New Places and Broken Friendships

Today has been a day of mixed blessings. As I have been blogging we are in an unintended adventure after our RV transmission broke down in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Today was tow day. The tow truck arrived at the KOA camp precisely on time, only to find that due to how low our rig sits on the ground, we could not get it on the tow truck for fear of tearing off the plumbing - something about the angle of the wrecker platform. So another type of tow truck had to come out to hold up the rear end of our RV so they could get it up on to the wrecker platform. Then Jerry and I and my Big Tote Bag got into the wrecker and drove 100 miles west to Idaho Falls, Idaho where there is a Durabilt Transmission shop of good repute.

The drive was beautiful. The Snake River Canyon feeds this humongous (at least 40 or 50 miles long) reservoir that our tow truck guy says is the main water supply for Idaho. It looked like Lake Evendim in the Lord of the Rings movies, (the one Sam almost drowns in if you remember). All it lacks is the huge statues of the Kings of Gondor at the end of the lake. We tried to take pictures with our phones but no luck.

We arrived in Idaho Falls and the shop owner got his office manager lady to take us to the Super 8 Motel where I am relaxing in the air conditioned room looking forward to my first bubble bath in a week, later on, and a walk down to see the Idaho Falls Riverwalk, which isn't far from our hotel. We hope to be here only a few days, so I will keep everyone up to date.

The miracles on this trip have been amazing. We could have broke down in the desert somewhere or got stranded and been at the mercy of criminals or dishonest mechanics, but without exception every person we have met has bent over backwards to be kind and helpful.

I've only had one low spot. I have a very dear friend who has been close for 24 years. I inadvertently gave her advice on a post she put up on Facebook about canning homemade apple pie filling. She told me I was a "bully" and that I was "over the line" and she was unfriending me. I had read her post as "I hope my jars are sealed" and so I'd written to share that, when I am home-canning, I test my jar seals by lifting the jars by the lid without the ring on after they've cooled and if they set and don't come apart then they are sealed. She took offense at this and unfriended me, even though I apologized for giving unwanted advice. She said that "everyone else" ??? also thinks I am a bully and has been too afraid to say so all these years. So, I guess I will have to let this friendship go. I had no idea; we had a lot of fun over the years.

A day of mixed blessings. Of love and heartache, of relief and tears.
A good day.