Probably the last report on my status, unless things change. My wife has been in the hospital since the 14th, so my printer has seen very little use. Last tuesday I was at my office long enough to fire it up, print a nozzle check (no clogs), and print a test page (no cleaning required). Today I did the same thing, with the same results. Despite being off for one week, the machine worked perfectly. It now appears to be operating much like I expected, based on my 11880.
For me Epson was extremely responsive, very concerned, and provided far more replacement ink than I lost in the excessive cleanings.
Excited now to get the wife healthy so I can make some prints.