I’m back! Vacation time has ended and reality returned quickly after two weeks of relaxation in Aruba. For those who have followed our travels, you know we annually visit Aruba with a large contingent of friends that gather for great food, companionship and sunshine broken only by the occasional five-minute rain shower.
Sadly, reality set in quickly as soon as we headed home. Our return flight was late arriving therefore delayed taking off. It was not a big deal but it was an omen of things to come.
Arriving in Toronto, we went to pick up our luggage from the carousel. Fortunately, both bags came down quickly and I was pleased about that. What didn’t please me was the fourth wheel on my suitcase was useless. It wasn’t missing, simply detached and hanging by a thread of plastic.
Another omen! As late as it was, we decided to drive home to Georgian Bay and be in bed by midnight. The drive was quick and it felt good to be heading to our own bed.
Pulling in the drive, we left the luggage, locked the car and retreated to our own bed for a good night’s sleep.
The next morning we awoke to find that the house was in good shape, the mail collected by our daughter was piled neatly in the kitchen and when I went to fetch the newspaper.
I was shocked to find our porch had been painted some weird colour in our absence. We had arranged to have our porch and railings painted while we were away but somehow the store had provided our painter with the incorrect colour. Instead of a natural cedar colour, it was now a battleship grey.
Next, we discovered that Judy’s car had a flat tire. Somehow a nail had penetrated a tire and that shot the morning.
While Judy sorted out her tire problem and contacted the paint store, I decided to get my rider mower and cut the dried out lawns where the weeds were flourishing. The battery was dead! Fortunately, I had a battery charger so it didn’t take long to recharge the battery. As I turned the key to start the engine, POW! A huge cloud of blue smoke filled the garage and the engine roared to life.
As I backed out of the garage the billowing smoke seemed to be increasing. I made my way to the backyard as the cloud of smoke grew followed by another big bang, and then nothing.
Updating our disastrous return home, Judy’s tire is no longer flat; the paint store replaced the stain for our porch and paid for it being repainted. It cost $350 to get my rider mower going again. Works like a charm. For that price, it should!
Next stop will be getting a new suitcase.
Needing a vacation from reality, Kent Walton can be reached at [email protected].
