3 October 2009

Another rainy day… perfect for continuing shed design work. Weather cleared up somewhat mid-afternoon, so attempted to set the retaining wall elevations using the Egyptian water level. Still very inconsistent! Also the tubing wouldn’t reach to the farthest points of the intended wall. Grrr! Barbecued dinner, then went for a mentally relaxing and physically rewarding canoe around the lake. Not more than a dozen houses / camps showing any signs of life.

2 October 2009

While lying abed shortly after dawn pondering the upcoming day, it dawned on me that we hadn’t done a very thorough search of the pickup yesterday while looking for the missing wallet... and the more I mentally retraced my steps on Wednesday, the more convinced I became that that is where the wallet had been left. So after breakfast I drove back to Pittsford (which fortunately is only 11 miles from Fern Lake), where I found the mechanic to whom I had given the pickup’s keys on Wednesday. Together we went through the pickup with the proverbial fine tooth comb. No wallet. At that point the mechanic remembered that a regular visitor to the car lot had been in the pickup after I dropped it off on Wednesday. So, who knows, maybe that person found the wallet and has mailed it to Virginia. Well, you can ALWAYS hope… While talking to the mechanic, I enquired about the status of getting the 4WD fixed. “Well”, he says, “let me show you what’s wrong with it…” Seems the plastic knob for the 4WD selector switch is cracked, allowing the knob to rotate without actually turning the switch. With the knob properly positioned, the 4WD engages just fine… as we proved about 20 times on the spot. So I drove up to Brandon, saw Frankie Gomez (the Brandon Auto salesman), and within five minutes had reached agreement on a sales price. (I offered $1,000 less than the Kelly Blue Book private sale “fair” condition value; he countered with my price plus $50; I shook his hand.) Lest you think that is an outrageously good deal, as soon as I take delivery, the truck is going straight to Junction Auto for about $500 worth of repairs to known problems. Obviously, with zero identification I couldn’t go to our bank and get a cashier’s check, but Frankie took a personal check drawn on that bank with the understanding that I wouldn’t take the truck away until the check clears. Since I was in the area, stopped for a social visit with Tom Whittaker at his real estate office in Brandon. Back at Fern Lake, put stakes in the ground for the corners of the shed foundation footers. The layout checked square (equal diagonal measurements) on the very first try… which has NEVER happened before, on the first or twentieth try. Some mosquitoes about and somewhat bothersome without an application of Vermont perfume (i.e., Deep Woods Off). Lit a campfire on which to barbecue dinner… which caused the rain to start again in earnest. Barbecued anyway…


Post Script: IT’S A MIRACLE!!!!! The person who we suspected might have taken my wallet turned said wallet into the Brandon Police Department this afternoon. Wallet retrieved this evening, completely intact (money, IDs, credit cards, etc. all present).

1 October 2009

Another rainy day… great for working on shed design drawings in the cozy warmth of an RV with a full propane tank. While making pancakes for breakfast, neglected to turn on the stove vent fan, and therefore completed, a few hours earlier than planned, the annual smoke detector battery test. Of course, while dealing with the noise issue, burned the pancake. Went for a stroll around the property after lunch eyeballing rocks to be used for the retaining wall. That done, decided to go over to the Salisbury Free Library (open 2 – 5 Tuesdays and Thursdays, plus 9 – noon on Saturdays) where they have a Wi-Fi connection. While gathering up my new laptop and other implements of destruction, couldn’t find my wallet anywhere in the RV or the Sienna. “Hmmm”, I says, “I wonder if maybe I left the wallet in the pickup truck on Wednesday”, as I have a habit of putting it into a cup holder rather than sitting on the lump. So down to Pittsford I drove. Alas, there was no wallet in said pickup truck cup holder. Oh, dear! (or words to that effect) After using the Wi-Fi (a nice high-speed connection), having a lovely chat with Jennifer the librarian, and signing up as the 362nd (all time) member of the library (which actually has 5,000 titles on hand, some of which I would even want to read), I spent the balance of the afternoon and evening calling credit card companies and credit bureaus concerning potential identity theft and fraudulent use of credit issues. Oh, joy!

30 September 2009

Woke up to a typical Vermont fall day… 46 degrees and drizzle. My how things have changed in the 10 days I was in the south land. Trees are starting to turn; lots of leaves in the driveway. Took Delores into Middlebury for window repairs and fuel. The garbage bag and cardboard patch over the broken window lasted until I hit 40 mph, about a mile down the road. So we enjoyed some natural air conditioning… the RV needed airing out anyway. Ace repairman Todd Deasabrais at Deasabrais & Sons Glass took a long look at the broken window and recommended I call Ehlers. Seems that if you’re going to break a window, ALWAYS choose one that moves. Fixed glass, though maybe smaller, is MUCH more difficult to replace. Apparently the RV learning curve still has quite a slope to it... the price tag to take the door apart to get a piece of tempered glass back into the hole was likely to be north of $1,000. So then Todd says, “How ‘bout we at least put a temporary piece of Plexiglas over the hole while you decide what to do.” So he does that and I ask him what I owe. “No charge, glad to help”, was the response. Then Todd says, looking at the state of the RV, “Now, I don’t mean to be condescending, but your RV looks like it’s been around the block a few times and if I do such and such, that Plexiglas could be a permanent repair and nobody will ever know the difference.” So $20 changed hands and the deed was done. The amazing thing was that duct tape was NOT involved… though I think Delores’ feelings may have been hurt just a bit! Next stop was Agway for 15 gallons of propane. Then on to the Leicester General Store, who always has the cheapest gas in the area on Wednesdays and Sundays. “Only” took $135 to fill Delores’s tank this time. But considering that that tank-full should last about a year, that’s not that unreasonable, he says, thinking wishfully. After lunch drove down to Brandon Auto South in Pittsford to test drive a 1999 Ford Ranger. For a change, the four wheel drive seemed to work just fine, and other than typical Ford truck rust issues found in Vermont, the pickup seemed to be in okay shape and had all desired features (e.g., cruise control and air conditioning… critical to hauling logs out of the woods). Took the Ranger up to Junction Auto, where Zack Wright confirmed that the A/C wasn’t working, the illuminated check engine light means that the oxygen sensor needs to be replaced, and no matter what we did, we could not get the 4WD to engage. Returned the truck to Pittsford, where the mechanic there thought the solenoid that engages the 4WD may have gone bad. No 4WD, no deal! Back at Fern Lake, while making spaghetti sauce for dinner, found more shards of broken wine glass behind the stove. Also had to clean a bunch of glass out of the hydraulic controls for the RV leveling system…

29 September 2009

Only 8 hours 45 minutes from Springfield to Fern Lake, and that included an unintentional detour through Philadelphia, Trenton, and Princeton. Take a gander at a map to really appreciate the magnitude of that navigational faux pas. At least I missed the New Jersey Turnpike entirely… and found gas for only $2.28 / gallon. No mice (or signs thereof) and no mosquitoes! Disconnecting the coach batteries when leaving the RV unattended for awhile worked as advertised… refrigerator started right up. After stowing food and clothes, removed the remaining glass from the broken window and cleaned up the residual mess using the shop vac. Discovered why you don’t park an RV under a large (and apparently quite virile) oak tree during the nutting season. It may be a long night…

18 September 2009

Drove back to Virginia. Only took 9 hours with just one minor traffic delay in New York.

17 September 2009

Further calculations showed that the shed, as currently designed, would be too small to hold six cords of firewood (guesstimated two year's supply). So back to the drawing board... Moved, by hand, because we don't have either a pickup truck or a tractor, the huge brush pile adjacent to the shed turnaround area to other piles that will be out of the way of the construction site. Cut four more trees to enlarge the turnaround a bit more... and did not get bit by any yellow jackets even though the trees were close to their nest. Leveled the retaining wall footer trench (by hand shovel, because we don't have...)  Took Dolores to Kampersville for a pump out. Sewage hose sprung a leak while dumping the black water tank. Oh, crap... literally and figuratively! Discovered that the bread intended for today's lunch was COMPLETELY moldy... and I'm not real fussy about what I'll eat. Lynne & Perry came for dinner. As they were leaving, SOMEONE threw the safety latch on the RV main cabin door. Consequently, when I went to go back inside after seeing Lynne & Perry off, the door was quite definitely locked. As were ALL of the RV windows and the driver's door. Close inspection showed that whoever designed the RV had security firmly in mind -- NO breach points were apparent. Fortunately, I had just bought a two pound hand sledge. Picking the (hopefully) least expensive window to replace (fortuitously located just above the driver's door lock) one firm swing did the trick. And you thought the wine glasses made a mess?!?! Hah!!!! A bit of cardboard, a black plastic bag, and, of course, you can't call yourself a true Vermonter unless you personally own enough duct tape to hold together the whole State... While cleaning glass shards out of the driver's seat, I found a penny, so this must have been my lucky day...