TRIPPIN' TROUBLE (keep smilin')

TRIPPIN' THURSDAY

In everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose...in our latest season, with only a vague plan and a touch of creativity, we're off on another adventure. Half of this twosome is retired; my half will probably never know what that means. I promise to share.

Remember, I'm about tossing out ways to have fun when you retire and/or change lifestyles with nothing in the bank but love. I like sharing little ways to tighten the budget while you loosen up life. Well...this week it was about none of the above!

We've gone back and forth between Prescott, Tonto Basin, and Phoenix so many times I have to think about where I am each morning when I open my eyes. The purchase of the bigger and better fifth wheel is done except for signing the papers on pick-up day September 2nd in Prescott. I've gotten Mom to the dentist in Phoenix twice...three more appointments to go.

On Wednesday, I headed back to the basin by myself in the car and just before I turned onto I-17 the car made a funny chattering noise which suddenly grew loud. I pulled off the road, steering wheel went stiff, and car was dead. The timing belt broke and the engine was blown. A tow truck ride and hours later, we learned the fix was more than the car is worth. Sold it to the junkyard. Hubby came to rescue me.

I shudder to think how it would've gone had the event happened a little farther along in the drive...maybe on the winding road over the mountains down into the Verde Valley. It 's a fast moving highway and a major truck route. Or maybe on the rim road. 260 is a winding two-lane road on the edge of the pine covered mountains. There's rarely anywhere to pull over and lots of blind corners. I can be thankful for where it happened, at least.

Next day, hubby and I headed out in the truck and as we rounded one of those turns on the 260 rim road, a front tire exploded. Black smoke billowed behind us, and he fought to get the truck steady until a small area to pull over on the mountain side appeared.

Again, I shudder to think how it might have gone at another moment like if we had been pulling that new fifth wheel. Not only am I thankful for the timing of this ugly event, but also to the young man who stopped to help us change the tire. He actually passed by us, found a place to turn around, and came back. If you ever meet a

fireman from Pine, AZ named Paul, tell him you know he's one of a kind.

So tips? Only hindsight: buy tires for the truck before the car because the car is going to blow an engine anyway. Wait a week to fix the breaks on the car because it's going to blow an engine anyway. I can advise to not buy Ironman tires. They are overpriced and fall apart at 30,000 miles. Oh, and another way to save the bucks? Go down to one vehicle. Saves on insurance and tags. Always good to find the upside, right?