Date: 24 July 2001 (Teusday)

Start:

End: Cousin Luann’s house, Bend OR (0 miles)

The temperature was about 50f when I got up to go to town. The skies were mostly sunny.

This day went our way for a change.

I took the truck to its 8:00am appointment at National Transmission, 612 SE 3^rd St., Bend. They got it in quickly and had the seal replaced, differential fluid added (including the additive Dodge wants in the limited-slip-differential) in less than two hours, charging for two hours.

While that was going on, I went across the street to Sargents for breakfast – very good.

Then I walked up the street to Quick Photo. The owner saw me coming across the parking lot and headed for his cash register. As I walked in, he said, "I know what you’re here for." He pulled out my lost Mastercard. I thanked him profusely and offered a reward, but he refused it. Instead, he told me to take my wife to dinner with it. He’s a very good person.

Joe was just about done with the truck when I got back. He said the old seal was quite hard, and that the brakes are ok. I drove away quite happy and returned to Luann’s house and the trailer.

Luann was just leaving to pick up the girls from their tenting party. We thought we were leaving, so we said our goodbyes and she left. Then we looked at the next leg of the trip and decided to stay over another night so we can leave in the cool of the morning and have a full day to make the 250 miles to Pasco. We can still look at the Columbia Gorge that way. If we left today we’d have to rush to Pasco to get there at a decent time and couldn’t stop.

So I replaced the air filter on the truck, since it was due for that. I also filled the water tank of the trailer and cleaned the trailer windows. We took pictures of Luann’s house – Quani the dog followed us and walked through the aqueduct a couple of times to get cool. The temperature in the shade at 12noon was only 72f, but it felt much hotter in the sun, and the trailer temperature was headed into the eighties, so we turned on the air conditioner in the trailer.

Then the delivery person from Sweeney’s Workensport dropped off Luann’s repaired lawnmower.

Dolores pulled up the couch and reviewed her videotapes. I started doing these notes.

Then Morgan came along, so I asked her for access to a phone line to get the e-mail. She showed me where, and I did.

We called Helen in mid-afternoon so D could ask where a hairdresser might be. D got her hair done in record time. Then we went to Safeway for bananas, then to a florist to get plants for Helen & Luann as thank-you tokens.

Helen told us to come over. We chatted, she made a chicken casserole. Art showed me several options for travel routes after Sandpoint that we’ll consider. We ate and chattted some more, then got into a cribbage session.

This time it was Art & Dolores versus Helen & I; we won the first four games and they won the last two. We quit while we were (still) ahead.

We said goodbye reluctantly and hope we can get back soon.

Back at Luann’s, she was still up so we chatted briefly and said thanks again. We said goodbye here, too, in case we don’t see each other in the morning.

We hope we see her and the girls again soon as well.

Then to the little house to finish this and prepare to leave in the morning.