camp adventure day 8

Day 8: Car Trouble

Friday, June 14th, 2013

Tiara was taking some campers to the airport but didn't have room
for their luggage. So Amy offered to take their bags to BWI. This
meant we had to leave at 9:00 AM. At least I got to stay for
breakfast and say goodbye to friends.

We made it to the airport, and all was good. Amy's GPS said we'd
be in Kent around 3:30. That sounded nice to me. I'd have time
for a nap before unpacking.

We reached Northern Maryland, and all was not good. The van was
having issues. Amy pulled off into a tiny town called Clearwater.
It felt like we went through a time warp and ended up a few
decades into the past.

A really kind mechanic named Emil looked at the car. Don't ask
me... something about spark plugs and coils. This translated to:
You are stuck.

We drove to a nearby cafe, and Emil took the van back to work on.
The cafe was like a mom and pop diner. I love these kinds of
restaurants that aren't part of a chain. It was very homely.

The tabletops were pink with a fresh flower on each one. On the
walls were newspaper clippings and school photos of triplet boys.
The waitress wore a shirt that said, "Maryland."

My BLT was heavenly. They didn't skimp on bacon and tomatoes. The
sandwich came with a heap of fries, coleslaw and a pickle. It's
been a long time since I had a meal like that.

When we were finished, we went outside and sat on a picnic bench
to wait. The work was finally done, and Emil charge
$200-something. (That was a blessing for amy, who was expecting
around $500.) Emil also put air in the tires and warned Amy to
keep a watch on them. They were low when we came in, and he was
worried about a leak. He actually said, "Thank you, and have a
nice day" when we left.

We returned to the 21st century and headed home. Our new ETA was
8:30. Amy drove and listened to music. I started reading a new
book. We talked a lot... about anything and everything. You know
you're on a long journey when you discuss homosexuality, religion
and gun laws.

At long last, I walked into my own home. As soon as Amy left,
Bast was all over me. I was thinking of changing her name to
"Velcro." I finally unpacked around midnight. Bast was oh, so
helpful. After that, I got in my own bed and fell asleep with a
purring kitten in my arms.