Cut in Two: A Brief Photoraphic Essay

by Thomas A. Droleskey

In anticipation of the forthcoming travelogue, upon which more work will be this weekend, here are a few photographs to document the incredible spectacle of the motor home's receiver tow bar's cracking in two as we drove in the eastbound lanes along Interstate 84 in Orange County, New York, shortly after Midnight on Thursday, April 3, 2008. The photographs were taken by Sharon Droleskey on the afternoon of April 3, 2008, after we had returned to Connecticut. We were just a little busy when the incident occurred to take photographs at that time. My main concern at that time was to get the Trail Blazer detached quickly and then to jury rig the tow bar so that it would not be dragged on the ground as it had been, evidently, for some miles prior to my noticing that the Trail Blazer was visible in the sideview mirror.

The photographs demonstrate that the tow bar was pretty sturdy. We are very grateful to Our Lord and His Most Blessed Mother for the fact that the car did not break away from the motor home and thus pose a threat to others on the road. All to thee, Blessed Mother. All to thy Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, we love you. Save souls!

You can see the point of the crack. Although I am not Hercules by any stretch of the imagination, I had to lift up the Blue Ox tow bar sufficiently off of the ground (once I had detached the car, that is), to place it upright against the ladder that leads to to the top of the motor home (a ladder that has pretty much rusted off of its hinges over the years). Sharon "bungied" the Blue Ox tow bar in the place where I had put it against the ladder.

The Blue Ox towbar and the entire left side of the receiver tow bar on the motor home was swung out entirely to the left as the the weight of the car almost caused the left side of the receiver tow bar to break off from its attachment. I had to swing the whole assembly around to place it against the ladder.

Another view of the cracked receiver tow bar.

A close-up photograph of the right side of the cracked receiver towbar. That metal appears to be about a quarter of an inch thick!

The left side of the receiver tow bar that was about to break off from the force of the Trail Blazer once the entire receiver tow bar assembly had cracked.

Another view of the left side of the receiver tow bar.

Well, that's all for now. Keep praying for us. We'll see how successful the new website venture becomes so that we can pay for an entirely new tow bar assembly (and that's after we deal with the repairs to the front end of the Trail Blazer, of course).

Vivat Christus Rex! Viva Cristo Rey!

 

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us.

Saint Joseph, pray for us.

Saints Peter and Paul, pray for us.

Saint John the Baptist, pray for us.

Saint John the Evangelist, pray for us.

Saint Michael the Archangel, pray for us.

Saint Gabriel the Archangel, pray for us.

Saint Raphael the Archangel, pray for us.

Saints Joachim and Anne, pray for us.

Saints Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar, pray for us.

See also: A Litany of Saints