Oct 9-11 - what a mess

Did I really miss two days of posting ?  Whatever.

9th - thought that I'd covered this but turkey dinner at Stef's then drive to Erie PA.  We got there just before 10pm.  At the border, they decided to do an agriculture inspection and that took time and they, of course, found the grandma plant that we move cuttings back and forth. Sandy was there while I was inside and they checked it over and gave us the ok.  Amazing.

10th - continue to Orangeburg SC.  We got a late start due to the late arrival and didn't get in until 9pm.  We should have been there before 8:00 but sat for 1:15 north of Charlotte due to an accident many miles ahead.  On the WV Turnpike, going up a hill, I suddenly got "Engine Malfunction" which didn't seem to affect running except that over the course of the rest of the trip, I determined that I've got a turbo problem.  Every time the engine is turned off, it resets, and hard acceleration just doesn't and the light comes on again.  Interestingly enough, here in NSB without pulling a trailer, stamping my foot to the floor produces the normal perky response.  I'll have to get it checked, but it doesn't stop the car.

Here in NSB ... what a mess.  As we got closer, more and more billboards were toast and more trees were down.  On the roads around here it's like there's been many, many snowfalls and there are huge snowbanks at the sides of the roads, except that they are piles of branches.  Normally wide streets are narrowed.

Here at the house ... what a mess. I'm missing most of the soffit on the north side of the house.  Insulation is all over the yard looking like cotton.  Up on the roof, there are patches of missing shingles and one spot with exposed plywood.  I got a tarp on that and Jim Brendel will be around today, Wednesday, to do some temporary repairs.  I'm going to need a new roof, whether shingles or steel but I'm leaning towards steel, price will be somewhat a determining factor.

The missing soffit -- those are all around the yard -- is up high.  That's the north side, the upstairs bedroom wing, much too high for my ladder.  Help !  Someone !  Hopefully Jim can address that.

Out the back, the barbecue had rolled with the wind and then tipped over.  I never thought of wind affecting a barbecue up against the house, never tied it down.  Before I removed some of the decking, it was more secure, but we're prepping for the backyard work.

When it tipped over, it pulled the pipe that runs down from the soffit here and broke it at a connection.  It tried to see if I had enough threads at that connection to simply attach another connector, but no way.  I went into the attic and checked it out and realized that the flexible pipe actually connects above the soffit, so I removed the broken piece and re-plumbed the gas to the barbie.  That was necessary because that line also runs to the stove and it shuts off in the utility room.  If I hadn't been able to fix that, Sandy wouldn't have a stove.

As for TV, the dish is broken -- not so much from the wind as from being rusted through.  The arm that supports the LNB is broken.  I have to order another dish from Satellite Guys.

Otherwise, not too bad.  It could have been a lot worse. 

I hate to run off but I'll be leaving here mid day to get my butt over to the 1200k.  Yikes.  I've never felt so out of shape, unprepared and distracted.  Before that, Jim is supposed to show up and we'll go over what he d  Ioes.  Also before that, I've got to square away the Trackleaders stuff which is supposed to arrive here before noon, FedEx out of NC by Mathew Lee last night.  I have to check over my bike.  I have to pack.  Yikes indeed.

There's a lot more to write but I've got things to do !

Good news from Jason -- Gavin has surgery scheduled for Nov 24 (think that was the date).  They, sans Gav, will be down here soon.

Life goes on.  What an adventure.   On and On and Onward !