We started August in Meadow Lake rushing around to get as much done as possible before leaving for Edmonton for a job near there. We were in Edmonton for the rest of the month. I worked. Juanita spent time with the grandkids. She went back to Meadow Lake a few times for appointments and birthdays.
Not much to write about when you’re working six days a week but having nothing to write about hasn’t stopped most amateur authors, has it?
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You never know how long a job will last.
It was billed as from the end of August to the end of October. I packed up my turnaround duffel including work clothes for hot weather to freezing temperatures. Then I worked at finishing summer tasks and started on prepping for winter tasks.
I finished the outside work on the “hips” of the Big Foot camper but didn’t get to putting the inside back together. That’s future Paul’s problem. Maybe I’ll remember how everything came apart when I go to put it back together. Or maybe I won’t and will go to first principles and put it together in a way that makes sense for a one off instead of a production line.
The work date moved up because of a breakdown at the work site. A few home jobs got put on hold. The steel for the mods to the camper loading system was bought but nothing more. The chimney still needs its annual sweeping,
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Site orientation was Thursday, August 7 with the first scheduled workday the following Monday. Planning to come back home for a few days between, I took the car to Edmonton because it uses a third of the fuel the dually does. Plans change. I worked straight through until the end of the job with only Sundays off. Juanita got to drive the dually to Edmonton. She survived.
Life (for me) mostly happened on Sundays with a little bit in the evenings.
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One thing I could do toward using the camper was to order and install Torklift hold down brackets to secure the camper to the truck.
I ordered them through Amazon based on sizing information on the Torklift web site. The box with the brackets for the front brackets had been previously opened. It looked like maybe somebody had dry fitted the brackets and decided they didn’t fit. They didn’t on our truck either.
Much back and forth with Torklift service reps ensued with detailed documentation from me. They claimed I must have received the wrong pieces and sent me new identical parts. This gave me enough extra metal to fabricate a link that would work. Torklift saved me that effort by fabbing and sending me a custom link. The front tiedowns now fit. The back tie-downs fit fine from the get go.
Torklift were professional and wonderful to deal with throughout our exchanges.
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Birthdays, Anniversaries & Outings
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Juanita drove home to be in Meadow Lake to celebrate Kohen’s birthday.
The two of us celebrated Juanita’s birthday at the sumptuous Yang Ming Buffet. Yang Ming gives the birthday person a free buffet if you are in a group of six or over. Even with just the two of us the buffet offers reasonable value with something for any palate.
Next month we will have been married for fifty years. We were engaged to be married within weeks of meeting and married in three months. People said that was too fast and it wouldn’t last. So far, they are wrong. I guess they underestimated how patient and long-suffering Juanita could be. This month, commendations began arriving from various government and monarchal entities. I think somebody outed us to the authorities. Neither of us want a party or a fuss. We wouldn’t want any 50th Anniversary marked bling. The local thrift store already has enough anniversary platters.
For the first time in living memory I phoned in sick one morning. I didn’t feel that bad but was pretty sure I wouldn’t make it to work without having a bathroom in the car. By mid day my GI tract had settled down. We ran a few errands and went to lunch at Luna’s Mexican Restaurant. Yum
One Sunday we drove to the University of Alberta Botanic Garden near Devon and spent a few pleasant hours wandering the paths.
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