So What exactly is a blog?

"A blog (a contraction of the term "Web log") is a Web site, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions ..."

Ok so I have a problem with this description and it is the word REGULAR. This could take a lot of work...hmmm, rethink the blog? nah, lets give it a go till I get bored.

Actually this started out as a photo journal but all searches for a good photo journal template seemed to come back to the same silly blog format so here I am blogging away.

It all started in the spring of 2006. The DW (Dear Wife) of the cavefish (Yes, Cavefish can marry!) was finally convinced that we could afford to buy a lifestyle in NOS country. More importantly she was convinced that we could NOT afford to miss the opportunity, so there in lies the seeds of great adventure (read: many years of financial hardship).

Long story short (sort of), a few rainy trips, very patient Realtors, a Pontoon boat, many more drivebys and one crazy mortgage advisor and low and behold a weekend repository for lifetime of memories.

I have to divert at this point and go back about three years before this, so like 2003 or something, when Rug Rat number one was only a couple years old.
Cavefish can be very crafty...see your goal and set about achieving it slowly over time so it can sneak up and take hold. Case in point is this exchange between Cavefish and DW...
Me: since we are looking for a cottage we should get a boat.
DW: We can't afford a boat, we are looking for a cottage.
Me: What is the most important feature of the cottage for you?
DW: Waterfront
Me: **DING** If we had a boat we could see the waterfront better and probably see more cottages.
DW: Wow you are the smartest person in the world lets get the best boat ever (ok, i took a little literary licence on that).

So we got a boat (Goal number one accomplished).
Saw many, many, many scary places, which was our price range (scary). None of them seemed to have that special something...beach, privacy, roof, floor, land, too many trees, not enough trees, to close to the water, not close enough to the water, too low, too high, you get the idea.

***one more sidebar: if you marry a type A, Scorpio wannabe on steroids be prepared to over analyze any decision that has to made, it also helps if you are a real Scorpio and stubborn as all get out.***

Wow, are you allowed to give a complete history accounting in a blog? can you Blog the past? Guess what, I just did hahaha.

Ok Back on track, Fast forward a bit through many scary places, depression that we can't afford NOS, Rat number 2, many pleasant boating weekends losing trailer tires, almost sinking because someone forgot the Bung plug, breaking down on the water the furthest distance from the truck, many expensive repair bills, lots of camping, lots of rain drenched tents, new house and new realization that we need a cottage badly because we're sick of dragging this bloody boat out over hells half acre weekend after weekend.

Remember the goal and watch the timing. Our price range is now a little higher but the places we can afford are even scarier, thank you waterfront appreciation. At this point Mrs. Lake Rousseau is now a little more receptive to something a little more realistic...like say an Island...hmmm.
A friend with a cottage is a great resource "Hey there's a place for sale on our lake come take a look"...
Wow nice place, great beach, needs some work, how much? that's cracked, no way, where does he think this is Muskoka?
Enter the crazy Mortgage advisor. BTW this is conversation before meeting with her:
DW: We can't afford it, our current mortgage is locked in for 4 years we can't change it.
Me: they want to make money and will give us more so we can pay more interest
DW: No, we are locked in
Me: it does not hurt to ask
DW: It won't do any good
Crazy Mortgage advisor: Sure we can lend you more money we will renegotiate your current mortgage and give you some expensive line of credit that you have no hope of paying off in your life time and charge you an exorbitant amount of interest for the privilege of being our customer. ***insert evil laugh here***
DW: really, cool, wow cavefish you are the smartest ever!

Goal number 2 accomplished and actually 3 because now we had the money and the location but the price was still cracked. This is where type A Scorpio wannabe's on steroids come in very handy.
Research the crap out of the lake and take every cottage that has ever been sold for the past 50 years and graph it and add it to a spreadsheet and factor in appreciation, depreciation, any flaw, blemish, location of the sun at 2pm, 4 pm, 6pm, the neighbours dock and the sun there at those times and let the seller know that his price is so far out of whack that he should be paying us to take the place.
So after closing the deal, getting a place NOS and getting a job offer as a real estate agent the cavefish clan breaks out and becomes the weekend NOS family.

So now can I blog the present? I suppose I should but during the week I am really boring...work, work, work...Its not like I am a member of a book club with all kinds of drama and fighting and bickering and kicking out helpless members. I just sit in my cave and blog...hmm...a blog about blogging, shoot me now.

Ok, so tomorrow we blog about the recent past...I promise, maybe, but there will be pictures.