Held Prisoner in Hampton Roads

Check Lisa's post . . .

. . . "My dad + wiring = fire"

No, not THIS Lisa. Another Lisa.

That post brought back a fond memory.

My dad could do anything BUT wiring. He was a machinist's mate in the Navy. He ran a service station, a grain terminal, a fertilizer depot and a quarry at different times. He built a motorcycle from parts, painted cars, overhauled engines, poured concrete. He jacked up our house and put a basement under it.

He is why I am so mechanically inclined. However, he didn't study electricity, and I did.

My first year in college, he asked me about running 220V wiring for the new clothes dryer. When he showed me what he intended to do, I told him it would cause a direct short and burn out the wiring.

He didn't seem to believe me, so I took a very fine piece of wire, held it in insulated pliers and touched the ends where he thought he should hook up the dryer.

Result? Sparks. Wire burned in half.

After I helped him hook it up, he patted me on the back and said thanks. That was the first time I can remember that my dad asked me for technical advice.

It was a nice, fuzzy, warm feeling - from 47 years ago. I can still see it in my mind's eye.