The Good News:
Early this morning, I got a call from my mechanic—he was on his way to pick me up. The Escape is officially fixed and ready to go! Once it reached the shop, their team ran pressure tests and a full diagnostic. Turns out, the issue was a failed heater hose—not the water pump the Espanola Ford Dealer had previously identified. Even better, replacing both heater hoses plus the diagnostic work only took 2.5 labour hours—far less than the 6 hours "book time" estimated for a water pump replacement.
The Not-So-Good News:
Later in the day, I received a letter from the Church. As I had originally let them know I’d be driving, and since they had set Wednesday as the final deadline (I drove home Wednesday and wrote to them Thursday morning), I was given two options:
- Find and book my own flights to Calgary at my expense
- Participate online from home
They will reimburse me the amount they had budgeted for early-booked flights, but I admit this response was frustrating. I fully understand that late bookings are significantly more expensive, and I don’t expect the Church to cover my own last-minute changes. However, with a travel agency already coordinating arrangements for over 500 attendees, I had hoped they might work with me to sort something out. My mistake—I misunderstood the process.
Despite a few hiccups (I’m not exactly a pro at navigating travel logistics), I now have my trip booked and charged to my credit card.
The travel times aren’t exactly ideal, but they’re manageable. Thankfully, Bill and his family generously offered to shuttle me to and from the airport to make the schedule work. That gives me some flexibility on both ends to sort out the logistics for getting around in Calgary.
While handling all that, I decided to treat myself. I zipped into town and stopped by Butter Bites for a well-earned lunch—Avocado Toast was the star of the plate today.
On the way back, I swung by Bill’s and picked up three fresh cobs of Essex County corn he had thoughtfully set aside for me. A quick detour to the grocery store for smoked salmon and milk rounded out my dinner plans perfectly.
Tomorrow’s a new day. With any luck, I’ll return to my reading and gear up for the responsibilities that truly matter.
Glad to know things are looking up for you. What a challenging time for you. We are sure glad that we had a visit with you. Good luck on the rest of your adventure.
Barb