swim back, that’s all.

On this warm summer day, Caper decided she was more than capable of walking along the edge of the canoe (no more than an inch wide) in a tight rope type fashion. With only three paws on the line, she fell over into the river. She had a wild panicked look in her eye as she swam back and forth trying to find a way back into the boat. Luckily for Caper, the water is warm and slow moving, so other than knocking her ego down a few pegs, it wasn’t too stressful for her.

Check out the pics. Also, please comment!! Everyone always tells me that they want to, so if you think of a smart ass remark, please write it down!!

Stubs.