Sep 21, 2018
We survived
A full eight hours of go go go. New tires done and seem great. We managed to pick up all the cheques, had to go back to one place twice as they were not ready. I even got the one cheque in the mail that I was hoping for. All went smoothly until we got to ICBC which is the only place that you can get insurance on your vehicles here in BC, Canada. They have a monopoly and no one seems able to understand the new computer system ( ?? 2-3 years old ) 😥
Those of you who live here in BC will understand. We had five items to deal with. Knowing the system, I asked to be able to sit down with an agent rather than stand. In the end we were there for well over an hour 🙄 First off we put my car into storage effective midnight tonite. However they needed an exact date to end the storage. How do I know, so we chose June 25th, a few days after we are back from Europe. I will then insure the Lexus for four months ( it was only three months this year 😕 ), guess we are traveling too much.
Next off was the Jeep. We downgraded from full insurance to senior insurance as Colin is no longer going to job sites and doing business. We were credited $65.00. Once the paperwork was done, I had to think about that for a bit, as in fact we also needed to renew the senior insurance on the Jeep for a full year effective November 10th which I thought that she was doing. However she said no, you can’t as you can only renew 55 days ahead and we did not have that. Colin quietly and calmly pointed out that we were legit. So she had to add that on and was not happy about that. Meanwhile the new paperwork from now until November 10th was printed as the ink was running out in the printer and I could not even read the dates nor the license number. She was not impressed that I asked that it be re printed ( going thru the US/Mexican border – hello !! ). She had to change the ink cartridge.
Last up was the RV. The Aviva portion was up for renewal October 1st but she had to reread the entire policy to be sure it was correct 😡 At this point I politely mentioned that I had another appointment ( to get my new glasses adjusted ) in about 10 minutes ( they were closing in 15 minutes ). Instead she started to help another agent who had no idea what to do with her client. I simply sat and fumed quietly. Colin later told me that I did good not reaming her out. Finally the Aviva portion was complete and then we had to do the ICBC portion of the insurance for the RV. Another long and drawn out event. Finally after over $1800.00 total for all of our transactions or so, we were done. I of course missed getting my eye glasses adjusted as they were closed.
We got home, unloaded and put stuff away. Colin immediately ( about 3 hours ago ) got back to photoshop and I got caught up as much as I could. I still have not finished off on the final invoice. Great news is that we only have ( other than the direct deposit payments ) two outstanding invoices and those will be taken care of by the end of the day Tuesday :-D. So many phone calls with clients today and one very very long one with our accountants assistant. They really do not like me shutting things down so very early. Tough 😆
I got a twinkle of excitement today. Yeah, we are hitting the road for a full six months, only six sleeps. Once I get through tomorrow I only have to pack, load and store the RV. Not too may brain cells required. One of the stops today involved purchasing wine until we left, and some for the RV and even two bottles for when we return home in April 😛
My only complaint is that I am freezing cold. We have had full on rain for almost a straight 24 hours. Someone today, made a comment on how I was wearing winter clothes today. I was and I was/am still cold. Yup socks in my sandals again.
Thanks for following along…..off to warm up in the tub along with a book and a glass of vino. Eventually it will be time to make dinner. Gosh,what am I to do with all of my tomatoes and carrots? We can’t bring them into the US and we certainly can’t eat them all.
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I will trade you the rain for the snow!
Umm no gracias. Is it affecting your garden?
IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL ABOUT 6AM AND I TOOK SOME VIDEO. PROBABLY TOO DARK OUT FOR IT TO BE ANY GOOD. SNOW DOESN’T MAKE ONE AS WET AS RAIN AND RAIN IS NOT AS PRETTY, BUT IT IS TOO DARNED EARLY FOR THIS SNOW. THE ONE NOT SO NICE THING ABOUT BC IS THE ICBC!!! ALWAYS A NIGHTMARE. GLAD YOU GOT THROUGH IT IN SPITE OF NOT GETTING YOUR GLASSES ADJUSTED. YOU CAN’T RUSH GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES! 6 MORE SEEPEES.
My new glasses are driving me nuts. They are so light that I am having trouble with the adjustment.
Contessa, make some Gluhwein (means “glow wine” or German mulled wine) to keep you warm. Warm red wine, citrus fruits, such as thinly sliced oranges and pitted cherries, different spices, such as nutmeg and cinnamon, and a little sugar; a piping hot mug will keep you warm and merry all day.
As for the tomatoes, you can blanch them, get a pot of boiling water going on the stove; put the tomatoes in a colander; dip the colander in the boiling water for about 30 to 60 seconds; then quickly transfer them to ice water in a large bowl or sink (you will see the tomatoes start to peel; you can peel them then or wait until later when you actually use them); when the tomatoes are cool, toss them in zip-lock bags and store them in the freezer. You can do the same with the carrots, but wash them first and take the top growth off. They will be great for use to make sauce when you return home.
Hope you two have a wonderful trip down and can’t wait to see what your plans will be.
Thanks for the great suggesting Dee. I just am too strapped for time this year. Will try next year.
How did you manage with the Hurricane?
Nice to get those things out of the and soon be on the road for 6 months, time to enjoy life.
Like Dee said blanch them and freeze them, perfect for many recipes.
Good idea George. I don’t have the time to do the blanching, perhaps next year. Meanwhile what we don’t eat I will give away.
Contessa, I can’t remember how long you’ll be in the states before you cross in to Mexico but keep an eye on the news as the flooding near Los Mochis and Culiacan has closed highway 15. I haven’t been following it closely but I did see a picture of a big chunk of freeway missing so some repairs may take a while. Probably won’t affect you but I just wanted to let you know. Here’s an article https://themazatlanpost.com/2018/09/22/alternative-route-for-people-driving-south-to-mazatlan-vallarta-or-chapala/
Thank you so very very much for this info. We have friends who live in Gusave as well as in Culiacan. Such a tragedy. We don’t cross until Nov.13th so I hope that the very clever Mexicans will have come up with a fix/detour to highway 15.
I had a bag of home grown carrots in my fridge crossing the border with no issue. I had no citrus or other fruit, peppers or potatoes. Last year I was told potatoes (commercial) not home grown and apples with a BC sticker were ok. Hope that highway 15 is ok by the beginning of November. Safe travels.
Thank you. I am going to try taking the carrots with us.
MOST FRUITS AND VEGGIES ARE OKAY AS LONG AS THEY HAVE NO SEEDS OR PITS. MY MOTHER REFUSED TO SURRENDER HER TOMATOES SO SHE SAT THERE AND ATE THEM!!! SINCE 1980, WITH A MINIMUM OF TWO CROSSING/YEAR, THE ONLY ITEM SEIZED WAS A BOTTLE OF ALCOHOL WHICH WAS OVER SIZED AND WE’VE HAD ORANGE SEGMENTS, APPLE SLICES, CHEESE, CRACKERS, COLD CUTS, CRISPY COOKED BACON, LETTUCE, OLIVES, PICKLES SITTING ON OUR PLATES ON THE DASH IN FULL VIEW AND MENTIONED. AS YOU KNOW I FLY WITH 2 BIG ROLLS OF LIVERWURST EVERY TIME. SKIP WAS A SNACKER.
Arizona Gal, that is so funny, so she sat there and ate them!! Reminds me of Lucille Ball in one of her “I Love Lucy” sitcoms.
Actually I recall sitting and eating an apple that they wanted to take away long ago.
Your Mom was so neat. Gosh you guys sure has some special snacks as you traveled. Much more that we eat in the RV.
Can’t wait to see your trip plan!
All I can say is stay tuned mi amigo.
I am so excited for you! I found myself squirming as I read your story… I know all about how things can be so tedious and time consuming with the insurance companies. Goof for you that you asked to get that
reprinted! Good that you took the time to read that over.
You are almost on easy street now… All the best to you and safe travels!
Question… can you make a stew with the carrots and tomatoes?… Will that work going over the border? I don’t know the legalities, but thanks for letting us know!
Cheers! Big hugs to you and Colin!
Thanks for your newsletter! It is so entertaining!
Paul and Jan.
I do believe that if the veggies were cooked they would be fine. But we really like our produce raw and fresh, better for the body. I am so detailed that I drive myself crazy. It won’t be long before you two are heading South with us.
You are so kind Contessa. Love that.
Your blog is wonderful. We love reading your
Adventures!
Take care!
Love you both.
I’m sure it feels great to get all those details taken care of 🙂
It does but is sure took a long time.