Dryer fiasko weekend

---We are doing well. It is getting cold and wet here, which signals the end of Michigan summer. Brooks keeps learning more words and Lainey keeps putting on the pounds, er well, ounces. Angie is teaching dance classes again and Dan is still learning skin stuff. We are enjoying $2.07/gal gasoline. ---Last Thursday our dryer gave out. The motor would make a terrible vibrating hum and nothing worked. Dan bought the dryer used in 2001 and it was old then, but had always worked. It had not be drying well lately. Rather than try to fix such an old machine we decided to buy an newer one. We found a guy on Craig's list that was selling a three year old washer/dryer set for $110, claiming they worked great. We borrowed the scout trailer and picked them up on Friday. They look more like 6 years old. After hauling them both downstairs to the basement, we plugged in the dryer and to our dismay there was no heat. The washer is much nicer then the old noisy machine we had, though. Dan spent the whole morning and much of the afternoon tearing into the dryer and running up and down the stairs to the computer to figure out what to do next. Turns out the heating element is broken, which could have very easily snapped during the bumpy trailer ride on crappy Michigan roads. A new heating element is on the way ($42 later) and Dan now knows a lot more about dryers. He also has a firm resolve to never step in a laundrymat again. That was a stressful event never to be spoken of in the future. Enjoy the pictures. They were taken tonight just before bedtime. - Lots of love, Dangie