I've discovered quite recently, though I've had inklings all along, that I would make a rather content nomadic Native living in a time with no airoplanes or boats on rough water... along with large boats on trailers. Although now that I've long since discovered video games, it's almost worth the risks we humans put on ourselves with the things we create. Poor Andrew has had to deal with a lot this past weekend. My daughter and I went with him up to his camper this past weekend. Friday went without any hitches, and then Saturday we made the attempt to get his pontoon boat out of a receding lake and onto his trailer. The whole process took us between 1.5-2 hours. That is one heavy boat and when it settles off the rollers, it SETTLES!! I think that boat was giving us attitude for not taking it out for a spin in a few weeks. After all the messing around we dealt with, the trailer came out of the water with a flat. So we had to teeter totter the boat to the nearest town for an air pump. We ended up in Smith Falls, which was farther than he had hoped to go. We then spent a wonderful afternoon on Otter lake motoring around and swimming. It was great! The water was warm and Tammie was having a blast!
The sun came up Sunday morning bright and warm. Birds were singing, and I could swear I heard an angel playing a harp. It couldn't have been more cozy. We got packed up and headed back to town a bit early. Figuring we'd have a bit of extra time to do whatever we had to before Tammie and I took off to our family reunion. Everything and everyone bundled into the truck, the boat attached to said truck and we were a shoo-in. I think Andrew must have hiccuped because at one point near the beginning of the journey the truck went a bit right sending the trailer tire onto the shoulder and starting what would be my prozak induced medical dependency for life! (honest!). It was a bit stubborn on returning to paved road which according to Andrew made him "pucker" some. So everytime the truck even seemed to glance (yes trucks in my world can glance...) to the right I'd go all tense. Andrew kept looking at me and telling me to calm down. I couldn't help it, it's in my nature to not want the white man and his ways pressed upon me (in this case that would be sitting in a truck pulling a VERY heavy boat). So we pull into the city and I start to breath. I actually forget all about the boat until the pot hole in the intersection of Fallowfield and Greenbank enters our lives never to be forgotten. In retrospect I don't actually think those were Angels playing harps... I think it was more along the lines of our deathmarch being played out... yes I'm a drama queen.... Well as soon as we hit that pot hole that was it for the trailers axel. Off went half the axel and the left wheel across the road and down went the boat. We heard a BANG, Andrew looked into the review mirror saying we hit the intersection light and then as he watched the boat fall to the left he says (so much calmer than I would have given him credit for considering we were watching his hard work go down) "NOW you can shit and eggroll!" Tammie told us later that she was zoned out and all she really remembers is looking up and seeing us both looking behind us with looks of horror on our faces. Poor girl.
Andrew assessed the situation and then with no other alternative he got back in the truck and dragged the trailer and boat 200 feet to the shoulder and out of the way of traffic. I'm impressed because my big worry with the boat was if it leaned too much it would fall over and take us in the truck with it. What actually happened, is the wheel fell off but the boat didn't come off the trailer at all AND didn't take us with it. Quite impressed, but I'm sorry it took that sort of damage to build my confidence in it's sturdiness. Well Andrew got right back on the horse, called a friend to come help and got the trailer off the ground, welded and back in working order within 3 hours (yeah Andrew!!). We ended up leaving early to get ready for the reunion, but I checked in on him a bit later and all was looking healthy once again. HHaaaaaahhhhhhhhh (sigh....)
No comments:
Post a Comment