Mark's Midlife Crisis

The severe lack of updates lately can pretty much be attributed to the lack of real individual adventures lately. That’s not to suggest that I’ve been bored or not doing anything. Quite the opposite. I’ve been THOROUGHLY enjoying my time in my favourite province. And even getting some freelance work done along the way.

: ICEBERG, straight ahead!!

: Final day with Jake and the snowman.

: My new friend, Jack. He’s a border collie but he’s the biggest border collie I’ve ever seen. Lots of fun though and energy!

: Jack: “Is that what I think it is?” …

: Yes, that’s a two-faced snowman.

: Snowman – Face #1

: Face #1

: View for Face #1 (and background for Face #2)

: Snowman – Face #2

: Face #2

: View for Face #2 (and background for Face #1)

: BLUE SKY!!!! It was gone five minutes later.

: More blue sky. It was also gone five minutes later.

: Trailside snowman.

: It took 4.5 km to discover where the trail ended. I think whoever named this place has a pretty good sense of humour – or has never been here in January.

: Valley of the not-so-Sun.

: This was the clearest the view got from the Valley of the Sun lookout.

: Another day, another snowman. A snowman that could use a few less Kilkennys and a bit more exercise.

I now find myself in location #2 of my house sitting adventure in British Columbia. If location #1 (i.e. Peachland) was small, then location #2 (i.e. Killiney Beach) is TINY. I’m in a much more remote location (ex. 15 km to the nearest store) but I’m not without any of the modern comforts of home – it just happens to be someone else’s home … and dog. And speaking of the new dog, that would be Jack in the photo above. Yes, dog #1 was Jake and dog #2 is Jack. Typically he seems to be more than a little camera shy but I managed to sneak that photo of him. Otherwise, he’s a lot of fun. As for my new location, the mountains and woods here are beautiful as are the trails that meander around and through them. Plus, there’s an ATV to assist with any excessive snow removal.

Gratuitous drone footage has been more than a little lacking because, well … it’s been VERY foggy and cloudy since my arrival in Killiney Beach. I would estimate the sun has made an appearance for all of five minutes. The forecast suggests a continuation of that pattern for the foreseeable future. I’m holding out hope that the forecast will be wrong. Sadly, it hasn’t been yet.

Either way, the lack of updates lately means that today’s photo gallery has more than a few photos – some of which I’ve posted to my Instagram account, others are being revealed for the first time (for better or worse).

Taking The Plunge

January 2, 2018

By: Mark

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Not that this really needs to be said but I’ll say it anyway … No, I didn’t actually take the plunge. It’s not a big secret (or a little secret) that I’m not a fan of swimming on even the hottest of summer’s days so I’m certainly not going to be tempted to go swimming when it’s -8°C. That said, quite a few people did go for a swim in Peachland’s annual New Year’s Day Polar Bear Swim this afternoon. I opted to take the drone for a flight instead – I think my fingers almost got frostbite while controlling the drone! Yes, I’m a cold weather wuss and I’m okay with that! Between my frozen fingers and the short duration of the plunge, this isn’t the best drone footage I’ve taken but it’s better than nothing.

Life Moves Pretty Fast

January 1, 2018

By: Mark

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The drone in action.

It’s been said that, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” Well, that seems remarkably true at the moment as I come to the realization that I’ve already been in Peachland for over four weeks and my time here is rapidly drawing to an end. I’m still trying to figure out where the past four weeks went! On the upside, my time in BC isn’t yet drawing to an end.

: One of the snowman’s finest hours.

: Gravity begins its pull.

: Gravity and Mother Nature take their toll.

: Through it all, he still stands!

: In the polls of best province, I cast my vote.

: Chillin’ by the fire.

: Record snowfalls in the Okanagan

: Inside? Please??

: Can we go inside now, pleeeease?

: Keeping watch.

: Watching what I think is my favourite movie (definitely top 3) with Jake.

: The snow takes its toll on Jake, too!

Much of the past week has been consumed by shovelling snow. More snow than I’ve seen in a long time. That said, my time here has confirmed what I’ve known for a long time. I love BC. I always have. Even before I ever visited here, I knew. I knew when I lived out here for a year oh so many years ago. And I REALLY knew when that year ended and I left it behind. Now I’m not saying that leaving was a mistake – a lot of good things have happened since then – but there is no denying that I am drawn to this side of the country. I’m not sure what that means for the long term but for now I can only hope my next four weeks out here will be as enjoyable as the previous four … with maybe a BIT less snow.

Just Another Gratuitous Drone Shot

December 24, 2017

By: Mark

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Needing (a LOT) more practice, I decided to take the drone with me on my morning walk with the dog (aka. Jake). Still need to work on my flying skills but it’s fun practicing. And a bit scenic. House/dog sitting in Peachland has been an excellent idea so far!

Anyway, just thought I’d post this here for anyone who hasn’t seen it on Instagram. This would be example of a picture being worth a thousand words. Or a video … and several thousand words.

My Favourite Least-Favourite Day

December 21, 2017

By: Mark

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It had been more than a few days since I’d seen the sun
but what a stunning return!

The Winter Solstice has arrived. The long dark days which have been getting darker by the day have reached the end of their journey. And while that means today is the darkest day of the year (i.e. my Least-Favourite day), it also means that from here on the days only get brighter (i.e. my Favourite Least-Favourite day). Before you know it Daylight Saving Time will be upon us and the glorious days of summer will follow (somewhat) shortly thereafter. Yes, there will be more cold and snow to … uh … weather … but there’s light (and warmth) at the end of the tunnel. Okay, sure … we’re at the furthest opposite end of that tunnel but at least the end is now in sight. Happy Winter Solstice to all!

And yes, I’m aware of the overwhelming lack of entries since my arrival in B.C. That said, I have posted a few videos and photos on my Instagram account because, not surprisingly, in this part of the country a picture says a whole lot more than I can type … and it says it a WHOLE lot better.

Sometimes you just have to build a snowman.

But, as a general update, things are going very well. Up until a few days ago I was actually still looking at green grass. That has since been buried by more than a little snow which required starting up the snowblower. Okay, I didn’t NEED to start up the snowblower but given the more than sizeable driveway, it seemed more than appropriate. I shovelled manually a few hours later. Side note: As I cleared the driveway with the snowblower I couldn’t help but think this was the longest duration I’d ever used a snowblower. Not because of the size of the driveway. And not because we didn’t have a snowblower growing up. However, being the youngest of the family meant I was at the bottom of the totem pole when it came to access to said snowblower. Proving once again, it’s not easy being the youngest!

With the temperatures dropping significantly since the snowfall it looks pretty certain that the snow will be here for a while. At least a couple of weeks.

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Cycling the world. One crisis at a time.

Another Day, Another Dog

January 18, 2018

By: Mark

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