We finally gave up on living on the edge with the front wheels in space and boards splintering below us and have moved to a level site near the beach. These spaces require me to take the tow dolly off and back the bus in, but having a level site is well worth it. The only drawback down here by the water is that the southern exposure to satellite TV is cut off; we’re quite north and the satellites are very low on the horizon so the high trees and hill behind us keep that from working. We also have a regular TV antenna that gets a couple of channels so we’re not totally without the news; at least CBC news that is. The XM satellite radio still works like a champ though. We’re still the only inhabitants in the city park so far, except for a couple squirrels, some seagulls, and an occasional stray dog; the quiet, except for Tanya Tucker on the home theater, is exceptional. Ahhhh … camping.

Cost of living: Gas is averaging 1.05 per liter. There’s 4 liters per imperial gallon or 4.20CAD. Converting from imperial to US gallons with -20% equals $3.36 and then using a conversion of about 10% advantage for $$ versus CAD that equals about $3.02 around the same as we had in the States just before crossing. Not a problem now, but will add up as we head West in August. In addition, we still have three quarters of the propane left from when we bought the bus even though we are using the furnace almost every night and that’s rather a pleasant surprise. Even with the exchange rate of 10% in our favor, there’s still some sticker shock as we go to the market; the same bottle of Lindeman’s shiraz that sells for 7.50 at home is 15.50 here and that’s pretty common across the board for any alcohol. Fortunately Jo-Anne’s brother and father brew their own wine (mostly cabernets), in self defense, for about three bucks a bottle and have about 150 bottles aging nicely in the cellar.