Sep 4-5 - trailering & misc

We set off with the trailer to look at pool tables -- actually one table in particular that Costco carries and was in stock in Barrie. Jason had looked at it in Brantford and let me know.

The attraction was price. Where most tables are $2,000+ this one was $800 and came with everything required to start playing. It is made in China, thus the lower price. I was concerned both about quality and quantity ... is it well made and will it fit in the trailer !

The trailer is ostensibly 4x8 but it is actually slightly larger than that -- 5 inches to be precise -- 101 inches to the door, less at the corners due to the rounded front. I did not even check the width.

The table is 100 inches end-to-end; 103 or something like that in its packaging. The only way that I could take it was going to be standing on edge, likely, and without packaging. It comes in two boxes -- one box for the table and one for the legs. It's a nice looking table and I could actually lift one end, so it would be movable. This all lead me to the query to the staff -- can it travel on edge and is it slate -- yes and no. Their logic on the travelling was that since it had no "this side up" marking it could be carried on edge. Regarding the slate question, they had already done research for another potential customer and the answer was no.

The fellow that helped me was quite knowledgeable -- he had recently installed a pool table (not this one) and had done the research. One of the advantages of this one, he said, is that it is movable. The pool table that he bought is slate and 4 guys tried to carry it and hurt themselves. He also said that none had been returned.

Long story short, we took a pass at this point. I may be back after some further searching but I want this to be a one-time purchase. I'm prepared to wait if necessary.

Next we went to the 400 antique market. I didn't get away so lucky this time, we bought a dresser/mirror that Sandy had seen on a prior visit. I'm not a fan of old marked up furniture but the price was right. Of course we had the trailer so we were well equipped to take it home and didn't even impinge upon Abby's back seat space !

On the way home we stopped for gas, again, at the Nobel Esso. I tried my Amex card twice, and each time it said "see cashier" -- and the second time the cashier came on over the intercom and said that Amex was rejecting the card. Baloney I thought, it's your system, and used my TD Visa. Leaving the gas station I got hold of Amex on the phone to find out what was going on and they said that the card was waiting for an ID check because their system had flagged it for possible fraud due to the number of transaction during the day. "What", I said, gas, lunch then gas is too many transactions ? The fellow responded ... and Costco (oh yeah) and Home Depot (whoops) and an insurance bill. He suggested that perhaps it was the two gas fills and that in the future I should just go see the cashier ... baloney again. When we drive to Florida I certainly fill up more than twice in one day ... but then again, not twice at the same gas station. Besides, the entire point of using the pay-at-the-pump is convenience and security. If I pull into a gas station that does not have pay-at-the-pump I leave and go to another ... unless of course there is no other one around and I'm almost out of gas.

I'm still ticked off at Amex -- the insurance bill is monthly so shouldn't have been a red flag. It seems that all I ever do is pump gas and shop at Home Depot, Costco and have the occasional restaurant bill -- (plus Internet purchases of course) so these transactions were perfectly normal. Besides, the amounts were all small -- < $50 at both Costco and Home Depot and < $30 at the sports bar in Inisfill. Give me a break. I should call them again and complain. I guess that you're not allowed to take a one-day trip and refill your tank. What person stealing a card would make all these small transactions ? Anyway, I'll live through it !!

So that was our day. We left at 7am and got back around 4pm. We arranged the 4x8's (timbers for the eventual gazebo) in the barn for Sandy to stain and by then it was time to relax on the deck. The water was perfectly calm and it was dead quiet. Eventually, however, it got cooler and we went inside and snacked for dinner. We had planned to have a big lunch, which we did, and no organized supper, so that went according to plan.

Today I've got some cleanup to do and will take a bike ride if it stays dry. Jim & Bonnie are coming over for dinner, albeit late since Bonnie is helping out at the Whippoorwill Lodge and doesn't get home until 7pm. Sandy may start working on those 4x8's -- awkward things since they are heavy and 16 feet long.