Penticton

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Good Timing

I am so glad I put my bed back together last night because I have to go back to Penticton this afternoon: I finally found a buyer for my old computers. It’ll be so nice to regain all that extra space!!!

So, that means I probably won’t be able to finish up the loft today. It just has the curtains left, so I don’t feel a rush, other than to do a big reveal, of course! I could not believe the difference up there last night, it was very tangible. It was still ‘humid’, but it smelled crisp and fresh. I fell asleep around 2AM and next thing I knew it was 1:30PM! I think I was tired. 😀

When I woke up, the windows had a lot of condensation. I started the dehumidifier immediately and the water disappeared quickly. It was also very, very cold in the loft last night. Those windows need to go! I’ve been given some suggestions on how I could effectively block them off without worrying about leaks, and I’m starting to consider it. For tonight, I’ll be adding the sheet of bubble wrap insulation to the front window.

I was able to set up the dehumidifier in a very convenient fashion. I’m actually shocked that it’s set up out of the way by both a plug and a convenient outlet for the water. My routine when I am plugged into 30A shore power will have to be to start it in the morning when I climb out of bed, and empty it when I climb up.

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Loft Preview

I was up incredibly early this morning, eight, so I decided to take the longer and more scenic route to Penticton through the Similkameen valley. Like the last time I went through there, the weather was very grey and morose:

I went by a town with a name that made me laugh:

passing Olalla

One of my stops in Penticton took me to Rona where I decided I might as well pick up what I need to finish off the entrance stairwell, too. They didn’t have what I had in mind, but something that could make do. The clerk protested “But’s that floor moulding! You know, the kind that goes up a wall!” I replied, “Sometimes things can have many uses. You need to be creative!” He gave me this look, as though I’d told him the moon was made of cheese. He wouldn’t survive thirty seconds renovating an RV!

I got in around one and spent about a half hour doing a second coat of paint in the loft, then about twenty minutes putting in the flooring.

So, here’s the loft preview:

Just try to think about having to prime and paint a floor when you have cats and no sensible way to lock them into another room with food and a litter box. $45 and 20 minutes of work that required absolutely no brain power to get something that looks this great. Money very, very well spent. I have a bit of flooring left and will be able to two other projects with it.

I just adore that yellow; it’s the perfect yellow for me, with just enough red in it to keep it from being too ‘canary.’ It’s just such a happy colour and I’m amused that its commercial name is ‘Happiness’! The only thing I’m kicking myself over is getting a small can. I had originally planned to do the library and loft a different colour from the kitchen, but then I switched to the green/yellow/rose colour scheme and decided to do the whole front in yellow. I’ll need three cans to do that, so I would have been better off getting a gallon. Not a biggie when I consider how much I saved on the rest of my paint!

Now, I need to work on the window coverings. I will definitely be back in my bed tomorrow! I could be there tonight if I really push, but I know better than to go into such a small space with the paint fumes so fresh!

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Good Deals

Today’s project was to come home with a dehumidifier. I’d done my online research as to what was available to me and Canadian Tire had the best prices, with two brands, Lancanster and Whirlpool. My experience with Lancaster heaters is that the brand is crap, so Whirlpool it was. Store availability in Penticton was nil for Whirlpool, while Kelowna had a few available. I really didn’t relish the four hour round trip drive, but I’m not going to get any further in the renos without reducing the dampness in here.

The Penticton Canadian Tire is right on the route to Kelowna, so I decided to stop in there first, just in case the online inventory was wrong. Well, they had a unit set aside for pick up by store closure yesterday and only just put back on the shelf!

Whirlpool 35 pint dehumidifier

I couldn’t believe my good fortune! While in the store, I also got some tinted window film for the loft. There was a sale going on and the store was swamped, but I had no problem getting customer service the three times I needed it today. I thought I’d crossed over into the Twilight zone. Seems like there are some Canadian Tires with decent service.

The dehumidifier is going to kill the proverbial two birds. My mini conduction heater, Lancaster brand, has died. A dehumidifier also gives off heat, so what I will do is move the big, good quality, heater to the study and use the dehumidifier to heat the front of the rig. As an added bonus, the dehumidifier draws a maximum of 500W, meaning my amp usage will drop from 6.25 to 4. Every amp counts!

The next thing on my list was a new computer chair. I tried out all the chairs at Staples last time I was in Penticton, fell in love with one that was on sale, and made the mistake of thinking I could order it online to have it delivered. Turns out, it’s a discontinued model not available on line. I went back and the chair was still there, but at full price this time, $239, vs. the $169 it was at last time. So, I went through all the chairs in my price range again, but couldn’t find one I liked. I was narrowing down the choices when an associate finally came over to check on me and I explained what I was looking for. She took me directly to the chair I liked! I shook my head at the price and she said “We’ve only got two left and we want them gone. How about $98, plus tax, assembled?”

NO WAY!!!

Ahem. I told her “Sold!” and happily wheeled the chair down to the car where I had fun squeezing it into the front seat.

I ran a few more errands and then headed home, absolutely exhausted. The holiday shopping season has commenced, so I will be staying out of stores until early 2011!

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A Long Journey Done

I made it back to Osoyoos!

When we boarded the plane in Vancouver, we were warned that there was ‘fair’ visibility in Penticton and that there was a good chance we would have to turn back to Vancouver. That would have sucked! Thankfully, we landed without incident. Except for some turbulence over the prairies, the whole trip back was very smooth.

I used my baggage allowance to bring back some of the kitchen things I had in storage in Montreal; I’ll do a post about them once I’ve had some sleep. I was surprised that the boxes made it to Penticton, what with the tight connection in Toronto! We’d wrapped everything in foam and stamped the boxes fragile, but I was realistic about everything making it across the country on three planes in one piece. So, when I heard the distinctive tinkle of broken glass, I wasn’t surprised, but I was curious. I broke open the boxes tonight and discovered that what had broken was the only thing I didn’t mind getting broken. Yay to Air Canada getting priceless (to me) antiques (and modern stuff) here safely!

The drive home from Penticton went well, too, and Donna had staged a lovely homecoming, what with thinking to put on the porch light and remembering to crank up the heat! *hugs*

The kitties and I are very happy to find each other again. 🙂

It was a great trip. Certain happenings in the last couple of weeks have made this eastern jaunt a bookend to yet another chapter of my RVing life and tomorrow I will return to a life similar to the one I left a week ago, but different, too.

Well, I should have hot water by now, so it’s time for a long shower and to get my body clock back on track. It’s 3:30AM right now back east, but my normal bedtime here, so in theory I should wake up on time tomorrow. But I try not to think too much about such things; it’s been my experience that not dwelling too much on the time change is the best remedy for jet lag. Still, zzzzzzzzzzzzz.

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A Filing Cabinet

One of my biggest decluttering challenges was to go from six overflowing filing cabinet drawers to just one. I moved into Miranda with a plastic bin of files. That worked reasonably well until I started to have to keep more accounting and business records and needed a more accessible system with room to grow. It was time for a proper filing cabinet.

I could have bought a cheap and ugly two-drawer metal one, but I really wanted a wood-finish lateral unit as it would look more like furniture. The top drawer could be for files and the bottom for office supplies. Staples was the only store to have what I wanted, but at $300 and with the wrong wood grain, there was no way I was proceeding with my idea!

When the beyond perfect thing showed up on Kijiji, I knew I had to have it even if it meant a drive to Penticton. It was advertised at $55 and I got it for $45:

It matches my new desk! Their dimensions are so close, also, that the room room really feels balanced now.

The drawer on top is the night table for which I have yet to find a permanent home. I think it’ll stay there, stuffed with printer paper, with the printer on top. Best place I’ve found for it so far.

One of the things I really like about this filing cabinet is that there are rails that let me fit files in horizontally, so that I can have them facing me. I can put personal files on one side and business files on the other:

The drawers glide beautifully and silently. For particle board furniture, it is of excellent quality.

Donna deserves another thank you for helping me haul it out of the car and into the rig!