Last week I got an invitation to a friend's 30th birthday party, just one week later. I immediately realized that he was half-heartedly looking for a kettle, and grumbled to myself that I needed more time to find one for cheap and clean it up in time for the party. That would have made a funny and thoughtful surprise. Bummer.
Well wouldn't you know it that two days later I drove up to my house and noticed a black 18 sitting on the curb a couple doors down. I cheered, then celebrated with my kids for a second before I parked and ran down to pick it up. A three-wheeler(and in pretty good shape) with wood handles, along with an off-brand chimney and also a little bit of k-comp. It even had some lighter fluid, which I planned to use sometime as a tribute to
@Jeff and
@Craig . Perfect. I took it home and sprayed down the stuck vents with some PB Blaster and figured I'd get back to it in a day or two.
The next day a notice went out on the neighborhood email listserve: apparently, someone left their beloved kettle sitting by the street. They had unloaded it from their car, then gotten occupied with some yardwork before they returned to put it away. And someone must have snatched it in the meantime. They weren't mad about it, and said they understood why someone would have thought it was being given away. But they were hoping to get it back.
A bit awkward for me, since the folks know me and my obsession with all things Weber. What to do? I couldn't just bring it back, or all of their meals forevermore would taste like PB Blaster. So I got out the razor blade and scraped down the inside, then attacked the whole thing with soap and steel wool. Didn't get it perfect, but I got the vents to turn a bit, replaced a missing wheel cap, and got the grungy triangle nice and shiny. Got the top vent glossy just as
@MartyG would want it. It looked pretty good!
So I took it back to apologize, and the funny thing was that the homeowner didn't even seem surprised... either she noodled it out previously or she saw it sitting in my driveway earlier that day. I apologized to her, and she apologized right back for the confusion. And she thanked me for cleaning it up. I guess next time I'll check my assumptions before carting off a kettle... at least in my own neighborhood.