….Sal’s car goes into a ditch. Same thing. Really. Kinda. The rain part, for sure…
NIce sunny day yesterday, tho. Sal is at the wheel in the ‘island car’. It is full of book clubbers and casseroles. Maybe some of that Quinoa-stuff if I know them. The car is not really running properly but no one’s car runs properly on the island and, anyway, this is book club day! So, off they go. Merrily chatting away. About a block or so into it (we do not have blocks but a similar distance) the car somehow, mysteriously, inexplicably moves to the left and comes to rest in a ditch. Quel surprise!
Oh, well…..it’s off to book club NOW (another truck came along) and ‘We’ll deal with the old Previa later.”
Today was ‘later’. And today it rained. And ‘we‘ meant me and Sal and a couple of kind hearted neighbours. And the ditch was filling with water. And the van was ‘a hangin’ on the road edge with two of the wheels in the ditch, the belly of the vehicle grounded and the other two wheels a little light in the slippers. Meaning: they slipped.
All wheels slipped. It is an all-wheel drive. But it is not a self-driving vehicle.
So, we all tied ropes and slung chains, used winches and little Japanese Kei-truck 4×4’s. We looked it over, we talked it over, and we interrupted our thoughts every 30 seconds with trying to discipline everyone’s dogs. All dogs were naughty and rambunctious. Lots of canine fun. Nothing got done. Car is still in the ditch. I ‘fired’ the neighbours but promised future work.
Tomorrow I try again. And then I will try some more. It will eventually get out. I really hope it gets out in time for next month’s book club.
“So, what’s the big deal, Dave? Cars go in ditches. That’s life.”
You are right, of course. Dogs, ditches, cars, rain….it’s all a part of life. If there is a difference worthy of a blog, it is simply this: in the city, you call a tow truck, pay some money and complain later that evening to some friends over cocktails and the most scrumptious new pate’ from the local artisan’s cheese shop…you know the one? Luigi is the owner? Out here there are no shops, no pate’ and no tow trucks. Instead I have a chainsaw, a shovel, a come-a-long and some planks. I have knowledge of leverage and first aid. It’s not the same thing.
I’ll get back to you……
Our Off the Grid Home 
Sad, did you remember to disconnect the battery? Shame to add that to the list once its out. Can’t wait for the “details” to come out😇. I hid inside from said rain all day except for Sadie’s morning run. All I accomplished was to hang the wet laundry(washed two days ago) and flush out two 16l wine boxes in prep for the big push tomorrow to decant the carboy.
Lazy might be my new name.
LikeLike
So you are making your own wine?
LikeLike
Yup, for 5-6 years. Not the fullest body, but ok. Im to cheap to buy the good kits so Superstore, now $59 for 20 liters.
LikeLike
Glad to hear that everyone is OK, at least that is what we presume! If the car moved inexplicably to the left, there might be a problem with the suspension or the cardan drive. But you will only be able to check that out once you get the car out of the ditch. Unless someone has a big tractor on the Island or a big 4×4, it will be tough to get it out.
So we are looking forward to more news!
Take care and all the best to the book club ladies
LikeLike
There’s some quite heavy duty machines on the island – backhoes, excavators, dump trucks, a fire truck, skidders. But I dare say with a bit of good-old island knowhow (which Dave has a-plenty), a 2.5-ton comealong or 2, Dave with get the job done without having to call for “Heavy Rescue 401” (if any here get that reference).
LikeLike
Did not intend that as anonymous
LikeLike
The best “tow I ever witnessed was about 50 years ago on a sandy beach in Eastern Canada.
Bunch of guys drove their car way, way , way out on the sand flats and got stuck.
Tide started to turn and come in.
Tow truck arrived but his cable was too short to reach the car out on the flats
So he carried a Come Along, a shovel and 100 ft of rope.
He laid out the rope its full 100 ft from the car towards the truck tow cable.
Hundreds of feet separated them.
He pulled the spare tire out of the trunk of the stuck car and walked back towards the tow truck until he reached the end of the rope.
Dug a 3 ft deep hole. Tied the wheel to the rope and the Come Along and laid the tire flat on the bottom of the hole.
Buried the tire.
Started jacking.
Pulled the car out and kept pulling until the car was next to the buried tire.
Dug the tire out and repeated the process as the tide kept rising.
Eventually got the car to the tow cable and used the truck to haul it out.
Saved the car
LikeLike
Brilliant. Musta been a calm, deliberate kinda guy, too….
LikeLike
Hah!
I dont think it was his first beach “rescue”.
And once he did the first “tire hole” the enthusiastic crowd did the rest.
Clam shovels appeared.
Total strangers dug new holes and dug out the tire.
It was done pretty quick and the salty ocean water never lapped against that car.
LikeLiked by 1 person