Vangon Estimate

The VW dealership called. They called Lisa's father because when I gave them my number, they didn't write down my area code and thus tried to call 503. Fortunately, they have his number on file with the records for that Vanagon, since he actually owns it and they've worked on it before. Anyway, they say the leak does indeed appear to be the oil cooler and seals, and while the parts aren't too expensive, there's a lot of labor involved. Estimated cost of repairs: about $1,050. Urk.

But it needs doing because right now, Lisa has to stop every hour or so and pour another quart of oil into the engine. Beyond the risk of engine damage, the mess it makes on the van, and the ongoing oil-replacement costs, there's the matter of leaking all of that oil being environmentally unfriendly. It's no BP oil rig, but that doesn't mean we should keep doing it.

Trees

Some of you may recall that Lisa's father had a tree-removal company out here a year ago. They dropped the wrong tree, but it's not their fault; we mis-identified the tree in question, and the fellers dropped the tree that he had signed a contract for them to drop. Well, the tree company estimates man was out today to try and get the right tree. This time I painted a big orange X on the tree so that there would be no question of what we wanted removed. The cost to drop the tall cedar tree (and a smaller poplar tree) will be around $1500. (This one's not my money, it's Lisa's father's, and it's cheap compared to the cost of the damage it would cause if it fell over in a storm and took out a nearby house.)

It annoys me that they say there's no use for the cedar other than for wood chips or firewood, mainly because it's not worth the effort to bring the log-removal equipment out for just one tree.