Tuesday, February 15, 2011

LIFE IS ALMOST BACK TO NORMAL… AND NORMAL IS GOOD!

After our massive cleaning job on Saturday, my mind was racing on Saturday night when we got back to the loft.  Would be possible to move all our belongings from the loft to Scoopy in the Jeep on Sunday (instead of waiting until Monday, when we could drive Scoopy to the loft’s parking lot)?  The big question mark: would my Euro-lounger fit in the Jeep?

Spotless Scoopy at Apache PalmsAs I drifted off to sleep, I had an Ah-ha! moment: we needed to take the Euro-lounger in our first trip.  If it fit, we could do all our moving with the Jeep; if not, there was no point in trying to move everything in one day via the Jeep.  All I needed to do was convince Odel of the soundness of my plan, and that it would be worth the effort.

I got up early on Sunday, plotting and planning while Odel was in bed.  When he got up, he announced “I have a plan”.  I said, “Me, too!”.    Odel:  “My plan is really radical.”  I could tell by his enthusiasm that I was going to hear about his plan before I told him mine, so I quickly asked “Should we load my chair into the Jeep first?”  He mouth made a big round O of surprise, and he said “That’s my plan!”  He, he, he.  No wonder we get along so well together.  :)

So we did it, moved everything from the loft to Scoopy in two trips.  Man, that Jeep holds a LOT!  We had everything moved in and put away by 6 pm, then headed off to meet Nick and Terry Russell (Gypsy Journal) for dinner.  We had met very briefly at their Gypsy Gathering Rally a few years ago and were happy to have the chance to spend time relaxing with them over a meal, swapping tales.  We got a free issue of their Gypsy Journal newspaper AND, best of all, Terry brought us a loaf of homemade rye bread – hand-shaped, beautiful, and delicious.  It was a great way to wrap up a long day of hard work.

Big slideWe woke early on Monday, still in the lot at RV Renovators.  After an early morning discussion with Jerry, we left to run errands while Scoopy was being washed.  We were back at noon, Scoopy was ready to go, and we drove 8 miles down the road to Apache Palms RV Park (a return visit) to set up and give our new electronics a test.  Everything works!

Our good friends Fred and Jo Wishnie (The Wandering Wishnies) are here, just a couple of sites away.  We had dinner out again… not only out, but OUTSIDE on a lovely patio at a nice little pizza place in downtown Phoenix, Cibo Cucina Urban Pizzeria.  We had semi-forgotten that it was Valentine’s Day and were surprised to see the restaurant and patio full… but were seated under twinkling lights outdoors (with a propane heater to remove the ever-so-slight chill) within about 20 minutes.  Good meal – REALLY good – and GREAT conversation, topped off with a beautifully presented Valentine’s dessert of gelato hearts with fresh fruit.  Jo took a picture – I didn’t even bring my camera.  :(

Into hallWhen I awoke this morning, I had one more chore in mind: photo documentation of Scoopy and her contents.  Several months ago, we changed insurance agents.  Over the phone, we discussed how insurers price your policy versus what they actually will pay (I was complaining). 

The conversation moved on to the personal property aspect of the policy, with the agent pointing out that most full-timers don’t buy sufficient insurance to cover their personal property (a separate line item on your policy).  She suggested I open and photograph each cabinet and drawer, the closet, and all of the bays, then save the photos in a safe place (in other words, OUT of the rig)  – so we could reconstruct a list of belongings if necessary to make a claim.

Obviously, NOW is the time to tackle this task.  We’ve recently put a lot of time and money into Scoopy, and she looks much better than is average for her age.  I set about documenting her condition in photographs, then took the next step, suggested by our agent: I opened and photographed every cupboard, drawer, and closet.  As I did so, I realized how difficult it would be to reconstruct our belongings from memory! 

Funny, so little of the stuff is worth much on its own, but the aggregate would be very costly to replace.  Think of all the stuff in your medicine cabinet!  Dishes, glasses, cooking utensils.  Towels, sheets.  Clothes, shoes.  Books.  Small appliances. MP3’s, CD’s, cell phones.  We would all be able to remember our computer/s, television/s, camera/s, the big stuff, the costly stuff… but all those small, well used things that would need to be replaced would add up quickly.

Pan drawer spices Under kitchen sink

Replacing my heavy pans would be a couple hundred bucks.

Spices:  Three to six dollars a jar… you do the math!

A vacuum sealer, toaster, some fancy oils and vinegars…

Tomorrow we’ll tackle the bays.  I plan to scan the receipts for the new electronics and the bill from RV renovators, then put those files, along with all the photos, on a DVD to send off to a family member – and maybe upload them to a private Picasa album when I have a good, fast WiFi signal.  That done, we’ll be back to “normal” life again, in our newly rejuvenated traveling home.  Done!

14 comments:

  1. Yup.. we did the same thing!

    Most RV policies only cover 500 dollars on personal possessions for the average RVer ... and if you happen to have homeowners insurance you have to PROVE you had those things along in the RV at the time of loss. Whew.. our friends are just going through that right now.

    We made a video recording of each compartment, drawer, cabinet and anything we regularly take along from the house too. reading off serial numbers, model numbers and approx. price that item was worth. Especially things like taking along my table weaving loom, spinning wheel or sock machine and various tools that go with it.

    The tools, fishing gear and camping gear kept in our comppartments was an eyeopener at replacement values!

    We do carry an extra rider to cover our items in the rig, and it only costs us $100 more a year. But it is for replacement value.

    Copies of the dvd are kept at our insurance agent's office in a file, one in our home, and one in our daughter's home... and one with us when we are on the road, to prove we had something in case of theft to be able to make a report while on the road.

    Sounds like overkill.... but .... After hearing of so many RVers taking a huge loss in the event of a fire or accident, we figure we should learn from their mistakes and take measures to protect ourselves.
    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
    Karen and Steve
    (Our Blog) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
    http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com/

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  2. Isn't it nice to be home. It looks beautiful. I bet you're a happy camper again.

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  3. It's been fun to read all about the motorhome renovations. Having been through a fire ourselves, taking photos and documentation is the absolute best way to remember each and every thing IF the time ever comes.

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  4. WOW Scoopy is looking great! And what an excellent idea taking pictures of everything you have in the coach... Thanks for the heads up! Nice that you got to meet up with so many bloggin friends.
    Have fun & travel safe
    Donna

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  5. Everything looks just great, Laurie! What a good decision it was to do the renovation and not buy a pricey new rig. Scoopy will take care of you in style for a very long time.

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  6. Scoopy looks 10 years younger...Maybe I should take my old butt over to RV Renovators and have them work on ME!! Really, the motor home looks fabulous...great idea about taking the photos, too...Happy travelin'!

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  7. I recently did a blog about documenting all that you have in your home...be it an RV, house, condo, apt, boat. Can you imagine losing it all in a fire and trying to recreate a list of what you had? EeeK...on my list of things to do SOON!

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  8. We are really happy for you guys on your renovations to Scoopy! He's ready to go now for years to come. And lets not need those insurance pictures any time soon!!! LOL

    Rod and Loyce

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  9. very sage advise for all of us wannabes..

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  10. Great photos and great ideas!!! It looks wonderful and so new and clean. Now I have some shelving photos for the under sink area... I'll get Ralph right on it! Congrats and happy traveling. Denise, in El Dorado Hills. (Not full-timing yet)

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  11. That is priceless!! - The two of you lying side-by-side, scheming quietly in the dark, and coming up with the exact same idea! You really DO think alike - no wonder you're so happy together!!:-)

    Scoopy looks incredible - I know you are so glad to be home! Looking forward to reading about your new adventures.

    Stay safe...

    Kerri in AL :-)

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  12. You two are definitely IN SYNC. What a lucky pair. Thanks AGAIN for the good advice on documenting. I learn something from every post of yours I read.

    Sherry
    www.directionofourdreams.blogspot.com

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  13. Scoopy looks wonderful, and your advice on recording contents is a good reminder. Years ago, the house I lived in was robbed, and to this day, I cannot remember what was in the big vacant spot in my hall closet. I remember standing there, totally blank. It's more than just a good idea.

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  14. What a great idea - about taking photos of every thing that is in draws and having that for insurance purposes. We are in the process of doing up a Motorhome and never thought about the insurance side of everything.....and I also realise that we do not have enough insurance eithere!!
    Cheers
    Lisa

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