Car Maintenance and Frustration

Trip Start Jun 23, 1980
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43
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Trip End Aug 09, 1980


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Flag of United States  , Massachusetts,
Monday, August 4, 1980

I wanted to get some car maintenance done so I parked along the side of the road (route 202) in an enlarged shoulder area.  I decided that while I was waiting for the engine to cool I would get out all my paintings and line them up on the curb to do a self critique and get an overview of what I had been doing.  A man pulled off while I was doing this and we talked for about 45 minutes.  He wasn't interested in buying anything when he stopped but was curious and we were both road type people so we hit it off.  He was surprised by how little I was asking and actually gave me more for the Pier at Burnt Church painting.  This was my first sale on the trip and I certainly could use the money-thanks Les.
  I changed the points cap and rotor and set the dwell, then I started to lubricate the chasis but ran out of grease and needed a more flexible nozzle for some of the fittings.  This meant another trip to the store and while I was driving I set the timeing again.  I hate to work on cars but it was necessary for my budget and I never borke down on my trips at a garage.  One of the main problems is getting cleaned up after getting all greasy and sweaty from crawling around and under the van and if you have been reading my entries you should know I have this thing about cleaning up-this became an overbearing problem for the rest of the day.   I got to Holyoke and stopped at the Holyoke Museum in the library,  it was one room of paintings but I was rushed out before I could get a good look because they wanted to have a meeting in the room.  So you people in Holyoke I want you to know I have never been back. 
    On to Springdfield I stopped at a Mister Donut and checked the phone book, still looking or a store.  Finally get to a Two Guys at the Fairfield Shopping Center and get more grease and air  filter, hose and redio battery.  I finished greasing the chasis in the parking lot and set the timeing again,  plus I put the spare tire on the left front for some problem I was having with the front end. 
    Still need to get cleaned up but I stopped in a parking lot outside Amherst and did taichi, then back to Northampton to the the YMCA hoping to pay to take a shower but they were closed.  I was making numerous donut shop stops to pacify myself,  one being my first time at a Bess Eaton and then a couple times back in Springfield at the same Dunkin Donut.  It was getting to the wee small hours of the morning because I had gotten lost after I left Northampton somewhere out in the countryside.  It did give me a chance to see how the clientel at the shop change with the difference in time from earlier until the real night owls were there.  Finally stopped for the night off 187 going towards Feeding Hill about 3 in the morning still not cleaned up.
 
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