The Renovated Immigrants

Eric-Professional Camp Napper

Shuswap Lake

We have just completed our first 6 months in BC and thus far it has been one huge adventure in every imaginable way! Our day to day lives have changed considerably and much like our lovely older house, we too, are under renovations. We have done a marvelous job of balancing work and play in between 3 moves and an epic volume of immigration-related paperwork. Really, it has been the busiest 6 months of our lives but we are so grateful to have finally purchased a home and escaped the rental market. Our neighbors are from all over the world by first or second generation and have been very welcoming to us. Many of them are outdoor enthusiasts as BC is a paradise for all things, in nature.

Shuswap Lake Dock

Nights of watching television or movies have given way to long walks in the evenings, boat rides, fishing or visiting on our very forgotten back porch. With sunrise at 4:45 a.m. and sunset at 10 we find we have hours of additional time to be outside even as early as May 1st.  May was good to us and brought many warm days and June even warmer. Movies and television have simply taken a back seat to being outside this spring and summer.

Gavin has been camping a great deal and is astounded at the number of lakes and waterfalls to observe. Eric joined him recently at Ruckell Point to celebrate the conclusion of the Scouts official season. Many of these pictures were taken by either Gavin or Eric from various camp excursions. Gavin's trip to the Vancouver coast found him immersed in all things ocean. He found a dead starfish and brought it home, several days later, so I could check it out.  When I opened the zip bag containing it, I was both in awe and immensely nauseated. The stench was unforgettable! Scouts Canada has been co-ed for many years and I must say, the ladies make it more social and bring a balance we lacked in the States. Additionally, the entire program is more relaxed where Scouts really are planning and doing for themselves and learning from the result. Between Scouts and our boat, Gavin is really experiencing an outdoor lifestyle.

Deceased Starfish from Vancouver Coast

Our new boat is perfect for us-a small barge, rides smooth and only goes fast enough to pull a couple of people without a wake. Oddly enough, Eric and me both grew up behind jet boats but those days of wanting to fly across the water, are over. We are earnestly trying to learn how to catch the variety of fish in our local lake. The lake itself is a massive 84 miles in length and contains more than 21 species. Our goal this summer is to get proficient at catching kokanee and rainbow trout. Eric has set the pace by catching one during Scout camp last week. We need my Brother Phil here to school us as he is an expert!

Scouts Out for a Spin

In between golfing, boating and camping, Eric is finally able to really enjoy his weekends. His boss is a wonderful person and is very gracious to all the employees. In Canada, a beer during a work lunch is a standard affair, and Eric has adjusted well. Again, our lives have changed so much since his long hours in Ruidoso and weekends filled with looming deadlines and resource constraints. We miss our Doso friends and are trying to write them often with hopes they will visit when they can.

Scout Cabins

I am still gainfully unemployed as I continue to wait for my Work Permit. I had begun to look for employment in earnest but after talking with our attorney, realized it was going to be considerably longer than I had hoped, to get said Permit. I am hopeful the timing will be perfect and know an ideal job awaits me. Meanwhile, I am working all day on the house or in the yard and find myself fulfilled with the present season I am IN. Our next door neighbors keep me company and have graciously fed us repeatedly since we moved into the hood. They are super fun and have 3 lovely girls and an assortment of pets. Just our speed!

Since we are living in the basement, I feel compelled to pick up before dinner each night. Living in a house while you are renovating is a tough gig but we are beginning to get use to it. Our neighbors have been feeding us homemade food and making sure we do not forget what a furnished house actually contains! They are perfect neighbors to have and we are all enjoying their kids, pets and pool!

Eric's First Canadian Fish

Kelowna is one of the fastest growing cities in Canada and the construction industry is BOOMING. Everything products and or service we have needed has been booked and thus our schedule continues to slide. Each morning you will find me on the back porch cooking breakfast over our camp stove and scrambling back and forth to the laundry room, which for the time being, is serving as our kitchen. I must be walking 3 miles per day just in the house! Other days I spend either farm foraging, hiking a random trail (there are hundreds) or hitting the weights at the Y.  I have ripped out some major bushes and cleared one large flower bed as well.  17 bags of mulch later and I can finally say I have made progress and my hands reflect the work. Love me some dirt. The Farmers Market on Saturdays has become a real treat as we are already getting local veggies and strawberries from the valley.  We had really missed all these agricultural extras when we lived in New Mexico. Every imaginable amenity and food is right at our back door, along with thousands of miles of wilderness.

Stilts at Camp

Our animals are enduring a great deal right now and we are doing all we can to help them manage. Loud, repetitive noise and a constant parade of strangers seems to be their new norm. On really rough days, Bandit goes to work with Eric to escape and Smokey goes to daycare to swim and race. The cats sleep on Gavin's bed until I let them out after school, when all the contractors have left for the day.

Rotten Cotten in the yard

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We are all anxiously awaiting the day we are not sharing our bathrooms with multiple tradesmen, using our laundry room as a kitchen and listening to the sounds of a nail gun. But having found our new norm, we have reached homeostasis! I am often reminded, sometimes we have to go backwards before we can go forwards.

Love and Light,
Ness

O' Canada-Living In The Outdoors

Alas, we are approaching our fifth month of residence in the Okanagan Valley and we are still in disbelief. Do we really live here? The valley is amazing and the outdoor lifestyle is endless! The micro climate and the topography are the very reasons this place is so highly desirable. Hot summers, mild winters and wildlife all year around. The locals refer to it as "Italy or California in Canada, sans all the crowds." Seems appropriate.















After months of looking, we have chosen a house large enough for a rental apartment and for family near downtown and at the base of Knox Mountain. Trails can be hit from our doorstep and Eric's job is less than 10 minutes away. Gavin will reside at his present school, electing to remain and take the city bus to and from. The house has great bones but needs updating so we are embarking on a very large renovation project as of 1 April. A total kitchen gut, floor gut and addition of a full legal suite will get us a tad closer to our needs and desires. Living in the house during this time promises to be entertaining at the very least! I suspect our spring will be busy with our version of B.C. Fixer upper, but have no fear, we have plans to play on the lake, in a big way.

After much consideration and research, Eric found us the perfect pontoon boat for lounging with friends and family. This beauty is 21', seats 11 butts and has a 70 horse power motor for dragging Gavin and his cousins around. We plan to moor it on the water for quick summer access. Since it is daylight from 5 a.m. until 11 p.m. during the season, we will have plenty of daylight to boat on weekdays and weekends alike. We are so excited!

In other news, Gavin is rocking at school and Scouts and recently took first place in the annual Truck Race for his age group. Pictured is the truck he carved and raced.

Our winter has been filled with skiing, skating and hockey, most recently at Silver Star where we rented a ski chalet for a few days of spring break. The weather was so warm we skied in t-shirts! And, the visibility was ridiculous, unveiling mountain ranges over 100 miles away! Having so many ski areas around us, this one was particularly family friendly with many activities by day and night. Gavin is a natural at everything, so he rarely face-plants but I enjoyed eating a bit of snow for the both of us. Nordic is so cathartic as it is very quiet and a considerable workout. Reminds me of trail running for these reasons.

I scampered off for a whirlwind Girls Trip to Vancouver to hook up with my dear friend Amber. She was in Vancouver for a class and we were determined to hit the big city and Victoria hard for 3 days. The metro reminded me of San Francisco, filled with the hustle, bustle and culture of people. People were very cordial, polite and eager to visit. I would call it Canadian-metro. People helped us at every turn and were interested to hear all about the trials of the current United States and our thoughts about her future.

We ate Moroccan and Thai in Gastown and Amber rode a pony without permission. :) Our next jaunt took us to the ferry terminal where we had a Nanaimo bar and coffee prepping for the 90 minute journey over the straight. We did not see any resident whales but the views were fabulous and the amenities on the actual ferry, surprisingly comprehensive.

A cafeteria, an arcade, several lounges and reading nooks abound. Once in Victoria we relished Tea at the Empress and the historic venue and energy inside. Even if you are not "tea" people, the bar is a must visit due to the art and architecture.



Huge wood beams and ornate carvings could be found in every aspect. The hotel is over 100 years old and filled with the spirits who have visited, including the Queen. I found it profound to see the enormity of each painting, depicting her life in chapters, floor to ceiling. Stunning. I highly recommend Hibiki, a Japanese whiskey you can sip on by the fire. Smooth.

We will plan to travel to Victoria and the other islands again and this time allow a great deal more time. My time with Amber went so quickly, as time with friends does, and before I knew it, we were putting her back onto her plane via a red-eye to New Mexico.

The quiet of our hotel room was more than I could bare so I headed on the train, then the bus to Stanley Island for the quintessential Vancouver bike ride. Surrounded by the peace of the water I was reminded of how important it is to invest time with friends.


Au revoir,
Ness