Starting Another Adventure... To The Frozen Fields Of Alberta

[shiver_raccoon]

As you may recall, I've lived in my RV trailer for the last 5 years, while I've travelled around Canada and parts of the US. Rather than face yet another cold winter in the trailer, I've found a house-sit south of Edmonton, Alberta. For those of you not familiar with house-sitting, a sitter (such as myself) lives in someone else's house while

Comments

[feyala]

Sounds like a pretty sweet gig! Hope you have some indoor hobbies to stave off the boredom... sounds like you'll be trapped inside for most of the winter, with the cold and snow! D:

Good luck, and stay toasty!

[shiver_raccoon]

I'm still doing software development for 20 hours a week, so that fills a lot of my time. Winter is "hibernation time" for us raccoons, anyways.

All I need to do now is find somewhere where I can get a cord or two of firewood... the owners heat mostly with the gas furnace, but I'd rather spend a bit more time stoking the stove and save some money.

Surprisingly, I've never heard of house-sitting until last summer... perhaps if I knew about it years ago, I would have done that instead of RV travel.

I hope your travels are going well; it sounds like you're having lots of fun with your motorcycle!

[aurifer]

Sounds pretty similar to Atomicat's place! Minus the dishwasher, which would have made things a little funner? Also, minus the increased number and availability of animals, which would have made things a lot funner!
Funny thing is, the lodge (as we've taken to calling it) is probably 30+ years old.

Oh, yeah, he's actually got high-speed internet, now! There's a stupid cap, like 40-60 GB per month, but it's fast.
(I haven't been up there since they got it installed, but I'm excited to try it out.)

We got our own snow yesterday, and about as much as you got. I suppose the storm was moving eastward?
I can hear the beeping and thudding outside as the plows do their work.

[shiver_raccoon]

Wow... my cellular cap with Telus is 9 GB per month! 40-60 is almost usable. Right now, I'm using the homeowner's DSL... I don't know whether they expect me to pay for it, or not.

Sorry I didn't have time to visit you when I went through Winnipeg 2 weeks ago, but I was driving 12 hours a day and didn't have time to stop. Maybe in April, on the way back, I can drop in for a few hours, or even go up to Hilbre.

[aurifer]

Yeah, they just got some 4G wi-max towers up. We've been thinking they'd almost be up and running early in the year, and then in June, and then before the end of summer, but it was only in the last month or two that they finally got internet.
It's basically wi-fi with a 25-Km range, and with only maybe a few dozen accounts per tower (rather than the hundreds or thousands per cellphone tower) they can afford to give greater bandwidth.

Feel free to stop by any time! I've got the same place as in 2009, so you can stay the night as much as you need. If the timing is right, maybe I could even come with you to Atomicat's place if you end up going there.

[shiver_raccoon]

I've never seen your place in Winnipeg, so I'll need to get directions in the spring. Hopefully my trip back will be a lot more leisurely than my trip west!

[lupine52]

heh house-sitting sounds like a version of couch surfing, just more fun :P

[shiver_raccoon]

I've heard of couch-surfing, but never done it.

And yes, it's fun (except for today, when the cold weather meant my truck wouldn't start). Beautiful sunsets, lots of peace and a cosy wood stove! (But I have to fork out $350 for a cord of birch).