For 20 years, the world’s best spies were unable to locate my Fortress of Certitude.
This garage at my parent’s place in Parksville on Vancouver Island was my main location for most of the past 10 years.
I miss it.
BUT I’m heading back to Parksville in May to visit friends and help my brother and his wife pack. They sold their house are moving to _______________.
Wind warning issued for Calgary as strong gusts down trees, power lines
Though none of us were home, this tree crashed down just missing my brother’s place.
It actually landed on another car, already moved.
Randy’s vehicle is a few stalls away.
I’d never noticed the tree to look old or at risk.
Dad died March 9, 2025, at night, peacefully in his sleep.
Both the Canadian Red Cross and B.C. Health Care system were fantastic supporting his final days.
I was thinking this would be the way I’d like to go.
All palliative care was delivered in the home. Better than the hospice or hospital, in our experience.
___________________
I’d always liked the photo below on a German document. Dad had it posted on the fridge.
We could assume it was a military I.D. from his years serving with the Canadian Armed Forces in Deutschland — BUT it turned out to be his German Fishing Licence from 1962.
I’m posting this photo as it preceded the injury suffered while Dad was playing hockey for the Canadian Forces team. He lost an eye from a skate to the face which led to a medical discharge from the Army.
… Dad loved fishing. He owned 6 boats over his lifetime.
End of life came shockingly quickly.
One day we were grocery shopping and downing chicken wings at the local eatery. The next his bodily systems began to shut down.
One of the first warning signs was a loss of interest in watching his favourite TV shows: Hogan’s Heroes, Perry Mason, Matlock, Father Brown, Bonanza, Beverley Hillbillies, Green Acres.
Dad loved routine. Every day the same schedule. Any change not appreciated.
Here’s a slideshow of photos from his retirement years. Dad died age-94 — still with a driver’s licence.
Dad and I spent many days at French Creek Marina watching birds in the river delta.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Mom & Dad bought insurance in 2014 which paid for most of their funeral expenses. In fact, all we had to do was make one phone call to a 24 hour / day number and most of the arrangements were made for us. It simplified things immensely when we were grieving.
In addition, they’d simplified their estate as much as possible. We still had one investment that required probate, but the rest was very easy.
I’d celebrated Christmas with my parents all but two years of my life.
But with both Mom and Dad gone in 2025, joined my brother Rob and his wife Yvonne for the Yule in La Quinta, California. This was their 4th winter renting a beautiful place from Canadian friends.
Loved it!
The Mediterranean climate is perfect for year round cycling and hiking.
YES it’s a bit odd celebrating the traditional Great White North Christmas in a town at 20C.
The municipal park is nicely decorated for the holidays. We walked Charlie there once or twice a day.
Highlight for me was FREE COFFEE at City Hall !
This is ME awaiting my next free Latte. 😀
Actually the grub was pretty good at home with Rob doing much of the cooking and kitchen clean-up.
We only ate at a restaurant one time. Home cooking is the rule.
When we wanted an orange, we picked one off the tree in the back yard.
I spent a fair bit of time at the library.
La Quinta place names are mostly Spanish. There’s much recognition of the sacrifices of military. And the First Nations.
We had a hot tub about every second night.
California should probably just become the 11th Canadian Province. 😀
Consider me won over to the snowbird annual vacation.
We’ve also scheduled Christmas dinner for January 11th in Calgary.
California in December is amazing.
Trump welcomed me into the USA — then had me attacked by wild horses. 😀
California is a great place to visit in winter. I’ll be doing plenty of cycling and hiking.
For 2025, it’s Christmas here with my brother Rob and his wife Yvonne. And their dog Charlie.
We’ll have our official Christmas dinner in Calgary on January 11th. The Great White North.
Ho. Ho. Ho.
I’m moving back to Calgary … or — more accurately — going on the road full-time. In fact, I’m en route to Indonesia today.
Rob & Yvonne sold the house in Parksville where my parents lived their last years.
It was a perfect retirement home for them.
I’d been spending a lot more time in Parksville over recent years helping out my folks.
But Dad died in March.
Dad originally wanted to move to the left coast for fishing.
Mom for the weather, gardening, and … bocce ball.
A few years after my parents, my brother Rob and his wife Yvonne decided to move to Parksville, as well. They bought a 2nd house. AND got married in that Parksville home.
Randy and Val made long trips from Calgary, especially enjoying the annual Sandcastle Building competition and LIVE music at the Park.
I was born and raised in Calgary, the high prairie. Ocean and rain forest were a big attraction for me.
Most mornings, I’d get up for dawn and take coffee down to Rathtrevor Beach.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Evenings, I’d often walk down to Parksville Beach at dusk.
Mom played a lot of tiles. And then cards, as her vision worsened over the years.
The most popular addition to town was Charlie during COVID.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Climate is mild in Parksville, year round. You can walk and cycle every day of the year.
Surprisingly, Dad wanted to get an electric trike in 2019. That was fun. Rob and Yvonne later got 2 electric motorcycles.
We did get a few days of snow each year.
I’ll definitely miss Parksville, B.C.
A great lifestyle.
The McCharles family first came here in the 1960s on family summer vacation. We’d park the homemade camper right on the beach.
I’d taken morning coffee at Rathtrevor beach over 2,000 days over the years. This was my last. Quite overcast after the first hard rain in weeks.
DEAL Closed. Occupancy by the new owners before the end of August 2025.
My family owned this small, cute single level home in Parksville, B.C. for the past 20 years.
Rob & Yvonne put it on the market for CAD $599,000.
Starting out or slowing down……this centrally located Parksville cutie is sure to please. It features 2 bedrooms, 1 1/2 baths, an open plan design, solid hardwood floors, an updated kitchen with granite counters, an updated bathroom, skylit entry, crawlspace construction and an attached garage. Sit on your deck and enjoy your lovely backyard that is surrounded by hedges and quite private. It’s a very short walk to shops and Parksville’s famous beach. This home has been well maintained and is move in ready.
I love the place and am certainly going to miss it.
BIG driveway.
The highlight is the back yard. Ideal for someone who likes to garden, as my Mom did.
There are 2 small decks overlooking the backyard.
Once sold, Val organized an Estate Garage Sale.
My parents lived in Parksville on Vancouver Island for the past 17 years.
I’ve spent more and more time with them there over recent years.
Sadly, Dad died in March at age-94.
Mom died suddenly and unexpectedly in May at age-96. That was traumatizing.
My brother Rob and his wife owned my parents home. It’s up for sale as I post.
We’ve packed up 243 Hickey Ave. I purged as many of my own possessions as I could as part of my philosophy of Voluntary Simplicity.
Drove the rest of the junk to Calgary on July 12, 2025.
Woke at 4am. Ferry at 6:15am. Passed North Vancouver at 8:20am. Arrived at my brother Randy’s place in Calgary 9:30pm. No delays en route.
About C$270 in fuel. Nearly that much in coffee, as well. 😀
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Weirdly, as executor, my name is currently listed as owner of Dad’s truck. (I’ve not owned a motor vehicle for much of the past 25 years.)
I still consider Calgary to be home.
Of course I’m totally disappointed with recent Provincial conservative governments. Current premier Danielle Smith is too Trump-lite for me. For example, as I post, the rate of measles in Alberta is even worse than in Texas. Smith encourages ReTrumplican misinformation on all kinds of topics.
On the other hand, born and raised in Calgary, I consider anyone NOT born in Calgary to be some kind of vermin. 😀
Unwanted immigrants.
If Trump was in charge of the 51st state, he’d spend a lot of taxpayer money to have Canadians attacking other Canadians. In Canada.
We could round up the invaders and drop them off the other side of the Alberta border. 😀
Delicious.
We caught this salmon a few hours earlier out of my favourite French Creek Marina near Parksville, B.C.
My brother Rob and friends had invited me along as general dogsbody.
I’d been out in charters murdering salmon in the past — with great success. But this was my first time in a personal boat out of French Creek.
Our skipper, Wayne, keeps a shipshape craft.
Out of French Creek we had our lines in the water within 15 minutes.
Most of the time, we had 2 fishing. Two inside navigating.
Then someone would switch off, front to back.
We ended up taking out only 2 salmon — having released many more for being the wrong species for our permits. Or the wrong size.
Weather was fickle. Perfect conditions could quickly switch to gusty with whitecaps.
We came in after about 4 hours. Wayne cleaned the fish at the marina.
I would have enjoyed the scenic boat ride even if we hadn’t caught anything.
BUT it was delicious a few hours later. 😀
Mom died May 26, 2025 after a very short emergency trip to the Nanaimo hospital.
A long, full life. She was age-96.
Here’s our nuclear family on Rob and Yvonne’s wedding day in Parksville.
Dad died March 9, 2025, at night, peacefully in his sleep. At home.
Doreen and Eric had been married for 59 years.
59 years is a long marriage — especially with such rotten kids. 😀
Dad’s decline had progressed rapidly over 4-5 weeks. But we were all accepting of the end.
Mom moved on to a new life. She had plenty of medical problems and frustrations, but was still living independently in her own house at age-96. I was her sous chef.
Unexpectedly, sharp pains in her legs began in the middle of the night. We called the ambulance at 7am. And Mom survived only 1 night in Nanaimo hospital. I was very disappointed hospital staff did not do a better job of pain management.
Mom was clear to everyone that she was ready to die at any time. She’d made peace with the eventual end.
But, in Parksville, we were shocked and depressed with how it happened so quickly. Dad’s end at home was much more peaceful.
Mom and Dad had outlived most of their family and friends. But they will both be missed in Parksville.
As Mom’s vision deteriorated over the years, happily, she was still able to play cards regularly. Use the computer and watch TV.
She and I both listened to audio books, non-stop.
In their retirement years, Mom & Dad traveled a lot, especially to Mexico. We had many excellent trips together. While Pete the Jack Russell was alive for 19-years, we always drove.
Mom was the administrator (and my boss) at Altadore Gymnastics Club. We had plenty of memories together of fun at the Gym and travel for competitions.
Her retirement gift from Altadore was a greenhouse — which she set up at our place at Crawford Bay near Kootenay Lake. Mom got into gardening there.
Due to winter weather and fishing ➙ Mom and Dad finally moved out to Parksville on Vancouver Island. Made new friends in the retirement community.
Rob and Yvonne later decided to retire to Parksville, as well. Randy, Val, and I started spending more and more time on the Island. Our family holidays were always in Parksville.
Mom’s main exercise was walking until mobility issues finally slowed her down.
Rest in peace, Mom.
Mom & Dad bought insurance in 2014 which paid for most of their funeral expenses. In fact, all we had to do was make one phone call to a 24 hour / day number and most of the arrangements were made for us. It simplified things immensely when we were grieving.
In addition, they’d simplified their estate as much as possible. We still had one investment that required probate, but the rest was very easy.
Rick McCharles 