Grandmother Has Landed

Regular readers will remember (or maybe they won't) that our daughter Kathie and her husband Shawn had brought to us, while we were in Carson City, the Grandmother Clock I built 30+ years ago, and that they had been keeping for us.

A Grandmother Clock is just like a Grandfather Clock, except not quite as big.

At any rate, Shawn and Kathie believed that we were ready, nay, more that ready, to have that clock back for our home base in Benson, AZ. So they loaded it into their pickup truck and brought it to us at our RV park.

Shawn had stuff for the dump in his truck also.lGlad he got to us before he went to the dump!

Well, what do you do with a Grandmother Clock in a motorhome? You have to keep her carefully secure so she won't fall over. And, like any other Grandmother, you have to keep her happy so she won't complain too much as you drive.

With Shawn's help, we wrapped Grandmother in comforters, strapped her in with rope, duct tape, and a cable, and let her be. For 2,103 miles, from Carson City through California, back to Nevada, then down to Arizona and New Mexico, finally back to Benson, she rode with us and sang her song, or truly, her songs. Grandmother had her "going home" song, her "Easy Travel" song, and occasionally her "Hang on there, rough road" song.

Wrapping her up like a mummy.

Why did she sing so much? She still had all her chimes intact, although her brain, her clockworks, had stalled years ago.

But now we're home, the motorhome is parked out in front of our lot, and Grandmother is still strapped in. She's not even singing her lonely song, because we have to be moving for her to sing. So we unwrap Grandmother.

Out of the mummy wrap, ready to go in the house

We cleared a space for her inside the park trailer, and recruited our neighbor, Bob, to help us carry her in.

Here's Bob helping Grandmother down the motorhome steps.

Oops, watch that opening door! 

Notice Grandmother has lost her head! Can't carry her with that head attached.

Thanks, Bob! Good job.

Grandmother's head had to be removed for carrying. I guess it should be called a cowl.

Don't know why I'm scowling -- she ain't heavy, she's my grandmother!

Here she is, in her new home. We had to place a few shims so she'd stand upright. She's happy, she's home, she's with her family.

Just a little adjusting needed to get her level and centered!

What's next? Well, she needs new works, and we will get those for her (and our) Christmas present this year. Grandmother will be alive and well again, singing her hourly and daily chiming songs, making us happy that we've brought her home! She'll be a  big part of ... Our Life on Wheels!