Dear readers, Princess Buttercup here. A quick note to bring you up to date. We are back home. Why so soon, you ask. What happened? Well, round about Blythe, California, the transmission seal failed, throwing oil on the clutch, which made the clutch fail.
So our friend Bruce threw on his superhero cloak and drove 300 miles from Tucson with Jeff’s truck and flatbed trailer to come get us.
It turned out we had to get a tow truck for the vixen, so we loaded the trailer with motorcycles on to the flatbed and Bruce drove us another 300 miles back, and tow truck towed the vixen.
We left the vixen and trailer in Tucson at Shelby and Jeff’s place, who generously let us work in their shop, and where Dave and Dean and Jeff and His Nibbs all took the motor out and the transmission apart. And then put it all back together.
This all took days, and the entire time, Kathi and Bruce let us swarm over their beautiful home like gypsies in a castle. Or, in His Nibbs’ words, like a swarm of locusts in their castle.
So finally the vixen is all back together and we go out for a celebratory dinner of delicious mexican food, and come out to see a puddle of transmission oil under the vixen. The new transmission seal failed in under ten miles of driving. So we stuck the vixen and trailer in a storage facility and drove home in a rental van with the three dogs. Then His Nibbs went into high gear and got an auto transport company to bring the vixen home.
This may not sound like your idea of a vacation. But it was an amazing experience- we were so drenched in kindness and generosity, our friends and their friends never stopped supporting us the entire time. It was like swimming in the best of human beingness, love and caring all around, as we faced one challenge after another. Which put all the trouble into a much smaller space, and let the friendship and love triumph. By the time we headed home, Bruce and Kathi’s super hero clothing looked way more like angel feathers.
Gary Holt
Merriam Webster gives the following three definitions for “Vixen”:
vix·en | \ ˈvik-sən \
Definition of vixen
1 : a female fox
2 : a shrewish, ill-tempered woman
When Arabella called her a treacherous vixen and a heartless, profligate hussy, she spoke out freely, and said that she wasn’t going to be abused.
— Anthony Trollope
3 informal : a sexually attractive woman
In this spy spoof, our hero, aided by a sexy vixen, … saves the world from a power-mad despot …
— Steven Rebello
I will leave it to others to pick which seems most appropriate but, for me, it would seem a melding of 2 and 3. A comely Siren beckoning unsuspecting adventurers with promise of scenic vistas and carefree lives on the road, only to transform into a harpy who mischievously rebuffs all attempts to set her right.
This story needs to be told large…preferably with a frosty pint within arms reach.
That said-
Damn!!
Steve Bee
Hi Barb,
nice blog. Thanks for sharing.
Kathi
Your three monster sized dogs are the very best dogs in the world. They are so sweet and well behaved. You are welcome to bring them back to the castle any time. Even though they prefer Richards house because he lets them sit on his couch. Sorry dogs😔. Safe travels on your second act! Or is it the third? Or is it Vixen trip II?
Susie
Hi Barb,
Love your pictures on your blog. I am traveling with you through your pictures. Thank you for your work and sharing. Today was such a beautiful day in Washington. I did yard work for you so no worries there. Enjoy the travels down south. You will enjoy the scenic sites heading south. Have a good week.