Recent Pictures

The internet is back on at the house, so I can write again! I have only a few days of internet and computer use here though, since Kevin is moving out. He's found another job with cheaper rent, and is also operating the taxi he owns.

Kevin has brought a lot of things to the house; now that he's leaving I'm going to have to round up my own spatulas, wooden spoons, a dish scrubber, and other things.

While he's still here, I'll take advantage of his computer and post some pictures I've recently taken.








These are pictures of a bear trap in our parking lot. They were taken at night so they're not that great. It sure was surprising to come upon this trap as I walked towards the path that leads down to Creekside! The path is in the woods and there are no lights. If a bear planned to maul someone, that path would be an ideal spot for him to hide!

The Muni (The Powers That Be Who Work for the Resort Municipality of Whistler) sets these traps up when there are reports of bear activity in a certain area. The presence of this trap let me know that a bear was likely in our neighbourhood.

You can see a hunk of meat hanging in the trap. It's like the squirrel traps we used to set up in the basement, with a door hooked up to the food. The bear grabs the meat, trips the door, and is locked in. Once the bear is caught, you simply hook the trap up to a truck, and drive away. Very efficient!

The trap was only there for a day and a half, and I never saw the bear in question. He was either caught and towed away, or the trap was brought somewhere else where it'd be more useful.



Here I am yesterday, wondering how I managed to fail a driving test, and still be asked to drive a monstrous Cadillac Escalade up to Whistler. It was quite posh. You wouldn't think driving a vehicle with a leather and mahogany steering wheel would make any sort of driving difference, and it didn't. But it sure felt nice! It started raining, and the wipers knew when to turn on and off, and when to speed up and slow down.

It was like driving an airplane down the highway. The ride was very cushy and smooth. Unfortunately, I found myself believing I had some sort of entitlement on the roads, since I was driving a huge Cadillac truck. No wonder people in nice cars drive poorly...they (understandably now to me) think they own the road!



Ever since I got my real bedding in the mail, I've been really proud to make my bed every morning. While working the B&B with Mom, I learned how to make a bed properly. Now, ever morning I put the second sheet on, and turn down the bit at the top. I don't tug the sheets as tightly as I did at Crown House though. Climbing into a made bed sure is nice!

When I approached by bed last night, I noted it wasn't made nicely anymore. When I peered closer, I noticed millions of coarse, dirty dog hairs on my sheets, including some slobber. Ani must have snuck into my room, and slept in by bed! She left a trail of disgusting hair behind, and some mucous.

I was pretty upset. I was ready to climb into my freshly-made bed, and now I had dog hair to contend with. I grabbed some of the painting tape that Kevin's been using in his packing, and created a big dog-hair magnet. I then removed all the dog hair from my sheets with an aggressive dabbing motion, moving on to my duvet cover and then my pillow cases. I'm going to wash my sheets tomorrow as well, not only because it's a good thing to do regularly, but also because I don't want any Ani essence lingering in my bed.

I now double check that I've shut my door before I leave, so I don't get my bed sabotaged by Ani again. It's too bad Kevin's moving out, but at least there won't be dog hair everywhere. It's in my laundry, on my socks, in my shoes, and all over the couches. It's great that young Maggie doesn't shed, or Crown House would be covered in white hair.



The mountain opened today, one day earlier than scheduled. The hill typically opens on American Thanksgiving, and that's coming up this weekend. There was just enough snow to open a day early, and everyone was really excited. I heard there were some people lining up last night, in order to get one of the first chairs of the season.



Only the top is rideable, so you must download on the gondola from the top. This guy had the roughest first day imaginable, being brought down by the Ski Patrol in a wheelchair. His girlfriend carries his board. Yikes. How demoralizing.

Even though people were excited about the opening, I don't have a feeling that I'm missing out on anything. If the Bike Park were opening and I wasn't taking part in it, I'd be disappointed. But this winter, snowboarding won't be a priority, and not buying a full pass feels like the right decision to make.

I'm still going to ride though, just not all the time. I'm likely going to buy a 5-day Edge Card, which gives me five days on the mountain, and then entitles me to discounted daily tickets once the five days are used up.

Happy end of November!