We originally listed our place on Airbnb through a disaster program - the Fort MacMurray fire had forced the evacuation of almost the entire city and numerous families were left without a place to stay. Although our place is a long way from Fort MacMurray and we weren’t expecting anyone to be looking for accommodations this far south, we wanted to do it anyway, just in case. We got a request from a family almost right away. 12 people! A couple with 10 children ages 6 months to 17 years, who had been looking & were unable to find a place that could comfortably fit them all. They were a skiing family, some of the children skied competitively, so they were well acquainted with the ski resorts in the mountain parks & with our neck of the woods. What a fantastic group! - the place was left immaculate, with no indication what-so-ever that 10 children, 2 dogs & a cat had been living there for 6 weeks. I don’t know HOW they did that.
We decided to stay listed & see what happened. And great things happened! So many amazing people came to stay at our place that first summer & fall. We had “parents-of-the-groom” & the groom’s grandfather who were so kind to send us a photo of the wedding which took place nearby, with all the men decked out in kilts. Brian is Scottish, we loved that.
We had a family who came up for the first time from Wyoming for the Calgary Stampede. They brought their 2 young children & his parents. She was such a delight! Every day as they drove into the city for the Stampede & back to the cabin, she would message me - “who owns that huge mansion on the corner of the 2 highways - the one that looks like a hotel with the 6 car garage?” “We just saw a moose!” She messaged me every day to tell me what they’d seen & done that day - when they left, I felt like I lost a close friend & I really missed her!
We had the most charming, world travelling, Airbnb frequenting Irish man & his lovely partner come to stay for a birthday get-away (hers) - he wrote us a review that I still can’t believe we earned. It really made us feel we had joined the world of Airbnb hosts & maybe actually belonged too!
We had a family group from Boston - adult children and their parents. Very keen hikers, woodsy, outdoorsy types. They did their research & were really well informed about the area. They spent most of their days doing day trips to the mountain parks and in the evenings, they would take walks around the neighbourhood at the cabin. They knew they might encounter bears while hiking in the mountains & practiced using our bear spray trainer until they got the procedure down to a science. Bear encounters are really, really rare around our cabin but they would go for their walks all kitted out with bear spray, bear bells & walking sticks, just in case. Our neighbour encountered them one evening and they asked him which direction they should walk to see a moose. He told them that they really didn’t want to see a moose except from a good long distance - moose have terrible eyesight & they tend to charge at anything that moves, even cars. They thanked him & set off to see some deer instead. I loved that they got so into the place they were visiting they wanted to explore & see everything there was to see, including things that "the locals" go out of their way NOT to see (up close anyway)!
Just a little humour here .....
We’ve had ladies groups on week-end breaks from kids & husbands - and they've all said that the peace & quiet seemed to be just what they needed to get recharged. They’ve all been wonderful. We had a couple from Nebraska who came because their son was had been hired on with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra & they came to visit him & to see him perform. She sent me a link to his biography & I feel like I know him - & I look for him every time we see the symphony now.
So, here’s to all those amazing guests! We love them all, we thank them so much for staying at our place & we really hope to see them again. Yes, we have had a few “duds” too, but the great ones are far more plentiful & frequent.
And while we're at it, we’d like to extend our most sincere thanks to all the wonderful hosts here who have helped us, knowingly or unknowingly, as we started out & found our way, and who continue to help us every single time we visit the Community. Thank you, all!
Merry Christmas everyone!
xx
Karen & Brian
And a shameless plug: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJhFtv5UTk8