Off to Camp or Why I NOW hate squirrels
Waves hi,
I'm slowly working my way back to the land of the living with time to actually
say hi to my online friends.
So I do apologize for missing birthdays,
anniversaries and other happy occasions. I send heartfelt hugs to those
who have had not so good happen in the past month and half.
So why the title of the post.
Dh is now a bi-coastal commuter going from the east coast on Sunday
or Monday to Walnut Creek and back home again Thursday or Friday.
Fun time is being had by all. Looking forward to those Marriott points
and frequent flyer miles.
It fell on moi to get the youngest off to camp. Not so bad since I have
done this trip before. Not the most fun to drive 90 miles to camp and
home again but I was dragging middle kidlet for company on the
way home. Eldest joked that he should follow behind in the Camry.
Packed the car with stuff for a month. Plastic drawers, duffles,
sleeping bag, pillow and stuff. Leave the house bright and early
and get by the worse of the area with rush hour traffic. Oh.. going
so well, when I'm exiting from one major road and on the exit ramp
to enter another major road and EEEK. I feel the car start to lose
power. Since it isn't bumper to bumper we're exiting a a good 50
or so miles per hour.
Now we've had our car lose power and stall out on local roads.
Once with a freak problem which was fixed over December when
we were in the States and just a month ago with a short in one
wire. I know I'm losing power so I get the car over to the right
hand shoulder of the road just before the car stalls. Cars and
trucks are not driving past us at over 50 miles per hour.
I try to get the car started thinking I'll get the car off the major
road and call AAA. No going. I go all of another 100 to 200
feet and the car won't go.
Now the youngest needs to get to camp by a certain time...
I'm stalled on the road. Call the eldest to come and
so I can take THAT car to camp and thinking he'll stay
and wait for AAA.
The person from AAA was very nice while we try to figure
out where exactly I am. I don't know exit numbers. I know
roads. She says it could be up to 45 minutes but she'll
put a rush on it because of where I broke down.
Thus we wait and I leave dh a frantic call. This was after
I've talked with our mechanic to let him know that
the car will be arriving.
Eldest shows up a minute after AAA. Now, this is a good
reason to have longer distance towing. We had 3 mile
free and now with gas prices it is $4 for every mile after
that. I had to give the drive $88 to get the car to our
mechanic.
Did find out that our Camry is larger than our RAV. It
fit all of the youngest stuff with my three kidlets and eldest's
gym bag in the trunk. Amazing.
So I'm grumbling to camp that I when we get to camp I should
already be on the way home. Dh called and eldest talked to
him. I think dh was worried I'd gone over the deep end. :)
Fast forward to this afternoon, I call our mechanic and ask
him how the car is and if we should think about getting rid
of it. He goes.. "chewed wires". What? "mostly likely
squirrels." I think we gave our mechanic the smile for the
day.
So.. I'm calmer and not ready to kill dh for leaving me with
this mess.
How many kids can say they had to travel in two cars to
get to camp?
But watch out squirrels, I'm on the war path. Will whack
any squirrels that get near my cars. :)
Aren't you glad I'm back.
I'm slowly working my way back to the land of the living with time to actually
say hi to my online friends.
So I do apologize for missing birthdays,
anniversaries and other happy occasions. I send heartfelt hugs to those
who have had not so good happen in the past month and half.
So why the title of the post.
Dh is now a bi-coastal commuter going from the east coast on Sunday
or Monday to Walnut Creek and back home again Thursday or Friday.
Fun time is being had by all. Looking forward to those Marriott points
and frequent flyer miles.
It fell on moi to get the youngest off to camp. Not so bad since I have
done this trip before. Not the most fun to drive 90 miles to camp and
home again but I was dragging middle kidlet for company on the
way home. Eldest joked that he should follow behind in the Camry.
Packed the car with stuff for a month. Plastic drawers, duffles,
sleeping bag, pillow and stuff. Leave the house bright and early
and get by the worse of the area with rush hour traffic. Oh.. going
so well, when I'm exiting from one major road and on the exit ramp
to enter another major road and EEEK. I feel the car start to lose
power. Since it isn't bumper to bumper we're exiting a a good 50
or so miles per hour.
Now we've had our car lose power and stall out on local roads.
Once with a freak problem which was fixed over December when
we were in the States and just a month ago with a short in one
wire. I know I'm losing power so I get the car over to the right
hand shoulder of the road just before the car stalls. Cars and
trucks are not driving past us at over 50 miles per hour.
I try to get the car started thinking I'll get the car off the major
road and call AAA. No going. I go all of another 100 to 200
feet and the car won't go.
Now the youngest needs to get to camp by a certain time...
I'm stalled on the road. Call the eldest to come and
so I can take THAT car to camp and thinking he'll stay
and wait for AAA.
The person from AAA was very nice while we try to figure
out where exactly I am. I don't know exit numbers. I know
roads. She says it could be up to 45 minutes but she'll
put a rush on it because of where I broke down.
Thus we wait and I leave dh a frantic call. This was after
I've talked with our mechanic to let him know that
the car will be arriving.
Eldest shows up a minute after AAA. Now, this is a good
reason to have longer distance towing. We had 3 mile
free and now with gas prices it is $4 for every mile after
that. I had to give the drive $88 to get the car to our
mechanic.
Did find out that our Camry is larger than our RAV. It
fit all of the youngest stuff with my three kidlets and eldest's
gym bag in the trunk. Amazing.
So I'm grumbling to camp that I when we get to camp I should
already be on the way home. Dh called and eldest talked to
him. I think dh was worried I'd gone over the deep end. :)
Fast forward to this afternoon, I call our mechanic and ask
him how the car is and if we should think about getting rid
of it. He goes.. "chewed wires". What? "mostly likely
squirrels." I think we gave our mechanic the smile for the
day.
So.. I'm calmer and not ready to kill dh for leaving me with
this mess.
How many kids can say they had to travel in two cars to
get to camp?
But watch out squirrels, I'm on the war path. Will whack
any squirrels that get near my cars. :)
Aren't you glad I'm back.