As all of you know, I have been on a trip to spend time with my 75 yo father and to visit another friend in Canada. The original plan had been to go back east as well.
I started out by going to Idaho Falls to visit with my Dad for about a week before going to Canada. I had a wonderful time in British Columbia with my friend Tina for eight glorious fun-filled days.
I was really sad to leave but knew I had to get on with my journey. So back to Dad’s I went with the intent of going from there to Wisconsin and my next friend, Debbie. Then came the dreaded phone call – the dear husband was going to Washington D.C. to get his passport.
What does this mean you might ask? For me, it meant the end of my journey for this year as he had to go to Vienna, Austria for a UN CTBT summit. Have I made your head spin with all those acronyms? LOL! UN = United Nations and CTBT = Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Yeah, my DH is one of a handful of special people in the world that does treaty negotiations and with the election of President Obama, those negotiations have started up again. Good for him as he’s going to be hopping all over the world for large chunks of time. Bad for me as I don’t get to go with him yet as our youngest is a senior in high school. :-(
So in lieu of going on with my trip I had planned four months for, I had to totally rethink my plan. There was no way I wanted to go back to the hot, hot, hot – did I say hot? – southwest. With my Dad’s 75th birthday just a week away, I decided to celebrate the day with him before going home to get the youngest ready for school, a task the DH was supposed to do this year.
We had a wonderful prime rib dinner the Sunday before my Dad’s birthday with as much family as could be there. On the very day, we had a roasted chicken dinner at my brother’s house. It was all fantastic and made my Dad very happy.
As I packed up my stuff, I knew I would miss the surrounding farm land which reminded me so much of where I lived until I was eleven. Giving my Dad a big hug and kiss, I was on my way with four new tires purchased just the day before. I had to get gas and went to the Costco in Pocatello because it was twelve cents a gallon cheaper. My cheap Scottish husband had finally gotten to me over the years. Fill up the tank, hop back in the car and turn the switch.
Nothing. Da Nada. Absolutely nothing. I couldn’t even open the back to get my jumper cables because the whole darn car is electric and there is no lever to open the darn thing up. Sigh. This was bad. A kind soul took pity on me and with his wife and toddler looking on, charged me up and vroooommm – off I go.
In hindsight, I should have gone to the nearest car shop and had the darn thing replaced right then. But I was suddenly anxious to go home since my older son had called to say ‘Hi, Grandma’ which meant they were finally pregnant after trying for so long. Besides, most batteries have one more trip in them and I knew it wasn’t the alternator.
Well, not mine. Just thirty-five miles outside Pocatello, my car lights up like a firecracker with wipers going and all alarms blasting – I kid you not – going all haywire as it dies doing 75 miles per hour. I half expected all the windows to go down as I watched all my crap blow around the freeway. Not a pretty thought. It’s hot, it’s miserable and I can’t even roll down the damn window because it is so dead. Crap, crap, crap. I am so screwed.
Thank goodness for AAA and the hundreds of people in Verizon – can you hear me now? – behind me. I got a call out to AAA who arranged a tow with a very honest guy known as Solly from Solomon’s service in a little town called Inkom. Next call to the DH to make sure I have money all the way around because this just might be expensive. After a short thirty minute wait, I’m in the service garage.
We had a discussion and determined it could be one of three things: battery ($150), alternator ($200-500) or the car’s brain ($1200-1500). My stomach clenched on options 2 and 3. I anxiously sit waiting for the verdict. Yippee! It’s option #1. Still, it takes another hour to go to Pocatello and get the battery, bring it back, put it in and get me on my way.
Whew! I am just tired writing it all down again! LOL! And yeah, there’s a story here somewhere, I just know it: here I was stranded on a main highway, taken to a service station across from a restaurant called ‘The Red Pony’ and all of it happening in the pouring rain. Don’t think I didn’t take notes...LOL! Yup – quite a story – and if it hadn’t happened to me, I would not have believed it for one moment.
So, now, why don’t you all tell me your worst breakdown nightmare? And believe me, this wasn’t even my worst, just one of many. LOL!
Don’t forget the August giveaway of a basket full of goodies including an iPod nano. Next week, I have a giveaway for all the authors out there...it’s a surprise!
Until next week...see you all then!
Lynn
I started out by going to Idaho Falls to visit with my Dad for about a week before going to Canada. I had a wonderful time in British Columbia with my friend Tina for eight glorious fun-filled days.
I was really sad to leave but knew I had to get on with my journey. So back to Dad’s I went with the intent of going from there to Wisconsin and my next friend, Debbie. Then came the dreaded phone call – the dear husband was going to Washington D.C. to get his passport.
What does this mean you might ask? For me, it meant the end of my journey for this year as he had to go to Vienna, Austria for a UN CTBT summit. Have I made your head spin with all those acronyms? LOL! UN = United Nations and CTBT = Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Yeah, my DH is one of a handful of special people in the world that does treaty negotiations and with the election of President Obama, those negotiations have started up again. Good for him as he’s going to be hopping all over the world for large chunks of time. Bad for me as I don’t get to go with him yet as our youngest is a senior in high school. :-(
So in lieu of going on with my trip I had planned four months for, I had to totally rethink my plan. There was no way I wanted to go back to the hot, hot, hot – did I say hot? – southwest. With my Dad’s 75th birthday just a week away, I decided to celebrate the day with him before going home to get the youngest ready for school, a task the DH was supposed to do this year.
We had a wonderful prime rib dinner the Sunday before my Dad’s birthday with as much family as could be there. On the very day, we had a roasted chicken dinner at my brother’s house. It was all fantastic and made my Dad very happy.
As I packed up my stuff, I knew I would miss the surrounding farm land which reminded me so much of where I lived until I was eleven. Giving my Dad a big hug and kiss, I was on my way with four new tires purchased just the day before. I had to get gas and went to the Costco in Pocatello because it was twelve cents a gallon cheaper. My cheap Scottish husband had finally gotten to me over the years. Fill up the tank, hop back in the car and turn the switch.
Nothing. Da Nada. Absolutely nothing. I couldn’t even open the back to get my jumper cables because the whole darn car is electric and there is no lever to open the darn thing up. Sigh. This was bad. A kind soul took pity on me and with his wife and toddler looking on, charged me up and vroooommm – off I go.
In hindsight, I should have gone to the nearest car shop and had the darn thing replaced right then. But I was suddenly anxious to go home since my older son had called to say ‘Hi, Grandma’ which meant they were finally pregnant after trying for so long. Besides, most batteries have one more trip in them and I knew it wasn’t the alternator.
Well, not mine. Just thirty-five miles outside Pocatello, my car lights up like a firecracker with wipers going and all alarms blasting – I kid you not – going all haywire as it dies doing 75 miles per hour. I half expected all the windows to go down as I watched all my crap blow around the freeway. Not a pretty thought. It’s hot, it’s miserable and I can’t even roll down the damn window because it is so dead. Crap, crap, crap. I am so screwed.
Thank goodness for AAA and the hundreds of people in Verizon – can you hear me now? – behind me. I got a call out to AAA who arranged a tow with a very honest guy known as Solly from Solomon’s service in a little town called Inkom. Next call to the DH to make sure I have money all the way around because this just might be expensive. After a short thirty minute wait, I’m in the service garage.
We had a discussion and determined it could be one of three things: battery ($150), alternator ($200-500) or the car’s brain ($1200-1500). My stomach clenched on options 2 and 3. I anxiously sit waiting for the verdict. Yippee! It’s option #1. Still, it takes another hour to go to Pocatello and get the battery, bring it back, put it in and get me on my way.
Whew! I am just tired writing it all down again! LOL! And yeah, there’s a story here somewhere, I just know it: here I was stranded on a main highway, taken to a service station across from a restaurant called ‘The Red Pony’ and all of it happening in the pouring rain. Don’t think I didn’t take notes...LOL! Yup – quite a story – and if it hadn’t happened to me, I would not have believed it for one moment.
So, now, why don’t you all tell me your worst breakdown nightmare? And believe me, this wasn’t even my worst, just one of many. LOL!
Don’t forget the August giveaway of a basket full of goodies including an iPod nano. Next week, I have a giveaway for all the authors out there...it’s a surprise!
Until next week...see you all then!
Lynn
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