The problem with Corvette putting out heat turned out to be a simple $1.25 fuse. Bought one at the auto parts store, put it in and everything is working like a champ. THis evening I will take it to the car wash (where you wash it yourself) and clean it up. Then I might cruise Hudson Beach and if Dad is up to it I want him to photograph me standing by the Vette as the sun sets over the gulf of Mexico. Stay tuned for pictures.
On Monday morning I flew back to Washigton DC to pick up my Corvette. I should have known it wasn’t going to go totally smooth. Mom and Dad drove me to the airport and just before I got out of their van I realized I did not have my cell phone with me. Dad gave me his to use in case I had an emergency. The flight was smooth, the Corvette started right up, I was able to say goodbye to Phil (the 100 year old man) and then hit the road towards florida. I got about 30 miles down the road when I noticed a car on the shoulder of the road with someone waving frantically out the window. As I passed I realized it was Tammy. I pulled over and she drove up behind me, ran up to the car and said she wanted to buy me dinner. We drove to the next exit and had a nice dinner together and left on very good terms. I continued my trip and drove until about midnight getting half way home. I got a motel for the night, got some sleep and hit the road again about 7:00 am. About 10:00 am the electronics on my vette started acting strange. First the air conditioning/heating controls went out and the car started putting out heat. Then the radio quit. I pulled off at the next exit, filled the car with gas, checked the fuses (didn’t find anything wrong) and decided to get going - wrong - the car wouldn’t start - not enough battery power to start it. I called triple AAA and they sent a flat bad truck who took me to a repair shop. My battery had a bad cell and after replacing the battery it was determined that the Alternator was shot. There was only one alternator in town and when they installed it it did not work. They couldn’t get another one until the next morning so they drove me to a motel about 3:00 pm and said the new alternater should be in about 7:30 am. so I spent the night in exciting Brunswick Georgia, about 30 miles from the Florida border. When I woke up I called and they said the truck bringing the alternater had broken down on the highway last night and it wouldn’t arrive until around 10:00 am. When the truck finally did arrive about 11:00 am the alternater was not on it - it has been sent on a different truck to a city almost 3 hours away. They got on the phone and located another one I Savanah Georgia. They had a driver there picking up tires and so he picked up the alternator. I had lunch. Finally at 3:00 pm - they installed it and I was on the road again. The car ran great but the air conditioning/heater controls still didn’t work and I drove the next 4 hours to mom and dads with the heater pumping out hot air in 90+ degree weather. I put the top down the last two hours - I didn’t put it down sooner for fear of getting sunburned. Well I finally got to mom and dads a little after 7:00 pm - I had stopped once to get some water to drink and another bottle to keep pouring on myself to avoid heat stroke. Needless to say, I took a cold shower at my place and went to bed after eating dinner. I am glad I made it, glad to have everything here, and in my spare time will work on the Vette to find out why the air conditioning doesn’t work. If I am lucky it is just a fuse.
Today I spent the day completely redoing my studio. I decided there just wasn’t enough room in the spare bedroom so I moved the studio into the master bedroom and I will sleep in the spare bedroom. Dad came over and helped some and lent me some moral support. It is now 8:00 pm and I am just about down. It will be a much better arrangement this way.
Well, to say I have been busy is an understatement. I got to Florida last Tuesday early evening, in time to watch American Idol finals. Of course I watched on Wednesday when my my Man Tayler Hicks won. Yeah!!! I am still getting settled into my new home. It is a very nice two bedroom, two bath double wide mobile home. It came fully furnished and they weren’t kidding. Furniture everywhere. I have had to do some rearanging because I will be using the spare bedroom for my studio for my business. My equipment should begin arriving tomorrow (it was shipped on Friday). I am so anxious to get started it is driving me crazy. The trainer will be here on Monday June 12th. In the meantime I have gotten the studio set up and ready for the equipment, I am sorting all my old photo’s so I can do some test projects using my own materials. I finally have high speed internet and cable tv - just the limited basic for tv - I don’t plan on watching much television. On Monday June 5th I will fly back to Virginia to pick up the Corvette and drive it down. Oh yea, I got the dark tint applied to the windows on the Hyundai today - sure helps cut down on the hot sun heating up the car.
On Monday dad and I attended a Memorial Day Service at Grace Memorial Gardens Cemetery. To say it was very emotional for me is an understatement. It began to sink in how wonderful it is to be living close to my Mom and Dad again. Sitting next to my father, a World War II Veteran and me as a Vietnam War Veteran I realized we share a very special bond that not all fathers and sons have. There were many World War II Veterans in attendance – and I am sure a number of Vietnam Veterans also but we tend not to display our status openly. I think that is changing as more people recognize that it was not us as soldiers who lost in Vietnam, it was the politicians who would not allow us to fight a winning war. I watched many grown men cry as the ceremony progressed honoring all those who fought for our country and did not return. So many lives never lived - War is the most pathetic, stupid thing mankind can do - you would think we as a civilization could get past it and live in peace - will it ever be?
Oh yea, many thanks to Debbie who showed up on Wednesday and helped us unload the truck. She was a life saver and boy is she ever strong. She said the American Idol Tour will be in Tampa in August and she will get us tickets. I told her to buy me two tickets and hook me up with a hot date. Actually, I am enjoying taking a break from any relationships. I think some alone time is needed and feels very good. I also love not going to work. I wake up when I want, sleep when I want, read when I want, I can put things anywhere I want to and I can spend my money any way I want to without having to answer to anyone else. Wow, it feels really great.
Well, it is getting late, I started at 6:30 this morning with a nice breakfast in my screened-in big sunroom and it is now 11:30 at night. I had a bad cold the first week I was here but feel much better now. In case you don’t have it my new address is:
7322 Stillwater Drive
Bayonet Point, FL 34667-2253
