Our gazing ball
I thought that I might rise bright & early once again, but the fact that I had three or four beers before going to bed kind of put that goal out of reach. But early is relative unless one attaches a specific time to it. And then, even still, the individual decides whether that is indeed early or not.
I forced myself up & out of bed at 7:15am. Again, working backwards from 9am (the time I needed to have the Budget truck rental back), I had to be up and moving quickly if I were to exercise, walk Ykraps, and run before leaving. Time was tight but I made the most of it. I even managed time for coffee but only one cup. I drank the one cup quickly. I was upstairs dressing for a run by 7:50am. I was out the door and running by 7:58am. I took the more scenic Trabue Rd route and made it back by 8:29am. That was a fast run.
I wasted little time. I grabbed a t-shirt, my keys, raspberry and personal cell phone. Jacob came running wanting to come along. Mindy helped him get dressed so he wouldn’t hold me up. He was upset thinking that I’d leave without him. I just wanted to have the truck back by 9am as prescribed. The catch is that the office doesn’t open until 9:00am meaning that I have to be a few minutes early, although I doubt seriously he’s counting single minutes, but you never know. What I did know was that I had to stop and fuel the beast too. So, we stopped at the new Thornton’s on Roberts and Wilson to fill her up. It took 7.3 gallons. Truthfully, I didn’t need to put that much in it. He told me it was shy slightly when I first took it. We drove it 45 miles. It probably gets close to 8 miles per gallon. Not too bad for its size. Oh, and it takes diesel fuel. That was a first for me.
We were early. Fifteen minutes early. Instead of sitting idly by, we went ahead and moved our few personal effects to the Trooper which we left there over night, and then entered the secured compound and picked up the boat. My plan was to work on the boat as time permitted today. By the time Jacob and I had attached the boat to the rig, the office was open. Jacob is getting pretty good at helping get the boat attached. He knows how to guide me to the trailer.
We made quick work of the turn-in process. Ed checked the mileage, the cleanliness and the number of moving blankets. Once he was satisfied that I had lived up to my end of the bargain, he adjusted 12 dollars off the total billing for the mix up with the appliance dolly and the additional miles I had to drive to pick it up. I was happy.
Soon Jacob and I were back home. Mindy asked for my help with a few things. After I watered the backyard flowers I headed out to begin working on my boat. My goal was to remove the starter and check the gears, and to also tighten the chronic belt. If necessary, I planned to add a lock washer to the bracket to help prevent it from vibrating loose. If I had time, I would scrub the boat inside and out too. I took a look at the belt first. Unfortunately, I forgot to get the lockwasher. So, I stopped what I was doing and went in a grabbed the BM’er keys for a quick trip to Home Depot. Jacob insisted on joining me. As long as Mindy didn’t mind, I was good with him joining me. Once we were there, Jacob was a bit impatient. He wanted to leave as soon as we got there. Now what adult male doesn’t want to shop Home depot at a leisurely pace? We got the washer we needed and also the ice maker plumbing kit I thought that we needed. We got the best one they had. It was constructed of metal mesh.
Home once again, I got right to work. Soon, Jim pulled up to pick-up the kids. They were going to his parents for a little party. Once I loosened the alternator belt completely, I realized that there was already a lock washer attached. So much for the lock washer theory. I tightened it extra tight this time hoping for a more permanent resolution to the chronic problem.
Next, I began wrenching on the starter. It came off with just to bolts, and rather easily. Once again, this is another problem that has plagued this boat since it was new 15 years ago. Sometimes, unexplainably, it just will not turn over despite a fully charged battery. The solenoid clicks, however. My Dad suggested that I check to make sure the gear moves freely. I pulled it off and saw that it had some rust inside indicating to me that it might have taken on water at one time. I did my best to clean it up with WD-40 and wipe it out before reattaching it. I had no choice but to use the old brittle gasket. After reattaching the starter, I cleaned and re-did all of the electrical connections. The moment of truth had arrived. However, given that the trouble is intermittent, if it started first try, that wouldn’t truly validate the repair.
No problem there. After running water to the engine via the water muffs, I turned the key. No joy! Same issue - click – click – click! A few more tries and vrooooom! Engine started. I let it run for about ten minutes. Turned it off and started it again, Vroom! It started again. We’ll have to see if the problem continues. For now, I will have to bag the job. I had made arrangements to meet Lindsey at my Dads by 1:30pm to look at her radiator hose more closely.
Just in case, I took my cleaning supplies along with the boat. Mindy went shopping with her mom.
I arrived at my Dad’s about ten minutes before Lindsey. I shared a few moving stories with Dad. Once Lindsey and lil’ Rocky arrived, I placed her car under my Dad’s carport. My Dad rounded up the jack and jack stand as well as a fan to keep air circulating around the car. I appreciated that extra touch since it was turning out to be a hot and humid afternoon. I tinkered with the hose to see how easily, if at all, I could cause the leak. I noticed a pretty significant scrape on the under carriage that protects the transmission, exhaust, and hoses – almost in perfect alignment with the bottom radiator hose. The clamp holding it on was one of those squeezy clamps. Every time I would relieve the tension, the hose seemingly stop leaking – almost the opposite of what one might expect. Interesting!
I talked it over with my dad and we found a new ‘old fashioned hose clamp – the kind that screws tight. We both agreed that it would probably hold tighter anyhow. I used a pair off vice grips to open the squeezy clamp and then pulled the hose completely off. And oh yeah, before doing it, I drained the anti-freeze into a bucket. Once I pulled the hose, it was painfully obvious what the trouble was. The once rounded inlet port was smashed flat on the bottom. It looked as if something had smushed it a little leaving a flat spot right where the hose clamp would be. I crawled out from underneath the car and asked Lindsey if she had hit a parking block recently. She told that she had. Mystery solved. Now I had to determine the best course of action.
I had few options for removing the flat spot. Instead, my focus was on forcing the hose back on as close to the radiator body as possible. That, if achievable, would give me just enough room to clamp the hose on a more rounded area. To make matters worse, one can not readily get their hands to the inlet because of all the brackets and shrouds in the way. Getting the hose back on the radiator would be a job. The stars must have been aligned for me today, however. Somehow I got the hose on by feel alone. And after a little wiggling, I was able to advance the hose about as far forward as possible. I clamped it down hoping I had stopped the leak. I refilled the radiator with the contents of the bucket and then gave it a test start. By all accounts, it didn’t seem to be leaking. But, I also new that the real test would be when it gets really hot. I cleaned up the mess and then joined Lindsey, my Dad, lil’ Rocky, Sheila, and Aunt Margie for some dialogue.
After some visiting, Lindsey departed. I wasn’t far behind. It was almost 3:30pm and I had to be at Mindy’s mom’s for dinner by 4:30pm. I still had to shower, cover the boat, and clean up a little. Once gain, I was in a rush. Those that know me, know I do not like to be rushed. I did my very best to take my time but to stay on task. I decided to simply cover the boat but leave it at home. After showering and changing clothes, I jumped in the BM’er destined for Gloria’s house. I made it there right on time.
Craig & Jeff were there, as was Mindy’s sister Jody and her daughter Lindy. Mindy’s nephew Joe showed up too. All totaled, there were ten of us. Tonight’s special was “Hodge- Podge” (leftovers from the freezer). We had spaghetti, chicken, stuffed peppers, and taco salad. For dessert we had ice cream sandwich cake. Everything was good and I over ate as usual. It’s amazing that I’ve been able to maintain and even lose a little weight this summer. My metabolism must be soaring.
We left Gloria’s around 7:30pm. I had promised Lindsey that I would come by to give her some pocket money until she gets paid Thursday. She needs gas and lunch money for work. I left in the BM’er alone. At Kelly’s both Ashley and Lindsey came out to greet me. Kelly didn’t show, but then again, she rarely if ever does. We talked for a few, and I checked the Honda for leaks again. No visible leaks. I gave Lindsey some cash then bidded her farewell. I asked that she come over tomorrow after work so we can wash her car which I noticed was extremely filthy. I’ll be washing the boat, anyhow.
I made it home by 8:00pm, and almost immediately leashed up Ykraps for his walk. Once back I headed upstairs to read the kids a bedtime story. We had no trouble getting the kids to bed at all. They were out quickly. Mindy and I decided to attach the new waterline to the refrigerator. Simple job – right? The old line had been shut off because the ice maker in my fridge was on the blink. I had forgotten that I had to buy a special adapter to fit the water inlet on the Frigidaire. Only once we got to installing the new line did I remember that the adapter came off making it fully functional for Mindy’s fridge. On well, I surmised. The new line I bought is top of the line and it can’t hurt being replaced. We went through the hassle of fishing the new line through the wall forgetting to tie a string to the old line before pulling it out. We now had to use the fish tape to get a pull line in. No biggie! We recovered quickly and before we knew it, we had the new line in. I attached it to the fridge first then went to the basement to make the final attachment. I didn’t have to replace the water valve since it was just like the one in the last kit. When I screwed the new line onto the valve the coupling broke loose from the hose. Not good! We took it back apart and tried it again. Again, we netted the same results. It fell apart. Dammit! OK – I go buy a line I don’t really need. I buy the ‘best’ one. I put it on and it breaks. Are you kidding me? Screw it. We bag it and vow to take it back. Meanwhile, we check the old line over and decide to use it. After all, it got used very little. Fifteen minutes later we had the waterline reattached to fridge. We were well on our way to homemade ice after years of bagged ice.
We were exhausted to say the least, Mindy convinced me to hot tub since we both were extra stiff from a grueling weekend of moving. We enjoyed the hot tub for about fifteen minutes. It felt good but it was still a little sticky outside. After heading inside we quickly readied for bed. We watched a little of the first NFL game as we fell asleep.
Our gazing ball
I thought that I might rise bright & early once again, but the fact that I had three or four beers before going to bed kind of put that goal out of reach. But early is relative unless one attaches a specific time to it. And then, even still, the individual decides whether that is indeed early or not.
I forced myself up & out of bed at 7:15am. Again, working backwards from 9am (the time I needed to have the Budget truck rental back), I had to be up and moving quickly if I were to exercise, walk Ykraps, and run before leaving. Time was tight but I made the most of it. I even managed time for coffee but only one cup. I drank the one cup quickly. I was upstairs dressing for a run by 7:50am. I was out the door and running by 7:58am. I took the more scenic Trabue Rd route and made it back by 8:29am. That was a fast run.
I wasted little time. I grabbed a t-shirt, my keys, raspberry and personal cell phone. Jacob came running wanting to come along. Mindy helped him get dressed so he wouldn’t hold me up. He was upset thinking that I’d leave without him. I just wanted to have the truck back by 9am as prescribed. The catch is that the office doesn’t open until 9:00am meaning that I have to be a few minutes early, although I doubt seriously he’s counting single minutes, but you never know. What I did know was that I had to stop and fuel the beast too. So, we stopped at the new Thornton’s on Roberts and Wilson to fill her up. It took 7.3 gallons. Truthfully, I didn’t need to put that much in it. He told me it was shy slightly when I first took it. We drove it 45 miles. It probably gets close to 8 miles per gallon. Not too bad for its size. Oh, and it takes diesel fuel. That was a first for me.
We were early. Fifteen minutes early. Instead of sitting idly by, we went ahead and moved our few personal effects to the Trooper which we left there over night, and then entered the secured compound and picked up the boat. My plan was to work on the boat as time permitted today. By the time Jacob and I had attached the boat to the rig, the office was open. Jacob is getting pretty good at helping get the boat attached. He knows how to guide me to the trailer.
We made quick work of the turn-in process. Ed checked the mileage, the cleanliness and the number of moving blankets. Once he was satisfied that I had lived up to my end of the bargain, he adjusted 12 dollars off the total billing for the mix up with the appliance dolly and the additional miles I had to drive to pick it up. I was happy.
Soon Jacob and I were back home. Mindy asked for my help with a few things. After I watered the backyard flowers I headed out to begin working on my boat. My goal was to remove the starter and check the gears, and to also tighten the chronic belt. If necessary, I planned to add a lock washer to the bracket to help prevent it from vibrating loose. If I had time, I would scrub the boat inside and out too. I took a look at the belt first. Unfortunately, I forgot to get the lockwasher. So, I stopped what I was doing and went in a grabbed the BM’er keys for a quick trip to Home Depot. Jacob insisted on joining me. As long as Mindy didn’t mind, I was good with him joining me. Once we were there, Jacob was a bit impatient. He wanted to leave as soon as we got there. Now what adult male doesn’t want to shop Home depot at a leisurely pace? We got the washer we needed and also the ice maker plumbing kit I thought that we needed. We got the best one they had. It was constructed of metal mesh.
Home once again, I got right to work. Soon, Jim pulled up to pick-up the kids. They were going to his parents for a little party. Once I loosened the alternator belt completely, I realized that there was already a lock washer attached. So much for the lock washer theory. I tightened it extra tight this time hoping for a more permanent resolution to the chronic problem.
Next, I began wrenching on the starter. It came off with just to bolts, and rather easily. Once again, this is another problem that has plagued this boat since it was new 15 years ago. Sometimes, unexplainably, it just will not turn over despite a fully charged battery. The solenoid clicks, however. My Dad suggested that I check to make sure the gear moves freely. I pulled it off and saw that it had some rust inside indicating to me that it might have taken on water at one time. I did my best to clean it up with WD-40 and wipe it out before reattaching it. I had no choice but to use the old brittle gasket. After reattaching the starter, I cleaned and re-did all of the electrical connections. The moment of truth had arrived. However, given that the trouble is intermittent, if it started first try, that wouldn’t truly validate the repair.
No problem there. After running water to the engine via the water muffs, I turned the key. No joy! Same issue - click – click – click! A few more tries and vrooooom! Engine started. I let it run for about ten minutes. Turned it off and started it again, Vroom! It started again. We’ll have to see if the problem continues. For now, I will have to bag the job. I had made arrangements to meet Lindsey at my Dads by 1:30pm to look at her radiator hose more closely.
Just in case, I took my cleaning supplies along with the boat. Mindy went shopping with her mom.
I arrived at my Dad’s about ten minutes before Lindsey. I shared a few moving stories with Dad. Once Lindsey and lil’ Rocky arrived, I placed her car under my Dad’s carport. My Dad rounded up the jack and jack stand as well as a fan to keep air circulating around the car. I appreciated that extra touch since it was turning out to be a hot and humid afternoon. I tinkered with the hose to see how easily, if at all, I could cause the leak. I noticed a pretty significant scrape on the under carriage that protects the transmission, exhaust, and hoses – almost in perfect alignment with the bottom radiator hose. The clamp holding it on was one of those squeezy clamps. Every time I would relieve the tension, the hose seemingly stop leaking – almost the opposite of what one might expect. Interesting!
I talked it over with my dad and we found a new ‘old fashioned hose clamp – the kind that screws tight. We both agreed that it would probably hold tighter anyhow. I used a pair off vice grips to open the squeezy clamp and then pulled the hose completely off. And oh yeah, before doing it, I drained the anti-freeze into a bucket. Once I pulled the hose, it was painfully obvious what the trouble was. The once rounded inlet port was smashed flat on the bottom. It looked as if something had smushed it a little leaving a flat spot right where the hose clamp would be. I crawled out from underneath the car and asked Lindsey if she had hit a parking block recently. She told that she had. Mystery solved. Now I had to determine the best course of action.
I had few options for removing the flat spot. Instead, my focus was on forcing the hose back on as close to the radiator body as possible. That, if achievable, would give me just enough room to clamp the hose on a more rounded area. To make matters worse, one can not readily get their hands to the inlet because of all the brackets and shrouds in the way. Getting the hose back on the radiator would be a job. The stars must have been aligned for me today, however. Somehow I got the hose on by feel alone. And after a little wiggling, I was able to advance the hose about as far forward as possible. I clamped it down hoping I had stopped the leak. I refilled the radiator with the contents of the bucket and then gave it a test start. By all accounts, it didn’t seem to be leaking. But, I also new that the real test would be when it gets really hot. I cleaned up the mess and then joined Lindsey, my Dad, lil’ Rocky, Sheila, and Aunt Margie for some dialogue.
After some visiting, Lindsey departed. I wasn’t far behind. It was almost 3:30pm and I had to be at Mindy’s mom’s for dinner by 4:30pm. I still had to shower, cover the boat, and clean up a little. Once gain, I was in a rush. Those that know me, know I do not like to be rushed. I did my very best to take my time but to stay on task. I decided to simply cover the boat but leave it at home. After showering and changing clothes, I jumped in the BM’er destined for Gloria’s house. I made it there right on time.
Craig & Jeff were there, as was Mindy’s sister Jody and her daughter Lindy. Mindy’s nephew Joe showed up too. All totaled, there were ten of us. Tonight’s special was “Hodge- Podge” (leftovers from the freezer). We had spaghetti, chicken, stuffed peppers, and taco salad. For dessert we had ice cream sandwich cake. Everything was good and I over ate as usual. It’s amazing that I’ve been able to maintain and even lose a little weight this summer. My metabolism must be soaring.
We left Gloria’s around 7:30pm. I had promised Lindsey that I would come by to give her some pocket money until she gets paid Thursday. She needs gas and lunch money for work. I left in the BM’er alone. At Kelly’s both Ashley and Lindsey came out to greet me. Kelly didn’t show, but then again, she rarely if ever does. We talked for a few, and I checked the Honda for leaks again. No visible leaks. I gave Lindsey some cash then bidded her farewell. I asked that she come over tomorrow after work so we can wash her car which I noticed was extremely filthy. I’ll be washing the boat, anyhow.
I made it home by 8:00pm, and almost immediately leashed up Ykraps for his walk. Once back I headed upstairs to read the kids a bedtime story. We had no trouble getting the kids to bed at all. They were out quickly. Mindy and I decided to attach the new waterline to the refrigerator. Simple job – right? The old line had been shut off because the ice maker in my fridge was on the blink. I had forgotten that I had to buy a special adapter to fit the water inlet on the Frigidaire. Only once we got to installing the new line did I remember that the adapter came off making it fully functional for Mindy’s fridge. On well, I surmised. The new line I bought is top of the line and it can’t hurt being replaced. We went through the hassle of fishing the new line through the wall forgetting to tie a string to the old line before pulling it out. We now had to use the fish tape to get a pull line in. No biggie! We recovered quickly and before we knew it, we had the new line in. I attached it to the fridge first then went to the basement to make the final attachment. I didn’t have to replace the water valve since it was just like the one in the last kit. When I screwed the new line onto the valve the coupling broke loose from the hose. Not good! We took it back apart and tried it again. Again, we netted the same results. It fell apart. Dammit! OK – I go buy a line I don’t really need. I buy the ‘best’ one. I put it on and it breaks. Are you kidding me? Screw it. We bag it and vow to take it back. Meanwhile, we check the old line over and decide to use it. After all, it got used very little. Fifteen minutes later we had the waterline reattached to fridge. We were well on our way to homemade ice after years of bagged ice.
We were exhausted to say the least, Mindy convinced me to hot tub since we both were extra stiff from a grueling weekend of moving. We enjoyed the hot tub for about fifteen minutes. It felt good but it was still a little sticky outside. After heading inside we quickly readied for bed. We watched a little of the first NFL game as we fell asleep.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.