We got up a little before 8, ate breakfast, and packed up the trailer. I took some extra time to put air in the truck's front tires. We were on the road a little after 9. We really made good time to Boulder. The wind was still blowing hard, so we only made 10 mpg even though we went down over 2000 feet.
When we got to the park we unhooked and went immediately to Fiocchi. We wanted to see them before we went to lunch. Carlo was even there. We talked for awhile and then let them get back to work.
The shelf holders in the cat box chest broke today. Everything on the shelf was in the cat box. We went to the hardware store and I bought some hefty holders with holes in them so I could screw them to the shelf. Then we went back to the trailer and I fixed the shelf. I don't think it will be going anywhere any more.
We ate lunch at the burger place across from Von's. Then we bought a few things at Von's. Then it was time to entertain the dog. We took her to the Boulder City dog park. The place is amazing. It's all landscaped and has several water stations. She ran around it, but only if walked with her. It was warm enough that we watered her down to keep her cool.
The dog park is part of a bigger park with baseball diamonds, play sets, two ponds with a creek connecting them and this cool kid's water playground. We walked all around the park. The water playground had all sorts of fountains and things for the kids to play in. We sat and watched some play for awhile. The fountains, water cannon, water towers, spouting dragons, etc. sure got a workout.
After that we went back to the trailer and I had a nap. For dinner we order pizza. That way we have food for another day.
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Day 207
It was easy to get up this morning. It was like getting up at 9:45, not 7:45. We got things put away and were on the road about 8:20. The late start was because I had to pump up the tires.
The drive was pretty uneventful. Tucson didn't really have any traffic and the construction is finally over. Phoenix was it's usual annoying stuff. The 330 loop hasn't had any progress that I could see in 6 months.
There were two pains in the ass. First, the 25 mph west wind that I'd been fighting for two days became a 25 mph North wind today. Therefore mileage sucked again today. The second was the gas station on I10 in Phoenix. Some asshole in a box truck had parked so that there was no way for me to fuel up. We had to drive over almost to highway 60 and take a small detour to get fuel. I also fueled up in Wickenburg because of the wind. I really didn't need to.
I decided to stop in Kingman because I like the place. We were there before 3, so there was plenty of time to do the wash. The fuel pump at Kingman wouldn't read a credit card. So I had to go inside. I had to give them a dollar amount, not a gallon amount. They didn't even know how much the fuel was. So I put in $40 and called it good. That will get us to Las Vegas even if there's a wind.
We finished the wash and then went to dinner. It was OK, but not as good as I remember. The stupid wifi here will only let one of our computers on at a time. Ellen logged on, so I couldn't. When I tried to log on, it still wouldn't let me. Crap.
The drive was pretty uneventful. Tucson didn't really have any traffic and the construction is finally over. Phoenix was it's usual annoying stuff. The 330 loop hasn't had any progress that I could see in 6 months.
There were two pains in the ass. First, the 25 mph west wind that I'd been fighting for two days became a 25 mph North wind today. Therefore mileage sucked again today. The second was the gas station on I10 in Phoenix. Some asshole in a box truck had parked so that there was no way for me to fuel up. We had to drive over almost to highway 60 and take a small detour to get fuel. I also fueled up in Wickenburg because of the wind. I really didn't need to.
I decided to stop in Kingman because I like the place. We were there before 3, so there was plenty of time to do the wash. The fuel pump at Kingman wouldn't read a credit card. So I had to go inside. I had to give them a dollar amount, not a gallon amount. They didn't even know how much the fuel was. So I put in $40 and called it good. That will get us to Las Vegas even if there's a wind.
We finished the wash and then went to dinner. It was OK, but not as good as I remember. The stupid wifi here will only let one of our computers on at a time. Ellen logged on, so I couldn't. When I tried to log on, it still wouldn't let me. Crap.
Monday, April 28, 2014
Day 206
Today was even longer than yesterday. We got up at 7:30. It took until 8:15 to get going, so we were a little late. The wind wasn't as strong as yesterday, but it was picking up just in the time we were getting ready to leave.
Our original target was Deming. The wind was killing the mileage. It blew at 25-30 all day long. It was a dead headwind that cut the mileage to 9.5 at best. The truck regenned twice. Going through El Paso wasn't too bad. It was still 25 miles of traffic with a bunch of drivers that didn't know what they were doing. One guy hit his breaks in front of me, slowed down, and drove off the freeway to the frontage road. He didn't bother with a blinker.
We gained an hour at Van Horn. When we got to Deming it was still early afternoon. I decided to go on (see a pattern?). We were first going to stop at Lordsburg. Then we decided to go onto Wilcox. We finally ended up in Benson. The wind never let up the whole way. We spent a total of almost 10 hours on the road. We traveled 510 miles. Because of the time gain, we got to the park before 5.
I'm not sure where we'll end up tomorrow. I'm kind of thinking about Kingman, but we may end up in Boulder. If you told me we'd be in Boulder by the 29th, I'd have told you you were crazy.
Our original target was Deming. The wind was killing the mileage. It blew at 25-30 all day long. It was a dead headwind that cut the mileage to 9.5 at best. The truck regenned twice. Going through El Paso wasn't too bad. It was still 25 miles of traffic with a bunch of drivers that didn't know what they were doing. One guy hit his breaks in front of me, slowed down, and drove off the freeway to the frontage road. He didn't bother with a blinker.
We gained an hour at Van Horn. When we got to Deming it was still early afternoon. I decided to go on (see a pattern?). We were first going to stop at Lordsburg. Then we decided to go onto Wilcox. We finally ended up in Benson. The wind never let up the whole way. We spent a total of almost 10 hours on the road. We traveled 510 miles. Because of the time gain, we got to the park before 5.
I'm not sure where we'll end up tomorrow. I'm kind of thinking about Kingman, but we may end up in Boulder. If you told me we'd be in Boulder by the 29th, I'd have told you you were crazy.
Day 205
It was a pretty long day. We got up at 6:45, had a little breakfast, and went to the club. I'm glad we shot in the morning, because it was pretty warm and very humid. I shot OK, Ellen didn't do as well as yesterday. We found out later that I tied for third in class. I wasn't at the shoot off, so I got 4th. It kind of pains me that I missed 2 on the last station that I could have easily shot if I'd been paying attention. I still ended up with 5 punches, but no money.
The rotation finished in an hour and a half. We went back to the park and were on the road by a little after 10. Traffic on 1604 wasn't bad, but once we got on I10 it was a pain until we got to Boerne. After that it was OK all the way to Kerrville. It was going so well that I decided to go on to Junction. By Junction we were bucking a headwind and mileage was down below 10mpg.
I wasn't feeling tired, so I decided to go onto Fort Stockton. The plan was to make the next day a short one. The headwind got up to 25-30 mph. Mileage went down to about 9. I was tired by the time we got to Fort Stockton. We made it about 4:30. That meant we got up, shot 100 tournament targets, hooked up, and drove 300 miles in one day.
When we got to the park the wind was blowing hard enough to make it hard to walk. I had to put down the back stabilizers because the wind was rocking the trailer like a boat. I got the trailer hooked up and then sat down in the recliner. Of course it was uncomfortable because of no AC, but it wasn't real bad. I didn't do anything for the rest of the evening. I didn't even get out the computer. That's why this entry is a day late.
The rotation finished in an hour and a half. We went back to the park and were on the road by a little after 10. Traffic on 1604 wasn't bad, but once we got on I10 it was a pain until we got to Boerne. After that it was OK all the way to Kerrville. It was going so well that I decided to go on to Junction. By Junction we were bucking a headwind and mileage was down below 10mpg.
I wasn't feeling tired, so I decided to go onto Fort Stockton. The plan was to make the next day a short one. The headwind got up to 25-30 mph. Mileage went down to about 9. I was tired by the time we got to Fort Stockton. We made it about 4:30. That meant we got up, shot 100 tournament targets, hooked up, and drove 300 miles in one day.
When we got to the park the wind was blowing hard enough to make it hard to walk. I had to put down the back stabilizers because the wind was rocking the trailer like a boat. I got the trailer hooked up and then sat down in the recliner. Of course it was uncomfortable because of no AC, but it wasn't real bad. I didn't do anything for the rest of the evening. I didn't even get out the computer. That's why this entry is a day late.
Saturday, April 26, 2014
Day 204
We didn't shoot until 11:30 again today. So we kind of hung around the trailer until about 10. Then we went over to the club. Ellen shot practice and I ran the dog. Lucy did 12 retrieves before I called a halt. Ellen shot practice like shit. So we raised her comb a little.
It was cloudy when we shot, just like yesterday. I was glad for that, otherwise it would have been really hot. As it was the humidity sucked. Ellen shot really good today. She's tied for third in class. I shot well except for two stations where the floaters got me. When the targets come in high on the right against the clouds I see too many black dots. Those stations took me out of the running.
Just like yesterday we started on stations that gave us a maximum walk. Both days we started at the station next to the one farthest from the parking lot. I think it's the same tomorrow.
After shooting we sat at the club and surfed again. They had a dinner and open bar after the last rotation. Dinner was pulled pork, beans, and rice with cookies for dessert. It was pretty good, and they served a lot of it. We brought back a lot for the dog. The caterer had a whole pig roasting on a spit the whole day. I'm not sure why, because they didn't serve it to us.
When we got home it was hot again (no surprise). We fed the pets and then went to HEB. It's our last trip to HEB until the fall. We bought some stuff to last for a few days. We probably won't be at a grocery store again until we get to Las Vegas.
Tomorrow we shoot at 8. I've set the alarm for 6:45. That should give us more than enough time.
It was cloudy when we shot, just like yesterday. I was glad for that, otherwise it would have been really hot. As it was the humidity sucked. Ellen shot really good today. She's tied for third in class. I shot well except for two stations where the floaters got me. When the targets come in high on the right against the clouds I see too many black dots. Those stations took me out of the running.
Just like yesterday we started on stations that gave us a maximum walk. Both days we started at the station next to the one farthest from the parking lot. I think it's the same tomorrow.
After shooting we sat at the club and surfed again. They had a dinner and open bar after the last rotation. Dinner was pulled pork, beans, and rice with cookies for dessert. It was pretty good, and they served a lot of it. We brought back a lot for the dog. The caterer had a whole pig roasting on a spit the whole day. I'm not sure why, because they didn't serve it to us.
When we got home it was hot again (no surprise). We fed the pets and then went to HEB. It's our last trip to HEB until the fall. We bought some stuff to last for a few days. We probably won't be at a grocery store again until we get to Las Vegas.
Tomorrow we shoot at 8. I've set the alarm for 6:45. That should give us more than enough time.
Day 203
I forgot to write up an entry yesterday. We didn't get up early because we didn't shoot until 11:30. When we finally got around to going to the club it was after 9. We were surprised to see that some of the vendors were open. We looked through them but didn't see much that was interesting.
We shot a round of practice 5-stand. It seemed like a good idea since we hadn't shot in many weeks. I shot OK, Ellen didn't. That pretty much describes the prelim. I shot OK, Ellen shot terrible. She ended up with a 49. I shot an 80. I would have shot a lot better if I hadn't zero'd one station. It's been a long time since that happened. I wound up placing 4th, one bird out of the money. I still got a punch though. Shit.
The dog hadn't been licking her legs, so we didn't take the cone. Big mistake. She took every opportunity to lick. By the end of the day she had opened one of them up again.
After shooting we just hung around at the club and surfed on our phones. After the last rotation they had finger food and an open bar. We had some of the food and then left. It wasn't enough for dinner, so we stopped for sandwiches on the way home.
Not having AC in the trailer sucks. The temp inside is near 90 when we get home. We spend the evening sweating. Fortunately it cools off enough by bed time so that the fans make it semi-possible to go to sleep. We may end up sweating like this until we get to Dan's place.
We shot a round of practice 5-stand. It seemed like a good idea since we hadn't shot in many weeks. I shot OK, Ellen didn't. That pretty much describes the prelim. I shot OK, Ellen shot terrible. She ended up with a 49. I shot an 80. I would have shot a lot better if I hadn't zero'd one station. It's been a long time since that happened. I wound up placing 4th, one bird out of the money. I still got a punch though. Shit.
The dog hadn't been licking her legs, so we didn't take the cone. Big mistake. She took every opportunity to lick. By the end of the day she had opened one of them up again.
After shooting we just hung around at the club and surfed on our phones. After the last rotation they had finger food and an open bar. We had some of the food and then left. It wasn't enough for dinner, so we stopped for sandwiches on the way home.
Not having AC in the trailer sucks. The temp inside is near 90 when we get home. We spend the evening sweating. Fortunately it cools off enough by bed time so that the fans make it semi-possible to go to sleep. We may end up sweating like this until we get to Dan's place.
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Day 202
We got off to a pretty good start this morning. The timing would have been nice except that I had had a little trouble hooking up and I had to do a little tree trimming to get the trailer out of the driveway. I don't think I'd be able to get it out of the gate if it was another couple of feet longer.
While we were on the road the vet called. He said that the blood test indicated that the sores on Lucy's feet were fungal. That's the bad news. The good news is that the drug we're giving her already is the best treatment.
We made good time. It took an hour and 50 minutes from the time we left until the time we pulled into the park. Unhooking was a little bit of a pain, too. I had to use the hammer. The new flow restrictor I bought had a bum gasket. $20 and they couldn't get that right. Fortunately I had another one. It worked fine after the replacement.
We went over to the club and registered. We talked to Jason for a short time and then walked around looking at people shoot practice. The other doctor said yesterday that Lucy could run again. So I threw her some retrieves. She only did 8, but it was getting hot.
We went back to the trailer to try to hide out from the heat. Unfortunately the AC isn't worth a crap. It doesn't blow cold air. That's a pain when the temperature outside is 99 and inside it's 88. It's after 9 now and the temp both inside and outside is in the mid 80's. Crap.
I did luck out on one thing. Yesterday I looked on PSA's website and couldn't find the upper I wanted at all. Today they had a sale on it. It ordered one and made damn sure I ordered the right thing. With any luck it will be waiting for me when we finish traveling.
While we were on the road the vet called. He said that the blood test indicated that the sores on Lucy's feet were fungal. That's the bad news. The good news is that the drug we're giving her already is the best treatment.
We made good time. It took an hour and 50 minutes from the time we left until the time we pulled into the park. Unhooking was a little bit of a pain, too. I had to use the hammer. The new flow restrictor I bought had a bum gasket. $20 and they couldn't get that right. Fortunately I had another one. It worked fine after the replacement.
We went over to the club and registered. We talked to Jason for a short time and then walked around looking at people shoot practice. The other doctor said yesterday that Lucy could run again. So I threw her some retrieves. She only did 8, but it was getting hot.
We went back to the trailer to try to hide out from the heat. Unfortunately the AC isn't worth a crap. It doesn't blow cold air. That's a pain when the temperature outside is 99 and inside it's 88. It's after 9 now and the temp both inside and outside is in the mid 80's. Crap.
I did luck out on one thing. Yesterday I looked on PSA's website and couldn't find the upper I wanted at all. Today they had a sale on it. It ordered one and made damn sure I ordered the right thing. With any luck it will be waiting for me when we finish traveling.
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Day 201
I had a list of 11 things to do today and I got them all done. The last one was done at 8 pm. Almost all of the stuff is in the trailer. The car is washed and put away. We did the last minute grocery run and put a bunch of stuff away. It doesn't sound like much, but it took all day and I'm pretty tired.
We went out twice during the day and left the dog at home both times. She was not happy. Each time when we got home she went nuts and followed us all around the house demanding attention. We gave her a bath and then we went out for dinner. We took her with us. She was ecstatic. We ate outside at a hamburger place. She was really happy with that.
I figure there's about an hour's work left to do tomorrow morning.
We went out twice during the day and left the dog at home both times. She was not happy. Each time when we got home she went nuts and followed us all around the house demanding attention. We gave her a bath and then we went out for dinner. We took her with us. She was ecstatic. We ate outside at a hamburger place. She was really happy with that.
I figure there's about an hour's work left to do tomorrow morning.
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Day 200
I am feeling a little better today. Not 100%, but better than the last 2 days. That was good because today was a work day. We started out with the house. I asked Ellen if she wanted to dust or vacuum. She chose vacuum. So I spent three hours dusting everything and then cleaning the kitchen. To top it off I moved some stuff to the trailer and then staged some other things to go over there. Since I wasn't 100%, I was tired by the time we got done.
When Ellen finished with the vacuum she decided she had a bladder infection. So she called the doctor. Fortunately she got an appointment in an hour and a half. So we went off to the post office, lunch at Sonic, and the doctor. After the doctor it was over to Walgren's for some drugs.
As we were turning into the cul-de-sac my phone rang. It was the alarm people saying that the motion detector in the house had gone off. Ellen had turned on the alarm even though we hadn't locked up the cats. We told them to ignore it. When we got home the alarm was going off. The dog was frantic. She didn't calm down for half an hour. The cats were just pissed.
When we got home we kind of rested for about half an hour and then met Lola to talk to her about looking out for the house. That's when I discovered that the outside keypad didn't accept her code. So I got out the instructions and programmed it. We paid her in advance because she's going on a trip next week.
After that we finished up the wash, sat for a while more, and then went to Trudy's for dinner. It was really crowded, but we were in and out in an hour. When we got home it was cooler, so we moved a whole lot more stuff to the trailer. There's still a lot to go, but we did put a dent in it.
While I was dusting I found the file box with the 2006 records in it. That's right, two years before we retired. Ellen is running it through the shredder right now so that I can take the results out to the garbage.
When Ellen finished with the vacuum she decided she had a bladder infection. So she called the doctor. Fortunately she got an appointment in an hour and a half. So we went off to the post office, lunch at Sonic, and the doctor. After the doctor it was over to Walgren's for some drugs.
As we were turning into the cul-de-sac my phone rang. It was the alarm people saying that the motion detector in the house had gone off. Ellen had turned on the alarm even though we hadn't locked up the cats. We told them to ignore it. When we got home the alarm was going off. The dog was frantic. She didn't calm down for half an hour. The cats were just pissed.
When we got home we kind of rested for about half an hour and then met Lola to talk to her about looking out for the house. That's when I discovered that the outside keypad didn't accept her code. So I got out the instructions and programmed it. We paid her in advance because she's going on a trip next week.
After that we finished up the wash, sat for a while more, and then went to Trudy's for dinner. It was really crowded, but we were in and out in an hour. When we got home it was cooler, so we moved a whole lot more stuff to the trailer. There's still a lot to go, but we did put a dent in it.
While I was dusting I found the file box with the 2006 records in it. That's right, two years before we retired. Ellen is running it through the shredder right now so that I can take the results out to the garbage.
Monday, April 21, 2014
Day 199
I woke up sick again today. I wasn't as sick as yesterday, but I still didn't feel very good. We had a vet appointment at 10. So after breakfast we went over there. It was good news. The growth on Lucy's leg is almost gone. The vet says that we still need to give her the pills for quite awhile. They'll check in two months.
The news wasn't as good about her feet. One seems to be healing, but the other isn't. The vet took some more cultures and is going to call us on Wed. I forgot to ask the vet if Lucy could start running. We'll ask on Wed.
After the vet we went to the outdoor store next to the yuppie market. I wanted to use the $10 coupon I had. We bought a present for the niece. I saw a really cool pair of summer shoes, so I bought them. They probably cost less elsewhere, but I've never seen that brand before.
The last stop was Costco for a paper shredder. Ellen killed the old one trying to get our old records shredded. The new one works great.
The rest of the day was just sitting around and reading and surfing. I sure hope I feel better tomorrow because we got a lot to do.
The news wasn't as good about her feet. One seems to be healing, but the other isn't. The vet took some more cultures and is going to call us on Wed. I forgot to ask the vet if Lucy could start running. We'll ask on Wed.
After the vet we went to the outdoor store next to the yuppie market. I wanted to use the $10 coupon I had. We bought a present for the niece. I saw a really cool pair of summer shoes, so I bought them. They probably cost less elsewhere, but I've never seen that brand before.
The last stop was Costco for a paper shredder. Ellen killed the old one trying to get our old records shredded. The new one works great.
The rest of the day was just sitting around and reading and surfing. I sure hope I feel better tomorrow because we got a lot to do.
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Day 198
When I got up this morning I was really sick. I really didn't want to do anything except sit or lay down. So I read the Sunday paper. I had to go to Wally World to get my pills, so we did that. I also wanted to get some Sucrets. My throat was really hurting from all of the coughing that I've been doing.
Of course Lucy was disappointed. I didn't want to stand up, much less walk her in the park. So we went home and I took up residence in the lounger. I didn't move for the whole day. I did get a lot of magazine reading done.
That's it for today. I hope I feel better tomorrow.
Of course Lucy was disappointed. I didn't want to stand up, much less walk her in the park. So we went home and I took up residence in the lounger. I didn't move for the whole day. I did get a lot of magazine reading done.
That's it for today. I hope I feel better tomorrow.
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Day 197
I had planned to go shooting today, but when I woke up I felt like shit. Part of it was a bad night. Ellen gave whatever shit she has to me. So I spent the night waking up all the time to cough. In addition the dog was sleeping with us. She insisted on putting her feet in my face, which also woke me up.
After I got up I was still coughing and sneezing. I also felt generally crappy. So I just read the paper and surfed. After awhile I felt guilty because Lucy hadn't been out in two days. It's Saturday and I still felt like shit, but we went to Zilker anyway.
There were a lot of people at the park, but parking at Zilker wasn't bad. The dog had a great time because there were a lot of dogs to meet and greet. We walked all around the park and then went over to the pool. They are doing all sort of construction over there. The spring pool had water in it. That's the first time it had water while we were there.
On the way home we stopped at Red's for a late lunch. I wanted somewhere where Lucy could eat with us. Then it was home. I was really tired and still felt like shit. So when we got home I sat down in the chair and took a nap. It took awhile to get to sleep because of all the coughing I was doing. I woke up at 6:30.
All we did in the evening was watch TV - Suze Orman and Ron White. It was really entertaining.
After I got up I was still coughing and sneezing. I also felt generally crappy. So I just read the paper and surfed. After awhile I felt guilty because Lucy hadn't been out in two days. It's Saturday and I still felt like shit, but we went to Zilker anyway.
There were a lot of people at the park, but parking at Zilker wasn't bad. The dog had a great time because there were a lot of dogs to meet and greet. We walked all around the park and then went over to the pool. They are doing all sort of construction over there. The spring pool had water in it. That's the first time it had water while we were there.
On the way home we stopped at Red's for a late lunch. I wanted somewhere where Lucy could eat with us. Then it was home. I was really tired and still felt like shit. So when we got home I sat down in the chair and took a nap. It took awhile to get to sleep because of all the coughing I was doing. I woke up at 6:30.
All we did in the evening was watch TV - Suze Orman and Ron White. It was really entertaining.
Friday, April 18, 2014
Day 196
The morning was cloudy and it looked like it was going to rain again. So I decided to start cleaning up the house and moving some stuff into the trailer. I got rid of a lot of paper that been lying around and organized the papers and some other things to go. Ellen went through the records and shredded two bags of old documents. The recycle is going to be full.
After things were sorted out I started moving things into the trailer. Things are tight because of the size of the parts bin that Dave wants. Add the pictures and other things and there isn't much room left. It took some hours, but I got it all packed.
Then we went to the post office and lunch. The weather started getting better. That was bad news for Lucy. I was going to take her to Circle C, but I knew that if I did I'd be too tired to spray. So we went home and I did the spraying. It was hot at times and humid always. I sure hope that it doesn't rain for awhile.
It feels good to have all of the big ticket efforts done. The only thing left is to clean the house and get the car washed.
After things were sorted out I started moving things into the trailer. Things are tight because of the size of the parts bin that Dave wants. Add the pictures and other things and there isn't much room left. It took some hours, but I got it all packed.
Then we went to the post office and lunch. The weather started getting better. That was bad news for Lucy. I was going to take her to Circle C, but I knew that if I did I'd be too tired to spray. So we went home and I did the spraying. It was hot at times and humid always. I sure hope that it doesn't rain for awhile.
It feels good to have all of the big ticket efforts done. The only thing left is to clean the house and get the car washed.
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Day 195
I was ready again this morning to do the spraying. The good news was that the wind was light to non-existent. So I went out to the garage and measured out the herbicides and put them in the sprayer. That's as far as I got. As I wheeled the sprayer out to fill it with water it started to rain. Crap.
So I put the sprayer back in the garage and went to the well house. I wanted to make sure that I wired the Loop Transfer section while I remembered what needed to be done. That was a little before 11. I was in there until almost 4. I finished all of the wiring except for the viaduct and the mainline and passing lane on the far side of the layout. All in all I wired about 26 feet of track. That brings my total to 70 feet, 85% of the track.
In order to finish the rest I have to lift up the other side of the layout. I also have to fasten down the viaduct and reposition the upper mainline piece. I bet that doesn't get done for awhile. I'm sort of burnt out on the whole thing right now.
It was good that I postponed the spraying. In the morning it was just raining really lightly. By the time I was finished with the layout it was beginning to get harder. By 6 it was raining pretty hard and long. I would have been pissed if I'd gambled that the rain was going to stop.
The layout basically took the whole day. The rest was surfing and TV.
So I put the sprayer back in the garage and went to the well house. I wanted to make sure that I wired the Loop Transfer section while I remembered what needed to be done. That was a little before 11. I was in there until almost 4. I finished all of the wiring except for the viaduct and the mainline and passing lane on the far side of the layout. All in all I wired about 26 feet of track. That brings my total to 70 feet, 85% of the track.
In order to finish the rest I have to lift up the other side of the layout. I also have to fasten down the viaduct and reposition the upper mainline piece. I bet that doesn't get done for awhile. I'm sort of burnt out on the whole thing right now.
It was good that I postponed the spraying. In the morning it was just raining really lightly. By the time I was finished with the layout it was beginning to get harder. By 6 it was raining pretty hard and long. I would have been pissed if I'd gambled that the rain was going to stop.
The layout basically took the whole day. The rest was surfing and TV.
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Day 194
I woke up today raring to do the spraying. Unfortunately the wind was back and way too strong. So I mowed the lawn instead. I even mowed parts of the lawn that I used a weedeater on last fall. It looks pretty good now.
Mowing took about an hour and a half. I was covered with dirt, small branches, and grass clippings when I was done. So I took a shower. It took quite awhile to get everything out of my hair. My eyes hurt for awhile from the stuff in them.
After the shower we took the dog to Circle C. It was a nice sunny day, not too hot. Lucy was really active. After that we went to the post office and Cheddar's for a late lunch. The last stop was Randall's. We bought a whole bunch of stuff so that we could use a $5 coupon if we bought $50. We bought $52.
It was pretty late by the time we got home. I printed out a portion of the layout design and went out to the well house to figure out the wiring of the Loop Transfer section. It took awhile with a trusty Ohm meter, but I figured out all of the connections in that a section of the track. When I went back inside I figured out that some of the connectors were installed backwards. I can fix it easily as long as I'm careful. I'm going to try to get that done so I don't forget what needs to be done.
We had some Traegerized shrimp for dinner. They were really good.
Mowing took about an hour and a half. I was covered with dirt, small branches, and grass clippings when I was done. So I took a shower. It took quite awhile to get everything out of my hair. My eyes hurt for awhile from the stuff in them.
After the shower we took the dog to Circle C. It was a nice sunny day, not too hot. Lucy was really active. After that we went to the post office and Cheddar's for a late lunch. The last stop was Randall's. We bought a whole bunch of stuff so that we could use a $5 coupon if we bought $50. We bought $52.
It was pretty late by the time we got home. I printed out a portion of the layout design and went out to the well house to figure out the wiring of the Loop Transfer section. It took awhile with a trusty Ohm meter, but I figured out all of the connections in that a section of the track. When I went back inside I figured out that some of the connectors were installed backwards. I can fix it easily as long as I'm careful. I'm going to try to get that done so I don't forget what needs to be done.
We had some Traegerized shrimp for dinner. They were really good.
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Day 193
It was cool this morning - in the 50's. I decided that I wanted to wait a day to mow the lawn. So I washed and waxed the truck instead. Ellen helped with the wax application and did most of the removal. That's because I decided to remove another thing from the todo list. I got out the ladder and black paint and sprayed the places that I cut branches off in the tree by where we park the car.
When the truck was finished I loaded it up with some of the stuff that we are going to take to Dave. It's just about finished now.
That leaves mowing and spraying to go. I'll do one of them tomorrow. Hopefully there won't be a wind as that's what I'd like to do.
After the truck was done we went to the post office. We also stopped by Target so that I could get some bubble wrap to wrap the pictures in. They need protecting when we move them. On the way back we took Lucy to Circle C. It was a nice day for walking, sunny and 60. Lucy did a lot of running around.
I stopped at the gas station on the way home and got a gallon of gas for the mower. When I got home I added Stabil and put it in the tank. Then I went to work on the layout. I finished all of the connections on the East side of the layout. I now have 44 feet, 54%, of the connections made. I'm going to do as much more as I have time for. It's close to where I could run some trains.
When the truck was finished I loaded it up with some of the stuff that we are going to take to Dave. It's just about finished now.
That leaves mowing and spraying to go. I'll do one of them tomorrow. Hopefully there won't be a wind as that's what I'd like to do.
After the truck was done we went to the post office. We also stopped by Target so that I could get some bubble wrap to wrap the pictures in. They need protecting when we move them. On the way back we took Lucy to Circle C. It was a nice day for walking, sunny and 60. Lucy did a lot of running around.
I stopped at the gas station on the way home and got a gallon of gas for the mower. When I got home I added Stabil and put it in the tank. Then I went to work on the layout. I finished all of the connections on the East side of the layout. I now have 44 feet, 54%, of the connections made. I'm going to do as much more as I have time for. It's close to where I could run some trains.
Monday, April 14, 2014
Day 192
A series of pretty big thunderstorms went through just after we got up this morning. One of them was purple. We just read the paper and surfed until the fireworks were over. The dog and cats were freaked out about the thunder. It was pretty loud and lasted a long time.
When the weather started to break we went over to get the mail. It was time for lunch after that so we drove over to Manchaca and William Cannon to a pizza place we had a coupon for. It was pretty good. After that we stopped by the gun shop on Manchaca. Unfortunately it was closed this week. On the way back we stopped at the Walgren's on Slaughter. Poor Lucy. By that time the weather had cleared, but of course Circle C was way too muddy to walk in.
After we got home I decided to work on the layout some more. I wired up some more track. There are now 38 track connections and 20 switch connections to solder. I've got 38 feet of track soldered. That's 46% of the total. If I get a chance to work one more time on it I should have 50% done this winter. I've got quite a bit of stuff to do yet. Spray, mow, truck wash, and car wash. Time is getting short.
When the weather started to break we went over to get the mail. It was time for lunch after that so we drove over to Manchaca and William Cannon to a pizza place we had a coupon for. It was pretty good. After that we stopped by the gun shop on Manchaca. Unfortunately it was closed this week. On the way back we stopped at the Walgren's on Slaughter. Poor Lucy. By that time the weather had cleared, but of course Circle C was way too muddy to walk in.
After we got home I decided to work on the layout some more. I wired up some more track. There are now 38 track connections and 20 switch connections to solder. I've got 38 feet of track soldered. That's 46% of the total. If I get a chance to work one more time on it I should have 50% done this winter. I've got quite a bit of stuff to do yet. Spray, mow, truck wash, and car wash. Time is getting short.
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Day 191
The morning was spent reading the Sunday paper. Then we took the dog to Circle C for a walk. She got unlucky. It started raining just before we got there. So we went to HEB instead.
The dog got luckier. It wasn't raining when we got out, so it was off to the park. It was a little warm and really muggy. So we decided to only walk half way around. That was a good decision as it started to rain again just as we got back to the car.
When we got home it was surfing for a while and then I decided to do a little work on the layout. I measured out and cut a piece for one corner of the upper mainline. Then I connected it to the rest of the upper mainline. I still have to reposition the supports, but I didn't fell like doing any more work. It was still hot an muggy. At times it even rained.
After dinner we watched a couple of episodes of Bullshit. Penn and Teller are great.
The dog got luckier. It wasn't raining when we got out, so it was off to the park. It was a little warm and really muggy. So we decided to only walk half way around. That was a good decision as it started to rain again just as we got back to the car.
When we got home it was surfing for a while and then I decided to do a little work on the layout. I measured out and cut a piece for one corner of the upper mainline. Then I connected it to the rest of the upper mainline. I still have to reposition the supports, but I didn't fell like doing any more work. It was still hot an muggy. At times it even rained.
After dinner we watched a couple of episodes of Bullshit. Penn and Teller are great.
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Day 190
I went outside this morning to check on the weeds I tried to kill yesterday. They were dead, but I found a lot more. So I made up some more spray and spent quite awhile spraying them. When I got finished we took the dog to Circle C.
Along the way we stopped at the bank and the post office. Ellen wanted to go to Best Buy to buy a mouse, so we did. Lunch was at Happy Panda. The last stop was Lowe's so that we could buy a few things. One was a hardware holder to hang on the wall.
When I got home I took down the hardware holder in the well house and put up the one I bought. It held everything that the old one had held. The old one weighs at least 40 lbs. I'm only going to take it to Oregon if Dave wants it.
The last thing I did was check the weeds again. I sprayed some more until I ran out of solution. Then I quit looking.
Along the way we stopped at the bank and the post office. Ellen wanted to go to Best Buy to buy a mouse, so we did. Lunch was at Happy Panda. The last stop was Lowe's so that we could buy a few things. One was a hardware holder to hang on the wall.
When I got home I took down the hardware holder in the well house and put up the one I bought. It held everything that the old one had held. The old one weighs at least 40 lbs. I'm only going to take it to Oregon if Dave wants it.
The last thing I did was check the weeds again. I sprayed some more until I ran out of solution. Then I quit looking.
Friday, April 11, 2014
Day 189
We started the day at the vet (oh joy). Overnight Lucy had licked her left foot (the swollen one) enough to cause it to start bleeding. The two sores on the right leg looked worse, too. The vet really didn't have any idea what was wrong. He took a culture, but it will take some time to complete. He also took xrays to see if the bones were involved (they're not).
So $400 later we left with a prescription and a cone of shame. Lucy really doesn't like the cone. She keeps running into things and stopping because she thought she'd done something wrong.
After the vet we went estate sailing. I liked the places. They were full of old stuff, not worth much but cool. Both places had tools. I picked up a socket wrench and a Craftsman circular saw. I also got a battery powered scissors as a joke item ($1).
After the two sales we went back to the Walgren's on Slaughter to leave off the prescription. Then we went to Tomlinson's for a collar for the cone of shame. We also got some dog treats because I really felt sorry for Lucy. Then it was lunch at the Italian place and then back to Walgren's to pick up the pills.
After that we went home. It was 90 degrees and almost 4, so we just surfed for the rest of the day.
So $400 later we left with a prescription and a cone of shame. Lucy really doesn't like the cone. She keeps running into things and stopping because she thought she'd done something wrong.
After the vet we went estate sailing. I liked the places. They were full of old stuff, not worth much but cool. Both places had tools. I picked up a socket wrench and a Craftsman circular saw. I also got a battery powered scissors as a joke item ($1).
After the two sales we went back to the Walgren's on Slaughter to leave off the prescription. Then we went to Tomlinson's for a collar for the cone of shame. We also got some dog treats because I really felt sorry for Lucy. Then it was lunch at the Italian place and then back to Walgren's to pick up the pills.
After that we went home. It was 90 degrees and almost 4, so we just surfed for the rest of the day.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Day 188
I didn't sleep well last night. I think it was part the noise inside and outside the motel and part sleeping in a strange place. Plus I had several dreams (unusual) including one nightmare that is one of the rare dreams that I remember. I'm not going to write it down because parts are non-sensical.
We stopped and bought donuts for the crew and got to the club a little after 8. The donut place was doing a land office business. There wasn't really much for us to do until the match started at 10. Ellen helped a few new shooters at station 7 skeet. There were about 40 shooters. They still made a lot of money because of all the high dollar sponserships.
Ellen worked one of the stations and I helped out at the flurry. We didn't get much action. Some squads just walked on by. I shot with one guy who was a single. I sucked because I didn't have my shooting glasses and all of the targets were high droppers. The gun was a Zoli and it sucked. It handled poorly and kicked like a mule. I shot again with one of the workers. I did better, but the gun still sucks.
Because they wouldn't let us pay for anything we spent a lot of money on drawing tickets. We won two things. Ellen won a shirt and i won a shooting bag. I'll give away the bag at one of Dave's shoots.
The lunch was really nice - brisket, sausage, potato salad, and a really good cherry cobbler. After that there wasn't anything left to do except some last trailer packing that we couldn't help with. So we said our goodbyes and drove home.
We stopped by the post office and HEB on the way home. We're tired and are now just vegging out.
We stopped and bought donuts for the crew and got to the club a little after 8. The donut place was doing a land office business. There wasn't really much for us to do until the match started at 10. Ellen helped a few new shooters at station 7 skeet. There were about 40 shooters. They still made a lot of money because of all the high dollar sponserships.
Ellen worked one of the stations and I helped out at the flurry. We didn't get much action. Some squads just walked on by. I shot with one guy who was a single. I sucked because I didn't have my shooting glasses and all of the targets were high droppers. The gun was a Zoli and it sucked. It handled poorly and kicked like a mule. I shot again with one of the workers. I did better, but the gun still sucks.
Because they wouldn't let us pay for anything we spent a lot of money on drawing tickets. We won two things. Ellen won a shirt and i won a shooting bag. I'll give away the bag at one of Dave's shoots.
The lunch was really nice - brisket, sausage, potato salad, and a really good cherry cobbler. After that there wasn't anything left to do except some last trailer packing that we couldn't help with. So we said our goodbyes and drove home.
We stopped by the post office and HEB on the way home. We're tired and are now just vegging out.
Day 187
I didn't do an entry yesterday because I left my computer at home. So I'm doing two today.
We got up in the morning, packed, and then left. We didn't pack last night because it was 11:30 before we got back from the airport. The drive to Kerrville was uneventful except for a stop at the Fredericksburg Walmart. I decided I needed a whistle to control the dog (more on that in today's entry).
When we got to the club Dave was almost finished setting the targets and the other people had all of the setup well in hand. That was good, because after were were there for about an hour and a half we noticed that one of Lucy's front legs was swollen. It actually grew bigger as we watched it. So we started calling every vet in Kerrville to get someone to look at her.
We started calling a little before 1. All the vets were at lunch and at fist the earliest appointment was 3. Then we found a person that could see her at 2. So we went back into town, had a quick lunch, and then took her to the vet.
The vet looked at her and decided it was an allergic reaction, probably to a bite. So she prescribed benadryl, an antibiotic, and hot/cold compresses. She applied a cold compress while we were there and it reduced the swelling noticeably. By the evening the swelling was about half what it was.
We went back to the club and shot the course using their guns and our ammo. It was fun. There wasn't anything else to do. About 5 everyone left. We checked into the motel. It was a nice room. We showered and washed the dog (she was really dusty). Then we went to dinner with the crew. It was a Mexican place with really good food.
The place was really crowded and it must have taken 2 to 3 hours from the time we got there until the time we were done. So when we got back to the motel we surfed for about an hour and went to bed.
We got up in the morning, packed, and then left. We didn't pack last night because it was 11:30 before we got back from the airport. The drive to Kerrville was uneventful except for a stop at the Fredericksburg Walmart. I decided I needed a whistle to control the dog (more on that in today's entry).
When we got to the club Dave was almost finished setting the targets and the other people had all of the setup well in hand. That was good, because after were were there for about an hour and a half we noticed that one of Lucy's front legs was swollen. It actually grew bigger as we watched it. So we started calling every vet in Kerrville to get someone to look at her.
We started calling a little before 1. All the vets were at lunch and at fist the earliest appointment was 3. Then we found a person that could see her at 2. So we went back into town, had a quick lunch, and then took her to the vet.
The vet looked at her and decided it was an allergic reaction, probably to a bite. So she prescribed benadryl, an antibiotic, and hot/cold compresses. She applied a cold compress while we were there and it reduced the swelling noticeably. By the evening the swelling was about half what it was.
We went back to the club and shot the course using their guns and our ammo. It was fun. There wasn't anything else to do. About 5 everyone left. We checked into the motel. It was a nice room. We showered and washed the dog (she was really dusty). Then we went to dinner with the crew. It was a Mexican place with really good food.
The place was really crowded and it must have taken 2 to 3 hours from the time we got there until the time we were done. So when we got back to the motel we surfed for about an hour and went to bed.
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Day 186
I wanted to do some more work on the layout today, so after breakfast I started the wash and then went out to the well house. It seems that every time I want to work on the layout I get sidetracked doing something else. Today I had to mount a power strip on the wall so that I'd be able to plug in the soldering iron on the side of the layout that I needed to work on. All sorts of things went wrong. Bad screws, hard to access mounting places, etc. I did manage to get the portion of the mainline that ramps down from the plateau done, but it took until after 1.
I picked up the mail and took the dog to Circle C. Lucy's drugs came, which is quite a relief. The park was a little muddy in places after yesterday's storm. It also had horse shit all over it from the horses they were riding there yesterday. One horse shit right where their trailer was parked and they didn't bother to pick it up.
Before home I stopped at HEB. The kitchen was getting a little bare.
When I got home I went back to the layout. This time the sidetrack effort was to tie up the layout so I could work underneath it. I had to clear everything off the top, use C clamps to keep the layout from sliding off, and cut a support for the table so that it wouldn't tip over. I did manage to get one section of the mainline wired. The new wire cutter works nice.
I have about 60 power connections left to do. At my current rate, that's going to take 10 hours - about a week. I also have to wire up the 20 switches. At that point the only thing left to wire will be the turntable. I haven't figured out how I'm going to do that yet.
Ellen is coming in at 11. I'm just surfing until it's time to pick her up.
I picked up the mail and took the dog to Circle C. Lucy's drugs came, which is quite a relief. The park was a little muddy in places after yesterday's storm. It also had horse shit all over it from the horses they were riding there yesterday. One horse shit right where their trailer was parked and they didn't bother to pick it up.
Before home I stopped at HEB. The kitchen was getting a little bare.
When I got home I went back to the layout. This time the sidetrack effort was to tie up the layout so I could work underneath it. I had to clear everything off the top, use C clamps to keep the layout from sliding off, and cut a support for the table so that it wouldn't tip over. I did manage to get one section of the mainline wired. The new wire cutter works nice.
I have about 60 power connections left to do. At my current rate, that's going to take 10 hours - about a week. I also have to wire up the 20 switches. At that point the only thing left to wire will be the turntable. I haven't figured out how I'm going to do that yet.
Ellen is coming in at 11. I'm just surfing until it's time to pick her up.
Monday, April 7, 2014
Day 185
I got up fairly early today and went to Red's. It wasn't all that successful. I still can't hit with the Shield, and the Solo turned into a single shot. The good news was that the clouds burned off and it was sunny when I was done.
I took Lucy to Circle C. She was really excited. She hadn't been out in two days and she sure acted like it. She covered a lot of ground through the trees and across the fields. After I was done we went home and I had lunch.
The weather was sunny with no wind. I was going to spray after I cleaned the pistols. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) I started hearing thunder while I was working. So I bagged the spraying and moved some stuff into the trailer instead. It was a good thing I did. About 7 a big thunderstorm rolled through. It was as bad as the one we lived through in Kansas. There was a small stream running through the gravel area. If I'd sprayed it would have all been washed away.
I missed the neighborhood association meeting. Between the storm and a short nap it slipped my mind.
I took Lucy to Circle C. She was really excited. She hadn't been out in two days and she sure acted like it. She covered a lot of ground through the trees and across the fields. After I was done we went home and I had lunch.
The weather was sunny with no wind. I was going to spray after I cleaned the pistols. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) I started hearing thunder while I was working. So I bagged the spraying and moved some stuff into the trailer instead. It was a good thing I did. About 7 a big thunderstorm rolled through. It was as bad as the one we lived through in Kansas. There was a small stream running through the gravel area. If I'd sprayed it would have all been washed away.
I missed the neighborhood association meeting. Between the storm and a short nap it slipped my mind.
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Day 184
When I woke up this morning it was raining. It rained on and off until late afternoon. At times it rained really hard. It misted for most of the rest of the time.
After reading the paper I went back out to the well house to finish up soldering the upper mainline. Things didn't start off good. The soldering iron wouldn't work. I messed around with it for awhile and finally got out the Radio Shack one that I bought at the train show. I managed to finish with it, but it isn't as good an iron.
After I finished up the soldering I decided to go to Harbor Freight. I took along a few coupons. The coupons allowed me to get a DMM and a flashlight for free, calipers at a really reduced price, and 25% off a set of wire cutters. The wire cutters I'd been using sucked. I had to almost rip the insulation off.
After Harbor Freight I decided to go for a late lunch. That's when I discovered the everyone in Austin goes to a late lunch on rainy Sundays. I couldn't get in at Golden Corral or Cheddars. I ended up eating at Burger-Fi. After that I stopped at Tomlinson's.
When I got home I tried out the new wire cutters. They work great. Soldering will be a lot easier from now on.
I was half thinking of doing more work in the afternoon, but I happened to look at an HBO show called Game of Thrones. HBO is having a free weekend. This show is really cool. HBO was having a marathon, so I spent all afternoon and evening watching it. It's not as gory as Spartacus, but everybody in it is as slimy as the Jew in Spartacus.
After reading the paper I went back out to the well house to finish up soldering the upper mainline. Things didn't start off good. The soldering iron wouldn't work. I messed around with it for awhile and finally got out the Radio Shack one that I bought at the train show. I managed to finish with it, but it isn't as good an iron.
After I finished up the soldering I decided to go to Harbor Freight. I took along a few coupons. The coupons allowed me to get a DMM and a flashlight for free, calipers at a really reduced price, and 25% off a set of wire cutters. The wire cutters I'd been using sucked. I had to almost rip the insulation off.
After Harbor Freight I decided to go for a late lunch. That's when I discovered the everyone in Austin goes to a late lunch on rainy Sundays. I couldn't get in at Golden Corral or Cheddars. I ended up eating at Burger-Fi. After that I stopped at Tomlinson's.
When I got home I tried out the new wire cutters. They work great. Soldering will be a lot easier from now on.
I was half thinking of doing more work in the afternoon, but I happened to look at an HBO show called Game of Thrones. HBO is having a free weekend. This show is really cool. HBO was having a marathon, so I spent all afternoon and evening watching it. It's not as gory as Spartacus, but everybody in it is as slimy as the Jew in Spartacus.
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Day 183
This morning I went out to the layout figuring that I'd really make some progress. I made some progress, but it was very slow. I spent 2 and a half hours and didn't get the upper mainline done. I finished the east siding and mainline tracks, but I still have half of the passing siding to do.
I decided to take a break, go get the mail, and take the dog to Circle C. At Circle C we got out of the car, walked across the street, and it started raining. So we got back into the car and I went for the mail. After that we just went home.
I had intentions of doing other things, walking in the neighborhood, more on the layout, etc. However, the lazy bug hit me and I ended up surfing and then taking a nap. Now I'm watching the Lone Range movie. It's weird, and I can see why people weren't thrilled by it.
I decided to take a break, go get the mail, and take the dog to Circle C. At Circle C we got out of the car, walked across the street, and it started raining. So we got back into the car and I went for the mail. After that we just went home.
I had intentions of doing other things, walking in the neighborhood, more on the layout, etc. However, the lazy bug hit me and I ended up surfing and then taking a nap. Now I'm watching the Lone Range movie. It's weird, and I can see why people weren't thrilled by it.
Friday, April 4, 2014
Day 182
So we've been out of Oregon for half a year. It really isn't "on the road" any more. It's just interesting.
I went to three estate sales. I had lousy timing. At the first one I got there just after a guy bought the DeWalt tools that I wanted to buy. At the third one I walked into the garage just as someone picked up a weed eater that I would have bought. In between I went to this really hard to find house west of Camp Mabry. It was a waste of time.
After the sales I went to Circle C to walk the dog. She seems to have a little more energy now that I've cut back on her drugs. After a stop for bananas at HEB we went home. I wanted to do some more soldering on the layout. I spent a couple of hours on it. I finished the plateau and got a small start on the raised portion of the mainline. This time I did things like mark where the posts and track below was before i started. I didn't feel like redoing any more wiring.
Lucy kind of pissed me off when we went to get the mail. On the way back she usually runs ahead and waits by the gate. Today she did that, but then she disappeared. I wasn't looking, so I don't know where she went. I stood at the gate calling, but she didn't come. So I opened the gate a little and started walking to the house. I got about a 100 feet when Lucy comes tearing by me. She didn't stop, she ran all the way to the house. She knew she was in trouble.
When I got to the house I noticed that there was a huge thistle growing in the side yard. I guess it was because it rained just after I sprayed them last month. So I got out the roundup and sprayed it and a few others I found.
The evening was TV and the web.
I went to three estate sales. I had lousy timing. At the first one I got there just after a guy bought the DeWalt tools that I wanted to buy. At the third one I walked into the garage just as someone picked up a weed eater that I would have bought. In between I went to this really hard to find house west of Camp Mabry. It was a waste of time.
After the sales I went to Circle C to walk the dog. She seems to have a little more energy now that I've cut back on her drugs. After a stop for bananas at HEB we went home. I wanted to do some more soldering on the layout. I spent a couple of hours on it. I finished the plateau and got a small start on the raised portion of the mainline. This time I did things like mark where the posts and track below was before i started. I didn't feel like redoing any more wiring.
Lucy kind of pissed me off when we went to get the mail. On the way back she usually runs ahead and waits by the gate. Today she did that, but then she disappeared. I wasn't looking, so I don't know where she went. I stood at the gate calling, but she didn't come. So I opened the gate a little and started walking to the house. I got about a 100 feet when Lucy comes tearing by me. She didn't stop, she ran all the way to the house. She knew she was in trouble.
When I got to the house I noticed that there was a huge thistle growing in the side yard. I guess it was because it rained just after I sprayed them last month. So I got out the roundup and sprayed it and a few others I found.
The evening was TV and the web.
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Day 181
It was cloudy and windy in the morning. So I decided to take Lucy to Zilker before the clouds burned off and it got hot. I took her to the park. I didn't bother to go near the water. Instead I threw her 8 really long retrieves. She would have done more, but I didn't want to push it.
After that we walked around the park. Lucy checked every tree for squirrels. She found 3 or 4. She also missed at least one. After the park we went to Rudy's. It was 11:30. There were only a couple of people in line and not a lot of people sitting. Eating lunch took about half an hour. By then the parking lot was full, there was a really long line, and there were lots of people sitting at the tables. Quite a change in half an hour.
When we got home I decided to start soldering on the layout. I got sidetracked setting up a stereo. It took some time because I had to track down a FM antenna. After that I started soldering. Unfortunately I routed the wires wrong and had to redo a bunch of stuff. I managed to get a little more than half the plateau done. Things will go quicker now that I have everything worked out.
I took the dog up to get the mail and then spent the rest of the day surfing. Tomorrow is estate sailing.
After that we walked around the park. Lucy checked every tree for squirrels. She found 3 or 4. She also missed at least one. After the park we went to Rudy's. It was 11:30. There were only a couple of people in line and not a lot of people sitting. Eating lunch took about half an hour. By then the parking lot was full, there was a really long line, and there were lots of people sitting at the tables. Quite a change in half an hour.
When we got home I decided to start soldering on the layout. I got sidetracked setting up a stereo. It took some time because I had to track down a FM antenna. After that I started soldering. Unfortunately I routed the wires wrong and had to redo a bunch of stuff. I managed to get a little more than half the plateau done. Things will go quicker now that I have everything worked out.
I took the dog up to get the mail and then spent the rest of the day surfing. Tomorrow is estate sailing.
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Day 180
After yesterday's big effort I sort of took today off. I took my time eating breakfast and reading the newspaper. Then I went out to get a haircut. It looks OK. I stopped at Target next and got a new garbage can for the well house. The full size outdoor can that's in there now takes up too much room.
I stopped at Circle C and walked the dog around the park. She sure was excited to go this morning. It was cloudy, windy and 80 degrees so she had a good time. After the walk I went over to the Italian place for lunch. Lucy got some chips.
After that I went home and did very little. I did finish two shorting blocks based on the idea I came up with yesterday. I think they'll work well. I spent a lot of time thinking about how to wire the roundtable. So far I haven't been able to come up with a solution.
Other than that I just surfed.
I stopped at Circle C and walked the dog around the park. She sure was excited to go this morning. It was cloudy, windy and 80 degrees so she had a good time. After the walk I went over to the Italian place for lunch. Lucy got some chips.
After that I went home and did very little. I did finish two shorting blocks based on the idea I came up with yesterday. I think they'll work well. I spent a lot of time thinking about how to wire the roundtable. So far I haven't been able to come up with a solution.
Other than that I just surfed.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Day 179
I'm tired. For some reason I got ambitious today and I think I overdid it. I got up fairly early, but I didn't really do much except start the laundry until 11. Then I went to Lowe's for a board to use as shelving and to get the mail. I felt like buying lunch, so I went to a sandwich shop on William Cannon. I took it to Circle C to eat. I planned on eating it while Lucy explored. No way. She stayed by me looking for handouts.
When I got home I cut the board and made two shelves. Then I rearranged some stuff to put on them. While I was doing that I had an idea for a shorting strip that would simplify connecting the layout to the control board. So I sat out on the deck and made it up. Unfortunately as I finished it I came up with a better idea. So I'll have to take it apart and do it over.
As I was sitting there the tree near the car parking spot finally got to me. I noticed that the dead branches were keeping the live ones from growing. So I got out the chainsaw. For the next two and a half or three hours I cut the branches off the tree, cut them up, and hauled them up to the burn barrel. I removed about a third of the tree. It was a lot of work in the heat. I had my shirt off for part of it and I think I may have gotten a little sunburned.
I got finished after 6. I was hot and dirty, so I took a shower. Afterwards i was too tired to eat. So fed the animals and then I turned on the TV and sat for about an hour. After that I recovered enough to eat, but the rest of the night is just vegetating in front of the tube.
When I got home I cut the board and made two shelves. Then I rearranged some stuff to put on them. While I was doing that I had an idea for a shorting strip that would simplify connecting the layout to the control board. So I sat out on the deck and made it up. Unfortunately as I finished it I came up with a better idea. So I'll have to take it apart and do it over.
As I was sitting there the tree near the car parking spot finally got to me. I noticed that the dead branches were keeping the live ones from growing. So I got out the chainsaw. For the next two and a half or three hours I cut the branches off the tree, cut them up, and hauled them up to the burn barrel. I removed about a third of the tree. It was a lot of work in the heat. I had my shirt off for part of it and I think I may have gotten a little sunburned.
I got finished after 6. I was hot and dirty, so I took a shower. Afterwards i was too tired to eat. So fed the animals and then I turned on the TV and sat for about an hour. After that I recovered enough to eat, but the rest of the night is just vegetating in front of the tube.
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