Deep dark depression, excessive misery...
If you ever watched Hee Haw, you know the rest...
Not that I have anything to really be depressed about other than a general lack of time to finish what I have started or, in some cases, start what needs finished. Sometimes, things get in the way....work for instance.
Cross state association meetings for instance....one day meetings, because of time and distance, that are actually three day trips. Three days I can ill afford with Haying season on top of me and equipment to fix and prepare. But this thing called work, that actually pays the bills, keeps getting in the way of my insane hobby jobs. Really though, it is not the jobs that are insane.
This trip, for a four hour meeting, requires an 8 hour drive one way. The only lucky thing is that another association member is on the way, two hours from me, and we have arranged to car pool. This means that one trip I drive the two hours to his place, park my car and ride with him the rest of the 6 hours. The next trip I drive the two hours to his place, pick him up and he rides with me the rest of the 6 hours. It is a good arrangement really. Our respective organizations save a few bucks in travel expense and a 6 hour drive goes much quicker when there is a bit of company and conversation.
This trip, it was my turn to drive.
Those of you that know me, know that I grew up working on cars and engines and other such and that my fleet of vehicles is, lets just say, vintage. My newest vehicle is 15 years old. My traveling car is a 1995 Chevy Caprice. It runs like a million bucks and rides great, but is slowly rusting away. It is a great car. Comfortable, good gas mileage and above all, good get up and go, however, I always get a bit of good-natured shit when I show up with it. My peers will say things like, "tell me that is not your company car!" all the while knowing that I do not have a company car...
In any case, as I said, it was my turn to drive. I stopped for gas about 20 miles before getting to my associate's house so that we could complete the 6 hour part of the trip without a stop. Filled her right to the top and down the road I went.
I was approximately one mile from picking him up when there was a loud noise and a horrible dragging/scraping sound coming from the rear of the car. I immediately pulled over. I knew what had happened without even getting out of the car and I dreaded getting out to survey the situation.
Mustering my courage, I got out of the car to see what I had feared. The straps holding the gas tank under the car had rusted through, or rather, the bolts holding the straps had rusted to a point of failure and the gas tank (quite luckily a plastic one) was being dragged on the road under the car.
As I looked closer, I was relieved to see that there were no leaks other than a bit of incidental spillage that was coming from the broken fuel line. The tank was still attached to the car, but only by the electrical for the sending unit and in tank fuel pump and the vent pipe.
Holy Shit! Now What! If I was home, no big deal. I would walk or get a ride and go get my car trailer and haul the rust bucket home....but I am not home. I am two hours from home.
I call my associate and tell him the situation. He is not sure who I should call, but says he will be at my location in a few minutes (remember, I am only a mile from his house). I look around, and, coincidentally, there is a state patrol vehicle in the parking lot of the house in front of which I have stopped.
I walk over and knock on the door and the officer is the one who answers. I ask him who I should call locally for a tow and repair and he gives me a name and number.
I call them and they are only about 5 miles down the road and can be there in a few minutes. The officer comes out and proceeds to write down my license number so he can run it in his vehicle, which he is pulling out of his driveway and behind my car to provide flashing lights.
While we are waiting, I ask him if he found anything. He laughs and replies, "no, should I have?" I told him that if he had it might have been my ticket out of attending this meeting that has put me in his front yard. Again he laughed.
My friend shows up and the roll back truck is right behind him. I assist the driver in getting my car on his flatbed and give him my contact information and tell him that we have to get on our way to the meeting and that we will be back the following afternoon. He says that if it can be fixed, they should be able to get it done by then.
My friend tells me as we are driving off in his vehicle, "that is one hell of a way to get out of driving!" "Seriously," he says, "why are you not worked up over this situation?"
"I have been through much worse," I reply, "and really, when you think about it, I am pretty lucky."
"Lucky?!?!" he exclaims. "Are you kidding me? Your gas tank fell out of your car!"
"True," I reply, "but think about it, it was a plastic tank. A metal one might have created sparks and exploded....lucky. It happened right in front of a state patrol officer's house and he was home and could give me some help finding someone to fix it....lucky. It happened only a mile from your house and you did not have to come far to get me and I did not have to figure out how to get either to the meeting or home on my own....lucky. It could have happened half way through the 6 hour portion of the drive and we could have both been stranded but it didn't....lucky. The tow truck driver was there in no time flat and figures they can fix it by the time we get back tomorrow....lucky. Even better, you are driving and I am riding....lucky."
He thought a moment and replied, "You have to drive the next two times. And don't bring that car."
P.S. The car is fixed and I will be home in the morning......Lucky.
