Vancouver Island - The First Months.

After an almost sleepless night upon our arrival at the very comfortable Holiday Inn, Courtenay BC, June 1st - possession day finally arrived. 

It was over two years that we had been partially homeless and on the move. Now it was time to take possession and move in - put our suitcases down unpack, and finally relax. 

To recap for those of you who joined us on our retirement adventure recently. During the last two years we have travelled south to Ecuador in South America then onto Costa Rica and Panama two small countries in Central America where we stayed for four months in total. Our objective was to examine the possibilities of living there permanently.  We quickly decided NO to Ecuador as a final living destination despite all the ga ga you read in some of the on-line magazines. The people were marvellous but Ecuador was not us. for a few reasons.

Nevada Home Sells

After a four month stop off at our Nevada home and a subsequent winter back up in Alberta, we set out the following year for Costa Rica, spent two months there sampling the country and then continued on to Panama to spend two months in that country so we could compare the two countries and collect our thoughts.  

In the end, we both enjoyed Costa Rica and Panama, but we were not quite there yet to make the decision to move to Panama permanently. At least we weren't convinced enough to drop a whole bunch of cash on the table to buy a home when we knew precious little about either country.  It's just not possible to take in all the advantages and disadvantages and weigh things up intelligently in so short a period of time. 

We would need time to come to that decision and that would only come when we had visited and lived there for some time. In any case, we would rent there and still have property up in Canada to fall back on.


While thinking about all this, it prompted the question of the wisdom of continuing ownership of the lovely home we had brought and paid for in the US. These were going to be the closing years of our lives, so it is important we get it right.  

We asked ourselves did it make financial sense to tie up a large sum of cash on a home we could only occupy for 4 - 6 months of the year in the United States?

We designed a gorgeous back yard with lots of palms, astro-turf and patios

It was so private

Much as we loved our home and the wonderful neighbours and friends we had made and the sheer beauty of the desert, in the end and after a considerable amount of thought, we decided to let go and sell our US home which we did while we were in Costa Rica.

A word to the wise for those who own property in the US. During the sale process, we found out that there is a 10% withholding tax levied against non US citizens or as the US Government refers to us as non resident Aliens (I always feel like a spaceman when that term is used).  

If you own property anywhere in the US and decide to sell and the sale price exceeds $300,000 US dollars or if you sell your property to an investor who does not intend to occupy the home personally, the title company who conveys the deal holds back the 10% withholding tax.  

We were told that one can apply to the US Govt, or IRS for an exemption not to withhold but you have to fill in special forms and jump through hoops when the IRS will not necessarily grant that permission. So for us, it wasn't worth the effort. What we had to do is stay under the radar so to speak by selling below 300K.

There is lots on the Internet about this for those who are interested. Below are a couple of links to read up on if you own US property.

http://tinyurl.com/qye9qv6

http://tinyurl.com/ppwnsln

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So it was back to Canada and on to Vancouver Island we headed. We had been out of the Canadian real estate market for to long - almost two years. It was time to get back in.

During the searching process we checked out both Nanaimo and Courtenay as options. It turned out that the Comox Valley stole our hearts and in all of the homes we viewed in both places, we found only one that really had what we were looking for. 

Another pull was the fact that Comox Airport has direct flights to Calgary - just an hour and ten minutes flying time. This was a big factor for Donna and for lots of other Albertans who move here and either commute to the Alberta oilfields on a weekly basis or who simply retire here. 

Prior to our arrival in Courtenay, we had seen a home pop up on the Internet and luckily, the Realtor® we used, got the message that we were not just going to buy any old house.  We were going to be particular about this purchase, and luckily, she showed us that home first.  

Our new home in Courtenay, BC.

We knew right away this was the home for us after looking at a few more, we wrote up an offer. Unfortunately we had to compete as there was another offer on the table and likely a third on the way, so in an effort to secure the home, we removed all conditions and paid enough to get the seller's attention. It proved the right thing to do. We got the house we wanted.

Our home has a garage large enough for both our vehicles with room to spare.  It has a self contained Casita (detached smaller living accommodation seen front left as you look at the photo above with a very spacious living room with gas fireplace and TV, a spacious sleeping area and a full bathroom).

The whole house is a total of 2100 sq.ft. of living space on a lot 67 ft wide.  The driveway is over 40 ft. long, large enough to park a Large RV the size of a greyhound bus with room to spare before encroaching onto the sidewalk. The back yard is very private with Cedars over 8 ft. high on all sides.  The inside is wonderful.

We have a few things to do like change out the appliances to stainless steel and I will also reconfigure the shelving in the great room either side of the fireplace and add some concealed LED lighting and glass shelves for effect. 

We will also install Granite or Quartz countertops but these are projects that will take some time to achieve. I will build an arbour in the back yard maybe this fall or next summer after the rains have gone. After that, we shall do some more planning and those plans will include a look at where to go to next. Australia could be on the cards.

Our Great Room while we await our side tables.

This is a very bright open plan, east west facing so we get morning and evening sun in the house plus sun virtually all day in the back yard....... and better still.  No stairs.

We have stopped bleeding money to some extent now, as we have purchased most of what we will need over the years to come but we have some projects to complete too.

In June we went to city hall to pay our taxes for the year. It was a tiny City Hall, unlike the huge Calgary emporium that houses that City's Administration. 

Oh free parking! That's a bonus I thought as we pulled into City Hall.  We told the receptionist we were new here and had come to pay our taxes for the year.  She asked for my drivers license as ID and a copy of the title which we handed over.

She looked at my age and smiling, she said we would receive a $1034 discount off our property tax bill because I was a senior. Wow! it actually pays to be 65 years of age or older. I'll take it thank you. We were in and out in a heartbeat.

We have had a few visitors already. Two couples from Calgary and two couples from Mesquite, Nevada have visited so far.  

Jerry and Liane Glabe, our Nevada neighbours who spent five weeks with us in Panama this time last year spent two weeks here. Part of the time they parked in our driveway living out of their motor home then they spent seven days at an RV park just down the road from us, returning for the last four nights to our place before their trip back south to the US. It was great to see everyone again.

While Jerry and Liane were here, we visited the Famous "Goats On The Roof" store in Coombs near Parksville (where there are actually live goats on the roof as seen above). This store is world renown as It has absolutely every conceivable food type you could think of and it is huge and always very busy. 

At 6:00 am on July 23, we all set out for some Salmon Fishing.  We hired a guide and a fishing Charter boat to take us out and met the guide at 7:00am and without further ado, off we went.

Liane watching Donna reel in a Cod.

Jerry's first Chinook or Spring Salmon

Liane getting really excited with her Salmon

Me with a 17 pound Chinook Salmon

We threw some Cod back, plus a Dogfish and a Salmon that was not quite the 24.5 Inch minimum

We also visited Cathedral Grove, a fascinating area with Douglas Fir trees over 800 years old, the tops of which are so high, they cannot be seen.

The Douglas Firs in this area are over 800 years old.

A Few Things We Have Noticed Since Our Arrival.

• Q - Is gas more expensive here than in Alberta?
• A - It's a crap shoot. Three months ago the price of regular gas was 20 Cents a Litre more here than in Calgary (both at Costco outlets) however looking on Gas Buddy at the time of writing, gas is 2 Cents less here at Costco than it is in Calgary's Costco on Heritage Drive.
• fresh vegetables are here in abundance. The veggies look more colourful and are much fresher here than in Alberta and most of them are grown here in BC.
• had I filed income tax here instead of as a resident of  Alberta, I would have been $1200 better off had I lived in and filed the same income in BC (My Tax accountant compared the two scenarios for me).
• utilities and taxes are way less expensive here than in Calgary.
• it's overall warmer here so we don't have to heat the home which saves money. It has not dropped below 15 degrees here at night but our neighbour who just returned from visiting his daughter in Calgary said it was already down to 5C at night there when they left Calgary last week.
• the roads are in much nicer shape here due to less (if any) frost heaves here than in Alberta. 
• for the vehicles crossing busy highways here it is much safer as most are controlled by lights.
• Q - A flashing green traffic light here - What does that mean? 
• A - it is a light controlled by pedestrians not on a timer. It's a question  you are asked when you get your BC drivers license.
• good radio stations are harder to find here because the  communities are smaller for the most part. Yes we can get CBC Vancouver and The QR affiliated site CKNW and of course Victoria Radio but not as many stations as in Calgary.  
• water is a huge issue here on the Island.  The possibility or probability is high that there will be rationing.. More about that below.
• on open roads, the BC speed limit is 120 Kilometres per hour.
• the RCMP dresses up in all sorts of disguises from road workers to animals suits to catch people talking on the telephone or speeding. Don't do either here or your vehicle will be impounded if you are so much over the posted rate.  
• the fine for talking on the telephone or distracted driving starts at $167 automatically.

Since our arrival on the Island, we have learnt that water or the lack of it here is a BIG deal.

BC has four stages of rationing. Stage 1 the least or no restrictions up to stage 4 in some places. Stage 4 being the highest level of control. Currently Vancouver is so short of water they are on stage four rationing.

Here on the Island the Comox Valley is on Stage 3 which means NO watering of lawns at all. Our lawns have turned brown because of the watering restrictions but that's what happens when you live on an island where water becomes a much more valued resource.  

I gather that the people who don't follow the rules here and sneak water onto their lawns have the nickname of "grassholes" - an appropriate description for those who don't follow the rules. 

A friend of ours here (who also lived in Calgary until two years ago) told me that usually, it's Albertans with the green lawns.... I can believe that somehow, but don't get caught. It can get expensive because you will be written up.  

Also, there is zero filling or topping up of swimming pools or hot tubs.  Goodness knows how the city controls that because we don't have water meters installed here. The washing of vehicles is not allowed unless it is at an approved car-wash.  

The rivers have been closed down for fishing as the water is so low and there are real concerns that the Salmon will not be able to get up high enough to their spawning grounds which could spell disaster for the fishing industry. 

Salmon spawning in the rivers

We have worked hard and got everything in order now. Two months ago, I had most of the Rhododendrons in the back yard cut down and the root-balls taken out as they were beginning to impose on our yard space. I have replaced the Rhodo's with other plants that I can control more easily. The yard is slowly coming together. Next project is to build an Arbour.

We visited a garden centre not far from our home. Behind the actual plants and flowers the centre has put aside a large area and the locals have been invited to have allotments.  I have applied for one and will hopefully next year, be able to plant potatoes, beans, peas, peppers, and other veggies and fruit for the years enjoyment.  The cost is just $25 per year for a community allotment garden for us to grow what we want, veggies or flowers it makes no difference. 

We have tomatoes on the front patio. I believe one plant alone must have in excess of 250 small cherry tomatoes on it.  We have three tomato plants and a Pepper Plant.  

The other day, I was tempted to "test" the heat of the peppers. I bit into one and Wow, It was like riding on every ride at the Calgary Stampede all at the same time. Talk about head-rush. It was HOT. Don't think I will do that again for a while. I will stick to placing the peppers in Chili and the like.

One of the many beaches just down the road from where we live.

There is so much to see here. From the miles of beaches on the Pacific Rim National Park, the fishing villages of Tofino and Bamfield to the wonderful lakes and rivers with literally Millions of trout, salmon and if you go out a bit, huge halibut.

There is also the gorgeous and world famous Buchart Gardens just north of Victoria and miles upon miles of trails, lots of wineries, wildlife and much more. 

This is truly an amazing place to live. The locals refer to it as "the California of Canada" and now we know why.  Literally everywhere you turn there are English Ex Pats and thousands of Albertans. Many of the Albertans are now selling and moving out here. We now know why. 

We also visited the very famous Painter's Lodge one of the most famous of all fishing lodges in Canada which affords fishermen some of the best salmon fishing in the world.  

For $299, two of you can rent a boat called a Boston Whaler similar to the one above with guide for four hours fishing, with all equipment supplied, two seats in the boats and off you go.  You fish with down riggers that take your bait to over 270 ft down where the "biggies" swim in the colder waters below.  

The price also includes filleting your salmon, cleaning it and bagging it ready to place in your vehicle. When we were there, we saw a 33 lb salmon weighed in and many more over 20lb. 

It's customary to tip the guide say ten to fifteen percent as well.

61 1/2 Pound Tyee or Chinook Salmon

Purely for interest sake. The Tyee Club of BC is located at Painter's Lodge.  It is a very select gathering of people.  To become a member, one must:

• hook and retrieve a salmon weighing a minimum of 30 lbs
• it must be accomplished on 20 lb test (breaking strain line for UK readers) or less
• catch the salmon with a barbless hook (all hooks here must be barbless)
• bring it in fishing out of a rowing boat with no motor
• land the fish yourself with a net without any assistance from the guide who must witness the catch.

The fish will be weighed and equipment checked for breaches of the rules when you land at the lodge. Now there's the club I want to join.  

In preparation for all this, I have even found a beach where you can cast for Salmon.  Some have told me of 35 pounders being pulled out right by the shoreline and better still, it's only a six minute drive from home. I will be there lots hoping to catch my limit by the end of the year (which is 30 Salmon over twenty four and a half inches long) and a maximum of two salmon per day. I will report back.  

The Chain Saw Massacre

I am sure many of you saw the movie, but chain saws are used very differently here.  While on our discoveries in the Campbell River area, we came across a competition where artists were creating sculptures from pieces of wood or tree trunks. To say their creations are amazing is an understatement.  Pictures below. All done using a chain saw and some other woodworking equipment.  They have just four days to complete their work of art.

scarecrow with Pumpkin Head

Wolf in the water with the salmon below

Grizzly

Salmon

An Eagle, Bear and a Fish

Inuit Seal Hunter with spear, waiting for seal with her baby to show from beneath the ice 

Bald Eagle

There are so many fun things to do I could not put them all down here but life is going right along and we have not even begun to discover the rest of the island. We have lots to do if we are to discover the whole Island.

A little about Vancouver Island's Geography 

• Vancouver Island, with an area of 32,000sq km/19,884sq mi, is the largest island off the west coast of North America.
• At approximately 460km/286mi in length and 100km/62mi in breadth, Vancouver Island is comparable in size to the Netherlands and Taiwan.
• Strathcona Provincial Park's Della Falls is Canada's highest waterfalls and one of the ten highest waterfalls in the world, at 440m/1,452ft.
• Carmanah Walbran Provincial Park is home to some of the world’s largest spruce trees, reaching heights in excess of 95m/310ft. Additionally, the park is home to ancient, knotted cedars estimated to be more than 1,000 years old.

Vancouver Island Climate Facts

• The Vancouver Island region boasts the mildest climate in Canada. Summer is reliably warm and sunny, with frequent ocean breezes, while winter is relatively cool.
• Average maximum temperature (summer): mid 20C˚/70 - 80F˚
• Average maximum temperature (winter): 0C˚/32F˚

 Want to know more about this great place to live and the largest island in North America's Pacific region, go here 

http://tinyurl.com/o72b7eg

There is still so much to see and and do and now it seems, so little time to cram it all in while we have our good health. Yes, "time is of the essence". 

This month, we celebrated our 22nd wedding anniversary here in Courtenay and also my 67th birthday (today Aug 20). This evening, we will celebrate it quietly, just Donna and myself. Just the way I like it.

Looking Forward 

Donna is flying back to Calgary, Sept. 16th until 22nd to visit with kids and grandkids and me.... Well, I'm.........

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Keep safe and active and enjoy the rest of the summer everyone.

The California of Canada

The revered Bald Eagle. Plentiful on Vancouver Island.

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We had been back from Nevada for exactly one month when I began writing this new blog. Most of that time was spent packing, unpacking, moving hotels and in general, living out of suitcases once again. For anyone who has endured this on a longer term basis we can tell you the novelty has begun to wear on us. There's no doubt, this has become an expensive undertaking as we see ourselves doling out money on furnished accommodation right left and centre in order to stay comfortable. 

Finding suitable furnished accommodation on the Island is not easy. Yes, you can look around on the Internet and there are some places to be found but much of that accommodation seem to be targeted at someone prepared to "make-do" with the bare essentials. We were aware that landlords spend the bare minimum in order to stay profitable. Certainly, what we saw was not what we would describe as living in relative comfort and nowhere near comparable with what we have become accustomed to in our own home.  

This has led to us resorting to short-term Hotel or Motel rooms and some resort locations which can be expensive over the long term. We now enjoy a reasonable comfort level but it is not extravagant by any means. In the end we swallowed hard, took a deep breath and went with the flow accepting the sticker shock that came with affording reasonable places to live temporarily while we wait for possession on our home.  

We resigned ourselves to doling out $2300 a month or more for anything that closely resembles an acceptable level of comfort. We suspected we would have to bite the bullet as two and a half months is a long time to wait for our home in Courtenay, British Columbia. We can't do anything about it so we just needed to suck it up and get on with it. 

What has  been fun is finding out what's around in the area we have chosen to settle in.  Courtenay is not a large city by any means, but walking and driving through the city centre we began to catch the flavour of the area.  Not too big, not too small..... in fact, just right, around 40,000 inhabitants.

We were surprised by how many shops, boutiques, restaurants and stores of all types and sizes that exist in Courtenay - more than I would ever have imagined in a city of this size so that was a good start and of course, we are still learning.

One of the nicest things about where we will be living is that although we are in a very quiet exclusive neighbourhood and location generally, Crown Isle (our subdivision) is just a two minute walk to Costco, Home Depot, a three minute drive to Superstore and a one minute walk to a small but very well equipped local shopping mall that houses a Thrifty Foods grocery store, a well equipped liquor store, a wonderful oil store where you can sample many different types of olive oils to have with pastas and salads etc. Downtown Courtenay is just a four or five minute drive away, so we have everything here we could ever want here.  

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What We Will Really Enjoy

We have also been looking around for Salmon fishing opportunities. There are many charter's offered here which I have not even tried to investigate yet but most seem to offer up charter fishing trips for around $500 for five hours. That's based on one to four people in the boat. It includes all the fishing tackle as well. 

As beginners to Salmon fishing, I am sure we have a lot to learn but I am looking forward to our first venture into the Strait of Georgia, to do some crabbing, shrimping and fishing.

This is an example of what can be caught up here.  I took this off a charter companies site.

For the fly fishermen among you, there are lots of lakes well stocked with rainbow and other species of trout. I have already obtained my fishing license for tidal waters and with the Salmon Conservation charge and sticker on the license, the total was $17.85. for a whole year for someone over the age of 65.  

One bonus break is that for residents of Canada, the licensing fee is substantially lower than it is for non residents as you can see below. I have detailed the cost of the licenses below because we have friends coming up from the US to visit this year who are definitely "going fishing" as they say. 

Licence Type & Duration	Fee: Non-Resident	Fee: Resident
Annual Licence, Adult (16-64 years of age)	$106.05	$22.05
Annual Licence, Senior (65 years of age and over)	$106.05	$11.55
Annual Licence, Juvenile (Under 16 years of age)	Free	Free
5-Day Licence	$32.55	$16.80
3-Day Licence	$19.95	$11.55
1-Day Licence	$7.35	$5.51
Salmon Conservation Stamp	$6.30	$6.30

Obtaining a license is easy but it must be done on line. It takes just five minutes and you print out the license and keep it with you at all times.

There are lots of choices for fishing charters. Prices are around the same so it's whoever you feel comfortable with and the type of boats they have that will be the deciding factor as to who you choose to go fishing with.

Ladies may want a boat with a cabin below with a head (toilet). Liane and Donna understand from our foray off the coast of Panama how important it is to have a boat with a head - (in house joke as ours did not). Having said that, many do not have this facility and what happens is that the men turn their backs and the ladies use a bucket. It's OK if you aren't shy, but for some - I am sure it could be an issue on occasion. 

You cannot fish for Salmon with barbed hooks here. The Wildlife and Fisheries authorities have the right to ask you to pull in your line and woe betide you if you are fishing with a barbed hook or without a license.  All barbs must be removed or filed right down before the hooks can be used as they are typically sold with barbs although I am told you can now buy hooks without barbs now.  

There's more about this later but take a look at what can be caught in this Salmon Highway. Salmon Fishing Charter 

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Obtaining the Basics

We have ordered some furniture - a sofa, love seat and two chairs, a TV, speakers and some gorgeous Amish furniture consisting of a dining room table plus six chairs. The rest will have to come slowly when we see the deals appear. 

We would both really like to buy another Induction stove with double ovens which has the bread proofing feature but they are very elusive and costly.  The closest we have come is at Sears but the price tag is up there at almost $4,000 so "patience is a virtue" as they say and on a fixed income one has to be careful with ones funds.

Eventually we were able to find a place to hunker down close to where we will be living that offered monthly rates. They could only handle us for one month as the rest of the time they were fully booked. We managed (only just) to get a one bedroom villa suite which had covered parking for two for $2300 for the month. 

We enjoyed our month in Courtenay. It gave us time to have the customary walk past our home each day to ensure it had not moved. A side benefit of this was that inevitably we would meet some of the neighbours, so we could introduce ourselves. It makes it so much easier if you already know someone in the area on move-in day. We now know about 20 people close by now.

Moving On

We departed Courtenay Apr 22nd for a resort in Parksville called Beach Acres. It's about an hours drive south of Courtenay. It's also a nice town - a little too small for us at around 17,000 people and missing some of the big box stores such as Costco, Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes etc. 

We are staying in an attached unit overlooking the Strait of Georgia. We have access to the hot tub, swimming pool, sauna and a restaurant. The cost of the new place was a little over $2000 a month. Again it was OK, not super-comfortable furniture but certainly bearable.  

This second move was good for two reasons.  First it gave us a change for a month. Second, it gave us an opportunity to catch up with Donna's cousin Barbara and her husband Earl who live in Parksville.

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Birthday Time

Celebrating Donna's cousin Barbara's husband Earl's 81st. Birthday

While we were there, Earl had his 81st birthday so we could not let that go without at least having supper together. We enjoyed having them over and schmoozing about the past and the future. We learned lots about what goes on in and around the area and hopefully short-circuited the learning curve on Parksville.  

Birds Alive

We are inundated with Hummingbirds. The lady next door who owns her unit has a feeder out and the birds come and go all day long until the last realms of light disappear. For small birds, they drink a lot of nectar. We have been filling the feeder every day as she only comes occasionally.   

These gorgeous birds buzz around us all day long from dawn to dusk

We have had deer right outside the patio door, maybe ten or 15 feet away from the patio which is nice.

We Miss Our Barbie

One thing we were missing was a BBQ.  We saw a very well put together Stainless steel table top version at Costco. It was reasonably priced so we purchased one. Now we can enjoy BBQ dishes on our patio watching the tide flow and ebb twice daily.

A Costco purchase - $129

It sometimes gets difficult to stay occupied when one does not have somewhere to potter about like you would in your own home but we have settled in now, and will take some drives out of town.

Last week we drove up to Tofino on the Pacific Rim in Pacific Rim National Park. Tofino is a fishing village out on the west coast of Vancouver Island accessed via Sproat Lake and the Pacific Rim Highway. 

Bamfield is another place we were advised to go to. Accessed via a couple of logging roads so we may leave Bamfield for another day. The locals say the charters from this small community are numerous. 

One can go out on a local fishing charter from either Tofino or Bamfield for the larger Halibut, caught a fair distance off shore (30 - 80 kms offshore). Maybe we will attempt that at a later date once we have our sea legs.  

At the time of writing this piece, it is May 12 - 7 days after Albertans went to the polls. This is not a political blog so I won't comment on the outcome. Good luck with your choice Albertans. Just four more years before you decide if you made a mistake or chose wisely. We will have to wait and see.  

Two days ago, it was Mother's Day in North America.  Donna very unselfishly suggested I take a Salmon Fishing Charter. She did not have to say it twice. I had hooked up with a fellow by the name of Steve through Facebook. There was a link to his charter service Island Pursuits Fishing Charters earlier on in this blog.

I left the house in Parksville at 7:am.  Steve charters out of Comox Marina right where we will live eventually and a one hour drive from Parksville.  

On the way to Comox, I passed by some road-kill, small deer on the side of the road.  The first one was covered in Bald Eagles each ripping at the fresh meat constantly taunted by Ravens and Seagulls as they devoured their new find. As I drove up, the Eagles all flew off. I waited for them to return but I was on a time constraint so I left before they came back.  

No sooner had I driven a half kilometre down the road, another Bald Eagle was hacking at another dead animal by the side of the road. This one also flew away, but I stopped for a couple of minutes. Not long after I had switched off the engine, a huge red headed Vulture appeared.

I clicked away and then placed the truck into drive and off I went to meet up with Steve at the Comox Marina.

Steve was there preparing his boat.  I introduced myself and we loaded up. Another fellow Lee was told by his wife to go fishing. He also jumped at the chance and booked a spot so, after brief introductions at the boat we jumped in and Steve navigated it out of the slipway.

It took us about 20 minutes to reach the fishing grounds. All of a sudden Steve throttled back on the powerful outboard and we drifted to a stop. There were other boats around too.

It was a cool and windy ride out - made cooler with the speed of the boat but now Steve jumped into action and within a couple of minutes, the down-riggers were rigged and the Cannonballs were taking our lines down to around 260 ft below us.  We would trawl slowly along until we found the fish.

It was a little slow at first because a whole school of Orca's (Killer Wales) swam by and presumably spooked the Salmon.  It was almost 2 hours of watching the rods then wham! one was on. I reeled in the first fish which was a really nice Chinook or Spring Salmon weighing I guess around 13 lb.  We caught several more fish measuring just under the twenty four and a half inch minimum size limit so we put them back and they all swam away unharmed by the barbless hooks. 

Salmon are a fun fish to catch.  Below is my first ever Salmon..... Truly a great feeling.

The Thrill of My First Catch of Salmon

We Caught Our Limit On This Trip

Yours Truly Very Happy With My First Day Out With Steve.
We will Definitely Do This Again.

Limit - 2 per person Must be over 24.5 inches long minimum.
Most of These Exceeded That By Far

All I can say to all our friends and relatives who may come to visit, You must let me take you to Steve at Island Pursuit Sport Fishing. He's a nice guy who is very patient with beginners like me. I would highly recommend him. If you want to go out and you are visiting us, I can book him with advanced warning subject to the weather, tides (both of which are critical factors) and of course Steve's availability.

Time is now moving right along. One week on Friday we depart Parksville and head back to Calgary to pick up some of our last possessions. Then we take the final drive for a while back to the island to take possession of our home - just 22 days from now.  

We are trying to make the most of our time here so as we don't get bored sitting around waiting. We have had Donna's cousin over for supper and visited back and forth. 

Yesterday, we took both of the Salmon over to their home, filleted one and cut the second into steaks for the freezer. We will pick them up upon our return to the island.

We all enjoyed a great supper last night.  I baked some fresh bread. Donna baked some cinnamon buns. We roasted Corn in the oven and Earl cooked one of the fillets on his BBQ.  We had a fresh salad with it all and Barbara, baked plumb crisp which I was too full to eat.      

We will have a very busy six days back in Calgary, shredding some of our company documents we no longer have to keep (those older than seven years) and pack the rest of them into the truck for the journey back out to the Island. 

We have arranged to have supper with some of our friends Dave Murray and Graham Mayne and his wife Heather while we are back there. We also have some shopping errands to run while we are in Calgary so it will be a busy time.

We will depart Calgary on May 30, arriving back on the Island and in Courtenay the following day - two days before we take possession of our home. That will also be a busy time as I have the Cargo trailer (still packed from when we left Mesquite over two months ago) which has been stored in a secure storage area. We did go and check on it a few days ago and everything seemed just fine.  

I will have to unpack the trailer then drive it 90 kms back to Nanaimo where I will go to a second storage facility to pick up a second run of stuff, re-pack the trailer and then head back to Courtenay.  

All this would not be possible without some sort of help. That having been said, we are lucky to have a helping hand in the form of Marty and Linda Douglas - also retirees we know well who also moved from Calgary to the Island. 

Marty and Linda live in Nanaimo so it's really convenient. Donna has known these guys for around 40+ years. They kindly offered to assist us in the move as there is no way Donna could lift some of the items we have to move.  

Do We Or Do We Not? - That Is The Question

After much consideration we have decided to re-instate our Real Estate Broker's Licenses. This would be done in Alberta. We will then immediately transfer our licenses to British Columbia which we can do without having to re-qualify or re-sit all the exams as they are very involved.  

It was a decision made easier by what is called the Reciprocity Agreement - This agreement takes the viewpoint that if you are a Realtor in one Province, you are a Realtor® in other Provinces across Canada (except Quebec and maybe couple of other Provinces). 

We have worked too long and hard to earn the Broker Qualification to give it up. As an example, In Calgary, there are only around 260 Brokers licensed at the Calgary Real Estate Board but there are over 5000 Realtor® members of the Board. 

Many Realtors attempt the Broker's courses and the exams and a lot fail. The cost of the course modules runs into the thousands of dollars which would be wasted if we let our licenses go right now so we are planning to keep the qualification for another couple of years at least to provide us with more time to consider whether to let our Broker licenses finally go or keep them.

Another reason is that we have friends that may be moving out to the Island so just in case, we will be ready to service their needs and the needs of other Realtors who would like to refer clients to someone out on the Island. 

Make no mistake, hundreds if not thousands of Calgary couples are relocating to the Island. We have met many since we arrived doing the same thing as us. Some are still working but buying up properties now for later on when they do retire.   

All this does not mean we are giving up retirement. It just means that by doing it this way, we have a couple more years in which to make the decision of cancelling our Broker's Licenses without rushing into it.       

Well, it is time to draw a close on this blog so that's it for now.  The next months are going to be for moving in, familiarising ourselves with the area and making the most of our new found home.

We know that many fun times are ahead and we both look forward to sending out our next blog when the time is right. 

.............../ And the Adventure continues.