Roots In Sweden

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 4 + 4 =

One Successful Trip*

or:

You win a few, You lose  WIN them all!
(Part I)

Competing for the title of "Multi-Taskers of the Year",  we had an intricate master plan for the trip to Stockholm and points south.

Gas in Sweden is currently about $8.00 per gallon - yes, it's true.  So we decided that if we were going as far as Stockholm for Manny to go through the Temple, we would keep on going and pick up a three wheeled moped for fencing and general errands on the farm, an excellent used car for Gustav (he chose that instead of a motorbike -- Good Decision... ), an older Volvo 400 series tractor to fill in the gaps for haying season this summer, and a smaller used four wheeled trailer.

We pulled a large trailer with us for bringing home the tractor, and had arranged to pick up the smaller trailer, purchased on the Blocket (Sweden's answer to Ebay) which we would use to transport the moped home with Gustav's new/used car.  The smaller trailer was in a city called Karlskrona in the south of Sweden.

Enter the Glitch:

Hans had done all the dealing regarding the small trailer over the phone with the owner and was assured repeatedly that it had absolutely no rust (the definitive "R" word for a vehicle in Sweden).  After we had driven all the way down there, the owners called and said they weren't coming to the arranged pickup point, we would have to drive another hour farther to meet them.  We were on a tight schedule trying to fit everything in so that made it very difficult for us, but it was nothing compared to what lay ahead.   

After all the delays we finally came to the meeting point, only to find that the trailer was covered with rust. It was worn all the way through in multiple areas.  The worst parts had been clumsily sprayed over with grayish paint, something that made us stare in wonder at the attempted deception of it all, and Hans flatly refused to take it.  Good for him!

                               Now what?

Having just come from the Temple, it was such a stark contrast to be faced with that kind of dishonesty.  We decided to stop and have a prayer and ask for help.  Within five minutes we saw a small sign on the side of a building advertising trailers for rent.  In Sweden the cost to do that would be prohibitive for the distance involved, but when Hans called them, they gave us directions to a man outside of town who sold both new and used trailers so we went straight there.  Again, the man who owned the business was wonderful and had exactly what we needed.  The trailer we found was twice the size, heavy duty, and

half the price we would have had to pay for the rustbucket!  Insured and registered - READY TO GO!! Hans paid him on the spot and we headed out immediately.

 A great blessing.

Our spirits were lifting.  On to the moped, shown in the first picture of this post!

We met the sellers in a small village a few hours away and it turned out that the moped was a piece of heaven and the owners the soul of integrity. They had done an excellent job of painting and restoring it completely.  We were able to get it loaded on, covered with a tarp, strapped down and be on our way.  Now that's the way it should be!

But could we make it in time for the car?

The seller of the car for Gustav (also purchased through the Blocket) was a young man stricken with  debilitating arthritis.  He had waited up patiently for us and came out with the car late at night to make the pickup.  He was so kind.  It was very dark and we could only see the car in the headlights, so there was no way to really inspect it thoroughly,  but we felt to seal the deal and had Manny drive that one and Hans and I drove the other with the trailer/moped on it.  We started out again for Stockholm, hoping to make it before we were too exhausted to drive any farther.

     We were so happy to see the lights of the temple and it's Gästhem again, late as it was, and were pulling into the parking lot when we were stopped by the Stockholm Police. 

Excuse me..?

It had been such a long, hard day, and as the police got out of their car we wondered what in the world could be wrong.  They came up to the car and said they had been following us and it looked like Manny had been swerving slightly from behind. They thought maybe they should do an alcohol check, but when they saw us drive into the Temple lot, they knew we must be OK. 

Such a compliment.

No one had to rock us to sleep that night.  We were gone the minute our heads hit the pillows.  And when we went out the next morning and saw the car in the daylight, it was EVEN BETTER than we could have imagined.

Now there was only the tractor left to pick up.


*(Can you figure out what each numeral in the equation represents by the end of Part III?)