Summer Travel Map

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Back in a rainy pattern

June 17, 2008
Broad Brook, CT

Remember the saying "April showers bring May flowers"? Well, it's a bit of bunk. We're having "June showers" in an area that was abnormally dry in April.

The days are marching by and we're continuing to plug away at various projects and meal plans. Can't do projects on an empty stomach, right?

Friday night, we had dinner at the Bowers'. Mike did a whole beef tenderloin with a spice rub seared (direct heat) and then finished (indirect heat) on the grill, which was fabulous. Al made "Sangriaritas" (Margaritas with lots of fruit mixed in), so a good time was had by all.

Saturday was a mixed bag. Geri got to spend time with her grandson Josh (Pete's oldest) while he played a Little League baseball game. She had a good time even though they lost (Josh played well, though) and it was on the hot and humid side. My day, on the other hand, was a washout. I'd planned to remove and replace the coach inverter while Al was home to help. When the replacement unit arrived by UPS during the week, I checked the box label to verify it was the right model. Did you ever have a nagging thought that something might be wrong? Well, I did, but didn't act on it, unfortunately. When I opened the box and pulled out the replacement inverter - you guessed it: wrong model. If I'd have ended up ahead of the game, I might have proceeded. Since they sent a 2000 watt model to replace my 3000 watt one, not so much. I spent most of the day on Monday trying to get to Customer Service by phone and email. I finally got through late in the day, and got the wheels moving for a re-replacement and return of the wrong item. I've got to keep pushing them that this is a warranty issue, since they seem reluctant to pick up shipping charges. I'm not paying to return an 83 pound box from Connecticut to Washington on their error. We'll see…

Saturday afternoon, Al and I did some puttering around, making a trip to Lowe's (not Home Depot for a change) with his friend Ted. Ted mentioned that a new store specializing in spices ("The Spice Mill") had opened in Manchester, so we made a stop there. I picked up a few things that are hard to find (allspice berries for pork brine) and a couple of specialized rubs to try on brisket and ribs.

Sunday was Father's Day, so Al and I had a "day off". We delivered some maple logs that Al had cut from the yard to a neighbor, and stopped at the Bowers' for an emergency electrical repair: a ceiling fan had stopped working. We got the ladder and multi-meter and verified that a) it was getting power, b) it was wired incorrectly, and c) the problem was that when the battery in the remote was changed, the "dip" switches setting the code for the remote were moved. It seems that there were two switches in the wall that "didn't do anything". When I tried to check for current on one of them, I blew a circuit breaker just by touching one of the switch poles. This is not normal. Turns out the switches were supposed to control the fan and its built-in light separately, not an uncommon wiring design for ceiling fans with lights. Unfortunately, this particular fan had both fan and light controls built into the remote and only used one live circuit for power. When it was wired up, someone tied both live wires together. Fortunately, both lives were on the same phase, or it would have been a 240 volt circuit. We disabled the extra wire and reset the remote code and all is well. At some point, I'll make a couple of small labels so Mike can know what switch does what.

Geri, Pat, and Melisa took care of Sunday's dinner: surf and turf. We had sautéed sea scallops for an appetizer and then lobster and porterhouse with twice-baked potatoes for the main course. Everything was great but the volume was overwhelming, so there was quite a bit left over. Never fear, though, as on Monday Geri and I collaborated on a Lobster Bisque (she did the prep and I did the assembly) and Pat made steak quesadillas. Melisa, Paul, and Jesse came over for dinner and voila - no leftovers.

It's been cloudy since Saturday, and we've had rain on and off. Last night, we had just started dinner on the deck when it started to "spritz". When the lightning started hitting so close that there wasn't any delay before the thunder, we knew we'd better move it inside. No sooner had we gotten everything in when another lightning strike took out the power. For most of the neighborhood, it was "lights out". In the coach, the inverter held so we had full functionality. Of course, all of the interior lights in the coach are 12 volt halogen or fluorescent fixtures. When the inverter kicks in, it makes 110 volt power for the TVs, Internet connection, microwave, and a few other devices. Basically, we can run most everything except the air conditioning and washer/dryer. I was surprised that it held, since the last power outage was when it threw a fault and I finally got the manufacturer to agree to replace it. Darn inconsistent technology!

Today will be an easy day. Melisa and Paul stopped by to pick up his motorcycle (left here last night in the thunderstorm). I'm planning to find a local distributor of rubber products to get a new piece for shielding the bottom on the radiator in the coach. When I pulled off the grills to power-wash the radiator, I found a large tear in the rubber that keeps road dirt and debris from being kicked up into the radiators (actually there are 4 coolers stacked along the side of the coach: engine radiator, transmission cooler, hydraulic oil cooler, and turbocharger charge air cooler). I'll try to get a thicker and/or more durable piece for a replacement. I found a source on the Internet, but I'll try to pick it up locally first.

The weather looks unsettled all week, so I'm not likely to make much progress outside, but I have plenty of "inside stuff" to keep me busy...

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