Monday, August 11, 2008

PERT: Death Valley Sans AC (no pun intended), and other mishaps

Yes, that is sand, not snow, drifting across the road. I hear it's hot in Death Valley, particularly in a car without air conditioning. As the boys tried to leave Las Vegas, they noticed a power drain in the Contour and spent the morning at a Ford dealership. Assured that everything "checked out fine" (how many times have we heard that from a Ford dealership?), they continued on their trek to Yosemite. The power drain worsened and, worried they would not have enough power to cross the desert, they were forced to turn off the air conditioning, head lights, and all other devices powered by the car's battery. Including Peter's computer. Stripped down to his boxers, with no other diversions, Peter had his road warrior patience tested. I hear he did fine. The first Ford fix-it opportunity is in San Luis Obispo, so the boys have been running in low power mode. Probably the reason they were unwilling to spend any idle time on the road in the Yosemite Valley.

On the home front, we are dealing with an excess of water. Grandma noticed steam rising from her bathroom floor and through the seams of the cabinets. The access panels were so badly warped that I couldn't get them off, so I enlisted the help of Bob the neighbor, interrupting putting practice in his backyard. Steam fogged my glasses as Bob removed the access panel and he stated the obvious: "You have a hot water leak". The weekend was filled with plumbers and water damage assessors, and I now await a visit from the insurance adjuster.

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