I have no idea where to start. We plan the day and then it goes 10 ways sideways. So much I want to share with you but things change 4 – 8 times or more per day. My mind is a few days behind. I have not kept a list as the time is passing too quickly.
For instance we are in the midst of our……….. – I wrote the above about 10 days…….
I wrote the following this past Wednesday the 18th of September.
Right now today ( the18th ) I am sitting at the airport in Edmonton waiting for my flight back home to Kelowna. Colin left home yesterday @ 4:30 am to drive with the twins to Vancouver to do some must needed errands before we leave. I left home at 8am. At least we were gone the same day. I flew to Edmonton to see my chiropractor. Good thing I did as I had quite a few issues directly related to my fall this past July when I broke my nose. I needed more intense treatment today, hopefully that is all the I will require.
Meanwhile Colin got his two major errands done and my two smaller ones. He says that the girls travelled well and despite all different people he met and going up and down elevators three times that they never barked once. Sadly he never got home til almost 11pm. I was already asleep in my uncomfortable hotel bed. But I was on the 8th floor, top floor, and kept getting up to check on the Northern Lights. Despite having been out the past few nights they were a no show last night – much to my dismay.
So que pasa? The house has not been sold. The very original plan was to sell the house and upgrade our 2001 RV – probably in the spring of 2025. But as the house never sold Colin started to look at options. He found a lovely 2006 Marquis in Langley, B C. However he discovered that we would have to pay a $25,000.00 luxury tax to register the RV. Well of course we would not do that. So then we decided to drive our original RV to the USA to trade it in. First of all they would charge us $5,000.00 USD to register it in the USA so that they could sell it. Plus they would have only pay us 50% of what we could sell it for here.
So it became a bit of a game. Colin who gets up a few hours earlier than I do would wake me up with the “new plan for today” about 8am. So almost every day we had a new
direction to plan for. One morning he had yet another plan. We should sell our RV here in Kelowna and to drive to the USA and purchase an RV there. I simply glared at him and said no way.
The next day he had a solid plan. We would unload the RV – which by now was fully loaded and only needed the rest of our clothes and bathroom items to be loaded. My quick reply was asking how the $400.00 worth of special frozen food that I had already ordered would be transported. In the end we ordered two freezer/fridge coolers. Click here to see them.
So you now are starting to understand how each new day had special challenges. In addition to that I was able to shut down Colin Jewall Photo Studios Inc. the end of August. The final final year end will be done the end of February. However I am done and so very happy about it. The last six months balanced to the penny – of course it did.
Meanwhile every day poses new challenges. A few are solved quickly but most take more time which changes the course of our planned day. Of course we are behind schedule. The last two showings we had were canceled at the very last minute. Oh and due to a multitude of factors we are now leaving a day earlier.
At this point we plan to take the house off the market the end of September and relist in the spring. We have arranged to have the house winterized as usual on Friday the 4th of October. Plumbers don’t work on the weekends so we’ll have to leave a day early.
Everyday Colin is working at packing things as well as planning for the weeks ahead. Our motor home sold in two days site unseen for full asking price. We had hundreds of inquiries. My job was to sort out the buyers while Colin cleaned and unloaded it. We had literally just finished loading it. What we found sad was that most of the inquiries were from people wanting to live in it full time as they had no home. A couple and their two kids were renting one room in a house. They were so hoping to get the financing to make our RV their forever home. Sadly they were unable to get the financing. We felt so badly for them.
…..and now I am continuing in real time today, Sunday the 22nd.
So we got back from our mini individual travels and hit the ground running. Well not quite, I was exhausted, I went to bed without dinner that first night back. I have been having a tooth ache off and on for a few days. So a few days ago – Thursday past – I went to the dentist. Very bad news. I have a hidden cavity under my gold crown. It is a big deal, crown has to come off, clean out the infection, kill the three roots and and prep for a new crown. Three hours in the chair. $3850.00!! I am on antibiotics. And for those who will tell me to wait and do it in Mexico, I can’t wait because of the pain. Also it would probably cost more or the same as here. You may recall that I had that root canal just this past February and then Colin had one, same price as here. So this is an expensive year for teeth.
As well as expensive in getting my cataracts removed, I think it was about $3700.00. I still am not seeing clearly. There is no way I can drive as I can’t do anything using my readers and a magnifying glass. I see the eye surgeon tomorrow. It looks like I will be going back to eye glasses.
We have also put a deposit down on a new to us RV in California. We did a FaceTime video walk through. However it has now come to our attention that in order to do all we need to do ( register the RV in Montana, get an LLC and the plates and have everything legal – including no paying California taxes ) we now have to pay for the RV in full this coming week.
Things would’ve been much easier if we had sold the house. Also if we did not have that deadline of renewing our Mexican Residency paperwork I Mazatlan by the end of October. We are being pushed in both directions.
I am in the process of changing my Facebook information. I have changed it to Contessa Jewall from Connie Doxie but am having a load of trouble changing my email address with FB. Don’t even ask.
Colin is like the energizer rabbit. He just keeps going and going and going and packing and packing even more. Thus far we have 40 bins full with many more to come. The final ( at least I hope it is ) plan is that we will be pulling a U – Haul trailer, probably 6 X 12 or 5 X 8. We don’t actually have a plan because we don’t have time to talk about it but I think we will be on the road for 3 nights hoteling it. Traveling to the Sacramento area where the new bus is waiting for us.
That is all I can give you today folks. Yes we know about the cartel activity in Sinaloa but I can’t even think about it until we get into our new home. we will have a week or so in Las Vegas to get settled and sorted out. I refuse to think ahead about all there is to do. Enough to do at this very moment. My desk is sold and goes out this afternoon. I am sad about that. I also need to get my new iMac set up before we leave.
Thank you for all your thoughts and comments.
WOW When did you decide to change RVs? I’d say take it easy so you don’t get sick, but guess there is no time for that. Hope from now on all goes as planned. Thinking of you.
You sort of have to read between the lines. We did not sell the house so we sold the RV so we could have a nice unit to travel in. Might stay away for a year or two. Likely not as we have to come back to sell the house.
Congrats, what is your new motorhome?
When we lived in BC we found that the luxury tax didn’t apply to RVs, it only applied to passengers vehicles. Think you likely did better with you CA find.
Hope your eye surgeon can help and good luck with your crown.
So much happening in so little time.
Sending hugs
Glad we found it before it was too late about the tax. Looking forward to spending time together this winter.
Thanks for the update Contessa. You certainly have a lot on your plate to deal with in a short time. However, you have it all figured out. Without being superstitious, I believe everything happens for a reason, so go with the flow. The cost of your food does not offset the investment of the coolers, but I understand that you wish to take it. We have a similar cooler, fridge/freezer that comes in handy at times but takes up some space. I do hope and wish that your eyes will improve over time and your tooth will be fixed in time for your travel. All the best!
We have a limited diet as we don’t eat meat nor chicken so the expense of the coolers is worth it to us. Plus they will become part of the RV basement. Also taking one with us shopping will be a huge help.
Wow, so that is what you have been up to.
I was getting worried because all that had been going on. I could never be that busy, LOL.
I would love to see the new RV, but I know you will post photos as soon as possible. My prayers are with you as always.
Love reading your blog
D I T T O !
🌺 🌿 🌼 🌿.
I think that I should be put in jail for being so busy. Thanks for commenting.
Contessa, no need to be so radical !! 🤪 😂 😂
YESSSSSS, we all are hoping to see the new R V, ASAP !! 💃. 💃
Contessa, you are moving right along my friend! Sorry to hear about your eyesight. Darn it! I’m excited to see your new Coach. It’s look fabulous. The Isla is calling. ❤️. Live in the day, and make sure you rest with a splash of wine. Hi to Colin, I don’t know where he gets all that energy! Take care🥂🥰🌹💫
Thank you for the update. Like most of your blog readers, I was getting very concerned about your well-being. Hope things go smoother going forward.
Sorry to concern you all. But I just need every spare moment I have right now.
I don’t even know how u do it all, let alone figure out all the ins n outs. Glad “the girls” are seeming to go with the flow… Hope y truly get to relax some in Las Vegas!!
I have a feeling it will be November before I get any realization in. But I won’t be doing much for the first months.
Too much to even comment on! I’ll just follow and see one step at a time. Only one question…how will you power the cooler/freezers as you drive? Eric has wired in an inverter in our cargo trailer to power a battery charger for his motorcycle as we travel. It can run our cooler as well.
Powered by 12V or 110. we will use themas a freezer in the basement of the new RV.
Very interesting Blog! Lots of changes in your lives. The house will sell, it is beautiful so will just take the time it takes to find THE right buyer. It was quite the shock to discover you sold the MH although I can completely understand your reasoning. We bought ours in El Paso, Texas so, yes, lots of paperwork! Trading our old one in meant transfering our ownership to Texas so we would be allowed to trade it in. Didn’t make sense for the cost and effort so we had a friend of Brooks fly down and drive it home. Interestingly, we only had 10 days to drive the new one home to Canada on the temporary Canadian registration. You seem to have gotten around that problem. I am sorry your cataaract surgeries are taking so long to heal, you know the problem I had with the one I had done. I am refusing to get the second one done and will delay as long as possible. I am pretty much assuming that will be the end of my vision dispire the reassurances of my new surgeon. Well, I hope all the rest of your plans go well and I will be watching your reports.
Croft it was time to sell the 2001 bus. The only thing is we did it here in Canada to save money. The original plan was to do it next spring.