Well I know it's been MANY months since I have made an update page about my move to Vancouver Island here in British Columbia...but I have a good "x"cuse ...REALLY!  Mrs."X" and I have been busy playing in our new yard and enjoying the MUCH nicer weather here in Campbell River.  Even though the residents here tell us that it was the worst ever recorded Winter and Spring, and the Summer also was apparently 'horrible', Mrs."X" and I feel like we've moved to a semi-tropical island!  The difference in the weather here...even this "crappy" weather, compared to Calgary's...well, there is NO comparison!  We LOVE IT here!

One of the main reasons I have taken so long to produce this update page is because I kept meaning to take out the digital camera and get some GOOD pictures of things, but I guess I was just too busy enjoying myself and never did get around to it.  Then yesterday it occurred to me that I have been taking the occasional piX with my cell phone, so I went through them all and mailed the good ones to myself!  So the following pictures aren't of the greatest quality, but I guess they'll do the trick ;)

First off, a bit of "background information".  For those of you who haven't seen my original page about moving to BC from Alberta, check out THIS PAGE.  We had a VERY RUSHED move from Calgary, with a measly 30 days to pack up, sell our home there, buy a home here, and move.  Looking back at it all now seems like a nightmare, but in reality we were so rushed that we really didn't have the time to worry too much or complain about it!  We made the move at the end of February, a very COLD time of the year to do so....

It is because of that cold that we decided to move.  We would have preferred a warmer time to do so, but unfortunately our opportunity arrived at this bitter time of the year.  It certainly gave us some "challenges", but it was all well worth it in the end!

EVERYTHING  OUTDOORS HAD TO BE CHISELED FREE TO BE PACKED!

EVEN MY POOR OLD MUSTANG HAD TO BE PACKED INTO THE MOVING TRUCK!

IT MAY LOOK SUNNY, BUT THE TEMPS HOVERED AROUND -30 FOR THE MOVE.

Of course this hideous moving weather just gave us inspiration!  We kept telling ourselves, "oh yeah...THIS is why we're moving!".  Over the years, even Calgary's summers were becoming increasingly COLD.  Getting a +30C day is unusual there, and the evenings were seldom warm enough to even sit outside in shorts.  Although Mrs."X" and I had spent all our lives there, we had BOTH had enough!  After the packing was complete, we headed for "the hills" and never looked back!
 

MY PRAYERS WERE ANSWERED! OUR DRIVE THROUGH THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS IN FEBRUARY WAS SAFE. .

I COULDN'T HAVE DONE THE MOVE WITHOUT MRS."X", THE LOVE OF MY LIFE!  SHE WAS AS SICK OF CALGARY AS I WAS! .

AN EVERGREEN MAGNOLIA AND GREEN GRASS GREET US 2 DAYS LATER AT MY MOM'S PLACE ON THE ISLAND! .

Vancouver Island is truly a nature lover's paradise!  There are "critters" galore here!  I literally see deer every single day, and it's not unusual to view them wandering about downtown even, (LOL! "downtown!" - that always makes me laugh when I hear people here call it that!).  The deer are so tame that I have actually managed to walk up to one and pet it.  Again...UNBELIEVABLE!

Of course deer aren't the only things around, although I must admit that you see them the most.  Vancouver Island has one of the largest bald headed eagle populations, and you see them daily here as well.  Our garbage dump is a real treat to go to, as often there are a dozen or so bald headed eagles there watching the "action"!  Vancouver Island also has THE largest concentration of cougars in the wild, and there are black bears here GALORE!  Just recently, my sister and her hubby were woken up by their sensor light, only to find a black bear wandering around their yard and then up the street!  Of course that can also be a problem....

Oh yes, I suppose while I am on the subject of 'critters', I should also mention the insects.  They are GARGANTUAN and unlike anything we are used to!  Poor Mrs."X", who has an unhealthy fear of bees and wasps, has nearly crapped herself after viewing a few of these suckers!!!

I won't tell you a lot about the new place...yet.  I don't have a lot of pictures of the front, mainly because I haven't had a chance to "tackle" it yet, and I haven't taken many pictures of the inside either, as I intend to do some painting and such.  Our new house in an older place, built in 1964, and it's HUGE to us, over 2700 square feet!  The previous owners did do a lot of updating inside, so it's quite comfortable :)

ABOVE  THE BALCONY THAT WRAPS AROUND THE FRONT OF THE HOUSE AND THE 2 SEPARATE GARAGES IT HAS!

The house is unusual as it sits sort of "kitty-corner" on the lot. I think it may have been built this way to view the sunsets out of the HUGE picture window in the living room

BELOW  THE 'OTHER' FRONT OF OUR HOUSE, EVEN THOUGH YOU CAN'T SEE THE FRONT DOOR BEHIND ALL THOSE PLANTS.
THE FRONT YARD IS QUITE LARGE AND HAS 2 LEVELS TO IT.  I'LL MAKE A PAGE ABOUT IT AFTER I'VE WORKED ON IT!  ;)


ABOVE THE VIEW OUT OF THE LIVING ROOM WINDOW.  IT'S PRETTY MUCH ALL FOREST AND THE SUNSETS ARE AMAZING!
BELOW  WE EVEN HAVE A MOUNTAIN VIEW!  THAT'S MOUNT MENZIES, WHICH IS ABOUT 30 MILES AWAY.

WHERE I'VE BEEN...

I know I've been essentially "missing" from the internet ever since I moved, and here is the reason why...  I haven't been able to leave the backyard!

Leaving that bitter cold and then arriving to an instant springtime was amazing!  The first month here was mostly spent unpacking and trying to get things in order.  I had never intended to 'abandon' the internet like I did, but going to the gardening centers and enjoying the yard became far more fun!  We were both amazed at the colors that greeted us, and right in our own backyard!

As luck would have it, the house we bought ended up having a swimming pool.  I've never had a swimming pool before and certainly had no idea how to look after one, but it was fun learning about it and decorating around it!  Likewise, while Mrs."X" and I swam in it, we felt like we were at a resort!  THIS is the big reason I have been gone so long...I've been a "pool boy", cleaning it etc, and swimming, and planting, and....LOL!  Well, I'm sure you get the picture :)

Below are various angles of the backyard and how we've done it up so far.  We sure had a LOT of fun back there this summer, and as I'm sure you can imagine, we both were VERY brown by the end of the season!

So now you know why I've been missing in action for so long and why it's taken me so long to make this update page!  My goodness, it's been just astounding to spend the summer like this in this fabulous new location!  We've been here now for 8 months, but Mrs."X" & I STILL find ourselves hardly able to believe we actually live here!  Autumn is well on its way now and soon winter will be here, but I no longer have to worry about having my eyes frozen shut!  Spring will be back in February here, MONTHS earlier than it will arrive in Calgary....and I can hardly wait, but even Winter here will be beautiful in the rain forest :D

Again, I apologize for the quality of some of these pictures, but I hope you enjoyed viewing them regardless.  I shall close with 3 more of them, showing the sun going down from my front deck :)  You will likely hear much more from me now that Summer's gone here, but come Spring time I'm guessing I'll be M.I.A. once again!  LOL!

ThanX for visiting me!
"X"
October 30th/2011