Packing and moving....some musings!

Walls are looking bare.

As of this writing, we are about 75% sorted and packed.  It has been going well.  After 21 years in the same home, it is amazing what one accumulates over time.

Stuff!!!

Several organizations; including Big Brothers, Canadian Diabetes Association, Disabilities groups and so on, will benefit from this move.  Just this morning, we placed several items and boxes of good stuff on the curb for pick up.  

Bookshelves are empty.  A whack of books were donated to the Rotary Club book fair.  Monies generated from these sales are put right back into the community.  Books that do not sell are sold to a paper recyclers. 

The fine china is well packed and awaits its trip to the new home.

Good friends and neighbours - across our cul de sac - are in Palm Springs and offered up their driveway to store our 5th wheel during the move.  It fits in there well.

Cynthia, a very good friend of Jeanette's - and, like Jeanette, a retired RN - came by to help out.

This move is proving to be a cleansing one.  Whereas in the past we would keep stuff when we moved, this one is all about getting rid of things that are no longer relevant.  It does feel good to rid oneself of material things with little or no relevance or importance.  When we unpack once in our new home, we realize there will be even more stuff that will go out of the door.

The skies opened up and it stopped raining.  We chose to load up all of our outdoor plants and planters and haul those to the new house.  The 1,000 lb dolly really made life easy.  Moving some huge planters was child's play with this dolly.

Backed in on the side of the new house. Below is a good photo to show where our 5th wheel will rest when we are home from our travels.

Not being overly selective about placement of the planters and plants.  Jeanette will have something to say about that as time moves forward.  I can guarantee one thing though, these plants will move at least once more....and to another location on these grounds.

 

So, the idea was to get a bit ahead of the work we face.  Although we do not take possession till the 15th of March, the previous owner has moved out.  We got the OK to place outdoor plants and furniture in the yard.  That is most helpful.

Jeanette got busy with the camera and took these photos....while you know who kept unloading plants.

We even moved our prized wildlife.  This fella didn't fight too hard when I carried him over here.  He fits right in here too.

Hmmm.....I see a lot of work ahead to get this place into the kind of shape we will want.  That, I look forward to.

Great potential.

The home we are vacating is 25 years old.  It has been completely renovated.  When we moved to White Rock, BC, - from Calgary, Alberta - 30 years ago, this community was smaller, quieter and it was a great place to raise our kids.  It is still a great community.

With both of our children raised, educated and living full lives in the Province of Alberta, Jeanette and I chose to shift our priorities. We wanted less yard work, home maintenance, and a noisy environment. We wished for a more pastoral and quiet area.We also wanted a low maintenance yard.  We wanted to downsize but this home is not any smaller than our last one....so, we consider this a 'right size' move.

This is a low maintenance yard....with a programmable sprinkler system.  No lawn to cut.....or to have someone look after.  There are no hedges that required a whack of labour at our present home.  It is located 22 minutes east of our current home, in a smaller community, and we face agricultural land reserve. The land across from us is to remain agricultural......at least until some politician's jeans are greased with $$$ and the land is turned over for development.  We were assured by the municipality that this would never happen.  Hmmmm... where have I heard that before?

Our goal is to travel more - with the motorcycle and with the RV.  We wish to spend our winter months traipsing around the sunnier climes of the southern US and Mexico, and to spend the sunny and most beautiful summers motorcycling our gorgeous Provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. 

More time for this.....!

With our children in the Province next to us - Alberta - we also plan to visit there too.  With the freedom to up and ride, up and drive, or up and RV, our living options open right up for us with this move.

....and more time for this!

Well,  it's time to get back to the business of packing and moving.  We will moving all of the boxes ourselves and we have hired professional movers to look after our furniture.  With possession of the new place on Tuesday, the 15th of March, we will have 2 1/2 days to move our boxes before our furniture movers take over on Friday, March 18th.

Agricultural land across from our new front yard....looking south east.

Front yard, looking south west.

5th wheel parking area at the new home.

Wishing all a very good day.  Thanks for dropping in.