A long time

Yes it has been a long while but then life on the outside has been so busy. Who knew that we would go nonstop and be retired. Not only are we retired but have small jobs. So there goes thought again.

Life in Maple Ridge has been great!! And there is so much wildlife out in the country side. When one needs a boost just drive out a wee bit and there are eagles, and more out in the fields.

Our winter here has been one of the worst in history for the Vancouver area. Oh well not like there was no snow on the lights. Have been intouch with our friends and life on the lights has not changed. Well it has in some ways as there are more cell phone now so more have private calls and the net.

The dogs are loving being out and have learned that they can stand at the door to be let out anytime they like, to say the least they are like kids going in and out at whim. There is no way to know if they really have to go or just testing us so of course we let them out.

Being off the lights is good, but sad on the last day of the year Father passed and being off the lights made it so much easier for me to home with my Brother and Son. As well my husband has been ill and lots of dr's appointmets.I miss the water and roar of the wind. Oh well off to see about getting on with my life here and must try and do more writting

Wild life

So the other day we where driving to a place called Abbostford and along the road we noticed a falcon and deer. As well one night I woke up about 1ish and looked out the window to see three racaoon's going through the neighbours front yard. Or what there is of the front yards here.

So life here has wildlife about as well interesting and most think that it is all out of the city.. well late at night there is lots of it walking around. Guess I will have to learn to stay up at night to see the night life here. Not like the Bluff where it goes all day as well.

Here we take the dogs out for their social walk every day and they really enjoy it. There are about 5 people who walk with us now as well and the dogs love having so many new friends.

Life is good and enjoying the life in the city.

A long time

Well it is now 6 months into the new life. And it is good we love the new house and dogs have adjusted. They seem to love the social dog life they have here and all the people they get to meet and greet.

Having the stores handy, fresh veggie,bread and other things is so great. Not sure that is so good for the waist line but we love it so much. It is hard for anyone who has not had these things close to them, what it is like to suddenly have them. Getting mail every day is still a great joy, even more so for the dogs the mail lady has dog cookies for them. So lets just say they sit by the bay window and go nuts when she shows up.

This is just a start of my new blog about out life here and what it is like for us who have lived in isloation for some 14 yrs or so to move into the outskirts of Vancouver. Hope to keep adding now that we are a bit settled.

This is really it we are to retire

I thought we had done that some 14 years ago when Mike my husband
retired from the Canadian Air Force.

How wrong could one thought be. Seems that his childhood dream to be a
lighthouse keeper at Cape Scott was going to happen. Guess I should
explain, when we married in 1970 he told me he had seen a program about the lighthouse
at Cape Scott, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada and that was
what he wanted to do. Well I being a city girl told him no way in heck
that would ever happen. Little did I know what was to come.


So our life as Keepers began 1996 on this is just one time at Triple
Lighthouse, middle of a channel, British Columbia, Canada. With that I
thought, ok what can it hurt not like I was out there. So much for
thought. Next I knew he was at Boat Bluff Lighthouse for a few months
then off to a place called Dryad Point lighthouse. All seemed well but
then our home got broken into and it was decided that we would just move
to Dryad. This too I should explain because I had bought a house in
Prince Rupert , BC. This is the one that go broken into and forced the
move on to the lights. As well here in Canada they where looking at
closing the lights so Mike told me that this would not last long just a
few months so again I thought what could it hurt for a few months and
again so much for thought.


In the beginning it seemed like a great life, close to Bella Bella,
television, shopping and a pay phone for private calls . What more could
one ask for. Little did I know what was in store. Cape Scott lighthouse
came open to which of course Mike applied for it. He was sure someone who had been on the lights a lot longer
would get it. Ha I knew in my heart of hearts that we would get it. So
there was our next move in less than about 9 months. Which seemed to set
a trend for our next few years on the lights.

Life at Cape Scott was to change we had no real phone, no television so
we got a sat dish, as well as being a lot more isolated from the rest of
the world. Mind you the world came to us in the way of tourists who like
to hike the some 28 km's to the lighthouse. And the groceries, they
came once a month by ship so what was missed was missed. Not like Dryad
where you had the village close. Mail I learned quickly that up there
came when it came if you where lucky once a month, and because of that
you had to have your grocery order ready to go ASAP so it would get to
the store in time to be shopped and taken the main Coast Guard station
in Victoria. Now as for the phone up there is was radio phone so lets
just say that some 10 lighthouses could hear what was being said along
with all the passing vessels on the coast. So talk about the as the
lighthouse turns some days. It was like a soap opera some evenings.

So some 9 months later we where off to Pine Island Lighthouse, from
there we could have a cell phone private calls Hurray!!! But mail and
groceries still once a month, well the groceries but at least the mail
came when there was a chopper coming out that way, and we could get off
by either boat or chopper. So that made life ok while there the talks where still
going on about the lighthouses closing. At the last minute all 27 where
saved . So of course that meant another move. How do you
move you ask well lets just say it is not a joy, you have use the boxes
your groceries come in, use clothing to assist in packing material, then
shrink wrap it all incase it gets wet, and the larger pieces you have to
build crates for. Then you have the chopper sling them to the ship and
placed either in the hull or on deck. Or it is slung on the high line
to a waiting dorrey which takes it to the ship this is not easy for
anyone . But in the end it all gets done. There has been boxes dropped
from the sling or high line into the water.

So the next move took us to Scarlet Point Lighthouse, even better we
where able to get cell phone, and we had satelliate Internet what a joy.
This was our first long term place . What makes that nice was we had a
station boat and could get into Port Hardy for shopping, mail, and easy
out to the rest of the world and the world could come to you. A lot
easier than the 28 km's hike.

Then Mike applied for and got the Principal Keeper at Cape Scott , to be
going back was not what one had wanted but it was a promotion which is
good. And this time we had cell phone, and Internet so that made life
easier up there. And after a few months Boat Bluff came open again for a
Principal keeper and is there any guess as to who applied and got it. So
after some years there with a great couple we are going to really retire.
Hum wonder if he really will.


At the moment I am in Vancouver looking for a place that will take our
two medium dogs and us. I have had a blog running called is it really
romantic...living on a lighthouse. It has been but like any job there
has been good with the bad. The good has been the power of nature,
whales, eagles, sunny days, and knowing that a human is out there to
assist the small boater and small aircraft.

It is a job that 37 years ago when Mike brought it up that I would
never would wanted to do but now I am glad that we have done it. It
used to be a lonely life but now with Internet, sat televisions, and
cell phone areas expanding the job is not as isolated as it once was.
And one that I would do again even though it has been an isolated way
of life at some stations. Mike has been great in getting me all the
comforts of being in town and I have been lucky to have great friends
in Vancouver who have allowed me to come and stay with them when the
need for city life hits. Now we will both have the city life all the
time. So to any one who is looking to go this job even if you think
isolation is great it is not as easy as it seems... So to all of you
left out there doing this job I take my hat off. As they say keep those
lights turning.

Found the place !!

Well changes in our life will take place in May. I have found a great place for all us even the dogs. It is a great place in Maple Ridge BC and just the right size for all us. This has been a difficult birth as they say in German. As well I have learned alot about dealing with realotrs. And how to go about looking for a place that will take pets, of any kind.

This for all of us will be a hard one but sure that it will be good to be close to our son and his family. As well the place is ours and we will be able to make changes asap and not have to wait for someone to look into the matter and decide how serious it is..

In ways the blog will take a change about us learning to live off the lights. It will be intersting to shop, get mail every day, go for walks, and not worry about wolves, bears for the dogs.

It will be sad to not be able to get on the deck in my housecoat early sunny days, and enjoy the whales or dolphins passing. There is a deck and I can go out on it but no water or whales... Yes I am sorry to miss those things one would lie to say there is nothing I would miss from living on the lights. Like any place one lives or works there is good with the bad. As we move on to another part of our life I can only hope that it will be as exciting as the last 37 years with my husband. He has been off the lights only once a yr and this will be a bit harder for him,, but I know he is as excited as I am about this move in our life. Oh yes I will miss my wee office alot.. that was a great special place and hope who every moves in will find it as great a place to have a wee office as I did..

Just thoughts

Well I thought that I had found a place but so far no luck. My friend and I did go to Vancouver Island to see a few places as well. The drive up the Island Highway brings back the memories of the drive that is taken every time a keeper from up North heads out. Soon that my husband and dogs will be doing it soon for the last time as well.

Of course that is if I find a place. So far I have found one now just to see if they will take the dogs. Who knew that pets in general would cause alot of problems. For some strange reason they seem to think that a small dog or 2 or a cat would not cause problems. I have found that small dogs can bark alot more than larger ones. As one looks about towns and wonders where all these pets live if you can not have them.. I do know that most will take one dog or a cat and dog or even 2 small dogs. Again odd.

Living on the lights has its good and bad so I now add another good we can have our pets and as long as they are trained , and we clean up one cares how many we have. This goes along with all the other things that make living on the light a good place. My older brother has said that my last blog made it seem that I was missing the light. Must say that there are lots of things that I miss and will miss, but know that it is part of my life that I would do again. The experience is one that not everyone gets in one lifetime. I have had a lucky one so far to living in Europe and now with my husband in a job that not many in this world get to do, or have done.

Buying

Who knew looking for a place to live off the lights would be so hard. It has been a while I know that is because I am still looking for a place. Seems that the world is getting to where they will not allow you to have pets. So I keep looking, all we wanted was the dogs, and town.

Hubby has been on the light packing and getting things ready for the move. Not an easy job alone for sure. Crates have to be built, boxes listed and then crated for the move. Most of the stuff will have to go as the places are much smaller than the house we have at the lighthouse.

It will be hard to lose the whales, eagles, and other sundry of wildlife. As well the view, it is hard to beat on a sunny warm day in the spring or summer. Yet the time has come for us to move on.

One thing this has done has given me time to think about my past as a child remember all the great things and places our parents used to take us to, car rides ending up with a ice cream, the Christmas eve a the Miss Montreal resturant and French pasteries. A day at the park on the river, picnics on the beach in Ontario, and much more. I am sure that all the children who lived on the lights have great memories of their time there as well. I know that I will miss living out there even with all the stuff that is a pain the view and wildlife. Well off I go to see about another place.. I will keep you posted if we ever find a place. And if I get back to my little office and the whales.