"Built Fun Tough"

Thursday was car day. The weather was pretty decent and I was ready for a post-work change of pace. It's been a long time since I can recall dressing "casually" right after work. I ran a few errands, dropped off the recycling and kicked things off by washing the '85 Coupe; noting the ravages of mother nature, and cruising her out to the country for pictures. I bought this car a few years back as a "project" with a slipping trans but great paint and interior. Changing interests and new responsibilities caused her to sit far too long, in the rain, snow and summer's heat. Another season outside wouldn't be right. I'll list her this week with a modest reserve.

Next was cleanup of the '76. A quick cruise proved she was anxious for the road, but impending rain sent her to the garage for the night. I went home, cleaned up, and got some sleep.

Most of the office was out Friday and those that were there bailed out after lunch. Despite that, my dad's AM retirement "roast" was a success. I helped myself to the coffee and breakfast pizza and enjoyed the speeches, photos and backstories. Nowhere else was it so apparent how many people were lamenting my his leaving and appreciative of all his efforts over the years. The afternoon ended fairly somberly but work picked up around 3.

I managed a couple hours at the lodge then came in for drinks at the PL. My "Glass Tower" was especially minty, but enjoyable, nonetheless. Pool and music were pretty decent, too.

How to almost miss a wedding:

First stop Saturday morning was at the transfer station to unload a bunch of scrap metal from the trailer. From there, Cara and I hit up the art store on the parkade to see what cardstock and envelopes they offered; didn't find exactly what we wanted. Then to the parents. Cara got a load of laundry going, meanwhile I loaded the riding mower into the trailer. We headed out a half our later and put in an hour or two at the lodge in prep for Saturday night. This meant building the platform for the bed using 3/4 plywood that I had freed up the night before while Cara wiped down jalousie panes and took them upstairs. The temps were rising and the spotty rain earlier in the day only added to the humidity factor. Keeping our eyes on the clock, we finished our tasks and headed back to the parents to swap laundry and get the '76 out. Then to the apt to cleanup, pulling ourselves together in the stifling heat and getting to the church a quarter 'til; meeting Ben as he strode down the front walk.

The Dave and Rebecca wedding went off without a hitch. The heat and humidity were oppressive, but being use to donning a sweat-soaked t-shirt on a ladder 16' up in lodge-internal, where the summer's sun has superheated the surrounding air while the cement below radiates waves of moisture, it wasn't _that_bad. A quick ceremony and we were headed for the Rotary. I got the distinct vibe the group of us were "the outsiders" at the event. Whatever the case, the A/C was blowing and the diet Mountain Dew was working overtime to keep my head off the table. Around sundown we took our leave for Andrea's parents' place.

The selection of games was seriously lacking from the last visit and it was apparent the heat of the day had taken its toll on everyone. But once Trivial Pursuit was out there was renewed energy in the room. Ben and Robert put up a good fight and between Cam, Micah and I we were able to slug through some oddball questions. What we couldn't figure out was how to play, or even the name, of a game that involves the phase "the deal has been made". I seem to recall a lot of ear-tugging and nose-tapping that went along with that one. Anyhow, it was past 1 when the shindig broke up and we parted under a clear night sky with a fairly full moon.

A quick walk down the RR tracks from the Rotary and a jaunt through tall grass and weeds in the moonlight lead us to the Lodge. The heat of the day had dissipated and a shower really hit the spot before bed. The next morning, light was streaming in the windows, but it wasn't long before the mists came. Then rain, thunder, lightning and a black sky. I turned on the '48 television and consulted the charts for KWWL's transmitter location. We got a picture of the radar pattern showing a big time storm (with digital TV the pics buffer and when the signal drops, they freeze). But without a good signal we had no audio at all. Terrific. Got a call from the parents that things were going to be getting bad quickly. We closed up shop and ventured out into the storm, moving along the tracks as fast as we could to get the '76 home before the hail storm. We made it, but a friend's place near Eldora was hit pretty hard by the storm system with strong winds, half dollar size hail and lots of tree damage.

There'd be no picker work or lawn mowing the rest of the day. We went back with the truck and worked another six and a half hours with Ben showing around 1 just in time for another storm system. We loaded up a couple Maytags as the skies opened up. Once again, I was drenched. Did manage to change the blade and fix the mower, ripped some stock for the workbench, cleaned tile and even grouted a good portion of the bathroom. Cara cleared the area under the stairs with the shop vac and proceeded to vac the downstairs, and I mean, the whole downstairs!

Already beat, we closed things up around 6:30 and headed in to get our laundry and grab a bite. Home by 8 and ready for the sack. That's a weekend.