abraaten

Haven't been there for three years. Last time I was there, I saw two trucks driving down the stream bed.

Make sure you visit Cochrane and Okotoks. Cochrane is ideally located if you like mountain sports, plus you don't have to take the Deerfoot in the mornings if you work downtown. I've visited many bedroom communities around Calgary in search of what you speak of. Chestermere, Okotoks, High River, Bragg Creek, Turner Valley, Airdrie, Black Diamond. Cochrane seems to have it all, plus it's right on the river.

My wife and I were looking at buying one of their homes out in Cochrane. I can't comment on the end result, but I liked what I saw, compared with the other builders out there. The finish on their homes is top-notch, and they include extras not all builders will shell out for. I didn't end up buying out there because of the commute. Are you building a home in one of their subdivisions, or are they custom building on your own lot? If I were to tear down my 1950's bungalow and put up a couple of infills, I'd like to know if they do custom builds. So yeah, great initial impression, but perhaps you're worried of something lurks beneath the polish. I hear ya.

Have you thought about a Jeep Cherokee Sport? You can usually pick up a 1998ish model with some beefed up suspension, snorkel, roof rack, etc. off the trader website for around 4-6 grand. They're ok all around, easy to customize, and there are plenty of spare parts floating around. But for your needs, I vote for a nice quad cab Toyota Tacoma or 4Runner.

You can use the online app called pixlr. It has a tilt shift feature that lets you make some adjustments. Try it out: http://www.pixlr.com/editor/