Wrapping up the Tour

Well, this will be my last post for this blog as my year of travelling wraps up this weekend. It has been an amazing year, and just what the doctor ordered. I have made some wonderful friends, taken in some beautiful music, explored some gorgeous landscapes, and experienced some amazing times. I feel refreshed, energized, and ready to hit the ground running in my next adventure - Australia. Here are the highlights of the past year, in no particular order:

• 8 music concerts - Crosby, Stills & Nash, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (opened by Joe Cocker), Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band, Van Morrison (opened by John Legend), Bob Dylan, Roger Waters:The Wall Live, and Eric Clapton. 
• 24,000 kilometres that spanned from Halifax to Alaska to Oregon in the Karma van
• visits with many of my friends and family in New Brunswick, Brockville, Waterloo, Kitchener, Mississauga, Toronto, St. Catharine's Winnipeg, Devon, Whitehorse, Marsh Lake, Enderby, Kamloops, Kelowna, Gibsons, Burnaby, Campbell River, and last but not least by any means - Victoria.
• camping dozens of venues such as campgrounds, rv parks, rest areas, truck stops, ballfield parking lots, Wal-mart parking lots, backyards, front yards, driveways, curbsides, and my personal favorite - next to a babbling brook in my friend Lucille's gorgeous field behind her house in Enderby.
• thousands of photos of landscapes, wildlife, concerts, buildings, people, and whatever caught my eye
• drank, ate, and smoked whatever and whenever I wanted (within reason - I am not as young as I used to be)
• spent every single cent that I had for the year

Now it is time to head to Australia tomorrow and get back to work. It's been a marvelous year.

Stormy's New Adventure Begins

Stormy had a few words for me as I packed up his things

made himself at home on the new owner's bed

lots of natural light and windows for Stormy

Well, I met with Stormy's new family yesterday as they came out to meet him and see if they felt it would be a good fit for them. Today I brought him in to see if he liked their home and it went very well. Stormy settled in as if he had always been there, jumped up on their bed and curled up for some grooming. He inspected the place for nooks and crannies, and anything to smell, and made himself right at home in the kitchen when either was puttering out there, wrapping his body around their legs as he does for me. There was such a positive vibe in the home, and his new family was really receptive towards him so I think I held out for the best home. Many off the offers came with children and dogs, which wouldn't be the best situation for him if looking to reduce stress. Both of his new family members are yoga instructors so are laid back and relaxed, which is right up his alley. There are lots of big windows, and a perch in the bedroom for him to check out the bird and other critters that prowl through the back court-yard. Once his essentials were in place (food, water, litter, toys, condo and teddy) he acted like he'd been there always. It was a hard decision for me to make on his behalf, as he has likely a good 10 years or more to be with a family, and I think I found him a superb home. They have offered to keep in touch and send me photos of him from time to time, to let me know how he is doing which is very comforting. I will miss this little guy, but know it was the best decision for him as my life is entering this next adventure, bound for Australia.

It was a year ago yesterday that I left Halifax with Stormy in the Karma van, and our first stop was Miriamchi to visit my childhood friend. I don't know where the year went, but it has been one hell of a year, with so much adventure packed in, and Stormy was there for the first leg of the road trip. I truly enjoyed his company in the van as I made my way across this vast country (particularly the seemingly endless northern Ontario). I needed his affection these past few years as things were rough with my father's death and the explosion of my apartment building, and he was there. Now he is going to enjoy a different life with a couple of great women and I think he will be happy with the home I've chosen for him. As I may have mentioned before, one of these gals had to find a new home ten years ago for a black tomcat when she left for Australia, and now here I am heading there myself.

Karma is in balance once again.

Diana, The Parking Lot Stalker

For several mornings now, my landlady who lives in the cabin on the other half of this one has been stalking the parking lot. At 7:00am in the damn morning. I know they are early risers because I hear their sliding door get rammed back and forth, starting at about 5am. What I really mind though is when she seems to stalk anyone getting into their vehicle outside our cabin windows. I'm not sure who's bright idea it was to have the sleeping loft window open out into the parking lot, but she certainly knows how to wake people up. She not only stalks people out there, she talks VERY LOUDLY to them as their vehicle is usually running by the time she gets there. One morning she got into a very loud argument with one of the tenants as he tried to leave for work. She was on him about the rent, which kind of pissed me off, but certainly pissed him off as it was several days away from the first of the month and when she can legally ask for the rent, which is what he was trying to tell her. I get the feeling the landlords are having financial problems. I was talking to another of my neighbor tenants last week in town and he said she even demands that he show her bank statements to prove when his Canada Pension cheques are being deposited. WTF? Not only is she a parking lot stalker, she is a bank account stalker.

I can't wait to move out of here. I am so over the parking lot stalker.