We’re thrilled to introduce you to Linda and Dave, who made Sarilia their home in the spring of 2023.
Join us as we delve into a Q&A with Linda to learn more about their move, their interests and what drew them to the river valley.
Accompanied by their dog, Winnie, this outdoorsy couple has fully embraced the active lifestyle Sarilia offers, whether it’s hiking the River Ridge Trails, kayaking home from the Borden Bridge, or tending their plot in the community garden.
Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?
We moved to Saskatchewan from Ingersoll, Ontario two years ago. We moved to Saskatoon first, and we were actually going to build a new home.
The reason we moved to Saskatchewan was to be closer to our daughter—she moved here 7 years ago for a job. We started visiting and thought, “Oh, we really like Saskatchewan.” So, when it came close to retirement, we thought this would be a great place to live.
I hear you have a dog, tell me about her.
We have a dog named Winnie, like Winnie the Pooh, because she came from Winnipeg. She was a rescue. She’s a cattle dog cross.
Winnie is a very high energy dog and we love to go to River Ridge Trails and let her run free so we can wear her out for the day. We also walk the road (#400) as it has very little traffic and we can let her off leash. She gets a really good run there as well, especially when chasing the odd deer.
How did you first hear about Sarilia?
Originally we were going to build a new home, but this was during COVID, when the cost of building increased. We went online and happened to see a house for sale at Sarilia, and we came to look at it. And I fell in love with it immediately.
Dave took a little bit of convincing. He wanted an acreage. But I said, “We’re getting older and we want something that we can close the door on and just go away, but still feel like you’re in a community.”
That was the other draw to Sarilia—even though you feel like you’re in the country you have that community that is close by and we have made friends here. Especially our neighbour next door. We keep an eye on each other’s places when we’re away. It’s the best of both worlds here.
We really, really like it. We have been here for a year now. And it actually happens that the house we bought here is similar to what we were going to build anyway.
Have you had a chance to check out the River Ridge trails near Sarilia?
Yes! That’s a great trail system.
If anybody is into any kind of walking or mountain biking, snowshoeing or cross-country skiing, they do such a great job over there. I can see the care they put into the trails throughout the year.
We ended up talking to one of the guys who does the maintenance and handled a lot of the trail design and it’s clear that he really cares about it. If anybody is thinking of moving here, you can have a fairly active lifestyle, really close by, and then you can use the river to kayak and canoe.
What were your main goals when you were looking for a new place to live?
Well, originally just some peace and quiet. Living in a town all my life, I was never exposed to any kind of wildlife other than raccoons and skunks and I wanted to see a little bit more of that.
Living on the river, I knew we would get that. We’ve seen moose and lots of deer. It was that quiet, peaceful nature we were looking for. You feel like you are living in the middle of nowhere, but knowing that you’re not—there are neighbours nearby.
I’m sitting in my kitchen now, and I can look out the window and see across the river to the fields on the other side. It’s really nice. We are right on the river. There are houses further back (away from the river) nestled into the trees, and I could also see that being a very peaceful experience too.
Are you gardening in the community garden this year?
Yes, I took a plot last year. I learned a lot watching the other gardeners last year—I’ve planted things that the gophers aren’t interested in—like zucchini, potatoes and sunflowers. A lot of people planted onions last year and seemed to have success with them. The thing about the garden is that it helps you meet more people.
I planted some tomatoes at the house, because you can do those in pots. And I think we’ll probably put in a raised bed here, but nothing too big—mostly for tomatoes and things that are nice to have around for cooking.
What are some of Dave’s hobbies?
He likes to woodwork and putter. We’re both pretty outdoorsy—we like to canoe, kayak and hike. We like to go camping.
What kind of summer activities do you plan to do?
We have a canoe and two kayaks and we’ve already gone out on the river. We had family visiting so we went in at the Borden Bridge and paddled the kayaks all the way to our house, which was nice.
We have started getting into birding so it has been great seeing all the different types of birds along the river and in our yard.
The river has been very beautiful this year since we have had so much rain. We have seen moose, deer, a bear and of course coyotes. They like to sing and talk in the morning and at night.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
We have had a chance to meet more neighbours recently—spending a bit more time chatting and getting to know them. I know we will be very happy here for our retirement years.
We love it here. It’s perfect for people who like to spend time outside.
There’s never been a better time to build your dream home at Sarilia, with our limited time lot sale, on now. Visit our property map page for more details.