All this snowy weather got me to thinking – just because we live in one of the mildest climates in Canada, doesn’t make us immune from freezing temperatures every now and again. Where I live in the Otter Point area of Sooke, we have a well. We’re also several hundred metres above sea level and the temperature tends to be a few degrees cooler than in the village of Sooke. When I bought the house, the former owner told me that the well head had frozen and that she had installed a very simple system to prevent it in the future. Read more
When I first came to Sooke to look at the house I eventually bought, I took a walk out Whiffin Spit. I knew nothing about the community that would become my home and my chosen place to start a family. I didn’t even know what Whiffin Spit was, I was just driving around exploring and found this cool seaside park with a light at the end of the path. It was just after Christmas, and as I meandered along the path, in addition to the many friendly people I saw and lots of dogs, there it was, this tree. Read more
Photo Credit: congvo on Flickr (click photo for link)
Chances are, if you live on an acreage in Sooke, or anywhere else in greater Victoria for that matter, you have a well. If you’re considering buying an acreage property, this may be your first experience with your own water supply. Water in our region is plentiful, thankfully, and we enjoy abundant, cheap, good-tasting municipal water supply from the CRD. How is it different to own a well and what considerations do you need to take to ensure a reliable, safe, and tasty water for decades? Read on to find out!
When I talk to people about real estate in Sooke, one thing that always comes up is price – and specifically, how much more you get for your money here in Sooke, compared to other greater Victoria locations. Many of my clients seek a move to Sooke to get off their postage-stamp property in the city or ‘shoebox in the sky’ and on to their own piece of paradise: a rural acreage.
One of the things I love about living in Sooke is the lack of light pollution from a big city. We’re close enough to Victoria, but far enough away that its lights don’t interfere with stargazing. Every August, I sit out in my yard at night and am marveled by the yearly Perseids meteor shower. When I come home on a clear night, I love stepping out of the car and gazing up at the blanket of twinkling stars before opening the front door.
Case in point:
Photo Credit: DiscoverSooke on Flickr
This amazing image was captured last night at Otter Point, just west of Sooke, by my good friend Jason from DiscoverSooke.com and Inktvis Creative. In addition to being an awesome guy, Jason is also a new dad (like me next month!) and constant advocate of all that is awesome about our seaside town.
Welcome to a new series on the 642Blog, Life in Sooke. The idea for the series came to me as I was out for a run the other day – I thought it would be fun to carry my video camera a little more often and shoot video of Sooke and the surrounding area to give visitors and potential new residents an idea of what it’s like to live here.
This month has been one of the wettest, stormiest Novembers I can remember. It seems there has been non-stop stormy weather, with one system after another pounding the coast with strong winds and heavy rain. Today it looked like we were having a break in the weather, so Marg and I decided to take the dog and head up West Coast Road (Hwy 14) for a little adventuring. We’d hoped to do some beachcombing and I had hoped to capture some nice images on my camera.
We had planned to stop in at Point-no-Point Resort for lunch – something we’d been meaning to do for a long time – Jason from DiscoverSooke.com and Inktvis Creative has been raving about it. Along the way it became apparent that this morning’s calm was only the eye of the storm, as we could feel the wind buffeting the car as we cruised along the road. By the time we got to Point-no-Point, the rain had resumed and was flying sideways.
We had an amazing lunch in the restaurant – overlooking the beach below, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and – if we could see them – the Olympic Mountains. The food was great, service friendly, and prices very reasonable. Because the weather had turned even worse, we just decided to hike for a half hour or so along the trails that run about the resort property (available to cottage and restaurant guests). Below is a video I shot of the waves and wind pounding the shores as we watched in amazement. If you’re looking for a fun way to spend a stormy winter day, Point-no-Point is a great destination for lunch and a hike. If you’re looking for an overnight romantic getaway, the resort or one of the many other oceanside B&B’s and inns would love to have you!
