Where's the New York World's Fair? Just last year I saw it there
Plumbing follow-up. About 2 pm today the plumbers called to say they were ready for us and just waiting on technicians to be available to send them out. I assume this was a reassurance call, which was in fact reassuring because I'd been plagued with the doubts that the appointment was for the afternoon rather than the morning. Another fifteen or twenty minutes later they called to say technicians were on their way, and we made quick use of the bathroom before anything in the world might have happened.
Turning off the house's water went easily; the valve in the basement turned with ease --- so easily I didn't even realize it was one --- and the pipes got emptied easily. The plumbers asked if I wanted them to replace the faucet and yes, if they could, please. They determined they were not able to: what was left of the locking nuts were so degraded and so merged with the sink body that there was nothing to do with them. They recommended replacing the whole sink and yes, we have come to acceptance of that. We didn't make an appointment to set a new sink in, but that'll come in time.
The replacement valve is not the fat ellipsoid of the old. It's this slender thing that looks more like a small laundry pin. I assume it's less likely to take an accidental hit from a wrench being used in the space. The important thing is, while the sink and faucet may be the same old ones we were annoyed by last week, they've got hot running water again, and we can plan an orderly decomissioning of the things.
Had they been able to replace the faucet, we would still have faced the irony that, given the sub-zero (Fahrenheit) temperatures, we'd be leaving the cold water dribbling anyway to ward off pipe freezes tonight. We're not sure this is needed but given that yet another set of plumbers has agreed our basement pipes look bad we don't want to put more stress on them.
They warned us about air in the pipes causing spurting and loud noises when water first flowed through them again. I was still not ready for how much the toilet sounded like it wanted to explode at the first flush. I understand now why the faucet-replacement instructions finish with the direction to run the water a couple minutes.
Both plumbers took time to appreciate our pet rabbit, and to scritch her head. They left before she was done being petted, but that's to be expected.
I have asked my father for advice on how to size the replacement sink --- we need a drop-in and I'm not sure how to measure the hole it has to fit in without removing the old, a step I'm not ready for yet --- but suspect it's going to be pretty straightforward. (The four-inch tiles behind the sink help make it easy to send photos for measurements.) When he does, I'm going to the bathroom sink district that I assume exists, most likely in South Lansing, and getting anything that fits, and calling someone to install it.
Not done yet: Camden Park. But we are in the waning hours so there's a more documentary vibe to these pictures.
One of the chariots on the antique carousel. Our information is that this is original to the carousel and we did get a ride on it. The horses are replacements after the originals were sold in the 90s.
Peeking out of the carousel building at The Big Dipper. The pavement looks well-used.
Peeking out of the carousel building at the Paratroopers and the Slingshot and whatever the disk'o ride was named. Ride operator's doing a safety check on the Paratrooper.
Thought now to get pictures of all the horses, at least from the outer row. I have no idea what the lead horse might be so let's start with the black one.
bunny_hugger doesn't (generally) care for horses painted in non-realistic styles and I generally agree. But there can be cases like here, with the turquoise horse, that get so unrealistic as to work for me again.
Not sure about the pink one in the innermost row, but we're getting back to some more plausibly real colors here.
Trivia: John N Schrank, who shot Theodore Roosevelt on 14 October 1912, was a 36-year-old ex-tavern keeper. Schrank reportedly had been told in a dream by William McKinley to shoot Roosevelt and prevent him, supposedly McKinley's murderer, from becoming President. Schrank was declared insane and spent the rest of his life in mental institutions. Source: From Failing Hands: The Story of Presidential Succession, John D Feerick.
Currently Reading: Quantum Mechanics: The Theoretical Minimum, Leonard Susskind, Art Friedman.