Covid-Crazy in Canmore: How We’re Getting Through!
Canadians are currently being asked to navigate through an experience unlike anything we’ve ever known before, and we can probably all agree it’s not always an easy task. We’re sure that like us, others out there are struggling with this “new normal” and finding ways to find ways to go about our daily lives with as little upheaval as possible. The Canmore Real Estate Group team is doing our best to make the most out of each and every day with our families! Here’s what we’ve been up to:
Devin Stephens
Covid Crazy! I feel like this should be the new term to describe the feeling of being housebound 24/7, and I’m sure many of you know exactly what I mean. The transition from being on the go all the time to being at home has taken some adjustments! I too have experienced an extremely high amount of stress over my business, the health and wellness of those I love and all the changes in our world that are taking place at an unprecedented pace, but I try and remind myself daily of just how lucky I am. I count myself extremely fortunate. I get to spend this “time out” with my wife and kids, and every day we learn new ways for us to bond as a family.
With a 7 and a 3-year-old, there is no time to be bored! We spend our days homeschooling, baking, trampoline jumping, building LEGO, doing crafts, and creating puppet shows. We are hiking outside, building bike features in our yard, and finding new things we can do together as a family. It’s not always easy, but at the end of the day I can be grateful for this time I wouldn’t normally have that I am spending with my family. Maybe you have time to read a book, call an old friend, clean out that closet you have been meaning to get to, or spring clean your entire home.
Whatever it is, I hope all of you can find that silver lining in your circumstances – and try not to go Covid Crazy!
Robb Aishford
There’s no doubt that COVID-19 has changed our lives and our community isn’t the same; many people (thankfully) appear to be self-isolating. In trying to pass the time, I’ve been preparing for the arrival of my first child. My wife Anna is nearing the end of her pregnancy, so we’re both staying home, trying not to go anywhere (especially for her sake), and literally just preparing for the arrival of our son during an otherwise very challenging and stressful time. Our saving grace through this time is knowing we’re all in this together! Stay safe, stay home, and together we’ll get through this.
Dale Hildebrand
About three years ago my wife and I made the difficult decision to have me move to Canmore full time while she was still working full time in Calgary. Our friends wondered if our marriage was on the rocks; little did they know we were planning a great future. We had heard that Canmore had much more to offer than just being a great weekend retreat, so we decided to check it out.
I jumped into real estate and started building houses. I joined four local clubs, met tons of new people, and really got engaged in the community. I quickly realized this is one great community! Everyone is so friendly and caring about each other, our town, and the environment.
And now here we are, social distancing and isolating, discouraging visitors and our town is largely closed down. The silver lining for us is my wife is here 7 days a week, instead of four. Work wise, there’s not a lot of difference for me – I’ve been working from home for most of the past 25 years. We are doing virtual cocktails on the weekends with groups of friends via internet conferencing. We continue to get out for walks, rides and skis, just like we always have, maintaining a respectful social distance.
Hopefully these times will help all of us re-evaluate what is truly important in life and help us find better balances. For me, these past two weeks have reinforced that Canmore was the right decision for our family. Do more, play more, live more, Canmore!
Bob Aishford
I am a person that enjoys both ends of the spectrum. I can handle being so busy that I can hardly think straight, to the other end where I can lounge around and do nothing for several days.
Over the past 3 weeks, I have tried to schedule some time each day where I can work on tunes and techniques on my tenor sax. Having played in a jazz Big Band for over 20 years, there never seemed to be enough time to “practice” or work on the areas of my playing that needed an extra bit of effort.
As well, being a keen photographer and GoPro movie maker, this downtime has allowed me to “clean up” my travel images from our biking tours in Spain and Croatia last September.
With the days getting longer, I am also starting to think about my garden and starting some nasturtiums indoors in the next few days.
I like to cook – especially to have guests over for dinner. This is not possible these days so I will have to just do my own “wine pairing” in preparation for a busy summer of dinner parties.
With no sports or Oiler hockey games, TV movies almost every night have become a ritual. Some we really liked included Vice, Just Mercy, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, Rocket Man and Ford vs Ferrari.
Victor Henning
Making the Most of the Most
While the news that floods us tends to overwhelm one with gloom and doom, I feel pretty lucky spending this time here in Canmore. Josie (my Labrador) and I have had some amazing walks. We usually incorporate them in with a few property checks that I do for my clients. It gives us a chance to enjoy the great surroundings that have here in Canmore. We do get to say hello to some friends and have a bit of a catchup on what their life is like under these conditions. (Maintaining a 6 foot distance of course).
Everyone I speak to expresses to me how grateful they feel about living in this great mountain community. At the risk of sounding like Julie Andrews, when the feelings of isolation and that wave of “will this never end” hits you all you need to do is take a stroll outside, breathe that fresh mountain air and take in those majestic snow covered peaks and suddenly life becomes pretty good.
Business wise, I and my great group of Realtors with the Canmore Real Estate Company, continue to monitor the market. This is a great chance for me to keep up my book keeping and to do some planning for the rest of the year ahead. As you know we are pretty progressive with our ideas and innovation. The concept of taking pretty pictures and then putting your home on the MLS is old school in our minds and we love to use this time to develop better avenues to work with our clients on. Knowing about “pocket listings” and working with off grid sellers has never become more critical. Taking the time to do this now assures our Clients that we will be well positioned as we see the market rebound.
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