Oliver

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A Slight Chill

We are currently in the throes of our first below freezing stretch. It’s been going down to about minus five over night and we’re hitting daily highs of about minus two. Even though I’m well acquainted with week-long stretches of minus thirty-fives, it’s been a while and I’m finding these days very cold!

I’m pleased to report that Miranda is holding up very well. I can keep the study, the main part of the bathroom, and the lounge at a comfortable temperature. The kitchen, entrance, cab, upstairs bedroom, toilet room, all cabinets, and the basement stay chilly. For these prolonged periods of cold, I run the furnace through the night as it heats parts of the coach that the electric heaters can’t reach. My holding tanks, water line, and sewer pipe all seem to be doing just fine.

Moisture and condensation have thus far only proven to be a problem in the bedroom. Yesterday, I discovered that a cushion that was lying against a window was mouldy. I threw it out and will now make it a habit to wipe the windows once a day. The bedroom being chilly isn’t a problem. I like to sleep with a lot of blankets, so I’m nice and cozy, and when I get up, I immediately enter a warmer part of the rig, so I don’t have a temperature shock.

I had a small heater for the toilet room, but it stopped working a few weeks ago. I finally made it to Penticton today and returned it, but there were no comparable replacement options. So, for now, I leave the toilet room door open overnight, but I will try to find another little heater as soon as I can. I still can’t get over the fact that there is no furnace vent in that room!

Miranda continues to be the most comfortable home I have ever had the pleasure of living in.

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Camp Hosting Tips

I’ve now been at my first camp hosting job for close to eight weeks. It is not going well.

Here are some tips on what should be done to avoid some of the issues I’m now facing:

1) Confirm the details of the arrangement before moving in and sign a written contract;

2) Make sure you and the manager agree on what constitutes hours that qualify towards the minimum expected to cover your rent (or whatever you’re bartering for);

3) Get a bit of background on the people you will be working with (how long they’ve worked there, what they do, what their expectations are for temporary staff);

4) Don’t allow them to make significant changes to the contract without a new contract being signed;

5) Don’t assume that you and the manager speak the same language. Reiterate very instruction that you are told until you’re sure you know exactly what s/he means;

6) Be aware of just how much value you are being given for the number of hours you put in. Camp hosting can turn out to not be cost effective;

7) Carefully evaluate the proposed schedule to ensure that it will not be damaging to your health.

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Headin’ for Oz

This morning, I awoke to find Miranda rocking back and forth. It was almost like being on a boat! So, I sure wasn’t surprised when I stepped outside to find the wind gusting at about 30KPH. As we worked this morning in the greenhouses, their plastic coverings flapping ominously, I joked that if the house had wings we could take off. My surly (but sweet!) supervisor actually found that funny. Bitterly cold wind not withstanding, it’s been a beautiful day with sun and a really odd sky colour. I believe it’s called ‘blue.’

As if the day wasn’t surreal enough, we had that coup in Ottawa. I just can’t believe that our politicians, who are of the talking, not acting, variety, conspired together to bring down the current government. Let’s hope the Queen (via the Governor General, of course) signs off on the coalition!

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The Little Discussed Gem of the Class C

I’ve read a lot about Class C RVs. We owners of them are quick to extol their virtues. But there is one feature I’ve never seen discussed: the view from the overhead cab.

Think about it. Miranda is about 11′ tall, not counting the air conditioner and antenna. So, when I’m lying in the cab, right up against the ceiling (since I have a particularly thick mattress), I’m pretty much sleeping at a height that is equivalent to the floor of a second story.

One of my favourite parts of the day is to peek through the curtains up there first thing in the morning and watch the sun rise or the rain fall. I get a long distance view right clear across the park and to the mountains. I’ve had gorgeous views (middle of nowhere Transcanada, Vérendrye Park), views that were okay (Cochrane, here), and views that sucked (Edmonton, any Walmart). What a treat it is to be able to survey my new home or check out the weather before even getting out of bed!