Day 23--May 20, 2013

          Today, our trip was short.  We left Joplin and traveled all of 170 miles to Liberty, Missouri, home of  David Allen, former American Football Running Back for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
          We didn't  stop here because of the former Jag player.  Naw, it's a little more exciting than that.  We stopped because the water pump went out on our bus.
           Those of you who know my dear husband, Richard, know he is one of the luckiest in the world and maybe on the moon and Mars. Here is how my luck runs with situations like we ran into today. 
          I had two little boys and was pregnant with my daughter.  I was driving in a 1972 Ford F-150 pickup.  I was getting off of Interstate 95 onto Phillips Highway.  Busy, 4-lane road.  There was a down-hill slope to the road and the battery was not fastened right, so it slid forward and somehow blew up.  I'm sure RW had some technical term for what happened, but to me it was BOOM!!  SMOKE!!  Little kids SCREAMING, or maybe that was me. 
          We came to a complete stop in the middle of the road.  I jumped out and started pushing the big truck (did I mention I was about 8 months pregnant) into a nearby parking lot, uphill.  No one stopped to help me.  Since it was 1978, I had no cell phone.
           Although I can't remember how (I think I blocked that from my memory) I got it all worked out.  I do have a vague vision of dragging two small boys down the street several blocks before I found any signs of life.
          Now, let me tell you about the way the Earth rotates for Mr. Wilson.  He said to me that he thought we'd stop for a leg stretcher.  As he pulled off the interstate, he said "Oh, darn, we seem to have a coolant problem.  I'll just pull into this big K-Mart parking lot where there is lots of room to park and I can run into the store to get antifreeze."
          He took a quick look at the compartment that holds the engine.  He pulled out his cell phone, which I think is permanantly glued to his hand).  Richard called a friend who works at the Prevost place in Jacksonville, told John the situation.  John asked if we had just passed a place call World of Fun, which we had.  He said he knew right where we were and he had a good friend who works on big trucks, and he was sure he'd come to us as soon as he got off work.
          Well, since that was 2 hours away, Richard took a nap.  When the man got here, it didn't take him long to discover the water pump had gone out.  It couldn't be driven.  He called a Detroit Engine repair place and they sent a wrecker to have the bus towed to the repair place.

                                                   First they sent a big wrecker,

           

                            Then the driver called for back up, and they sent a bigger wrecker.

 



          They towed us (are you ready for this?) 3 miles to the repair facility.  Who breaks down three miles from a SPECIALITY repair facility which is recommended by a mechanic who was sent to us by a friend in Jacksonville, Florida.  They can't fix it until morning, so we are parked in the parking lot of the shop. 
          My job in these situations is to play night watchman, peeking out the window at every noise. Richard??  He's sleeping like a baby. And if his luck holds out, we will be back on the road before the sun is very high in the sky.  My luck may not be that good, but I am pretty lucky to benefit from his being that good.

Until next time,
Dolores