Jackpot, almost literally

Dad came by yesterday when I was in the canyon building east toward Pleasanton. He dropped off a load of firewood for me. I didn't even notice. It was rather dark, seeing as the sun doesn't shine this far out in the country. I'm not that far out actually. It might just be because the sun went down. All scientific questions aside, I found the pile of wood after I listened to Dad's message on the machine. Dad doesn't usually give up all his firewood, but he's decided to move himself off to Willow Glen. That in itself is something I never thought I'd hear. He has a very comfortable house he spent thirty years getting just right, with a large beautiful yard and a swimming pool. Its just weird thinking he might leave it all behind. I called him back to thank him for the wood, and he asked if I could help him store his tent-trailer for a time. I happen to have a bit of empty barn space just now, so he came by with the trailer this morning. He also brought some odds and ends my grandfather picked up somewhere along the line. And a slot machine. It worked when he first brought it home, but somewhere in the early nineties, one of my sisters boyfriends broke it and it has been gathering dust ever since. Dad would never let me open it up and see if I could fix it, perhaps from the concern that I might damage something. Of course, I am a bit older now, and a metalsmith by trade. I happen to be qualified to fix or re-create anything I might break. Dad and I got the trailer and the wood into the barn and he helped tow me and the forklift out of the field when the wheels decided the grass was too slick for traction. It was good to spend a day with him. We don't take the time often enough. After he left, I spent the afternoon pulling the slot machine apart. There were several problems, but none of them major. The mechanism was full of old nickels, the jackpot reserve was overflowing, the coin advance was not advancing, and an adjustment was off. That last being the problem. I think sister's old boyfriend jammed the mechanism then kept pulling the lever, shoving the coin advance far enough out of whack that it could no longer tell if you had actually inserted a coin. All is well now, and the old machine has a place of honor in the entry way. I haven't been able to put a date to the machine yet, but I believe it to have been built in 1935 at the latest. Possibly a few years before, even. Very cool.