Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Yes, Virginia, there are still angels out there...

It has been an interesting day. Not a bad day... more like one of those days you chalk up to adventure, and definitely a day that you remember that there are still angels out there.

Our day did not work out as we intended. Our intention was to spend every last minute we could with Maegan and Byron... but somehow we ended up just outside of Boise, in the hills, with a very steamy engine that decided it was no longer going to go up that last hill.

So, here we are sitting in the middle of who-knows-where with a car that refused to start, and looked like it might burst into flames at any moment (but thank goodness it was just steam). 

The first car just drove right by. Now that was disappointing, and I was wondering when another might actually come by again.

But a few minutes later, a car came along and actually stopped. Pat got out of the car to see what our problem was, and when she found out, informed us that her husband worked for an organization that helped young college kids fix their cars. 

Thankfully, we had cell phone reception there, she called her husband, and a few minutes later Bill was there with lots of tools and problem-solving ideas to help us get on our way.

I can't exactly describe what was wrong with the car, but it involved a hose that had become disconnected, and some damp wiring from all the steam, and who knows what else. Pat took us to her house and gave us some tea, and took us on a tour of her gorgeous Frank Lloyd Wright-style home in Hidden Valley, just outside of Boise. After a couple of hours, we were finally able to start the car. Whew!

We got into town, and it died again and we had to have it towed... but at least we were in town, not out in the middle of nowhere. That stop did not involve any saints that we know of.

So let's toast tonight to Pat and Bill... and celebrate that there are still folks in the world who will stop what they are doing, taking time out of their day, to help those who don't know what they are doing.... well, you know what I mean.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Well Ali I must say that all of your posts have been exceptional this trip! The photos are classic, the verbiage is both fun and interesting! They are all photo journalism at it's best because it's almost like being there, great job! You inspire me!