Don't get me started on Biloxi Mississippi. I spent the most miserable
10 and a half months of my life there! That was just after Hurricane
Camile wiped the better part of the town off the map!
Joe
jmwagner wrote:
>
> I don't know if I shared this one before... but in the late 80's I was
> driving my Triumph TR 7 from Dallas, Texas to Sarasota, Florida...
>
> My 7 had always been an extremely reliable car... unlike my prior 4A
> (though, in time, I sold the TR 7, and my current driver 4A is also
> extremely reliable)...
>
> It was a straight through drive... no stops planned except for
> gasoline...
>
> Suddenly... the car sputtered to a stop... I had to pull it over in the
> first spot I could find...
>
> Imagine this...
>
> It died along the Gulf coast... in Biloxi, Mississippi, mid-day... blue
> skies... 'bout 80 degrees... the highway there ran along the beach...
> with cars packed along the road... but where my car died... there was
> ONE spot available... AND... unlike some other spaces... there was no
> parking limitations... (time, loading, etc.)... I was able to coast
> right into this one perfect spot...
>
> I got out... and looked to the gulf... beautiful water... sand...
> umbrellas... people....
>
> I looked at the TR 7... and quickly found my fuel pump had failed...
> It was a one piece after market pump that had replaced the original pump
> that had an intregal spacer (that was generally carefree and always
> reused)...
>
> I looked across the highway... and there, directly across the street,
> was a car parts place..
>
> I walked across the highway... and asked if the guy carried TRiumph
> parts... He said no... I figured not...I frowned... but then he said,
> "but they do a couple blocks up there..." pointing to the northwest...
>
> I walked a couple blocks... and there was, indeed, a British parts
> store!... I went in... asked if he happened to have a TR 7 fuel
> pump.... HE DID!!!!
>
> I started to walk away... then realized his pump was factory.... so I
> would need the intregal spacer that people normally didn't need, because
> it was reuseable...but stupid me, had thrown away when I bought the
> after market pump... I asked if he had the spacer...
>
> He shrugged... "no, that's a special order item, people don't usually
> need that..." I knew that was what he was going to say... I frowned...
>
> I started to walk away... when he said.... "hey, wait...."
>
> He looked at his special order holding shelf... and said, "Hey, this guy
> special ordered one a few weeks ago, but never picked it up!" (There it
> was, clearly on the hold shelf with a receipt still sticking out from it
> like the other parts he had on hold.)
>
> He said, "Well, if the guy didn't need it by now, I'm sure he can wait a
> little longer..."
>
> He sold me the spacer.... I walked back to my car... installed the new
> pump... Started the car... looked at my watch, and realized the whole
> breakdown had only cost me about 45 minutes. I turned the car off....
>
> grabbed a towel... and laid down on the beach for a while....
>
> One has got to stop and smell the roses once in a while... and it was
> odd to find Lucas, Prince of Darkness, reminding me of that
>
> --Justin
--
"If you can't excel with talent, triumph with effort."
-- Dave Weinbaum in National Enquirer
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