Did you see the sunrise this morning?

This morning I couldn't help but take a picture of the sunrise. Pictures never do sunrises justice, but I had to capture the moment. It was as though God was painting the clouds. How beautiful! God is faithful and everday we can rely on his mercy and love. Thank you Lord for your faithfulness.

Dunvegan Bridge

As the sun was setting I couldn't help but stop and take a picture of the Dunvegan Bridge and the way the sun brought brilliance to the snow on the hills of the valley.

Life is fragile

Yesterday Kally died. He was one of the cats that I was taking care of at the place I'm house-sitting. I woke up and there was blood EVERYWHERE. The cat was still alive but near the end of life. I called the family and rushed the cat to the vet, where they proceeded to give it a needle in the leg. Unfortunately, the cat had lost so much fluid that they couldn't find a good vein. So, they gave the needle to the heart and the cat died instantly. Gone. In a couple seconds. I went back to the house to clean up the blood. It looked like a crime scene - one of those scenes from C.S.I. In witnessing the death of this poor creature, I was reminded again of how fragile life is and when it is time to go...it is time to go. Life is amazing!

Moose on the Loose!

 

Saw this cow moose this morning just down the road from where I'm living. Incredible creatures!

Poor Mimas

Dear Mimas
I wasn’t sure the best way to apologize to you so I thought I would write you a letter. I’m so sorry for what you’ve been through. You have been so faithful to me and I have not been all that good to you. Although we are each going our separate ways I will have fond memories of where we’ve been. You and I have driven over 45,000 miles and you never ever complained. You were a gift to me and I’ve been very thankful for the time we’ve shared together. I remember the time I almost lost your gas cap and wondered how you would continue…but fortunately we found it. I know that I did not change your oil as often as it should have been but you kept plugging along and never gave up on me. You drove me safely from Mahomet, Illinois to San Diego and several times to Colorado. Do you remember the time when we drove up Pikes Peak? Yeah, I wasn’t sure how you would do but you took the 14,100 feet like a pro…twice! We journey to Edisto Beach, South Carolina and then all the way to Key West, Florida. I’m sorry that I packed you so full in the move back to Canada. It wasn’t right. But you never complained. I will vividly remember traveling through the Canadian Rockies, stopping at Lake Louise, the Columbia Icefields and many other stops. Well…I’m sorry about the accident. I know that you did nothing wrong. The white van came out of no where. He was mostly at fault but I can’t deny the fact that I wasn’t thinking properly. I should have been paying more attention. I didn’t realize I was in the left hand turning lane. I thought the road was widening into two lanes. But it was early in the morning and the road marks were not visible. Mimas, thank you for keeping me safe and taking the brunt of the accident. I came away with no scrapes or bruises. You looked pitiful with your fluids spilled all over the street; lights broken to bits, pieces of metal and your license plate lying on the pavement. I’m sorry that I laughed at you too. I just couldn’t help it. I found the whole thing a bit humorous. I mean…I just finished importing you to Canada. I had just received your Alberta plates several days earlier and had paid for all the fees and repairs to make you fit for Canada. Perhaps you were not meant to change your citizenship. I’m sorry for trying to force my country on you. Some day, hopefully we will travel together again. I hope you don’t get taken to a derby where you would have a cruel death…but I hope that someone will take pity on you and repair you. Although your name is not the most flashiest name I hope you will still be proud of it and know that you will always be a moon of Saturn to me. No other car could ever replace you. Yes, I will probably drive another one, but I know that I will never forget you. I apologize for what I’ve done to you and hope that someday, somehow, you can forgive me.
Your driver and friend,
Barry

Importing a car from the US to Canada.

I just recently imported my car from the US to Canada. I wrestled with whether or not it was worth it, but I came to the conclusion that it was in my case...I got the car for one dollar and the car is in great condition. If you are thinking about importing a car, you might want to consider all that you have to go through before doing it. Hope this helps:

At Canada/US border
-car is inspected.
-wasn’t a big deal. I had my car completely full and they didn’t unpack everything. Perhaps because it was a smaller border crossing.
-You will sign several forms and will get your Vehicle Import Form – Form 1. They will ask for a dollar amount of how much your car is worth.
-Fee of 206.70 which can be paid either at the border or by calling 1-888-848-8240 (Registrar of Imported Vehicles). Once they receive the payment they will give you (they emailed me) Form 2. This may take a few days. This second form is the guidelines for the inspection centre regarding modifications and inspection.

Insurance
-you will need to insure your car in Canada. Find an insurance company (I decided to use Cooperators, since I used them in the past). You will need a Record of Insurance History, which your insurance company (I used Progressive Drive) can fax to you. You will also need a Certified Driving Record (also called a Driver’s Abstract), which is a record of any speeding tickets or offenses on your record. This was one of the most frustrating things for me to get. I had to call The Secretary of the State of Illinois (long wait on the phone) and ask for my record. I could not request this over the phone and needed to send a letter with my signature, date of birth and license number mailed to them (This could NOT be faxed), plus a 12.00 USD fee (I had to get a US money order and there was a 5.00 fee on that. FEES ON FEES!!!). I sent this through FED-EX which was another 32.58. They can fax the driving record back to you and will send the original by mail. You need proof of insurance for this to all work, so get started on this right away.

Out-of-Country Inspection (At Canadian Tire) (No Fee)
-Before going to your inspection centre call your car dealership for a Recall Clearance Record. They can fax this to you. GM (Saturn) charged me 25.00 and this took a couple days. This form basically says the model of your car has no recalls and is safe to drive.
-take the three forms with you: Vehicle Import Form (Form 1), Form 2 and the Recall Clearance Record with you to the inspection centre (Canadian Tire).
-The inspection doesn’t cost anything. I think the initial 206.70 covers that cost. I had to get day-time running lights put on it (84.53 + 133.50 for labor +tax). Other things that may come include: metric speedometer, an infant restraint kit, French SRS Maintenance label if it is equipped with an airbag that requires periodic maintenance, a functioning air bag if your car is equipped with an airbag.
-The inspection center stamps both your Vehicle Import Form (Form 1) and Form 2.

Out-of-Province Inspection (At Canadian Tire) (199.99)

The first step in order to get an Out-of-Province Inspection is both Form 1 and Form 2 (make sure they are stamped by your Inspection centre and Form 2 includes your VIN number) and go to a Vehicle Licensing agency and ask for a Request for Out-of-Province Inspection (No FEE!!!). Then you must take this request form to your inspection centre and begin the Out-of-Province inspection. This Inspection is the toughest. They are checking your vehicle to see if it is road worthy. Fortunately, all I need was a new exhaust system (parts/labor/tax came to 236.09).

Registration and License
Once you are finished the Out-of-Province inspection you can finally register your vehicle for plates and driver’s license. You will need:
-Vehicle Import Form – Form 1
-title or permit of car
-proof of insurance
-two pieces of proof of address
-former driver’s license
-another form of I.D. (birth certificate, etc)
-the fee for registration is 70.54. (This is where they give you your plates.)
-the fee for a driver’s license is 64.54. (They will take your picture and you will receive the license in the mail 2 weeks later. They will also take away your former driver’s license.)

So this cost me around 1,100 Canadian dollars, not including insurance.

Welcome to my world!

Hello and welcome to my world. Well...this is just a snap shot of some of the highlights along the way. This picture was taken on Mount Kea in Hawaii. Mauna (Mount) Kea reaches 13,954 feet above sea level. If you measure it from its base below sea level to its tip, its actually taller than Mount Everest. Nasa has put space observation equipment on top of it because its one of the best places on the planet to view the sky. From the picture you can tell I enjoyed my time up there (I'm lighter than air). Great view above the clouds. Well I hope you enjoy the blog! TGBTG