I attended my first cohousing meeting October 8, 2009, about a year after this project was initiated. Amber and I became equity members on October 14, 2010. So much has happened since (land purchase, development permit), but in the last few months: building documents are being drafted with a building permit application going in in … [Read more…]
To celebrate turning 40, our friend Jana invited friends to do a hike off “40” in Kananaskis. Anne’s suggestion to hike King’s Creek Ridge won out and Wow! What a terrific hike!! Almost everyone on the hike was from Dragonfly. We enjoyed a luxurious lunch at the summit complete with wine, cake, and chocolates. More … [Read more…]
This past summer, our family started camping again. Our second outing was on the eve of the August long weekend in the southern part of Jasper National Park. Knowing that camping spots were limited we were happy to take claim a walk-in space at the Jonas Creek Campground heading north on Highway 93. We set … [Read more…]
Zaakistan reader and commenter Danny B, husband of the prolific blogging sensation Aimee at Simple Bites and Under the High Chair (how’s that for a qualifier Danny?), happened to be in Calgary for a conference and as I had promised months before, I organized a social event around tasting kindly beer. Amber, Jae, Anne, Heather, … [Read more…]
Tamer is a very good friend to have. I knew him briefly in Montreal and was pleased to discover that he and his family now lived local to us in Calgary. One of the things he has invited our family to has been lamb roastings. As he is from Egypt, one way of celebrating his … [Read more…]
Not realizing that the Howe Sound Inn and Brewing Company was in Squamish, I’ve actually missed sampling at the source several times before last summer. But, then I was informed… I visited the brewpub with my wife and sister on the first night of our visit to the painfully scenic town of Squamish. I got … [Read more…]
Amber surprised me back in November with a quick getaway to King’s Fold Retreat and Renewal Centre northwest of Cochrane (and nw of Calgary too for that matter). The two of us drove out after supper on a Friday evening up a snowy Forestry Trunk Highway (40) leaving our children with our housemates. We were … [Read more…]
Last night I watched the film The Impossible starring Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts about a family who is ripped apart by the 2004 tsunami. I didn’t cry once. I cried several times. The film is emotionally driven as loneliness, loss, empathy, and shared humanity feature in every scene. A welling soundtrack accompanies all of … [Read more…]
We are giving up hour 1200 square foot (plus 600 sq ft unfinished basement) townhouse. In fact we’ve already given it up in that we are renting it out. Our family of 4 is renting half of another house with another family of 4 who has the other half of the house – worthy of … [Read more…]
In mid-July our family went camping at Crimson Lake Provincial Park. I invited Blaise to join me on a morning hike around the lake, a 10 km walk with zero elevation change. He was eager and I let him carry the compass and I carried the snacks, water, extra clothes, bug repellent, sun screen, and … [Read more…]