Time to go home

Bodhi and Fuzzy

As with anything, all good things must come to an end, and so must our stay in Port Alberni. The home owners are returning to their pets and we must go home. The day before we went through the house with a fine toothed comb, cleaning up and gathering our things. Slowly but surely putting things back the way we found them. A final laundry in the morning of our departure day, clean bedding and towels go up, and a last minute sweep to tidy up and check if anything got missed. The car gets loaded up, and all the while the dog is taking it all in with a slightly nervous cocked head, looking on and wondering... Cats don't care either way!

For dogs everything is forever. You come into their lives and you'll be there forever, you leave to go shopping and they fear you'll never return. That's why they are so happy when you do return.... For nearly a month this was our home and these were our pets. You develop a routine with them. You get up in the morning and go to the bathroom, make coffee while the dog is outside because he needs to go too. Then Shelagh gets our breakfast ready and also the pet's. We read the morning news on our iPads and check out the new blogposts, followed by showers and eventually a one hour walk with the dog. The snowfall had wiped out our plans for hikes in the forests surrounding town, but the dyke path was kept clear of snow so we still got good walks in. When we return from our morning walk we let the dog lose in the backyard, Shelagh patrols the garden looking for little doggie droppings while I check the three freezers making sure all that is stored there in in good nick. Freezers can fool you, the light might be on, but that does not mean it's working. They need to be checked daily...

Mount Arrowsmith

One last look at the waterfall

Back in the house my thoughts turn to lunch and I either make it myself or we try out one of the restaurants in town. We had some great lunches in the city, there is no shortage of good eateries. The Chinese is good, the Greek and the German are excellent as well as the fish and chips. And there is pizza galore. We also cooked some wonderful salmon dinners, donated to us from the freezer. Our landlord had reserved a shelf for us with various cuts of venison, home made sausage and fish for us to enjoy...

New construction

We also looked at real estate. Some new construction is under way and the homes we saw would suit us perfectly. The houses not too small and the lots not too big, perfect for a retired couple or a young family. House prices here are some of the most affordable on Vancouver Island and I would not have a problem living here. Port Alberni has everything you need and is surrounded by beautiful nature. It is a great spot for fishing and hunting as well as hiking and camping.

The phone rang at about 12:30. Robert and Debbie were boarded on the ferry from Departure Bay and headed home on the final leg of a very long travel day from Belize City. They flew from Belize City to Houston, Texas, then to Mexico City and finally to Vancouver! A pretty strange flight plan and totally exhausting. We said goodbye to the pets, a bit tearful for Shelagh, and crated the dog. Then locked up and got on the road. We made the 3:15pm ferry from Duke Point to Tsawwassen and relaxed in the forward lounge with our e-readers. The drive home was uneventful. The house was cold so that got remedied first by reprogramming the thermostat. Then the water heater got turned up. Now, the next day, we are preparing for our next house sit in south Surrey. Leeza, a Borzoi, and Rocco a Cairn Terrier are waiting for us...

 

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