More Ontario...

Last night after the sun set I got in my car, put the top down, cranked some tunes and drove around for a while. It has been almost a year since I have been able to do that. The hot, humid nights here are perfect for driving around aimlessly. This move is a huge adjustment and I need those moments where I can zone out, let everything go, and just be myself.

It really kicked in just how far from home this move is as I drove each of the 2200+ miles to get here. It is nothing to hop in a plane for a 4-hour flight, but when you cross more than half a country (a rather large country, too) in a car you gain a much different perspective.

I cant get over the differences between here and Calgary. I really feel as though I am in a whole other world. It isn't the size or population - Calgary is a decent sized city with 1 million people - but things are set up a lot different here. It amuses me that you can be in one city, but right across the street is another and there are no signs to let you know which one you are in exactly. Truth be told, every day I am in at least 4 different towns/cities, and I haven't even been to actual "Toronto" yet this trip.

So the search continues for a place to live. There are also major differences between here and Calgary when it comes to real estate. In Alberta, the first question you ask and the first item listed is the square footage of the house. Here it is not even mentioned unless the house is massive and too damn expensive to matter. I did, however, find my dream house. Well - my dream area anyways.

The city I am in right now is called Richmond Hill. The houses in this area are all cookie-cutter big, beautiful brick homes worth about $650,000 each. No - we are not spending that kind of money - we are currently renting a basement suite in one of these houses. It is actually a really nice space - 1500 square feet, 3 bedrooms, and bright, even though it is a basement dwelling. I would almost consider staying here for a year if it weren't for two very important points:
- It only has one bathroom which is sooo not cool with three of us living together
- For how much I am home, I couldn't handle not having natural sunlight and fresh air flow through the place all day long.

So anyways, we have been looking in this general area for slightly way more affordable homes, and came across the find of a century. Fifteen minute drive north on Yonge Street and we were there - Lake Wilcox. Lakefront homes. Need I say more? Yes - I have a thing about living near water. The closer the better. If I could wake up in the morning and go around the lake in a boat/canoe/kayak or floatation device, and in the evenings fish off my deck as the sun sets, I would be about the happiest person in the world. Well, we have found several homes there, and are hoping that one of them works out. The area has both shacks and multi-million dollar mansions, but we have found three in particular that are reasonable and are currently for rent or for sale.

Anyways - we are hoping to get this wrapped up this week so I can head back to Calgary and pack up and list the house there. The plan is to be moved here by September 1st, so there isn't much time left.

One of these days I would really like to play some poker, too. I haven't played anything online in ages, and live has been even longer. I may have to hit up some of these Toronto guys for a home game soon (hint, hint!)