Day 24: Toilet Water, Dripping Water, Lake Camelot, and Ft Wedgie Pond.

Still in Mapleton...

Today I slept in! It was great!

Then Kaleb and grandpa went to KFC for lunch while Ammon was at school. He wanted to ride in grandmas "sports car" because he wants to be a raceccar driver when he grows up.

After lunch, I installed a new toilet in the downstairs bathroom for Brandyn to replace the one that got broken accidentally. It was kind of a tricky job but I got it finished just fine.

Brandyn came home early from work and Ammon and he rode to the hardware store with me to get a water supply flex hose to finish the job.

While I was fixing the toilet, I noticed that a small drip of water would drop on me about every 30 seconds from a vent in the ceiling. Upon inspection, I discovered that the exhaust for the clothes dryer runs through the ceiling above the bathroom and condensation was collecting in the hard pipe and dripping out of the joint where the flex pipe is connected (that goes to the outside vent).

It did not take long to figure out why the vent register was there in the ceiling (it seemed a little strange that there would be a vent right next to the ceiling fan). The drip obviously started sometime in the past and probably dripped through the ceiling. The past owner cut an inspection hole in the ceiling and then put in the vent to cover it... the good thing is that the condensation no longer drips on the ceiling... the down side is that it now drips on the floor. But it doesn't really harm anything and it would be to hard to reroute the vent pipe so it will have to be for now... unless I think of something else before I leave.

Tonight, after dinner, we took Brandyn's boat out on the lake. It was dark by the time we launched and we had a beautiful cruise around the upper lake. The boys (yes even Hyrum) bailed overboard with their life jackets and were going to swim. In the end, Kaleb was the only one who stayed in the water (the darkness kind of creeped out Ammon and Hyrum thought it was too cold). Kaleb, on the other hand hung onto the handle at the back of the boat and paddled probably a quarter-mile while Brandyn used the electric trolling motor on the front of the sled to take us back to the dock... I think Kaleb could of kicked us all the way on his own... he is not named "Cannonball Kid" for nothing.

While we were out on the lake, I got a call from Uncle Bob informing me that the pond behind Ft Wedgie was almost empty (for the second time). I told him that this happens occasionally when a fern or some other plant in search for water climbs over the edge of the liner on one of the falls and pushes it down just enough to allow a small amount of water to escape... eventually, it drains the pond. It usually is not hard to find because when the weather is dry, you can just look for the wet ground somewhere up or down the edge of the falls... but I just told UB to pull the plug... he has gone above and beyond the call of duty already... He actually jumped in the pond the other day... but that is another story.

Besides, by the time we get back, the pond will probably be full of leaves and will be in need of draining and cleaning anyway. Thanks again Bob for your concern and help... we owe you and the others that are helping to make this trip possible... you know who you are and we love you!

We are settling down for the evening... the kids are having baths and I am sure grandma is probably reading a bedtime story by now. The "grups" are going to watch a movie, I think.

Tomorrow, Brandyn managed to schedule a private tour of a plant over at Caterpillar. The tours are led by retired Cat guys and I guess it is pretty cool. You can't take any photos so I will just have to tell you about it tomorrow.

Goodnight.

Scotty