Calling London

Mike served his LDS mission in Leeds, England. It was years ago but he still carries fond memories of that chapter in his life. He's drawn to the things of England such as their language, foods and landmarks and someday he will make his way back for a visit. Heaven knows he's tried many times but "life" just keeps getting in the way.

So he has decided to bring a little England to us. We won't even count how many Mini Coopers he has owned, including the cute little classic that he bought for Zack. No, I'm talking about the 1700 pounds of steel he meticulously maneuvered into our living room. Oh yes, you read that right. He had been dreaming of owning a red telephone booth for months; researching it out, contemplating the pros and cons, mapping out plans. He finally took the plunge and purchased one from Florida (originally from Europe). It needed work but he's never been afraid to try something new. 

He found some sucker to haul it here from Florida then together the painstakingly unloaded it from the trailer, inch by inch, going through (breaking) a few flat dollies. Finally it was in our garage, on it's side because it was too tall to stand up. In all it's red glory! For weeks, Mike worked on removing each and ever glass piece, welding corners together, sandpapering old paint. He was finally defeated in the sanding and decided to have it professionally sand blasted. Then the painting began. Lots and lots of red paint! I was worried about him for a while because he was complaining of his eyes twitching. Ha! Oddly enough, the twitching stopped when the painting was completed. 

Getting it up off it's side was another challenge so Mike designed a pulley system that would slowly stand the booth upright. It sat outside of our back door for a couple of weeks as he mapped out yet another plan to get it into the house. After all, that was his dream in the first place. We all had our doubts, including him.  

One night when I called my bedtime, he decided it was drag-the-booth-into-the-house time. With metal pipes and an innocent teenage boy, he went to work maneuvering this thing into the living room via the front door. Oh, it won't roll through the grass?? Just walk it all the way around the yard on the sidewalk and up the walkway to the porch. Oh, it won't fit through the door?? Take the door off. Oh, it's too heavy to stand it up on your own?? Simply take down the elaborate pulley system and rebuild it in the living room. A few heaves and hos and it was up, stationed right where he wanted it. Booth and surroundings intact. You just have to come by and see it to believe it. Mike even installed a real working phone and built a fold-down desk inside. Pure genius. 

Now this is what we call a conversation piece.