I got a bill for insurance on the trailer and I just about had another heart attack. The premium had more than tripled over my old Scotty. I quickly got in touch with my agent to find out just what happened, especially since it was far above the premium that I was quoted.

A few things came into play. First thing is that I got a great deal on the trailer as a purchase; however, the insurance has to be for the MSRP amount. I did not really think about that but it makes sense if it were to be totaled and had to be replaced. It would never be replaced at the price I paid with the deal I got.

The second thing was the REAL issue though. One of the underwriters had typed an extra zero on the value, turning the insured value of my trailer into SIX FIGURES!!! WTH? I don’t really understand how this got through the system but it is quickly getting taken care of. The policy will be re-written with the correct amounts and a new bill will be issued.

Heart attack #2 averted.

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While cleaning up the yard after my trip I saw this:

Apparently there’s a little bandit peeping in the window of the playhouse. Now you know why they have that mask.

I also found this furry little guy:

Look how long his hairs are! Usually the thinking is the more furry the caterpillar the colder winter will be, but I am not sure if it is all caterpillars or just the wooly one (which this isn’t). Let’s hope he just wants long hair and it’s not the cold.

I did get a brush pile burned and a bunch of branches picked up. I’m hoping that burning will kill off the fungus that killed the trees plus I roasted some termites in some old firewood in the process. I got all the potentially infested wood burned that I could find, but I’m sure there will be more. I’m glad I got rid of that rotting infested wood and I’m also glad I moved the firewood far away from the house.

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I’m hoping to get another adventure in soon. That (too) short trip I took just got me wanting more. Definitely makes a difference having that new trailer to travel with! Luckily my camping season can go longer with the heated water and waste tanks plus my heated water hose for the city water hookup.

I will say that a really nice feature of Missouri State Parks (other than they are some of the nicest ones I have ever been in) is the campground gates close at night. It’s nice to have that security knowing that nobody can come and go as they please unless they are registered campers with the gate code. I believe that even non-registered guests have to leave by closing. I wonder how they handle it if you have a guest and they want to stay…

That’s a far cry from stories I heard from campers in Forest Service campgrounds, where cars would cruise through late at night with lights off looking for any opportunity to steal even the smallest things while people were sleeping.

Spending $15 for a primitive campsite or $23 for one with electricity is really not that bad given the quality of the parks, their facilities and the peace of mind. But I do still like to boondock camp and always will because it is what I have always done.

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Lately there have been many articles talking about the proliferation of unnecessary tipping here in the States. I, for one, despise tipping. It is yet just another excuse in this country to underpay people and put it directly on the customer to make up the difference. Minimum wage – and a far-substandard one at that – for some reason is for everyone in this country except restaurant workers and that is wrong. This should have never been allowed to happen.

Everywhere I shop people have their hand out for tips…even for self-service or takeout orders. I’m tired of it and I refuse to tip if it’s anywhere other than a restaurant I am sitting down in, and that is rare these days since I don’t dine out much.

Just like haggling for a new car, tipping is ridiculous. Tipping in Europe is not acceptable (and even considered rude) in many places, and in others it is very minimal – round up to the next Euro and that is it. They pay their people fairly and the service I had while there was still fine.

I once ate at a restaurant in Seattle where tipping was not allowed and it was a great experience. It is one of many restaurants in the Chef Tom Davis empire and was called Serious Pie. The meal was just a bit more expensive, but both the service and food were outstanding. His employees are paid a decent wage and had benefits but were still expected to provide top-notch service.

It is time to put a stop to this nonsense. Customers need to demand a stop to this practice and stop supporting it. I’m sick of businesses constantly guilting me into it. If it is in the software it needs to be removed.

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That’s it for this post. Thanks for reading!

Shawn