Ugh!
This week has been one of desperation and exasperation. I went out, an innocent lamb to the slaughter. Okay, let me tell you tales of horror. LOL.
I went up near the Detroit area last week to visit my youngest son and his wife to babysit their twins so they could attend a dance banquet for the eldest daughter - a six-year-old
It is summer time and of course, every road is under construction - for miles! I can take the south route (low road) or the north route (high road) but... wait. They are both under construction at about the same area so the idea of taking one to avoid the other is a moot point. Oh, wait, I could slip around the whole mess by taking a road headed north before I got the construction.
Silly me. That road was under construction, too. Well, I was committed to this road when I discovered the construction. Therefore, a quick dido might be the best answer. Wrong again. A left turn here, a right turn there, a couple of each and finally I was in an area I recognized. A little further and I was able to eliminate another construction area and I was clear of the big city and headed on to my destination.
Wait. This road was taking me back away so I had to cut across the countryside to catch another highway to get me up to Detroit. No problem. (So he thought.) Speeding down the backroad and I see the flashing lights. No, not the police. In front of me is a tractor on the country road. It was chugging along at a snail's pace and there was NO way to get around it. Did the young driver think to look in his rear-view mirror for traffic? Nope! He was getting down in the cab with his headphones on so the loud tractor with the immensely wide row of plows didn't bother him. No on-coming traffic and I couldn't pass him - the plow went from side of road to side of road. He really should have had them tipped up, but...
THREE agonizing miles at the breakneck speed of almost 10mph, he finally turned off into a field.
We finally got to my son's house before they had to leave. We allowed almost 3 hours to make a 90-minute drive. It took over 2 hours. Therefore, visiting with them before they left was a lost cause. They assumed the banquet would be over early and they'd be home by 8pm, 9pm for sure. They didn't get home until almost 10pm. For us, no biggie since the twins, 14 months old, decided to call it an early evening and went to sleep without too much effort on our behalf.
We headed home the next day after an enjoyable visit. We had a 1pm meeting and again, we allowed ourselves 3 hours to travel the distance.
About 40 miles from home, I thought we had it 'in the bag' ... we'd arrive almost 30 minutes before the meeting - but I was wrong. I turned onto a connecting highway between the "high" road and "low" road.
Are you ready? More flashing light. Still, not the police. Seems they decided to 'sweep' the highway and the big rig was moving along at ... okay, it was so slow we were passed by a kid on a bicycle as he cycled leisurely down the road licking a popsicle. Actually, we were going so slow I was on idle - my foot was on the brake, not the gas, and I had to keep applying the brakes because I was moving too fast. YUP! It was THAT slow. There was a county or state truck behind the sweeper with its caution lights flashing. Behind that (and in front of me) was another truck who, for some reason, felt it unnecessary to pass. The road is 3 lanes. The lane going north, the lane going south, and a turn lane between them. For the one-mile strip, there is absolutely NO place to turn left or right from the highway. Why is there a turn lane? I have no idea, but it was there. But I figure, at about 1mph, no faster than 3mph, I had the right to pass.
Exasperated, I finally gunned my motor and, using the turning lane, passed the two trucks and sweeper at an outrageous speed of 20, almost 25mph. Was it legal? I don't know. I might get a ticket in the mail and, if so, I will address the issue at that time.
I was ahead of schedule, but due to the sweeper, I fell behind and we were 5 minutes late for our meeting. Not so bad, but we'd called to let them know we were running late. I didn't mention that I was racing through the countryside in an attempt to gain back some time. If I hadn't raced, we probably would have been about 30 minutes late.
Oh, I forgot about the one car I had before me on the country road. She would stop at the stop signs. That's a good thing. She would left, look right, inch ahead, look left, look right, look left and finally cross the intersection. Of course, I could not pass her due to poor timing of on-coming traffic. She did this at 3 different intersections. Even my wife wondered why she spent so much time looking left and right to ascertain traffic. Uh, you could see left and right at these stop intersections for over a mile in each direction. There was nothing coming either way. We only had on-coming traffic and never met one of those vehicles at any intersection.
Yes, it was a trip of tension. The only trips I can claim to be worse is when we decide to travel through Houston, Texas. For me, my last 4 trips through the construction there have all been white-knuckle events. We (my wife, her brother and his wife, and me) now plan our trip to Corpus Christi to avoid Houston. I'm the only one 'dumb' enough to drive through Houston. They won't even attempt it.
Showing posts with label car. Show all posts
Showing posts with label car. Show all posts
Monday, June 20, 2016
Monday, September 14, 2015
What A Week
My buddy is retired and he is continually complaining to me about how bored he is. How can that be since I now find my life even more hectic than when I worked.
This week is a perfect example...
Monday: Holiday celebrating Labor Day. It should be a day of relaxing, enjoying the last of the sun fun and even getting a picnic in. NOPE. For me, it was my #1 son and family visiting and telling us about the cars they been looking at for their daughter since she wants a little bigger one with the baby coming. So far, pretty normal. He takes us to a dealership where they have a car that has piqued our curiosity — since my granddaughter doesn't want it and my son thinks it is a great car.
WOW! It's a 2014 Ford Escape - hold on - brand new!! Only 175 miles on it. Seems it came in late last year, got shuffled to the back of the lot and only when somebody questioned the "mistype" on the inventory sheet did they discover it. That's right. The 2016s are already on the display floor and they have a brand new 2014 to sell. They were practically giving it away. My wife liked what she saw.
Step back a moment. Remember me mentioning dealing on a new RV? Yeah, that's never moved another step forward. I'd sent 3 emails to the salesman stating I was interested and I received 3 emails stating that that particular email address didn't exist. Hmm? I went to the website. Yup, I had the correct domain name. I had the salesman's business card. I decided that if a person can't give me the right info, maybe I should step back. Plus, he didn't want to take my old RV in as a trade. No deal at that point on my behalf. Yes, in my magnanimous heart, I gave up my RV for my wife's car.
Tuesday: The dealership opens at 9am, I arrive 9:30am — don't want to look too anxious. A salesman comes out and putters around and finally ambles over to help us. I tell him I'm interested in the 2014 for sale BUT before we go any further, can they apply the Ford family discount since my #4 son works for Ford. He gave me a strange look and ushered into his office so he can find out. The next thing, I'm out test-driving the vehicle. My wife gets behind the wheel. She is in love. We get back, Nick (the salesman) is working out the figures and we decide to "go for it" and see what happens. Just then, a couple I've seen wandering around the lot amble over and start checking it out. A few minutes later, Nick comes in, the deal is done and we are buying a car. He picks up the keys, aims it at the auto and VOILA! The car is locked just as another couple amble towards it. Another guy shows up at the door, Nick gives him the keys and a mere 2 hours later, we are walking out and my wife is driving the new car home. Of course, we have to get something to eat and get the insurance company notified. A quick visit to her brother after supper and the day is about over.
Wednesday: My grandson calls and asks if it is okay for them to start moving things into our house. So, it is official. My grandson and his family will be living with us for a few months to help them out. Uh, that means we have to get the guest room cleaned out for them. I guess I should mention that the big walk-in closet has been a playroom for our #4 son's two oldest daughters (6 and 5) plus a bedroom for whoever wanted to stay over. We got to get it all moved over to the smaller bedroom which was our office and most recently, my wife's mother's room until she went to the nursing home. So stuff had to be moved out of the office so the guest room could be moved. We're talking total chaos and my wife and I have discovered, there has never been a need to do everything in a rush — there was always the next day to get things done. They want to move furniture by Saturday. HUH? So we got hopping on that.
Thursday: The day is mostly spent on moving stuff either to our bedroom or from the guest room to the office (new guest room) or to the basement. Whew! The first boxes start to arrive. The room is basically empty, just a few items remain to be addressed. We decided we needed a break and since we wanted to go camping but with all the work to be done, we didn't go. A little spin out to the campground to see how busy it is. Very surprised by the number of campers. Of course, we stopped and visited some friends and they joined us on the trip to the campground.
Friday: More stuff gets moved in and the first box of my TV order arrives. The wall mount. Sometime in the next 3 days, the 60 inch and 32 inch LED televisions will arrive. My wife needs a little help with the baby shower cake she is decorating. Seems it is bigger than any board she has, so I have to find her a sheet of spare wood for the "owl" cake. This is for my great grandson. My granddaughter likes owls. It just fit in the back of the Escape. Whew!
Saturday: My #4 son and family arrive to visit for the weekend and go to the shower. Yup! I now have 6 adults and 5 children, ages 6 to just over a month old staying at my home. Chaos? Just a little but that's our family. Oh wait, #1 son, his wife and daughter come over and #2 son, his wife and his daughter visit. The only ones missing are #2's eldest son and my #3 son, his wife and 2 daughters. The grandson staying with us is #2's second son. While the ladies are gone to the shower, the boys move the furniture in and then bring over a truckload of wood for a campfire. I take the 2 granddaughters (6 and 5) over to a park for them to play and be out of the way. We also go to the store and I get the makings for tacos. Silly me —I thought 3 lbs of good ground beef would be enough. Wrong! We went through it quickly. Next time, I use 4 lbs or if more family show, even more meat. Fortunately, the garden was willing to offer up fresh tomatoes for the event. LOL. That night a great fire.
Sunday: Ignored the alarm and my wife - didn't get up until 11am so I missed church. Guess it was too much excitement for me the day before. LOL. Usual chaos as #4 and family got ready to head home and everyone else headed out, too. You can only park 4 cars abreast in my driveway — and with my 2 cars, my grandson's 2 vehicles (car and truck), my #2 son coming on his motorcycle, his wife and daughter in their SUV, my #1 son in his truck and their daughter in her car and my #4 son in his SUV... it begins to look more like a car lot than a driveway. Guess I should mention, my RV is up along the house, too, so when somebody decides to leave, it can get to be a tad interesting as to who has to move a vehicle. LOL.
But that's my week, and somehow, during that time, I was able to almost finish the edits on a client's book, get a chapter and a half of a new book written and watch a little television, too.
Until next I ramble on...
This week is a perfect example...
Monday: Holiday celebrating Labor Day. It should be a day of relaxing, enjoying the last of the sun fun and even getting a picnic in. NOPE. For me, it was my #1 son and family visiting and telling us about the cars they been looking at for their daughter since she wants a little bigger one with the baby coming. So far, pretty normal. He takes us to a dealership where they have a car that has piqued our curiosity — since my granddaughter doesn't want it and my son thinks it is a great car.
WOW! It's a 2014 Ford Escape - hold on - brand new!! Only 175 miles on it. Seems it came in late last year, got shuffled to the back of the lot and only when somebody questioned the "mistype" on the inventory sheet did they discover it. That's right. The 2016s are already on the display floor and they have a brand new 2014 to sell. They were practically giving it away. My wife liked what she saw.
Step back a moment. Remember me mentioning dealing on a new RV? Yeah, that's never moved another step forward. I'd sent 3 emails to the salesman stating I was interested and I received 3 emails stating that that particular email address didn't exist. Hmm? I went to the website. Yup, I had the correct domain name. I had the salesman's business card. I decided that if a person can't give me the right info, maybe I should step back. Plus, he didn't want to take my old RV in as a trade. No deal at that point on my behalf. Yes, in my magnanimous heart, I gave up my RV for my wife's car.
Tuesday: The dealership opens at 9am, I arrive 9:30am — don't want to look too anxious. A salesman comes out and putters around and finally ambles over to help us. I tell him I'm interested in the 2014 for sale BUT before we go any further, can they apply the Ford family discount since my #4 son works for Ford. He gave me a strange look and ushered into his office so he can find out. The next thing, I'm out test-driving the vehicle. My wife gets behind the wheel. She is in love. We get back, Nick (the salesman) is working out the figures and we decide to "go for it" and see what happens. Just then, a couple I've seen wandering around the lot amble over and start checking it out. A few minutes later, Nick comes in, the deal is done and we are buying a car. He picks up the keys, aims it at the auto and VOILA! The car is locked just as another couple amble towards it. Another guy shows up at the door, Nick gives him the keys and a mere 2 hours later, we are walking out and my wife is driving the new car home. Of course, we have to get something to eat and get the insurance company notified. A quick visit to her brother after supper and the day is about over.
Wednesday: My grandson calls and asks if it is okay for them to start moving things into our house. So, it is official. My grandson and his family will be living with us for a few months to help them out. Uh, that means we have to get the guest room cleaned out for them. I guess I should mention that the big walk-in closet has been a playroom for our #4 son's two oldest daughters (6 and 5) plus a bedroom for whoever wanted to stay over. We got to get it all moved over to the smaller bedroom which was our office and most recently, my wife's mother's room until she went to the nursing home. So stuff had to be moved out of the office so the guest room could be moved. We're talking total chaos and my wife and I have discovered, there has never been a need to do everything in a rush — there was always the next day to get things done. They want to move furniture by Saturday. HUH? So we got hopping on that.
Thursday: The day is mostly spent on moving stuff either to our bedroom or from the guest room to the office (new guest room) or to the basement. Whew! The first boxes start to arrive. The room is basically empty, just a few items remain to be addressed. We decided we needed a break and since we wanted to go camping but with all the work to be done, we didn't go. A little spin out to the campground to see how busy it is. Very surprised by the number of campers. Of course, we stopped and visited some friends and they joined us on the trip to the campground.
Friday: More stuff gets moved in and the first box of my TV order arrives. The wall mount. Sometime in the next 3 days, the 60 inch and 32 inch LED televisions will arrive. My wife needs a little help with the baby shower cake she is decorating. Seems it is bigger than any board she has, so I have to find her a sheet of spare wood for the "owl" cake. This is for my great grandson. My granddaughter likes owls. It just fit in the back of the Escape. Whew!
Saturday: My #4 son and family arrive to visit for the weekend and go to the shower. Yup! I now have 6 adults and 5 children, ages 6 to just over a month old staying at my home. Chaos? Just a little but that's our family. Oh wait, #1 son, his wife and daughter come over and #2 son, his wife and his daughter visit. The only ones missing are #2's eldest son and my #3 son, his wife and 2 daughters. The grandson staying with us is #2's second son. While the ladies are gone to the shower, the boys move the furniture in and then bring over a truckload of wood for a campfire. I take the 2 granddaughters (6 and 5) over to a park for them to play and be out of the way. We also go to the store and I get the makings for tacos. Silly me —I thought 3 lbs of good ground beef would be enough. Wrong! We went through it quickly. Next time, I use 4 lbs or if more family show, even more meat. Fortunately, the garden was willing to offer up fresh tomatoes for the event. LOL. That night a great fire.
Sunday: Ignored the alarm and my wife - didn't get up until 11am so I missed church. Guess it was too much excitement for me the day before. LOL. Usual chaos as #4 and family got ready to head home and everyone else headed out, too. You can only park 4 cars abreast in my driveway — and with my 2 cars, my grandson's 2 vehicles (car and truck), my #2 son coming on his motorcycle, his wife and daughter in their SUV, my #1 son in his truck and their daughter in her car and my #4 son in his SUV... it begins to look more like a car lot than a driveway. Guess I should mention, my RV is up along the house, too, so when somebody decides to leave, it can get to be a tad interesting as to who has to move a vehicle. LOL.
But that's my week, and somehow, during that time, I was able to almost finish the edits on a client's book, get a chapter and a half of a new book written and watch a little television, too.
Until next I ramble on...
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