It looks like our Scout recovery mission will be postponed until tomorrow. I was really hoping to have it back tonight, but as of 4PM the carb gasket isn’t on yet, and I don’t want to rush the delicate job of tuning such a delicate instrument. As much as I am impatient to get it back, I’m also glad it’s getting worked on by a pro who knows what he’s doing, and who can tell me important details about what I’ve got (would I have known, without any other reference, that the gasket was too thick? That it was a heated choke and not an electric choke?) so that I can learn to do it myself.

I also violated the cardinal rule of buying stuff off of Craigslist the other day, which states Thou Shalt Hasten Thy Hiney To That Which You Might Purchase. (The second is, obviously, Thou Shalt Bring Cash But Leave It In The Car, and the third is Thou Shalt Always Check Out The Address On Street View To Avoid Highwaymen). I found a used trailer hitch for the CR-V for the unbelievably low price of $20 on Monday and made arrangements to see it on Wednesday, but apparently someone stopped by on Tuesday and stole it out from under me. I’ve had good luck in the past with people stacking buyers based on the order of their call, but this guy apparently just wanted his $20 and took it from the first person to stop by. So I’ll have to keep looking.