Tired. And when it happens a second time, it is called "re-tired"

 

A rare (very rare) picture of Eaton Rapids Joe in action

Yesterday's adventure was disassembling and transporting a combination swing-set and playhouse. There were several complications.

One of those complications was that a real, live princess was in the play house performing the sound-tracks of Moana and Zootopia 2  the entire time it was being disassembled. Who needs a radio when they have a four-year-old entertaining them.

Another complication was that Southern Belle, the buyer of the playhouse, struggled to find a vehicle that could pull the trailer she had borrowed.

First she was going to use her van, but then the owner of the trailer nixed that idea. Her minivan can pull 2000 pounds. The trailer, dry, weighed 2400 pounds.

Then we were going to use my truck but I couldn't get the cover off of the connector for the trailer harness.

At that point, I figured the mission was scrubbed for the day and went back home to work.

An hour later I got a call. Southern Belle had driven to Handsome Hombre's place of employment, found his truck in the parking lot and swapped vehicles.

"Persistence" is one of Southern Belle's super-powers. 

Since there are only two seats in HH's truck and since there were three of us, Southern Belle, Quicksilver and me, we took two vehicles.

Quicksilver was enchanted with the structure. Within seconds she was had climbed inside and was acting out Moana's swinging from the mast of her catamaran while belting out the song that went with that scene. She sang the entire time we were working.

"Able to entertain herself" is one of Quicksilver's super-powers. 

Disassembling the structure required a specific sequence and many awkward positions. Some of the bolts required an Allen wrench on one end and a 9/16" hex on the other. Southern Belle wanted to leave the structure in modules, so we split the two-story structure into its two, separate towers and lugged them up-grade from the back-yard to the road.

Not to belabor the point, but the yard was landscaped with pine trees and shrubberies and a red maple, all of which impeded our progress.

I am only guessing, but I suspect my end of the towers (the roof ends) was in the neighborhood of 125 pounds and SB and Justin's end was heavier. 

Justin is the son of the home owner and a recent college grad. He was awesome. He ran and found us tools we had not thought to bring...like a shovel. He helped carry the towers to the road. He even chuckled at some pretty awful "Dad jokes".

The swing-set, slide and other frippery and one tower went into the trailer.

The other tower went into the back of my truck. I had to put a flag on it because 36" stuck out of the back end of the 8' bed.

The home-owner gave us juice boxes to celebrate the sale of the structure and he gave Quicksilver a new-in-box mermaid doll!

The drive to Southern Belle's house was uneventful. We took back-roads and stayed below 50 mph.

Today's work ticket

Today's work ticket involves Driving Miss Daisy.

The family friend who had surgery last week needs to be driven to an assessment. Since the friend is not cleared for driving and since her husband needs to work...I got the job.

I can use a day of light-duty.