Reuniting with vacation friends

We often meet people in our travels, especially on vacation, and exchange the genuine comment that we hope we meet up again sometime. Unfortunately, that rarely happens. That wasn't the case today.

Donna, Wally, and their dog, Buddy

The high cost of electricity for Niagara Falls residents

It's said that a picture is worth a thousand words. Sorry, none of my photos today, but many more words than usual. You can just skip today if you're the type who prefers photos ... I'll never know!

When we house sit, we try to be respectful of the cost of utilities. We do it at our home, so we feel it's even more important to do it when someone else is paying the bill.

In Niagara Falls, we have a "time of day" system, where there are three price tiers. You can see the details in the image below. Bottom line is the lowest-cost electricity is from 7 pm to 7 am on weekdays and all day on weekends.

When we're at home we routinely do our laundry on the weekends, and run the dishwasher in the evenings. It gives us significant savings.

We hadn't asked the homeowners here in British Columbia about it, so I went online to check. The system in British Columbia has a different price structure, where you pay a lower price up to a certain level of monthly usage, and after that pay a higher cost. A different approach, but still one attempting to give an incentive to those who conserve.

Here's where the story takes a turn: the cost comparison between Niagara Falls, Ontario, and Victoria, BC.

Niagara Falls:

We're not tourists - we live here!

Owning a home in Niagara Falls, we are accustomed to avoiding the popular tourist areas during the summer season. We've quickly learned that discovering Victoria is similar. Our homeowners suggested we wait until September before taking in the sights of Olde Town and the inner harbour of Victoria. It's home to majestic old buildings, whale-watching tours, and apparently great fish and chips. For now, we'll focus on other areas, saving our inner harbour walking tours until the crowds lessen.

The black blob in front of Greg is Fanci :)

Oh dear, deer

A common question from those curious about housesitting is whether we get to know the homeowners. Before we started, I'd made the assumption we'd know very little about each other. I thought we'd be like ships passing in the night, with little more than a handshake, and (hopefully) a lot of relief that our gut instinct - along with emails and video chats perhaps - would not have steered us wrong. I'm pleased to say we usually develop good relationships with the homeowners that continue on past the sit.

Fanci, sitting at the front door after her owners left for the airport

It's true, Victoria BC is beautiful

Our flight from Niagara Falls, Ontario to Victoria, British Columbia was smooth and uneventful. On a short stopover in Calgary, Alberta, we were amused by two merry-go-round type towers, powered by a big key that kids were happy to turn and were totally entertained by it. Greg and I were quite entertained by them too!

You never forget your first ...

The saying connected to the post title is that you supposedly never forget your first love. However, I'm not about to share those details with you - although I do remember - but I will reflect back on our first house sit, and from that, our first love.

An attitude adjustment: from whining to wine-ing

When we returned home earlier this year, after spending most of the winter in Arizona, I must admit I missed Arizona. After a few years now as a snowbird, it was the first time I wasn't really ready to return home. I always say you can look at any place through two different sets of eyes; focussing on the positive, or the negative. When I first returned home, I certainly focussed on the negatives.

Among other things, I miss the sunsets, cacti, and palm trees