August 2, 2005

August 2, 2005

West Hawk Lake day 77 of 113

YEAR 2 DAY 46

 

Today was sunny, hot, and humid.

I spent the morning making phone calls, some on the cell phone out at the park entrance gate, and some on the pay phone in the campground. Whenever I need to make phone calls using toll free numbers, I use the pay phone. After doing my regular daily preventive maintenance and inspections, I phoned the C.S. Co-op, our personal bank in Ottawa, to request that they close my account. Finally, 14 months after leaving Ottawa, it's time to close our bank account there. Then I phoned Eric Pryor, our business accountant in Ottawa , to discuss Misty Venture's fiscal year end report and corporate tax returns which I just received in the mail from Eric. He wasn't in the office, so I set up a time Thursday morning for a telephone meeting. I knew before we left Ottawa that it would take Eric at least one corporate fiscal year, and perhaps even two fiscal years, to wrap up our company's business matters. Nonetheless, I was surprised at the complexity of the corporate fiscal year end accounting for a company which has been virtually inactive for the entire fiscal year. There was an accumulation of retained annual earnings which needed to be distributed to us as dividends, as well as the matter of corporate ownership of our vehicles to resolve. Last year we "sold" the trailer from the company to ourselves, and now we have to "sell" the truck to ourselves. I am choking on Eric's billing of fees for services. I can't afford him any more, now that the company is inactive. However, he has managed the fiscal year end accounting and corporate income tax returns for our three companies since we went into business 15 years ago. I can't afford to "divorce" him yet. He knows our personal and corporate "big pictures", where we've been, and where we're going, financially. I'm going to have to swallow hard, and pay his bill for at least this year, and probably one more.

WHEW ... I just spent the last hour dealing with eight late arrivals. Due to an ongoing staff shortage problem, the campground office is opening late, and closing early this week ... again ! There is one campground office attendant with poor work ethic, low productivity when she is here, and high absenteeism. She is "sick" before, during, and after every long weekend. So instead of being open 2 shifts per day, the campground office is open only 1 shift, a modified shift from 11:00 A.M. until 6:45 P.M.. That means all incoming late arrivals staying only one night, which is most of the late arrivals, arrive too late, and leave too early, to pay either the park entrance fee, or the camping fee. Welcome to Manitoba Provincial Parks. Enjoy your free stay ! What a mismanaged system !

Anyways ... back to this morning. After setting up a meeting with Eric, I phoned my investment broker in Ottawa. Roger is in Paris, France. HMPH ... must be making too much money off my investments < snicker >. I talked to Rhonda, his assistant, to have her sell some funds, and transfer some money to our bank account, so that I can pay Eric's bill. Then I called Autopac, Manitoba's government auto insurer, to ask some questions about the truck's annual safety certification, and ramifications of corporate versus personal ownership on our insurance premiums. The provincial sales tax liability of “selling” the truck to ourselves far outweighs the advantages of personal versus corporate ownership, from an insurance cost standpoint. For now the truck can remain owned by our company, at least as far as Autopac is concerned.

Joanne prepared a picnic lunch, and we set off for the McGillivray Falls hiking trail. We drove west on Hwy. 44 past Caddy Lake to the trail head. We hiked along McGillivray Falls, which is a stream tumbling down over rocks for quite a distance, flowing out of McGillivray Lake. Bo enjoyed splashing into little deep pools below little rapids, but was surprised a few times at the strong currents. We hiked about a quarter of the way along the trail leading to McGillivray Lake, then stopped on a high bluff overlooking the lake from a distance, to eat our picnic lunch. We decided after eating lunch to back track to the trail head and parking lot, instead of completing the long, difficult hike. It was too hot and humid.

We drove from McGillivray Falls back along Hwy. 44 to Hwy. 312, then down Hwy. 312 to Ingolf, Ontario. I wanted to show Elvira's place to Joanne. We got to Ingolf, I shifted Dee-Dee into 4 X 4 Low mode, we drove across the CP tracks, then through the bush to Elvira's cottage on Macara Lake. We walked round Elvira's cottage property, then headed back towards West Hawk. We stopped at a couple of likely looking places, looking for blueberries. There were none at the first place we stopped and looked. We found a blueberry patch at the second place, but the berries were few and small. I guess it's been a bit too hot and dry lately. The blueberries are past their prime. Aren't we all ? ! We picked a small amount of berries. Well ... Joanne picked a small amount. I goofed around with the dog. HEY ... Bo finds, and eats, blueberries on his own. Smart dog, Bo ! Joanne picked, Bo ate, I lay on moss. Life is good !

Back at the trailer, we all took a nap. When we woke, Joanne headed off to Falcon Lake to buy some groceries. I checked with Kristin in the office, just as she was closing, then immediately had to begin dealing with the steady stream of late arrivals. By the time we got them all settled in, it was after 8:00, and we began to work on preparing a late supper. I fired up the barbecue, while Joanne got the food ready, then I sat out at the picnic table manning the barbecue, and working on this journal entry.

We ate supper while watching Da Vinci's Inquest, the only weekly show on CBC worth watching. Our supper was interrupted a couple of times by late arriving campers, and campers with blown breakers. We finished our day by watching the special, extended newscast reporting the crash of the Air France plane at Pearson International in Toronto. Congratulations to the Air France crew for the outstanding job of getting over 300 people, unharmed, off a crashed, burning aircraft. BRAVO ! ! !

DSK