17 May 2013

Dolores and I arrived Green Mountain Garage promptly at 7:30.  Front wheel hubs were noticeably warm.  Sure enough, when Mike pulled the wheels, we found both brake caliper units frozen due to the seals being almost completely gone that are supposed to keep water out of the actuating cylinders.  Total cost, parts and labor, to replace the calipers (which they had to send someone down to Rutland to get)?  (Are you sitting down????)  $200.  You can’t even buy coffee at G. Stone Motors for that much.  Luckily the brake pads were in good shape, even after 20 miles of driving with the front brakes “on”.  Mike pulled a spark plug and said it looked brand new.  We also could see that the wiring harness looked new.  Had Mike test drive Dolores to confirm, and, sure enough, she does NOT need a tune-up, contrary to what “those other guys” said.  Hmmph!  Left Green Mountain Garage at 11 with a new Vermont inspection sticker and instructions from Mike to hit every rough bit of pavement that I could on the way back to Fern Lake.  Sure enough, the jarring reset the A/C relay, so now the HVAC system is back to full normal operation.  After lunch and delivering another raspberry cream cheese bribe to Lynne, dug the holes for and put into place the four in-ground posts that will support landing #7.  Even though there was only a light breeze, the mosquitoes seem to have taken today off.  Must be they’re on a flex-time schedule.