Magnitude: 4.8
Location: Canada, 13 km ENE of Tofino
Time: Wed, Jan 7, 2015, 6:02:56 PM PST
Latitude: 49° 11' 37" N (49.19367)
Longitude: 125° 43' 49" W (-125.73033)
Depth: 5.0 km
*** no tsunami warning, advisory or watch yet in effect 6:17pm ***
My cousin posted this to Facebook last evening, asking if I'd felt the earth quake here in Parksville. (This is my other cousin E, who lives in Campbell River, not the cousin B who lives nearby.) I had not, thankfully, though it was felt only 30 minutes away. I'm certain I would have freaked out, but now that I know it may be a possibility the idea is not nearly as frightening.
I responded to her saying, apparently you want me to experience everything the island has to offer!
*****
Yesterday was a horrible day. Not for me, but for those impacted by the events in Paris. I generally turn on the news while I'm fixing my breakfast and I was horrified to hear of the shootings. There seems to be no safe place anymore in the world. With the recent shooting deaths of policeman in the states, the killing of two military personnel here in Canada (Montreal and Ottawa), and now this....it truly makes me wonder.
Instead of becoming more tolerant of the differences, and acknowledging and welcoming the various cultures, the pendulum seems to be swinging the other direction. It is sad, as we have so much we can learn from one another.
*****
I am grateful for every day I spend here in Parksville, not only because it is far away from snow and cold of Saskatchewan, but the peace I feel being near the ocean is both invigorating and refreshing. Would it be, that all the angry people could find a place like this.
Have a good day everyone!
Thursday, 8 January 2015
Wednesday, 7 January 2015
Tuesday, 6 January 2015
Home away from home
Routine - it's so easy to slip into a new one. I've only been here a few days but already I find myself slipping into a pattern. Up by 7:30 a.m. or so, a leisurely breakfast while doing the daily crossword, watch the news and check my e-mail and Facebook (with no phone it's my contact to family and friends), and then get dressed for my morning walk.
Yesterday, I walked to my cousin's office - it had seemed a long distance when we were driving but really wasn't. It took me somewhere between 35-45 minutes to walk (I'm not a fast walker) and since I was far too early, I stopped at Tim Horton's for a coffee along the way. While I was in the store enjoying my coffee it began to pour but had tapered off considerably by the time I finished.
We visited for awhile and talked about cruises, past and planned...she's a travel agent and knows lots of tips and tricks for booking the best deals. She drove me home around lunchtime, where I watched some of the Junior hockey bronze medal game before heading out again.
I needed to get a few items from the grocery store and stopped in at a local outlet hoping to find a reflective vest or tape. I had no luck but it was a good walk as it took me up the hill into another part of town.
At home I read for awhile before the gold medal game was televised (Canada won 5-4 over Russia - first gold medal in 5 years!). I took some photos of the interior of my home away from home.
The kitchen is bright and positioned off the front door of the house. I really wanted this unit as it has a full kitchen, while the one-bedroom has only a microwave, electric fry-pan, and a small fridge.
The living room is the first room you enter as you come into the unit down a narrow hallway. (The bathroom is to the left in this hallway). To the right of the lit lamp is the kitchen, the doorway you can see in the photo leads to the furnace room and past that the second bedroom and to the left of the television is the door to the bedroom.
The bathroom is also large as it holds the in suite laundry facilities. I was warned by my landlady not to use the dryer (much) but to allow my clothing to dry. That's fine for most items, but not towels so I'll have to wait until she's out of the house!
The bedroom is huge with a king size bed and a double closet. I'm still sleeping on the one side though I use more than I've been hogging the covers.
Did I tell you the furnace is wood-burning? Yesterday, Margaret was away all afternoon and most of the evening, so I kept the fire burning, The heat is turned off at night, and I hear herup and about early in the morning loading the furnace with wood. I suspect she also has natural gas, as one morning there was heat and when I checked the furnace there was no wood in it. Today I also noted there are two chimneys, side by side on the roof. I don't find the house cool even in the early morning, though I do wear a sweater most of the time.
It's a lot of house for one woman to care for, and she mentioned she had it listed before her husband passed away (in December). She's planning to list it again and find a place closer to Qualicum Beach just a few miles up the highway. The neighbour's house is up for sale too...I checked the price on MLS...$1,295,000 though it comprises two lots. I would suspect this house (4000 square feet) with oceanviews from the main floor would likely fetch close to a million as well. Not for me, even if I won the lottery!
But for now, this is my home, sweet home.
Have a great day everyone!
Yesterday, I walked to my cousin's office - it had seemed a long distance when we were driving but really wasn't. It took me somewhere between 35-45 minutes to walk (I'm not a fast walker) and since I was far too early, I stopped at Tim Horton's for a coffee along the way. While I was in the store enjoying my coffee it began to pour but had tapered off considerably by the time I finished.
We visited for awhile and talked about cruises, past and planned...she's a travel agent and knows lots of tips and tricks for booking the best deals. She drove me home around lunchtime, where I watched some of the Junior hockey bronze medal game before heading out again.
I needed to get a few items from the grocery store and stopped in at a local outlet hoping to find a reflective vest or tape. I had no luck but it was a good walk as it took me up the hill into another part of town.
At home I read for awhile before the gold medal game was televised (Canada won 5-4 over Russia - first gold medal in 5 years!). I took some photos of the interior of my home away from home.
Did I tell you the furnace is wood-burning? Yesterday, Margaret was away all afternoon and most of the evening, so I kept the fire burning, The heat is turned off at night, and I hear herup and about early in the morning loading the furnace with wood. I suspect she also has natural gas, as one morning there was heat and when I checked the furnace there was no wood in it. Today I also noted there are two chimneys, side by side on the roof. I don't find the house cool even in the early morning, though I do wear a sweater most of the time.
It's a lot of house for one woman to care for, and she mentioned she had it listed before her husband passed away (in December). She's planning to list it again and find a place closer to Qualicum Beach just a few miles up the highway. The neighbour's house is up for sale too...I checked the price on MLS...$1,295,000 though it comprises two lots. I would suspect this house (4000 square feet) with oceanviews from the main floor would likely fetch close to a million as well. Not for me, even if I won the lottery!
But for now, this is my home, sweet home.
Have a great day everyone!
Monday, 5 January 2015
If this is winter...
Bring it on! My cousin B informed me that yesterday was their idea of a "winter" storm. I did notice people all bundled up, one lady in a fur-trimmed parka, but in comparison to the temperatures at home I found it mild...if a little wet.
I really didn't do much yesterday...which frankly, is part of the plan! I did have a lovely walk along the shore.
The walkway begins about two blocks from here I am staying. There is a large condo unit there called Beachview and I suspect the walkway was built as a result of this project.
The walkway extends into the community park where the boardwalk becomes paved. Although it`s not visible in this photo, I was able to walk to the point about another 1/4 mile.
Unfortunately there is private RV park past that point that is fenced in, so my walk along the beach ended there.
A view looking back towards where I had come from. Again, not a great photo but in the centre you can see a large white building. The house were I am staying is back on the hill to the left of that.
I may have to find a bird book, I know the Canada geese but the white feathered one is new to me. I checked the birds of North America site and didn't find it. Would you know what it might be?
There were also sea gulls (big fat ones) and crows wandering about.
I wandered back through the park and back up to the main street.
And look, there are still plants showing color! My landlady tells me her crocuses should be starting to push up by the time I leave at the end of the month.
This is a happy face! It was wet, but such a refreshing walk. I could wander as long as I liked as I had nowhere specific to go. I was out for nearly an hour, before heading home for a warm shower.
My cousin stopped by later that morning, and then the landlady popped in for an hour or so in the afternoon. I spent the evening knitting and watching junior hockey (Canada won!)
Today I'm off on another walk, this one much further, as I'm going to visit my cousin at her workplace - a travel agency. She's already promised me a ride back....it's been many years since I've walked that far and I'm sure I'll be exhausted.
Note to self: I need to stop at a local store to pick up a reflective vest. I'd like to take a walk after dinner but it gets incredibly dark here with overcast skies and often rain, the streetlights just don't cut it.
Have a wonderful day everyone!
I really didn't do much yesterday...which frankly, is part of the plan! I did have a lovely walk along the shore.
The walkway begins about two blocks from here I am staying. There is a large condo unit there called Beachview and I suspect the walkway was built as a result of this project.
The walkway extends into the community park where the boardwalk becomes paved. Although it`s not visible in this photo, I was able to walk to the point about another 1/4 mile.
Unfortunately there is private RV park past that point that is fenced in, so my walk along the beach ended there.
A view looking back towards where I had come from. Again, not a great photo but in the centre you can see a large white building. The house were I am staying is back on the hill to the left of that.
I may have to find a bird book, I know the Canada geese but the white feathered one is new to me. I checked the birds of North America site and didn't find it. Would you know what it might be?
There were also sea gulls (big fat ones) and crows wandering about.
I wandered back through the park and back up to the main street.
And look, there are still plants showing color! My landlady tells me her crocuses should be starting to push up by the time I leave at the end of the month.
This is a happy face! It was wet, but such a refreshing walk. I could wander as long as I liked as I had nowhere specific to go. I was out for nearly an hour, before heading home for a warm shower.
My cousin stopped by later that morning, and then the landlady popped in for an hour or so in the afternoon. I spent the evening knitting and watching junior hockey (Canada won!)
Today I'm off on another walk, this one much further, as I'm going to visit my cousin at her workplace - a travel agency. She's already promised me a ride back....it's been many years since I've walked that far and I'm sure I'll be exhausted.
Note to self: I need to stop at a local store to pick up a reflective vest. I'd like to take a walk after dinner but it gets incredibly dark here with overcast skies and often rain, the streetlights just don't cut it.
Have a wonderful day everyone!
Sunday, 4 January 2015
Go!
I'm currently in the Regina Airport ready to embark on the first leg of my trip. I though I'd have a hard time sleeping last night and I was right, at least for the latter half of the night. After 1 a.m. I was awake every 30 minutes to an hour, checking the clock to make sure I didn't miss the alarm. I finally got up at 5:30 and went outside to shovel the driveway....one.....last....time.
We got a total of 9 cms. of snow (about 3 3/4 inches) over the past 24 hours. I'd shovelled twice yesterday but it had blown in on half the driveway so there were spots that had more than the snowfall. It is also cold, -24C (-11F) with windchills into the -30 range. I know I'm going to miss my kids and my cats....but I certainly am not going to miss the weather!
******
Just before I boarded the plane in Regina I realized I had forgotten my cellphone at home I'll have to see if I can get one of those disposable phones, with a pay as you go plan, because although I have my laptop I won't always be connected. Maybe that's not a bad thing.
I'm now waiting for the first call for boarding for the flight from Calgary to Vancouver, part two of the journey. It's scheduled to leave in just over a half hour so I expect we'll be boarding shortly. When we landed in Calgary, we weren't able to get into the terminal as our ramp was in use and the pilots were waiting for directions. So we sat on the tarmac for about 20 minutes...the little guy across kept asking his mom, "can we get off yet?" Oh so close, but oh so far away!
*****
The third leg of my journey was the best. We landed in Vancouver about fifteen minutes late but with still enough time to grab a bite to eat and to send a Facebook message to my daughter. I realized one more thing I'd forgotten,...my driver's licence. I'm such an idiot! Since I'm planning to drive to Comox to pick K up from the airport on the 13th I don't want to be without my licence...although I did consider asking her to bring the items with her I realized even if I were to borrow my cousin's car it would be my luck that I'd get pulled over.
We left a few minutes late from Vancouver and the flight was only 15 minutes!
B was waiting for me in the terminal and I couldn't help but jump and down and say, I'm here, I'm really, really here!
We drove straight to Parksville, to the home I'll be living in for the next month. The unit is in the basement, and all of the rooms are large, and decently furnished.
I have a huge king sized bed. I'm so used to be skooched over to allow the cats room that it feels a little odd to have this much space.
There is a complete kitchen (where I am currently sitting) which would likely have a view of the ocean except for the tall hedge in front of me. I expect my landlady M has the better view.
And it really truly is only a minute to the beach, however it is down 57 steps and this part of the beach has been closed due to erosion. The community park is only a block or so away so I'll be able t wander down there to get to the beach.
*****
After meeting M, bringing in my belongings, B and I went to the grocery store to get some basic items. I was very appreciative as it would have been a heavy haul walking the six or eight blocks. Now I just need to pick up a few items at a time as I need them.
We spent the afternoon back at her RV with the two dogs, Chip and Dale (miniature Pinschers) and her cat Xena (Himalayan). Her husband got home from work shortly before 5 and we left him to watch Hockey Night in Canada when we went for dinner. I was "home" by 7 p.m., unpacked, in my pajama's and reading in bed in short order. It was a long day!
*****
It's pretty apparent B and are family. When I sent the message to my daughter I told her I'd get B's address so she could send it Priority Post. I had also posted on my timeline what an idiot I was forgetting my cellphone. When I got to the airport in Nanaimo, B told me she had already sent a message to my daughter with her address. As mom used to say, great minds think alike, fools seldom differ!
My brother just e-mailed to say, the weather app on his phone shows 4C in Nanaimo, while in Regina it is -34C with windchills of -44C.
I'm here, I'm really, really here! It's just after 8:30 a.m. and I'm going to go out for a walk in the rain. It was coming down hard for a while but seems to have tapered off as the sky is lightening.
Have a great day everyone!
We got a total of 9 cms. of snow (about 3 3/4 inches) over the past 24 hours. I'd shovelled twice yesterday but it had blown in on half the driveway so there were spots that had more than the snowfall. It is also cold, -24C (-11F) with windchills into the -30 range. I know I'm going to miss my kids and my cats....but I certainly am not going to miss the weather!
******
Just before I boarded the plane in Regina I realized I had forgotten my cellphone at home I'll have to see if I can get one of those disposable phones, with a pay as you go plan, because although I have my laptop I won't always be connected. Maybe that's not a bad thing.
I'm now waiting for the first call for boarding for the flight from Calgary to Vancouver, part two of the journey. It's scheduled to leave in just over a half hour so I expect we'll be boarding shortly. When we landed in Calgary, we weren't able to get into the terminal as our ramp was in use and the pilots were waiting for directions. So we sat on the tarmac for about 20 minutes...the little guy across kept asking his mom, "can we get off yet?" Oh so close, but oh so far away!
*****
The third leg of my journey was the best. We landed in Vancouver about fifteen minutes late but with still enough time to grab a bite to eat and to send a Facebook message to my daughter. I realized one more thing I'd forgotten,...my driver's licence. I'm such an idiot! Since I'm planning to drive to Comox to pick K up from the airport on the 13th I don't want to be without my licence...although I did consider asking her to bring the items with her I realized even if I were to borrow my cousin's car it would be my luck that I'd get pulled over.
We left a few minutes late from Vancouver and the flight was only 15 minutes! B was waiting for me in the terminal and I couldn't help but jump and down and say, I'm here, I'm really, really here!
We drove straight to Parksville, to the home I'll be living in for the next month. The unit is in the basement, and all of the rooms are large, and decently furnished.
There is a complete kitchen (where I am currently sitting) which would likely have a view of the ocean except for the tall hedge in front of me. I expect my landlady M has the better view.
And it really truly is only a minute to the beach, however it is down 57 steps and this part of the beach has been closed due to erosion. The community park is only a block or so away so I'll be able t wander down there to get to the beach.
*****
After meeting M, bringing in my belongings, B and I went to the grocery store to get some basic items. I was very appreciative as it would have been a heavy haul walking the six or eight blocks. Now I just need to pick up a few items at a time as I need them.
We spent the afternoon back at her RV with the two dogs, Chip and Dale (miniature Pinschers) and her cat Xena (Himalayan). Her husband got home from work shortly before 5 and we left him to watch Hockey Night in Canada when we went for dinner. I was "home" by 7 p.m., unpacked, in my pajama's and reading in bed in short order. It was a long day!
*****
It's pretty apparent B and are family. When I sent the message to my daughter I told her I'd get B's address so she could send it Priority Post. I had also posted on my timeline what an idiot I was forgetting my cellphone. When I got to the airport in Nanaimo, B told me she had already sent a message to my daughter with her address. As mom used to say, great minds think alike, fools seldom differ!
My brother just e-mailed to say, the weather app on his phone shows 4C in Nanaimo, while in Regina it is -34C with windchills of -44C.
I'm here, I'm really, really here! It's just after 8:30 a.m. and I'm going to go out for a walk in the rain. It was coming down hard for a while but seems to have tapered off as the sky is lightening.
Have a great day everyone!
Friday, 2 January 2015
Thursday, 1 January 2015
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