Readers long ago came to look forward to my vacation columns. Not because they were tales of idyllic holidays or travel to exotic places, but because my vacations were so bad they made readers’ look good by comparison.

Our kids got sick, our car broke down on mountain passes, we pitched our tent on red ant hills … it was always something.

Our latest vacation lacked the drama of those adventures, but it wasn’t without its share of mishaps.

Our destination was the family getaway in Washington state. It used to be my in-laws’ house, but my wife inherited it when they passed away. And - invariably - it needs work.

“Will you take a look at the shed door,” my wife said after fetching something from the shed in the back yard. “It seems kind of loose.”

It was loose for a good reason. The trim

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