After 3 days of driving thru rain / wind / snow and some sun we arrived in Bullhead City to ‘the house’.  We managed to find the gate, entered thru and drove up the driveway to the house.  We grab the key, review the alarm instructions, nod our heads in agreement, yes we know what we have to do!  –  we enter, dash for the alarm panel, make a wrong turn at Alberquerkie (while the alarm alert goes beep beep), key in the code (while the alarm alert goes beep beep), and still – beep beep while we look for the OFF button (it is located in very small writing on the top left ocrner of the alarm panel) – beep beep – We push “OFF” – beep beep – and then, that’s better – silence.  Our elation turns to alarm when we notice that the ALARMED button is still RED and still ON — our suspicions are confirmed quickly when the whole house starts resonating “WHOOP WHOOP WHOOP”,  Immediately the phone rings, hello ALARM COMPANY, no we don’t know the password, we give them our names and hang up.

Within 6 minutes, or less, a very nice policeman strolls up to the opened front door and gazes in at these two road weary Canadians who have packed half their house across the USA and have now unloaded everything into this house.  Cooler, computers, camera, tripod, 9 pairs of shoes, blankets, pillows, golf clubs, fishing gear, kitchen knives, spices, food stuff, suitcases, beer, scotch, juice, groceries that we just picked up at the store — all of it scattered everywhere as we just got here and are getting organized for our stay.

Oh, HI we say.  yeah, sorry, it was us who set off the alarm, sorry, we didn’t know what we were doing.  he says

‘what are you doing here?’

?

 ‘who are you?’,

?

‘do you have rental papers?’

?

‘you don’t?’

?

 ‘do you have ANYTHING that says you are supposed to be here?’

?

  Randy looks at me, I look at him, I calmly drag out my Super Duper IPhone that DOES everything, and has everything on it, NOPE, can’t find anything at that instant. 

 In the face of all adversity, I maintain a calm demeanour, so does Randy,

the nice friendly policeman finally determines that we are probably not Canadian House Squatters, but is still searching for evidence…

Do you have a?

?

 a?

 a house key? 

?

 YES! YES WE DO! 

here’s our key! and after he made sure it fit the lock, and it turned the deadbolt, he was on his way!  It is so nice to be here, finally, and know that we get to spend our time in the “sunny river house”.