Adventures in...realestate

I worked for years in a bank and helped a lot of people get their first mortgage. 

“You’re approved!”

Their faces lit up like a Christmas tree. I couldn’t help but smile back.

I’ve also worked with couples who were seeking a new home to upsize or downsize. But that didn’t mean I’ve ever really considered the effort involved with moving. Nope.

The time had come for us. Yikes.

Pat, our real estate agent connected us with a stager… and a warning. Bland neutral colours. Ugh! Penny arrived, walked around, and began giving us suggestions. 

‘Move this. Move this.’

Fussy…fussy…fussy.

‘No,’ I wanted to scream like a kid. ‘Are you trying to tell me our home is cluttered? It isn’t. But apparently, we had too much ‘stuff’. I must admit, doing (mostly) as we were told made the rooms appear a bit bigger. Penny one, Heath zip.

For the life of me, I don’t know why Penny had a problem with the sun-dried tomato paint on the living room walls. Or the shade of suede in the dining room and caramel colour on the master bedroom walls. I know, I know, we painted eons ago, but still. I liked the colours. Why wouldn’t potential buyers like it? We bit our tongues and agreed to have it painted.

Thankfully, Penny connected us with Chris, a painter. 

Bye-bye caramel, suede and tomato walls. Hello, creamy off-white. Not my preference, at all. Even Chris preferred the other colours. I like her. Penny arrived with some ornamental plants and some pillows. I wasn’t too interested in the ornamental stuff, but I bought the pillows from her. They will be great in the new house. I gave the white pillows to my mom. 

I bought new towels. A bit of a rebel, I was told to buy all white, but couldn’t resist the teal combo. 

The photographer arrived complete with a drone. Woohoo, he captured the solar panels.

The sign was hung at the front of the property and we crossed our fingers and toes. Nine showings in fifteen days. Not bad knowing the rural housing market was slow. We had a showing on Saturday morning and Pat contacted us on Saturday afternoon, from her niece’s wedding, saying we were to expect an offer. 

Fingers crossed, again, keeping the house staged was a bit of a pain. No, it was almost impossible. Did I tell you the neighbours across the road were dumping truckloads of dirt five days a week? The dust! Ugh. I was told to keep the windows clean. What an impossible task. They say timing is everything. Horrible timing on our part. No, the neighbour’s part. Couldn’t they have done this a year or two ago? Sheesh.  

Our home had a conditional offer. They wanted a water sample. Not concerned, we celebrated. 

Now the real work was about to begin.

Did you see that?

It's been a while since I've blogged. I've been busy. I know...I know

Excuses excuses. But it's true. 

I've always loved the water so I took lessons and began kayaking.  

Me with friends, Kathy and Sue.

 

We decided to move. Well, we made that decision a while ago. 

Looking for a new home meant a lot of road trips and a ton of picnic lunches.

This little gem was a perfect spot.

It took a lot of searching but found a lot we love. We listed and sold our home. Great job, Pat. 

Now, twenty years of love is getting packed into boxes.  

Apparently, having a new home built is hard work

I hadn't been in a canoe in more years than I can think about. 

The wind made kayaking a bit challenging so I jumped at the opportunity to go out with this group. 

Hubby and I were in St. Mary's for the taping of the Canadian series Murdock Mysteries.
I thought they might use Molly as an extra, but they didn't ask. Silly producer.

"Quiet on the set!"

We hadn't been to the horse races in a while. 

So hubby and I had a date night with friends at Georgian Downs

My sister gave me two tickets to a Blue Jays Game.

I wasn't about to pass up on a girls day out.  Besides, it was my first live game of the season. 

We must have brought them some luck

The Jays won and the crowd went wild. 

A little piece of Canadian history. 

Gander Newfoundland opened their community to airline passengers during 911.

It's the Canadian thing to do. 

If you haven't been, get tickets. "Come From Away" is fantastic. 

You will laugh and you may shed a tear or two.

 I read that Terry O'Reilly, a renowned marketing expert was speaking locally. I've always wanted to hear him, so we got tickets. A small venue, we got fantastic seats. What a speaker. His passion comes through in his tone. 

His wife, my good friend Debbie keeps him organized. You know what they say. Behind every successful man...

I've recently taken up Stand-Up-Paddling. But I haven't got a picture of that. 

I haven't fallen in, touch wood, but my camera doesn't come on the water with me, just in case. 

No wonder I haven't finished packing yet.  There aren't enough hours in the day. Time is ticking on. 

  

Retiring my Coaching Hat

If you follow me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, you’ll know I’m a curler and I’m a coach. Ten years ago, I offered to help a friend with our local league. Seven years ago I stepped up and began administering the league.  There is no way I would have done it without the help of my friends, Kathy and Willie offering to help on the ice. 

I email parents with an upcoming event and track who wants to take part. There are weeks it takes multiple emails, reminding parents I need a firm answer or a form signed and returned to me. I communicate with coaches with other clubs and of course, I communicate with our board of directors. Never a dull moment. 

My gosh time goes quickly. 

Carrie was in a serious car accident and had to step away from coaching.  Cindy and Steve’s daughter’s both decided to try other sports so I lost two coaches.

Mike, Mark, and Don offered to help when their boys decided to give curling a try. I will never turn down a coach. 

Every autumn the kids enter the lounge after the summer and we say ‘Wow, have you ever grown.’ I have watched 8-year-olds grow to graduate elementary school, get their licenses and graduate high school. What an absolute honour to see these kids mature into responsible adults. 

When I began, our membership numbers dwindled as the season progressed. This season began with twenty-two kids and the season ended with twenty-six young curlers. Not a single curler got bored and left. That is a huge compliment to my coaching team.

 .      

But, like all good things, the time has come to hang up my coaching hat. So, this autumn I announced it would be my last year. My sidekicks, Kathy and Willie have also announced they will be taking a step back. They will coach, but not every Sunday. 

  Thankfully, one Mom has offered to step up and take my place. One father has offered to step in as the main on-ice coach. I will miss working with all of you, no question, but our league will be in great shape. 

So a big thank-you to the coaches, parents, and the kids. You made the winter months zoom by over the past ten years. I’ve enjoyed spending most Sundays, a great deal of Saturdays with you. 

2018

The New Year has arrived.  We make resolutions, but this year, I truly hope that change is in our future. 

So many issues and challenges have surfaced, we can’t even count them. 2017 certainly brought a few to the forefront. 

Women’s issues. My word it’s 2018, not 1918. The time has come that all females should be treated as equals. Thirteen women run countries, according to an online search. Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany is just one. 

Our Canadian Prime Minister made a cabinet with equal numbers of men and women. Not because he had to, but because he had qualified females to fill the role. Chrystia Freeland in Foreign affairs is a force on the world stage. She would have my vote for prime minister.

It’s time to introduce respect for men, women, children, animals, ethnic beliefs, and our environment. We are born with brains. Let’s use them. Treat others the way you want to be treated. We have different opinions. We won’t always agree, and that’s okay. Respect the difference.

So my News Year’s hope is that people gain patience and understanding. That men and women stop abusing their power and treat subordinates with respect. That people realize that money and greed will not buy happiness. I’m reminded of the F. Scott Fitzgerald movie ‘The Great Gadsby’. 

People flocked to his parties, but not to his funeral. I want to be remembered as a good, caring person when my time comes to an end. Do you?

HoHoHo

It’s been an interesting year, to say the least. 

I have a lot to be thankful for.

A big thanks to my osteopaths, Pam and Cory, and to my physiotherapist, Tony. I’ve been taking treatment since March but we’re making great progress.  Someday, I’ll write about that. 

To our friends and family who have been there to support us through these past few years. I love you all. 

Wishing all my friends, near and far a fantastic holiday season. 

If you’re fortunate enough to be surrounded by loved ones, cherish them. 

From my family to your family, Merry Christmas.

Beer, Burgers, and Horse Thieves

If you missed last month’s blog, we investigated the hoodoos. Scroll down a bit for that exploring adventure. 

Hubby likes westerns and war movies. So, given the fact our bellies were having a good discussion with us, we turned and headed across a dirt road with gorgeous, some rickety, one-lane bridges toward the town where you could surely find John Wayne and ‘The Last Chance Saloon’. 

We arrived at the restaurant where time has chosen to stand still, with style. It’s a perfect location for a movie shoot. A couple walked out as we approached the door.  

They raved about the food. So, in we went. Canadian hospitality at it’s best, we were greeted with smiles as we entered. The walls are covered in history and memorabilia. We couldn’t help but stop and gaze around.    

We headed to the patio out back to enjoy the perfect Canadian summer.

My travelling companions were served beer in mason jars. We ordered moose burgers and took some fun pictures while we waited for our meal. 

     

The burgers, fries, and onion rings arrived and we licked our fingers clean. I wobbled out, my stomach bursting, filled to capacity. 

If I were to go back, I’d spend a night at the adjoining hotel. Looking at the pictures online, The Rosedeer Hotel is quaint and the prices are reasonable. 

We drove back that same road and then turned toward the North Dinosaur Trails on route to the 'Horse Thief’ canyon.    

  

What a name. Of course there’s a story behind that.  According to the legend, horses and cattle were smuggled in the canyon on route to Montana. Supposedly the animals were hidden in ravines created by the ice age floods within the canyon. The canyon turned out to be a reputed way station for the smugglers. 

Fact or fiction? Who knows, but this land would offer a wonderful location for a game of hide and seek.

Wow. Simply wow. Words do not do this area justice. The dark ribbon of coal that curves around the eroded canyon. Spectacular. Having arrived late June, in a dry spell, we would have hiked down the sandstone if we’d had more time.  We didn’t so we stood and simply gazed in awe. 

HooDoo

In last month's blog, we travelled from Canmore to Drumheller and visited the museum. 

  

The Royal Tyrrell Museum is so beautiful, we headed back the following morning. After parking the car we headed up the wooden staircase. Step after step after step we climbed. Okay, I admit. I'm not in fantastic shape but my good old heart and my muscles got a bit of a workout with that climb. Huffing and puffing, I wasn't blowing anything down when I reached the top.  But it was so worth the effort.     

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          I would describe Drumheller as an old pit that has been dug out and left, forgotten. An accurate description given the history. 

Men arrived looking for oil. Who hasn't heard of the oil sands in Alberta? The digging began. What a shock when they found fossils and bones. Yup. Once upon a time, the dinosaurs roamed freely. The workers stopped. Word was sent back. The palaeontologists went in and the exploration began. 
Mother nature is more than a bit stubborn.  She doesn't give up easily. Vegetation began to grow. Man didn't give up either, after all, it is residential.
 From our vantage at the top of the lookout, we can see lush green trees and bush and that beautiful lake. It's truly spectacular.  We remained elevated in the sky and gazed about, just taking it in. A few tour groups wandered around searching for treasures. What a fantastic place for kids.

We had done our homework so there is more to see of this area. We're off in search of the HooDoos.   

HooDoos are sandstone and clay particles that are cemented together and erode at a rate of about one centimetre per year. The interesting aspect. They resemble mushrooms. How cool is that! Gotta love Mother Nature. An adventurous person can attempt to climb the soft sandstone around the HooDoos. Many did during our sightseeing. I did not go to the top. If only I'd come in my youth, I would have.   
It's worth the trip to see these unique formations. 



Leaving the HooDoos, we headed for Horsethief Canyon, but that can wait until next month. Check back in December to see if the horses survive.