Haven't blogged in awhile, so itzaboutime. Let's see - where to begin . . .
It has been our year for repairing/replacing major appliances and machinery. It all started this Winter when our furnace blower motor died. That was followed by replacing our kitchen stove, washing machine, and last week the entire central air system. But the topper was this week's episode. Driving back from Hot Springs Saturday afternoon (more on that later), one of the little idiot lights in the old Mazda Tribute started flashing, the one that indicates if you're overdive is on or off, which I can manually turn on and off. Well, I figured I had accidentally bumped the "O/D Off" button, so I figured I could just push the button again to turn it back to "on" status. No dice. So, when we got home I perused the owner's manual which only advised you take it in to the dealer for diagnostics. Then, Sunday afternoon the dreaded "Check Engine" light came on and stayed on. So, Monday morning, off to the dealer I went. It seems the trusty old SUV had the equivalent of a myocardial infarction, suffering a life-ending event in the innards of the automatic transmission. Can't repair it - must replace it - with (get this) the one and only 2001 Mazda Tribute automatic transmission available in the continental United States. Talk about your good luck! Should have it fixed by the weekend. Thank goodness for 401(k) loans! On the positive side, though, we shouldn't have to buy a damn thing until the kids put us in a home.
We did get invited to spend last Friday night and Saturday with our good friends, Tom and Carolyn Evans, on their 55' houseboat on Lake Ouachita. Had a wonderfully relaxing evening, dinner on the Dock Holiday, wine, great food, and cigars. Tom's business partner, and also friends of ours, Sam and Pam Custer, stopped by later that evening. They also have a houseboat a couple of docks away from the Dock Holiday. Talked until midnight. Next morning Carolyn rustled up a great breakfast, Tom and I took their "little" boat (23' Chaparral deck boat) to get some ice for Saturday's main event - the Praise Team party. Most of the Praise Team from church and their families came down for a day on the lake. We swam off the stern of the Dock Holiday (still parked in the slip as it was too windy to take it out on the lake), had B-B-Q lunch and then Tom took several of the kids and a couple of dads out on the "little" boat for some tubing and water skiing. Several of us old fogies followed in Sam and Pam's party barge. It was a wonderful day with wonderful friends.
Pat and Carolyn topside
Men with stogies
Tom's "little" boat
