5C's Que Pasa

I don’t think this is going to have a happy ending.  Restaurants and hotels destroyed or damaged.  No word yet on the RV Park.

http://mazmessenger.com/2014/08/27/high-waves-from-hurricane-marie-hit-stone-island/

We still have one couple staying at Tres Amigos on the Isla.  They told the story of a storm that occurred on July 24th and sent photos.  Words and photos used with their permission.

Thurs. the 24^th we were awakened at 2 in the morning to the rocking of the trailer.  At first we thought earthquake and then with the first howl of the wind the storm hit.  Pelting rain, high winds, ear shattering thunder and lightning all around us.  We went outside to try and get the canopy down that is on the trailer…Couldn’t move it…The wind was so strong it moved our quad off our pad, Threw the bbq & tank to the side of the trailer and just an all-around mess.  Secured the canopy as best we could, as the sand blasting us didn’t help, and hunkered down in the trailer.  The storm lasted an hour and a half.  When we could finally see the lights from the light house and Mazatlan all started to calm down.

In the morning we found that our back canopy had been picked up by the wind , blown over the trailer,  the back fence of the park and landed in the coconut grove behind us taking two telephone lines with it.  David’s palapa  ( a palapa put up by the owner for shade ) next to us was destroyed.It seems this storm was a surprise to the locals.  That makes me feel a bit better!! There had been no warning issued. The winds exceeded 70 miles an hr.  No wonder we felt as if we were going to be blown away.  Marco usually warns us so even he had no clue. Hurricane season hasn’t even started yet!!!!!!

Can you imagine waking up to this?

This couple had planned to trade their RV in on a newer model and now the value is greatly diminished.

They had a canopy at the back of the unit. Thank goodness we put ours away this year.

Contessa all is good at your place.

They kindly sent photos of our site.

Happy to see that most of the roof stayed up. I'm sure some repairs will be in order.

The RV Park owner's RV. He is now building a palapa similar to ours.

New fence next to the restaurant which will help control the music on the odd nights that there is a fiesta.

Not sure why but they also redid the back fence and apparently all the bougainvillea will come back.

Meanwhile another friend who lives in Mazatlan, went to the botanical gardens behind the RV Park mid August and took several photos of our site. Looks like my garden is doing well.

I was pleasantly surprised to read the other day that Family Motor Coach Association is leading three caravans to the Baja this coming February and March.  They are hooking up with Fantasy RV Tours.  This is a great way for Rvers to experience travel within Mexico.  We have never been a part of a caravan but for some people it is the way to dip their toes into Mexico for the first time.

Great news for the Isla/Stone Island.  The company that built the Botanical Gardens is now ready to go ahead with the construction of 38 bungalows and 2 hotels.  What that means to me is that the road is going to finally get paved.  No longer will we have to deal with the  dusty & bumpy gravel road that washes out when it rains.  I sure hope it is sooner than later and it likely will be.  Estrella del Mar, the  resort and golf course have new owners who are also anxious to get the road completed so that their guests can do a short 10 mile drive to take a panga on the Isla to Mazatlan rather than do the long drive via the highway.

There was a recent article in The Mazatlan Messenger explaining that due to the recent rains more turtles are coming to the local beaches to lay their eggs.  How great is that?  Wish I was there to see it.

 

 

 

The geese have been very active these past few weeks. I can't recall them ever being so vocal.

I love the contortions they make to get the very best piece of vegetation.

We are so fortunate to have so much nature right there in our front yard.

I worked all morning yesterday and about 2:00PM I went out to water my flowers and realized what a perfect day it was, not too hot with a bit of a breeze. By 3:00PM I was plopped down in a chaise enjoying the sun, a book and a lovely glass of Naked Grape Pinot Grigio.  The peace lasted for just over an hour before the phone started ringing again.  I will treasure that memory of relaxation.

Bliss.

So far today I’m on my second UPS call and the good news is that I was able to speak to a person in Canada.  Next I called the shipper, spoke to the office manager who is getting her main USA UPS connection to try and sort out this fiasco.  What better to do then compose a post while I wait.  Meanwhile the dogs are waiting for their walk.  Sorry girls but I have to stick by the phone for now.  Today is Colin’s third day of 8:00AM to 10PM of photography and he has five more to go like that before he gets a break.  September looks to be really busy also.  Work is good.  Work = being able to travel.

This was taken a few weeks ago under smoky skies.

Pretty but for the wrong reasons. Today is the clearest day we have had in a very long time.

Three hours later, still no positive news on the UPS situation.  Time to get on with the rest of my day.

The past two days have seen me more frustrated that I have ever been in my life.  I have been frustrated a lot this past week most especially with the medical profession regarding my Dad but dealing with UPS takes the cake.  In the over thirty years that Colin has known me, yesterday was the first time he has seen me speechless.  I totally had no idea what to say or do next.  I was stumped and in fact I still am.

Last Wednesday ( the 20th ) a US company shipped us a bunch of photographic lighting equipment, close to $2000.00 worth of stuff all made in the USA.  Under the NAFTA agreement we do not have to pay import duty but expect to pay both provincial and federal taxes, an additional 12 %.  There will also be a brokerage fee of $100.00.  The ground shipping by UPS is another $100.00.  We are fine with all of these expenses.  Thursday afternoon I received a call from UPS stating that there was a problem with the shipment.  I went back and forth for three hours with 4 different people.  After the first person I hung up and called again hoping to get someone who would actually listen to me.  By the third person I realized that I was speaking to robots.  I actually made a comment that I felt he was reading from a card.  The answer to my questions were exactly the same no matter how I phrased or varied them.  I was getting no help, no answers and no suggestions of what to do other than to call the shipper.  Finally the 4th person was able to listen to me and I was able to find out that they had  only page one of the commercial invoice and also that they were adding our various discounts on the invoice as actual items ( although it clearly showed it was a credit ) giving us a new total of close to $3000.00.  So he had me fax the invoice to a number to the attention of ‘Fredericton Imaging”.  I finally had him spell the word Fredericton as I could not understand what he was saying. That should have been a clue but I missed it at the time.

The other huge problem was that all of these UPS agents claimed I had to have the shipper attach a signed copy of the NAFTA agreement to the invoice otherwise I would have to pay a large amount of import duty.  I explained that I had spoken to Canada Customs prior to this order and they told me that as long as the invoice showed made in the USA ( and it does ) that was all that was required.  This was not going to fly with these guys.  Finally the last one, David, said he would be sure that the shipper was contacted in the morning about the NAFTA form.  FIne with me.

Meanwhile I could not understand the rigidity of these people.  I have imported so many things from the US in the past two years from fireplaces to sinks to lights and even some office furniture during the construction of our home and never ever once did I have to had a NAFTA form attached.  I mentioned that to them but it did not penetrate through the standard answers that they could only recite like a mantra.  At one point Colin told me to tell them to send the shipment back.  It was too frustrating.

So yesterday I was busy with Dr’s and social workers and such and never thought to call UPS or the shipper till nooninsh.  The shipper said they had received no calls from UPS but they would contact them and try and sort out the problem.  The shipper went back & forth with UPS and myself several times and it was left with the fact that they have a standard NAFTA agreement on file with UPS .  I was only to call UPS to advise them if I wanted them to be our broker or someone else.  Duh!  I had already given that information to UPS the day prior.  I called the number I was given and it would not go through.  I recalled the shipper who was about to close for the weekend in 5 minutes.  She put me on hold while she called UPS and then came back with another number for me to call and said I had to fill out a power of attorney form re the broker.  What the heck?  Meanwhile she had also had the UPS agent she was speaking with, put the details on our tracking number so it would all be there for the world to see.

So I called and guess who I ended up with.  My robot friends.  It started all over again.  There were no notations on the file at all.  I had to call the shipper to send a NAFTA agreement.  I explained it was on the file.  No it wasn’t.  I calmly mentioned that this was the same exact conversation that I had had 24 hours ago with the same exact replies.  I told this guy that I had complied with their requests.  Not according to him.  What should I do I asked?  Call the shipper!  So we went back and forth and in frustration I asked how to get out of this circle.  Finally  I asked to speak with a supervisor.  Certainly.  After 3 minutes of waiting he came back on line and stated that the supervisor was on a call with others waiting.  Could he take my number and have the supervisor call me back in a few hours?  It suddenly dawned on me……these were the exact same words I heard Thursday when I asked for a supervisor, after being put on hold for 2 -3 minutes.  A robot answer.

In a last attempt I asked if he was in Canada or the USA.  I’m in neither country was the answer.  In a blinding moment of clarity I asked if he was in the Philippines.  Bingo!  Moral of the story do not call UPS after 3:00PM PST.  I can only hope to try early Monday morning and start the entire process once again with a Canadian or US agent if possible.

DAD UPDATE

I finally spoke to a Dr. yesterday for the first time since August 8th, certainly not for the lack of my trying. The final test result was in and it was not good.  He indicated that there was nothing that could be done to help Dad, that he would just be discharged and be medically managed until the end of his time.  Then he told me that he was ordering yet another test, a cardiac MRI to be done next Wednesday.  I asked why another test if they had already decided that no surgery nor anything else would help.  It was a two part answer, one so that Dad could have a few more days in hospital and secondly so that they could close the final door on helping him.  Likely for the MD’s satisfaction.   I asked him to please not not tell Dad that he could go home.  Of course this test is giving Dad hope that there is still something that can be done for him.  He really thinks he is going to go home a healthy man.  A few hours later I had a lovely long conversation with the social worker.

Turns out that she had been trying to call me but there were no working telephones dialing out of the hospital.  Fortunately the unit clerk did pass me through to her.  She is beyond frustrated with the Dr’s herself.  She did not go to rounds in the morning so she has no idea why they are ordering yet another test and says that her hands are tied until the Dr. declares Dad non acute.  No plans can be made for his discharge or placement.  We discussed possibilities and the pros and cons of him going home.  She pointed out that that would be very expensive as we would have to hire two twelve hour shifts of care people.  I found out that he will not be going to a rehab hospital as he is not going to be rehabilitated to go home.  It has yet to be determined the type of supportive care he will need and that can’t be done until these tests stop.

Doctors do a one week rotation trough the various areas of the hospital.  The MD coming onto the cardiology unit on Monday is the best to deal with Dad she explained.  Apparently he has a very special way of communicating with his patients and I know that Dad likes him from a few weeks ago when he took the time to explain various tests with Dad.  So we agreed that Dr. Ben Tyrrell will have the job of sitting down and telling Dad that he is not going to get better and that he will not he going home.  Then nursing specialists will have discussions and check with physio and me and we will come up with a plan.  I was told that it was too soon for me to come there yet but I am still planning on next weekend.  Likely Dad will be put into a transition centre of some sort until they decide where to place him and until there is an opening.  I will insist on checking these places out before any placement is made.

Sadly late yesterday afternoon, it was discovered that Dad has a lung infection and now has to deal with all of that.  At least he is already in hospital.  Everyday all he talks about is wanting to go home and when can he go home.  Meanwhile there are underlying sibling issues that I will have to deal with this weekend.  It won’t be pleasant.   Meanwhile I’m dreaming of my Isla.  That is what is going to get me through.

For a change of pace last night Colin and I decided to watch a movie while eating dinner.  I fell asleep before I finished my dinner.  Nor did I finish my glass of vino.  Now that tells you something.

Wow, this is a long read.  I guess I’m making up for the last week.

I’m getting ready to go East to Edmonton.  Did five loads of laundry today as well as put in six solid hours at my desk.  I’m trying to get everything done regarding our business till mid September.  The only thing left to do will be invoices which Colin can write up and take a photo of and email to me and then I can do and send back as a PDF.  I still have to teach him how to do a bank deposit the way I do it and how I want it recorded for the year end.  Likely I will have to come back for a week or so to do taxes, etc.

The weather has finally cooled down to 79F with the odd rain shower here and there.  My entire day is filled with the sound of the geese coming and going.  They are very vocal as their flight preparations are underway.   I always start getting us ready to head south to Mexico on September 1st by pulling out my master lists and start adding things here and there in my daytimer.  That isn’t going to happen this year and if I think about it too much I start to panic.  There is no way I can be ready to leave in under six weeks time ( it takes time because we are working at the same time and this is our busiest time of year ), not to mention another week of loading and storing  things in the RV.  I also need a full 10 days to sort out the business in order to put it on hold until the end of April.  Colin thinks we can still head to the Isla for a few months, even if we just leave here in early December.  Maybe it would be easier to just go as far as California or Arizona.  That way I don’t have to buy a lot of food as I can get everything ( except for the soya products we eat ) in the States on a daily/weekly basis and not worry at all about preshopping plus it would be easier to fly back to Edmonton if I had to.  Of course last year was the year we gave up our RV membership park, sigh!  I can’t plan anything until we hear from the Dr’s next week, not even my trip to Edmonton.

My brother Andre just sent me this photo of Dad. He looks so cold.

As I have mentioned before I do have a number of things to post about and share with you.  Most of the photos are still in my camera but now that I have things under control to a certain extent anyway, I just might have some extra time to edit them and share some stories with you.  Here are a few shots that have been sitting on my desktop for a few weeks.

I took this of our resident beaver about three weeks ago. Haven't seen him since.

I don't think I've ever told you about the fish in our lake. They are large and they jump straight up and make a huge noisy splash. I believe that they are mostly catfish.

They can get rather large ( taken from the internet ).

Which would account for the loud splash noise. This one just kept jumping up over and over. This went on for over 5 minutes, I got tired watching.

We have yet another new visitor this summer.

He blended right into the rocks.

Thanks for your support and for putting up with my ramblings.