Kevin's Ramblings…

So, back in August I made the decision to move out of Crowsnest Pass where I had lived for 5 years and move back to the Calgary area and, more specifically, into my 30 foot 5th wheel trailer. When I contacted the campground where I am staying, I was told that I would be able to have a full service site for the winter, so that sounded good to me. I made the move without looking back.

More than anything, I missed the city. I missed the conveniences of the city. I missed going to “chain” restaurants. I missed a short drive to Costco.

I loved the mountain air and the scenery in Crowsnest Pass, it really can’t be beat. After 5 years, I knew it was time for a change. The dogs and I made the move at the end of August and settled in. I umpired throughout September for Babe Ruth Calgary, that is something else that I really missed doing. Fall Ball wasn’t as good as I was hoping, so I was actually glad when it was over. The quality of the baseball was sub-par. Oh well, it will be better in the Spring / Summer season.

Towards the end of September, I was told that I would not be able to get a full service site. OK, not good… I didn’t want to be without water and sewer over the winter. So, I scrambled and found another campground and drove over with the dogs for a visit.

I was told that I could definitely have a full-service site for the winter, so I put a deposit down for a month and was set to move in before my planned trip to Ontario.

A week before I was set to move my trailer, I went back to pay for the month. I was then told that they didn’t have any full service sites for the winter. The clerk also argued with me that the other people who work there wouldn’t have told me otherwise. Well, sorry, that’s bullshit. Someone else from the park that I am in also was told the SAME thing – so, she either out and out lied to both of us, or doesn’t know her job, at all. There was no way I was going to pay almost $400 more a month for this new park for, basically, paved roads – that was literally the ONLY upgrade between parks.

So, I figured I would look at heated water and wastewater tanks, and pay for a pump out service and get water service by filling my fresh water tank. In the meantime, I started looking for a house – the prices were sort of shocking.

I did go to look at one place that was quite large, but VERY remote and decided before looking at the actual house that I would not be living there. It was actually more remote than Crowsnest Pass. I had enquired about another place and got a very quick reply that it was already pending rental but that she’d let me know if something happened, so I didn’t expect to hear back.

Fast forward to this past Friday, I received an email from the landlady and the renter that was supposed to me in fell through and was I still interested. I said yes for sure and the dogs and I went to visit this past Sunday. I was immediately impressed.

It’s a basement suite, but unlike a lot of basement suites I’ve seen, this one had 10 foot ceilings. It’s 2 bedrooms, partially furnished and, of course, pet friendly.

So, I decided to proceed with it and submitted my application. I talked to my former landlord and told him that someone may be talking to to him about my 5 years in his place. He told me that she had already called and he gave me a great reference. On Tuesday evening, I received a text message from my Boss that she had contacted him for a work reference and he confirmed that, yes, I work for IBM. I then received a message confirming that my application was accepted and that I will be able to move in on December 15.

I am really looking forward to having running water and a working toilet. Those are things that we take for granted, but, for me in the last month, I have NOT been able to take it for granted. My trailer experiment was good, for the most part. If I had water and sewer, I would be willing to stay for the winter, but, with the current conditions, this is my best option for sure.

So, as of December 15, I will be living in Airdrie Alberta and I have really started to like this city. I am looking forward to getting to know it better. Wish me luck. 🙂

Tonight, or more accurately, tomorrow morning, we end daylight savings time and go back to standard time. The debate on whether or not we should continue doing this has been going on for years.

Some wise politicians (and there are FEW off those) have decided to end the stupidity. The province to the east of Alberta, Saskatchewan, hasn’t changed their clocks, possibly ever. That’s a smart province…

Alberta has hummed and hawed about it yet they make no decision. They say well, if we change our policy then it’ll be a different time in Montana. Who the hell cares what time it is in Montana, well, you know, other than people who live in Montana.

So, yet again, we are changing our clocks at 2am on Sunday morning. It’s ridiculous and it really needs to stop. I don’t care if we stay on standard time or we stay on daylight savings time, just make a decision and stick with one or the other.

My 6 days off have absolutely flown by. I can’t believe that it’s over, but, sadly, it is.

I’ve gotten my back feeling better than it has in ages. My sinus infection has cleared up as well.

I didn’t do a lot on my time off. I had daily naps which was great. I went for some nice hikes with the dogs and did some running around that I had to do, but all in all, it was a good staycation.

I was able to reorganize the storage in the trailer and get everything in its place. I feel like I have more room now and I guess that I do actually.

I have a few small things still to do, the weekend will be here before I know it though.

I’m going into the IBM office on Thursday, that’ll be something new for me. I haven’t worked in an office in over 8 years now. I confirmed that jeans are fine and that I’ll fit right in. I’m going to drive downtown, it’s only slightly more to park than to take the train and I’ve never been a fan of public transit.

Hopefully November will be a good month, both at work and in my personal life. I’m hoping that the cold weather will stay away for a bit still, I’m not really ready for full on winter.

Enjoy your week.

A lot has happened in the last week or so. I felt like absolute crap last Wednesday and didn’t work. Turned out that I had a sinus infection and also my equilibrium was out of whack. My doctor suggested that I shouldn’t fly, so, between that and some other money factors, I decided to cancel my trip back to Ontario.

As I’ve said, my trip down to Boise was far more expensive than I figured it would be. Putting the dogs into boarding was going to cost me around $850 for the week, that was going to be the most expensive part of the trip. The car rental in Ontario wasn’t going to be bad, $470 for the week, but still. Then, all of the meals out would have added up.

I think that if my Aunt and cousin hadn’t visited this past July, I still would have gone and I would have been broke for a bit. I’m glad that I got to see them. I would have loved to meet the Canadian team that I work with, I guess it just wasn’t meant to be right now.

I’m still on vacation now. I’m still not feeling 💯 yet, I’ve been catching up on my sleep. The night before last I fell while walking the dogs. I should have been wearing my ice spikes, but they were in the truck. Just twisted my back, muscular injury so I’ll be fine, but wow, painful.

I don’t have plans for my 6 days off, nothing serious anyway.

The group that I was supposed to have lunch with from with are still getting together on Saturday, I’m sure it’ll be a good time. I’m sorry that I can’t be there, but there will be other trips, I’m sure. I’m remotely thinking maybe next year around Labour Day weekend, but hey, who knows what will be going on by then. I don’t like to plan quite that far ahead. I haven’t been back to Ontario for a couple of years now, maybe it’s time for some of those people to visit me. I know my Aunt and cousin did, and that was a great visit. For now, I’ll enjoy my time off, back to work next Wednesday.

After the whole Rogers support fiasco, I moved over to Bell Mobility and saved a bit of money in the process. I didn’t really need 150gb of data a month though and also didn’t particularly like paying over $100 a month for a cell phone.

I have a requirement for US talk and text as most of the people who work for me live in the US. I only needed some data though.

I decided to look at Freedom Mobile again. I had used them prior to living in Crowsnest Pass and the only reason I left them was because I wasn’t in their “home” area. Ever since Quebecor purchased them they’ve changed how they operate and they now have National roaming.

I got a 50gb unlimited plan with calling and texting in North America and I can use it in the US as well, best part, it’s $45 a month. That’s a $60 a month saving, not bad at all.

The service has been good and I would expect it’s better now than it was 5 years ago when I left. Wish me luck.

I’ve unfortunately decided to cancel my trip to Ontario. Two reasons, I’ve been sick this week, sinus infection which has also caused an issue with my equilibrium and also, I’ve been spending way too much money of late.

Since July, I’ve spent a ton of money. My trip to Idaho was amazing and I had a great time, but I spent way too much money. I towed my trailer and I grossly over estimated my fuel economy. Then, add in the ridiculous cost of gas in Idaho and the low value of the Canadian dollar, it made for quite the expensive trip.

I was sort of shocked that everything in the US was on par, price-wise to stuff here, but then you add on 35% for exchange, everything is far more expensive. I was paying over $100 a night for camping in Boise. It was a great campground, but holy expensive…

I have some upcoming big purchase items too. I need to get new tires for the truck, and they cannot wait. I have to pay for the large propane tank that was delivered and filled, don’t want to freeze this winter. So, I guess, timing just didn’t work out.

I think if I hadn’t seen my Aunt and cousin this summer that I’d still have gone, but that was a factor as well.

I have no feelings like I’ve made a mistake, so I know it’s the right decision to make. It’ll suck not seeing friends and family, but there will be other trips.

It’s been a nice week and a bit since I’ve gotten home from Idaho. The trip ended up costing me far more than I expected, that’s for sure. Gas in Idaho was pretty well what we pay in Alberta, then add on 35% or so for exchange, it was ridiculously expensive. I totaled up my gas expenses, to and from Idaho, towing my small trailer and I spent over $1500 on fuel alone.

Food at restaurants was just as expensive as here then add exchange on top of that, not a cheap night out to eat. Oh well, I’ve often heard that money spent on travelling is never money wasted and I’d tend to agree, I had a fantastic time and a great trip. I guess I just wasn’t expecting it to be quite as expensive as it was.

Work has been crazy busy this entire month with various things breaking with my client driving up phone calls and tickets coming in. We’ve had some people off, using up their PTO before the end of the year, so that strains the rest of the agents. We are keeping our heads above water, just above.

This past weekend was the first weekend since I moved that I did not have any plans at all, and it was so nice. On Saturday, I woke up at 5 or so and let Hera out and went back to bed, I didn’t wake up again until after 8am, that’s amazing for me.

We went out to the other campground that I was thinking of moving to and paid for the month, I was then told some news that I hadn’t been told about. The first person that I spoke to a few weeks ago either out and out lied to me, or did not know how to do her job. I was told that I would have full hookups all winter, ok great – that wasn’t true at all, water and sewer are turned off November 1. I wasn’t told about the fee for the dogs, $2 per dog, per day – I asked if that included them picking up the dog poop, of course not. I was also not told that I’d be connected to a power meter in the winter and I’d have to pay separately for power. So, for about $400 more than where I currently am (not including power), I’d get what, paved roads?

The washroom facilities were about the same as here. The laundry room isn’t as nice, less machines for sure, although they have front loaders, but I can go into Airdrie if I needed one. The location also isn’t as convenient as here, I’m close to everything here and there I’m not close to much.

So, I told them I’d think about it, although looking back, I’m unsure what I had to think about. Why would I want to pay upwards of $600 more a month, all-in, compared to here and basically get paved roads. Well, turns out I wouldn’t.

After the dogs and I went for a walk with friends and their dog on Sunday morning, we headed back out to the campground and I got a refund. I did make sure that I could keep my spot here first and yes, no problem. So, we’ll be staying here this winter.

I’m looking into a water and wastewater service for the winter they’ll come and empty my tanks and fill fresh water weekly. I’ll still shower in the facilities here, that’ll save on water for sure, essentially I’ll use it for washing dishes and brushing my teeth. I’m loving it out here, camping every night. Winter will be interesting, but I’m looking forward to it.

Next week, I leave for Ontario for a week and am looking forward to the trip. It’s been 2 years since I’ve been back, so it’s definitely time for a visit.

I was late getting going on Saturday morning. I was up and about by 430 or so, had a shower, made coffee, loaded the truck up and connected the trailer, but I didn’t get on the road until just after 8am.

I headed towards Twin Falls for my second time and had breakfast at a local place, Abracadabra. I had, for the first time just, chicken fried steak. It was pretty good, there was, however, like most US restaurants, too much food. I headed out towards Great Falls Montana at around noon.

At about 2 o’clock I was dozing off and decided to stop at a rest stop and have a quick nap. The dogs obliged and we slept for just over an hour. I felt great after waking up.

We drove, almost steady until just after 1030pm. We stopped at a weigh station for the night. I was glad I had two dogs with me, it dropped down to 1C, they kept me warm. We stopped just South of Great Falls, so I made my goal. We were only just over 2 hours from the border.

We headed out Sunday morning at 440 and hit the border just before 7. No delay crossing the border which was nice. I got to Lethbridge at 8 but didn’t really feel like waiting for them to open, so I continued onto Coleman.

I dropped off the trailer at my friend’s place, I was glad to shed the weight. We headed home and ended our trip, I slept like the dead last night.

I haven’t calculated how much I spent on gas, but I’m estimating $1200 and I’m thinking it was more, I’m sort of afraid to look.

Back to the normal routine today, and I’m happy to be home. It was an awesome trip.

This has been a whirlwind of a week in Idaho, that’s for sure.

I arrived around 9am on Sunday to my friend and co-workers place in Twin Falls where I was staying until Wednesday. As I said, I brought my trailer down with me – good and bad. The good is I have somewhere comfortable to sleep and the dogs feel “at home”, the bad, the amount of extra fuel it costs me to drag that thing around. As some know, I have two trailers, who doesn’t need two, right? So, I brought the smaller trailer down here, a 1983 20 foot trailer that’s built like a tank. It will probably outlive all of us – they knew how to build things back then.

Anyway… We parked in front of the Hornbacher residence and connected to his power. It tripped his breaker. We eventually ran an extension cord to the trailer so I would have power for lights and a fan. Turns out we think it may be a faulty extension cord. It rained a lot of the day on Sunday but we were able to get out for a few hours with the dogs and go for a walk and some sightseeing.

There is an amazing canyon in Twin Falls and a pretty cool arch bridge going over the canyon. We were able to watch a group of base jumpers do their thing and jump off of the bridge, not something I would do.

Sunday for dinner, I had brought Alberta beef with me, New York Strips and some Texas Twinkies as well (jalapeno stuffed with cream cheese inside a chicken breast and all of that wrapped in thick cut bacon) and I made my World Famous potatoes. Dinner was great.

Monday, I took my hosts out for dinner, it was their one-month anniversary. We went to a place called Elevation 486, pretty good food indeed. They need to work on the Caesar salad though.

Tuesday, DH smoked a tri-tip that he wasn’t impressed with, but I loved it. My Mom used to cook roasts until they were extra-well done, so this was juicy by comparison. Wednesday was a travel day and I stopped at the house of one of the people who works for me to ensure I saw her and her husband in person. I was supposed to have dinner with them, but timing just didn’t work out unfortunately. They were kind enough to get me a take-away bag of food though so that was awesome of them.

Wednesday night, I checked into the Meridian (just outside of Boise Idaho) KOA – Campgrounds of America, or Kampgrounds, perhaps. Really nice campground, that’s for sure, one of the nicest I have ever seen. Thursday, I worked in the Boise IBM office and commandeered my Director’s former office. Thursday night a bunch of fellow IBMers went out for dinner to Kona Grill. I had an amazing stir fry and a double brownie dessert.

Today is my last day in Idaho. The dogs and I will camp again this evening and will head out at first light tomorrow. We will stop again in Twin Falls and will have breakfast with the Hornbachers and then hopefully stop further along the line and meet another co-worker for a coffee.

I plan on making it to Great Falls Montana by Saturday evening and I will find somewhere to park the trailer and spend the night – quite likely a Walmart parking lot. Sunday morning, I will get to Lethbridge Alberta and will stop at Costco for a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving dessert on Sunday night. After dinner, we will make the final 2.5 hour drive north to home and then back to work Monday morning.

What a week it has been…

The dogs and I left Balzac right on time, which is sort of a surprise. I had to head into downtown Calgary to test out my ID bady to ensure it was programmed properly. I must admit that I’m not used to Calgary traffic any more.

I found the office easily enough and my badge let me into the office, no one was at reception… I replied via email to let the security people know I was in and returned to the truck.

I paused at Wendy’s for a bite to eat and then took the dogs for a quick walk near the vets office. Got the all clear on their health and Kevin was very happy with their weight, both dogs are in great shape.

I picked up Blondie’s urn and a paw print that was made. Sad to get that, for sure, but brings up tons of memories of an awesome dog.

We headed South towards The Pass and got in right around 830. Had a great night sleep in the trailer and woke up to rain. I was planning on leaving before first light, but with temperatures near freezing and fairly heavy rain, I decided to wait until first light to head out.

My neighbour was nice enough to make breakfast, bacon and eggs plus toast. I headed to the US with a full stomach.

We had one of the friendliest border agents, and it was quite obvious that she was a dog lover. At about 20 minutes into Montana, there was snow on the ground, I was thinking this is a bit early, it’s only September still. We only had to drive though that for about a half hour.

We got to about 20km North of somewhere called Browning Montana and one of the trailer tires decided to blow up on me. What fun…

A driver stopped and told me there was a tire shop in the next town, I wasn’t too optimistic that a small town tire shop would have what I needed. Another Albertan headed South stopped and helped me get the blown tire and rim off, very nice of him.

I got into town and the tire shop was only open until noon, it was 1130. He had the tire size I needed and we were on our way within an hour, so not much of a delay at all. All in, it cost me $113 USD, not bad at all, I’m sure it would have been well over $200 in Canada.

At this point, I sort of doubted that I’d make it to Twin Falls on Saturday and sure enough, I didn’t. The dogs and I stopped about 45 minutes north of Idaho Falls at a rest stop and spent the night. We headed out early, around 5am with 3 hours ahead of us.

It was an uneventful drive the rest of the way. Sunday was rainy and cool. I met with a bunch of coworkers for brunch, had a great time. I stopped at Costco and got some food for the dogs and a bottle of wine for Sunday dinner. DH and I, along with the dogs, off course, toured the canyon in Twin Falls and watched some base jumpers jump off of the bridge. Insanity, if you ask me.

So, that was the whirlwind weekend. It’s back to work this morning. It should be a good week, I’m looking forward to it. We are going out for dinner tonight to a restaurant overlooking the canyon, I hear the food is great.