Primrose, the delivery wagon

I had been looking for a grandfather clock for our home. It couldn’t be very large, and I was hoping for something antique.

I found one on Craigslist that I really liked, but it was a bit more than I was ready to spend. Searching a week later I saw the ad again with the words “price dropped this week.”

I called for an appointment. With Sandy’s mom visiting we lost track of time and had to reschedule. On our second attempt, after returning Sandy’s mom home after a nice visit, we stopped for a look at the clock on the way back.

It was a beautiful “petite” clock built in 1928. Just the right size for our living room. We had dinner at a cool little lakefront place to decide about it. We had both liked it the moment we saw it. After dinner we returned for a second look and gave them a deposit.

A few days later my friend Steve and I were off in Primrose. A VW camper is the perfect vehicle to transport more than seven foot tall grandfather clock. Fold down the lower bed, add a blanket, and slide in the clock. Close the rear door and it’s safe and secure inside.

Sounds easy doesn’t it? Transporting an older grandfather clock requires some disassembly. Everything gets removed from the case. Luckily, Larry the former owner, was a clock guy. He knew just what needed to be done.

When Steve and I arrived, the clock was apart. And Larry had written detailed instructions for its reassembly. After several trips to Primrose, all fourteen packages were secured inside.

Seeing an eighty-six year old clock disassembled that much can be very intimidating. I’m pretty mechanical, but if I weren’t for my “ace in the hole” I might have started to worry.

My “ace in the hole?” Dad. Besides being an electrical engineer, and retired space guy, he’s also a master clock guy. So if I can’t get it back together, there’s always good old dad.

Steve and I had a beautiful spring day, driving back roads all the way. We unloaded the clock just in time for Sandy to arrive. She hopped in, enjoying a backseat ride in Primrose for her birthday.

Later that evening, I began reassembly. Three hours later, it was back together. Close to midnight, Sandy reminded me that it might not be the best time to set and test the chimes.

The next morning, with some tweaking here and there, it was running and striking on the hour. Which was wonderful, except it’s supposed to strike on the quarter hour as well.

Some disassembly revealed that I had reversed two of the chimes. While this didn’t affect the quarterly chime, I was glad I noticed before my dad did.

After more tinkering, I still have had no luck with the quarterly chimes. I’ll have to admit defeat and ask for help. Oh well, not a lot of folks could have put it together as far as I did.

I grew up with the sounds of clocks ticking and chiming. Dad’s been working on them for almost forty years. Sandy, on the other hand, has not!

We weren’t sure how well she would adapt to the new sounds. So it would be a trial by fire.

The tic-toc is slow and quiet, the chime is much more noticeable. But it can be adjusted.

By the second night, neither of us heard it strike. We slept right through the chimes. Now there’s a new sound at home. Once I get the rest of the chimes working, there will be a few more new sounds.