We couldn’t test very well for cooling when the sun spent Saturday hidden behind the clouds and it felt like fifty degrees but Reuben spent an hour on the roof Friday and found a rusted electrical connector in our rooftop air conditioning. Luckily he found no leaks of coolant or oil and with the rusty connection cleaned up it seemed like it was blowing cool.
So now we need our steering parts to arrive and we will be rolling again. They should be here by Monday, when Reuben will be busy in town on his own appointments and we will be getting our skin checked by a dermatologist so it’s unlikely we’ll see progress before Tuesday.
Friday was sunny so we got out and walked Rusty but I will tell you we are pathetic when it comes to being cold. And we rate overcast with 55 degrees and a light breeze being cold. So Saturday we huddled and did nothing useful unless you count being under the covers (Layne) snoozing (Rusty) or reading (me) as doing something useful.
Layne made cheese and avocado quesadillas for lunch, I drank innumerable cups of tea and finished a book about the aftermath of the battle of Waterloo in 1815. It as actually an interesting read though parts of it were revolting. The wounded in the battle were left to die after the battle especially if they were French and some lived for as long as a week among the corpses of their comrades. Tourists visiting the battle sites were encouraged to take food and water to help relieve the suffering they might find.
When I saw the book advertised I found I really was curious about what used to happen after a battle especially one as bloody as Waterloo but the details of this one I’ll spare you. The smell hung around for weeks the visitors said, and there were hundreds upon hundreds of sightseers literally tripping over half buried corpses and tons of assorted litter of battle. I also had no idea Bonaparte shipped to England in an effort to retire in the land of his former enemy. Dozens of people drowned in boating accidents as they tried to catch a glimpse of Boney a prisoner on a British ship in Torquay harbor. The book is full of bizarre details about the aftermath of Waterloo ending with the former emperor forced to abdicate and being shipped off against his will to Saint Helena, far away such was the fear he might try to gain power once again.
Then Layne asked me about bonfire night, a phrase she found in a book she was reading. That got me thinking so on a whim I downloaded a book about Guy Fawkes and the plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament in the 17th century. I was taught about this stuff but I guess old age brings doubt and curiosity. So now I’m delving into that history, religious disputes, torture and violence. Just what you need to keep a cold winter day at bay.
The fog above is Leone, one of Marks rescues and the boss around here. Rusty has been getting along with all five dogs in here and he approached the boss with his tail wagging. The supposedly violent Leone was so shocked he strutted off like any bully who finds he doesn’t intimidate. I like him actually but Rusty’s ability to disarm him cracks me up.
This vehicle is a Mitsubishi Delica, one of the earlier models and I quite like it. It’s a high clearance four wheel drive van and you’ll see it all over Latin America still doing road duty. The biggest problem is the lack of room in the back but for a solo traveler one of these could be great. Except they’re rare as hens’ teeth in the US.
Mark’s home is open to the sky, he has done material as shade but the middle of the building is open to the sky. It makes sense when you remember it never rains in the Atacama Desert but it cracks me up.
Mark cleared a space for more parking and put up a canopy to cover the space.
Leone monitoring his world:
Rusty checking his boundary. Dogs are pretty smart, they set boundaries and fight far less than owners think.
Hamburgers tonight. Hopefully sunshine tomorrow. And no skin cancer but I’m not counting on that.
