Month: June 2012

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The Final Estimates

I went to VR Expert today to get the estimate for the final insurance-covered work to be done on Miranda as well as for the work to be done on the water-damaged overhang. While I was there, I got some more personal items out of the rig and also emptied out the loft in preparation for the work.

First the bad news: they can’t start on the rig till next Tuesday. What with having two four-day weeks in a row, I definitely won’t have Miranda back until at least July 16th. OMG.

The insurance-covered portion of the work is:
-replace rear hitch with a 3500HD model, straighten the support, straighten the frame (all involves welding)
-repair and repaint the rear fiberglass bumper.
Subtotal: $1,967.56
GST: $98.38
QST: $196.26
Total: $2,262.20

I have sent this off to the adjuster and hope that she will reply with the okay to go ahead.

Now, the overhang. The passenger side wall is apparently saturated. So remove and reinstall window, mouldings, and fiberglass; replace rotten luan; seal everything: $1,700.

As for replacing my propane regulator, making my entry door plumb and square, and replacing the window frame: $189.

Subtotal: $1,889.00
GST: $94.45
QST: $188.43
Total: $2,171.88

He forgot to get the info for the tow package, but I will be having that done in the fall since Miranda comes first. So I will be going back to the States to get the parts and just paying for the installation here.

If I can manage to save some QST, that would be awesome. QST claims to be 9.5% but is actually more than that because it is calculated based on the price with GST. In a province with PST, you would do, say, $1,000x.05=$50GST, $1,000x.095=$95PST, Total=$1,145 ($1,000+$50+$95). In Quebec, the math is $1,000×1.05=$1,050, $1,050×1.095=$1,149,75. Difference: $4.75.

As long as the overhang repair doesn’t cost more than the estimate, I can live with it. I wouldn’t have had to do it if I had repaired that damn leak correctly the first time. I will have some internal work to do again, like repaint the wall, but I have tons of that paint left. As long as they don’t trash everything, I can deal. I just hope that the new side panel matches the rest of the rig… There is a chance they will be able to save the existing panel (taking $250 off the bill), but I’m bracing myself for the worst case scenario.

The other repairs are minor and I actually find the $189 amount rather low. I cannot wait to have a door that opens and shuts easily!!! And how about a propane system that doesn’t whistle! It helps that I picked up the propane regulator in the US last year. It was just $25 when it would have been about $50 here!

Now, I need to figure out how I am going to survive the next few weeks. One thing is certain; I need to spend at least one weekend out doing something fun like going camping with my truck. Now that I have an idea of how much I’m looking at to get back on the road with a sound rig, I know what I can spend this summer. I just have to make sure that I have the $2,200 or so for the tow package well ahead of my estimated departure date!

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A Familial Weekend

It’s been a pretty lazy weekend. The most exhausting thing I did was battle the throngs at Canadian Tire Saturday morning to pick up a 50% off ($27) 300 watt inverter with USB ports for Moya. Now, I’m keeping an eye out for sales on 12V deep cycle batteries.

My sister-in-law told me to come over at some point this weekend to see the house she and my brother bought last fall. So I walked over there Saturday afternoon and ended up spending a couple of hours helping these new parents with their chores. Sis-in-law was horrified, but I told that that’s what aunts do and that since I have more experience being an aunt than she has being a mother, she should just go along with it. 🙂

I had the house to myself today and didn’t really know how to spend the day. I had to sit around and wait for Vidéotron to come effect some repairs, but the guy was here first thing, which left me a full day to fill. My grand-mother had left her sunglasses here the other night, so I decided to call her in the early afternoon to see if she’d be up for a visitor.

As it turned out, one of my aunts called to wish my step-mother a happy birthday and mentioned that she was heading to the cinema and then dinner with my grand-mother. So there went my grand plan for the afternoon. I mentioned that grand-maman’s sunglasses were here and my aunt said they’d swing buy to pick them up shortly.

I had just sat down with my katakana workbook when the doorbell rang. I handed the sunglasses to my aunt and she asked if I wanted to go out with them. If so, I had five minutes to get ready! I ran downstairs for footwear and my purse, locked up the house, and headed out to the car.

En route, I learned that we were going to see Les Adieux à la reine (Farewell, My Queen), a movie about the last days of French queen Marie Antoinette told from the point of view of the servants. I know a lot about this period of history, but not from this perspective. The movie is based on a novel and the protagonist did not exist, but it was still a fascinating and wonderful movie. I especially liked that although it was a period film, it felt contemporary.

After, we couldn’t make up our mind about where to go to dinner. Of all the options around the cinema, only one really appealed to me so I suggested Casey’s. We all had a nice dinner including dessert and excellent coffee.

As our meal was wrapping up, my aunt realised that she’d lost an earring. So after eating, we decided to retrace our steps in the hopes of finding it. We wound up back in the same parking spot at the cinema and, lo and behold, there was the earring under the car in the next spot, undamaged! Talk about lucky!

So it’s been a lovely, relaxing weekend at my end. I hope that the week ahead is very busy with work!

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One Thing I Wouldn’t Be Without in My RV

I’ve been following Tioga George‘s roof makeover adventure and one thing has left me dumbfounded: he only has one roof vent/hatch left.

My roof hatches are one of Miranda’s best features! I have one in the study, one in the dressing room with a fan (plus a skylight over the shower), a giant escape-sized one in the kitchen, and a little one above the bed in the loft. I do block the latter one with a block of styrofoam for darkness, but I’d be lost without the other three.

The study and dressing room hatches have a cover over them, so I can have the hatches wide open when it rains and have fresh air when it’s impossible to keep the windows open. The roof hatches also let less noise in than do open windows, so I can shut myself in to do transcription but still breathe fresh air. If I’m going away for the day, I can securely let some air into the rig without worrying about granting miscreants easier access. The hatch in the kitchen can’t be left open in the rain or if I’m leaving the rig, but it adds tons of light in the front part of the room:

Even closed and with covers over them, the two rear hatches let in a lot more light than would a closed ceiling.

What are my readers’ thoughts on RV roof vents/hatches?

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Hanging Out in the Garage

I just spent an hour in the garage with my brood. I just set up a chair, sat down with my iPad, and next thing I knew, I had a purring black cat snuggled in for a nap on my lap. Neelix was happy with a cuddle at departure and arrival.

That my tabby is okay with life in the garage is no surprise; he is completely unflappable. But that Tabitha hasn’t been hiding except for the one time I went in with my mother is very surprising. The garage obviously feels safe to her.

I’m amused that I put her favourite blanket in a dark, hidden corner and that either she or Neelix pulled it out and arranged it right smack in the middle of the garage floor. Even though she can’t stand her brother, I’ve caught both of them happily snuggled on that blanket. Cats, I’ll never understand them. 🙂

 

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There’s Nothing Like Quebec Fast Food

From sous-marins to steamés to poutine, Quebec fast food as no competition in North America. Quebecers just know what to do with grease and especially with potatoes.

My mother told me she was heading out for hot dogs so I placed an order for a ‘steamé all dressed avec une frite’ (steamed all dressed (mustard, onion, cabbage) hot dog with French fries).

The casse-croûte messed up my order slightly, sending me a toasté, but no big deal, it was all yummy! For a truly authentic flavour, you should leave your fries in the greasy paper sack, but I like my ketchup (mixed with LOTS of black pepper and some salt) on the side.

My mother eats super healthy, so this was an unexpected treat today. I make it a point to avoid casse-croûtes at all cost, so I only eat like this maybe two or three times a year. I’ve already had a poutine this summer, so I’m pretty much done for this trip. *smirks because she could justify a few more trips as ‘catching up on lost time’*

I took this picture with my phone, motivating me to figure out how to get pictures off the dang thing. The cable and memory card didn’t work, so I did some research and found a solution: Bluetooth. First time I’ve ever used that tech! All that bla bla bla to reward you with a pic of me sitting at the wheel of my truck! 😀