In 2005 I spent some time working in Iqaluit, the capital city of Nunavut in Northern Canada. With its arctic location and remoteness from traditional freight channels, people were different. People help people. A handshake means something, and your word is your bond. Perhaps helping your neighbour was about survival rather than just getting more toys. Still, I've never worked in such a collaborative fashion.
The people of Summerland have much of the same positive attitude, despite the threat of nature. The local Shopkeepers are friendly. Unknown people who are walking in town wave as you drive past. And I find that my new neighbours are extremely friendly.
When one moves into a new house, many people are curious about the new people on the block. Especially when a large tow truck shows up an hour after you take house possession and you offload 3 large, loud Harley Davidson motorcycles. The impression that gives can make relationships with neighbours take an odd turn. Luckily my neighbours didn't judge.
As one walks around the neighbourhood, one gets to meet people going about their day-to-day business. Everyone, without exception, has been friendly and introduced themselves. I know more about my neighbours in a month than I did many people on the same street that I lived on for the past 22 years! Having a super-cute puppy always helps with introductions.
My neighbours have been incredibly generous. We have been gifted fresh eggs, laid by the chickens next door and fresh raspberries. Another neighbour showed up at the door, unannounced, with a couple of bottles of wine made from the grapes he grows on his vineyard. Delicious.
But last weekend was the most generous thing I've witnessed in a long time. My neighbour offered to blow out my irrigation system before winter. I've been told that any water in the pipes freezes, creating a mess and expensive repairs.
I had no idea how an irrigation system really works - this is the first time I have had one, and I've not had time to figure out how it works. I know there is a box of electronics on the side of my house that controls a bunch of sprinkler heads, but as they start in the morning before daylight, I had little idea of where the spray nozzles were. Luckily, my neighbour knew.
With 4 outside faucets, 2 buried controllers, a different shut-off valve, and 7 different zones of sprinklers, putting air from a large compressor through the system still took several hours. My neighbour showed me how the system worked, where to turn it off, and how to drain it safely. He even taught me to be cautious about putting my hands into the buried sprinkler boxes to access the valves. Though the worst thing we found was a cute little frog. Some of the nasty critters you can find (snakes and spiders) can be much more dangerous in this neighbourhood.
While a case of beer and some tasty spirits was the least I could do, my neighbour didn't ask for anything in return. It sums up the people. Good people. Good neighbours. And a good decision to move up here.