This post has been a work in progress for a long time. About 40 years to be specific.
My last blog was almost 6 years ago. Many things have changed since that time - Mostly for the better but some really left a mark. But we’ll keep to the positives. When I last wrote, we were living in our 5 Acre Woods. A beautiful house with our own forest and a river with incredible dark night skies, a hot tub in the trees, neighbours half a mile away and nature in every direction. That house is sold now, our lives are in storage and we’re in our final few weeks in a tiny apartment.
The last time I posted to Instagram, my account got banned. For anyone who doesn’t know, one afternoon I posted a new photo of 3 meteors passing over our house during the Perseids meteor shower. As soon as the upload was complete, I received a message YOU HAVE BEEN BANNED. If you have ever tried to navigate the appeal process with Instagram/Facebook/Meta, you probably know that it is largely a waste of time.
I have since been able to re-start the account with the same name, but I haven’t felt terribly motivated to post. We’ve gone through some significant losses and life stresses have been high and I believe that its during those that it’s natural to lose your desire to do the things you really enjoy.
But it is now 2026 and for me, I have less than 30 days left in my career before my time at work is finished and then, we move on to a new chapter in a place that is on heaven’s doorstep.
Since I was a kid, it has been my life goal to move to the Rocky Mountains here in Canada. The moment I saw those enormous snow-capped mountains and crystal blue rivers and lakes that they rise from, I was in love and I knew it. So now, a thousand little decisions later, we are on the edge of making the big move. We have a home waiting for us and my wife is on the edge of a new career out west - everything important has fallen into place thanks for a ton of pre-planning and all the right decisions made.
Over the last couple of years, my wife and I have been asked countless times, “But how about those winters?!” I’ve only been able to laugh though. Part of the planning has been watching the weather for the past 3 years. I honestly don’t think people in Ontario fully get that winter here isn’t winter there. Chinooks are a real thing and can turn the temperature upside down. -20 can become +5, +10, +15 and will last for days. I couldn’t be more excited about having spring every month of the year! Sure it’s a little bi-polar but I love that! No more being cooped up inside for 6 months!! I’m sooo fine with that!
Now, this page and this blog have, until now, been about photography but at this point in time it may evolve more into photography + Life. My already tiny social circle is about to shrink drastically and maybe those who remain will enjoy hearing about our new life beyond random Instagram photos - We’ll see :) But when I do write blogs, its 99% for me so if you keep following that journey, feel free to drop a hello.
Retirement means freedom and my hope is to do a ton of exploring of this part of the country. Hopefully they bring some fun stories :) Maybe I’ll even lure some of you to a new life out west!
See you in the next one!