TravelStream™ news feed for member colleen.killorn on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/colleen.killorn en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Wed, 29 Oct 2008 02:23:49 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/colleen.killorn/1/1225246680/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/colleen.killorn/1/1225246680/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/colleen.killorn/1/1225246680/tpod.html Wed, 29 Oct 2008 02:23:49 -0400 British Columbia or Bust! The Adventures of Colleen & Steve Killorn - 2008 - A Trip of a Lifetime.

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Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada

As many of you know who have been following along with our blog, we lost our precious little girl - Cocoa - our four year old cat in Santa Fe, NM when she mysteriously disappeared. We believe that she got out of the dog door at our friend's house when the dogs were in their owners room in the evening. Cocoa and Gonzo were exploring the house and then she was just gone. We searched for a week to no avail. We still are continuing the search for her and hoping for a miracle. We have been thinking about adopting another kitten. I recently went to a local vet office and asked where we should look at adopting if we were going to. They suggested to us that we contact Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue. When we read the literature we saw that fostering was an option, so we got in touch with them to let them know that we would like to be considered for fostering a kitten or two...well, they had an urgent need to have someone for some kittens flown in from Northern BC - Bella Bella area who needed some help. We had no idea how many kittens were involved but we decided to go check out the situation. Well, that is when we found out that there were five orphan kittens (the mommy could not be caught) - they are only 4 weeks old and a couple are a little sickly.  We thought that we would meet the challenge and take the whole lot with us to nurse back to health and get them ready (lovable) for a good adoptive family. We may still decide to adopt one ourselves, but for now we are mostly concerned with getting them healthy. When we picked them up on Saturday night, one was not really eating and we tried to feed them using an oral syringe. Talk about a mess. They are so small and do not have the eating part down-pat just yet. We had help from Rachael and her friend Katie (Rachael's first visit to our place) on Sunday. On Monday my friend Arlene came out and gave us a hand all day. It was a huge help. We had no idea what was in store for us to feed 5 babies at one time...but oh, they are so cute. On Monday night we finally got some bottles to feed them which has made it much easier for us to do the feeding. Steve and I were able to handle it on our own today. We took them to the vet today as well and they were given a new antibiotic as well as an eye cream for their eyes. All but one has respiratory issues and eye infections.  We are quite tired, but they are worth it. More adventures to come.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/colleen.killorn/1/1221345300/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/colleen.killorn/1/1221345300/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/colleen.killorn/1/1221345300/tpod.html Tue, 28 Oct 2008 11:43:12 -0400 British Columbia or Bust! The Adventures of Colleen & Steve Killorn - 2008 - A Trip of a Lifetime.

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Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States

It has been a couple of days since updating everyone on our adventure...it has been continuing here in Santa Fe. We have had a great week all but for not feeling 100% physically. Steve and I have both experienced sinus problems, likely the high altitude. I have had a sore back and headache for the past two days...the headache may be related to the sinuses. Judith and Richard have been great. Wonderful hosts! Richard was away from Monday to Thursday, arriving home at about 1:00 am. Since Judith was not feeling great on Thursday and Richard was to bed very late and up very early to walk the dogs, I made dinner for everyone. I made my version of Pad Thai. We had put the chicken out on the counter to thaw (Judith has a special tray for thawing) and I had told her that I would keep an eye on it. She had said something about Jack - and needing to keep an eye on him. Not having dogs, I completely forgot to forewarn Steve that he needed to keep an eye on Jack and/or the chicken as I went to the grocery store to get what I needed for dinner. When I got home from the grocery store, I went about preparing dinner. I had noticed that the chicken was not on the counter and I assumed that someone had just put it in the refrigerator. When I asked Judith where in the fridge she had put the chicken she said that she had not been down to the kitchen..."Oh, Jack" sure enough, he had retrieved it from the counter and took it to the back yard and ate through the plastic bag and eaten the chicken. I felt so bad. It was a good thing that he was ok. I would have been devastated if he had hurt himself eating the plastic. What a lesson for me. Thank heavens that Judith understood and was not upset about the incident. Dinner turned out great, I know only because the guys had seconds...that is always a clear indication if I have done a good job on a meal. Judith went to bed early but Richard stayed down with us for a while and we got to visit a bit and get to know him a bit better. He is a very interesting person with a great sense of humor. He is a scientist at Los Alamos with the government...top secret stuff so we are not able to get into his actual work too much. Today (Friday) Judith took us to lunch at a place near the Plaza where they have great hamburgers. They were having a half price day so it was great...the burgers were so large that we had plenty of burgers to bring home for the dogs. We easily could have shared but they charge to share so we would have not really saved anything by doing that. After lunch we wandered around in a gallery where there was a wonderful photography exhibit. Judith went to a doctor's appointment then took us for a drive out to the Flea Market. She and I bought sandals that are supposed to help relieve sore backs and good for diabetics (which she is) as well as a number of other claims. We both are happy with the purchase. As we were paying, Steve was telling one of the owners and founders of the shoes that he is a screen writer and that he has been working on a couple of biographies (he has been working on his mother and father's as well as my grandmother's biographies). He mentioned being a filmmaker and they immediately suggested that he consider doing a story about their daughter. They showed him photos of her meeting President Bush. She has an amazing story that has been told on 48 Hours or one of those shows. Her ex-husband had hired a hit man to kill her and she was shot in the head, left for dead but amazingly made it through although now a quadriplegic. They gave Steve a card to follow up. They live in Phoenix so it looks like we will have to come back this way in the winter to go to Phoenix to see about interviewing her. We'll keep you posted on that one.Judith invited their son Ben for dinner. He is 29 and living in Albuquerque. He dropped his plans and joined us for dinner and stayed to visit with us. He has an interest in photography so I showed him how to use my camera and off he went around the house, taking some creative shots. We ended up going to bed after midnight. Another great day in Santa Fe!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/colleen.killorn/1/1219082400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/colleen.killorn/1/1219082400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/colleen.killorn/1/1219082400/tpod.html Tue, 28 Oct 2008 11:40:55 -0400 British Columbia or Bust! The Adventures of Colleen & Steve Killorn - 2008 - A Trip of a Lifetime.

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Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

We are on our way for an adventure of a lifetime. Please feel free to send us email or comments on the blog. Both Steve and I are as scared as we are excited about the move from Halifax to Vancouver...but we know that it is the right move for us at this point in our life.It is hard to believe that we finally got on the road. Only those who were with us the last week have any idea how difficult it was for us to get our life into a 6 X 10 Utility Trailer...and as it turned out, we still had to ship 21 boxes - Imagine Rachael's face when they arrive at her one bedroom apartment door.We could never thank enough the people who were there in the 11th hour for us...Kelly (Get-it-Gone) and Steve Palmer, Janet (Colleen's Mom) Atton, Jane and John (Master Loading Expert) Thornley, Pat (Give-Me-Something-to-Do) Fitzpatrick and last but not least Bill (I Can Take That) and Lucille Killorn. Without each and every one of them we would never have made it on the road.If you have never down-sized, you may not know what a challenge it is...we kept wondering if by some chance there was a stuff creator that was making the piles grow instead of going away. The STUFF seemed to have no end and it felt like no matter how much you discarded or packed, the same amount or more was still sitting there. But after a full week of working steadily the house and three car garages were empty. Giving away things that I know I will have to replace on the other end, we had no other choice...we had no more room in the trailer and we still had to make sure the two cats had a safe place to travel...we were able to close the door and move on to our new life. I could hardly believe it. The house closed at 3:00 on August 15th.We thought we were home free then we went to attach the trailer to the truck and knew at that instant that we still had to much STUFF...we were going to have to empty the trailer...Yikes! On Sunday , we called in the troops once again and the guys emptied the trailer into Colleen's mothers driveway and garage (thank God for a day of sunshine). Weighing each and every piece and reloading the trailer so the load was level and not too heavy we managed to make the trailer safe for travel (and still bring along the 4' X 5' Painting that Colleen's sister Maureen wanted - we will deliver that to her in Windsor, Ont). Now we had the 21 boxes left over and we decided to ship them to we would not have to think about Stuff left in Nova Scotia while we were in Vancouver. It worked out in the end and on Monday, August 18th at 2:00 (or there about) we were on the road,,,two cats and a trailer in tow.We will miss all of our family and friends on the east coast.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/colleen.killorn/1/1224483840/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/colleen.killorn/1/1224483840/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/colleen.killorn/1/1224483840/tpod.html Mon, 20 Oct 2008 03:41:01 -0400 British Columbia or Bust! The Adventures of Colleen & Steve Killorn - 2008 - A Trip of a Lifetime.

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Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada

This weekend we went on our first full Port Coquitlam Trail bike ride. The trail is 24 km around the town of Port Coquitlam. When we started out we had not planned to travel the full trail, but we just kept driving and driving...then it was too late to turn back. We took a wrong turn, causing us to have to travel up a very steep hill...I could barely walk my bike up the hill, while Steve was able to ride his bike up every incline we faced...he amazed me with his fitness level. The scenery was breath-taking and we found that on part of the trail equestrian riders were invited to ride the trails. There was a woman with a beautiful horse riding the trail with her dog leading the way. It was really quite a site. The woman who was from Burnaby said it was her first time using this trail, that generally she went to another area...who knew that you could have many options to ride your horse around on public land. I don't know of too many places that offer that flexibility. The trail offers so many different types of terrain from forest and rough paths to paved paths and foot bridges. Every turn takes you into something a little different. We were not sure exactly where we were going, but up to the last wrong turn, we were able to follow the signs quite easily. Steve saw a sign that said Shaughnessy Street and since we live on that street he thought that would be the correct way for us to go...we were wrong, and it was an up-hill climb for about a kilometer. We now have discovered our error and will not make that one again, although he as I mentioned was impressively able to ride his bike up the steep hills. It you want to check out the Port Coquitlam Trail, you can cut and paste the following URL into your browser address line - http://www.city.portcoquitlam.bc.ca/Citizen_Services/Parks_and__Recreation/Facilities___Amenities/Traboulay_PoCo_Trail.htm We have a goal to get healthier and to loose a bit of weight, tone up and just have fun doing it. So far, getting the bicycles was a good start. We are going to be looking for other ways to get fit as well. One thing we are doing is to walk up the four flights of stairs to our apartment whenever we are not carrying anything with us. Even that reminds me how out of shape I am. Hopefully in a few months I will be able to report that I am able to do the stairs without getting winded. Steve on the other hand seems to have no problem with his fitness level. I am glad for that since he just had another birthday - October 16th he turned 51!  We had a quiet day but one that still had some adventure. We traveled to Rachael's on the Skytrain for the first time. We parked our car in Coquitlam and hopped on the train and was at her place in less than 10 minutes. That is definitely the way to go. We stayed at her place for about an hour and come back by train, then went out to dinner at a chain here called Earls. The food was exceptional and Steve seemed to really enjoy his day. The day before Steve's birthday, we went to see Corinne (Ma) Peters. She is the mother of a friend that I met when I managed an apartment building with my first husband George. Arlene, her first husband Philip and daughter Nova (who was only about 2 at the time) rented an apartment in our building, her mother lived just two blocks up the street so we got to visit often. She was like a Nana to Rachael where her grandparents were not living close by at the time. We had a wonderful lunch at her place and enjoyed her beautiful view. It is great to have such long-time friends here. We may not get to see them very often were we live in Port Coquitlam, but at least we can be in touch more regularly than when we were living in Nova Scotia. It makes i it a bit easier where we miss everyone back home a great deal. We are expecting our second visitor this week - on Tuesday. Another long-time friend (she was the first friend I made in Vancouver in 1978 - we worked together that first spring I arrived here 30 years ago at a store called Hell Bent For Leather on Granville Street) Cindy (Cynthia to most of the world now) is planning on coming out to see our place and to have dinner with us. She lives right downtown, so we are going to pick her up at the skytrain station to make her trip easier for her. We are really looking forward to sharing our space with people. We have an open door policy and look forward to company visiting the area to come stay with us.More adventures will follow. 
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/colleen.killorn/1/1224051840/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/colleen.killorn/1/1224051840/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/colleen.killorn/1/1224051840/tpod.html Wed, 15 Oct 2008 04:04:07 -0400 British Columbia or Bust! The Adventures of Colleen & Steve Killorn - 2008 - A Trip of a Lifetime.

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Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada

So much has happened since my last entry. Steve and I have been spending our days getting to know the area, shopping for furniture and basically getting settled into our new life. We have been so busy from morning to night that I have not had much time to write or get in touch with friends and family. Sit back, grab a cup of tea or coffee and be prepared for a long read. Let me bring you up to date...Our first social event at our friend's place (Connie and Terry) in Tsawwassen, BC was fabulous! We had a wonderful dinner with their friends Cathryn (a BC Sculptor - http://www.jenkinssculptor.com/) and Don (who was celebrating his 48th birthday). We had a little more to drink than normal (no driving - we stayed the night) and many laughs, dancing and a great time had by all. Steve caught Cathy doing the "running man" dance and at one point the two were stuck together dancing in sync...too much fun!Don provided a seafood feast and Connie and Terry provided salad and fixings. We had a wonderful eggs benedict breakfast with freshly squeezed orange juice...this is one bed and breakfast we would return to. I only wish that I had experienced the Sauna - next time.Last Sunday we went out and purchased a 40" Flat Panel LCD TV and surround sound system. We got a great deal. We had shopped around and were able to get price matching at Futureshop as well as getting a TV that was an open box item (meaning that it had been returned - generally due to it being too large or too small) so needless to say we were happy with getting more than $700 in savings off the regular price for the same equipment.Our first priority was to get the office set up so we are able to work immediately. The office (also the guest bedroom) is now fully functional. Our bedroom was the next - we got a great deal from the Simmons Mattress Gallery. Not only did we get a great deal on a floor model, they gave us free delivery, a free frame, a free mattress cover and two free pillows. A nice welcome to BC package if you ask me.Next we focused on finding the right furniture for the living room and dining room. We found a great deal for a sectional at the Bay - then found a matching table and chairs. The furniture was delivered on Sunday (on Thanksgiving Weekend) - we could barely believe it being delivered on a Sunday let alone on a long weekend. A bit mind blowing after coming from Nova Scotia where they only just began to allow Sunday shopping. When we left Halifax we made a commitment to get more physically fit. Our plan was to purchase bicycles. We found a bike shop that was close enough for us to walk to (about a 20 minute walk). The store is a family run business that has been around for 75 years. The owner (the founder's son) Glen was on hand to educate us about the choices we had to consider - we ended up purchasing comfort bikes (something like a mountain bike but more comfortable). We were really looking forward to getting the bikes (we picked them up the next day) and get riding the trails. The closest one to us is the PoCo Trail that is about 24 KM. We will have to work our way up to going around the full trail.We went to Rachael's place for Thanksgiving dinner - she cooked the turkey with all the fixings for us and several of her friends. We had a great time. Her friends are young and vibrant. Mostly all working in the film industry in one capacity or another. The photo is of all of her friends and her on her sofa...her sofa holds a lot of people!Also on Saturday, Steve fielded many calls about the trailer - listed on Craigslist and Kijiji. We had planned that once we arrived in Vancouver, we would sell the trailer keeping our costs for the move down. When we left Rachael's place we met up with a guy who wanted to purchase the trailer and gave us a deposit. Steve had only listed the trailer the day before and it took less than 24 hours to sell it. The great thing is that even with the new tires, we sold the trailer at a slight profit.On Sunday, our furniture arrived and my first thought was, "oh my God" it was so big...I was not sure it was going to be suitable - but it is so comfortable and after living with it for a couple of days, I think we are going to keep it. You can see from the photos that the room is quite large and the furniture looks good. We spent the rest of the weekend getting things in the apartment in order. We had purchased shelving for the laundry room (closet) and hanging pictures. The place was now ready. We had our first showing of the apartment on the internet...we had the chance to show the apartment to all of Steve's family (who were at his parent's place for Thanksgiving) via the internet using Skype. We were on a video conference call and we took the computer to each room so they could see it. It was wonderful to share the special day with family...even from a distance with technology it was easy for us to feel like we were part of their celebration. Best of all we got to see Steve's Dad who is recovering from his hospital ordeal. It will take him some time still to get back his health and mobility but he looked really good. We also got to see Paul, Mary Ann, Mike, Janet, Maureen, Jim, Marc, Tess, Peter and Steve's Mom.On Monday I got an email message from one of my friends from Halifax who was in Vancouver on a business trip with her husband - I have known Christine since grade 4 and her husband Barry since I was 13 years old (or there about). She and Barry were going to come visit us in the Morning...our very first visitors to the apartment...and they are from home in Halifax - who'd have thought? Not us for sure. We went out and got some groceries (on Thanksgiving Day evening - at a real super market - again, we are so shocked by this fact) so we have something for breakfast with our first company. This morning Christine and Barry arrived early and I prepared breakfast for us all. They were heading into the city to check into a hotel for her business trip and had to be there by noon, so although the visit was short, it was great to see them and catch up on some of what is going on in their life. We felt really privileged to be able to share our new space with them. Such a pleasant surprise for us.After Christine and Barry left, we decided to head out for a bike ride. I had my first little spill as well. I was trying to cycle up a hill and my legs just gave out - talk about being out of shape - and the bike just tipped over...I did not get hurt or anything, but it sure was an eye-opener as too how much work I have to do to get into shape again. So that is going to be the next part of the adventure...finding ways to challenge ourselves to get in better shape. 
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/colleen.killorn/1/1223151060/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/colleen.killorn/1/1223151060/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/colleen.killorn/1/1223151060/tpod.html Sat, 04 Oct 2008 17:07:22 -0400 British Columbia or Bust! The Adventures of Colleen & Steve Killorn - 2008 - A Trip of a Lifetime.

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Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada

It has almost been a week since moving into our new home in Port Coquitlam, BC. We have spent the week getting to know the area and the resources we have available to us. We are so close to everything we need.  We have been out looking at furniture, but have decided not to rush into making any large purchases until we know exactly what we want and we have to see what the place is going to be like once the pub and other businesses open. If we find that it is too noisy on this side of the building we can look at a unit on the other side of the building they are building on the other side of the parking lot, on the side by the park, which would be more private and I would imagine quieter. Tonight we are going to our first social function since arriving in BC. We are going to a dinner party at our friend Connie's place in Delta (about an hour from our place). Steve has not yet met her partner Terry (the two of them publish three magazines - Good Life Connoisseur, Good Life Living Green and Report on Mining - http://www.fusionpublishinginc.com). We are looking forward to getting out to socialize. We will be meeting a few of their friends as well, so it should be a good night. We are going to look at a book shelf from Craigslist or Kijiji on our way to Connie and Terry's place. We know that we do need storage for the office so we are focusing on that area of the condo to begin with. We have found a desk at Office Depot but they did not have any in stock, so we will have to wait until the 9th if we decide on that one...otherwise we also found one at Ikea that would be suitable. We may stop at Ikea as well today to look at the desk again.The photos attached are ones that Steve took while I was working at Starbucks one day. As soon as we have a little less clutter, I will take photos of our place and post them for you. We miss everyone and wish you all a wonderful weekend!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/colleen.killorn/1/1222804260/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/colleen.killorn/1/1222804260/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/colleen.killorn/1/1222804260/tpod.html Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:19:39 -0400 British Columbia or Bust! The Adventures of Colleen & Steve Killorn - 2008 - A Trip of a Lifetime.

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Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada

Sorry for the delay in getting news out. This is going to be a long entry, so get your coffee now and relax while reading.The drive through Washington State was another beautiful drive with wonderful scenery. There was a lot more traffic but all went smoothly. Going across the border was uneventful and took only about 5 minutes at the crossing we used.When we arrived in Vancouver, Rachael was so wonderful, she and a friend of hers had made dinner for us...it was absolutely delicious! It was great to have a place to land. Rachael's place is well decorated with our boxes...they take up a good portion of her apartment. She is pretty good spirited about it, but will be glad when we get them out of there so she can get back to having a normal living environment.Rachael's friend Katie generously offered to allow us to use her basement bachelor apartment while we were finding a place. We did not want to put her out for too long, so we felt a bit under pressure to find our own place ASAP. The first night in her place we were so tired that we slept through the night. The next morning (Friday), we went and drove around different neighborhoods to get Steve familiar with Vancouver. He has never lived here so to him; it is just one big city at this point. We had tentatively set our mind on the Port Moody area and were trying to get in touch with the people we had previously communicated with there. Although unable to get in touch with those contacts, we managed to get in touch with a few places and we made an appointment to see one in Port Coquitlam (it is not far from Port Moody so we thought we would at least have a look)We appreciated that Katie had given us her place but it was clearly an illegal suite. On Friday we had arrived back at Katie's and discovered that there was no light working in the bedroom area. The only furniture she has (she is in her early 20's) is a bed, dresser and TV. To see in the bedroom we had to turn on the light to the bathroom and to her walk in closet (she did have some Christmas lights along one wall to give the room some ambience), so reading was next to impossible. For a Bachelor it was a good size, nice large kitchen, however there was no furniture in it but lots of light, so sitting on the floor was the only option if you wanted to try to go through the paper there.Around 9:00 (since there was nothing else to do) we went to bed and tried to get caught up on sleep. We could hear the phone in the next apartment on vibrate, and the guy might as well have been in our room by the bed when he answered it. He spoke a foreign language, and although we could hear every word, we couldn't understand a word he spoke. We just stayed as quite as we could, as we knew that Katie was not supposed to have someone else staying in her place.At 4:00 in the morning we were both awakened with two men talking - it sounded like they were again right beside the bed...they were in the next apartment, and there was nothing we could do except for try our best to get back to sleep. Saturday we were not well rested. We set out to look at a couple more places. One apartment had a great view and some nice amenities but it was small and one bedroom was painted fire engine red, the kitchen was a lime green color, the other bedroom was bright blue and it had bright yellow bathroom. We asked the owner if she was planning on painting and she said she had just painted before the present tenants moved in...yikes! We could not live with those colors. Another place we saw also had a nice view and great building amenities but the carpets were really dirty, it was small and had lots of dents and marks...but most of all, no additional storage. In the condos here for some reason they do not build linen closets into them...where is one to put blankets and towels? Most condos or apartments have a storage locker in the basement, but this one didn't. So we knew that just keeping Steve's computer box would be an eyesore for our living environment, so that place was out.The first few days here were stressful and after a weekend of viewing a few different places and having difficulty getting information and/or immediate appointments to see places, we went back to the first one we had seen in Port Coquitilam on Sunday - decided to take it. What happened next just amazed us and gave us a great relief after the stressful weekend.The owner of our unit is a Real Estate agent. Thank heavens for us; she seems to have a good judge of character. She met with us on Sunday and without us having access to our funds or a cheque book she gave us the keys and told us we could begin moving in right away. What a relief! We did not have to stay another night at Katies...no offence to Katie, but we wanted to get out of her place and we could not imagine spending one more night there...we were ready to go to a hotel if had to wait another day to get the keys to our new place.Our new place is in a brand new building (4 storey) we are on the 4th floor. The building just opened and all owners who pre-purchased just got possession on Friday (the day we first went to view the unit). It has two bedrooms, two bathrooms (lots of room for having company) and faces northwest (towards the mountains). It has dark hardwood floors in the main living area (kitchen, living room/dining room and hallway), carpet in the bedrooms. 10 foot ceilings, nicely painted and it has a fire place. We can see the mountains from our unit (so although not an unobstructed view, there is a view). Our building is located in the downtown area of Port Coquitalm, a small suburb of Vancouver. There is a Waves coffee shop, beauty salon and other businesses opening on the main floor of the building. We are across the street from a little park and Starbucks. A block away is the Walking/cycling Park that goes for miles along a river. All amenities are either within walking distance or a short drive away. We will rarely need to go into the city other than to visit friends or Rachael.The building we have moved into is part of a complex that will have a bar and grill, other small businesses along with other condos that are presently being built, as seen in the photos from our balcony.As Steve and I were walking over to Starbucks to post this blog, we both noted that it felt like we were walking in downtown Kentville, NS. A quaint small village. Yet this one is at the foot of the mountains and on the doorstep of beautiful Vancouver.Our new address is as follows:414 - 2627 Shaughnessy StreetPort Coquitlam, BC V3C 3G5Colleen's Phone Number: (778) 386-1904Steve's Phone Number: (778) 288-3122Our number for Nova Scotia is no longer active, so if you want to get in touch with us, please feel free to call us - please call after 10:00 pm Atlantic Time, 9:00 Eastern time, 8:00 Central time and 7:00 Mountain time (unless it can't possibly wait) as we have free airtime beginning at 6:00 PM Pacific time. We are not planning at this time to get a landline, so our cell phones are the best way to get in touch with us as well as email. We will have full Internet service as of Friday, so we will be back in business then. We have finally unloaded the trailer, now we are on our way to Rachael's to pick up the remainder of the boxes.Once we get all the stuff in the apartment and go through the boxes we will begin to look at furnishings. For now, there is plenty to do. We will update the photos as we go along.We will continue to post for a while so you live our adventure with us here in Vancouver area as we get settled. We look forward to hearing from you all and thank you to everyone for your support throughout the trip. It was a great adventure.A quick upate for all of you wondering how Steve's Dad is doing. He is coming along nicely. He is up and walking with aid and is getting stronger every day. He is supposed to go home on Friday - for him they might as well have told him that he was going home at Christmas as he wants to go now...another good sign for all who know him - he is getting back to his old self.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/colleen.killorn/1/1222352280/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/colleen.killorn/1/1222352280/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/colleen.killorn/1/1222352280/tpod.html Thu, 25 Sep 2008 10:23:35 -0400 British Columbia or Bust! The Adventures of Colleen & Steve Killorn - 2008 - A Trip of a Lifetime.

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Richland, Washington, United States

This morning we started out like we generally have been since hitting the road, a little later in the morning so I would have a chanceto write the blog for the previous day and Steve could have a bit of extra sleep. Gonzo sleeps all day in the truck and then keeps us awake most of the night once we get into the hotel. He seems to be resigned to the fact thatCocoa is not with us. The first day he cried a bit when we got in the truck and he didn't seem to know what to do, he just was so lost looking. Yesterday, he wandered around a bit when we got into the truck, but settled down quickly. Today, he just went into his carrier (which we keep open) and went to sleep.Last night we had decided that since it was not very far, we should try to go to Snake River Canyon where Evil Knevel attempted to jump the canyon. We got to the Perrine Bridge and could not believe the sight. Last night while traveling to Twin Falls, the landscape was completely flat for miles. Out of nowhere, we discover only three miles away from the freeway, this bridge goes over the canyon.Steve had pointed out below a golf course and immediately we knew that Jeffrey in Huntsville should see a photo of the amazing location. I have included one shot to share with you all...(Dave S. - You should arrange a trip here with your friends instead of South Carolina). The course looks like a tough one, but who and I to judge, the person who does not golf. Speaking of Jeffrey in Huntsville, I hope that Shadow has come home. He and his wife Tanya had the same thing happen with their cat as we did with Cocoa. Their cat Shadow went out with their other two cats for a morning stroll and did not come home when the others did. Our prayers are with Shadow for a safe return home to you both.While walking across the Perrine Bridge, Steve saw the ramp where Evil Knevel attempted his jump. We decided that since we had to cross the bridge any way to turn around for the highway, we might as well go to see if we could get a better view of the ramp (a dirt mound if you ask me). So we did and we got closer - and I trespassed to get some additional photos of the canyon.We now needed a pit stop before going on the road, so Steve decided that we should just go to the information centre instead of the gas station...what a great choice. I found that I could see the ramp much better and went to go take some photos of it. As I was walking on a path to go under the bridge, I noticed some guys putting on parachutes (very small packs). It turns out that this is one of the bridges in the US where it is still legal to BASE jump without a permit. I asked for permission to take their photos and as they jumped off the bridge, I was able to get some great shots.What an exciting morning for us and although it will make the day longer because we spent a much longer time than we expected to at Twin Falls, it was very much worth the delay. Who knows when we would ever get another chance to see such a spectacle live?The rest of the drive today was interesting, again breath-taking scenery that we got to enjoy throughout the day. From mountain views to fields of cows, we enjoyed the journey.We are presently in Richland, WA at the Comfort Inn. We are happy to be landed for the night. We had a light dinner here at the hotel after taking a short walk near the hotel. We passed by a pet store that had several kittens playing in a window display. They were so cute, but it did make us miss Cocoa.Before I forget, we wanted to say a belated Happy Birthday to Dave W. - we were thinking about you on the 23rd.One last note for today, we wanted to give the award for the best drivers on the trip so far to the residents of Salt Lake City. Every oneof the cars driving the freeway at the same time as us signaled to change lanes - we were duly impressed. Congratulations on having such great road manners.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/colleen.killorn/1/1222271280/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/colleen.killorn/1/1222271280/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/colleen.killorn/1/1222271280/tpod.html Wed, 24 Sep 2008 12:00:12 -0400 British Columbia or Bust! The Adventures of Colleen & Steve Killorn - 2008 - A Trip of a Lifetime.

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Twin Falls, Idaho, United States

Yesterday we had another great drive. When we left the hotel in Moab, we were driving out of town and discovered a bridge over the Colorado River through a canyon that was just beautiful...we had to turn around and stop to see it. A beautiful sunny day with breathtaking scenery. At times we were in canyon like settings and then we were in a surrounding that made us feel like we could be on the moon (except for the fences) it was so desolate. The trip was mostly on straight roads. We were able to drive until 8:00 PM to Twin Falls, just 3 miles from Snake Canyon where Evil Kenival attempted his jump over the canyon. We are on our way to see the area before heading on the road.Last night just before reaching the hotel, we had the most beautiful sunset. Unfortunately I was not able to get a photo of it to share with you as the bugs hitting the windshield - it was as if it was raining there were so many. I can only imagine how long it is going to take Steve to wash the truck when we arrive in Vancouver since it has not been washed since leaving Halifax...and those who know him, know he loves to have a clean vehicle...so it must be driving him crazy although he hasn't said much about it.We miss everyone both in Nova Scotia and those we have seen along our trip. We appreciate the hospitality of each and everyone of you. It has been a wonderful trip so far (except for loosing Cocoa, of course).Take care and I update you again tomorrow.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/colleen.killorn/1/1222179960/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/colleen.killorn/1/1222179960/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/colleen.killorn/1/1222179960/tpod.html Tue, 23 Sep 2008 11:44:45 -0400 British Columbia or Bust! The Adventures of Colleen & Steve Killorn - 2008 - A Trip of a Lifetime.

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Moab, Utah, United States

Well, we are on the road again. It was so hard for us to leave Santa Fe without our baby Cocoa. Judith and Richard were absolutely wonderful and we enjoyed our visit with them tremendously. They have promised to keep an eye out for Cocoa and will let us know if she shows up. At least we know that there is someone there and she is not completely abandoned if she comes back. She will be greatly missed, but we are confident that she must have been picked up by someone and is going to give them as much joy as she gave us. She was a special member of our family.Once leaving Santa Fe, we headed north west towards Colorado then crossed into Utah. We were close to the only area in the United States where four states meet - Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah. The terrain was so amazing throughout the whole drive. It constantly was changing. A beautiful drive that we would never have experienced had we not made the left hand turn to go to Huntsville, AL and Santa Fe, NM.Gonzo was a bit out of sorts when we set out. I think it was two fold, he was not happy about spending another day in the vehicle...maybe he thought those days were over since we had stopped for so long and he clearly was looking for Cocoa and wondering why she was not having to make the journey with us. He was lonely for the first part of the trip for sure. Since Cocoa went missing in Santa Fe, he had taken to sleeping in her red cat bed. Kelly, Mom and Steve would appreciate how uncomfortable that must have been where he is more than twice her size. We thought he might want to go in the bed in the car like she did, but he just hid behind it instead.We arrived in Moab, UT wonderful surprise of a small town that as it turns out several movies have been filmed near. One of the films was City Slickers. It is near the Canyonlands National Park as well as the Arches National Park and Dead Horse Point State Park. I encourage you to check out the website for this area - it is stunningly beautiful. http://www.discovermoab.com/Today we are leaving for north of Salt Lake City on our way to Vancouver. We will update you tomorrow with our new location. The photo were mostly all taken while the vehicle was in motion, but I hope you get some idea of the vast beauty of the drive.A quick update on Steve's Dad. He appears to be on the mend from the reports we are getting from home. He does not recall much of the past 10 days and the events from Blanid's funeral to the hospital stay Montague or Charlottetown, PEI or being transferred to Halifax by ambulance including the first couple of days in Halifax. He is now more lucid from what we understand and is beginning to show signs of wanting to work at getting better. He was up yesterday with the assistance of a walker, so hopefully the medications will begin to take effect and he will be able to gain strength. Steve's Mom is very tired as we can all imagine but thankfully has had Barb and Maureen there with her to help her manage. Our love goes out to them all. Thank you to Mike and Barb for sending updates. Take care everyone and know that although we are so sad about Cocoa we know that we have to move forward and that hopefully she is in a good home.
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