Dicky Says Whatever

Newly Installed Solar Panels on my House With the high cost of electric bills and the concern of climate change, many Canadian house owners may want to install solar panels. After having solar panels installed for five years, I am happy it was a good decision.  If you are still undecided, I hope this post will help you make the transition. Benefits of Installing Solar Panels Aside from feeling good about helping the environment with renewable energy , having solar panels significantly reduces your electricity bill. In fact, utility companies are required to pay you the extra generated electricity in  many jurisdictions, including Alberta. For example, below is a snippet of my electric bill showing the micro-generator   credits . A Snippet of My Utility Bill Micro Gen Credit (Credit Pays Out Quarterly) Additionally, because solar panels cover the proof from the sun, the roof radiates less heat back to the house at night. This reduces the cost of running air conditioning in summer. Also,

July 29 Trip: Tsawwassen to Seatle Activities: Seatle Space Needle, Artistic at Play Playground If we wanted to visit the US, this would be the day because the rest of the trip was already planned. This justified my effort to turn back home for the passports on day 1. Driving to the US border was about 35 min, but the estimated wait time was 90 minutes. By the time we reached the end of the lineup, it was already 10 o’clock. Doing my math, it would be 1 p.m. when we arrive at the Space Needle. I contemplated abandoning the US trip. Seeing how slow the line moves, I convinced Charlotte, the only one adamant about going to the US, that we should turn around and spend our time on other fun activities.  Instead of turning left and doing a U-turn, I turned right onto Beach Road because it looked more scenic on Google Maps. Unexpectedly, that road was blocked, and the only way was to drive to the Peace Arch Duty Shop parking lot, so I did. After using its washroom and wanting to exit the

 July 27 Trip:  Sooke to Tsawwassen, Delta, BC (South of Richmond, ~ 3hr) Activities:  Whiffin Spit Park, Victoria Butchart Gardens, Swartz Bay Google Maps - Trip from Prestige Oceanfront Resort to Swartz Bay This was the last day at Vancouver Island. There would be a bit of driving , so I took it easy. Charlotte and I woke up early while the other two were still asleep. We headed down to the Sooke Habour Marina dock for a walk. Prestige Oceanfront Hotel Backyard While we were searching for small sea creatures close to the boardwalk, a fisherman, I presumed, dumped a brunch of scrap meat into the sea. Was that legal?!?! It didn't matter... A Happy Seal The seals quickly came for the meat. There was so much we wanted to do here, but it was time to leave. After saying bye-bye to this nice oceanfront hotel, we headed down to Whiffen Spit Park. Whiffin Spit Park Sign Whinffin Spit Park didn’t seem special at first. But, as the warm ocean wind blew, I looked far out to the endless ocean

July 26 Trip:  Sooke to Port Renfrew (~1.5hr) Activities/Visits: Kayaking, Shirley, Sheringham Point Lighthouse,  Pacheedaht Beach (Port Renfrew) It was another beautiful day at Sooke. The harbour was majestic and quiet in the morning. Importantly, the kids woke up on time to do sea kayaking in the morning. We met our kayaking tour guide , Randal,  at Kaltasin Park,  who ran Mystic Beach Adventures Inc , which guided people on nature and wildlife tours at Sooke. The kids weren't strong enough to paddle on their own, so I towed Frederick's kayak, while Randal towed Charlotte's. My Son and his Kayak There were many starfishes, moon jellies and crabs. We even saw a few blue herons fly around to catch the fish. Moon Jelly Video Purple Starfish I got a drone shot of myself kayaking. Kayaking was a lot of work when towing your kid who paddled backward, but it was fun. I wished that I lived closer to the water so that I could do more kayaking. This is one of the few sports that co