Sears Saga With A Happy Ending

Smokey made a bad, bad noise!

Fueled up and ready to go

0430 Monday 07.05.10
Woke and got ready to leave Knoxville. O’ Smokey is fully fueled, fluids and air all checked, and everything packed but my toothbrush and laptop.

0445
Underway

0600 Jelico Mountain, TN
O’ Smokey running good. Didn’t even need to downshift on the steepest grade. Engine temp nominal. Just starting to get light.

0730 Berea, KY
O’ Smokey made a bad bad noise! Losing power. Something must have let go. Luckily, I’m right at an exit. Coast down the ramp and into a gas station.

0745
Checked oil. Oil gone! Filled oil. It’s not leaking out. Doesn’t want to start. Decide to have breakfast at restaurant next door.

0845
Started diesel. Still not leaking. Bad noise is gone. Decide to try going again.

0900
Didn’t get far. Bad bad noise is back! Made it from gas station across the street to the Days Inn motel.

Broke down right at an exit

0915
Called Joe Golder. Joe says sit tight and he’ll drive down and tow me to Ypsi with his van. Needs to take care of a couple things first.

0930
Forecast is for record heat around 100°, Decide to rent a motel room at Dasy Inn and keep cool. Also has complimentary WiFi.

1100
Joe called. Oil change guy says he has the wrong tire on the back left. Got to go back to Sears.

1300 Sears is glad tire mistake was caught and no one got hurt! Put the right tire on the left rear and gave Joe a coupon for a free oil change for his inconvenience.

1500
Joe and his 3 dogs are on the road. Estimates it’s a 6 hour drive. It’s hot out. I’m glad to be in a room with an air conditioner.

Joe & dogs & cramped motel room

2100
Joe called. Was passing a truck. Sears didn’t tighten the lug nuts and the wheel with the new tire came off just north of Lexington, KY, about 40 miles north. Brakes and hub are wrecked bad. Joe & dogs shaken but OK. KY Dept of Safety vehicle found the tire— actually caught it on video bouncing south on the northbound lane. Joe is Having van towed to Sears in Lexington.

2110
Joe called and wants to know if motel is pet friendly.

2120
I called Joe and told him motel is pet friendly. Ky Dept of Safety vehicle is bringing Joe and 3 dogs to the motel.

2200
Joe and 3 dogs arrive thanks to some assistance from Michael Martin of the KY Dept. of Transportation. It’s cozy: Me & Joe, 3 dogs, and 1 bed. AC works good.

Axle fixed with temporary wheel

0800
Sears has 3 managers working on Joe’s van: manager in A2 is expediting the insurance claim, 1 manager is ordering parts from the Lexington store, another is on the repair work. Sears tells Joe to keep all receipts for towing, motel, meals, taxis, etc.

0830 Tues 07.06.10 Days Inn, Berea, KY
Motel has complimentary breakfast.

1130
Decide we need a room for the day. Move to room with 2 beds.

1300
Sears has the parts.

1630
Walked to a nice restaurant for dinner. Good food. Dry county.

1700
Sears called. Van is ready. Can’t match rim. Will use a temporary rim and get new rims back in A2.

O'Smokey hooked up and ready to be towed to MI

1800
Joe took a taxi to Lexington Sears to get van.

1930
Joe is back. I have the tow bar ready on the front of my little pick up. We’re hooked up and ready to roll. Van doesn’t have AC. We are going to wait until dark to travel so the dogs won’t be too hot.

2050 I-75 Northbound
Cool enough to drive. On the road in Joe’s van with O’ Smokey in tow.

0100 Wed 07.07.10 Cincinnati, OH
Unbelievable middle of the night stop and stop traffic jam!

0200 North of Cincinnati
Looked like traffic was moving again— then a couple minutes later it’s jammed up again. Dang. Could have gotten on an alternate route.

0300 Dayton, OH
Traffic finally moving again. Longest traffic jam I can remember— and in the middle of the night. Nothing bad— just miles and miles of construction. Obama buck at work!

Been thinking I should bike more. Careful what you wish for!

0500 Ypsilanti, MI
Arrived safe and sound at Joe’s place.

1100 Fri 07.09.10 Ann Arbor, MI
Sears reimbursed Joe for all his expenses related to the wheel coming off. They also ordered some rims to replace his custom rim that can’t replaced.

1800 07.25.10 Ypsilanti, MI
Joe’s rims arrived and Sears has installed them. Joe likes them better then the ones he had before. A story with a happy ending. Ain’t that nice? Interesting to have dealt with a corporation that didn’t make you hire a lawyer to get them to do what’s right. Good for Sears.

A couple weeks after Joe's misadventure, Sears replaced the busted wheel with 4 new rims.

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August 27, 2010 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Summer Tour 10′: Knoxville

Summer Tour

O' Smokey: 81' VW diesel— so far so good.

1st Destination: Knoxville

Timed my arrival in Knoxville to coincide with my cousin Mark’s annual 4th of July block party. This is the 10th. I’ve been invited every year. About time I made one.

Travel: Ol’ Smokey

Drove one of the back ways over the mountains— up through Boone and over to Johnson City. It was pretty and pleasant and took about as long as going the expressway with a lot less traffic.

The primary motivation for the route is that my 81′ VW pick up is not a good mountain climber. Beyond a certain grade, I must just drop down to 2nd gear and burn a lot of oil and I didn’t want to get run over by a semi-truck on the main route.

Music: Karaoke

Chicken Wing Cook-Off: 1st & 2nd Place

At my cousin Mark’s house in Knoxville, I learned that they weren’t having a band this year. Instead, the plan was to try karaoke. He showed me a tiny home karaoke machine that they planned to use.

I said ‘No. That won’t do.” Told Mark we needed a PA and volunteered to handle it. The PA came from All Occasions Rental and I used my own karaoke software and 10k songs left over from my American Legion project in Sanford a couple years ago.

The weather was perfect and the karaoke was a big hit. Everyone liked it better than having a band.

Folks arriving for fireworks

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July 4, 2010 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | No Comments »

Getting To Knoxville

07.26.09

Route to Knoxville

Travel

Made it to Knoxville without incident.  Had a good ride.

I had been concerned about my car making it.  Guess now I was lucky to have had all those problems with my Escort back in Sanford last winter. Certainly was a lot easier to deal with and fix there than on the road! Hopefully my car will be good to go for a while.

Larry McNeely

Stopped and spent the afternoon in Carthage with my friends Larry and Beth McNeely. Larry is one of the best banjo player in the world.  Larry has worked with scores of well known musicians, has recorded well known movie sound tracks, and might be best known for the Dukes of Hazard TV theme music.

We became friends when I got to play a couple shows with Larry: one in Carthage for the Buggy Days in 2007, and later we played a street fair in Southern Pines. Beyond his extraordinary talent, the best way to describe Larry is to say that he is an intelligent and gracious gentleman.

Road from Sanford to Carthage

Larry and his wife, Beth are both really fine people. They operate an antiques store in Carthage, NC called Granny’s— named for Beth’s mother.

Larry is also a writer working on SciFi projects. We became best acquainted talking about our mutual literary aspirations.

Bucky and I spent much of the afternoon visiting with Larry and Beth in the Old Buggy Factory where they have their store. Larry asked me when I was headed for MI. Told him I was already gone— his town just happened to be my first stop. Larry insisted that we play some music when I get NC.

Uncle John Dougherty

My uncle is doing very well at the moment.  Though his condition is considered terminal, for the time being, Uncle John is improving daily. Even hospice decided to leave and wait to comeback when they are needed. I’ll bet they don’t get to do that very often.

It is good to see my uncle doing so well— especially when I expected to find the worst.  New therapies are being developed everyday, so perhaps something will come of that.  I respect that he is choosing his treatment based on quality of life— so no chemo, however, he has changed his mind and decided to explore some radiation treatment.

Having a gathering at my Uncle’s house today. I’ll probably head north Monday or Tuesday.

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July 26, 2009 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | No Comments »

Preparing For Travel

07.19.09

Travel Prep

I should be on my way to MI to update my license info.  All my stuff is packed and I’ve been ready to go for days.

Weather

All of the sudden, the weather has been great here.  Usually by July the heat here in NC is oppressive, but the past few day it’s been great and has made it hard to pull away, but I’m certain it will change shortly.

House Sitting

One thing I’m doing is leaving things so I don’t need to come back here for a while— unless the place sells.  Depending on how things go, I’d really like to do a tour that includes time in northern MI and maybe a swing through TX.

I’ve also used the good weather to get things done around the house so I’ll have less to deal with if I have to come back to Sanford and decamp Club Todd in a hurry.

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July 19, 2009 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | No Comments »

Learning To Write

07.08.09

Writing

I’m still learning to write— probably always will be, but I feel I’ve struggled to a new plateau from where I can see how to better manage story elements and layers of meaning.  I am experimenting with short stories to gain some feedback and also feel a sense of accomplishment— which is a long time coming on a novel project.

House Sitting

Had a good visit with Todd.  Yard sale business was slow, though we did sell some.  Seemed like most of our sales were to the neighbors— some Todd never really met before.

Bob the Kitty was glad to see his old pal Bucky. Bob likes to head-butt Bucky— and everyone else he likes.

Todd brought a batch of his homemade Jerky.  Man was that good! If he gets tired of tooling, he could do jerky!

Was pretty sorry to see Bob and Todd heading back to Chicago.  I don’t mind living here alone, but it sure was fun having them here for company and sharing some meals.

Travel

In other news, John Rike called me from Texas yesterday.  We are planning to meet in MI during the first or middle or late part of August.  Told me he has a pop up camper.  We don’t have an itinerary yet, but John has always wanted to explore the UP.

I’m getting ready to pack for the trip to MI. I plan to go to Knoxville, then stop in Ypsi before going on to TC.

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July 8, 2009 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | No Comments »

The Hill Beautiful

07.01.09

The Hill Beautiful

Hill Beautiful

In summer, I always feel drawn to the place where my early childhood summers were spent. My family had a farm high on a hill near Eastport with an astonishing view.

I was about 2 when I first went there and can still remember my first time walking in the place—  the look of it, the smell, the wind— even calling out the name of the woman my parents bought it from wondering if she was still there.  That was early 1957.  Ten years later, my parents sold the farm to my mother’s mother and her husband.

My step-grandfather, who was Dutch, named the place for the view and put it on a sign at the head of the driveway.  ”De Schoone Heuvel” Grandpa called it in Dutch: ‘The Hill Beautiful’

House Sitting

Todd is driving down for the 4th. He’s bringing Bob the Cat. Along with having a yard sale to get rid of stuff, we’ll also chill and have some fun.

Travel

I am headed to MI before the end of the month to tend to some personal business.  I don’t know if the winds of fate will blow me all the way to Mass City, but I sure would love it if they did.

Another part of my mission is to visit Knoxville. I fear I may be saying good-bye to a favorite uncle afflicted with aggressive brain cancer. My itinerary may change suddenly.

Bucky & her Stuffy Bear

Bucky

Bucky is still limping some, but better, though she does seem lethargic. Her regular vet is in Lake Leelanau, MI. I plan to go to TC while up north and will take Bucky in for a check up.

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July 7, 2009 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | No Comments »

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November 24, 2006 | Tags: , , , , , , , | Enter your password to view comments.

Lindsey & Brent’s wedding

Jumping over the broom

11.4.6

Shooting a Wedding

Shot my second wedding.

Lindsey & Brents’ Knoxville wedding was held at the Bleak House (Confederate Memorial Hall) under a beautiful blue sky. The weather was perfect and every aspect of the event seems to have come off as planned. Near to where we were, the U of T Vols played LSU. Just as they were making their vows, TN must have scored and there were booms and fireworks in the background. Unfortunately, TN lost the game in the last 9 seconds. Hopefully, the marriage will fair much better!

Wedding Party

I was one of the photographers. I set up some remote strobes near the center of the ceremony and the shot from farther back out of the way with telephoto. I metered for existing light. Having a pair of flashes up close helped get good detail.

Another photographer was responsible for all the formal shots, so I concentrated on informal moments— even those when people were assembling for the formal shots. My cousin Tom acted as my assistant and helped me move my remote lights around for different situations.

Kim & Lowden

Later, when everyone gathered for the meal, I switched to flashless infrared photography that I would later convert to B&W. This worked very well and I was able to get some good pics.

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November 4, 2006 | Tags: , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

3rd Autumn: Knoxville, TN

11.3.6
Got underway at 0400 Monday morning.  Left Ypsi in the dark and saw sunrise about Dayton, Ohio.  Got caught in the Cincinnati, Ohio morning rush hour, stopped a couple times and still managed to make Knoxville by 1330.  The day was sunny and bright and delightful for driving— 480 miles in 9.5 hours.  Something I especially like is that it is warmer here.

It is still autumn in the south, my third Autumn of this year; it’s not like the firebrand colors of northern MI, here in the Smokies it is a mature season: trees of auburn, burnt orange, and deep amber set against the emerald undergrowth of the Tennessee River. 

The timing of my visit is for my cousin’ daughter’s wedding. Lindsay has a fun wedding planned. The wedding site is an historic civil war homestead, the Bleak House with sculpted antebellum terraces giving way down to the Tennessee River.  The mansion, also known as the Confederate Memorial Hall, once headquartered General Longstreet.  It seems convenient now to forget that this part of eastern Tennessee sided with the Union and Longstreet’s sojourn here was an unsuccessful incursion against the north.

My cousin’s daughter is getting married on the 4th.  Sort of a big reunion, perhaps the last one for some of the older folks.  Things are hectic with so many family members converging all at once!  Great to see folks and get reacquainted.  

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November 3, 2006 | Tags: , , , , , , , | No Comments »

Roan Mountain

3.11.6

Has gotten summer like here near Raleigh.  I’ve been taking apart old log barns to rebuild at another site for use as a pickin’ shack.

Mountain Harbor Hiker's Hostel

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I just came back to Raleigh from the very N.E. tip of TN and western most part of VA.  I went up that way to do some volunteer work on the AT.

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Sleeping Loft

Drove my little VW pick up to the mountains to do some volunteer work on the Appalachian Trail (AT).  I was hoping I’d be able to keep up, but believe it or not, I was the youngest person on the crew!  So the pace was quite manageable for me.  It was a beautiful day.  The Eastman Hiking and Canoe Club of Kingsport, TN maintains 133 miles of trail from Damascus VA to Spivey Gap, TN.

We hiked into the mountains to begin construction on the first hiker’s shelter built on that section (133 miles) of AT in a generation. They are building the first new hiker’s shelter in that area in about a generation.  I got to help clear the site.

Common Area

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Bucky and I stayed for a couple nights at a B&B called Mountain Harbor on Roan Mountain, TN.  Besides the B&B, the owners also fixed up the top of their barn into a really nice hiker’s cabin, complete with a nice galley and a wood stove.  The night I arrived, there was still some snow on the ground and Bucky and me were the only ones there.  By mid morning, the weather was perfect for tail work.

Bucky waiting. "Are you ready?"

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The barn is still in use.  In the ground level there are horses!  All night I could hear them moving around below us.

Mountain Harbor, Roan Mountain, TN

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Spent some time in a cute little town called Damascus, VA.  There are no stop lights in town, but 5 trails, including the AT cross through there.  A very pedestrian friendly place!

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March 11, 2006 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | No Comments »