Hurray for Triple A

Yesterday was an interesting day.  

Pro tip:  "when you have a doctor's appointment that is hard to move, don't go somewhere else first".

We in the Southern Tier of New York have had an incredible stretch of weather (which will end tonight, as all things weather eventually do), with near record breaking temperatures and no frost.  And clear blue skies.  Day after day.

Before the doctor's appointment, I decided, since it was such a nice day, that I wanted to go down to the Vestal Rail Trail and take a short walk, maybe a mile and a quarter.  Spouse suggested the end near a historic structure called the Vestal Coal House because there were benches near the parking lot. His plan was to sit in the sun and relax.

Surprise:  the benches were gone.  So he stayed in the car, listening to the radio and running the fan.

I walked for about 20 minutes, returned, and got in the car. We planned to go home, have lunch, and go the doctor's appointment.   He turned the car on.

Or, shall we say, he tried to turn the car on.

It wouldn't start.

Uh-oh.

His guess was, the battery was dead.  It was six years old, so that also made sense.

We called AAA, the American Automobile Association.  We've been members for years.  It's been years since we used our membership for their road service.  

The service said, about 45 minutes.  

So we had to postpone the doctor's appointment.  We waited in the beautiful sunshine for the truck to come.

So

It really was beautiful along the trail.

A tow truck came out and the driver tested the battery and starting system.  It was the battery.  Zero voltage.

At least it died there and not in the middle of nowhere.

I looked at a bed of flowers nearby while the driver tested our vehicle.  Here, you can see that the snapdragons were still in bloom.

As it happens, this towing service carries batteries in their trucks.  AAA batteries, no less.  The driver sold us one and installed it.  There is a six year warranty, covered by AAA.  Who knew?

While we waited, I took some pictures. 

I have never seen dusty miller bloom before, but here it is, blooming alongside the above snapdragons.

One thing we did find out from the tow operator is that AAA, for their basic plan (the one we have) charges you if the tow is over three miles.  Fortunately we didn't have to get towed.  

We got home safely. 

Hurray for AAA.

Want to see more fall color? Join me tomorrow for SkywatchFriday.