I loved my Dad. I never really told him that in all the years he was alive and that makes me sad, but I think of him a lot these days.
I happened to think of him again today when I was trying to troubleshoot some problems a new pool customer was having with his system. The customer has a beautiful home in the highest priced area of Dallas, but he ran into a disaster when his pool was built.The original pool builder went out of business half way through the construction and then two more builders came in to finish the job. Needless to say, everything is a mess.
My Dad taught me so many things in how to build something from nothing and how to think through a problem and find the answer. Our garage was filled with used parts from bicycles wheels to airplane propellers. Dad even attempted to build in the garage, an air boat, the kind you see gliding across the swamps in the Everglades.
But sometimes, God love him, he got a little too involved in one of the projects and it needed some adjustment much like I found today doing the troubleshooting.on the pool. Some of the valves and fittings were installed incorrectly and that reminded me of a time long ago.
Our house in Dayton, Ohio had a basement like most of the homes built in the 40s and 50s. And, the plumbing to the first floor could always be accessed through the ceiling in the basement. The plumbing was all installed with iron pipes and over a period of time, these pipes would start to corrode and eventually leak.
Dad and his brother, Andy, and I think along with my older brother Dave, decided to replace all of the iron pipes with copper plumbing. I recall the job going along pretty good and how Dad was feeling proud of himself when the job was finished.
Except for one thing.
The single bathroom house that Mom and Dad and all 3 boys lived in now had a little glitch. The faucets on the shower/bathtub now had the hot and cold water reversed.The hot water faucet was on the right and the cold was on the left.
It didn't take too many times to remember which was which after either a scalding or a ice cold wakeup to remember..... And the funny thing is, Dad left it that way I guess until the house was sold some many decades later.
I can remember coming home from college for the summers and Mom always reminding me..."Tommy, don't forget about the hot water" as I would climb into the shower.
Yep, Dad taught me well. He taught me to work through a problem and seek out the answers. He taught me every problem has a solution.....even if it means that sometimes hot means cold and cold means hot....you still have water.
Thinkin' of you, Dad.
Tommy
