December 23, 2004

December 23, 2004

Rainbow's End & Livingston, Texas

DAY 189

 

Today was cold and sunny. We drove by a temperature display in Livingston at 8:00 A.M.. It read -3 º C. / 27 º F.. We got up very early this morning, to take Bo to the vet before 8:00 A.M.. From there we went into Livingston to do some shopping and pick up our mail. Wal-Mart is open 24 hours a day in most locations here in the United States, so that's where we headed first. I was very surprised by how many people are shopping at 8:00 A.M.. After Wal-Mart we went to Dollar General, a local pharmacy, and the Post Office. Our November forwarded mail from my sister in Lorette, and my cousin in Thunder Bay, had not yet arrived. I was expecting mail from both of them before Christmas. I guess the Post Offices are a bit backlogged.

Back at Rainbow's End, we went on the weekly tour of Escapees Headquarters and the Escapees Mail Forwarding Service. The Mail Forwarding Service is quite large. Their operation is larger then the Post Office in Livingston, a town of about 5500 people. Most U.S. full time travelling Escapees use the Escapees Mail Forwarding Service as their legal address. This is facilitated by the ease with which one can become a legal Texas resident. There is much giggling and winking about Escapees that are " three day Texans ", like our WorkCamper friend Julie. It takes about three days in Texas to get set up with an address through Escapees Mail Forwarding Service, then change one's driver's license to Texas, then register one's vehicles in Texas. Julie "lives" in Texas, her driver's license is in Texas, and her rig is registered and insured in Texas. She has been in Texas a total of three days in her life ! We have considered doing the same, but it's a bit more complicated for Canadians. For one thing, it jeopardizes health care coverage. Provincial health departments look suspiciously on provincial "residents" with Texas mailing addresses. We use my sister’s address in Lorette, Manitoba for most things. For our investments, we use my cousin’s address in Thunder Bay, Ontario. For our company, we use our business accountant’s address in Ottawa. It would be simpler if we could just use one address, and a professional mail forwarding service, but that’s not workable for our circumstances.

Bo was supposed to be at the vet’s over night, after his neutering, but they phoned after lunch, and said he was ready to go home, so we went and picked him up. He’s groggy from the anaesthetic, and sore. They estimate his age at 2 ½ to 3 years. Joanne thinks that’s right, because the hair dresser who originally “found” him near the Escapees RV Park in Alabama “thought” he might be 2 ½ to 3 years of age. Joanne’s intuition tells her that Bo belonged to, and was being “dumped” by, either this hairdresser, or somebody that she knew, and that’s why her “estimate” of age was accurate. I think he’s younger, but I’m out voted.

We got a phone call from the Park Ranger at West Hawk Lake. We got the job as Campground Hosts at West Hawk Lake next summer. Woo-Hoo ! This is really what Joanne wanted to do next summer, and where she wanted to do it. We will have to be there about mid-May, so we will have about a month to travel from Vancouver to the Ontario border. We have to be back in Canada on April 15. We will be re-entering Canada into B.C. right about at Vancouver. West Hawk Lake is at the far east edge of Manitoba, right at the Ontario border. That should give us about 4 weeks to cross 4 provinces. Sounds about right. Gives us a bit of time for exploring as we drive across.

DSK