July Update

We interrupt your previously scheduled programming to provide a current update.

We've been at home for awhile now since our trip West in the Scamp. About a week after arriving home, there was a  celebration of life for Gene, Julia's Dad, who died in hospice earlier this year.  In many ways, it was lovely; I'm not a big fan of funerals.  

About twenty people gathered for an outdoor fish fry on a Friday afternoon at one of Gene's favorite restaurants on Lake Wisconsin.  Lots of people told stories about their experiences with Gene, and there was a poster board of photos from throughout his life.  

Later, some of his ashes were spread on the water, where Gene loved to fish.  This week, Julia was kayaking on Lake Wisconsin, and a big perch jumped into her kayak.  Coincidence?  She thinks not.  

Allie was home for a week.  I did some hiking with Allie and my niece Anna around Devil's Lake.

Justin is home off and on for the remainder of the summer.  This is always an uncertain time of year for planning, as we try to find caregivers for the fall semester.  There are some complicating factors due to caregivers who have decided to move on from caring for Justin.  On top of that, we've learned that he hadn't done quite as well as he led us to believe in college or his finances/spending.  We're in the process of sorting all of that out, but my planned fall trip west may end up a casualty.  

My small trailer, the Scamp, is back at home after some unexpected repairs.  During the trip west, I noticed slight bulging in a tire’s sidewall, but didn't give it too much thought other than monitoring that it wasn't getting worse (a mistake, but I got lucky).

The tires are a 2 1/2 years old, so I decided that I was going to replace the bulged tire when I got home.   I took it to my favorite and reliable tire shop, Larry's Tires.  After jacking up the tire in question, the technician discovered a wobbly wheel and then a bad bearing.  That did not make me happy as the bearings were repacked by a local rv shop just prior to the trip west.  Apparently, during servicing, there is a nut that gets tightened and then slightly backed off.  The technician believed that the nut either never got tightened or got backed off way too much.  There was a flat spot on the bearing.

A new bearing was installed on the bad tire side and the other side was inspected and repacked just to make sure. The tire bulged due to heat from the bearing going bad. He said that I was very lucky that the wheel hadn't fallen off during the trip.  The diagnosis and repair was reasonable, and I know where I'll be taking the bearings for service next time (Larry's Tires).  I will not be back to the RV shop.  I thought about complaining, but life is too short, and I wouldn't trust them again anyway.