Upcoming story of another adventurous Canadian couple

Olas Altas Beach with son, Tim.

I will be writing more later about the Canadian couple, Jen and Steve, who I have found on www.housecarers.com, who will be my house/dog-sitters for the month of May.  I chose them over others because of their story.  Here is what I know so far:

They live(d) in Barrie, Ontario and recently sold their house and stored their belongings with a new life plan to retire and travel the world doing house-sitting.  Their first stop will be Mazatlan.  They have never been to Mexico. They don't speak any Spanish.  I admire their moxie, and am happy I can help like-minded adventurers get started on what will surely be an eventful and memorable time of their lives!

After a visit with their son in Edmonton, Alberta, they plan to fly down here in April, ahead of starting the house-sit for me so that I can spend some time familiarizing them to Mazatlan and my dogs.  They are very excited!

My plans are to fly to Houston on May 1st and meet up with Mike there when he returns from this last stint of two months in Kuwait.  From there we plan to drive our Canadian-plated Versa up to Las Vegas for an industry conference from the 5th to the 9th of May.  After that, Mike will fly back to Houston and possibly back to Kuwait again (we aren't sure of the length of time he will be in Houston this time) and I will carry on up to Calgary to return the Versa to it's legal home in Alberta.  I will have to find a parking spot for it but that shouldn't be a big problem.

I may also be spending some time there looking at possible house or apartment rentals again.  It is possible that after this contract ends in July, Mike will be taking a contract in Calgary for six months or more.  We are weighing all the pros and cons on this because Chevron has verbally stated they expect to keep him on after July until at least the end of 2014.  But will they guarantee that with a contract? That remains to be seen.

In the meantime, Mike has a contract offer in hand from July to December in Calgary.  Its a good feeling to have that much security.

After some time in Calgary, I will fly back to Houston and pick up a 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee we bought recently from a friend and drive it back to Mazatlan.  I hope Mike will be around to drive with me, but if not, I have great instructions and recommendations for the drive through Mexico.  Many people do it frequently without a problem and with the new highway from Durango to Mazatlan, the trip time has been cut dramatically and made safer too.  There are places along the way I am tempted to stop and explore.

Road trip in Mexico anyone?

I think this a good thing...

Over the last 4 or 5 years, Mike and I have thought about selling our house in Alberta.  We've talked to real estate people, tried out the "sell it yourself" services and actually put a sign on the lawn a couple of years ago. We always ended up putting it off by renting it out for 6 months or so at a time  We didn't like the price we would get for it, based on comparables in the neighbourhood. 

Then one real estate agent said something to me when I told her we had bought it new with no money down, and  taken a big line of credit on the equity of the house a year after we bought it, when the value of the house had jumped from $255K to $425K in one year (I know, astounding - and the value now is about $350K).  We had taken it to invest in the software company and consolidate debt.  She said, "You have already benefited and profited from this house - why wait?  What more do you want?"  It made me look at things differently.

So when the present tenants (they moved in March 15) made us an offer - which we thought was a great deal - for them - but meant we wouldn't have do anything except move out our accumulated "stuff" that was already in boxes and stored in the basement - we took it.

After a terribly trying winter with no income (but hey, we were in Mazatlan - can't complain TOO loudly), Mike is now in Houston on a great consulting contract that is supposed to be long term - as in a year or two. He is staying in a one-bedroom apartment in a great complex with lots of lush gardens and walkways and swimming pools - which is good because Houston is got to be one of the most boring cities in the world. 

I've been there with him on and off.  We are beginning to catch up on debts and bills.  The proceeds from the house will go toward that filling that hole too.  It won't completely wipe them out by a long shot, but its a good start.

All our stuff fits in a 10 X 15 storage unit.  And I don't really think we would want to keep half of it.

My 1999 Toyota Sienna van here in Alberta needs $3000 work on it to be able to be driven long-distance - and the AC just conked.  I had an offer of $1500 for it and although it was handy to have here to drive around in May when we were here for a week, and this trip up for two weeks, I think I should sell it.  I've been lucky that nothing else conked - like the timing belt which needs replacing.

And so it goes - a lot less possessions and a little more freedom.

I return to Mazatlan Sept. 12 - earlier than I planned but my excellent house and dog-sitters asked for it so that they can go explore a few more places in Mexico before returning to their home in Belize.

What happens from then on?

Mike in Houston, me and the girls in Mazatlan?  Or will something else happen to change all that? 

Stay tuned...

Lucky us.

Lake Louise, Alberta

We went for a walk at Lake Louise on Sunday with the dogs.  Before we set off on the path along the lake, a young family of middle-eastern origin with two small girls approached us with smiles and a camera.  The little girls wanted to pet the dogs, and the father wanted to capture the moment.  They were very nervous about actually touching the dogs, much like Mexican children.  I put Annie into a calm sit - Teddy is much less threatening-looking since she resembles a fluffy teddy bear.  The girls were very cute and asked me things like "do they have sharp teeth?" and "do they eat dog food?".

Mike chatted with the father who told him they were living in Dallas, Texas and had come up to Banff/Lake Louise for a 5-day vacation.  He asked where we lived and when Mike told him Calgary, he said, "It must be wonderful to live so close and be able to come here anytime you want," with an authentically awestruck look on his face.

I gazed around me at the stunning views and realized anew that we were indeed very lucky.  Seven months in Mazatlan, and now here in the Rocky Mountains where people come from all over the world for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.  The languages I heard as we walked the path were many and varied.  They all came for a week or two, and may never come back and see it all again.  We came for a couple of hours, and could come back on a daily basis if we wanted to.

Yep - very lucky.  Do you feel lucky to be living where you live?

New Beginnings in Alberta

Quite a different view out our window than last week!  Once I got over the shock of the difference in climate (the air is so dry here), and having to put the furnace on in the house, I am quite happy to be here and be with my dogs again.  There are several great features to the house we have rented.

Across the gravel road you see here there is a crystal clear creek with a plain wood bridge across it and walking paths on either side.  We are just about at the end of the road so no traffic to speak of.   It is a five minute walk to the town centre and all manner of shopping including groceries.  I love that about Mazatlan and now Canmore.  I can't even do that in our own town of Okotoks.  And it is QUIET!

Mike is all set up with a quiet space and desk in one of the bedrooms to work in.  We did a big food shopping on Sunday and I have been COOKING all meals since then, and actually enjoying it.  After months of eating out on almost a daily basis in Mazatlan (because its inexpensive and is just such a part of the lifestyle there), I know we can't do that here - or we'd be broke!  We are also following a low-carb diet now that I have control over the food we eat - it's really not difficult for us and seems to be the only way for us to lose weight.  We have a couple of tricks up our sleeves to satisfy a sweet tooth with very few carbs too.

Mike is still working on the remote work contract for BHP Billiton and has another part-time remote contract coming up in June. Something else has transpired on the software front too.  We heard that it has been approved for another Alberta business development grant to pay for a professional marketing plan to be developed by a Calgary consultant.  We have to contribute 25% of the cost, which isn't a small chunk of change but we are going ahead.  The software application (we have more than one) that is going to be pursued is one for securely sharing and exchanging legal documents by smart phones and other electronic devices - the target market is law firms in Canada at first.  We had a market study done back in the fall/winter (also paid for with a grant from Industrial Research Assistance Program of Canada) and three markets were looked at - medical, music industry, and legal.  The research showed the strongest interest from the legal market.

Being chosen to receive this further grant lends stronger credibility in the eyes of Canadian investors.  And we'll circle back around to IRAP to apply for further grant money to help pay for further software development - meaning, paying programmers.  These kinds of things seems to be the ONLY way we will ever get launched in Canada.  This isn't silicon valley - Angels and VC's are virtually non-existent here, and those that exist are loath to part with their money and take any risk whatsoever.  So even though I really don't like working through government programs (seriously, it rankles my libertarian soul), there does not seem to be any other way - and believe me we have tried for years.