My daughter Larissa, decided she wanted to drive back to Edmonton from London, Ont. She finished her occupational therapy degree program, so I decided I would fly out and drive back with her.
We both enjoy baseball, so a game in Toronto and one in Chicago were part of our travel plans.
Our mode of transportation was the old family minivan. It had made it out to London the year before, it is a 2001 Dodge Caravan we named Veronica.
After a Blue Jays win on July 4, we started our cross-country adventure from London on July 5.
Waiting in a long line to cross the border in Sarnia, we entered the United States and our next stop was Chicago. At our first rest stop an ominous black cloud of smoke billowed out from the right corner of the hood of the car. After opening the hood and finding nothing amiss, we continued on our way to Chicago, alas, without any air conditioning. As we pulled into Chicago, hot and sweaty, we were glad to park Vernoica and give her a couple days of rest. There was an increased noise coming from the engine, but it would disappear when we turned the radio volume up! After a couple of days in Chicago, we were ready to fire up Veronica and make our way to Edmonton.
Next stop, Fargo. A long days drive, but uneventful. There was still that increased noise from the engine, but nothing to worry about.
Upon leaving Fargo, we headed northwest for the border crossing on our way to Saskatoon. At Portal we made a couple of stop and then got in line for re-entry to Canada. I turned off the van while in line and when it was our turn I went to turn it on and nothing happened. Veronica barely turned over, but nothing more. The border officials came out and pushed Veronica across the border and we cleared the customs inspection standing at the window while other cars waited behind us.
The border guards tried to boost us with one of the trucks there, but nothing worked. I called CAA and waited for the tow truck to come and haul us to Estevan.
Ryan from Extreme Towing showed up within 40 minutes, tried again to boost, but nothing, so he loaded up the van and gave us a ride to Estevan. On the way to town, he suggested several places to call to see if anyone could look at the van, but it was 4 p.m. on a Saturday and nobody was open.
Ryan dropped the van at Parkway Service and gave us a ride to the Days Inn. We checked in, got settled in for a weekend in Estevan. Linda, the desk clerk mentioned to Janet Symons, our predicament and Janet thought she knew someone who might be able to help us. An hour later she called us in our room and told us to call Gord Stevenson. I called and he said he would be willing to take a look at the van. He picked us up from Days Inn and we drove over to the van. On the way there, I found out that Gord was retired after 41 years of working as a mechanic at the GM dealership. Now that he was retired, he did yard maintenance for 40 homes. Not a guy with a lot of spare time on his hands.
After checking out a few things, Gord said 鈥渓et鈥檚 tow it to my place, I have some tools.鈥�
Gord pulled out his tow rope and pulled Veronica to his driveway. I will readily admit my mechanical knowledge is severely lacking. I am able to check oil, change a tire and fill up the windshield washer fluid. I couldn鈥檛 imagine what anyone could do out of their garage on a late Saturday afternoon.
After a good supper at Blackbeard鈥檚, we were back in our room, making plans for a Sunday in Estevan when my phone rang. Gord was on the line and told me that by the time we walked over to his place, Veronica would be ready to go.
We quickly made our way over to his house, the one with the spectacular garden on the front that probably feeds the entire neighbourhood. Veronica was running quietly in his driveway, ready to hit the road.
Gord explained the bearing seized on the condenser causing the belt to the alternator to stop working. I nodded and pretended to understand what he was talking about.
Gord got a friend to open his parts store and he bought several belts and luckily one fit perfectly to allow him to bypass the condenser. I know that even with seven Youtube videos on how to fix this, I would never have been able to do this job.
Gord told me what he wanted in payment to do the job and I knew that wasn鈥檛 nearly enough, but we settled on an amount that somehow was still lacking. I tried to convey my gratitude to Gord for what he did for us, but words were inadequate to express what I was felling. I gladly shook his hand, a working man鈥檚 hand that was still covered in grease and dirt from the van.
That someone would take time on a Saturday afternoon to fix a stranger鈥檚 vehicle, was simply a miracle to me. When I look back on our trip across the country, that Saturday afternoon in Estevan is the highlight of our trip.
By telling this story, I want to let all you good folks in Estevan know this is what makes your town great. It isn鈥檛 whether or not you get a new big box store or another Tim Horton鈥檚 but it is the individuals who make a difference in your community.
Everyone I mentioned in this story went our of their way to help us out.
When a community is made up of heroes like this, you have a place to be proud of and Estevan you have a lot to be proud of!
This has even more significance when I realize we were able to leave on the morning of July 10, just hours before Estevan was devastated by torrential rains and flood waters.
I know you will recover from these floods by working together to clean up your town.
Doug Brese,
Edmonton, Alta聽
