[ This post contains narrative along with 11 photos with captions. ]
SUNDAY 12 March
We got back to our house on Sunday the 12th, but not without some minor issues. Our daughter picked us up from DTW and drove us back to her house where we left our F-150 while we were away. As soon as I turned the ignition switch ‘on’ I got a message on the info screen indicating that there was an electrical problem. The engine started normally, but the battery icon remained on. Linda Googled the issue and found information that indicated we might have an alternator failure along with some vague information about how far we might be able to drive before all of the electrical stuff stopped working. We started for home anyway, but only a mile into the trip, decided it was an unwise decision, and returned to our daughter’s house. She let us borrow her car to get home, and we transferred our suitcases to her vehicle, with the promise to return it in next couple of days.
When we got home we brought our suitcases into the house, but didn’t do much else. I was still obviously ill, so we each took CoVID-19 tests. Mine was positive, which was not a surprise given my symptoms, but Linda’s was negative, which was a relief. Forthwith, all of my interactions with people outside the house included a face mask. Paul and Nancy also eventually tested positive.
MONDAY 13 March
I returned to our daughter’s house the next day with my tools and multi-meter and tried again to resolve the issue, but the fault had not cleared on its own. Okay then, something was definitely wrong. I checked the voltage level on the battery, which was still okay, but decided to replace it and see if that was the problem. The battery was original to the vehicle, which we bought in May 2019 (and was built some months prior to that), so the battery was approaching 4-years old, if not there already. I drove to Varsity Ford in Ann Arbor, only 10 minutes from our daughter’s house, and got the correct replacement battery. It was easy enough to do the swap, but it didn’t fix the problem. Still, it never hurts to have a new battery. I returned the old one for the core charge credit, and made an appointment to bring the car in the next day, figuring (hoping) it could at least make it that far. I was not in the humor to have it towed.
TUESDAY 14 March
Linda drove our daughter’s car and I drove Linda’s Honda HR-V back to our daughter’s house. I then drove the F-150 to Varsity Ford and Linda followed me in her car to pick me up and take us home. I figured it might be several days before they could get to it, but I got a call back a couple of hours. The service writer indicated that the alternator was okay, but an electrical cable had failed and needed to be replaced. I approved the work, of course. I got another call mid-afternoon that the repair was finished and I could pick up the truck. Rather than wait until the next day, Linda drove us back down, I paid the bill, and we were on our way back home yet again.
WEDNESDAY 15 – SUNDAY 19 March
Given my positive CoVID-19 test, I didn’t do much else the rest of the week other than work at my desk. My big accomplishment was the final preparation of the application for the electrical permit for wiring the barn. By the 19th I finally tested negative and was free to move about (Lowes and Home Depot) and get back to work on the barn.
MONDAY 20 – THURSDAY 23 March
Here I am on the front porch with Cabela. She is not our cat, but has effectively been abandoned by her owners across the street. She craves human attention, and we feed her in the morning to make sure she is getting at least some food without having to hunt.
Today was a big day for me and the barn project; I went to the Livingston County Building Department and submitted my application for an electrical permit for wiring of the barn. The application was processed and the permit issued while I was there, which was very convenient.
Our 2020 Airstream Flying Cloud 27 FBT travel trailer back home and parked in our guest site.
We had been thinking about replacing the kitchen refrigerator and when it started making occasional noises we were motivated to start looking in earnest. This particular LG at Costco was larger than we wanted/needed but our visit there gave us a good idea of what sizes and features were available and at what price.
Tuesday the 21st was also a big day for us as we drove to Woodland Airstream in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to retrieve our 2020 Flying Cloud travel trailer, something we were originally scheduled to do last week. The trailer had been there since October 22 for a long list of minor repair and maintenance issues, and one big repair issue (the ridge that had developed across the kitchen floor from side-to-side).
We had a pleasant drive over. The trailer looked great, with no indication that there had ever been a problem, and we were pleased with the work. We settled our bill (the ridge was a massive job done under warranty) and hooked up the trailer to the F-150. The drive home was equally pleasant and uneventful, and it was nice to finally have our travel trailer back on our property.
FRIDAY 24 – MONDAY 27 March
We would a nice little vegan restaurant (Bombay Food Junkies) not far from our hotel for dinner on Friday evening.
Billie Teneau, a long-time family friend in St. Louis, Missouri had passed away back in late February. She was in her late 90’s and was a bicyclist and successful Senior Olympian. Her memorial service was this Saturday at the St. Louis Ethical Society.
We drove down on Friday and stayed in a hotel that was conveniently located relative to the Society as well as my sister and niece, and Linda’s sister. We drove home on Monday.
My sister (Patty) and her grandson (Logan) doing some coloring at Mellow Mushroom while we wait for our food.
My mother was a life-long member of the Society, her parents having been members when she was born, and my father joined when they married. My sister and I were also born into the Society and grew up there. When I moved away from home to go to college I never again lived anywhere that had a Society. Once we had children our Sunday morning ritual became tent camping.
My niece (Amanda, right) with her daughter, Lilly (left) while we wait for our food at the Mellow Mushroom.
The service was well-attended and very nice. There were people there that that I knew, or knew of, but many more that I did not. Billie, and her late husband Richard (Dick), had varied interests, each with its own associated circles of colleagues and friends, but I knew them mainly as two of my parents’ best friends over most of their adult lives.
My sister (Patty) and her daughter (Amanda) attended the service as well. After the service, we went to a Mellow Mushroom restaurant convenient to where Amanda and her family live. We visited with Linda’s sister (Sister Marilyn) on Sunday and returned home on Monday.
TUESDAY 28 – FRIDAY 31 March
The grand-daughters at a branch of the Ann Arbor Library. The 10-year-old (Mads) in the small chair and the 4-year-old (Sadie) in the big chair.
Linda was busy the rest of this week babysitting the Ann Arbor grand-daughters and doing accounting work for the bakery. In her absence, I turned my attention to the barn. I continued trying to fill in the trench for the conduit from the utility pole to the barn, and started purchasing Sch 40 PVC conduit and various fittings that I would need to wire the barn.
Sadie on the rope climbing structure at the nearby elementary school.
This part of the conduit trench is also not completely filled it yet, and collects water.
Checking out availability and prices of conduit bodies at the big box stores. Running individual conductors in conduit is not going to be less expensive than running NM-B (Romex) cable, but it will definitely be better.
Like plumping parts, electrical devices and fittings have code names and one of the things I had to learn was the proper names for various conduit fittings. The ones that seemed to give me trouble were the LB, LL, and LR conduit bodies, but I finally figured it out. Hold the conduit body with the cover facing me and the end connection pointing up. If the other connection comes out the back, it’s an LB (L shape, Back connection). If the other connection is on the left, it’s an LL (L shape, Left connection) but if the other connection is on the Right, it’s an LR (L shape, Right connection).
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