Saturday May 9, 2015

Good Morning,

At least it is here. I drove to the local Dodge dealer to collect the last of the parts needed to complete the rear brake replacement on our Caravan, but the parts truck hadn't been there yet, so I thought this would be a good time to make that delinquent post that's been on  my mind.

The late arrival of the parts truck is just the latest of events linked to the brake extravaganza. Last week I replaced pads and rotors on the front of the van, which took two evenings, but didn't go that badly. The rear brakes are a different story. Our van is one of last to be produced with drum brakes on the rear. Most vehicles now have disc brakes all around, and for good reason. It took two evenings just to remove the drums from the wheel. Everything was fused together with rust. Once inside, I could see at a glance that all the components had returned to their natural state; "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, brakes to rust". I bought every kit the auto part store sold, including new drums, but there were still hidden parts not present in the "complete" kits. Hence my trip to the dealer this morning. Incidentally, it took the dealer's parts professional 20 minutes to find my parts in their computer, all of which needed to be special ordered, of course.

On a happier note, Michele and I did make a trip to California for a week to see her family. We stayed with her brother and sister-in-law, who are the consummate hosts. Bless you Greg and Angie. The time went too quickly, but we got to see many loved ones. This was our first visit since Christmas of 2011, so grandniece and nephew, who were toddlers, are now old enough to entertain the older folks in the swimming pool. Michele's mom is doing well over all, but she has the physical challenges which come with age. Travel went as smooth as airline travel ever gets, so we were blest.

We were also blest with a good visit to Michele's Oncologist this week. She is no longer on the blood thinner. The Doc wants to see her every three months for the next two years, then  every six months for three to five years.  All in all, the doctor is very pleased with Michele's state of health, and so are we.

Michele was also released from the Occupational Therapist visits. She is still doing the daily exercises very faithfully, but no longer requires external supervision. She drove around the neighborhood last week, so we are one step closer to normal. Hallelujah!

Activities at MMS have been at a frantic pace. In addition to the steady stream of aircraft being repaired, MMS is hosting the annual conference of the International Association of Mission Aviation (hereafter referred to as IAMA). The conference is next week, so yesterday we moved virtually every aircraft in our facility at least once, making room for the congregants. Then in the afternoon, I stripped and waxed the kitchen floor (at the hangar). Since I still had 2% of my energy left, I went to the garage after supper and worked on the van. That pretty much bring you right up to the minute, so I'll wrap this up, and hope the phone rings from the parts guy.

Bless you all for reading and caring!

With love,

Tim and Michele