Thursday, February 21, 2008

Today was a good day, we didn't kill anyone

Funny things happen around Victor sometimes. Well, maybe not so funny as odd.

This story starts with a call from our guest who is staying at one of the Pine Mountain Lake rental houses. She tell us the rain storm from last night leaked into the kitchen and she used her towels to clean it up, could she get new towels today.

No problem. The team of Victor and Nancy go out mid-morning to see if they can fix this leaking skylight and deliver new towels. Turns out the skylight itself blew off and the house is left with a gaping hole to the heavens. And we thought we just had a leak....So Victor is fixing this when he hears Nancy below in the driveway talking with some of the folks trimming trees. She calls him down from the leaking skylight task..."Hey, where's the van?"

The tree trimmers know! They watched it roll down the driveway, across the street, up the curb and over the manzanita and down the precipice, finally coming to rest in the middle of an empty, steep lot. Excellent!

I am here at the hotel and get the call: "Could you call a tow truck"

"Are you hurt"
"no"
"Okay"
"Tell them we need a wench"
"Okay"

I call triple A pretending I have a clue on how this happened and the possition of the truck. I say things like: "...and then it rolled into the hill." Sort of sounds like an upward hill. I did finally say downward sloping. I figure it for a straight shot tow out. She asks if the driveway is blacktopped for traction, yes it is.

The AAA lady tells me I have to be there, Victor being my husband isn't enough. So I pack the new dog into the truck and off we go to Pine Mountain Lake. I can't see the van any where as I drive up. Getting out of the truck I peer over the edge and still can't see the van anywhere. Excellent! They got it out...but I don't think so, he would never have called for a tow if there was even an iota of a chance of getting it out.

I see Nancy coming from the direction of the Country Club.
I ask: "How's it going....."
Meaning: so tell me the story.
Instead I get a big smile and a "fine"
Hmmm, okay, so now I decide to ask point blank: "Where's the van?"
I get a clear "over there" with a finger point to the left, far left, way away from where it should be left.

Oh my. Can tow trucks tow and do a 90 degree turn through trees pulling a van without themselves somehow getting stuck in the mud?

Curiously I ask her how ever in the world did it get way way way over there....and heard something like this "Well, as we were trying to get it out...." I am laughing now as I write this blog.....

I decided the best thing for me to do was to go back to the hotel. I left my id and AAA card with "Team Van Rescue" and wished them well. If the tow fellow really needed me to be there to sign something, I would come right back.

So, the van rolled down the drive, across the street and down the hill, coming to a stop in the middle of an empty muddy steep lot, all with the parking brake on. But like Victor says, its a good day! We didn't kill anyone or crash into any houses or even dent the van. One manzanita isn't as fresh looking as it was before we were there, but it too will revive.

Oh, and our leak really wasn't a leak, just a few screws needing to be reset. An actual leak can be hard to fix! Yes, a good day!

No comments: