Yesterday sucked. Today made up for it. I woke up a little before 8. I decided to get up instead of trying to get a little more sleep.
I started the wash, ate breakfast, and then went out to finish poisoning the environment. Spreading the pellets around was a little bit of t pain because they weren't really compatible with the spreader. But after awhile I figured out that rotating the handle backwards made things work better.
After that I went in and took a shower. I wanted to get the stuff off me ASAP. Also the pants I was wearing (from yesterday) reeked of herbicide. When I got out of the shower I went to the garage and removed the fuel filter and spark plug from the mower. I also drained all of the gas out of it. Except for the fuel filter it was a pretty easy job. Then I drove over to the mower place and got new parts. They had everything and it was pretty reasonable. They suggested an air filter, so I got one off those, too.
I stopped at Autozone on the way to the post office to get anti-seize. I ate lunch at Don's Bar-b-Que. It wasn't any better than the first time we went, and it was expensive. I just wanted to see if anything had changed.
After the post office I walked the dog around Circle C. She did 20 water retrieves, but the water was low enough that she walked about a third of the way.
When we got back I put the new parts on the mower and gassed it up. It started and ran after only a little cranking. Yeah! I'm lucky it did. The mower place has a 1 month backlog now, and it would have been way longer in the fall. I probably would have had to buy a used push mower.
It was hot and muggy in the afternoon and I was tired. So I went into the house and surfed. Central Texas finally got the carbon fiber in stock, so I ordered one. I've been looking for 10 weeks.
The evening was just surfing and TV. I'm going to bed early.
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Day 173
I got up early this morning - before 8. It was supposed to be windy this morning, but it wasn't. So I went out to poison the environment. Things didn't start out well. There was water on the well house floor. I knocked over the soldering iron getting out the sprayer. The tires on the cart were flat. When I plugged the compressor into the outside socket, it wouldn't work.
It took quite a bit of time to figure out that for some reason the compressor trips the GFI in the house. Nothing else does, just the compressor. When I finally got the tires pumped up, the pump on the sprayer refused to work. Fortunately I managed to get it working by messing with the power wires.
Spraying went a long fine for all of the lower area. I hooked up the lawn mower and hauled the sprayer up the driveway. That worked fine until I ran out of herbicide and drove back down to the garage. The lawn mower barely started and ran like crap. I ran it over to the house to fill up the sprayer. After that it wouldn't start. I finished spraying the driveway and spot spraying the lawn dragging the sprayer behind me.
I never did get the mower to start. I'm hoping it is just a fouled plug. That's tomorrow's worry.
I spent over four hours on the spraying. When I was finished I was hot, tired, and in desperate need of a shower. So I went inside, showered, and had lunch.
The dog had been going nuts while I was outside. She wasn't happy when I went out to work on the layout. I wanted to fix up the incline that I screwed up. I can't believe how long it took me to do some simple calculations about how to redo it. I'm really losing my ability to do that kind of thing.
I finished with the layout about time for the mail. So I took the dog to the mailbox and then fed her. She really wanted to do something. So I waited until 6:30 and then took her to Circle C. I had moved the car by the basketball court to get it out of the way. I didn't notice the fire ant mound by the door. I stepped in it wearing sandals and no socks. That hurt. I got some of the ant poison we bought earlier. I checked on the ants after I put the poison away.. They were busy hauling it into the mound. I hope they die.
At Circle C we went the short way and she did 20 water retrieves. She also did a whole lot of land retrieves. She was a couch dog for the rest of the night.
I watched a western on Netflix and ate a TV dinner I picked up at HEB after I ran the dog. I also picked up some fire ant ointment which I'm going to use..
It took quite a bit of time to figure out that for some reason the compressor trips the GFI in the house. Nothing else does, just the compressor. When I finally got the tires pumped up, the pump on the sprayer refused to work. Fortunately I managed to get it working by messing with the power wires.
Spraying went a long fine for all of the lower area. I hooked up the lawn mower and hauled the sprayer up the driveway. That worked fine until I ran out of herbicide and drove back down to the garage. The lawn mower barely started and ran like crap. I ran it over to the house to fill up the sprayer. After that it wouldn't start. I finished spraying the driveway and spot spraying the lawn dragging the sprayer behind me.
I never did get the mower to start. I'm hoping it is just a fouled plug. That's tomorrow's worry.
I spent over four hours on the spraying. When I was finished I was hot, tired, and in desperate need of a shower. So I went inside, showered, and had lunch.
The dog had been going nuts while I was outside. She wasn't happy when I went out to work on the layout. I wanted to fix up the incline that I screwed up. I can't believe how long it took me to do some simple calculations about how to redo it. I'm really losing my ability to do that kind of thing.
I finished with the layout about time for the mail. So I took the dog to the mailbox and then fed her. She really wanted to do something. So I waited until 6:30 and then took her to Circle C. I had moved the car by the basketball court to get it out of the way. I didn't notice the fire ant mound by the door. I stepped in it wearing sandals and no socks. That hurt. I got some of the ant poison we bought earlier. I checked on the ants after I put the poison away.. They were busy hauling it into the mound. I hope they die.
At Circle C we went the short way and she did 20 water retrieves. She also did a whole lot of land retrieves. She was a couch dog for the rest of the night.
I watched a western on Netflix and ate a TV dinner I picked up at HEB after I ran the dog. I also picked up some fire ant ointment which I'm going to use..
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Day 172
I got up this morning to go to the shoot. I left about 8:50 and was at the club at 9:30. That's about as fast as you can get there.
I paid my money and went out to station 1. Walter was there with a couple of other people and I joined them. I shot like shit. The targets were challenging, and a strong wind made them harder, but that wasn't it. I just didn't shoot well. One of the other guys was a AA shooter who was doing worse. Small consolation.
After the main I ate lunch. Lucy had it good. I had picked up a slice of turkey for her. It turned out to be two slices, so she made out. The other guys wanted to shoot super sporting so I did, too. I fucked up the first two stations, but did OK on the other four. The last station was a "separator" station and I got 9 out of ten. I left feeling maybe I'm getting out of the slump.
After shooting I did some retrieves for Lucy. She only did 7, but they were long ones and it was really hot.
I stopped at HEB on the way home and got some vinegar to clean the mirrors on the truck. They had nasty water spots that I couldn't get off. The vinegar worked great. The mirrors are perfect now.
I'd been looking at a snow plow tender on ebay. The auction was going to end while I was gone. So I put in the first bid (after 5 days) before I left. When I got back I had a message that said I'd lost. The tender had no bids before today at $15. I bid up to $16.51. It sold after 7 bids for $36. All of the bids were in the last minute. Wow.
After I got home I put everything away and then surfed. I'm going to spend the rest of the evening watching TV. I'd like to spray tomorrow but I think it's going to be too windy. In fact, it might be too windy all week.
I paid my money and went out to station 1. Walter was there with a couple of other people and I joined them. I shot like shit. The targets were challenging, and a strong wind made them harder, but that wasn't it. I just didn't shoot well. One of the other guys was a AA shooter who was doing worse. Small consolation.
After the main I ate lunch. Lucy had it good. I had picked up a slice of turkey for her. It turned out to be two slices, so she made out. The other guys wanted to shoot super sporting so I did, too. I fucked up the first two stations, but did OK on the other four. The last station was a "separator" station and I got 9 out of ten. I left feeling maybe I'm getting out of the slump.
After shooting I did some retrieves for Lucy. She only did 7, but they were long ones and it was really hot.
I stopped at HEB on the way home and got some vinegar to clean the mirrors on the truck. They had nasty water spots that I couldn't get off. The vinegar worked great. The mirrors are perfect now.
I'd been looking at a snow plow tender on ebay. The auction was going to end while I was gone. So I put in the first bid (after 5 days) before I left. When I got back I had a message that said I'd lost. The tender had no bids before today at $15. I bid up to $16.51. It sold after 7 bids for $36. All of the bids were in the last minute. Wow.
After I got home I put everything away and then surfed. I'm going to spend the rest of the evening watching TV. I'd like to spray tomorrow but I think it's going to be too windy. In fact, it might be too windy all week.
Saturday, March 28, 2015
Day 171
It's time to start doing the springtime chores. I decided to start with washing and waxing the truck. It took me an hour and a half to wash it. That was because the lousy water we have wouldn't rinse off the soap. So after i washed the truck I had to go back over the entire thing with a wet rag and a towel. I's wet down 4 sq feet or so and then rub it hard with the towel. It was like waxing the truck.
After I finished with that I went inside and had lunch. It was a nice day, warm and breezy. So I had a beer and did some reading on the back porch. After a couple of hours I went out to finish the job. Waxing the truck went pretty normally. Washing and waxing did take enough time that I ended up with a pretty good sunburn on my back. I'll have to wear a shirt for any other outside activities.
I basically didn't do anything for the rest of the day. I surfed a little and watched a couple of episodes of Justified. I haven't eradicated the squirrels. Another showed up today. I'm mad at myself because I missed a perfect shot at him.
Lucy was funny when we went out to get the mail. She's figured out that the magic food bowl is broken. So instead of running to the house when I open the gate she walks around and does some patrolling.
After I finished with that I went inside and had lunch. It was a nice day, warm and breezy. So I had a beer and did some reading on the back porch. After a couple of hours I went out to finish the job. Waxing the truck went pretty normally. Washing and waxing did take enough time that I ended up with a pretty good sunburn on my back. I'll have to wear a shirt for any other outside activities.
I basically didn't do anything for the rest of the day. I surfed a little and watched a couple of episodes of Justified. I haven't eradicated the squirrels. Another showed up today. I'm mad at myself because I missed a perfect shot at him.
Lucy was funny when we went out to get the mail. She's figured out that the magic food bowl is broken. So instead of running to the house when I open the gate she walks around and does some patrolling.
Friday, March 27, 2015
Day 170
I got up this morning and went estate saleing. I only went to one place, I just didn't feel like driving. It actually had some stuff I could use. A couple of audio cables and a neat box that I can use as a toolbox in the car.
After the estate sale I went to AutoZone for some contact cleaner. They had exactly what I wanted. Then I stopped at Circle C so that the dog and I could walk around the park. Of course she got to swim, too. The dog has an incredible amount of energy.
When I got home I had lunch and then went out to work on the layout. I tested the wiring I did yesterday, it was fine. So I decided to nail down the track. It took hours, but I nailed down the whole of the bottom layer. Then I went to test it.
I got a little bit of testing done, and then the engine died. Of course I spent a lot of time debugging it and trying to fix it. I quit when a small broken piece fell out of the inside of the motor.
I came back in, got the mail, and fed the dog. Then I got out the other engine that doesn't work because the tender trucks are screwed up. I did an engine shell swap. I couldn't use the broken engine's running gear because the frame is broken. I'm going to try to fix it because that frame has a front coupler and the other engine's frame does not.
I took the repaired engine out and tested the track. It runs great, and the new motor runs much better than the old one. I have a problem though. One part of the track is too steep. I'll have to figure out something there.
I worked on engines/layout until 8. That meant a late dinner and then some TV.
After the estate sale I went to AutoZone for some contact cleaner. They had exactly what I wanted. Then I stopped at Circle C so that the dog and I could walk around the park. Of course she got to swim, too. The dog has an incredible amount of energy.
When I got home I had lunch and then went out to work on the layout. I tested the wiring I did yesterday, it was fine. So I decided to nail down the track. It took hours, but I nailed down the whole of the bottom layer. Then I went to test it.
I got a little bit of testing done, and then the engine died. Of course I spent a lot of time debugging it and trying to fix it. I quit when a small broken piece fell out of the inside of the motor.
I came back in, got the mail, and fed the dog. Then I got out the other engine that doesn't work because the tender trucks are screwed up. I did an engine shell swap. I couldn't use the broken engine's running gear because the frame is broken. I'm going to try to fix it because that frame has a front coupler and the other engine's frame does not.
I took the repaired engine out and tested the track. It runs great, and the new motor runs much better than the old one. I have a problem though. One part of the track is too steep. I'll have to figure out something there.
I worked on engines/layout until 8. That meant a late dinner and then some TV.
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Day 169
Today was a pretty good day. I got up around 8 and did the usual morning things. It rained a little last night and today was cool and windy. I decided it was a good time to take the dog to Circle C. We walked all the way around the park. Apparently cleaning out the culverts in the walkway lets enough water through that it doesn't flood anymore. Lucy did 20 water retrieves as well as doing retrieves all the way around the park.
After that I picked up the mail. Of course there was a tax document in it. Then I went to Randall's for some groceries and Radio Shack for some contact cleaner.
When I got home I had lunch and then went out to work on the layout. The Radio Shack cleaner had a dry lube in it, so it was worthless. I used gun cleaner instead. It took off an amazing amount of stuff. When I was done, the track worked about like I expected. I tested everything except one siding.
I couldn't test the siding because I hadn't wired it. I forgot that I didn't wire the siding or the north side of the main line because I couldn't lift up that end of the layout. So I drilled holes, moved the eye bolts, and lifted up that side. Then I spent about 2 hours completing the wiring. I got done about mail box time, so I'll probably test it tomorrow. I'm sure it will be all right.
After dinner I looked for estate sales. There's one I will definitely go to, and another I might go to.
Tonight is more TV and surfing.
After that I picked up the mail. Of course there was a tax document in it. Then I went to Randall's for some groceries and Radio Shack for some contact cleaner.
When I got home I had lunch and then went out to work on the layout. The Radio Shack cleaner had a dry lube in it, so it was worthless. I used gun cleaner instead. It took off an amazing amount of stuff. When I was done, the track worked about like I expected. I tested everything except one siding.
I couldn't test the siding because I hadn't wired it. I forgot that I didn't wire the siding or the north side of the main line because I couldn't lift up that end of the layout. So I drilled holes, moved the eye bolts, and lifted up that side. Then I spent about 2 hours completing the wiring. I got done about mail box time, so I'll probably test it tomorrow. I'm sure it will be all right.
After dinner I looked for estate sales. There's one I will definitely go to, and another I might go to.
Tonight is more TV and surfing.
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Day 168
I didn't get to bed until almost 3 this morning. I was finishing the second season of Justified. I woke up at 8, but I felt I needed more than 6 hours of sleep. So I went back to sleep and Ellen woke me up at 10. We talked for awhile. She didn't get in until 2 and stayed at a hotel last night.
After breakfast I worked on the layout. I spent about three hours testing all of the low level track except the main line. It all works. I started to test the mainline and ran into problems. I think it's mainly just oxidation, but I didn't feel like doing any more debugging, so I quit.
I went back to the house and ate lunch. Then I surfed the afternoon away. I also got a couple of squirrels. I snuck up on the first one from behind the wisteria. Unfortunately I shot it a little back from the heart. It ran to the edge of the yard and suffered a little before I could shoot it again. The second was super wary. It ran halfway up the tree when it saw me moving in the living room. I had to stand still for 5 minutes until it started eating again.
It climbed back onto the wooden feeder, so I went out to the gate and lined up on it. When t popped up, it saw me and ran to the back fence. It just sat there, so I shot it. This was a good shot, in the heart.
The rest of the day and evening was spent surfing and watching TV (no Justified).
After breakfast I worked on the layout. I spent about three hours testing all of the low level track except the main line. It all works. I started to test the mainline and ran into problems. I think it's mainly just oxidation, but I didn't feel like doing any more debugging, so I quit.
I went back to the house and ate lunch. Then I surfed the afternoon away. I also got a couple of squirrels. I snuck up on the first one from behind the wisteria. Unfortunately I shot it a little back from the heart. It ran to the edge of the yard and suffered a little before I could shoot it again. The second was super wary. It ran halfway up the tree when it saw me moving in the living room. I had to stand still for 5 minutes until it started eating again.
It climbed back onto the wooden feeder, so I went out to the gate and lined up on it. When t popped up, it saw me and ran to the back fence. It just sat there, so I shot it. This was a good shot, in the heart.
The rest of the day and evening was spent surfing and watching TV (no Justified).
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Day 167
We didn't do much today. We surfed in bed for awhile. It was a sunny day, and going to be warm. So we took the dog to Circle C in the morning while it was still cool. She had a great time swimming. The water was really high. I had to drag a small tree out that I'd dragged out last week. This time I took it well away from the creek.
After the park we went to HEB and the post office. The last stop was the Italian place for lunch. Because of the delay Lucy could have snacks while we ate. She was really happy.
We spent the afternoon surfing. I wanted to stay inside with Ellen instead of going out to work on the train. I'll probably do that tomorrow.
In the evening I finished the second season of Justified. I'm afraid it's getting a little predictable. The intrepid marshal is going to have trouble with his squeeze being afraid of him being killed and his childhood friend is going to go bad again. The writing's gone down hill, too. Too many "the hero's in trouble, someone shows up out of the blue to save him" scenes.
After the park we went to HEB and the post office. The last stop was the Italian place for lunch. Because of the delay Lucy could have snacks while we ate. She was really happy.
We spent the afternoon surfing. I wanted to stay inside with Ellen instead of going out to work on the train. I'll probably do that tomorrow.
In the evening I finished the second season of Justified. I'm afraid it's getting a little predictable. The intrepid marshal is going to have trouble with his squeeze being afraid of him being killed and his childhood friend is going to go bad again. The writing's gone down hill, too. Too many "the hero's in trouble, someone shows up out of the blue to save him" scenes.
Monday, March 23, 2015
Day 166
I couldn't get to sleep again last night. I was up until at least 1, maybe later. That meant that I didn't wake up until after 9. We stayed in bed with the cats and the dog. The cats were really glad that we had come back and were really friendly.
After breakfast I went out to work on the layout. I used some of the cleaning fluid I bought at the train store in Houston on the engines. It worked wonders. They don't work perfectly, but they work a lot better. Ellen did the wash (she's leaving tomorrow).
I decided to test out some of the track - the west loop and the loop transfer blocks. At first things weren't working well. I finally discovered that the track needed to be cleaned. Kato track isn't supposed to need that, but I guess leaving it unused for years makes a difference. I'm just about to "nail down" that part of the layout. Once I do, I'll put the plateau above it.
I must say that seeing an engine pulling a car going around just that little bit of track was pretty gratifying. It took a lot of work to get to that point.
After that we went to the post office and Costco (for water). We also stopped at Cheddar's for a late lunch. We didn't take the dog because it was sunny and hot, in the low 80's. To make up for that I threw the bumper for her in the front yard when we got home.
We both spent the rest of the after noon surfing. The weather was great, we just didn't feel like doing anything.
In the evening I started on the second season of Justified. I watched 4 or 5 episodes. It might not be quite as good as the first season, but I still can't stop watching it.
After breakfast I went out to work on the layout. I used some of the cleaning fluid I bought at the train store in Houston on the engines. It worked wonders. They don't work perfectly, but they work a lot better. Ellen did the wash (she's leaving tomorrow).
I decided to test out some of the track - the west loop and the loop transfer blocks. At first things weren't working well. I finally discovered that the track needed to be cleaned. Kato track isn't supposed to need that, but I guess leaving it unused for years makes a difference. I'm just about to "nail down" that part of the layout. Once I do, I'll put the plateau above it.
I must say that seeing an engine pulling a car going around just that little bit of track was pretty gratifying. It took a lot of work to get to that point.
After that we went to the post office and Costco (for water). We also stopped at Cheddar's for a late lunch. We didn't take the dog because it was sunny and hot, in the low 80's. To make up for that I threw the bumper for her in the front yard when we got home.
We both spent the rest of the after noon surfing. The weather was great, we just didn't feel like doing anything.
In the evening I started on the second season of Justified. I watched 4 or 5 episodes. It might not be quite as good as the first season, but I still can't stop watching it.
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Day 165
We woke up, had breakfast (waffles), and then went to the club. It was flat and had standing water all over. The day was "mostly cloudy", but there wasn't any rain. The target were all good, and not much harder than Capitol. We both forgot boots, so our feet got pretty soggy and muddy.
I sucked on the main course, and did a little better on the pairs course. I wasn't impressed with the pairs course. The stations were pretty easy, so it was a lot like shooting skeet. Ellen was happy. She punched back into D class.
They had a nice lunch, pizza, sandwiches, two types of salad, and cake. They had donuts in the morning. All in all I thought it was a pretty good shoot.
Going back was really crowded until we got off I10. I got in with a group of people doing 85 (in a 75) in Hwy 71. It was great. It was also nice to see some of the country that we couldn't see yesterday because of the rain.
At Bastrop there was the start of a miles long traffic jam in the east bound lanes. We couldn't see why, but the cars were bumper to bumper and hardly moving for many miles. I'm sure glad we weren't in it.
When we got home we unpacked and washed the mud off the car. Then I washed the gun cart and wired the wheel supports together. They came out today on the course and the cart partially collapsed. That sucked. I'm not sure that will work, but it's worth a try.
Than I gave the gun a bath. It was pretty dirty, and the chokes were filthy. That's when I discovered that I'd put in an improved mod choke instead of a mod choke. Basically I shot today with improved mod and a light mod choke that was dirty enough to be a mod. Oh well.
The night was surfing and TV.
I sucked on the main course, and did a little better on the pairs course. I wasn't impressed with the pairs course. The stations were pretty easy, so it was a lot like shooting skeet. Ellen was happy. She punched back into D class.
They had a nice lunch, pizza, sandwiches, two types of salad, and cake. They had donuts in the morning. All in all I thought it was a pretty good shoot.
Going back was really crowded until we got off I10. I got in with a group of people doing 85 (in a 75) in Hwy 71. It was great. It was also nice to see some of the country that we couldn't see yesterday because of the rain.
At Bastrop there was the start of a miles long traffic jam in the east bound lanes. We couldn't see why, but the cars were bumper to bumper and hardly moving for many miles. I'm sure glad we weren't in it.
When we got home we unpacked and washed the mud off the car. Then I washed the gun cart and wired the wheel supports together. They came out today on the course and the cart partially collapsed. That sucked. I'm not sure that will work, but it's worth a try.
Than I gave the gun a bath. It was pretty dirty, and the chokes were filthy. That's when I discovered that I'd put in an improved mod choke instead of a mod choke. Basically I shot today with improved mod and a light mod choke that was dirty enough to be a mod. Oh well.
The night was surfing and TV.
Day 164
We drove over to Houston today. The cats were not amused. They smelled a great big kitty rat.
The drive itself wasn't bad, except that it rained most of the way. I was a little concerned with all the Texas drivers who were driving on wet roads with no idea of how to do so.
We got to Houston a little before noon. I decided to go to a model train store about 20 miles further towards Houston than our hotel. Everything went fine except for one two mile stretch of the freeway. That was pretty slow, but I don't think we ever really stopped.
The train store had a lot of cars, but they were all expensive and only a handful were Chessie. It had almost no buildings at all. They did have track nails though, which were what I really needed.
After that we drove back out and went to a Bass Pro Shop that was a couple of miles from the hotel. It was still raining heavily. As a whole the place was a disappointment, but they did had light rain jacket on sale, so we each bought one. I've been looking for one to keep in Texas for a long time.
We went back to the hotel for a couple of hours and then went to Jason's for dinner. We fed the dog first - using the ice bucket because we'd forgotten a dog bowl. It was great to talk to them. The food was good, too. They even had a birthday cake for us.
We stayed until about 8 and then went back to the hotel. Ellen surfed and I read. I quit at 12, but I couldn't go to sleep. I must have spent an hour laying in bed. Before going to sleep Lucy had climbed on the bed with me. Ellen was on the other bed. When we went to sleep, we kept the same arrangement. Lucy was really happy.
The drive itself wasn't bad, except that it rained most of the way. I was a little concerned with all the Texas drivers who were driving on wet roads with no idea of how to do so.
We got to Houston a little before noon. I decided to go to a model train store about 20 miles further towards Houston than our hotel. Everything went fine except for one two mile stretch of the freeway. That was pretty slow, but I don't think we ever really stopped.
The train store had a lot of cars, but they were all expensive and only a handful were Chessie. It had almost no buildings at all. They did have track nails though, which were what I really needed.
After that we drove back out and went to a Bass Pro Shop that was a couple of miles from the hotel. It was still raining heavily. As a whole the place was a disappointment, but they did had light rain jacket on sale, so we each bought one. I've been looking for one to keep in Texas for a long time.
We went back to the hotel for a couple of hours and then went to Jason's for dinner. We fed the dog first - using the ice bucket because we'd forgotten a dog bowl. It was great to talk to them. The food was good, too. They even had a birthday cake for us.
We stayed until about 8 and then went back to the hotel. Ellen surfed and I read. I quit at 12, but I couldn't go to sleep. I must have spent an hour laying in bed. Before going to sleep Lucy had climbed on the bed with me. Ellen was on the other bed. When we went to sleep, we kept the same arrangement. Lucy was really happy.
Friday, March 20, 2015
Day 163
We didn't go to bed until 2 this morning. We both found interesting things to read on the web. We got up at 9 anyway. At least we woke up. Of course we surfed for awhile before getting out of bed.
When I got up there was a squirrel at the feeders. I put on some sweatpants and went out. After a little patience I shot it. When I hit it it jumped off the feeder and ran to the fence before it fell. I looked at it, I'd hit it in the heart. That makes me think that some of the "misses" I've had may have been hits, just not fatal.
I just didn't feel like breakfast, so I just went out to play with trains. After a lot of work I figured out what was wrong with the locomotive I was working on. It was missing a couple of screws that held the voltage pickups together. I tried to fix it by soldering the parts together, but I ended up melting a part and ruining the engine. I'm glad I only spent $5 on it.
I debugged one other engine. I'm going to need some rubber cement to fix it completely. I also tested my only diesel engine. It works perfectly. Great. The only one I really don't want to run works great.
About 1:30 we went to get the mail. By then the of and on rain had turned to a steady rain. That made me not want to drive very far. So after stops at HEB (for lasagna and birthday cake) and Tomlinson's we went home. I did remember to gas up the car.
When we got home I got a beer and planned out our trip tomorrow. Then it was watching Justified for the evening. I guess Gold Derp is over.
When I got up there was a squirrel at the feeders. I put on some sweatpants and went out. After a little patience I shot it. When I hit it it jumped off the feeder and ran to the fence before it fell. I looked at it, I'd hit it in the heart. That makes me think that some of the "misses" I've had may have been hits, just not fatal.
I just didn't feel like breakfast, so I just went out to play with trains. After a lot of work I figured out what was wrong with the locomotive I was working on. It was missing a couple of screws that held the voltage pickups together. I tried to fix it by soldering the parts together, but I ended up melting a part and ruining the engine. I'm glad I only spent $5 on it.
I debugged one other engine. I'm going to need some rubber cement to fix it completely. I also tested my only diesel engine. It works perfectly. Great. The only one I really don't want to run works great.
About 1:30 we went to get the mail. By then the of and on rain had turned to a steady rain. That made me not want to drive very far. So after stops at HEB (for lasagna and birthday cake) and Tomlinson's we went home. I did remember to gas up the car.
When we got home I got a beer and planned out our trip tomorrow. Then it was watching Justified for the evening. I guess Gold Derp is over.
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Day 162
We got up fairly early today, but we had to call the dog up on the bed first. She really enjoyed laying between us and getting doggy petting.
When we got up I decided to look at estate sales while we ate breakfast. I found a Thursday only one in Lakeway. I decided to go because it was near the mini-golf place. Lucy acted like she wanted to be in the car, but that she wasn't very excited about doing anything.
The estate sale was OK. I bought a couple of rare tools that they happened to have. Then we went over to the mini-golf place. The GPS had us take this back road we'd never been on before. On the way over Lucy went nuts when we passed the lake. I guess she wasn't as tired as we thought. I promised her we'd take her swimming.
The place is brand new. It was also really crowded, probably because of spring break. It's a pretty expensive place. A hamburger and fries it $11. A mojito is $10. We had a 2 for one hamburger coupon, so we ate for $11. The service was really slow, probably because they didn't figure on spring break. At the end the receptionist gave us two coupons for free dinners because the service was slow. We'll probably use them.
The mini-golf course wasn't too interesting. There weren't any windmills and things. Plus, there were a bunch of rugrats on the course. So we didn't try it.
After the post office we took Lucy swimming at Circle C. She was really excited and did a fantastic about of work. We called it quits before she ran herself into the ground. Ellen thinks it might be that stuff she puts in the food.
When we got home I went out to work on the layout. I tested everything on the east plateau. It all works, but I might have to do some grinding of some rail junctions after I nail everything down. I also went all the way through the second switcher. It's screwed until I can get a part for the second truck on the tender.
After dinner I went on ebay to look for parts. There's an auction ending on Sunday that I might try.
In the evening I watched North Carolina almost lose to Harvard. They played like shit. Then I watched three episodes of "Justified". I like it. I'll probably watch more.
When we got up I decided to look at estate sales while we ate breakfast. I found a Thursday only one in Lakeway. I decided to go because it was near the mini-golf place. Lucy acted like she wanted to be in the car, but that she wasn't very excited about doing anything.
The estate sale was OK. I bought a couple of rare tools that they happened to have. Then we went over to the mini-golf place. The GPS had us take this back road we'd never been on before. On the way over Lucy went nuts when we passed the lake. I guess she wasn't as tired as we thought. I promised her we'd take her swimming.
The place is brand new. It was also really crowded, probably because of spring break. It's a pretty expensive place. A hamburger and fries it $11. A mojito is $10. We had a 2 for one hamburger coupon, so we ate for $11. The service was really slow, probably because they didn't figure on spring break. At the end the receptionist gave us two coupons for free dinners because the service was slow. We'll probably use them.
The mini-golf course wasn't too interesting. There weren't any windmills and things. Plus, there were a bunch of rugrats on the course. So we didn't try it.
After the post office we took Lucy swimming at Circle C. She was really excited and did a fantastic about of work. We called it quits before she ran herself into the ground. Ellen thinks it might be that stuff she puts in the food.
When we got home I went out to work on the layout. I tested everything on the east plateau. It all works, but I might have to do some grinding of some rail junctions after I nail everything down. I also went all the way through the second switcher. It's screwed until I can get a part for the second truck on the tender.
After dinner I went on ebay to look for parts. There's an auction ending on Sunday that I might try.
In the evening I watched North Carolina almost lose to Harvard. They played like shit. Then I watched three episodes of "Justified". I like it. I'll probably watch more.
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Day 161
For some reason I woke up at 6:30 this morning and couldn't get back to sleep. I worked on it though, and finally did. That meant I didn't wake up until 9. We surfed in bed with the dog for awhile and then got up.
It rained again last night. That's two nights of rain following my spraying the lawn. Surprise, surprise.
When we did get going, I had a craving for a real breakfast. So we went to the place in Oak Hill. It was really crowded. We got the last available table. It was pretty good. After that we stopped at the post office. The box was empty. That's the first time it's been empty in quite awhile.
The next stop was Harbor Freight. I bought some small drills for drilling holes in the track. Their coupons sure save money. The last stop was Circle C. It was near 80 and kind of sunny, so we took Lucy swimming. She did a lot of retrieves, but I cut it off before she got tired. When we got back she still wanted to run, so I did some long wind aided retrieves. I cut it off before she quit, but she didn't argue about it.
When we got home I got out a locomotive to test the track with. It was from ebay and it doesn't work because it's missing a part. Crap. So I got out another one, a switcher. It wouldn't work either. I messed around with it and got it barely running. Then I shorted it and smoke came out. I figured I'd killed it. So I got another. It wouldn't work either. After lubricating it it ran, but it doesn't track well so it's a lousy test locomotive.
I tried another switcher (like the first), and it didn't work either. So I decided to take apart the one I thought I'd burnt out. It wasn't burnt out. I figured out how it worked and got it running with a direct application of power. After that it worked on the track, but only if I pushed it to start it. At that point it was time to get the mail. I'll try more tomorrow.
I guess I'll start looking on ebay for some parts for the broken one.
It rained again last night. That's two nights of rain following my spraying the lawn. Surprise, surprise.
When we did get going, I had a craving for a real breakfast. So we went to the place in Oak Hill. It was really crowded. We got the last available table. It was pretty good. After that we stopped at the post office. The box was empty. That's the first time it's been empty in quite awhile.
The next stop was Harbor Freight. I bought some small drills for drilling holes in the track. Their coupons sure save money. The last stop was Circle C. It was near 80 and kind of sunny, so we took Lucy swimming. She did a lot of retrieves, but I cut it off before she got tired. When we got back she still wanted to run, so I did some long wind aided retrieves. I cut it off before she quit, but she didn't argue about it.
When we got home I got out a locomotive to test the track with. It was from ebay and it doesn't work because it's missing a part. Crap. So I got out another one, a switcher. It wouldn't work either. I messed around with it and got it barely running. Then I shorted it and smoke came out. I figured I'd killed it. So I got another. It wouldn't work either. After lubricating it it ran, but it doesn't track well so it's a lousy test locomotive.
I tried another switcher (like the first), and it didn't work either. So I decided to take apart the one I thought I'd burnt out. It wasn't burnt out. I figured out how it worked and got it running with a direct application of power. After that it worked on the track, but only if I pushed it to start it. At that point it was time to get the mail. I'll try more tomorrow.
I guess I'll start looking on ebay for some parts for the broken one.
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Day 160
Ellen's coughing woke me up a lot of times last night. So went I woke up at 8 I really didn't feel like getting up. So I didn't. It was surfing in bed for an hour and a half.
After breakfast I decided to go work on the layout. When I left last year I had a little more bench work to do. I left myself a note about what needed to be done. It involved moving and adding to the supports on the east bench. So I got out the drill and saw and went to it. When I was finished everything was good except the wiring.
So I got out the stapler and stapled down all of the wiring on both the east bench and the plateau. The plateau was hard because I had to make sure that none of the wires interfered with either the track or the supports. I also decided that the wall on the south side of the plateau will have to be removable if I'm going to be able to deal with derailments under the plateau.
While I was doing all of this I noticed that the track nails don't do a very good job of holding down the track. I'm going to have to put a lot more in. To do that I'll need some more small drill bits. The next step is to test the track. After that I will add the nails and the track will be done (I still have a lot of wiring).
We went to the post office, and then Home Depot and Lowe's for drill bits. Neither of them had any. I'll have to go to Harbor Freight. It was warm an muggy today, but we still stopped at Circle C for the dog. Ellen didn't think she would do much, but Lucy did a whole lot of fairly long retrieves.
Ellen went to archery again tonight. I surfed and watched TV.
After breakfast I decided to go work on the layout. When I left last year I had a little more bench work to do. I left myself a note about what needed to be done. It involved moving and adding to the supports on the east bench. So I got out the drill and saw and went to it. When I was finished everything was good except the wiring.
So I got out the stapler and stapled down all of the wiring on both the east bench and the plateau. The plateau was hard because I had to make sure that none of the wires interfered with either the track or the supports. I also decided that the wall on the south side of the plateau will have to be removable if I'm going to be able to deal with derailments under the plateau.
While I was doing all of this I noticed that the track nails don't do a very good job of holding down the track. I'm going to have to put a lot more in. To do that I'll need some more small drill bits. The next step is to test the track. After that I will add the nails and the track will be done (I still have a lot of wiring).
We went to the post office, and then Home Depot and Lowe's for drill bits. Neither of them had any. I'll have to go to Harbor Freight. It was warm an muggy today, but we still stopped at Circle C for the dog. Ellen didn't think she would do much, but Lucy did a whole lot of fairly long retrieves.
Ellen went to archery again tonight. I surfed and watched TV.
Monday, March 16, 2015
Day 159
The weather has finally turned nice. It's cloudy, but in the low 70's. That's just about perfect.
We sat in bed with the pets and the internet for part of the morning. When we got up it was a little more internet. Then I went outside to poison the environment. I spent about two hours walking the grassy areas spot spraying thistles. My back was killing me by the time I was done.
Lucy got really antsy. She didn't go anywhere yesterday and she REALLY wanted to go somewhere today. I kind of wanted to go somewhere for lunch, so we took off. We ran Lucy at Circle C first. While we were there a lady walked up with a long haired pudelpointer. It was a male about 10 lbs heavier than Lucy. They kind of got acquainted, but they really didn't play together.
After that we went to the Italian place. Lucy was so hot that it took the whole time we were there for her to cool down. That was even with her laying on the concrete.
After a quick stop at HEB we went home.
I sprayed a final coat of clear on the control panel. That should be the end of painting it. I didn't do any other work, I was too tired from spraying.
Ellen did some archery practice while I surfed. She fixed me a mojito for dinner. It was great.
The evening was watching Top Gear and surfing. They were old shows we hadn't seen before. I'm going to miss that show. Fuck the PC BBC.
We sat in bed with the pets and the internet for part of the morning. When we got up it was a little more internet. Then I went outside to poison the environment. I spent about two hours walking the grassy areas spot spraying thistles. My back was killing me by the time I was done.
Lucy got really antsy. She didn't go anywhere yesterday and she REALLY wanted to go somewhere today. I kind of wanted to go somewhere for lunch, so we took off. We ran Lucy at Circle C first. While we were there a lady walked up with a long haired pudelpointer. It was a male about 10 lbs heavier than Lucy. They kind of got acquainted, but they really didn't play together.
After that we went to the Italian place. Lucy was so hot that it took the whole time we were there for her to cool down. That was even with her laying on the concrete.
After a quick stop at HEB we went home.
I sprayed a final coat of clear on the control panel. That should be the end of painting it. I didn't do any other work, I was too tired from spraying.
Ellen did some archery practice while I surfed. She fixed me a mojito for dinner. It was great.
The evening was watching Top Gear and surfing. They were old shows we hadn't seen before. I'm going to miss that show. Fuck the PC BBC.
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Day 158
We stayed in bed for awhile this morning surfing with the dog and cats. We were awake early, we just didn't get up.
The day was pretty nice, cloudy but in the low 70's. Just right. I decided not to go anywhere. The dog wanted to, but I thought she needed a rest.
Instead I decided to go out and work on the layout in the well house. I wanted to wire up an experimental version of the track switch circuit to see if it worked. I hooked it up to a random switch. It didn't work. The switch twitched, but it didn't throw. I thought that there might not be enough power. So I spent a fruitless hour trying to find the Kato specs. Then I decided t ry another power supply. That didn't work either.
Finally I tried another switch. Everything worked like a champ. Of course that meant I had to check every other switch. They all worked. So I had chosen the only switch out of 20 that didn't work. Crap.
I pulled the switch and tested it again. It worked fine. There was a loose track nail underneath the switch. Maybe that reduced the power of the coil enough to cause the failure. I probably won't ever know. I had to fix a track power connection at the switch, so pulling it had to be done anyway. When I put it back together I cut the wrong wires. More work.
All this showed me how I was going to wire up the switches. So I finished up by wiring the negative capacitor leads together. It looks nice.
I didn't feel like doing any more train work, but I didn't feel like quitting either. So I hung the cow scull and the road runner picture in the apartment living room. Now I can quit telling myself I need to do that every time I walk into the apartment.
Ellen went to archery in the evening. I watched TV and surfed.
The day was pretty nice, cloudy but in the low 70's. Just right. I decided not to go anywhere. The dog wanted to, but I thought she needed a rest.
Instead I decided to go out and work on the layout in the well house. I wanted to wire up an experimental version of the track switch circuit to see if it worked. I hooked it up to a random switch. It didn't work. The switch twitched, but it didn't throw. I thought that there might not be enough power. So I spent a fruitless hour trying to find the Kato specs. Then I decided t ry another power supply. That didn't work either.
Finally I tried another switch. Everything worked like a champ. Of course that meant I had to check every other switch. They all worked. So I had chosen the only switch out of 20 that didn't work. Crap.
I pulled the switch and tested it again. It worked fine. There was a loose track nail underneath the switch. Maybe that reduced the power of the coil enough to cause the failure. I probably won't ever know. I had to fix a track power connection at the switch, so pulling it had to be done anyway. When I put it back together I cut the wrong wires. More work.
All this showed me how I was going to wire up the switches. So I finished up by wiring the negative capacitor leads together. It looks nice.
I didn't feel like doing any more train work, but I didn't feel like quitting either. So I hung the cow scull and the road runner picture in the apartment living room. Now I can quit telling myself I need to do that every time I walk into the apartment.
Ellen went to archery in the evening. I watched TV and surfed.
Saturday, March 14, 2015
Day 157
We stayed a little in bed and then dinked around for all of the morning. The weather was warm and sunny most of the time. We just didn't feel like doing anything. Ellen left at noon to go to archery. That made me feel like I needed to do something, so I went outside and cleaned up the messes in the garage and the well house from yesterday's table saw adventure.
I also painted the control panel with clear coat. I hope it works. I checked it after about 4 hours and it looked OK. I hope it still does tomorrow. The thing is, now that it's warm I don't want to sit nside soldering.
I really felt like doing more, but the only thing to do was poisoning weeds and I didn't feel like doing that. So I took the dog to Circle C. We took the short way. There was a lot of water going down the creek. That meant that she had an easy swim out and a hard swim back. She did a whole lot of both water and land retrieves. Another dog showed up at the creek. It swam as retarded as Lucy. It kept splashing water and then barking and snapping at it.
When we got back I did a little reading before dinner. After dinner I surfed and Ellen watched some really dumb TV shows. Later I took over and watched a really good blues concert.
We learned that the assholes at Kerrville aren't NSCA. That means the targets we shot there don't count. It looks like we might go to Houston next weekend to shoot.
I also painted the control panel with clear coat. I hope it works. I checked it after about 4 hours and it looked OK. I hope it still does tomorrow. The thing is, now that it's warm I don't want to sit nside soldering.
I really felt like doing more, but the only thing to do was poisoning weeds and I didn't feel like doing that. So I took the dog to Circle C. We took the short way. There was a lot of water going down the creek. That meant that she had an easy swim out and a hard swim back. She did a whole lot of both water and land retrieves. Another dog showed up at the creek. It swam as retarded as Lucy. It kept splashing water and then barking and snapping at it.
When we got back I did a little reading before dinner. After dinner I surfed and Ellen watched some really dumb TV shows. Later I took over and watched a really good blues concert.
We learned that the assholes at Kerrville aren't NSCA. That means the targets we shot there don't count. It looks like we might go to Houston next weekend to shoot.
Friday, March 13, 2015
Day 156
We got up about 8:30 and went estate saleing. I called Jeff, but he didn't answer, so I left a message. No call back. We went to a place up in Bee Cave. There were a lot of really expensive homes in the neighborhood. Ellen found a couple of plates that Melissa collects. I found a road runner plate I liked. So we bought all three.
On the way back we stopped at Spec's for some more syrup. They had this interesting lemonade drink from the same people that make the prickly pear vodka. So we bought some.
The second house we went to was just south of Harbor Freight. I knew it wasn't going to amount to much, and it didn't. I just went there because I wanted to go to Harbor Freight. I got a moving blanket (on sale) and a moving cart there. We ate lunch at Taco Cabana (we had coupons), then we went to the post office and home. I didn't want to run Lucy even though the weather was great. I thought she needed a day off.
I reached a milestone at the bagel place we went to after Taco Cabana. The kid at the cash register gave me a senior discount without my asking for it. Fuck. I'm old.
When we got home I took apart the moving cart to use parts of it for a base for the table saw. John had given me the idea. It was a pain. I didn't have the right bolts, so I had to improvise. Getting the wheels under that big heavy saw was a bitch. I even had to cut off one of the old feet because it was rusted on. I finally managed to get it done just in time to take Lucy to get the mail.
As a last thing I tried another paint test. We'll see how it looks tomorrow.
I was pretty tired after my fight with the saw. I tried some of the lemonade drink. It wasn't very good. Ellen added some Mojito stuff to it and it was a lot better.
The whole evening was watching TV and a little surfing. I hope the paint test turns out OK.
On the way back we stopped at Spec's for some more syrup. They had this interesting lemonade drink from the same people that make the prickly pear vodka. So we bought some.
The second house we went to was just south of Harbor Freight. I knew it wasn't going to amount to much, and it didn't. I just went there because I wanted to go to Harbor Freight. I got a moving blanket (on sale) and a moving cart there. We ate lunch at Taco Cabana (we had coupons), then we went to the post office and home. I didn't want to run Lucy even though the weather was great. I thought she needed a day off.
I reached a milestone at the bagel place we went to after Taco Cabana. The kid at the cash register gave me a senior discount without my asking for it. Fuck. I'm old.
When we got home I took apart the moving cart to use parts of it for a base for the table saw. John had given me the idea. It was a pain. I didn't have the right bolts, so I had to improvise. Getting the wheels under that big heavy saw was a bitch. I even had to cut off one of the old feet because it was rusted on. I finally managed to get it done just in time to take Lucy to get the mail.
As a last thing I tried another paint test. We'll see how it looks tomorrow.
I was pretty tired after my fight with the saw. I tried some of the lemonade drink. It wasn't very good. Ellen added some Mojito stuff to it and it was a lot better.
The whole evening was watching TV and a little surfing. I hope the paint test turns out OK.
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Day 155
John and Melissa left today. Before we left we had breakfast and talked for a couple of hours. I hope they come back again, it was fun having them.
After they left I put labels on the rotary switch positions. It's the only thing I can do until I resolve how to put a protective coat on it. My first test on a piece of scrap failed miserably. I put the second test board in the sun today to dry.
That's right. Melissa left and the sun came out. It was mostly sunny this afternoon - except in the southwest, the direction they were driving.
After the control board I finally got sick enough of the well house door to do something about it. I got out the plan and really went to work on the edge of the door. When I was finished it opened and closed with just a little resistance. That's what I wanted.
Because it was sunny we went to the post office and then to Circle C. We took the long way to the creek, and Lucy had a good swim. She needed it, she was beginning to smell doggy. She smells a lot better tonight. Ellen is still really sick, and the walk was maybe farther than she should have gone.
When we got home we did a little surfing and then had leftovers for dinner. Ellen watched Netflix. Unfortunately that killed my internet, so I read magazines.
I found a couple of estate sales today, so we'll be going to them tomorrow.
After they left I put labels on the rotary switch positions. It's the only thing I can do until I resolve how to put a protective coat on it. My first test on a piece of scrap failed miserably. I put the second test board in the sun today to dry.
That's right. Melissa left and the sun came out. It was mostly sunny this afternoon - except in the southwest, the direction they were driving.
After the control board I finally got sick enough of the well house door to do something about it. I got out the plan and really went to work on the edge of the door. When I was finished it opened and closed with just a little resistance. That's what I wanted.
Because it was sunny we went to the post office and then to Circle C. We took the long way to the creek, and Lucy had a good swim. She needed it, she was beginning to smell doggy. She smells a lot better tonight. Ellen is still really sick, and the walk was maybe farther than she should have gone.
When we got home we did a little surfing and then had leftovers for dinner. Ellen watched Netflix. Unfortunately that killed my internet, so I read magazines.
I found a couple of estate sales today, so we'll be going to them tomorrow.
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Day 154
Up art 7:30 again. The donuts from two day ago were long in the tooth, so I made another HEB donut run. Ellen decided to go to the doctor. She's been hacking really bad for days - I don't get much sleep. While she went there, John and I went to the range. He shot a couple of 9mm's and a .40. I shot the .40 and blew a ragged hole in the bullseye at 7 yards. It was fun.
I also tried out a bunch of different ammo in the Solo. It failed on two loads. It ran flawlessly on the +P and almost so on another. That tells me what I have to do. I'll have to load up a box of +P loads and shoot them all. I bet the spring loosens up by then.
Ellen wasn't there when we got back, so I took John and Melissa on a walk around the property. Unfortunately the jack asses weren't visible in the back. Melissa wanted to see them.
After Ellen got back we went to Zilker with the dog. She was really happy. I think she thought John and Melissa were her pack replacements. We walked up to the pedestrian bridge, crossed, walked back to Mopac, crossed, and then back to the car. I still had to throw a few more retrieves to tire Lucy out.
We stopped for beer and bread on the way home. After dinner it's going to be beer and movies on the TV.
I also tried out a bunch of different ammo in the Solo. It failed on two loads. It ran flawlessly on the +P and almost so on another. That tells me what I have to do. I'll have to load up a box of +P loads and shoot them all. I bet the spring loosens up by then.
Ellen wasn't there when we got back, so I took John and Melissa on a walk around the property. Unfortunately the jack asses weren't visible in the back. Melissa wanted to see them.
After Ellen got back we went to Zilker with the dog. She was really happy. I think she thought John and Melissa were her pack replacements. We walked up to the pedestrian bridge, crossed, walked back to Mopac, crossed, and then back to the car. I still had to throw a few more retrieves to tire Lucy out.
We stopped for beer and bread on the way home. After dinner it's going to be beer and movies on the TV.
Day 153
It was cloudy, but fairly warm today. I'd been thinking about the Cabela's rifle. I talked to John about what he really wanted in a rifle. He really wants a deer rifle. I told him to get a Tikka T3 in .308. So we didn't go back to Cabela's.
We talked around what to do, and finally decided to go to south Congress. I drove all the way to the Congress exit and the suggested we go to Fredericksburg. That seemed a better idea, so we turned around and drove there. That gave them a chance to see the hill country.
We walked around Fredericksburg, stopping at a few stores. They liked Texas Jack. We ate lunch at the brewery. At the high quality jewelery store Ellen and I decided to buy a piece of Tsavorite matrix to make into a pendant. It looks cool.
On the way back we stopped at a winery that turned out to have wine made in Israel. John and Melissa said that it was OK, but overpriced. We also stopped at the metal bull. It turns out that that's an advertisement for a gallery of similar things. Unfortunately the gallery is only open the first weekend of each month.
When we got home we ate dinner and then everyone sat around the kitchen table surfing for the whole evening.
We talked around what to do, and finally decided to go to south Congress. I drove all the way to the Congress exit and the suggested we go to Fredericksburg. That seemed a better idea, so we turned around and drove there. That gave them a chance to see the hill country.
We walked around Fredericksburg, stopping at a few stores. They liked Texas Jack. We ate lunch at the brewery. At the high quality jewelery store Ellen and I decided to buy a piece of Tsavorite matrix to make into a pendant. It looks cool.
On the way back we stopped at a winery that turned out to have wine made in Israel. John and Melissa said that it was OK, but overpriced. We also stopped at the metal bull. It turns out that that's an advertisement for a gallery of similar things. Unfortunately the gallery is only open the first weekend of each month.
When we got home we ate dinner and then everyone sat around the kitchen table surfing for the whole evening.
Day 152
We got up at 7:30 again. Yesterday morning John and Melissa said they liked donuts for breakfast, so I drove over to HEB and got some. It was raining pretty hard. It continued to rain pretty hard all day. John had mentioned that he wanted to go to Harbor Freight and Cabela's, so that's what we did.
It was raining so hard that I let them off at Cabela's door and parked by myself. It was good I did. There were some unavoidable deep puddles in the parking lot. We looked around. We saw a neat Sig AR, but we didn't know if it was a good deal.
After Cabela's we drove over to Harbor Freight. We stopped at the Chinese place across the place first. John doesn't like Chinese, so he ate alone at the sandwich shop next door. We searched Harbor Freight for a toll John needed. We finally found it, and he used one of my coupons.
When we got home Ellen and Melissa started watching episodes of some TV series on Netflix. John and I read, surfed, and talked. He's almost convinced to buy that rifle at Cabela's.
It was raining so hard that I let them off at Cabela's door and parked by myself. It was good I did. There were some unavoidable deep puddles in the parking lot. We looked around. We saw a neat Sig AR, but we didn't know if it was a good deal.
After Cabela's we drove over to Harbor Freight. We stopped at the Chinese place across the place first. John doesn't like Chinese, so he ate alone at the sandwich shop next door. We searched Harbor Freight for a toll John needed. We finally found it, and he used one of my coupons.
When we got home Ellen and Melissa started watching episodes of some TV series on Netflix. John and I read, surfed, and talked. He's almost convinced to buy that rifle at Cabela's.
Day 151
Today is Wednesday, and I'm trying to write what happened on Sunday. Melissa and John came in yesterday evening. They were a little tired (surprise, surprise) so we talked a little and they went to bed.
We woke up early (for us) at 7:30. It was actually 6:30 because of the Daylight Savings Time change. It was raining, light at times and hard on others. pretty hard. That pretty much ruled out doing anything outside. We went to a park west of downtown anyway. It was on a hill and offered a great view of the river and downtown Austin. At least it would have if it hadn't been so foggy that we could barley see across the river. We did get to see some pretty impressive houses below us on the river.
After that we went to County Line for lunch. They were impressed with the food - both taste and quantity.
Melissa and John like museums, so we went to the Texas history museum. It's on about 14th and Congress. It was a really nice museum, we spent hours there. After that we walked the three blocks to the Capitol. It's an impressive building. We didn't go in because I was carrying a knife.
On the way home we drove down South Congress so they could see some of weird Texas. Even though it was raining, there wasn't any parking.
That evening we surfed a little and watched Guardians of the Galaxy.
We woke up early (for us) at 7:30. It was actually 6:30 because of the Daylight Savings Time change. It was raining, light at times and hard on others. pretty hard. That pretty much ruled out doing anything outside. We went to a park west of downtown anyway. It was on a hill and offered a great view of the river and downtown Austin. At least it would have if it hadn't been so foggy that we could barley see across the river. We did get to see some pretty impressive houses below us on the river.
After that we went to County Line for lunch. They were impressed with the food - both taste and quantity.
Melissa and John like museums, so we went to the Texas history museum. It's on about 14th and Congress. It was a really nice museum, we spent hours there. After that we walked the three blocks to the Capitol. It's an impressive building. We didn't go in because I was carrying a knife.
On the way home we drove down South Congress so they could see some of weird Texas. Even though it was raining, there wasn't any parking.
That evening we surfed a little and watched Guardians of the Galaxy.
Saturday, March 7, 2015
Day 150
It was an OK day today - cloudy, but in the low 60's. It was finally time to remove the tape on the control panel. It came out pretty good. There were just a few places where the tape pulled up the paint underneath. I went out to the garage and fixed them by spraying a little paint on a non-porous board and then using a brush to do the touch up.
I was going to put on a clear sealer, but when I shook the can I couldn't hear the ball. The can had a GI Joe's price tag on it, so I guess it had died of old age.
So off we went. We were going to go to the post office, but 290 was backed up to 1826. I'm not sure what was wrong. I pulled a u-turn and went back to Slaughter. That made the first stop the park. Lucy had a good time. She tried to socialize with a couple of old labs, but they didn't want to play.
Traffic sucked all over. It took 4 cycles of the lights to get from the park to Loop 1. We went to the yuppie grocery and bought some shrimp for dinner. Melissa called. They landed in Houston. It should take them until 7 to get here. We ate at a grill outside the grocery. We had bacon and grilled cheese sandwiches with some expensive lemonade. It was great.
On the way home we stopped at Office Depot so I could get some labeling tape for the control panel. We also got a can of sealer at Home Depot. Loop 1 was backed up to Davis. So I turned off at Davis and went back on Escarpment.
Now we're waiting for Melissa and John to show up.
I was going to put on a clear sealer, but when I shook the can I couldn't hear the ball. The can had a GI Joe's price tag on it, so I guess it had died of old age.
So off we went. We were going to go to the post office, but 290 was backed up to 1826. I'm not sure what was wrong. I pulled a u-turn and went back to Slaughter. That made the first stop the park. Lucy had a good time. She tried to socialize with a couple of old labs, but they didn't want to play.
Traffic sucked all over. It took 4 cycles of the lights to get from the park to Loop 1. We went to the yuppie grocery and bought some shrimp for dinner. Melissa called. They landed in Houston. It should take them until 7 to get here. We ate at a grill outside the grocery. We had bacon and grilled cheese sandwiches with some expensive lemonade. It was great.
On the way home we stopped at Office Depot so I could get some labeling tape for the control panel. We also got a can of sealer at Home Depot. Loop 1 was backed up to Davis. So I turned off at Davis and went back on Escarpment.
Now we're waiting for Melissa and John to show up.
Friday, March 6, 2015
Day 149
It was another cold morning, but only down to 40. I was going to stay in bed, bu then I remembered about estate saleing. There was only one, and it was close by. It was off Gallant Fox Road. I'd always wanted to go there, so we did. The sale itself had nothing of interest. I did pick up a screen door tool. The best thing was just driving down the road.
After that it was the post office. That pretty much finalized what we needed to do. I didn't want to go home though, so we stopped at Target for no good reason. Ellen got some food and I got a blu-ray and some yard art. She's pretty sick with the flu and only wants to eat soup. I'm wait for me to get it.
The last stop was Circle C. By then it had warmed up to the point that a sweatshirt was almost too much. Lucy did a fine set of retrieves. It was nice enough to walk, but Ellen didn't feel like it. On the way back we stopped by the gas station for lunch. They have great hamburgers, and they aren't too expensive. It was after one, but people were continually coming in to get food.
When we got home we cleaned up the house. Ellen vacuumed and I cleaned off the table, bar, and TV table. I took a bunch of stuff to the garage. I've been meaning to hang a clock I got as a present there for years. I finally did. I also put batteries in the two clocks that were there. The place looks pretty presentable now.
In the morning I had put the control panel out in the sun to dry. When Lucy and I went to get the mail, I brought it into the house. I may try to remove the tape tomorrow.
The evening was a little reading and a lot of TV. Netflix has some good movies, but you have to look for them.
After that it was the post office. That pretty much finalized what we needed to do. I didn't want to go home though, so we stopped at Target for no good reason. Ellen got some food and I got a blu-ray and some yard art. She's pretty sick with the flu and only wants to eat soup. I'm wait for me to get it.
The last stop was Circle C. By then it had warmed up to the point that a sweatshirt was almost too much. Lucy did a fine set of retrieves. It was nice enough to walk, but Ellen didn't feel like it. On the way back we stopped by the gas station for lunch. They have great hamburgers, and they aren't too expensive. It was after one, but people were continually coming in to get food.
When we got home we cleaned up the house. Ellen vacuumed and I cleaned off the table, bar, and TV table. I took a bunch of stuff to the garage. I've been meaning to hang a clock I got as a present there for years. I finally did. I also put batteries in the two clocks that were there. The place looks pretty presentable now.
In the morning I had put the control panel out in the sun to dry. When Lucy and I went to get the mail, I brought it into the house. I may try to remove the tape tomorrow.
The evening was a little reading and a lot of TV. Netflix has some good movies, but you have to look for them.
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Day 147
We were actually out of bed by 9 today because there were errands to be run. The first stop was to get a safety sticker. It turns out that they don't give them out anymore. They do require the inspection though. The second stop was for a haircut. They did a pretty good job. The third was to pick up the drugs. They said the insurance wouldn't let me have them until Saturday. That's bullshit. I already paid for a month myself.
After that we stopped at the post office and then went to Jack Allen for lunch. It was expensive, but really good.
It rained all morning - temp about 65. When we got home I moved all of the presents from the bedroom to the trailer. I didn't want to do that after it got cold. The trailer basement is pretty full now. I also checked on the control panel. It looked good, except for some places that were really rough. So I sanded them down and gave it another coat.
After that I went back and watched some TV. The temp was still about 65 at 3. By 5 it was down to 55. By 8 it was down to 37. It's now 34, with thunder, high winds and heavy rain. Let's hear it for warm Texas weather.
After that we stopped at the post office and then went to Jack Allen for lunch. It was expensive, but really good.
It rained all morning - temp about 65. When we got home I moved all of the presents from the bedroom to the trailer. I didn't want to do that after it got cold. The trailer basement is pretty full now. I also checked on the control panel. It looked good, except for some places that were really rough. So I sanded them down and gave it another coat.
After that I went back and watched some TV. The temp was still about 65 at 3. By 5 it was down to 55. By 8 it was down to 37. It's now 34, with thunder, high winds and heavy rain. Let's hear it for warm Texas weather.
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Day 146
We stayed late in bed today. The weather still wasn't conducive to outdoor activities. It was cloudy, but at least it got up to 60 degrees. It was heavy fog, mist, and light rain all day.
So we surfed in bed with the dog and cats. By the time we did get up, eat breakfast, take out the garbage, and start the wash it was a little after noon. We did take the old computer desk over to Goodwill. I looked for a 12V power supply there, but there were none.
Ellen wanted to stop by Bed, Bath, and Beyond, so we did. She had a coupon and bought a couple of things. Then we went to the Goodwill on Brodie. They didn't have any power supplies either. They did have a wonderful cloth suitcase like we've been looking for for years. It was in almost brand new condition. It cost us a whole $8.50.
We were going to go to lunch at the restaurant next to Randal's. It has gone tits up. So we went to a new Mexican place in the same strip mall. It was OK. Lucy was disappointed when we didn't give her a treat when we left. That's because the next stop was Tomlinson's. Lucy got her treat, we bought some cat treats, and stocked up on canned cat food because they were having a special.
We also stopped at Circle C. I didn't run Lucy hard, but she ran herself pretty hard. I was surprised at how much she wanted to run after being so stiff last night.
When we got home I drilled 26 holes in the control panel to mount the rotary switches. Then I painted it. At least the new paint can works. I hope it comes out OK. That should be all of the painting. I'm anxious to remove the tape, but I can't do that for at least 48 hours.
Lucy has been playing dead dog on the couch since we got home. She didn't really even want to go to the mailbox with me. When I opened the gate to return, she trotted rather than ran back to the house. She barely got up for her Zukie.
The evening was reading, surfing, and a little TV.
So we surfed in bed with the dog and cats. By the time we did get up, eat breakfast, take out the garbage, and start the wash it was a little after noon. We did take the old computer desk over to Goodwill. I looked for a 12V power supply there, but there were none.
Ellen wanted to stop by Bed, Bath, and Beyond, so we did. She had a coupon and bought a couple of things. Then we went to the Goodwill on Brodie. They didn't have any power supplies either. They did have a wonderful cloth suitcase like we've been looking for for years. It was in almost brand new condition. It cost us a whole $8.50.
We were going to go to lunch at the restaurant next to Randal's. It has gone tits up. So we went to a new Mexican place in the same strip mall. It was OK. Lucy was disappointed when we didn't give her a treat when we left. That's because the next stop was Tomlinson's. Lucy got her treat, we bought some cat treats, and stocked up on canned cat food because they were having a special.
We also stopped at Circle C. I didn't run Lucy hard, but she ran herself pretty hard. I was surprised at how much she wanted to run after being so stiff last night.
When we got home I drilled 26 holes in the control panel to mount the rotary switches. Then I painted it. At least the new paint can works. I hope it comes out OK. That should be all of the painting. I'm anxious to remove the tape, but I can't do that for at least 48 hours.
Lucy has been playing dead dog on the couch since we got home. She didn't really even want to go to the mailbox with me. When I opened the gate to return, she trotted rather than ran back to the house. She barely got up for her Zukie.
The evening was reading, surfing, and a little TV.
Monday, March 2, 2015
Day 145
It was another cold and raining day. So we stayed late in bed again. The day didn't start up well, my email wouldn't come up. That was OK though. I needed a new battery for my watch, so we just left and went to the post office and the watch shop. They replaced the battery for $16. That's a lot better than the $150+ that the jewelry store charged me last time.
We stopped at the grocery store to pick up some food in preparation for Ellen's sister coming. I told Ellen that she was actually going to have to plan some meals in advance rather than going to the grocery store every day.
The last stop was Circle C. Lucy hasn't run in days and she was climbing the walls. It was 45, perfect from her point of view. She did a whole lot of retrieves. I almost called it before she was finished.
When we got home the email still didn't work. I tried a bunch of things, but nothing helped. So I soldered resistors onto the LEDs that I started testing yesterday. One of them died during the process, but I have spares.
After dinner I tried the email again. It worked for about 30 seconds, and then crashed. At least I know now that the problem is on Yahoo's end.
The evening was TV and surfing.
We stopped at the grocery store to pick up some food in preparation for Ellen's sister coming. I told Ellen that she was actually going to have to plan some meals in advance rather than going to the grocery store every day.
The last stop was Circle C. Lucy hasn't run in days and she was climbing the walls. It was 45, perfect from her point of view. She did a whole lot of retrieves. I almost called it before she was finished.
When we got home the email still didn't work. I tried a bunch of things, but nothing helped. So I soldered resistors onto the LEDs that I started testing yesterday. One of them died during the process, but I have spares.
After dinner I tried the email again. It worked for about 30 seconds, and then crashed. At least I know now that the problem is on Yahoo's end.
The evening was TV and surfing.
Sunday, March 1, 2015
Day 144
I woke up at 7:30 today. But I didn't get out of bed until 10. The weather sucked again today. It was 35 and raining when I woke up. It got all the way up to 42 (still raining) in the afternoon. Crap. It's in the 50's ans sunny in Oregon.
I decided to do some control panel stuff. I finished wiring the power poles on the direction switches. Then I got the panel and decided how to place the rotary switches. I kind of wish I'd done a little different form factor for the panel, but it's way too late to change now.
I decided what LED's to use with the rotary switches and put them on the patch board for testing. I had to do some fancy figuring to determine how to wire the indicator LED's. I'll need to add some diodes to make it work. I'd drill the 25 holes that the switches need, but it's way too cold to work in the garage.
That was it for the day. I'll probably do some soldering tomorrow if it's still cold (it's supposed to be). I might be able to do some painting on Tuesday.
I decided to do some control panel stuff. I finished wiring the power poles on the direction switches. Then I got the panel and decided how to place the rotary switches. I kind of wish I'd done a little different form factor for the panel, but it's way too late to change now.
I decided what LED's to use with the rotary switches and put them on the patch board for testing. I had to do some fancy figuring to determine how to wire the indicator LED's. I'll need to add some diodes to make it work. I'd drill the 25 holes that the switches need, but it's way too cold to work in the garage.
That was it for the day. I'll probably do some soldering tomorrow if it's still cold (it's supposed to be). I might be able to do some painting on Tuesday.
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