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“Dog Daze” by N&J w/Emily (guest canine blog poster).
Vancouver, BC (Nov 10/13) – No sooner are N&J back in Vancouver, helping people move, providing Gizmo a day at the spa, visiting friends & family, opening mail (a LOT of mail!!!), renting out condos, answering emails, paying bills, laundry, house sitting… dog sitting. Here is what Emily says about N&J: “The doggie treats abound and the food flying through the air…. my servants sit patiently waiting on the couch yearning for the slightest bit of attention. I throw out small glimpses of hope and I see the glee in their eyes and at just the right moment I perform an abrupt about face putting my ‘royal rump’ towards them.…
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Introducing….Mr. Hobbes by N&J.
Vancouver, BC (Jan 2014) – Or simply HOBBES as N&J call him. After the disasterous (almost annihilating) event last November, when a UPS truck blew a stop sign, crossed Hwy 10, across their path that resulted in the tragic loss of their precious EMILY (N’s Mom’s dog) and the destruction of N’s beloved GIZMO…. they are excited to announce the ‘new’ addition to the family. click on pic to enlarge – right/left arrow to scroll thru the gallery He is a beauty!!! After a long search looking for just the right Westfalia that would be a tribute to GIZMO (who sacrificed his life for N&J). Found HOBBES lounging in Portland…
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“Our 2 Minutes of Fame” by N&J.
Vancouver, BC (Aug 16/14) – What do they say about having your ’15 minutes of fame’? …well this should only take you 2 minutes to read. N was contacted a short while back from a chap who writes for the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) wanting to do a story on Westfalia camper vans, the people who live the life, what it all means. Check out the story at this link to learn more about the ‘van’ N&J love to call home. http://www.bbc.com/autos/story/20140813-dont-call-it-hippie-van *** BBC link currently broken, attempting to update ***
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“A New Season” by N&J.
Vancouver, BC (Jul 25/15) – It has been quite a while since N&J’s last post at Christmas. They have been very busy doing upgrades to their ‘city home’ in Vancouver; a new kitchen is just one of the many changes along with new LED lighting. The patio garden has been prodded & poked, a large veggie garden added in the corner allowing us to grow their own food. Jesse (the cat & reigning monarch) has settled in quite nicely, he is now exploring the outside deck of his abode under the watchful eye of his parents (servants). He especially loves to hide among the rhodos and the other foliage that…
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“Go North, Young Man (and Lady)” by N&J.
Whistler, BC (Jul 25/2016) – N&J have been residing in their downtown Vancouver condo for just under 2 years, major renovations have been completed (kitchen & bathrooms, interior painted, outdoor deck garden rejuvenated), all mainly done by themselves (with some assistance from their most competent friend D)… when they decided time for a new challenge. click on pic to enlarge – right/left arrow to scroll thru the gallery Thinking a house with a backyard, something that was NOT strata. Living in Vancouver on the westside was definitely not within the budget. Maybe Victoria or Oak Bay, a place to moor the sailboat, close to family… but alas not a lot…
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“Thought This Was a Travel Blog???” by N&J
Whistler, BC (Aug 23/19) – Yes it is a travel blog, that is how it all started from N&J’s original thought way back in 2013… but sometimes other stuff gets in the way. Other stuff??? RENOVATIONS!!! As reported earlier N&J had bought & renovated a condo in Vancouver before deciding to move to Whistler where they bought a ‘fixer upper’. N&J loved to renovate, whether that be house, condo, Habitat project or our Westfalia camper van HOBBES click on pic to enlarge – right/left arrow to scroll thru the gallery Needless to say, the past 3 years have been filled with reno projects galore… rental suite, kitchens, bathrooms, sundecks, landscaping,…
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“MIA – Missing in Action” by N&J.
Whistler, BC (Aug 23/2019) – I imagine some have wondered where N&J have been hanging, no postings on Westfalia Journal (WJ) for such a long time… The reason for the ‘radio silence’ is due to the ongoing legal issues of the tragic accident involving N&J, and the loss of Emily (N’s mom’s dog) & Gizmo (N’s beloved Westfalia) back in November of 2013. Yes it has been that long. On the advice of the lawyers representing us, they suggested it would be better for us to ‘shut down’ the WJ blog until the situation was settled. WJ still exist, but it was hidden behind a password to prevent ‘unwanted’ parties…
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WELCOME …to the ‘NEW’ Westfalia Journal !!!
Mar 13/22 – After almost 9 years living on the old WJ platform (westfaliajournal.wordpress.com), this blog has gotten ‘too big for it’s britches’… so an update was in order to increase the performance & speed, plus more space for post, pics & videos. There are many new features added… larger pics, links to places of interest, better functionality with all devices (laptops, tablets, phones, etc…). It has taken two months to transfer all the data from the old website & incorporate into the new website, it has been tested, tested & tested some more. But something may have been missed, if you notice an error or problem please send N&J…
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“One Down, Eight to Go” by N&J
Whistler, BC (Apr 10/22) – Some say cats have nine lives. Well it would appear that Jesse (N&J’s seasoned Westfalia traveler) may have used up one of those lives over the weekend. Late Friday (Apr 1st) night N&J noticed that Jesse was acting a bit out of sorts, meowing incessantly, in/out of his litter box, wondering aimlessly around the house. At one point he approached J who was sitting on the couch, meowed softly, tapped him with a paw… then laid down on the floor looking rather lethargic. N quickly checked Jesse out, feeling his abdomen for firmness, this Jesse did not like, it would seem he was having a…
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“SYNCRO-nicity” by N&J
Whistler, BC (Apr 17/22) – N&J have always had a yearning to go off-road… really, really OFF-ROAD. Wherever HOBBES happens to be along any highway, the opportunity to explore further, deeper into the landscape always beckons whenever a dirt trail, a gravel surface wandering off into the trees presents itself. Where does that go? Wonder what is at the end? a lake? a freestyle campsite? Heaven on Earth? But the other question they ask themselves, is what challenges can be expected …is the terrain too steep? too many potholes & creek beds traversing the pathway? Will HOBBES get stuck, unable to extract the ‘exploratory team’ to solid ground? All those…