May 17, 2006

May 17, 2006

Pictou, Nova Scotia

YEAR 2 DAY 334

 

Today was cloudy, cool, and windy.

Joanne decided last night that we should stay here for today. She wanted to watch the final episode of Amazing Race tonight on CTV, and we get good reception of the CTV network here. Actually, it's the only channel we can get here. She also thought I could put the day to good use updating my investment files. When we met with Roger in Ottawa, we did a lot of buy and sell tweaking of our investments, so I have a lot of revisions and updates to do to my investment files.

I got up early this morning. After regular morning chores and preventive maintenance, I got the printer out of the basement pass through storage area, and printed all the investment updates I downloaded yesterday. I also revised and reprinted our departure and arrival checklists. The hitching and unhitching procedures have changed a bit from Dee-Dee to Lanoire. Dee-Dee had a V notched fifth wheel tailgate that didn't have to be lowered for hitching and unhitching. Lanoire has the factory tailgate which must be lowered for hitching and unhitching. I think I'm going to shop for a fifth wheel tailgate for Lanoire when we get to Manitoba later this summer. I applied the decals for Nova Scotia, including Cape Breton Island, onto the travel map on the trailer. I cheated a bit. We won't be on Cape Breton Island until tomorrow. I also touched up a couple more scratches on the inside edge of Lanoire's tailgate. I think I've now found and applied touch up paint to all the little scratches on the truck. Sharon phoned to tell me that I received mail from Great Smoky Mountains National Park, denying my request for reimbursement of the $145 towing charge. Okay, fine ... as I mentioned to the park staff while we were there, I won't be spending another dime of my money in your National Park, nor the states of Tennessee and North Carolina. Enjoy the $145, because there won't be any more of my money coming in to feed your economy ... and pay your wages ! ! ! ! !

After lunch we had a series of telephone conversations with Kathie Flamm at Guide Dogs Of The Desert in Palm Springs, California. She phoned to discuss and negotiate some terms of our WorkCamper assignment there next winter. After a series of phone calls, and back and forth discussions, we agreed to be there for 19 weeks, from the beginning of December, until the middle of April. We would be required to work as "dormitory parents" for 10 of the 19 weeks, during a 4 week course in January, a 2 week course in February, and another 4 week course in March.

I spent much of the afternoon updating my investment files. Wow ... lots of decline in the last couple of weeks. Oh, well ... at least I sold investments to buy Lanoire when they were at a high level. I walked to the campground's computer room ( the campground owner's garage ), got online with Wi-Fi, sent and retrieved e-mail, updated my blog, and did some more investment file updating. After supper, we watched the final episode of Amazing Race.

DSK