Welcome! Could You Hold the Door?

Well, today winter finally arrived in southwest ND with some chilly weather and wind (but no snow of any consequence) . . . just in time to "welcome" some visiting Japanese dignitaries to our campus! They represent an organization that will be sending Japanese students to our university to join the already multi-national student body (many North Dakotans themselves would be surprised to arrive at DSU and see so many students from Mongolia, China, the Bahamas, Jamaica, Kenya, Russia, Nepal, etc.).

I was invited to join them for dinner at noon at Hawks Point and then to take them to campus and give them a tour of the Academic Success Center to explain the tutoring services we offer students (services in which their students will be very interested--particularly the Writing Center). After a delicious meal of hot borscht, French dips, and for dessert a deep-fried pastry filled with cheese cake, I led them to my vehicle, opened their doors, let them in, and shut the doors behind them. Except the rear passenger-side door bounced back.

Yes, good ol' faithful 1994 Ford Explorer chose today--or the weather chose today to cause the Explorer--to have a door latch malfunction. I'm sure the guests were most impressed as I had to drive super-slowly the couple blocks back to campus, asking the backseat passenger to hold the door closed the entire way. Very classy, right?

As soon as the tour was done and I had delivered them to their next appointment, I phoned my father-in-law for his advice on where to go for trustworthy service to an automobile door. He recommended Ray's Auto Electric, whom I phoned immediately and who invited me to bring the Explorer by right away. They had a specially shaped tool that they stuck into the door and had it back in working order in approximately four seconds. For free. Clearly, I am recommending them to everyone reading this. I already have an appointment to return next Wednesday to have the other backseat door repaired. (Our daughters had some difficulties when younger opening those doors from the inside, and they have wrenched on the handle of the driver's-side backseat door until it no longer opens from either inside or out-.)