I turned over after the alarm went off. I thought I had just napped for a few minutes, but I slept until 8:45. Ellen's doctor appointment was at 9:30, so that meant hurry up and leave. Ellen did the pet stuff.
We got to the doctor on time. I let Ellen off and went home. When I got home I washed and waxed the truck. That's a big job. After that I took a shower and then played Minions and surfed for about half an hour until Ellen texted.
Ellen was happy when I picked her up. This is her last poisoning. We went to lunch at Arby's and then stopped at the yuppie grocery store. I drove home without going to the post office. It was 4, and I didn't want to face the traffic.
When we got home it was a little more Minions and a lot of surfing. Ellen really isn't feeling very well.
The evening was watching gun shows and Zombie short films. I didn't feel like football.
Monday, October 31, 2016
Sunday, October 30, 2016
Day 387
Today was a pretty good day. I woke up with the alarm, but spent about an hour in bed playing Minions. Then it was pet stuff and breakfast.
Last night I had an idea that my problem with the Ruger was the hammer. So I got it out to mess with it. After a bit of screwing around I thought to pull the trigger while shaking it. That did it. The disassembly arm came right out. I left the bolt off to make putting it together easier. I cocked the hammer by pushing a screwdriver through the ejection port. Doing that showed me that the trigger and safety worked fine. That meant that I would have to take it apart to figure out why closing the slide dropped the hammer.
I pounded the thing apart. Then I went back to youtube to review installing the hammer bushing. I noticed that when they put the hammer in, they pushed the disconnector onto the bushing. I hadn't done that. Fortunately I could do it without removing the bushing.
I put the gun back together using the hammer again. I've got putting the lever down and did that easily. The gun worked perfectly. The trigger was really nice, too. The whole operation took less than an hour.
After that we measured the kitchen windows for new blinds. Then we went to Lowe's to order them. That took awhile because the people working didn't really know how to do it.
Then we went to the pet store for cat food. After that we went around the corner to Doc's backyard to eat lunch. Lucy had a treat we got at the store. The last two stops were the post office and the school to run Lucy. It was warm, upper 80's. She still did 11 retrieves.
When we got home I was tired. I guess I needed to recover from the party. I read the paper while Ellen watched TV. After the paper I read magazines. In the evening I watched the Cowboys win in overtime. That sucked, but it couldn't make me feel bad because I'd figured out the Ruger.
Last night I had an idea that my problem with the Ruger was the hammer. So I got it out to mess with it. After a bit of screwing around I thought to pull the trigger while shaking it. That did it. The disassembly arm came right out. I left the bolt off to make putting it together easier. I cocked the hammer by pushing a screwdriver through the ejection port. Doing that showed me that the trigger and safety worked fine. That meant that I would have to take it apart to figure out why closing the slide dropped the hammer.
I pounded the thing apart. Then I went back to youtube to review installing the hammer bushing. I noticed that when they put the hammer in, they pushed the disconnector onto the bushing. I hadn't done that. Fortunately I could do it without removing the bushing.
I put the gun back together using the hammer again. I've got putting the lever down and did that easily. The gun worked perfectly. The trigger was really nice, too. The whole operation took less than an hour.
After that we measured the kitchen windows for new blinds. Then we went to Lowe's to order them. That took awhile because the people working didn't really know how to do it.
Then we went to the pet store for cat food. After that we went around the corner to Doc's backyard to eat lunch. Lucy had a treat we got at the store. The last two stops were the post office and the school to run Lucy. It was warm, upper 80's. She still did 11 retrieves.
When we got home I was tired. I guess I needed to recover from the party. I read the paper while Ellen watched TV. After the paper I read magazines. In the evening I watched the Cowboys win in overtime. That sucked, but it couldn't make me feel bad because I'd figured out the Ruger.
Day 386
We got up about the alarm time, but stayed in bed surfing and Minions. When we did get up it was pet stuff and breakfast.
After breakfast I started putting the new parts in the Ruger. I watched yoiutube videos on each operation before I did it and replayed them as I did it.
The whole process started out badly. Because of manufacturing tolerances on the Ruger the "drop in" part that I did first required 20 minutes of fitting. The second part went in relatively painlessly after I figured out what tool to use.
It kind of went downhill from there. I removed the hammer to replace the bushing. That's when I realized that I needed to do the sear. It was a major pain in the ass. After that I reassembled everything. The final part went in pretty easily. By that time I was a pro at messing with replacing parts.
Then things got worse. I couldn't get the damn thing back together. That's standard for Rugers. I finally got it to go together, but the trigger wasn't working (you can't test it until the pistol is assembled). That's when I discovered that I couldn't take it apart again. By this time I'd been working on it for 6 hours. Ellen wanted to go to the grocery store, so I bagged it for the day.
We went to HEB and got stuff for the Halloween party tonight. When we got home I started assembling a costume. I got a shooting vest, put a number, towel, and some pins on it. I also got a logo shirt and hat. The final touch was my shooting glasses.
We surfed until it was time for the party. The party was great. The hosts have a big place and it was decorated by professionals. There was an elaborate graveyard, a guillotine, 10 foot tall monsters, and animated skeletons and witches. There was also a band and two bonfires. There must have been over 100 people, all dressed in elaborate costumes. Many lit up.
Of course there was lots of food. There was also a well stocked bar and a couple of kegs. There were two big containers of "jungle juice". I didn't try any. Two people spent the whole night passing out jello shots. They had made 470 of them.
I drank heavily, put not enough to become incapacitated. About 11 we had to take Dola home. Ellen wanted to quit, but I persuaded her to go back for another 45 minutes. That's how much fun it was.
Before I went to bed, I thought of something to try on the Ruger. I'll do it tomorrow.
After breakfast I started putting the new parts in the Ruger. I watched yoiutube videos on each operation before I did it and replayed them as I did it.
The whole process started out badly. Because of manufacturing tolerances on the Ruger the "drop in" part that I did first required 20 minutes of fitting. The second part went in relatively painlessly after I figured out what tool to use.
It kind of went downhill from there. I removed the hammer to replace the bushing. That's when I realized that I needed to do the sear. It was a major pain in the ass. After that I reassembled everything. The final part went in pretty easily. By that time I was a pro at messing with replacing parts.
Then things got worse. I couldn't get the damn thing back together. That's standard for Rugers. I finally got it to go together, but the trigger wasn't working (you can't test it until the pistol is assembled). That's when I discovered that I couldn't take it apart again. By this time I'd been working on it for 6 hours. Ellen wanted to go to the grocery store, so I bagged it for the day.
We went to HEB and got stuff for the Halloween party tonight. When we got home I started assembling a costume. I got a shooting vest, put a number, towel, and some pins on it. I also got a logo shirt and hat. The final touch was my shooting glasses.
We surfed until it was time for the party. The party was great. The hosts have a big place and it was decorated by professionals. There was an elaborate graveyard, a guillotine, 10 foot tall monsters, and animated skeletons and witches. There was also a band and two bonfires. There must have been over 100 people, all dressed in elaborate costumes. Many lit up.
Of course there was lots of food. There was also a well stocked bar and a couple of kegs. There were two big containers of "jungle juice". I didn't try any. Two people spent the whole night passing out jello shots. They had made 470 of them.
I drank heavily, put not enough to become incapacitated. About 11 we had to take Dola home. Ellen wanted to quit, but I persuaded her to go back for another 45 minutes. That's how much fun it was.
Before I went to bed, I thought of something to try on the Ruger. I'll do it tomorrow.
Friday, October 28, 2016
Day 385
We got up about 8 and had a leisurely breakfast. Then we loaded up the car and left. We left about 9:30. Traffic on 1604 was pretty heavy. It was made worse by about half a dozen trucks loaded with wide loads. One drove in the left lane and we had to follow it for miles.
Once we got about 5 miles from I35 it was smooth sailing. It was smooth sailing all the way on I35. We even made all of the lights in Kyle. We were home before 11.
It took quite awhile to unload everything, put it away, and take care of the cats. They were really hungry and really glad to see us. In fact they were very friendly for the rest of the day.
We left to go to the post office and get lunch about noon. Traffic on 290 sucked. We ate at the place across from Tomlinson's. We stopped there first to get Lucy some treats. She's still acting pretty tired.
After that we stopped at HEB for bananas and milk. Just before we left Central Texas called to say the R51 was in. So we went over and picked it up.
When we got home it was Minions and surfing. Ellen was going to call Directv, but I told her I wanted to try something first. I got out the ladder and pushed up the antenna by hand. Just as I suspected that fixed the problem. So I went to the garage and cut a piece of treated 2x4 to fit. Then I installed it between the wall of the house and the edge of the roof. That seems to have corrected the problem.
After that it was TV, Minions, surfing, and reading for the rest of the day, evening, and night.
Once we got about 5 miles from I35 it was smooth sailing. It was smooth sailing all the way on I35. We even made all of the lights in Kyle. We were home before 11.
It took quite awhile to unload everything, put it away, and take care of the cats. They were really hungry and really glad to see us. In fact they were very friendly for the rest of the day.
We left to go to the post office and get lunch about noon. Traffic on 290 sucked. We ate at the place across from Tomlinson's. We stopped there first to get Lucy some treats. She's still acting pretty tired.
After that we stopped at HEB for bananas and milk. Just before we left Central Texas called to say the R51 was in. So we went over and picked it up.
When we got home it was Minions and surfing. Ellen was going to call Directv, but I told her I wanted to try something first. I got out the ladder and pushed up the antenna by hand. Just as I suspected that fixed the problem. So I went to the garage and cut a piece of treated 2x4 to fit. Then I installed it between the wall of the house and the edge of the roof. That seems to have corrected the problem.
After that it was TV, Minions, surfing, and reading for the rest of the day, evening, and night.
Day 384
We got up at 6:30, got ready and went downstairs for a quick breakfast. Then we drove the back way to the club. It turned out to be painless. We were driving the opposite way from all the traffic. The only hold ups were a couple of school zones.
We got to the shooting station in plenty of time. The timing was almost perfect, we only had to wait about 10 minutes to start and we hadn't rushed at all.
The K-cup was pretty easy. Several people ran it and there were several 99's. I sucked. I just couldn't read the targets. I had two stations where I never hit one of the birds. I ended up with a 79. Ellen didn't do very well either. She was just inconsistent. We had fun though.
After shooting we went over to the ear plug place. We had to wait a little while they finished them up. They fit nice and sounded really good (as if I could tell). Then we went to the Kreighoff demo area to try a Parcour. I shot a whole box of shells. I shot it really well. Then I went over to Herkowitz's place. There I learned that they only come with fixed chokes and I would have to send it to Briley to get choked. That's on a $14K gun. By the time I got it choked and a soft touch put on it would be near $20K.
We had lunch at the club and then just chilled out for awhile. We went over to registration to see if there were any places left in super sporting, but there weren't. So we got a practice key and shot that instead. It was a better choice. We had fun shooting as many targets we were having trouble with as we wanted. We both got tired after two boxes, so super sporting would have been a drag.
After that we went back to the club house and sat on the patio and chilled. We watched them shoot make-a-break and the flurry. There were some really good kid shooters with expensive guns. It must be nice to have parents with that much money. Ellen called Bev and had Skip and her come over. They showed up and we talked for hours. Skip tried to convince me to buy the Kreighoff. Ellen was not amused.
Lucy acted tired the whole day. I think she overdid it yesterday, plus we did a lot of walking today. Also, we didn't bring any Zukies or Licks.
We broke up about 8. I braved Culebra and stopped at Steak and Shake for take out. It wasn't too bad. When we got back there was only on place left in the parking lot. Of course it was the farthest from the door. Then the key didn't work because we had an extra day. The desk clerk was nowhere to be found and we had to wait 10 minutes until he showed up. When we finally go everything up to the room we ate dinner and surfed for awhile.
We went to bed early, we were tired. Staying an extra night was a good call.
We got to the shooting station in plenty of time. The timing was almost perfect, we only had to wait about 10 minutes to start and we hadn't rushed at all.
The K-cup was pretty easy. Several people ran it and there were several 99's. I sucked. I just couldn't read the targets. I had two stations where I never hit one of the birds. I ended up with a 79. Ellen didn't do very well either. She was just inconsistent. We had fun though.
After shooting we went over to the ear plug place. We had to wait a little while they finished them up. They fit nice and sounded really good (as if I could tell). Then we went to the Kreighoff demo area to try a Parcour. I shot a whole box of shells. I shot it really well. Then I went over to Herkowitz's place. There I learned that they only come with fixed chokes and I would have to send it to Briley to get choked. That's on a $14K gun. By the time I got it choked and a soft touch put on it would be near $20K.
We had lunch at the club and then just chilled out for awhile. We went over to registration to see if there were any places left in super sporting, but there weren't. So we got a practice key and shot that instead. It was a better choice. We had fun shooting as many targets we were having trouble with as we wanted. We both got tired after two boxes, so super sporting would have been a drag.
After that we went back to the club house and sat on the patio and chilled. We watched them shoot make-a-break and the flurry. There were some really good kid shooters with expensive guns. It must be nice to have parents with that much money. Ellen called Bev and had Skip and her come over. They showed up and we talked for hours. Skip tried to convince me to buy the Kreighoff. Ellen was not amused.
Lucy acted tired the whole day. I think she overdid it yesterday, plus we did a lot of walking today. Also, we didn't bring any Zukies or Licks.
We broke up about 8. I braved Culebra and stopped at Steak and Shake for take out. It wasn't too bad. When we got back there was only on place left in the parking lot. Of course it was the farthest from the door. Then the key didn't work because we had an extra day. The desk clerk was nowhere to be found and we had to wait 10 minutes until he showed up. When we finally go everything up to the room we ate dinner and surfed for awhile.
We went to bed early, we were tired. Staying an extra night was a good call.
Day 383
We didn't shoot until 10:30, so we got up about 8 and had a leisurely breakfast. We took the back way to the club. It was clear, but then it was late. We did learn to stay off Culebra entirely. The under construction section was a parking lot even though it was long after rush hour.
We checked out the station we start at and also the K-cup station for tomorrow. The K-cup station is perfect as a starting station. While we were there I ran the dog. It was cool and cloudy and she did over 20 long retrieves. She was having a great time. Then we went to the clubhouse to kill some time before shooting.
I had to shoot Master class because I didn't have any targets. That meant that competing was out. I shot OK, an 85, but not good. It was an easy course, but I kept missing one at a station and had a couple of stations where I mis-read birds badly. I was just too rusty. Ellen shot pretty well though.
I had to make a long walk from station 13 to station one. The dog was tired. About halfway there she started wanting to stop at every station we passed. She acted really tired for the rest of the day. It was understandable, she had run along way and then had to walk the course and up and down vendor row.
After shooting we had lunch and then met up with Dave and Vandy. We spent most of the afternoon with them waling through vendor's row. They talked to several vendors and we showed them the gun camera. We ended up buying one. I also got fitted for som custom bluetooth ear protectors. That was late in the day, so they wouldn't be finished until the next day.
We went back to the hotel, had a shower, and met Dave and Vandy for dinner at the Longhorn. Before we left we decided to stay Thursday night and told the desk. We had a great time at dinner talking.
After dinner we stopped at HEB for eye stuff for Ellen and Zantac for me. Ellen saw Dave there.
After dinner we went home and went to bed. We had to shoot the K-cup at 8:00.
We checked out the station we start at and also the K-cup station for tomorrow. The K-cup station is perfect as a starting station. While we were there I ran the dog. It was cool and cloudy and she did over 20 long retrieves. She was having a great time. Then we went to the clubhouse to kill some time before shooting.
I had to shoot Master class because I didn't have any targets. That meant that competing was out. I shot OK, an 85, but not good. It was an easy course, but I kept missing one at a station and had a couple of stations where I mis-read birds badly. I was just too rusty. Ellen shot pretty well though.
I had to make a long walk from station 13 to station one. The dog was tired. About halfway there she started wanting to stop at every station we passed. She acted really tired for the rest of the day. It was understandable, she had run along way and then had to walk the course and up and down vendor row.
After shooting we had lunch and then met up with Dave and Vandy. We spent most of the afternoon with them waling through vendor's row. They talked to several vendors and we showed them the gun camera. We ended up buying one. I also got fitted for som custom bluetooth ear protectors. That was late in the day, so they wouldn't be finished until the next day.
We went back to the hotel, had a shower, and met Dave and Vandy for dinner at the Longhorn. Before we left we decided to stay Thursday night and told the desk. We had a great time at dinner talking.
After dinner we stopped at HEB for eye stuff for Ellen and Zantac for me. Ellen saw Dave there.
After dinner we went home and went to bed. We had to shoot the K-cup at 8:00.
Day 382
We got up at 7:30 and did the morning thing. Then it was pet stuff, breakfast, and load up the car. We were on the road before 9. I had looked it up on Google and it was actually shorter to go to New Braunfels via Dripping Springs than Kyle. We were going to vote, but the line was as long as yesterday, so we just kept on going.
The drive to I35 was uneventful. We didn't get stuck behind very much slow traffic on RR12. It was also clear sailing on I35 and 1604. I was amazed. We stopped at the hotel before going to the club. It was too early to check in, but I wanted to drive the "back way" to the club. It was good we did. Culebra is under construction and a cluster fuck.
We checked in at registration and Ellen had a good time talking with her friends. We each bought a couple of t-shirts. Then we hit vendor's row. I bought a whole bunch of t-shirts at $5 apiece. I also bought another Boyt gun case for traveling. I took my Perazzi to their booth. They said it was a gray market gun. They said it needed new ejectors and tightening of the forearm and trigger. I said do everything it needs.
We sent some time talking to Lonesome Charlie. His kids have taken over the business, he just supervises. I also saw a cool Parcours at Herkowitz's place. We got a demo of a really cool gun camera. I got a chance to talk to Jason about the Western. Of course it was kind of screwed up. He said Melinda had asked him to put it on next year. Of course he said no.
We ate lunch at the club and then did more shopping. I was basically waiting around until Perazzi was finished with my gun. They called me about 4:30. The bill was $650. It was a little more than I expected. I took the gun to a vendor that was cleaning guns for free. They had tightened the forearm so much that a could barely get it off.
The last thing we did was shoot a couple of practice 5-stands. I wanted to try out the repaired gun. The ejectors worked a lot better. The trigger was a little different, but not enough to really matter.
After that we left and checked into the hotel. It was a pretty nice place. I went out and picked up some sandwiches for dinner.
The drive to I35 was uneventful. We didn't get stuck behind very much slow traffic on RR12. It was also clear sailing on I35 and 1604. I was amazed. We stopped at the hotel before going to the club. It was too early to check in, but I wanted to drive the "back way" to the club. It was good we did. Culebra is under construction and a cluster fuck.
We checked in at registration and Ellen had a good time talking with her friends. We each bought a couple of t-shirts. Then we hit vendor's row. I bought a whole bunch of t-shirts at $5 apiece. I also bought another Boyt gun case for traveling. I took my Perazzi to their booth. They said it was a gray market gun. They said it needed new ejectors and tightening of the forearm and trigger. I said do everything it needs.
We sent some time talking to Lonesome Charlie. His kids have taken over the business, he just supervises. I also saw a cool Parcours at Herkowitz's place. We got a demo of a really cool gun camera. I got a chance to talk to Jason about the Western. Of course it was kind of screwed up. He said Melinda had asked him to put it on next year. Of course he said no.
We ate lunch at the club and then did more shopping. I was basically waiting around until Perazzi was finished with my gun. They called me about 4:30. The bill was $650. It was a little more than I expected. I took the gun to a vendor that was cleaning guns for free. They had tightened the forearm so much that a could barely get it off.
The last thing we did was shoot a couple of practice 5-stands. I wanted to try out the repaired gun. The ejectors worked a lot better. The trigger was a little different, but not enough to really matter.
After that we left and checked into the hotel. It was a pretty nice place. I went out and picked up some sandwiches for dinner.
Monday, October 24, 2016
Day 381
I was sound asleep when the alarm went off, so I turned it off and went back to sleep until 8. After that I did a little Minions and then got up. As usual the pet stuff and breakfast came next. We also started the wash, since we won't be here tomorrow.
After some more surfing and Minions we left to do errands. We drove to Dripping Springs to vote and get the sticker for the car. The line to vote was out the door. So we got the sticker and left. On the way back we stopped at the park so Lucy could run. She did a whole lot of retrieves. The cooler weather really suits her.
The next stop was the post office. Then we stopped at Costco. We turned in the broken lamp and got another. We also got candy for Casey and some water. We picked up a prescription on the way home. Ellen wanted to eat at the Italian place, so we did. Lucy got some treats when we ate.
When we got home it was some more surfing and Minions. I also got the car half packed up for tomorrow. After dinner I went to the board meeting. There was a presentation by some lady who leads a group the wants to limit light pollution. It was more interesting than it sounds.
When I got home about 9:30 it was more surfing and Minions.
After some more surfing and Minions we left to do errands. We drove to Dripping Springs to vote and get the sticker for the car. The line to vote was out the door. So we got the sticker and left. On the way back we stopped at the park so Lucy could run. She did a whole lot of retrieves. The cooler weather really suits her.
The next stop was the post office. Then we stopped at Costco. We turned in the broken lamp and got another. We also got candy for Casey and some water. We picked up a prescription on the way home. Ellen wanted to eat at the Italian place, so we did. Lucy got some treats when we ate.
When we got home it was some more surfing and Minions. I also got the car half packed up for tomorrow. After dinner I went to the board meeting. There was a presentation by some lady who leads a group the wants to limit light pollution. It was more interesting than it sounds.
When I got home about 9:30 it was more surfing and Minions.
Day 380
There was no reason to get up early this morning, so we didn't. Instead it was surfing and Minions in bed. About 9 we got up. I did the pet stuff and had breakfast. Then it was time to work.
I got out the implements of destruction and washed the car. When I was finished Ellen dried it and applied the wax. I cleaned the interior while she did that. It was filthy and took a long time. The dog slobber on the console and door was hardest to get off. It took so long that Ellen had removed the wax on more than half the car before I was done. I helped her with the rest and then put everything away.
That was the end of the work for today. The dog was really stinky and a little greasy. So we took her to Circle C to run. It was the first relatively cool day in months. She loved running - I didn't count the retrieves. After that it was over to the pet store. Lucy was really excited until she realized she was going to get a bath.
After the bath we ate at Fireman's. Lucy felt a little better when she got some treats while we ate.
When we got home it was reading, surfing, and Minions.
The TV has been fucking up lately. The HD channels are hit and miss. Sometimes they work and sometimes they have "no signal". They can go from working to "no signal" and back again in half an hour. Of course the football games are on those channels.
I did manage to watch one game on broadcast. The evening game was Seattle. They sucked.
I got out the implements of destruction and washed the car. When I was finished Ellen dried it and applied the wax. I cleaned the interior while she did that. It was filthy and took a long time. The dog slobber on the console and door was hardest to get off. It took so long that Ellen had removed the wax on more than half the car before I was done. I helped her with the rest and then put everything away.
That was the end of the work for today. The dog was really stinky and a little greasy. So we took her to Circle C to run. It was the first relatively cool day in months. She loved running - I didn't count the retrieves. After that it was over to the pet store. Lucy was really excited until she realized she was going to get a bath.
After the bath we ate at Fireman's. Lucy felt a little better when she got some treats while we ate.
When we got home it was reading, surfing, and Minions.
The TV has been fucking up lately. The HD channels are hit and miss. Sometimes they work and sometimes they have "no signal". They can go from working to "no signal" and back again in half an hour. Of course the football games are on those channels.
I did manage to watch one game on broadcast. The evening game was Seattle. They sucked.
Saturday, October 22, 2016
Day 379
There was no early morning get up today. The alarm went off at 6:15 (I forgot to change it). I turned it off and went back to sleep until after 7. I played Minions for awhile and the got up. I did the pet stuff, had breakfast, and played Minions until a little after 9. Then I went outside to pull the bullets on the cartridges that screwed up while I was reloading yesterday. I now have a group of bullets and cartridge cases, nothing resembling ammo.
As I finished the I got an idea. A couple of weeks ago I learned about a sporting clays course near Marble Falls. There was a gun show in Kingsland. Why not combine the two?
I loaded up the car and we left. The place is really pretty nice except that the clubhouse is at the end of a mile long dusty road and the clays course is another mile further on on the dusty road. The whole thing is made dustier by the massive number of offroad vehicles (jeeps, motorcycles, quads, and side by sides) that are driving all over because it's also an off road park.
The course was really nice. It's mainly flat with a great view. All of the stations overlook a wide canyon. The targets were very good and the machines worked perfectly. We were the only people o the course. That meant Lucy could run where ever the wanted. She had a great time, and so did we. It was nice to find out that I can still shoot well enough to hold my own with the targets at the National next week.
The car is now FILTHY. I was thinking about washing it tomorrow. No that is mandatory.
On the way back we drove to Kingsland for the gun show. Unlike the first time we were there, the show was crap. There were only about 10 vendors. The largest was selling baseball hats. The second largest was selling slightly overpriced reloading supplies. The other vendors had small, boring, high priced inventories. The one guy with interesting stuff didn't have any prices displayed. That's a sure sign he wasn't interested in selling anything.
On the way home Ellen set up our trip to Nationals. She signed us up for the K-cup and 20 ga. She also got us a hotel. We set the days so that we'll be able to see Dave and Vandy.
We stopped at HEB for a couple of items on the way back. I didn't bother with the mails because of the traffic.
When we got home it was surfing and TV. There are hunting shows on on Saturday nights. Several were about Africa. They were interesting.
As I finished the I got an idea. A couple of weeks ago I learned about a sporting clays course near Marble Falls. There was a gun show in Kingsland. Why not combine the two?
I loaded up the car and we left. The place is really pretty nice except that the clubhouse is at the end of a mile long dusty road and the clays course is another mile further on on the dusty road. The whole thing is made dustier by the massive number of offroad vehicles (jeeps, motorcycles, quads, and side by sides) that are driving all over because it's also an off road park.
The course was really nice. It's mainly flat with a great view. All of the stations overlook a wide canyon. The targets were very good and the machines worked perfectly. We were the only people o the course. That meant Lucy could run where ever the wanted. She had a great time, and so did we. It was nice to find out that I can still shoot well enough to hold my own with the targets at the National next week.
The car is now FILTHY. I was thinking about washing it tomorrow. No that is mandatory.
On the way back we drove to Kingsland for the gun show. Unlike the first time we were there, the show was crap. There were only about 10 vendors. The largest was selling baseball hats. The second largest was selling slightly overpriced reloading supplies. The other vendors had small, boring, high priced inventories. The one guy with interesting stuff didn't have any prices displayed. That's a sure sign he wasn't interested in selling anything.
On the way home Ellen set up our trip to Nationals. She signed us up for the K-cup and 20 ga. She also got us a hotel. We set the days so that we'll be able to see Dave and Vandy.
We stopped at HEB for a couple of items on the way back. I didn't bother with the mails because of the traffic.
When we got home it was surfing and TV. There are hunting shows on on Saturday nights. Several were about Africa. They were interesting.
Friday, October 21, 2016
Day 378
We got up at 6:15 today. After pet stuff and breakfast we left for the shoot. It was at a game preserve on the other side of I35 across from Buda.
It was fun. I got to work a shoot. I missed it. I helped with the orientation and got the women doing the flurry set up. Ellen and I did the mulligans. That meant that we sat around until everyone was finished shooting. Then each squad came through with each shooter shooting up to 4 mulligans. Of course that meant we were the last people off the course.
Lucy came along, but she didn't get to do anything. The preserve itself was amazing. They had a lot of African animals including hippos, rhinos, giraffes, and several kinds of plains game. It was really kind of neat.
It was cold in the morning and only up to 70 or so with a stiff wind. We wore long pants and sweat shirts. We would have been in t-shirts if we were in Oregon.
We were done about noon. We ate lunch there (the food was so-so) and then left. We went straight home.
When we got home I went out to do some reloading. I ran 250 rounds back through the reloader to shorten them. Then I loaded another 100 rounds. It took quite awhile because the loader kept fouling up. It's not really the loader's fault. I need a more stable table.
The rest of the day was surfing, reading, and watching a movie.
It was fun. I got to work a shoot. I missed it. I helped with the orientation and got the women doing the flurry set up. Ellen and I did the mulligans. That meant that we sat around until everyone was finished shooting. Then each squad came through with each shooter shooting up to 4 mulligans. Of course that meant we were the last people off the course.
Lucy came along, but she didn't get to do anything. The preserve itself was amazing. They had a lot of African animals including hippos, rhinos, giraffes, and several kinds of plains game. It was really kind of neat.
It was cold in the morning and only up to 70 or so with a stiff wind. We wore long pants and sweat shirts. We would have been in t-shirts if we were in Oregon.
We were done about noon. We ate lunch there (the food was so-so) and then left. We went straight home.
When we got home I went out to do some reloading. I ran 250 rounds back through the reloader to shorten them. Then I loaded another 100 rounds. It took quite awhile because the loader kept fouling up. It's not really the loader's fault. I need a more stable table.
The rest of the day was surfing, reading, and watching a movie.
Thursday, October 20, 2016
Day 377
I woke up about 6 today, but I went back to sleep. I woke up again at 7 and started playing Minions. I did that until a little before 8. Then I got up, did the pet stuff, and had breakfast. After that I played Minions until about 9.
Then it was time to go out and finish the pump shelter. I started by attaching the roof. The I removed the flashing and put on the roof paper. I had to buy 212 sq ft of paper. I used 32 sq ft. After that it was reinstall the flashing.
Then I started on the roofing. It would have gone faster except for several things. First, it started raining. So I had to sit inside for about 45 minutes or an hour. Second, I did about 4 courses before I realized I was lining them up wrong. I had to remove them all and start over again. Finally, I had to measure and cut each piece. Nothing fit out of the box.
The last step was gluing down the last roof course and the side pieces. The glue was amazing. It applied easily and acted like an almost instantaneous bond.
After that I cleaned everything up. The scrap roofing went into the garbage. The left over shingles and paper went to the back shed. All of the tools went back to their appointed places. IT'S FINISHED!!!
I got done about 3:30. I went back inside for surfing and a shower. Ellen had spent the day doing credit card bills. She's feeling really shitty due to the poison. Also, the wasp bite from yesterday had her arm all inflamed. She finally called the doctor, who said it was OK to take Benadryl. That helped a lot.
In the evening I watched football. Tomorrow we have to get up early and go to Buda to work a shoot. It's going to be a bitch getting there in the morning.
Then it was time to go out and finish the pump shelter. I started by attaching the roof. The I removed the flashing and put on the roof paper. I had to buy 212 sq ft of paper. I used 32 sq ft. After that it was reinstall the flashing.
Then I started on the roofing. It would have gone faster except for several things. First, it started raining. So I had to sit inside for about 45 minutes or an hour. Second, I did about 4 courses before I realized I was lining them up wrong. I had to remove them all and start over again. Finally, I had to measure and cut each piece. Nothing fit out of the box.
The last step was gluing down the last roof course and the side pieces. The glue was amazing. It applied easily and acted like an almost instantaneous bond.
After that I cleaned everything up. The scrap roofing went into the garbage. The left over shingles and paper went to the back shed. All of the tools went back to their appointed places. IT'S FINISHED!!!
I got done about 3:30. I went back inside for surfing and a shower. Ellen had spent the day doing credit card bills. She's feeling really shitty due to the poison. Also, the wasp bite from yesterday had her arm all inflamed. She finally called the doctor, who said it was OK to take Benadryl. That helped a lot.
In the evening I watched football. Tomorrow we have to get up early and go to Buda to work a shoot. It's going to be a bitch getting there in the morning.
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
Day 376
I woke up at 6:45 today and couldn't get back to sleep. So I played Minions. That lasted for about an hour or so. Then I got up, did the pet stuff, had breakfast, and did a little surfing.
Then I went outside to work on the pump shelter. Just like yesterday things were harder than they needed to be. The first task was to put on the door hardware. Because of the way the hinges worked I had to inlet part of the door to make them fit. The Dremel worked fine, but it took a fair amount of time.
When I went out with the door to attach it to the shelter I ran into the fact that that side wasn't square. The door didn't fit at all. I had to use the jigsaw to cut quite a bit off the top of the door. Then I had to use it to do some trimming on the sides. The final fitting was done with a plane. I would mark a spot, plane it some, put it back, and repeat. It was a time consuming pain in the ass. The final result works well though.
The last work was painting. I had to paint the edges of the door that I'd cut or planed on. I also repaired a couple of places on the door that I'd dinged while I was working on it. I also repaired the paint on the trim that Ellen messed up yesterday. I should have done the cutting in yesterday. I actually did a really good job of it today.
Yesterday I got on the web and discovered that I should have RTFM'd about putting on shingles. I needed to put down roofing paper before the flashing. I also needed roofing cement for the top course. That meant no shingle assembly today. That was OK, becuase I needed to take Ellen to the doctor and had just enough time to take a shower first.
After the doctor we had lunch at Arby's. Then I stopped at Lowe's and got paper and cement. Of course I had to buy 245 sq ft of paper. I'll probably use about 16 or 18. The last stop was the post office.
When I got home I went out to clean Ellen's new gun. The instructions were for a different gun. I couldn't figure out how to get it apart. I finally called their tech support and they filled in the needed information. It's actually an improvement over a standard 1911. I also cleaned my 9mm pistol build because I planned on going with Ellen tonight.
We went to Red's after dinner. On the way there a wasp flew in the window and stung Ellen. So we stopped at HEB to get some stuff to put on the sting. Red's was packed. That meant Ellen had to wait to shoot and I wasn't going to shoot. I went out to the car and surfed instead. It was like sitting in a sauna.
When Ellen got out she said that the gun had a lot of failures to eject and stovepipes. That's either because it's new, the ammo was cheap 115gr stuff, or I put the spring in backwards. I'll work on it tomorrow. She shot it well though.
When we got home we notices that Taiko is limping badly. It seems to be his right back leg. He's eating and moving around though. He may have just tweaked himself jumping down off the washer. We'll see tomorrow.
Then I went outside to work on the pump shelter. Just like yesterday things were harder than they needed to be. The first task was to put on the door hardware. Because of the way the hinges worked I had to inlet part of the door to make them fit. The Dremel worked fine, but it took a fair amount of time.
When I went out with the door to attach it to the shelter I ran into the fact that that side wasn't square. The door didn't fit at all. I had to use the jigsaw to cut quite a bit off the top of the door. Then I had to use it to do some trimming on the sides. The final fitting was done with a plane. I would mark a spot, plane it some, put it back, and repeat. It was a time consuming pain in the ass. The final result works well though.
The last work was painting. I had to paint the edges of the door that I'd cut or planed on. I also repaired a couple of places on the door that I'd dinged while I was working on it. I also repaired the paint on the trim that Ellen messed up yesterday. I should have done the cutting in yesterday. I actually did a really good job of it today.
Yesterday I got on the web and discovered that I should have RTFM'd about putting on shingles. I needed to put down roofing paper before the flashing. I also needed roofing cement for the top course. That meant no shingle assembly today. That was OK, becuase I needed to take Ellen to the doctor and had just enough time to take a shower first.
After the doctor we had lunch at Arby's. Then I stopped at Lowe's and got paper and cement. Of course I had to buy 245 sq ft of paper. I'll probably use about 16 or 18. The last stop was the post office.
When I got home I went out to clean Ellen's new gun. The instructions were for a different gun. I couldn't figure out how to get it apart. I finally called their tech support and they filled in the needed information. It's actually an improvement over a standard 1911. I also cleaned my 9mm pistol build because I planned on going with Ellen tonight.
We went to Red's after dinner. On the way there a wasp flew in the window and stung Ellen. So we stopped at HEB to get some stuff to put on the sting. Red's was packed. That meant Ellen had to wait to shoot and I wasn't going to shoot. I went out to the car and surfed instead. It was like sitting in a sauna.
When Ellen got out she said that the gun had a lot of failures to eject and stovepipes. That's either because it's new, the ammo was cheap 115gr stuff, or I put the spring in backwards. I'll work on it tomorrow. She shot it well though.
When we got home we notices that Taiko is limping badly. It seems to be his right back leg. He's eating and moving around though. He may have just tweaked himself jumping down off the washer. We'll see tomorrow.
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Day 375
I went back to sleep for half an hour when the alarm went off. Then I started playing Minions. It was 10 before I was ready to do the pet stuff and eat breakfast.
After that I went out to finish the stuff I was working on yesterday. I replaced the screws on the well house door latch with bolts. Now it latches securely. That took longer than it should have. In fact, everything I worked on today seemed to fight me.
After the latch was finished I painted the pump shelter door. The new paint looks like a really close match to the well house color. Then I went out to put masking tape on the shelter. I had run out of the tape I used yesterday, and the damn new tape wouldn't stick. I had two types, and neither would stick. Like I said, everything was fighting me.
I ended up painting the shelter leaving a small strip bordering each trim strip. When I was finished I asked Ellen to cut it in. I guess the chemo has gotten to her. She did a really shitty job. It was so shitty that I took over after she wrecked three sides of the shelter. I'll have to repaint the trim on those sides tomorrow. After that the only things left to do are hang the door, put on the roof, and put on the shingles.
I was hot, tired, and sweaty by the time I finished. I went inside, played some Minions, did some surfing, and ate lunch. The dog was really disappointed that we hadn't done anything interesting. So about 3 I took her to the back and threw the bumper. It's nice that that area doesn't have stickers. After that I took a shower.
The rest of the day was surfing. After dinner I did some reading. Ellen watched a bunch of chick shows. We also watched a zombie show that we'd taped.
After that I went out to finish the stuff I was working on yesterday. I replaced the screws on the well house door latch with bolts. Now it latches securely. That took longer than it should have. In fact, everything I worked on today seemed to fight me.
After the latch was finished I painted the pump shelter door. The new paint looks like a really close match to the well house color. Then I went out to put masking tape on the shelter. I had run out of the tape I used yesterday, and the damn new tape wouldn't stick. I had two types, and neither would stick. Like I said, everything was fighting me.
I ended up painting the shelter leaving a small strip bordering each trim strip. When I was finished I asked Ellen to cut it in. I guess the chemo has gotten to her. She did a really shitty job. It was so shitty that I took over after she wrecked three sides of the shelter. I'll have to repaint the trim on those sides tomorrow. After that the only things left to do are hang the door, put on the roof, and put on the shingles.
I was hot, tired, and sweaty by the time I finished. I went inside, played some Minions, did some surfing, and ate lunch. The dog was really disappointed that we hadn't done anything interesting. So about 3 I took her to the back and threw the bumper. It's nice that that area doesn't have stickers. After that I took a shower.
The rest of the day was surfing. After dinner I did some reading. Ellen watched a bunch of chick shows. We also watched a zombie show that we'd taped.
Monday, October 17, 2016
Day 374
Ellen didn't need to go to the doctor until 11. So I went back to sleep for an hour after the alarm went off. Then I played Minions for another hour. I got up at 10 and did the pet stuff and had breakfast. After a little surfing it was time to leave.
After I let Ellen off I went to Central Texas. I didn't expect them to have a R51 and they didn't. I was going to ask Storied Firearms, but they are closed today.
I stopped at the post office and then went home. I got out the paint and started painting the trim. I got it all done. By the time I was finished it was hot. I was going to paint the door, but the old paint I found turned out to be the wrong color. So I took the door latch mount off the well house door for a paint match. I'd been meaning to fix it anyway.
After that I surfed until Ellen texted to say she was done. So I drove back. I had to wait while she waited on the doctor. When were were finished we did some grocery shopping at the yuppie grocery.
Then we ate a late lunch/early dinner at Longhorn. It was really good as usual. It's becoming one of my favorite places.
The last stop was Lowe's. We got a gallon of paint that should match what's on the well house.
When we got home we fed the cats and dog. The rest of the evening was surfing, reading, and gun shows.
After I let Ellen off I went to Central Texas. I didn't expect them to have a R51 and they didn't. I was going to ask Storied Firearms, but they are closed today.
I stopped at the post office and then went home. I got out the paint and started painting the trim. I got it all done. By the time I was finished it was hot. I was going to paint the door, but the old paint I found turned out to be the wrong color. So I took the door latch mount off the well house door for a paint match. I'd been meaning to fix it anyway.
After that I surfed until Ellen texted to say she was done. So I drove back. I had to wait while she waited on the doctor. When were were finished we did some grocery shopping at the yuppie grocery.
Then we ate a late lunch/early dinner at Longhorn. It was really good as usual. It's becoming one of my favorite places.
The last stop was Lowe's. We got a gallon of paint that should match what's on the well house.
When we got home we fed the cats and dog. The rest of the evening was surfing, reading, and gun shows.
Day 373
We were up at 7:15 again today. I did the pet stuff and had breakfast. The we hit the road. There wasn't any traffic to speak of and we made good time. We were waiting at the gate 5 minutes early.
The first place we stopped was the long range rifle area. We shot this amazing optic system. It had a solenoid that operated the trigger. You put a red dot on what you wanted to hit. Then you moved the sight marker across it and the rifle fired itself when it was on target. I was making 250 yd head shots without even trying.
Next we shot a Bergera rifle at 1000 yards. The rep set the windage and elevation. I hit the upper body metal target twice. The third time I made a 250 yd head shot (actually a neck shot. I can't believe I did that.
After that we went to the STI and Walther booths. Ellen confirmed that she really wanted a STI ( more later). Both of us decided that we liked the .45 Walther better than the 9mm, so I'll probably buy one of those at Cabela's at the end of the year. We also stopped at IWI so Ellen could shoot the Tavor. She was so so about it. I'm kind of warming up to it.
We stopped at Capitol Armory just to shoot because there was no one there. While we were there we had our finger prints registered so that we can buy more NFA items if we want to. It took a long time to do that because their power went out.
We did a little more looking around the shopping area. Ellen bought a t-shirt and I bought a set of AR pins. We also ate lunch there. It was OK, but not wonderful. After that we were pretty tired so we left.
On the way home I stopped at the post office. As we were leaving I realized that STI had said that Red's was a dealer. So we stopped in. They had the model Ellen wanted, and they had it for $400 less than list. So we bought it. Unfortunately they didn't have a R51.
The dog was really happy when we got home. She and the cats got dinner. After an hour I took her out and threw the bumper for her.
The evening was reading and watching movies (no football).
The first place we stopped was the long range rifle area. We shot this amazing optic system. It had a solenoid that operated the trigger. You put a red dot on what you wanted to hit. Then you moved the sight marker across it and the rifle fired itself when it was on target. I was making 250 yd head shots without even trying.
Next we shot a Bergera rifle at 1000 yards. The rep set the windage and elevation. I hit the upper body metal target twice. The third time I made a 250 yd head shot (actually a neck shot. I can't believe I did that.
After that we went to the STI and Walther booths. Ellen confirmed that she really wanted a STI ( more later). Both of us decided that we liked the .45 Walther better than the 9mm, so I'll probably buy one of those at Cabela's at the end of the year. We also stopped at IWI so Ellen could shoot the Tavor. She was so so about it. I'm kind of warming up to it.
We stopped at Capitol Armory just to shoot because there was no one there. While we were there we had our finger prints registered so that we can buy more NFA items if we want to. It took a long time to do that because their power went out.
We did a little more looking around the shopping area. Ellen bought a t-shirt and I bought a set of AR pins. We also ate lunch there. It was OK, but not wonderful. After that we were pretty tired so we left.
On the way home I stopped at the post office. As we were leaving I realized that STI had said that Red's was a dealer. So we stopped in. They had the model Ellen wanted, and they had it for $400 less than list. So we bought it. Unfortunately they didn't have a R51.
The dog was really happy when we got home. She and the cats got dinner. After an hour I took her out and threw the bumper for her.
The evening was reading and watching movies (no football).
Saturday, October 15, 2016
Day 372
We got up at 7:15 this morning. I did the pet stuff and ate breakfast. We put the pets away and left for Liberty Hill. The drive up was uneventful and took about an hour. We got there just before 9. I think we waited a minute or two before they opened the gate.
We stayed until about 3. Their were all sorts of opportunities to shoot different guns. I shot several that I hadn't before. I also got to try 300 BLK and 7.63 AR's for the first time. I even shot a Tavor. It's an interesting gun. I probably would have bought a MPX if they had one. I've cooled off now and I don't think I will. I definitely will buy a R51.
Being a VIP meant that lot's of time we didn't have to wait very long. On other stands there were more VIP's than regular people.
Ellen shot a STI that she really liked. I suspect we may buy one. I also got a chance to shoot both the 9mm and .45 PPQ's. That will probably be my Christmas gun.
The day was pleasant. It was partly cloudy with a nice breeze. That kept the temperature down. We ate their free lunch. It was pretty good, but I think the roach coaches were better.
All in all it was a fun day. We had enough fun that we're going to go back tomorrow morning. We won't stay as long, but the firts hour with only VIP's is nice.
We got home about 4. There were a couple of short delays along the way.
In the evening I played Minions and we watched a very weird western zombie movie.
We stayed until about 3. Their were all sorts of opportunities to shoot different guns. I shot several that I hadn't before. I also got to try 300 BLK and 7.63 AR's for the first time. I even shot a Tavor. It's an interesting gun. I probably would have bought a MPX if they had one. I've cooled off now and I don't think I will. I definitely will buy a R51.
Being a VIP meant that lot's of time we didn't have to wait very long. On other stands there were more VIP's than regular people.
Ellen shot a STI that she really liked. I suspect we may buy one. I also got a chance to shoot both the 9mm and .45 PPQ's. That will probably be my Christmas gun.
The day was pleasant. It was partly cloudy with a nice breeze. That kept the temperature down. We ate their free lunch. It was pretty good, but I think the roach coaches were better.
All in all it was a fun day. We had enough fun that we're going to go back tomorrow morning. We won't stay as long, but the firts hour with only VIP's is nice.
We got home about 4. There were a couple of short delays along the way.
In the evening I played Minions and we watched a very weird western zombie movie.
Friday, October 14, 2016
Day 371
I went back to sleep for half an hour when the alarm went off. When I woke up again, I played Minions until 10. The dog and cats were not excited about the delayed breakfast. I got up, did the pet stuff, and had breakfast. Then I surfed until about 1.
We left at one to run the dog. We figured she deserved it because she was going to be locked up in the afternoon/evening today and most of tomorrow. We took her to Circle C. It was cloudy and only in the 80's. She did 16 retrieves. Then we drove her home and had a late lunch.
We left for Liberty Hill about 2:15. I didn't want to leave any later because of the traffic. We got stuck in really slow traffic from just before the river to about 45th. After that things sped up. We took the 183 toll road north. It was busy, but moving at a good clip. The speed limit on it is 75. We actually made good time. We were there in about an hour and 15 minutes. That made us about 40 minutes early.
When we checked in the lady gave us wrist bands for both Saturday and Sunday. That was strange, since I thought we only paid for Saturday. I bought ticket for 50 round ($20). That was enough to shoot 5 magazines. Then we went back to the car and waited until 4.
I'd say about 1/3 of the vendors were open. The real attraction was the automatic weapons. They limited the weapons to 9mm and 5.56. The first to magazines went through suppressed MP5's. Then I just went around and looked at the displays. We bought a couple of t-shirts (2 for Ellen, 1 for me). After awhile Ellen got tired, so she sat in the eating area while I walked around. I shot a 5.56 rifle with an EOtech. The sight was nice. I also shot a couple of magazines through a 9mm AR I was thinking about buying. I'm likely to wait until it's available in 10mm though.
After that we had dinner. They had several roach coaches there. They all had good menus and it was hard to decide. I ended up with fish and chips. Ellen had steak and fries. They were good.
After that I decided to do some more shooting. I walked back out to the front and bought another $24 worth of ammo. I shot a regular suppressed 5.56. Then I went back and shot the suppressed MP5 again and also a roller action 5.56. The roller action rifle was kind of neat. I'm going back tomorrow to shoot it in 300 BLK. I shot the last three magazines at the place with the 9mm AR. I shot the 5.56 first. The magazine loader dropped a cartridge and didn't notice it. I picked it up and put it in the loose ammo box. They saw it and gave me 11 extra cartridges to load in my magazine. That allowed me to shoot 21 shots full auto. That was fun.
I tried to do the last two tickets the same way on a 9mm gun, but the loader there wouldn't let me. I was getting dark by then and the lights were on, but they didn't do much good. The 9mm they gave me had iron sights, which I couldn't see. I shot the first magazine and kind of got used to things. I shot the second full auto, 3 round bursts. I hit the center scoring plate with all 9 burst shots and the last single shot. The RO was impressed. So was I, since I couldn't see the sights and could barely see the target.
After that we went home. There were no traffic slow downs and the trip took a little over an hour. We got home about 8:30. As near as we can figure, the round trip cost $6 in tolls.
The dog was very happy when we got home. She got a little more than normal food and immediately her Kong. That didn't satisfy her though. After she finished the Kong she started barking for a treat to make up for not getting a rice bone for being locked up. I gave her a couple of cookies.
The dog has a cast iron bladder. She didn't want to go outside until 10. That's about 8 hours after we put her in the cage.
The rest of the evening was a little Minions, a little surfing, and a call to Mom. I finally got a hold of her. I've called several times in the last few days. She seems to be dong all right. She didn't complain about anything.
I'm going to bed a little early. I think we'll have to get up about 7:15 tomorrow in order to make it to Liberty Hill by 9.
We left at one to run the dog. We figured she deserved it because she was going to be locked up in the afternoon/evening today and most of tomorrow. We took her to Circle C. It was cloudy and only in the 80's. She did 16 retrieves. Then we drove her home and had a late lunch.
We left for Liberty Hill about 2:15. I didn't want to leave any later because of the traffic. We got stuck in really slow traffic from just before the river to about 45th. After that things sped up. We took the 183 toll road north. It was busy, but moving at a good clip. The speed limit on it is 75. We actually made good time. We were there in about an hour and 15 minutes. That made us about 40 minutes early.
When we checked in the lady gave us wrist bands for both Saturday and Sunday. That was strange, since I thought we only paid for Saturday. I bought ticket for 50 round ($20). That was enough to shoot 5 magazines. Then we went back to the car and waited until 4.
I'd say about 1/3 of the vendors were open. The real attraction was the automatic weapons. They limited the weapons to 9mm and 5.56. The first to magazines went through suppressed MP5's. Then I just went around and looked at the displays. We bought a couple of t-shirts (2 for Ellen, 1 for me). After awhile Ellen got tired, so she sat in the eating area while I walked around. I shot a 5.56 rifle with an EOtech. The sight was nice. I also shot a couple of magazines through a 9mm AR I was thinking about buying. I'm likely to wait until it's available in 10mm though.
After that we had dinner. They had several roach coaches there. They all had good menus and it was hard to decide. I ended up with fish and chips. Ellen had steak and fries. They were good.
After that I decided to do some more shooting. I walked back out to the front and bought another $24 worth of ammo. I shot a regular suppressed 5.56. Then I went back and shot the suppressed MP5 again and also a roller action 5.56. The roller action rifle was kind of neat. I'm going back tomorrow to shoot it in 300 BLK. I shot the last three magazines at the place with the 9mm AR. I shot the 5.56 first. The magazine loader dropped a cartridge and didn't notice it. I picked it up and put it in the loose ammo box. They saw it and gave me 11 extra cartridges to load in my magazine. That allowed me to shoot 21 shots full auto. That was fun.
I tried to do the last two tickets the same way on a 9mm gun, but the loader there wouldn't let me. I was getting dark by then and the lights were on, but they didn't do much good. The 9mm they gave me had iron sights, which I couldn't see. I shot the first magazine and kind of got used to things. I shot the second full auto, 3 round bursts. I hit the center scoring plate with all 9 burst shots and the last single shot. The RO was impressed. So was I, since I couldn't see the sights and could barely see the target.
After that we went home. There were no traffic slow downs and the trip took a little over an hour. We got home about 8:30. As near as we can figure, the round trip cost $6 in tolls.
The dog was very happy when we got home. She got a little more than normal food and immediately her Kong. That didn't satisfy her though. After she finished the Kong she started barking for a treat to make up for not getting a rice bone for being locked up. I gave her a couple of cookies.
The dog has a cast iron bladder. She didn't want to go outside until 10. That's about 8 hours after we put her in the cage.
The rest of the evening was a little Minions, a little surfing, and a call to Mom. I finally got a hold of her. I've called several times in the last few days. She seems to be dong all right. She didn't complain about anything.
I'm going to bed a little early. I think we'll have to get up about 7:15 tomorrow in order to make it to Liberty Hill by 9.
Thursday, October 13, 2016
Day 370
I got up again when the alarm went off. I did a little Minions and then got up to do the pet stuff and have breakfast. As soon as I was done with that I went out to work on the shelter.
I completed putting the flashing on the roof. Then I cut and attached the 6 pieces of trim. In a perfect world I would have painted the trim next. Unfortunately it was supposed to rain today. So I went up on as cleanup crusade instead.
I put the tools away and swept up all of the sawdust in the garage. I also stacked all of the remaining 2x4's against the wall and secured them with a bungee cord. I put the moving blankets above the tool cabinet. That's a better place for them anyway. Finally, I took the remaining panels and leaned them up outside the well house. I covered them with a tarp to protect them.
I still hadn't worked that long, so I went to the well house and hauled out the panels ans sheet rock that had been left there. The panels were trashed and the sheet rock was warped. So I cut them all up into pieces and put them in the garage can. I also swept the place out. It was filthy. Finally I took the metal can that Jeff wanted over to his place.
By then it was noon and I decided to call it a day. Besides, I didn't have anything else to do.
After an hour or so of surfing and lunch I took a shower. Then we went to do some errands. Lucy REALLY wanted to go. We went to the post office and then to HEB for some groceries. We also stopped at Circle C to run the dog. She did 13 retrieves, which was OK. The last stop was for gas so we won't have to worry about it this weekend.
When we got home I did some more surfing and Minions. It did rain a little, just enough to wreck the paint if I'd tried to do it.
The evening was watching random TV shows and reading.
I completed putting the flashing on the roof. Then I cut and attached the 6 pieces of trim. In a perfect world I would have painted the trim next. Unfortunately it was supposed to rain today. So I went up on as cleanup crusade instead.
I put the tools away and swept up all of the sawdust in the garage. I also stacked all of the remaining 2x4's against the wall and secured them with a bungee cord. I put the moving blankets above the tool cabinet. That's a better place for them anyway. Finally, I took the remaining panels and leaned them up outside the well house. I covered them with a tarp to protect them.
I still hadn't worked that long, so I went to the well house and hauled out the panels ans sheet rock that had been left there. The panels were trashed and the sheet rock was warped. So I cut them all up into pieces and put them in the garage can. I also swept the place out. It was filthy. Finally I took the metal can that Jeff wanted over to his place.
By then it was noon and I decided to call it a day. Besides, I didn't have anything else to do.
After an hour or so of surfing and lunch I took a shower. Then we went to do some errands. Lucy REALLY wanted to go. We went to the post office and then to HEB for some groceries. We also stopped at Circle C to run the dog. She did 13 retrieves, which was OK. The last stop was for gas so we won't have to worry about it this weekend.
When we got home I did some more surfing and Minions. It did rain a little, just enough to wreck the paint if I'd tried to do it.
The evening was watching random TV shows and reading.
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
Day 369
I got up with the alarm today. I spent about half an hour on Minions and then got up. The pet stuff and breakfast followed. I checked to make sure that update was now working. It is. That's a relief.
I went outside to continue work on the shelter. I cut the reinforcing pieces for the door and glued them on the door. Then I started doing the trim. I had originally planned on using the 2" stuff for the roof trim. I decided to use the 4" stuff instead. I got the roof trim done and one of the corners. Then I ran out of material. I figured I had to buy two more 12' boards (the only size they come in). I'm only going to use 29" of the second board.
I didn't want to quit, so I started to install the flashing. In a fit of stupidity I'd only bought one piece, even though my shopping list had said buy two. That meant I could only do two sides of the roof. It looks nice though. That was it. I was out of material. I did look for paint. I found the trim paint I used when I replaced the boards on the well house. I can probably still used it. I also foudn a partial gallon of the wall paint. It's dated 2009. I'm not sure that will be usable.
It was 11:30 when I got finished. I went inside, took a shower, and had lunch.
After lunch we locked away the pets, including Lucy. The first stop was the post office. They lost another package. It had about $20 worth of stuff. Crap.
Then we stopped at the haircut place. I actually like the haircut I got. The next stop was Lowe's for the boards and flashing. The last stop was Costco for water. They already have all of their Christmas stuff out, two weeks before Halloween.
We got home at 3. I would have gone out to do more work, but the mosquitoes would have eaten me alive. Instead I surfed.
After dinner I watched a Jackie Chan movie that I taped when HBO had a free weekend. I also played a little more Minions.
I went outside to continue work on the shelter. I cut the reinforcing pieces for the door and glued them on the door. Then I started doing the trim. I had originally planned on using the 2" stuff for the roof trim. I decided to use the 4" stuff instead. I got the roof trim done and one of the corners. Then I ran out of material. I figured I had to buy two more 12' boards (the only size they come in). I'm only going to use 29" of the second board.
I didn't want to quit, so I started to install the flashing. In a fit of stupidity I'd only bought one piece, even though my shopping list had said buy two. That meant I could only do two sides of the roof. It looks nice though. That was it. I was out of material. I did look for paint. I found the trim paint I used when I replaced the boards on the well house. I can probably still used it. I also foudn a partial gallon of the wall paint. It's dated 2009. I'm not sure that will be usable.
It was 11:30 when I got finished. I went inside, took a shower, and had lunch.
After lunch we locked away the pets, including Lucy. The first stop was the post office. They lost another package. It had about $20 worth of stuff. Crap.
Then we stopped at the haircut place. I actually like the haircut I got. The next stop was Lowe's for the boards and flashing. The last stop was Costco for water. They already have all of their Christmas stuff out, two weeks before Halloween.
We got home at 3. I would have gone out to do more work, but the mosquitoes would have eaten me alive. Instead I surfed.
After dinner I watched a Jackie Chan movie that I taped when HBO had a free weekend. I also played a little more Minions.
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
Day 368
I got up after about half an hour of playing Minions and surfing. I did the pet stuff and had breakfast. Then I showed Ellen how to get around my computer. She worked on getting update to work on my computer while I worked on the shelter.
I spent about 4 and a half hours on the shelter. Then I quit because I was hot, tired, and it was past time for lunch. I got the other three wall attached. I also got gravel back filled around the foundation - inside and out. I would have gotten more done except I screwed up the door side. I carefully measured and cut out the door. Unfortunately the side wasn't square, and I did it backwards. I had to recut the whole thing in pieces. That's another reason I quit - I was frustrated.
When I got back inside I drank three bottles of water. Then I had lunch. Then I took a shower. Then I changed Ellen's bag. We just di it yesterday. It was messy because she'd just had lunch.
Ellen fixed update. Unfortunately a system scan shows that a system fie is being continually changed. I think I've got a virus. I did all the updates.
After that I went to the post office. There was supposed to be a package there, delivered Saturday. It wasn't there. I bet they've lost another one.
When I got back I worked some more on the computer. It turns out the updates were downloaded, but not installed. I'm going to run that scan again and then immediately try an update tonight.
The rest of the evening was spent watching a couple of movies and a little Minions.
I spent about 4 and a half hours on the shelter. Then I quit because I was hot, tired, and it was past time for lunch. I got the other three wall attached. I also got gravel back filled around the foundation - inside and out. I would have gotten more done except I screwed up the door side. I carefully measured and cut out the door. Unfortunately the side wasn't square, and I did it backwards. I had to recut the whole thing in pieces. That's another reason I quit - I was frustrated.
When I got back inside I drank three bottles of water. Then I had lunch. Then I took a shower. Then I changed Ellen's bag. We just di it yesterday. It was messy because she'd just had lunch.
Ellen fixed update. Unfortunately a system scan shows that a system fie is being continually changed. I think I've got a virus. I did all the updates.
After that I went to the post office. There was supposed to be a package there, delivered Saturday. It wasn't there. I bet they've lost another one.
When I got back I worked some more on the computer. It turns out the updates were downloaded, but not installed. I'm going to run that scan again and then immediately try an update tonight.
The rest of the evening was spent watching a couple of movies and a little Minions.
Monday, October 10, 2016
Day 367
I started playing Minions when the alarm went off. I think I played for about an hour before I got up, did the pet stuff, and had breakfast. After that I did a little more Minions and some surfing.
I really want to continue making progress on the well shelter, so I went outside. I assembled the walls into two sub-assemblies and took the out to the foundation. Then I joined them. It was fairly easy to do with the use of clamps.
At that point I started doing measurements on what I'd need to finish the project. Then I went inside and wrote down a detailed shopping list. It had at least a dozen items.
Then it was off to Lowe's. I thought that I'd seen the siding that was used on the house there, but I was wrong. I bought some similar looking stuff instead. I ended up with $170 worth of stuff including two sheets of siding and one of roofing. When I was loading up the truck there was a young Lowe's employee assigned to help people. I was glad he was there, it made things a lot easier. I told Ellen I would have had no problem loading things when I was his age, but at 64 I just can't haul stuff like I could then.
Before going home we stopped for hamburgers. The there was a short stop at HEB and a stop at Circle C to run the dog. It was 85 abd sunny, but Lucy still did 11 long retrieves. We got hoe about 3. When we got home I unloaded the truck by myself. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.
I wanted to make progress, so I decided to work until 5. I got the rafters attached. I also cut out the siding for one wall and attached it. It was near 5 when I measured out the siding for a second side. I wold have continued, but the mosquitoes were eating me alive. I had three eating on my leg at the same time.
In the evening I decided to try to get Windows Update to work. The "trouble shooter" program said that a file was corrupted, but that it couldn't fix it. I did some more looking on the web and found a description of a possible fix. It's a long process and I was tired, so I'm going to have Ellen do it tomorrow.
The evening was a football game. After that I got a chance to see the Cubs play the Giants. Unfortunately they lost.
I really want to continue making progress on the well shelter, so I went outside. I assembled the walls into two sub-assemblies and took the out to the foundation. Then I joined them. It was fairly easy to do with the use of clamps.
At that point I started doing measurements on what I'd need to finish the project. Then I went inside and wrote down a detailed shopping list. It had at least a dozen items.
Then it was off to Lowe's. I thought that I'd seen the siding that was used on the house there, but I was wrong. I bought some similar looking stuff instead. I ended up with $170 worth of stuff including two sheets of siding and one of roofing. When I was loading up the truck there was a young Lowe's employee assigned to help people. I was glad he was there, it made things a lot easier. I told Ellen I would have had no problem loading things when I was his age, but at 64 I just can't haul stuff like I could then.
Before going home we stopped for hamburgers. The there was a short stop at HEB and a stop at Circle C to run the dog. It was 85 abd sunny, but Lucy still did 11 long retrieves. We got hoe about 3. When we got home I unloaded the truck by myself. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.
I wanted to make progress, so I decided to work until 5. I got the rafters attached. I also cut out the siding for one wall and attached it. It was near 5 when I measured out the siding for a second side. I wold have continued, but the mosquitoes were eating me alive. I had three eating on my leg at the same time.
In the evening I decided to try to get Windows Update to work. The "trouble shooter" program said that a file was corrupted, but that it couldn't fix it. I did some more looking on the web and found a description of a possible fix. It's a long process and I was tired, so I'm going to have Ellen do it tomorrow.
The evening was a football game. After that I got a chance to see the Cubs play the Giants. Unfortunately they lost.
Sunday, October 9, 2016
Day 366
Today started off really slow. When the alarm went off I turned over and went back to sleep. When I did wake up I played Minions until 10. Then I got up, did the pet stuff, and had breakfast.
Then I changed gears. I went outside and put strings on the shelter foundation to measure how big the walls needed to be. Then I went to the garage and got out the miter saw. I cut all of the boards needed for the walls. I started to assemble them, but didn't get far because I only had about 10 screws.
So it was off to Lowe's for screws. We stopped at the Kolache place that we'd been wanting to go to. Their stuff was pretty good, but I was disappointed in the "sausage and cheese" one. The sausage was really a hot dog.
When we got back I went back to work assembling the walls. I finished all four of them. I took them out to the foundation for a test fit. Of course I'd mis-measured the short set of walls. It's OK though, the error isn't enough to matter. I quit at 5. I was at a stopping point and I was tired. The framing stuff is kind of fun. You get to see some real progress as you do things.
I think I've figured out how to assemble the walls without needed Ellen's help. We'll see tomorrow.
After some dinner and surfing I watched the football game.
Then I changed gears. I went outside and put strings on the shelter foundation to measure how big the walls needed to be. Then I went to the garage and got out the miter saw. I cut all of the boards needed for the walls. I started to assemble them, but didn't get far because I only had about 10 screws.
So it was off to Lowe's for screws. We stopped at the Kolache place that we'd been wanting to go to. Their stuff was pretty good, but I was disappointed in the "sausage and cheese" one. The sausage was really a hot dog.
When we got back I went back to work assembling the walls. I finished all four of them. I took them out to the foundation for a test fit. Of course I'd mis-measured the short set of walls. It's OK though, the error isn't enough to matter. I quit at 5. I was at a stopping point and I was tired. The framing stuff is kind of fun. You get to see some real progress as you do things.
I think I've figured out how to assemble the walls without needed Ellen's help. We'll see tomorrow.
After some dinner and surfing I watched the football game.
Saturday, October 8, 2016
Day 365
I got up with the alarm and spent some time surfing and playing Minions. I got out of bed about 8:30, did pet stuff, and had breakfast. Then I went out to finish the mortar work.
I used most of the bag of mortar mix, but I think I've completed the job. I'll have to look at everything ones it dries to make sure. It took about 3 hours to do. If I was ever to do a lot of this, I'd get a large drill and a mixer. I got tired mixing the stuff up.
When I got done I went inside and took a shower. After some surfing and Minions we had lunch. After lunch we went to the post office and the pet store. We weighed Lucy at the pet store. She weighed 62.5. Obviously the diet isn't working. The next stop was Home Depot where I bought 2x4's for the shelter. The last stop was a yogurt shop because I had a craving.
When we got home spent the rest of the afternoon surfing and playing Minions.
In the evening we watched a couple of zombie movies that we'd taped off HBO (they are having a free weekend). One was a porno movie. It was boring.
I used most of the bag of mortar mix, but I think I've completed the job. I'll have to look at everything ones it dries to make sure. It took about 3 hours to do. If I was ever to do a lot of this, I'd get a large drill and a mixer. I got tired mixing the stuff up.
When I got done I went inside and took a shower. After some surfing and Minions we had lunch. After lunch we went to the post office and the pet store. We weighed Lucy at the pet store. She weighed 62.5. Obviously the diet isn't working. The next stop was Home Depot where I bought 2x4's for the shelter. The last stop was a yogurt shop because I had a craving.
When we got home spent the rest of the afternoon surfing and playing Minions.
In the evening we watched a couple of zombie movies that we'd taped off HBO (they are having a free weekend). One was a porno movie. It was boring.
Friday, October 7, 2016
Day 364
I woke up when the alarm went off, turned over, went back to sleep and woke up an hour later. I played a little Minions and then got up. After the pet stuff and breakfast I went out to finish installing the new gate opener.
I finished up stripping wires for the box. Then I started the great search for the circuit breaker for the gate outlet. I looked on the post, in the apartment, and in the house. No luck. Finally I shut off the apartment. That didn't do it. Then I shut off the well house breaker. That was it.
Once the power was out I could remove the old box and install the new box. It had sprinkled very lightly while I was doing that. As I was finishing installing the box it really started to rain. I moved everything back into the well house and went inside. I did a little surfing and had lunch while it rained.
The rained stopped in about two hours, so I went back to work. I replaced the old opener, wired it up, set the limit switches, and reprogrammed it so that the old openers will work. I was done between 3:30 and 4. The new one works like a champ. I've tested the truck and both keypads. I'm sure the car will work, too. Hopefully the new antenna will give it a little bit better range.
Lee met me at the gate when I brought down the old opener. It turns out that he has a different model. He's going to see if he can use parts from mine to fix his. If not, I bet he can adapt the signals from his older controller to drive my opener.
The evening was watching two episodes of Z nation. I also did a lot of Minions.
On another note. Today marks one year since we last left Salem. A lot has happened, most of it bad. We're still not anywhere near out of the woods. Ellen still has two more chemo sessions. Her last is on Halloween. Then there's a wait (we don't know how long), and then they'll image her. I suppose that she might have her second surgery just before Christmas. After that she's likely to be incontinent for weeks.
I wish I could see an end to this, but I just don't know.
I finished up stripping wires for the box. Then I started the great search for the circuit breaker for the gate outlet. I looked on the post, in the apartment, and in the house. No luck. Finally I shut off the apartment. That didn't do it. Then I shut off the well house breaker. That was it.
Once the power was out I could remove the old box and install the new box. It had sprinkled very lightly while I was doing that. As I was finishing installing the box it really started to rain. I moved everything back into the well house and went inside. I did a little surfing and had lunch while it rained.
The rained stopped in about two hours, so I went back to work. I replaced the old opener, wired it up, set the limit switches, and reprogrammed it so that the old openers will work. I was done between 3:30 and 4. The new one works like a champ. I've tested the truck and both keypads. I'm sure the car will work, too. Hopefully the new antenna will give it a little bit better range.
Lee met me at the gate when I brought down the old opener. It turns out that he has a different model. He's going to see if he can use parts from mine to fix his. If not, I bet he can adapt the signals from his older controller to drive my opener.
The evening was watching two episodes of Z nation. I also did a lot of Minions.
On another note. Today marks one year since we last left Salem. A lot has happened, most of it bad. We're still not anywhere near out of the woods. Ellen still has two more chemo sessions. Her last is on Halloween. Then there's a wait (we don't know how long), and then they'll image her. I suppose that she might have her second surgery just before Christmas. After that she's likely to be incontinent for weeks.
I wish I could see an end to this, but I just don't know.
Thursday, October 6, 2016
Day 363
I woke up with the alarm and couldn't turn over and go back to sleep. So I surfed and played Minions for about an hour. Then it was get up, do pet stuff, and have breakfast.
After breakfast I took care of the screens that had been sitting on the deck since the windows were replaced. I'd left them there so that they would bug me until I dealt with the. I was able to replace two really beat up screens with the ones from the old windows. Then I placed the rest in the apartment.
After a little more surfing we left to go to the post office. Lucy ad been bugging us for awhile to go somewhere. I was pissed that Amazon had said the surge protector I needed for the gate was out of stock. It turned out OK though, because Lowe's had them on sale. The other pieces I needed were at the post office. We stopped at Lowe's for the protector, HEB for some milk, and Circle C to run the dog. She did 11 retrieves, which wasn't bad with the temp in the low 90's.
When we got home I had left over pizza for lunch. That place does make good pizza. Then I took the parts to the garage to build up the box. The build wasn't hard, but it took some time. I put in a strain relief for the 110V input wire and the 18V output wire. I climbed around the apartment attic to a box with old romex in it so I had wire for the box. I had to cut a hole in the side of the box and then install and wire the outside receptacle. Then I had to go out to the gate, measure the mounting bolts, and then drill mounting holes in the box. Finally I mounted and wired the surge protector. It looks pretty good.
After that I did a little surfing and then had dinner.
After dinner it was Minions and football.
After breakfast I took care of the screens that had been sitting on the deck since the windows were replaced. I'd left them there so that they would bug me until I dealt with the. I was able to replace two really beat up screens with the ones from the old windows. Then I placed the rest in the apartment.
After a little more surfing we left to go to the post office. Lucy ad been bugging us for awhile to go somewhere. I was pissed that Amazon had said the surge protector I needed for the gate was out of stock. It turned out OK though, because Lowe's had them on sale. The other pieces I needed were at the post office. We stopped at Lowe's for the protector, HEB for some milk, and Circle C to run the dog. She did 11 retrieves, which wasn't bad with the temp in the low 90's.
When we got home I had left over pizza for lunch. That place does make good pizza. Then I took the parts to the garage to build up the box. The build wasn't hard, but it took some time. I put in a strain relief for the 110V input wire and the 18V output wire. I climbed around the apartment attic to a box with old romex in it so I had wire for the box. I had to cut a hole in the side of the box and then install and wire the outside receptacle. Then I had to go out to the gate, measure the mounting bolts, and then drill mounting holes in the box. Finally I mounted and wired the surge protector. It looks pretty good.
After that I did a little surfing and then had dinner.
After dinner it was Minions and football.
Wednesday, October 5, 2016
Day 362
I woke up when the alarm went off. I tried to go back to sleep, but couldn't. So I played Minions instead. After about an hour I got up and did the pet stuff and had breakfast.
I couldn't accomplish anything today. The parts for the new gate wiring aren't here and the mortar I put down a few days ago hasn't dried yet. So I spent the early part of the morning surfing. Then Ellen's pump ran dry, so it was off to the doctor's. The parking lot was packed, but she still got the pump out in a relatively short amount of time.
After that we stopped at the yuppie grocery for some much needed groceries. Then we stipped at Best Buy so Ellen could show me the two TV's she likes. The better one is certainly an improvement over the other, but I'm pretty sure it's not $5,000 better. They are both fantastic TV's.
The next stop was the post office. Then we went to the pizza place we'd read about a 290 and William Cannon. It was really good pizza. Unfortunately it's a victim zone.
It was over 90 when we got home. I don't think I'd have worked if there was something to do. Instead I surfed the whole afternoon away.
In the evening Ellen went to Red's. She says she had fun. When she got back we watched a zombie movie.
I couldn't accomplish anything today. The parts for the new gate wiring aren't here and the mortar I put down a few days ago hasn't dried yet. So I spent the early part of the morning surfing. Then Ellen's pump ran dry, so it was off to the doctor's. The parking lot was packed, but she still got the pump out in a relatively short amount of time.
After that we stopped at the yuppie grocery for some much needed groceries. Then we stipped at Best Buy so Ellen could show me the two TV's she likes. The better one is certainly an improvement over the other, but I'm pretty sure it's not $5,000 better. They are both fantastic TV's.
The next stop was the post office. Then we went to the pizza place we'd read about a 290 and William Cannon. It was really good pizza. Unfortunately it's a victim zone.
It was over 90 when we got home. I don't think I'd have worked if there was something to do. Instead I surfed the whole afternoon away.
In the evening Ellen went to Red's. She says she had fun. When she got back we watched a zombie movie.
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
Day 361
I did a little Minions when the alarm went off, and then went back to sleep. I slept until about 8:30 and then got up. After the pet stuff and breakfast there was a little more Minions/surfing.
Yesterday proved that the gate was toast. So we went to Tractor supply and bought another one. We also stopped at Home Depot where I got a new box for the gate and we looked at some possible window shades. They are really expensive. Then we took the dog to the soccer field. It wasn't a really hot day, but she didn't want to run. She only did about 7 retrieves.
We stopped for lunch at the bakery place. We had their peach cobbler. It wasn't as good as their peach pie.
It was over 90 when we got home, too hot to do the gate. Instead I read over the instructions. Basically it's tear out everything except the brackets. I also spent a lot of time looking for parts on Amazon. I'm going to install an external plug in, and a surge protector, in the new box.
That was it for most of the rest of the day. After dinner I took out the garbage and happened to meet Lee. We had a good talk. It turns out he would like the old opener. I'm going to give it to him.
The evening was watching remodeling shows and a movie.
Yesterday proved that the gate was toast. So we went to Tractor supply and bought another one. We also stopped at Home Depot where I got a new box for the gate and we looked at some possible window shades. They are really expensive. Then we took the dog to the soccer field. It wasn't a really hot day, but she didn't want to run. She only did about 7 retrieves.
We stopped for lunch at the bakery place. We had their peach cobbler. It wasn't as good as their peach pie.
It was over 90 when we got home, too hot to do the gate. Instead I read over the instructions. Basically it's tear out everything except the brackets. I also spent a lot of time looking for parts on Amazon. I'm going to install an external plug in, and a surge protector, in the new box.
That was it for most of the rest of the day. After dinner I took out the garbage and happened to meet Lee. We had a good talk. It turns out he would like the old opener. I'm going to give it to him.
The evening was watching remodeling shows and a movie.
Monday, October 3, 2016
Day 360
When the alarm went off this morning I just turned over and went back to sleep. About 8:30 I got up and did the pet stuff. I didn't eat breakfast because I felt like shit. We both surfed until about 9:15 when it was time to take Ellen to the doctor.
When I got back from that the first thing I did was clean a dead bug off the windshield. It had hit EXACTLY where I look when driving. I also cleaned the inside of the windshield. That made a big improvement.
The next chore was cleaning the Weatherby. It had some malfunctions yesterday. When I took it apart it was filthy. I'd forgotten that we had lent it to the club. The gas sleeve was totally covered in carbon, as was a good portion of the magazine tube. It was a miracle that it ran at all. It took quite awhile to clean.
The last chore was applying mortar. I did two more sections of the foundation and then ran out of mortar mix. I think it's going to come out nice.
By the time I took a shower it was time to leave. I got to the doctor just as Ellen was done. Good timing. We went to Longhorn for a late lunch. I hadn't eaten all day, so I was hungry.
When we got home the transformer for the gate opener was in the mailbox. It was too hot to mess with it though.
I spent the rest of the afternoon surfing and playing Minions. About 6 it got cool enough to work on the gate. The new transformer has a light. Plugging it into the socket turns on the light and I measured 18 VAC at the output. When I hooked it up to the opener the light went out and the output went to 0. That was with the opener power switch turned off. I took apart the opener. Neither fuse was blown. The board looked nasty, but there weren't any obvious problems. With the power switch off the + and - power terminals were shorted together. That says "dead opener" to me. I'll try to get another tomorrow, but I'm not looking forward to getting everything to work together.
After that I went in for a late dinner and TV. Some of it was gun shows and some was football.
When I got back from that the first thing I did was clean a dead bug off the windshield. It had hit EXACTLY where I look when driving. I also cleaned the inside of the windshield. That made a big improvement.
The next chore was cleaning the Weatherby. It had some malfunctions yesterday. When I took it apart it was filthy. I'd forgotten that we had lent it to the club. The gas sleeve was totally covered in carbon, as was a good portion of the magazine tube. It was a miracle that it ran at all. It took quite awhile to clean.
The last chore was applying mortar. I did two more sections of the foundation and then ran out of mortar mix. I think it's going to come out nice.
By the time I took a shower it was time to leave. I got to the doctor just as Ellen was done. Good timing. We went to Longhorn for a late lunch. I hadn't eaten all day, so I was hungry.
When we got home the transformer for the gate opener was in the mailbox. It was too hot to mess with it though.
I spent the rest of the afternoon surfing and playing Minions. About 6 it got cool enough to work on the gate. The new transformer has a light. Plugging it into the socket turns on the light and I measured 18 VAC at the output. When I hooked it up to the opener the light went out and the output went to 0. That was with the opener power switch turned off. I took apart the opener. Neither fuse was blown. The board looked nasty, but there weren't any obvious problems. With the power switch off the + and - power terminals were shorted together. That says "dead opener" to me. I'll try to get another tomorrow, but I'm not looking forward to getting everything to work together.
After that I went in for a late dinner and TV. Some of it was gun shows and some was football.
Sunday, October 2, 2016
Day 359
I got up when the alarm went off, played a little Minions, and then went back to sleep. I just felt like doing that. I slept for about an hour and then got up to do the pet stuff and have breakfast.
We basically just surfed until 9 when it was time to go to the club. We got there in about 45 minutes and the women from Ellen's club started showing up about 5 minutes later. While they were getting set up and everything I took the dog out to run. It was about 75 degrees and she had a great time. I didn't count how many retrieves she did, but it was plenty. That was really good considering she did 20 yesterday.
The point of the class was to teach them sporting clays and how to be trappers. I did some of it, but Ellen did most. I shot a couple of stations, but I basically just stood around with the dog. It was a nice day and I really enjoyed being out of the house doing something other than errands or going to the doctor. The whole thing lasted 3 hours or so.
When it was over we were really hungry, but it was too hot to leave the dog in the car. We stopped at Arby's on the way home and got it to go. We had most of it finished by the time we got home.
We were both really tired by the time we got home. I'm still not 100% from being sick. So the rest of the day was surfing, Minions, and football. Unfortunately the Cowboys won.
We basically just surfed until 9 when it was time to go to the club. We got there in about 45 minutes and the women from Ellen's club started showing up about 5 minutes later. While they were getting set up and everything I took the dog out to run. It was about 75 degrees and she had a great time. I didn't count how many retrieves she did, but it was plenty. That was really good considering she did 20 yesterday.
The point of the class was to teach them sporting clays and how to be trappers. I did some of it, but Ellen did most. I shot a couple of stations, but I basically just stood around with the dog. It was a nice day and I really enjoyed being out of the house doing something other than errands or going to the doctor. The whole thing lasted 3 hours or so.
When it was over we were really hungry, but it was too hot to leave the dog in the car. We stopped at Arby's on the way home and got it to go. We had most of it finished by the time we got home.
We were both really tired by the time we got home. I'm still not 100% from being sick. So the rest of the day was surfing, Minions, and football. Unfortunately the Cowboys won.
Saturday, October 1, 2016
Day 358
I woke up with the alarm this morning, played a little Minions, and then went back to sleep. I slept for another hour or more. I'm feeling a little bit better than yesterday, but I was very tired this morning. I didn't get up until after Ellen had done the pet stuff.
When I did get up I had breakfast and then decided that I was feeling well enough to debug the gate. It didn't take long to discover that the voltage transformer was bad. The battery was completely discharged also. I put the battery on the charger and had Ellen look for a transformer. It turns out there are none in town - we have to order one from Amazon.
The case of the transformer was open (weird), so I took a look at it's insides. One of the output wires was broken. So I got all the stuff together and soldered it back on. It still didn't work.
By the time I was finished I was very tired. I'm not well yet by any means. So I started surfing.
About 2 we went to the post office, and the school to run the dog. Then we stopped at HEB. We bought a bunch of frozen and prepared food we hadn't seen before. We hadn't had lunch, so we went to NxNW.
When we got home it was more surfing and then some TV - a hilarious Top Gear episode. I forgot about the football game. After that I watched a couple of movies. Ellen watched chick shows on her tablet.
When I did get up I had breakfast and then decided that I was feeling well enough to debug the gate. It didn't take long to discover that the voltage transformer was bad. The battery was completely discharged also. I put the battery on the charger and had Ellen look for a transformer. It turns out there are none in town - we have to order one from Amazon.
The case of the transformer was open (weird), so I took a look at it's insides. One of the output wires was broken. So I got all the stuff together and soldered it back on. It still didn't work.
By the time I was finished I was very tired. I'm not well yet by any means. So I started surfing.
About 2 we went to the post office, and the school to run the dog. Then we stopped at HEB. We bought a bunch of frozen and prepared food we hadn't seen before. We hadn't had lunch, so we went to NxNW.
When we got home it was more surfing and then some TV - a hilarious Top Gear episode. I forgot about the football game. After that I watched a couple of movies. Ellen watched chick shows on her tablet.
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