Crunch Time

I'm pretty much in melt down mode now (par for the course for me when I move), but am better than I was four hours ago.

When I picked up Miranda in July, I didn't have the tow pins, so I couldn't hitch up the car. The previous owner was going to be out of town for several weeks, so I set all thoughts of the pins aside until he got back. When he did, he questioned if the pins really belonged to me or came with the base plate. By the time I got an answer about that, and learned that no place in town has the pins in stock and they would all take at least two weeks to get some in for me (!!!), the PO was unreachable and... it was 4:30 today. I came up with several contingency plans for getting both Miranda and Pommette back in town by Saturday. None were pretty. Then the phone rang at 4:45 and it was the PO, out of town, but back tomorrow. I can pick up the pins at 5PM. Crisis averted. PHEW.

I woke up at 6:15 this morning in full panic mode and made up several more boxes before leaving for work an hour and a half later. I really don't have that much left to do, but it's all spread out and looks worse than it is. I've also essentially 'lost' an evening. Tomorrow, I'm driving out to North Gower to pick up Miranda, and I'll drop her off at the mechanic's where she'll undergo an oil change on Friday morning.

Friday afternoon, I'll go pick her up and drive her here to fill her up as much as I have time for. Then I'm going to a sports arena a few blocks from my place that allows overnighting in an RV at no charge!!! How convenient is that?! I was surprised to find not only this option, but also TWO Wal-marts within a ten minute drive. Ssh, don't tell Gatineau! They'll shut down that practise if they get wind of it.

So, Friday night I'll sleep in the moho at the arena with the catkids and be back here bright and early on Saturday morning. I'll have time to clean the house before my friend shows up to help me with the mattress.

Then, it's off to the municipal dump to get Miranda weighed, the grocery store for supplies, and, finally, the campground for some well deserved downtime and BEER.

This is my seventh move in ten years. One would think I'd have such an event down to a science by now, but I'm not. Each move has been very different. I'm just so tired of it and hope that I can RV for a few years.

Things are so rushed right now that I have to remind myself that this time next week, I'll be trying to wind down in preparation for the big departure the next morning. I might not feel ready, but "There is a time for departure even when there's no certain place to go." (Tennessee Williams)

Eight sleeps left!

More Frustration

Well, I've wound up getting a new phone number.

As it turns out, Virgin Mobile could have ported my old number over to the mobile... had my internet service provider, Vidéotron, been willing to cooperate. They were not. I spoke to an absolutely vile woman this afternoon. But that doesn't surprise me, all the customer service reps there need to have an attitude adjustment. I would have still gone with them, though, had I moved within the city because the tech guys rock. They are sub-contractors who are in the right business. In case that wasn't clear, if you're in Quebec and you have a choice between Bell and Vidéotron, pick the latter. They're reps aren't as helpful as Emily, but their tech guys won't make it necessary for you to traipse to the telephone pole with your ladder in the dark in minus 20 weather to fix their bad wiring job.

But, I digress.

So, having my pick of any area code in the country, I decided for a Victoria-based number (area code 250). I anticipate being in that area for several months and having a 'local' number will make government job hunting easier. I have the option to change my number later, of course, and local calls (say to Calgary from Calgary or Saskatoon from Saskatoon) are charged the local per minute rate, not the long distance rate, no matter my number's area code. So, really, this was self indulgence on my part. :-)

There's No Love Lost...

Between the city of Gatineau and myself. It's no secret that I have nothing to recommend about this backward money-grubbing city and that the only way I could have survived another couple of years in this area would have been by returning to Ottawa.

One of the biggest issues I have is the draconian parking enforcement. Here are two examples:

1) One day, I parked my car in front of my house at about ten to five during the week. The way parking is set up at my house is that I have to drive down a narrow laneway and then park in the backyard. To get to the car, I have to go down a flight of stairs. In the front, though, I only have two steps to go down. So, I had parked on the street in order to fill the car for some excursion or another. During the week, I'm only allowed to park one hour in front between the hours of 8 and 6PM, so I needed to be out of the spot by ten to six, then move the car for ten minutes. Well, with seven minutes left on the metre, a parking enforcement officer came by and told me that he was watching me and that if I wasn't gone in exactly seven minutes, I was going to get a ticket. He could see that I lived there and was loading boxes and that there were a ton of empty spaces on the street. He could have let me have those ten minutes. Instead, he sat there staring at his watch while I shut up the car, drove down my laneway, parked in the back, did a couple more loads up and down the stairs, and then came back to the front once 6 came. He was still there, making sure I didn't repark until it was 6:01.

2) I'm beginning to fear that I will be rushed on Saturday morning. I need to drive to North Gower, boost the coach, and hook up the car for the first time. A friend is meeting me at 9:30 to move the mattress in and I need to be out of there for noon. So, I thought that I could bring the coach up on Friday. I don't trust the neighbourhood, so I would sleep in it with my cellphone kept closeby. That would give me all of Friday night to get the coach loaded. I called the city of Gatineau to see if this was okay and made one heck of a mistake: I told the lady where I live. She informed me that I cannot park on my street, no exceptions, not even to load the coach on Saturday. She said that she knows my address and is looking foward to sending someone over on Saturday to ticket me.

I'm fairly sure this is just talk on her part to discourage me, but Saturday night onward I am sleeping in Ottawa and I will never, ever return to this city to live ever again.

Joining the 21st Century

I got my first cell phone today.

I've never had any use for such a trinket, but I know having one will make sense in the context of my adventure since I won't be able to rely on internet access.

Canada is woefully behind the times in the telecommunications choices available, so I didn't have many carriers and plans to compare. Also, I knew exactly what I wanted, and only one could provide it:

-a cheap phone (under 50$);
-no contract;
-a low monthly fee for voice mail and a low activation fee;
-no other costs except the minutes I use;
-the minutes have to be good for a long period of time;
-I can keep my current number;
-coverage is country-wide

I chose Virgin Mobile.

The phone was 49.99$, I don't have a contract, there is no fee for voice mail AND activation; I will be paying per the minute; my 100$ worth of minutes are good for a year; I can keep my number; and they use Bell Mobility's coverage area, which has the most coverage. That's the best I could hope for in this country.

Of course, there is a catch. My 100$ worth of minutes come at the expense of 30 cents per minute for local calls and voice mail checking, and 60 cents per minute for long distance calls, both incoming and outgoing. So, this won't be a phone for chatting, but I don't chat on the phone anyway. I can check in with my family occasionally by pay phone with a long distance calling card.

If things change and I find myself racing through my minutes, then I can upgrade to a monthly plan.

Apparently, I have free call display, too, so I can decide whether to take a call or not, saving me some minutes.

In order to 'port over' my existing telephone number, I have to do a juggling act with my current phone provider. VM told me to have my internet disconnect, but to keep the phone for two days. So, I'll call on Monday to have the internet disconnected on Saturday morning and the phone on Monday.

Virgin Mobile has been a pleasure to deal with so far. Staff is friendly and knowledgeable and there is absolutely no bullshit. I researched them online and then went to speak with a sales representative. I then emailed them to confirm what the sales rep told me before going back to the store and purchasing. The sales and customer service reps I spoke to in the research phase listened to what I wanted and proposed exactly what I had come up with on my own during my research. They never once tried to sell me anything else. I didn't even get the 'Of you buy a phone that's X$ more, you'll get all these cool extra features' spiel I was expecting. Today, I went to the kiosk and said "I want your cheapest phone and a 100$ prepaid card" and that was that. The rep didn't try to sell me any accessories or suggest a monthly plan. After all the horror stories I've heard of people getting locked into contracts and otherwise getting screwed by mobile phone companies, I'm relieved to say I made a clean getaway. Of course, we'll see how good service is once I'm actually hooked up with them and using their services. :-)

Eating the Elephant

As the days creep closer to September 4th, I'm a bit panicked about how much junk, erm, personal possessions, I still need to get rid of. I can't believe how huge this house is, nor how naïve I was about how much I'd already downsized! After the horde left on Saturday, I was left feeling pretty depressed and overwhelmed. I spent Sunday in a bit of a funk as my overworked brain tried to figure out how to deal with what's left.

My original thought had, of course, been a garage sale, but I've been convinced that this won't be worth my while (mainly because of the neighbourhood I live in). So, I've mulled things over and realised that getting money isn't as important as feeling as if my things are going to people who need and want them, rather than just ending up in the trash heap.

I started by contacting someone who had picked up a ton of books from me in the spring. She's working on a database project involving books and knows a lot of readers. She had been thrilled to receive the mountain I gave her then and enthusiastically accepted to pick up this week what I have left. That helped me find the second wind I needed to tear through the house and box up the books I have left. I was surprised to discover that I still had a visceral attachment to a lot of them, then chided myself. Those books are ones I've read a million times over twenty years or so. It's time for me to read new things!

I've advertised the last bit of furniture on Craigslist and am hoping to get money for my computer armoire and craft hutch. I put two bedside lamps on there and was shocked when someone snapped them up almost immediately. Same thing for a filing cabinet, which I gave to a grateful student.

Extra linens that are still in good condition will go to a Saint-Vincent-de-Paul drop off box. Like batches of things, like empty DVD cases and kitchen supplies, are offered on the local Freecycle-type group.

As for the things that are coming with me, I found a new use for my Ikea Kasset boxes as they will be the perfect fit for the overhead cabinets in Miranda. So, I've got a row of them spread out in the living room and they're all divided into categories--hardware, electronics, bathroom, office supplies, etc.. As I move through the house and gather up odds and ends, I deposit them in the appropriate box. Once that box is full, I start another. Since I can't just dump things pêle-mêle into a box now to dump back into a drawer at the other end, because I won't have much furniture, this method is working out brilliantly.

In just two hours this evening I could see definite progress, so I'm actually starting to feel that I might have this buttoned up on time.

12 sleeps left till I move in and 17 sleeps left till I leave!

Slowing Down

One of the things on my 'to do' list is to make a reservation for a guided tour of the Cité de l'or in Val D'or.

I looked at the details of the various tours and realised that they involve a full day. So, I probably wouldn't be able to leave Vérendrye park on the 5th and get to the tour without rushing. Well, I decided, I'd just have to take the shorter tour, then!

Which is when I kicked myself in the pants and reminded myself that I've been wanting to go to Val D'or for six years and that I can give the city the time it needs, whether it's a day or three, and that I'M IN NO RUSH.

It feels so strange to be sitting here, on a damp and dreary evening, with so much to do and work to go to tomorrow, and to just take a moment out of time to breathe and plan something fun that is reminding me of just why I want to do this in the first place.

An Ending Moves into a Beginning

In a matter of hours a horde will descend upon my house, filling it like hungry little fire ants attacking a prey. When it scatters, the house will be quite empty.

I'll then have two weeks to continue bringing items to Miranda and get rid of the rest. I really don't have that much left to bring at this time, though. What's left is mostly stuff I don't want to do without in the next couple of weeks, like my clothes, computer set up, DVD cases, and mattress. For the last big haul, I would like to bring Miranda here one day, finish filling her up, and then leave for good. That will hopefully happen on Saturday the 30th. I had planned to spend that weekend at a campground but only just clued in that, HELLO!, it's the Labour Day weekend! I'll be lucky to find a campground close by that still has spots left. I'll make some calls on Monday, but I have a couple of other options in mind.

I will spend my last two weeks in this house the way I spent the first two weeks, with very little furniture and no appliances, and will be coming full circle as I move back into a metal tube on wheels. Had someone told me last March that I would be moving back into such an abode, I would have laughed. Life is the strangest ride.

Reading. More Reading. Yet More Reading.

Tomorrow will be my first full day all alone with Miranda.

I've been reading a lot this week.

Miranda's various manuals have proven invaluable in making me feel that I can learn her systems on my own, without anyone to help me. The Ford manuals (and, incidentally, I can't believe I own a Ford), has schematics of the electrical set up which will aid me in installing the backup camera monitor.

Also, I purchased the following two books on Amazon:

Managing 12 Volts: How to Upgrade, Operate, and Troubleshoot 12 Volt Electrical Systems

and

RV Repair and Maintenance Manual: Updated and Expanded (RV Repair and Maintenance Manual)

Neither is the sort of book you want to curl up in bed with (unless you want to be put to sleep!), but they are very informative and will be helpful tomorrow as I start to make modifications to my coach. The language used in both tomes is precise, but doesn't fall into 'technobabble.'

Unfortunately, 'they're' calling for rain all weekend, so I probably won't be able to install my back up camera. I will try to do the inside work, though, and will then focus on getting the study set up.

I plan to spend about an hour with Miranda at the storage place, unloading more boxes, securing what's been unloaded, trying out the awning, and making sure I know where various components like the water heater and furnace are. Then, we're off to Home Depot and then possibly Ikea and Lee Valley. I made a list of what I want at the latter and their prices, so that I can compare products at the Home Depot.

Tomorrow's 'I hope I can do all this!' list:

-Properly install Majel (the GPS unit);
-Wire the backup camera monitor into Miranda's 12V system;
-Remove both beds from the bedroom;
-Remove the carpet from the bedroom;
-Install Allure flooring in the bedroom;
-Reinstall the left-side bed

I doubt I'll get to the desk, so I'll probably have to go back to Miranda on Sunday. Since spending the night at the storage place isn't an option, driving home and back is a more cost-effective plan than would be going to a campground. That's for next weekend!

Decisions, Decisions

I went back to the storage place last night with a friend so I could show off Miranda and also get her opinion on which bed to rip out and replace with a desk. My friend also wound up hauling boxes, but that was not my intent for bringing down there, LOL!

So, I wanted to rip out the bed on the left. The bedroom isn't symmetrical and the left side has a wider wall. I felt that I could tuck both a desk and a chair away and have them not be visible from the kitchen, as evidenced in one of my pictures on Flickr.

Also, the right-side bed has a drop down table, so I felt that it was conveniently set up for use as a couch, even if the electrical plug and heater are on that side.

The previous owner told me that, having lived in the coach for six months, she felt that the right-side bed should be the one to go, pointing out the wider wall and the electrical outlet. I didn't find her arguments convincing.

My friend also suggested I take out the right-side bed, telling me that I won't have guests often, but when I do, the wider wall of the left side will make a sort of alcove that will offer much needed privacy in such a small space.

That settled it.

Another decision to make is where to put the litter box. I am seriously considering giving up the space under the 'sofa' and dedicating it to the cat box. I had hoped to be able to put the box in the basement, but there are no convenient places in which to do so. My other option is to put it in the storage space below the wardrobe, but that would require removing a door. I think that making a discreet hole in the base of the 'sofa' makes more sense. The final option was to put the box in the cockpit, either between the two seats or at the foot of the passenger seat, but that area is carpeted and will remain carpeted, so I don't feel that's a good idea.

I had hoped to be able to remove one of the lounge chairs and the bar at some point to replace them with a credenza/bookcase. The chairs are bolted down and I couldn't immediately see a way to remove them, so I might have to live with them.

Then, I discovered that the material covering the chairs and dinette benches also covers the ceiling of the cockpit. I've decided that I therefore have to live with this material. That said, I still want to remove as much of the sage green curtains as I can (I used to love that colour, but now I just see my cubicle!!!) and play up the other colours in the fabric--there's blue, pink, gold, and peach, so I know I'll be able to do do something I can live with. I'm also pretty sure I'll need to replace the mini blinds at some point since Tabitha and Neelix will surely destroy them.

Finally, I feel that the space above the fridge was poorly designed, so I'm going to spring for a cabinet for up there. I'll be unable to match Miranda's woodwork, so I think I'll go for open shelves and use the space for books.

The Day Has Come at Last!

I get to go pick up Miranda at 6:30 tonight!

The previous owner called me on Saturday morning to let me know that he was releasing the keys... and that his neighbour with the keys had just left for the weekend. *edits a really honest, but not so nice, thought* Anyway, the neighbour called last night to say I can swing by tonight. At last!!!

A friend and I had planned to go pick up Miranda together in her car, so she could follow me to the storage location and give me a ride back. We both felt that I'd have enough stress without worrying about towing right away. Well, of course, now that my friend has been on standby for over a week, she had to leave town. So, trial by fire for me tonight. :-)

I went over to Their house yesterday to install Miranda's license plate (carrying a copy of an email giving me permission to be on Their property, just in case). I wasn't sure about what tools (wrench) I'd need for that or how complicated it would be (not at all), so I figured that I could save some time on pick up night. And, okay, I just wanted to make sure my rig was okay! :-) At the same time, I took a closer look at the tow hitch... and discovered that They hadn't left me the safety cables. *rolls eyes* So, I need to go pick some up before I get Miranda tonight. There's a store in Gatineau called 'Attache remorques'(Trailer Hitches), so I figured they would probably have the necessary item. They do. Thank goodness. I can't believe how much STUFF is involved in towing. Freedom doesn't come cheap!!!

My car is filled to the brim with assorted bits and bobs for the coach, as well as all my hand tools. Since Miranda will be parked 45 minutes from home, I won't have the luxury of making a million trips out to see her, so I need to maximize every visit. Moving will be easier than I'd thought, though. My mother is coming up the last weekend in August to get some of the furniture my sister wanted, plus the few boxes she'll store for me. It was supposed to be earlier, but this turns out to be a much better plan. I'll be able to pick up Miranda that morning and bring her up to my house and then fill her right there, with help in bringing in larger items like the mattress. Then, I can take off for a campground for my final three or four nights before hitting the road. I had another thought over the weekend. I wasn't sure what to do with the bed spreads and curtains that come with Miranda and which I don't want. I might as well store them.

This coming Saturday, provided the weather cooperates, I aim to go pick up Miranda bright and early and drive her to the nearest Home Depot so I can get all the major work done on her--back up camera installation, bed ripping out, carpet replacement, desk building, etc. That's going to be such a fun day!

Mobility and Community

I've been following the adventures of Sean and Louise, fulltiming in Odyssey, a 40' Neoplan bus, for quite a long time now.

I remember reading their blog for the first time and thinking "Wow, I'd love to do that... but there's absolutely no way I could." I credit Louise for indirectly getting me out of that mentality. I had so many excuses for not getting on the road, one of which was that my cats would simply tear up the motorhome with their claws. She presented a solution, Softpaws, and helped me realise that there was a solution to all my excuses. Flash forward many months, and here I am, a month and a half before my own fulltiming dream begins!

Sean and Louise are presently volunteering for the Red Cross. Their current blog entries have chronicled their mad dash from Wyoming to Texas, and they're about to be on the move again.

I cannot wait to have this sort of mobility.

When my father was ill, I wanted to move to be closer to him. That wasn't feasible in the amount of time he had left. How nice it would have been to have the freedom to drop my job for a few months, something I could have done had I necessary mobility, to be with him full time!

Or how about those interesting temporary job postings for which I can't apply because moving house wouldn't make financial sense and staff housing wouldn't work because of the catkids?

How about volunteer opportunities during times of disaster?

Or even cases like this week where I realised just how unsafe is the area in which I'm living?

Most of the people I know in the 'real' world are extremely sedentary. They would look at this post and say "Yeah, mobility has its advantages, but you have to give up having a community."

I couldn't disagree more. In just a few short months, I've learned that RVers form a community unto themselves, partly 'real' and partly virtual. I can't wait to compare that sense of community to that which I've experienced in the various places I've lived.

Glimmer of Hope For Next Weekend!

One of Miranda's current owners will be able to pick up the cheque in Laval in person on Tuesday and at the same time drop off the registration papers. Once they confirm the cheque is good, they'll call me so I can get keys, which a neighbour will be holding for me. If everything continues to go as smoothly as it has, this will happen no later than Thursday so I should be able to take advantage of the one evening the SAAQ is open late and therefore get Miranda's plates right away.

Pomette (the toad) is going in tonight to get her base plate installed tomorrow, so she'll be nice and ready for when I go pick up Miranda.

Of course, picking up Miranda this way will mean that I won't be getting a crash course in her systems. So, it looks like I'll be learning the hard way. :-D

Truly Wondrous Technology!

Just how have I traveled all these years without a GPS unit?!

Today, I drove out to the only RV storage place I contacted that felt my request for about six weeks of storage was worth a reply. It's forty minutes away, but an easy and lovely drive. I paid up till August 31st (105$ plus a 20$ key deposit) and was told that I can bring Miranda up any time after Monday, so that's another thing resolved.

I let the GPS unit direct me there. It was nice to just let 'someone else' take over and to just drive. When I was ready to leave, I asked the GPS to take me to the nearest gas station, then to the nearest Loblaws grocery store, then to home. I really enjoyed the disorienting feeling I got at the gas station when I realised that I had literally no idea where I was! Of course, this told me that I will still need to carry maps in case of GPS failure, but otherwise I was free to enjoy the sun and scenery and let the GPS do the hard work.

A kilometre to home, the unit got a name: Majel. After Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, who did the voice of the computer on the various Star Trek shows and also played Nurse/Doctor Christine Chapel. Hmm... Now would be a good time to point out that Neelix came with his name, which he responded to, and therefore I'm not responsible for that bit of geekiness!

First Major Obstacle

According to my financing lady, funds will be released to Miranda's current owner Monday or Tuesday.

Thing is, her current owner is leaving the country for two weeks starting Sunday.

He's going to try to push for an electronic bank transfer tomorrow or Monday at the latest so that he can leave keys for me with a neighbour or something along those lines.

Otherwise, Miranda won't be mine until August 4th or 5th at the earliest.

I told him that he should have advised both me and the financing lady of this on Monday so that we could have rushed the paperwork. Anyway...

I was so hoping to have her for next weekend, though. My sister is having a party at a town only an hour from where Miranda will be parked all of August and I had hoped that this could be our first trip out together. *crossing my fingers*

At any rate, I'm not going to freak out over this until I know for sure how it's going to turn out.

Officially an RVer?

I got my 'welcome to the FQCC' kit today!

Fédération
québécoise des
camping et
caravaning

(Quebec federation of camping and RVing.)

The package included stickers for Miranda's upper left rear end to identify her as belonging to this group, including a series of number that identify her uniquely. I'm not sure yet of the benefit of that.

Membership has a lot of benefits in Quebec and some across Canada and even the US.

I joined mainly because membership was 58$ and meant I paid 150$ less for my insurance policy, for a savings for 92$, plus I get the rebates at specific gas stations, campgrounds, RV supply stores, and more. Membership comes with a really nice magazine, but I opted out because it's focused on Quebec and I didn't feel it would be worth having it forwarded to wherever I end up being over the next year.

I'm looking at other discount clubs and might join one more, but that'll be it for my first year on the road.

Time To Go

It's no secret that I don't live in a good neighbourhood. I knew that going in, but figured that I'd be fine for a year since the location is so convenient to work. I avoid going out at night on foot and am hyper vigilant when walking around during the day on weekends. During week days, though, the neighbourhood is crawling with civil servants walking to and from their jobs at the various government complexes in the area. I'm alert walking to and from work, but I never would have expected what happened to me as I headed for home today at lunch.

A block from my house, I heard a man behind me, obviously on a bicycle and on the sidewalk. He was muttering. Immediately, I tensed, knowing that 'something' was up. I sped up. He sped up to join up with me, pushed me into the bushes, spit on me, and called me a truly vile name.

I spent my lunch hour filing a police report, taking a shower, and washing my clothes.

In the year I've lived here, this was the second time I had to call the police. The first time was because I thought my neighbours were going to murder each other. In 2006, I was driving on a highway that goes through the outer edge of the neighbourhood and was struck by a huge rock thrown from the overpass above me.

It's time to go.

I can't wait to live a lifestyle that will enable me to leave bad neighbours and scary situations immediately.

Status Update

Financing requested a proof of insurance in order to finalize the paperwork. Insurance required a date of possession in order to finalize their paperwork. So, financing gave me a date. Monday.

Monday?!

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP.

My car needs a base plate! And Miranda needs her back up camera! And the parking people haven't gotten back to me! And... and... and... I don't know anything about RVs!

*breathes in, breathes out*

Put It on the View Screen, Lieutenant

Miranda's only fault is that she doesn't come with a back up/rearview camera system. I can barely back up with a car and I won't have any help in guiding me into tight spots. So, I couldn't imagine hitting the road without this device.

Finding one to purchase was quite tough. The electronics stores I visited sold components for the systems, but not whole ones, and the staff wasn't very knowledgeable about these things. I don't have much experience or knowledge of electronic systems, so I didn't want to go the piecemeal route. Wal-Mart and Canadian Tire have complete systems, but they are cheap and not well rated, as well as wireless, which wouldn't work on a 31'+ rig.

Googling, I found some sites offering systems for prices ranging from 350$ to several thousand dollars.

Finally, I went to the Escapees forum I belong to (and where people have been inordinately patient with all my questions!). Someone recommended an eBay seller he's personally dealt with and who has excellent feedback. The cheapest system was 250$ (plus 30$ shipping to Quebec) and seemed very good--weatherproof camera and cable, all the hardware needed, colour monitor, and more. So, I added one more 'officialism' to my list and purchased the system.

The seller also offers side cameras. Since the monitor I purchased can be hooked up to three cameras total, I had a flash of my adding two side cameras to give me a 360 degree view around my coach... not unlike the view screen on the Enterprise!

Installing the camera seems easy enough, all things considered, except, of course, for the part that involves climbing up onto the roof. :-)

Coming Together Indeed...

I continue to marvel at how this project of mine is coming together.

I haven't given a lot of thought to finding work on the road, but it has been at the back of my mind, enough for me to envision an 'ideal' scenario for the winter.

I don't plan to travel, at least not much, during the winter. After a month of driving across the country and up to a month of going from place to place picking fruit, I will have most likely exhausted my current savings and even racked up a bit of debt. So, I figured that staying put for the winter would be my best bet.

Therefore, I'm hoping to find work at a campground located near a large urban centre (probably either Victoria or Vancouver), one where I could work enough part-time hours evenings and weekends to guarantee me free rent for the winter. I would then supplement this with part or full-time work 'in town' at a 'real' job with good pay, enabling me to build up my bank account again.

Sounds like a tall order, right?

Well, I just sent off a resumé in response to a job posting that meets all of these requirements!

I Was Wrong...

About stress levels going down once negotiations were over.

Still so much to do, EEEEEEEEEEEEP.

And, what, praytell, do I know about the care and feeding of an RV?!

(just be grateful I didn't share any of my other meltdowns)