WOW....it would appear that it has been over a year since I last visited here. It would be easy to say that not much has happended since then, but that would be way too much of a cop out....The kid graduated from high school, 9th out of 950 students, could have higher but he met a girl and it appears that he spent his time studying something other than the school books....apple didn't fall far from the tree as the longrooffan says...the kid's sister is stillstillstillstill playing softball....travel all over central FLA and we still aren't home yet....she finished middle school....second in her class....now she is a freshman in high school....like her brother she is becoming a very popular student based on the amount of time spent on the cell phone and facebook....she is now playing basketball for the school and that involves more traveling....the sungoddess keeps getting better looking every day....I sure am lucky....left my job of seven years....b.s. stress just wasn't worth it anymore....so I joined the likes of 20% of our country's population....that lasted about 3 days and I took a position with a small local company that is working out better than I could have imagined....good people that are truly customer focused....retired our old big white Ford truck just recently....that vehicle sure was good to us over the past 10 years....20 trips across the southeastern country...over hill and over dale...off to Grandma's house we went....the sungoddess came out to the garage a couple of weeks ago and stated she wanted to go look at new cars....we came home that night with a 'new to us' car that she had been looking at for quite a few weeks....she loves it and that is what is important....and it get's almost twice the fuel mileage of the old white truck....gotta love a V-6....the kid comes home from school this weekend....he said he would like to spend Friday evening hanging out with me....guess I better get a few more cold pops for the garage frig...
sure do miss him....the gentleman farmer and his bride recently moved to jsut up the road a piece from me....I commented to his bride how good she was looking, she had lost wait and had a suntan....she laughinly told me that while she did have a suntan, she had not lost any weight, I just had not seen her in over 10 years without 4 layers of clothing on....seems I only visited their farm during our annual winter visit to the show me state....12 degrees outside with a 30 knot wind makes you bundle up...it is nice having them close....even the bus visited for a while...took him for a beach cruise on the old yellow jeep...he seemed to enjy himself....I'm gonna go for now, it has been nice visiting here again and I'll try not to stay away as long.....remember to always CELEBRATE LIFE
Showing posts with label the kid. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the kid. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
just something the kid and I like
we heard this on a radio station late one night on a trip to visit the Ozarks somewhere in Arkansas or southern Missouri.....
an easy 2 1/2 minute song.....
an easy 2 1/2 minute song.....
Monday, July 19, 2010
The Kid went and did it AGAIN........
seems that as we watch our children grow older we wonder if we have done all the right things....where did we go wrong....did we go wrong....what did I forget to teach them....did I give them enough freedom.....did I keep a strong enough watch over them....feeling rather reflective tonight as I sit here and wonder about my parenting skills....after all I had plenty of experience on the type of parent I wanted to be.....I was fortunate enough to have several older siblings, and was able to watch them raise their children....all and all I think I learned alot.....BUT then the kid went and did it AGAIN....and I am not talking about the rear end collision he had last month....paid a boat load of money to State Farm over the last couple of decades to cover that...what I am talking about is our long awaited bi-annual treck to the Ozark's to visit family....
seems that the kid decided this year that he wanted to play organized baseball...again....my first knowledge of his decision was when he walked into the garage and asked me for money to cover the legion fee....okay I am good with that, ask your Mother for the money, tell her I was okay with that.....then the following week he informes me that he bought a bat off ebay.....
"Dad, I got it REAL cheap"...being a cheap kind of guy, I was impressed until he informed me he needed $180 bucks to pay for the bat....
well, okay, this is something he must have wanted pretty badly to go on his own and try out for the team...lots of talent locally and he made the team....
now due to the scheduling of the games, I was unable to attend any of them during the spring season of American Legion Ball....the kid's mom and his sister were in attendance for a couple of local games and I was able to attend the last two of the season...unknown to me until then was that the two games I attended were the sectional qualifiers for the state finals to be held this weekend.....
and then the kid and his friends went and did it....
they won the sectional qualifiers....
now as we had planned on leaving this coming weekend for our trip to visit family in the Ozarks, instead we are traveling to Bradenton to attend the state finals of the American Legion baseball league....
games start on Friday and go until Monday....
gotta wish the kids luck and hope they do well.....
in the mean time for those in the Ozarks that we hope to spend some time with next week, please understand if we are a little short on the visits.....
but as the horesefarmer says......
this is why we are able to...................
CELEBRATE LIFE............
seems that the kid decided this year that he wanted to play organized baseball...again....my first knowledge of his decision was when he walked into the garage and asked me for money to cover the legion fee....okay I am good with that, ask your Mother for the money, tell her I was okay with that.....then the following week he informes me that he bought a bat off ebay.....
"Dad, I got it REAL cheap"...being a cheap kind of guy, I was impressed until he informed me he needed $180 bucks to pay for the bat....
well, okay, this is something he must have wanted pretty badly to go on his own and try out for the team...lots of talent locally and he made the team....
now due to the scheduling of the games, I was unable to attend any of them during the spring season of American Legion Ball....the kid's mom and his sister were in attendance for a couple of local games and I was able to attend the last two of the season...unknown to me until then was that the two games I attended were the sectional qualifiers for the state finals to be held this weekend.....
and then the kid and his friends went and did it....
they won the sectional qualifiers....
now as we had planned on leaving this coming weekend for our trip to visit family in the Ozarks, instead we are traveling to Bradenton to attend the state finals of the American Legion baseball league....
games start on Friday and go until Monday....
gotta wish the kids luck and hope they do well.....
in the mean time for those in the Ozarks that we hope to spend some time with next week, please understand if we are a little short on the visits.....
but as the horesefarmer says......
this is why we are able to...................
CELEBRATE LIFE............
Monday, March 1, 2010
As promised....
tires and wheels not factory......those were added after purchase without the kid's knowledge......glad he approved.....photo credit to the kid..............
thaks to the longrooffan, the good attorney, Grandpa George, the M38A1, the Willies Car Company, the kid......and countless others that enable me and the kid to............
.......CELEBRATE LIFE...........
Sunday, February 28, 2010
What I did today...or the last three weeks...
copying a tag line from the longrooffan.......
What I did today...or the last three weeks......
by now everyone that follows this page has learned of the exploits of the bondoguy.....Jimmy is a good friend, one that you want around when camping for damn sure....he is one hell of a good painter....and now has been recognized by NASCAR for his exceptional skill at asphalt repair.....hats off to the man in turn two......
a addition and a deletion to the list of vehicles that have been under my domain over the years.....
a little set up here is due.....when the weather went north around here back in early January and the temperature dropped into the mid 30's (an actual HEAT WAVE for some of my brothers and friends) and the kid was driving an open topped, doorless vehicle, my bride explained to me that I would be driving the kid's jeep and he would be driving my new (to me) truck since he picked up his sister every day from school......now being a good Father and a caring friend to those two kids, I had to agree to relinquish my truck for the health of the kids...
of course this came at a very high price.....one week later I contracted a chest cold that is still nagging at me....another by product of driving a topless-doorless vehicle in near freezing temperature is the necessity to stay warm....multiple layers of clothing, a scarf, hat, double socks, and stay all scrunched up to conserve energy....(we called this 'max heat)...was a sneezing spell I went into one Sunday night a couple of fortnights ago that resulted in a serious back injury from which I still haven't recoverd completely.....yea I know, getting old beats the alternative.....but damn this back is a real pain in the back.......
but back to the future......I had aquired through various means the title to a 1979 CJ-5 Jeep with a small lift kit and some serious mud tires.....do not inquire....just let that go.....I had consigned this vehicle after a few modifications (yes there is blogproof of this and it did get it's fifteen minutes of fame) to the longroof to post on craigslist for sale......of course the proceeds were to finance shop supplies and other items more commonly known as 'hurricane supplies'.....when this was turned into a UTV by means of a trade I was back at square one with an image of a very warm looking truck everytime I drove into my driveway.....but alas after the trade was made I was contacted by a guy from the western part of the state about my old "huntin jeep" .....when he asked about the jeep I had for sale, I had to think for a minute before I replied, "Which one?"....seems he was willing to look at a 1967 CJ-5 instead of a 1979....up shot was he and his 'that'll hunt' girl drove over one afternoon to look at the kid's jeep......he was impressed enough to anty up the money it would take to have the bondoguy fix the rust and repaint it Army Green.....of course the longrooffan and even the goodattorney advised me of all the wrong that could be happening for taking the cash up front to have the jeep fixed up before I took payment on the jeep itself.....but I had met the buyer and what I call "looked in his eye".....
the week after the 500 mile race here in Daytona, the jeep was ready and the buyer showed up with a friend and a trailer.....as the buyer and his friend looked for the head, I took a peek at his ride......when he returned and handed me a wad of cash, I didn't even count it.....the handy 8 pack of cold beverages provided by my favorite brewer was all it took to confirm the sale.....
but now what do I do....I'm a two car owner in a three car family.....looks like I am back to craigslist in search of a Toyota 4x4 for the kid...gotta have something that can handle the beach driving during the summer.....in the mean time Jim comes through by surrendering the keys to his 69 Bronco....so here I am, back to driving a specialty vehicle in the middle of the worst cold spell that can be remembered in these parts.....never could figure out how to turn the heater on in that beast....at least it is wind proof....but then a friend calls and tells me of Ford Ranger for sale by the tow company we use at work....a quick phone call to the tow company and happy hour is cut short for me.....a quick trip back over to the mainland and I am looking at my next vehicle....
now the kid was not too happy when I first informed him of his next ride, and my bride was not too happy that I made a commitment without her consent....
an extended conversation with BigJimDunn and she never said another word...
how I like that man....so now the kid is driving his new ride.....of course a couple of modifications were required....and most importantly I am back in my new truck.....
the longrooffan was commissioned to photograph the kid's new ride, however it hasn't been seen in daylight since I brought it home and his digital retainment equiptment is not real good in low light......I just plain forgot to take photos so expect photos by the end of the week........
these, and other reasons too many to list are why we......
CELERBATE LIFE............
What I did today...or the last three weeks......
by now everyone that follows this page has learned of the exploits of the bondoguy.....Jimmy is a good friend, one that you want around when camping for damn sure....he is one hell of a good painter....and now has been recognized by NASCAR for his exceptional skill at asphalt repair.....hats off to the man in turn two......
a addition and a deletion to the list of vehicles that have been under my domain over the years.....
a little set up here is due.....when the weather went north around here back in early January and the temperature dropped into the mid 30's (an actual HEAT WAVE for some of my brothers and friends) and the kid was driving an open topped, doorless vehicle, my bride explained to me that I would be driving the kid's jeep and he would be driving my new (to me) truck since he picked up his sister every day from school......now being a good Father and a caring friend to those two kids, I had to agree to relinquish my truck for the health of the kids...
of course this came at a very high price.....one week later I contracted a chest cold that is still nagging at me....another by product of driving a topless-doorless vehicle in near freezing temperature is the necessity to stay warm....multiple layers of clothing, a scarf, hat, double socks, and stay all scrunched up to conserve energy....(we called this 'max heat)...was a sneezing spell I went into one Sunday night a couple of fortnights ago that resulted in a serious back injury from which I still haven't recoverd completely.....yea I know, getting old beats the alternative.....but damn this back is a real pain in the back.......
but back to the future......I had aquired through various means the title to a 1979 CJ-5 Jeep with a small lift kit and some serious mud tires.....do not inquire....just let that go.....I had consigned this vehicle after a few modifications (yes there is blogproof of this and it did get it's fifteen minutes of fame) to the longroof to post on craigslist for sale......of course the proceeds were to finance shop supplies and other items more commonly known as 'hurricane supplies'.....when this was turned into a UTV by means of a trade I was back at square one with an image of a very warm looking truck everytime I drove into my driveway.....but alas after the trade was made I was contacted by a guy from the western part of the state about my old "huntin jeep" .....when he asked about the jeep I had for sale, I had to think for a minute before I replied, "Which one?"....seems he was willing to look at a 1967 CJ-5 instead of a 1979....up shot was he and his 'that'll hunt' girl drove over one afternoon to look at the kid's jeep......he was impressed enough to anty up the money it would take to have the bondoguy fix the rust and repaint it Army Green.....of course the longrooffan and even the goodattorney advised me of all the wrong that could be happening for taking the cash up front to have the jeep fixed up before I took payment on the jeep itself.....but I had met the buyer and what I call "looked in his eye".....
the week after the 500 mile race here in Daytona, the jeep was ready and the buyer showed up with a friend and a trailer.....as the buyer and his friend looked for the head, I took a peek at his ride......when he returned and handed me a wad of cash, I didn't even count it.....the handy 8 pack of cold beverages provided by my favorite brewer was all it took to confirm the sale.....
but now what do I do....I'm a two car owner in a three car family.....looks like I am back to craigslist in search of a Toyota 4x4 for the kid...gotta have something that can handle the beach driving during the summer.....in the mean time Jim comes through by surrendering the keys to his 69 Bronco....so here I am, back to driving a specialty vehicle in the middle of the worst cold spell that can be remembered in these parts.....never could figure out how to turn the heater on in that beast....at least it is wind proof....but then a friend calls and tells me of Ford Ranger for sale by the tow company we use at work....a quick phone call to the tow company and happy hour is cut short for me.....a quick trip back over to the mainland and I am looking at my next vehicle....
now the kid was not too happy when I first informed him of his next ride, and my bride was not too happy that I made a commitment without her consent....
an extended conversation with BigJimDunn and she never said another word...
how I like that man....so now the kid is driving his new ride.....of course a couple of modifications were required....and most importantly I am back in my new truck.....
the longrooffan was commissioned to photograph the kid's new ride, however it hasn't been seen in daylight since I brought it home and his digital retainment equiptment is not real good in low light......I just plain forgot to take photos so expect photos by the end of the week........
these, and other reasons too many to list are why we......
CELERBATE LIFE............
Sunday, February 14, 2010
What a way to spend a day
seems that the horsefarmer and family are curled up trying to stay warm....the bus is looking for a warm place to watch the race....the longrooffan is tied up with a close intimate friend....BBB is lounging poolside enjoying a beverage from the islands trying to keep his hands off his better half...
so while all of this is going on, the kid and I decide to venture out to the track to watch the race in person.....bundle up and head south....couple of stops along the way and we are soon in the infield looking for a parking spot.....waved to all of you, hope you were able to see me....I was the guy in blue standing on the track at the start/finish line.....look close when the cars go by and you can see where I signed my name on the wall at the line.....hooked up with a buddy and went walking to see the sites....heard/saw Tim McGraw.....missed his hot wife....
saw a whole lot of money tied up in race cars.....got Micheal Waltrip to sign a ball cap for me.....almost got run over by several pit carts.....the kid FINALLY asked if I had fulfilled my obligation to attend the race.....DAMN STRAIGHT... what tooK so long for him to ask I have yet to figure out....so we headed back to the short hairpin for the Rolex race where we had parked and proceeded to head home.....
read the horsefarmer's blog and saw photos he posted of his back yard...best part of those photos are they are his back yard, and not mine.....
the kid's sister and the sun goddess are out shopping and the kid and I are now in the comfort of our own home watching the "Great American Race".....
unlike the longrooffan I seldom carry a camera around for photos but today I did.....unfortunately it is the longroof's and photos will have to wait until he down loads them.....
but know that this morning, the kid and I, along with about 250000 other people.........
CELEBRATED LIFE........
so while all of this is going on, the kid and I decide to venture out to the track to watch the race in person.....bundle up and head south....couple of stops along the way and we are soon in the infield looking for a parking spot.....waved to all of you, hope you were able to see me....I was the guy in blue standing on the track at the start/finish line.....look close when the cars go by and you can see where I signed my name on the wall at the line.....hooked up with a buddy and went walking to see the sites....heard/saw Tim McGraw.....missed his hot wife....
saw a whole lot of money tied up in race cars.....got Micheal Waltrip to sign a ball cap for me.....almost got run over by several pit carts.....the kid FINALLY asked if I had fulfilled my obligation to attend the race.....DAMN STRAIGHT... what tooK so long for him to ask I have yet to figure out....so we headed back to the short hairpin for the Rolex race where we had parked and proceeded to head home.....
read the horsefarmer's blog and saw photos he posted of his back yard...best part of those photos are they are his back yard, and not mine.....
the kid's sister and the sun goddess are out shopping and the kid and I are now in the comfort of our own home watching the "Great American Race".....
unlike the longrooffan I seldom carry a camera around for photos but today I did.....unfortunately it is the longroof's and photos will have to wait until he down loads them.....
but know that this morning, the kid and I, along with about 250000 other people.........
CELEBRATED LIFE........
Sunday, November 15, 2009
A Day in the Country.....playing softball.....
what a way to spend the day.....
this Sunday, my birthday plus one, yea I know, one more year closer to being an old man, was spent in beautiful Flagler County Florida at their county fairgrounds....nothing like getting up at the crack of dawn to drive 30 miles to a softball tournement....got to the field on time and the girls got warmed up and the games started on time....great start to the day.....the kid's sister started in right field and then was moved to catcher in the third inning.....she made no errors catching the second pitcher and even got a good hit on her third at bat.....along about 10:30 a sound starts to come from the stock arena located about 400 yards north of us.....a LOT of stock trailers and BIG Ford trucks encircle the arena.....the kid's sister's team won the game and during the 2 hour game break I take a stroll to see what is the reason for the woman's voice on the loud speaker.....I walk into the first honest, authentic, down to earth, say a prayer to our God before it starts rodeo.....
after the opening prayer and the playing of the National Anthem with the girl on a buckskin circling the arena carrying the American Flag...the festivities began.....the show opened with a Ford 39A tractor 'dragging' the area for no less than 20 minutes.....then 5 cowboys, based on choice of clothing they were Wranglers I guess, spent another 15 minutes setting up polls down the center line of the area.....as the big guy, maybe portly is a better word, at the entrance was directing the placement of these poles, all I could think of ......move this way, no now that way, adjust the top....was he looked like a scottish sheep herder directing his dogs.....then the loud speaker woman started calling out names like an auctioneer.....guess you better know who you are to get your turn.....after several attempts to set the timer the show began.....a whole lot of good looking horse flesh,and a couple of likewise riders, spent the next 40 minutes racing up and down the line of poles weaving in and out to see who could do it the fastest time without knocking down a pole....10 second penalty for a knock down......saw a lot of horses and the people that ride them for show.....a culture that is so far removed from my life that culture shock was a reality for me today.....when I found myself attempting to rationalize how I could enter this world I quickly retreated to the ball fields and the world from which I came.....too much temptation to buy a BIG truck and BIGGER trailer and spend a couple of year's wages on horseflesh and....like I said, back to the ballfields.....the second game of the day was againest a high school team from Jacksonville Fla...the kid's sister started at catcher and spent the entire game behind the plate....caught the starting pitcher and despite her Mother's concerns, performed errorless.....made good contact againest an 18 year old pitcher and the game ended in a 3-2 loss.....not bad for playing againest older kids......another hour game break and then "batter up" was called for the final game.....the kid's sister again started behind the plate....caught the starting pitcher again.....the kid's sister has game....a couple of stolen bases on passed balls during this game, but nobody scored on her.....she even scored from second after reaching first on a slap hit...(softball term for an intential mis-hit in baseball)...same game...but different....Yogie would love it......along about the beginning of the last inning I received a phone call from the kid.....seems the job interview he went to was a success....he is the newest employee of the Halifax Plantation Country Club.....guess they were looking for a dish washer in the restaurant at the club house when the kid walked in.....so he starts his financial contribution to our government this coming Friday.....couldn't force him to wash the dishes last Friday and he starts doing it professionally this Friday.....
go figure.....the kid's sister had a great day on the ballfield and the kid got a job........so I guess this is what enables me to ........
CELEBRATE LIFE.......................today
this Sunday, my birthday plus one, yea I know, one more year closer to being an old man, was spent in beautiful Flagler County Florida at their county fairgrounds....nothing like getting up at the crack of dawn to drive 30 miles to a softball tournement....got to the field on time and the girls got warmed up and the games started on time....great start to the day.....the kid's sister started in right field and then was moved to catcher in the third inning.....she made no errors catching the second pitcher and even got a good hit on her third at bat.....along about 10:30 a sound starts to come from the stock arena located about 400 yards north of us.....a LOT of stock trailers and BIG Ford trucks encircle the arena.....the kid's sister's team won the game and during the 2 hour game break I take a stroll to see what is the reason for the woman's voice on the loud speaker.....I walk into the first honest, authentic, down to earth, say a prayer to our God before it starts rodeo.....
after the opening prayer and the playing of the National Anthem with the girl on a buckskin circling the arena carrying the American Flag...the festivities began.....the show opened with a Ford 39A tractor 'dragging' the area for no less than 20 minutes.....then 5 cowboys, based on choice of clothing they were Wranglers I guess, spent another 15 minutes setting up polls down the center line of the area.....as the big guy, maybe portly is a better word, at the entrance was directing the placement of these poles, all I could think of ......move this way, no now that way, adjust the top....was he looked like a scottish sheep herder directing his dogs.....then the loud speaker woman started calling out names like an auctioneer.....guess you better know who you are to get your turn.....after several attempts to set the timer the show began.....a whole lot of good looking horse flesh,and a couple of likewise riders, spent the next 40 minutes racing up and down the line of poles weaving in and out to see who could do it the fastest time without knocking down a pole....10 second penalty for a knock down......saw a lot of horses and the people that ride them for show.....a culture that is so far removed from my life that culture shock was a reality for me today.....when I found myself attempting to rationalize how I could enter this world I quickly retreated to the ball fields and the world from which I came.....too much temptation to buy a BIG truck and BIGGER trailer and spend a couple of year's wages on horseflesh and....like I said, back to the ballfields.....the second game of the day was againest a high school team from Jacksonville Fla...the kid's sister started at catcher and spent the entire game behind the plate....caught the starting pitcher and despite her Mother's concerns, performed errorless.....made good contact againest an 18 year old pitcher and the game ended in a 3-2 loss.....not bad for playing againest older kids......another hour game break and then "batter up" was called for the final game.....the kid's sister again started behind the plate....caught the starting pitcher again.....the kid's sister has game....a couple of stolen bases on passed balls during this game, but nobody scored on her.....she even scored from second after reaching first on a slap hit...(softball term for an intential mis-hit in baseball)...same game...but different....Yogie would love it......along about the beginning of the last inning I received a phone call from the kid.....seems the job interview he went to was a success....he is the newest employee of the Halifax Plantation Country Club.....guess they were looking for a dish washer in the restaurant at the club house when the kid walked in.....so he starts his financial contribution to our government this coming Friday.....couldn't force him to wash the dishes last Friday and he starts doing it professionally this Friday.....
go figure.....the kid's sister had a great day on the ballfield and the kid got a job........so I guess this is what enables me to ........
CELEBRATE LIFE.......................today
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Beach Sunday
went to the beach today.......every day spent at the beach with my wife and kids is another day to CELEBRATE LIFE.......had a great time......lots of sun and surf.....the kid spent the better part of four hours catching waves......the kids sister fought her way out to the breakers and then nailed three good waves.....using one of her brother's boards.....the kid's second oldest aunt gave him a couple of surf boards that belonged to her late son.....after a little work on them we were able to make them sea worthy again......one of the boards was missing a couple of fins, and on the way to the longroof's yesterday I saw a broken board in a wastemanagement pile......had to double back because the fins looked familiar......brought the tail home and the fins were the same that the kid had been shopping on ebay at $20 each......three fins.....0 dollars....and they worked perfect.......gotta figure that was a trip that was meant to be.........back to today.....the kid commented no less than three times how sweet the new board was with three good fins......cuts like a sharp knive was his exact term........the kid's sister was using one of his other new boards and she grabbed the first wave and was gone like a flash.....the grin on her face was priceless.....
she couldn't get back out to the breakers fast enough......two more good waves and she was done for the afternoon.....there was a wicked current today and by the time the kid's sister called it quits, I was ready too......rather sit and watch than fight the surf sometimes.....
so thanks to my second sister and her gift to my son.......
it enables him.....and I.....to........
CELEBRATE LIFE..........
Thank you Carol
she couldn't get back out to the breakers fast enough......two more good waves and she was done for the afternoon.....there was a wicked current today and by the time the kid's sister called it quits, I was ready too......rather sit and watch than fight the surf sometimes.....
so thanks to my second sister and her gift to my son.......
it enables him.....and I.....to........
CELEBRATE LIFE..........
Thank you Carol
Monday, May 11, 2009
5 months, 22 days......
Yep....that's how long it took.....
5 months and 22 days for the kid to get his first ticket while a licensed driver within the state of Florida......and those other lesser states that don't count hanging chads.....
seems that if you back out of a parking spot in a darke parking lot and hit the car parked across the lot from you is considered a driving offense if done on the beach in the state of Florida....
I suspect that he spent too much time in the sun surfing and was just anxious to get home....
of course to Officer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_7C0QGkiVo
this is a violation of state statue , whocaresaslongasbothpartiesareokwithit....
so he writes the kid a ticket for, and I'm not kidding here,....."improper backing".......
now what the heck is 'improper backing'..?????
seems this is what you write a kid a ticket for, when you want the kid to get off, but are required to write the kid a ticket for something......
well tonight the sungoddess was told about the incident.....she, while extremely upset, handled the situation quite to my surprise......
since I am still able to sit here and write should be an indication of how well she responded....
still got my fingers and voluntary use of my mind....
the kid is still breathing on his own, so things look good here......
seems kind of funny, here I sitting thinking that I am the first parent to go though this experience......
then I recall my parents and realize they are extracting their own personal revenge.....
and every parent, or grandparent, since motorized transportation began........
well, it was bound to happen sooner or later...........
CELEBRATE LIFE...........
5 months and 22 days for the kid to get his first ticket while a licensed driver within the state of Florida......and those other lesser states that don't count hanging chads.....
seems that if you back out of a parking spot in a darke parking lot and hit the car parked across the lot from you is considered a driving offense if done on the beach in the state of Florida....
I suspect that he spent too much time in the sun surfing and was just anxious to get home....
of course to Officer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_7C0QGkiVo
this is a violation of state statue , whocaresaslongasbothpartiesareokwithit....
so he writes the kid a ticket for, and I'm not kidding here,....."improper backing".......
now what the heck is 'improper backing'..?????
seems this is what you write a kid a ticket for, when you want the kid to get off, but are required to write the kid a ticket for something......
well tonight the sungoddess was told about the incident.....she, while extremely upset, handled the situation quite to my surprise......
since I am still able to sit here and write should be an indication of how well she responded....
still got my fingers and voluntary use of my mind....
the kid is still breathing on his own, so things look good here......
seems kind of funny, here I sitting thinking that I am the first parent to go though this experience......
then I recall my parents and realize they are extracting their own personal revenge.....
and every parent, or grandparent, since motorized transportation began........
well, it was bound to happen sooner or later...........
CELEBRATE LIFE...........
Saturday, April 4, 2009
whats going on up there......
so I spent the day doing 'honey-dos' while the kids are off on missions of their own doing....
the kid's sister is out riding four-wheelers with friends and the kid is surfing at the beach....
or at least that is his story......got a call from one of my many friends that drive black and tan cars, the ones with the lights and sirens, and he called to let me know that the kid was 'cruising chicks' on the beach.....
truly his Father's son.....makes my eyes water and my heart beat a little faster.....
when questioned, the kid's response was, "the water was flat but the babes weren't"........
gotta love the kid......would make Uncle Bob proud.....
but as I am viewing the world from my lap, I notice this headline and the thoughts began....
does this explain the freezer full of beef.....or lack of leadership by the bus.......
where is the Lone Ranger when you need him.....
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29979871/...
doesn't really matter much to me because the kid and I are off to fish the big bridge....
if we are lucky the longroof will join us.....but none the less....we will...
CELEBRATE LIFE...!!!!!!!!!!
the kid's sister is out riding four-wheelers with friends and the kid is surfing at the beach....
or at least that is his story......got a call from one of my many friends that drive black and tan cars, the ones with the lights and sirens, and he called to let me know that the kid was 'cruising chicks' on the beach.....
truly his Father's son.....makes my eyes water and my heart beat a little faster.....
when questioned, the kid's response was, "the water was flat but the babes weren't"........
gotta love the kid......would make Uncle Bob proud.....
but as I am viewing the world from my lap, I notice this headline and the thoughts began....
does this explain the freezer full of beef.....or lack of leadership by the bus.......
where is the Lone Ranger when you need him.....
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29979871/...
doesn't really matter much to me because the kid and I are off to fish the big bridge....
if we are lucky the longroof will join us.....but none the less....we will...
CELEBRATE LIFE...!!!!!!!!!!
Friday, March 20, 2009
Glad to be back
after what seems to be an eternity, I have finally returned to these pages....seems the 67% of the time I spend on the web finally caught up with my laptop and it crashed.....and it crashed hard....no amount of spyware, anti-virus, spamware, or any of the other stuff I don't understand could fix it.....so thankfully, DELL sells for less if you look hard enough and, I'm back.......still got some time ahead of me figuring out what program does what and how to get there, but so far I have spent the better part of my free time trying to catch up, damn we are busy people...lot's of happenings since I last visited.....the bus and I went partners on a parts vehicle, then didn't....that works out best I think....he got a couple of parts for less than face value, I got a couple of parts the same, the longroof made a couple of bucks, and I didn't loose too much in the process....gotta a couple more items to sell that I hope will break even....but another chapter....
went with the kid last weekend to a WWII battle re-enactment that his history professor participates in.....every aspect of the event is authentic to the era and it was pretty neat....vehicles included...these guys do everything period correct, even down to no showers for three days prior for the visual physical effect of the soldiers.....they camped out in authentic tents and even cooked over a fire and ate k-rations.....not so sure I'd be that far into it, but they do a wonderful job of explaining everything to the couple of hundred people gathered around.....saw a fully restored 1942 MB.. the owner and restorer was a retired Navy guy.....submariner who wanted to stay 'high and dry' from now on.....the MB was very well done, but as the kid said as he missed a couple of shifts, "Dad, this guy can't drive worth a damn." I guessed it was the foot traffic that caused the mis cues, but the kid was right.....should have stuck with automatics.....made me feel sorry for the gears.....made me realize that my new old jeep needs attention....gotta a guy lined up this weekend to repair the tool box and weld it into place.....then the correct seat frames...then off to the paint booth.....oh wait..gotta replace the brake lines to the front cylinders first.....got replacements, just not the time......gotta find that now that the time last longer.....along with fishing, softball, yard care, pt, wt, damn, it's dark again.....pretty much the same as all....
so many things that warrant sharing have happened since last visit that I can't remember them all.....funniest (or best) was cruising the beach last weekend with the kid.....not only did I forget about spring break....I forgot the kid is sixteen and a half.....loong sloow safari drive down and back up the beach.....felt like the longroof....6 miles in an hour and a half....of course it is hard to tell him that his mother came to these very beaches in her youth for the same reason these kids were here now.....but damn he has good eye sight.....I think maybe that explains why my neck hurts so bad.....another reason to .............
CELEBRATE LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
went with the kid last weekend to a WWII battle re-enactment that his history professor participates in.....every aspect of the event is authentic to the era and it was pretty neat....vehicles included...these guys do everything period correct, even down to no showers for three days prior for the visual physical effect of the soldiers.....they camped out in authentic tents and even cooked over a fire and ate k-rations.....not so sure I'd be that far into it, but they do a wonderful job of explaining everything to the couple of hundred people gathered around.....saw a fully restored 1942 MB.. the owner and restorer was a retired Navy guy.....submariner who wanted to stay 'high and dry' from now on.....the MB was very well done, but as the kid said as he missed a couple of shifts, "Dad, this guy can't drive worth a damn." I guessed it was the foot traffic that caused the mis cues, but the kid was right.....should have stuck with automatics.....made me feel sorry for the gears.....made me realize that my new old jeep needs attention....gotta a guy lined up this weekend to repair the tool box and weld it into place.....then the correct seat frames...then off to the paint booth.....oh wait..gotta replace the brake lines to the front cylinders first.....got replacements, just not the time......gotta find that now that the time last longer.....along with fishing, softball, yard care, pt, wt, damn, it's dark again.....pretty much the same as all....
so many things that warrant sharing have happened since last visit that I can't remember them all.....funniest (or best) was cruising the beach last weekend with the kid.....not only did I forget about spring break....I forgot the kid is sixteen and a half.....loong sloow safari drive down and back up the beach.....felt like the longroof....6 miles in an hour and a half....of course it is hard to tell him that his mother came to these very beaches in her youth for the same reason these kids were here now.....but damn he has good eye sight.....I think maybe that explains why my neck hurts so bad.....another reason to .............
CELEBRATE LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
A Sign Life is Too Busy
wow...here I am again after a long absence...spent a lot of the last couple of weeks making sure that everyone else was takin care of and forgot to make sure I was....if you understand that last sentence then you know what I mean....checked on the longrooffan when he was under the weather and contracted a smaller version of what what was ailing him....gotta love pharmacuticals to kick that bug in the butt....three days of modern legal drugs and poof....of course about 40 hours of sleep in those three days helped a little....got the kid's jeep back in fine working order and topless or not it sure is an attention getter.....attended a couple of races at the track with the longrooffan.....he damn near wore that pass out....sure was happy to be able to secure the ticket for him.....I would almost venture to say that he was about raced out....but then he goes and post another blog.....like the horsefarmer, I spent race day around the homestead....
slept in late...ate a big breakfast with the kids and yea, I raked leaves and mowed the lawn.....worked up a sweat doing it too and I worked on the kid's jeep..... fixed the speakers and hooked up a horn.....watched the race on the television and watched the rain on the radar....amazingly I stayed dry the whole day.....fiddled around with the old Willys and then took both for a short drive.....thought about heading out to the track to watch the circle race....but then popped a cold one and asked myself why?....by then the longrooffan was ready to head to the house and I was already home.....and dry....besides I saw the jets fly over and could hear the cars everytime they went through turns three and four...heard the firework celebration as they announced the end of the race....forgot about the 5 second tv delay as the fireworks went off....
anyway it has been a busy fortnight and life returns to our semblance of normal now.....
heard a line in a show today that stuck with me.....
"I don't live for tomorrow...takes up to much time today"....
remember this as we....
CELEBRATE LIFE.......
slept in late...ate a big breakfast with the kids and yea, I raked leaves and mowed the lawn.....worked up a sweat doing it too and I worked on the kid's jeep..... fixed the speakers and hooked up a horn.....watched the race on the television and watched the rain on the radar....amazingly I stayed dry the whole day.....fiddled around with the old Willys and then took both for a short drive.....thought about heading out to the track to watch the circle race....but then popped a cold one and asked myself why?....by then the longrooffan was ready to head to the house and I was already home.....and dry....besides I saw the jets fly over and could hear the cars everytime they went through turns three and four...heard the firework celebration as they announced the end of the race....forgot about the 5 second tv delay as the fireworks went off....
anyway it has been a busy fortnight and life returns to our semblance of normal now.....
heard a line in a show today that stuck with me.....
"I don't live for tomorrow...takes up to much time today"....
remember this as we....
CELEBRATE LIFE.......
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Gone Fishin (Or been away for a while)
it has been a while since I stopped and recorded at this place....
I feel as if I should apologize to someone for my deliquency....most likely myself....
since my last visit here I have had the oppportunity to stick one and break another.....
(see the oleragtop's blog for pix and video).....
take a walk with a friend through our country's automotive past....
visit with brothers......both healthy and sick....
spend time with the the longroof fixing the broke one.....
spend more time with the kid re-fixing the broke one.....
what was that you ask??...
well it all started with an innocent trek to the woods just west of us.....
the Ocala National Forest and it's open trails..as reported by the longroof, we had an adventurous day......
which became two weeks....see stuck one and broke another.....
after securing the parts needed to repair the kid's jeep, the longrooffan and I spent an afternoon installing the NOS parts.....
only to find out that I incorrectly installed a MAJOR component.....yep that's right, I made a mistake......not the first by my count and not the first by my bride's either.....
but this is what lead to the kid and I re-fixing the kid's jeep.......
it amazing how little time it takes to fix one's error.......
they should stamp those clutch disc in bigger letters.....'flywheel side' is in awfully small letters....
but it is fixed now and the kid is looking for places to go.......
got some tips on why the 46 Willies doesn't run when desending sharply .....
gotta check the float level to see if it shuts off the fuel supply.......
but that will have to wait for warmer weather....
put smaller tires on the kid's jeep this week.....
looks a lot better as we get closer to the original size tire.....
and it is amazing how much tighter and easier it turns now......
tomorrow brings another adventure and the kid is ready to trek back into the forest.....
I would say it is about time for us to again.....
CELEBRATE LIFE...
I feel as if I should apologize to someone for my deliquency....most likely myself....
since my last visit here I have had the oppportunity to stick one and break another.....
(see the oleragtop's blog for pix and video).....
take a walk with a friend through our country's automotive past....
visit with brothers......both healthy and sick....
spend time with the the longroof fixing the broke one.....
spend more time with the kid re-fixing the broke one.....
what was that you ask??...
well it all started with an innocent trek to the woods just west of us.....
the Ocala National Forest and it's open trails..as reported by the longroof, we had an adventurous day......
which became two weeks....see stuck one and broke another.....
after securing the parts needed to repair the kid's jeep, the longrooffan and I spent an afternoon installing the NOS parts.....
only to find out that I incorrectly installed a MAJOR component.....yep that's right, I made a mistake......not the first by my count and not the first by my bride's either.....
but this is what lead to the kid and I re-fixing the kid's jeep.......
it amazing how little time it takes to fix one's error.......
they should stamp those clutch disc in bigger letters.....'flywheel side' is in awfully small letters....
but it is fixed now and the kid is looking for places to go.......
got some tips on why the 46 Willies doesn't run when desending sharply .....
gotta check the float level to see if it shuts off the fuel supply.......
but that will have to wait for warmer weather....
put smaller tires on the kid's jeep this week.....
looks a lot better as we get closer to the original size tire.....
and it is amazing how much tighter and easier it turns now......
tomorrow brings another adventure and the kid is ready to trek back into the forest.....
I would say it is about time for us to again.....
CELEBRATE LIFE...
Friday, January 2, 2009
Redneck games
well if you are a visiter of bythenumbers then you know how the kid and I spent New Year's Day......called Jon-Jon and woke him up...told him to meet us at Scott's house as we had planned a day spent jeeping with a couple of other 4-wheelers.....as seen on the bythenumbers blog, a great time was had by all participants....even the longrooffan got into the trail riding, or making in his case, spirit.......even got him into Scouting around for a longroof trade.....not so much in my opinion.....spent about three hours driving down trails and thru a couple of mud holes....even climbed a creek side in a the 2A and had a blast......the little girl out performed the big dog high stepping 4x4s of the boys......impressed them all without a doubt....the creek climb would have impressed the bus as he could have followed along......the beauty of the old jeep is that totally stock she lead the way for the boys with the 44 lockers and flex suspensions......you know those vehicles that the axles flex 44 inches up and down.....the old 2A solid as a rock just took a tire off the ground and used the other wheels for traction......sure was fun and future plans are in place for other dates with the boys fourwheeling......the kid was impressive as he didn't get stuck once....now granted he refrained from entering some of the really bad spots....but he drove right through the deepest holes following the trail.....check the photo of the passenger side mud line on his cj.....the one off side to all the fun we had is the maintanence that now has to be done.....pull apart and repack the wheel bearings is of the highest priority......looks like my Sunday is booked.
Saturday the longrooffan and the kid are heading out to the racetrack to take in the Rolex practice session.....guess it is that time of year again.....I got word of an old jeep sitting in a field out west of town about 20 miles or so, so hopefully I will get a chance to check it out.......let you know later......
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL
CELEBRATE LIFE...........
Saturday the longrooffan and the kid are heading out to the racetrack to take in the Rolex practice session.....guess it is that time of year again.....I got word of an old jeep sitting in a field out west of town about 20 miles or so, so hopefully I will get a chance to check it out.......let you know later......
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL
CELEBRATE LIFE...........
Friday, December 12, 2008
This one is for Jon-Jon
the kid is off on a school trip to play basketball in some tournement west of us and east of the gulf.....he and his team are visiting the UF campus on Saturday to take a tour and then off to watch his high school football team compete in the state finals.......since Jon-Jon is (not) SUCH a football fan, I thought the following would help explain the game...... to him....
and if that is not enough...then pay attention...this is classic.......
and if that is not enough...then pay attention...this is classic.......
Sunday, December 7, 2008
It's ALIVE.....again....for now......
enjoyed a great day in sunny florida today.......cold though.....okay so maybe not as cold as where you are right now....but cold enough for me.....didn't get much above 60 in the shade and with the wind off the ocean it was cold.....cold enough for long sleeved pants and long sleeved shirts....
these are clothing items that are buried way in the back of the bottom drawer of your chest of drawers.....they don't see daylight very often.....sorry horsefarmer, but today I did sleep in late... didn't get out of bed until 9:00 am.....great feeling as I think I needed it.....but the kids slept until at least 10...11 for the kid, so I figure he stayed up late watching old movies.....but the sungoddess got up early and was out riding her bike so the kid's sister and I started on a school project after breakfast.....3-D map of the Nez Perce Indian displacement of the late 1880's..... spent a couple of enjoyable hours supporting her on that project..... as the sun was now letting her presence be felt, we loaded up to go to the ball field for a little pitching practice.....the longroof called before we left and he joined up at the field.....he makes a pretty good umpire and we had a short talk about the geographics of the old ballfields......seems a large box store wants the acreage the ball fields are on and wants the ball fields moved to a former landfill area.....
this kind of got his ire up and with a little luck he can spend some time at the council meetings....
returned back to my garage after practice and proceeded to spend an enjoyable afternoon with my big brother......of course the first thing I did was turn on a football game and pull a jeep into the garage....sometimes I think the longroof gets tired of this, but he just turned the tv channel to a car race and hung out.....got the old Cj2A running on the first crank and Jon took it for a spin around the neighborhood.....feels really good to have that running on the first crank as it wouldn't start last weekend......just like an old vehicle....it ran but wouldn't stop......got the brakes fixed by rebuilding the wheel cylinders...... actually the longroof and I just disassembled the cylinders and cleaned them up, honed out the cylinders and reassembled them......but they work and the little mule stops.......but then it wouldn't start......no spark, but plenty of crank......the balast resistor failed.....went to my local parts store and when the kid at the counter asked if he could help me, I told him I needed to talk to the oldest guy behind the counter......I think he was a little upset, so I asked him for a two pole resistor......he wanted to know what year, make, and model of vehicle and what area I was working on......a moments pause from me and then good old Phil walked up from the back room carrying a 2 pole balast resistor.....seems he overheard my request and just went in the back room and grabbed one off the shelf......sometimes old guys rule.......got home and after calling 'uncle Tom' to confirm my diagnosis, I installed the new resistor and the little mule fired right up.....so now it runs and stops.......It's alive.........but then I have two jeeps in the driveway and there is always something to be done to them....finally got around to installing the heater in the kid's jeep......once again the longroof was helpful for something other than 'can you grab me a beer please'.......got the heater box installed with minimal cutting and only had to take it out three times to find out why the fan wouldn't turn.... but we finally got it installed and then wired up to an underdash switch......plan on hooking up the hoses tomorrow night just in time for the 80 degree weather on Wednesday.......but it's alive.....again.....for now.....hey, they're old....
CELEBRATE LIFE.......
these are clothing items that are buried way in the back of the bottom drawer of your chest of drawers.....they don't see daylight very often.....sorry horsefarmer, but today I did sleep in late... didn't get out of bed until 9:00 am.....great feeling as I think I needed it.....but the kids slept until at least 10...11 for the kid, so I figure he stayed up late watching old movies.....but the sungoddess got up early and was out riding her bike so the kid's sister and I started on a school project after breakfast.....3-D map of the Nez Perce Indian displacement of the late 1880's..... spent a couple of enjoyable hours supporting her on that project..... as the sun was now letting her presence be felt, we loaded up to go to the ball field for a little pitching practice.....the longroof called before we left and he joined up at the field.....he makes a pretty good umpire and we had a short talk about the geographics of the old ballfields......seems a large box store wants the acreage the ball fields are on and wants the ball fields moved to a former landfill area.....
this kind of got his ire up and with a little luck he can spend some time at the council meetings....
returned back to my garage after practice and proceeded to spend an enjoyable afternoon with my big brother......of course the first thing I did was turn on a football game and pull a jeep into the garage....sometimes I think the longroof gets tired of this, but he just turned the tv channel to a car race and hung out.....got the old Cj2A running on the first crank and Jon took it for a spin around the neighborhood.....feels really good to have that running on the first crank as it wouldn't start last weekend......just like an old vehicle....it ran but wouldn't stop......got the brakes fixed by rebuilding the wheel cylinders...... actually the longroof and I just disassembled the cylinders and cleaned them up, honed out the cylinders and reassembled them......but they work and the little mule stops.......but then it wouldn't start......no spark, but plenty of crank......the balast resistor failed.....went to my local parts store and when the kid at the counter asked if he could help me, I told him I needed to talk to the oldest guy behind the counter......I think he was a little upset, so I asked him for a two pole resistor......he wanted to know what year, make, and model of vehicle and what area I was working on......a moments pause from me and then good old Phil walked up from the back room carrying a 2 pole balast resistor.....seems he overheard my request and just went in the back room and grabbed one off the shelf......sometimes old guys rule.......got home and after calling 'uncle Tom' to confirm my diagnosis, I installed the new resistor and the little mule fired right up.....so now it runs and stops.......It's alive.........but then I have two jeeps in the driveway and there is always something to be done to them....finally got around to installing the heater in the kid's jeep......once again the longroof was helpful for something other than 'can you grab me a beer please'.......got the heater box installed with minimal cutting and only had to take it out three times to find out why the fan wouldn't turn.... but we finally got it installed and then wired up to an underdash switch......plan on hooking up the hoses tomorrow night just in time for the 80 degree weather on Wednesday.......but it's alive.....again.....for now.....hey, they're old....
CELEBRATE LIFE.......
Monday, December 1, 2008
not sure what the title to this entry into my life's reflection should be, so it is blank for now...... sometimes we have entries like this.....just not sure what to call them......spent a long holiday weekend/week hanging out with the kid and uncle Jon-Jon.....saw some really nice restored automobiles and one really sweet 46 CJ2A that will never see a dirt road, or a sandy beach...... seemed like a waste of time , energy, and money on the jeep...the cars are all the same..... I call them Vanna Whites.....man they look great from 60 feet away....but when you get up close you realize they are really not worth the money it takes to keep them looking as they do..... somewhere, somebody, is tired of their crap and that is why they are for sale to the highest bidder....but then I enoyed the time spent with my son and his uncle Jon......didn't get to spend any time working on the new-old jeep.....instead spent that energy getting the Christmas lights up and finishing the honey-do list that had materialized......got those knocked out and found a lot of free time to just sit and relax in my garage....enjoyed watching the kid and the kid's sister playing with the neighborhood kids.....the kid got his driver's license on Monday and like all of us, found every excuse in the world to go someplace.....?what, you wanted three items from the store?.....I must have forgot one of them....gotta go back....same thing we all did.....and every new driver since then.....tonite he had b-ball practice.....he came home from school on the bus and then drove to practice himself....drove himself home too....no problems despite his Mother's worries.....the most excelerating -frightening time of my life......all for knot it appears....
Monday, November 24, 2008
weekends at work
sometimes I wonder where the time goes...seems we work all week long from sun-up to sun-down...then go get one or the other of the children from whatever activity that keeps them away from home after school....then we run home to get ready to start all over again....in between we try to find time for ourselves....the last couple of weekends, that savored time that one can spend doing what we work all week to do, have gone by at the speed of light....seems just about the time I have begun to relax, it's time to wind up for the week again....never seem to have enough time to truly enjoy those things that bring me joy....I have been fortunate enough to spend some fantastic time working on the oleragtop's recent number...and he spent some time helping me on my new-old jeep....but just about the time the fun begins...the weekend is over...the kid's little sister spent her weekend reading and playing with her neighborhood girlfriends....the kid spent his weekend....not sure what he did this weekend other than prepare for taking his driver's exam.....sure was funny watching him and his Mother trying to parallel park....tried to tell them it is not required anymore....but it was funny watching them anyway....the kid and I got all the Christmas decorations down from the attic in anticipation of Thursday afternoon's installation....I'll be asking myself where that day went on Friday....but then this weekend is the annual Turkey Rod Run here in Daytona Beach...
I'm sure this is not the first time you have heard of this event...check bythenumbers for more info and photos....so I know the time will fly by this weekend also...gonna take the kid's jeep and the new old jeep out and see if somebody wants them more than we do....but first the exhaust manifold needs repairing on the kid's jeep, and the brakes still need attention on the new-old jeep....damn what I'd give for another two hours of daylight.....or a barn like the horsefarmer has....but alas it would be hard to fit that barn into my neighborhood....I sit in my garage watching MNF getting ready for another day in the mine....well here's to the guy that invented those 12 ounce metal cans....he deserves a medal.....
CELEBRATE LIFE....
I'm sure this is not the first time you have heard of this event...check bythenumbers for more info and photos....so I know the time will fly by this weekend also...gonna take the kid's jeep and the new old jeep out and see if somebody wants them more than we do....but first the exhaust manifold needs repairing on the kid's jeep, and the brakes still need attention on the new-old jeep....damn what I'd give for another two hours of daylight.....or a barn like the horsefarmer has....but alas it would be hard to fit that barn into my neighborhood....I sit in my garage watching MNF getting ready for another day in the mine....well here's to the guy that invented those 12 ounce metal cans....he deserves a medal.....
CELEBRATE LIFE....
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Wonderful Days......
as another weekend comes to a close I, as usual, can be found in my garage watching Sunday Night Football enjoying a cold beverage recounting the weekend's adventures...
spent Saturday am working while my wife took the kid's little sister and the kid to a softball tournement in Ocala Fla.....as Ocala is a short drive thru the woods to our west, my intent was to drive over to catch the afternoon games.....but the thought of fueling up two vehicles twice shut that idea down quickly......besides, I knew something would come up to occupy my time Saturday afternoon......a quick call to the longrooffan lined out the day......as you recall, the ragtop that he aquired needed a little work.....he got a great deal on this car and he did the really hard work himself....he switched the complete interior and the convertible top and did a fantastic job......but all that work was done a couple of weeks ago.....all that was left was repairing a faulty gasket on the intake manifold that had failed causing the vehicle to die at idle.....last week we spoke about completing the repair and looked up the labor time to see what we were getting into.....called for about three hours by factory authorized technicians......this kind of scared me because when you open the hood of this little rag top, there are vacuum hoses and sensor wires running everywhere......but then again, I think what the hell, we got a parts car and digital tecnology that enables us to photogragh an actual example......back to a Saturday in my garage....the longrooffan pulls his ragtop into the garage and opens the hood......five cigarettes, three diet cokes, one Bud Light, and two and a half hours later the car starts right up on the first crank......it idles a little rough as I can't remember where the last vacuum hose belonged.....know what's great about a complete, unmolested parts car.......ran across the bridge to get a molded hose off the parts car and while there found out where the loose vacuum hose belonged.....back in my garage the errant hose was installed and the little ragtop fired right up and ran great.......the horsefarmer would have been surprised......ole JD actually helped on this project......no sitting in his beach chair and watching......actually got his hands dirty....it helped that all of my chairs were in Ocala watching softball and his chair was in the Falcon Van at his place....no where for him to sit.....beat the time too.....of course it was nothing like the radiator change on the old Volvo.....I think that one took about 40 minutes.......of course that was right after the 24 Hours of Daytona so we were still operating on 24 hour race time......
okay so now it's early afternoon and one project is scratched off the list........
line two....I finally got the longrooffan to do some work......when we (me, unless you ask my wife) installed hardwood flooring in our house a couple of years ago there was no compensation made for the dryer vent......so after replacing the heater element twice in the past two years I finally sat down and thought about why...well the vent size was reduced by half because the dryer was farther off the ground......due to clearance issues the dryer fits almost flush againest the wall so repair options without cutting the exterior of the house were limited......it's good to have an oleconstruction worker around every so often......ideas were exchanged, a trip to our local harware store was made, and repairs were initiated......twenty minutes later the damn thing works like a champ.....and best of all.....no painting needed......can't see the repairs because the dryer hides it.......thanks JD.......
okay, scratch another line off the list........
back to the fun stuff.......the 'new, old' jeep needs some brake work......I had previously installed the new master cylinder and gravity bled the brakes......now I needed a warm body to help pump the brake pedal so I could bleed the brakes manually to get a brake pedal.....got the old jeep moved and the new jeep fired up and backed into the garage.....all the tools are laid out so no fumbling around a box looking for a the correct wrench.....and the bleeding commensed.......twenty minutes later we are cleaned up and ready for a test drive.....asked the loogrooffan if he was up for a run around the block......only question he had was "is this it's virgin run"......YEP.....this is it for the new old jeep......three trips around the block was what it took......wanted to hook it up behind the old jeep and take it for a test trail run but we'll save that one for when the kid is with us.......got back and put everything away........
so far so good.....great day doing fun stuff......and everything works.......
okay, scratch another line off the list......
pulled the old jeep into the garage next and tried to hook up the speaker lights......too hard, too late in the day to be bending over and under a non moveable interior so we will leave that job for the kid......spent several minutes going thru numerous storage containers looking for the right stuff to modify a light bulb to fit into the speedometer......gotta have at least one so you can see how fast you are going at night.....once again the longrooffan comes thru......seems electrical wire loom fits perfectly......then pulled the exhaust system off, just two bolts and a strap.......fixed the exhaust leak.....you know one of the wonderful things about a garage full of stuff, you can find all kinds of problem solvers......a small self tapping screw fixed that pin hole in the exhaust system......
so far so good.....the list is finished......everything works and a great time spent with good company........now it's time to sit back and watch some racing and pay tribute to the guy that invented 12 ounce aluminuim cans so we could enjoy a few cold adult beverages.....
somebody needs to give that guy a medal........
thanks John for helping me enjoy a great day........
and that was my Saturday......
woke up this Sunday am for a run thru the woods back to Ocala....seems the kid's sister's team had one more game to play this weekend....if the win on Saturday, they play again on Sunday in these games.....on Sunday it is one and done so it looked like it might be a short day at the ballfield....arrive at the ballfields in Ocala and at a glance can tell we are in 'God's Country'.....the horsefarmer would have felt better at home here than I.....the other side of the center field fence is a cattle pasture complete with grazing cattle.....woods outside the left field fence and the parking lot was cut from a pine forest....well the kid's sister's team won their first game on a home run hit by the kid's sister in the top of the last inning....tie game and she starts off the inning with an inside the park homerun...
her hit woke up some bats and by the time the inning was over 6 more batters crossed homeplate.....when she came up again in the inning I think she was tired and just wanted the game over because she hit a blooper to first to end the inning...she started it so I guess she could end it....well one win on Sunday and you have a double header to play......didn't fair real well in the second game....played againest a team from Jacksonville that was very well coached and had a fantastic pitcher....this kid had a changeup that some of our players are still trying to hit as I am writing this....so we finished third.....at least a podium finish.....got back to the house late this afternoon.....cleaned the big white truck and the kid and I took another spin around the neighborhood in the new jeep.....gotta do some more work on the brakes as the pedal fell off completely....oh well, that's why we buy old cars.....gives us something to do on weekends......
CELEBRATE LIFE.........
spent Saturday am working while my wife took the kid's little sister and the kid to a softball tournement in Ocala Fla.....as Ocala is a short drive thru the woods to our west, my intent was to drive over to catch the afternoon games.....but the thought of fueling up two vehicles twice shut that idea down quickly......besides, I knew something would come up to occupy my time Saturday afternoon......a quick call to the longrooffan lined out the day......as you recall, the ragtop that he aquired needed a little work.....he got a great deal on this car and he did the really hard work himself....he switched the complete interior and the convertible top and did a fantastic job......but all that work was done a couple of weeks ago.....all that was left was repairing a faulty gasket on the intake manifold that had failed causing the vehicle to die at idle.....last week we spoke about completing the repair and looked up the labor time to see what we were getting into.....called for about three hours by factory authorized technicians......this kind of scared me because when you open the hood of this little rag top, there are vacuum hoses and sensor wires running everywhere......but then again, I think what the hell, we got a parts car and digital tecnology that enables us to photogragh an actual example......back to a Saturday in my garage....the longrooffan pulls his ragtop into the garage and opens the hood......five cigarettes, three diet cokes, one Bud Light, and two and a half hours later the car starts right up on the first crank......it idles a little rough as I can't remember where the last vacuum hose belonged.....know what's great about a complete, unmolested parts car.......ran across the bridge to get a molded hose off the parts car and while there found out where the loose vacuum hose belonged.....back in my garage the errant hose was installed and the little ragtop fired right up and ran great.......the horsefarmer would have been surprised......ole JD actually helped on this project......no sitting in his beach chair and watching......actually got his hands dirty....it helped that all of my chairs were in Ocala watching softball and his chair was in the Falcon Van at his place....no where for him to sit.....beat the time too.....of course it was nothing like the radiator change on the old Volvo.....I think that one took about 40 minutes.......of course that was right after the 24 Hours of Daytona so we were still operating on 24 hour race time......
okay so now it's early afternoon and one project is scratched off the list........
line two....I finally got the longrooffan to do some work......when we (me, unless you ask my wife) installed hardwood flooring in our house a couple of years ago there was no compensation made for the dryer vent......so after replacing the heater element twice in the past two years I finally sat down and thought about why...well the vent size was reduced by half because the dryer was farther off the ground......due to clearance issues the dryer fits almost flush againest the wall so repair options without cutting the exterior of the house were limited......it's good to have an oleconstruction worker around every so often......ideas were exchanged, a trip to our local harware store was made, and repairs were initiated......twenty minutes later the damn thing works like a champ.....and best of all.....no painting needed......can't see the repairs because the dryer hides it.......thanks JD.......
okay, scratch another line off the list........
back to the fun stuff.......the 'new, old' jeep needs some brake work......I had previously installed the new master cylinder and gravity bled the brakes......now I needed a warm body to help pump the brake pedal so I could bleed the brakes manually to get a brake pedal.....got the old jeep moved and the new jeep fired up and backed into the garage.....all the tools are laid out so no fumbling around a box looking for a the correct wrench.....and the bleeding commensed.......twenty minutes later we are cleaned up and ready for a test drive.....asked the loogrooffan if he was up for a run around the block......only question he had was "is this it's virgin run"......YEP.....this is it for the new old jeep......three trips around the block was what it took......wanted to hook it up behind the old jeep and take it for a test trail run but we'll save that one for when the kid is with us.......got back and put everything away........
so far so good.....great day doing fun stuff......and everything works.......
okay, scratch another line off the list......
pulled the old jeep into the garage next and tried to hook up the speaker lights......too hard, too late in the day to be bending over and under a non moveable interior so we will leave that job for the kid......spent several minutes going thru numerous storage containers looking for the right stuff to modify a light bulb to fit into the speedometer......gotta have at least one so you can see how fast you are going at night.....once again the longrooffan comes thru......seems electrical wire loom fits perfectly......then pulled the exhaust system off, just two bolts and a strap.......fixed the exhaust leak.....you know one of the wonderful things about a garage full of stuff, you can find all kinds of problem solvers......a small self tapping screw fixed that pin hole in the exhaust system......
so far so good.....the list is finished......everything works and a great time spent with good company........now it's time to sit back and watch some racing and pay tribute to the guy that invented 12 ounce aluminuim cans so we could enjoy a few cold adult beverages.....
somebody needs to give that guy a medal........
thanks John for helping me enjoy a great day........
and that was my Saturday......
woke up this Sunday am for a run thru the woods back to Ocala....seems the kid's sister's team had one more game to play this weekend....if the win on Saturday, they play again on Sunday in these games.....on Sunday it is one and done so it looked like it might be a short day at the ballfield....arrive at the ballfields in Ocala and at a glance can tell we are in 'God's Country'.....the horsefarmer would have felt better at home here than I.....the other side of the center field fence is a cattle pasture complete with grazing cattle.....woods outside the left field fence and the parking lot was cut from a pine forest....well the kid's sister's team won their first game on a home run hit by the kid's sister in the top of the last inning....tie game and she starts off the inning with an inside the park homerun...
her hit woke up some bats and by the time the inning was over 6 more batters crossed homeplate.....when she came up again in the inning I think she was tired and just wanted the game over because she hit a blooper to first to end the inning...she started it so I guess she could end it....well one win on Sunday and you have a double header to play......didn't fair real well in the second game....played againest a team from Jacksonville that was very well coached and had a fantastic pitcher....this kid had a changeup that some of our players are still trying to hit as I am writing this....so we finished third.....at least a podium finish.....got back to the house late this afternoon.....cleaned the big white truck and the kid and I took another spin around the neighborhood in the new jeep.....gotta do some more work on the brakes as the pedal fell off completely....oh well, that's why we buy old cars.....gives us something to do on weekends......
CELEBRATE LIFE.........
Friday, November 14, 2008
Happy Birthday to Me....
Wow.....another year year goes by an before you realize it you've had a birthday.....well, not really a birthday, but a celebration of your birth.....not counting weekends or holidays, I'm only 21 ......at least that's my story....so stick with me here now okay.....
spent the day working as the majority of people do.....it's not a national holiday, not even a local one....spent the evening with the kid.....went to watch the last night launch of the space shuttle....
the kid and I picked up the longrooffan and drove a block easgt to the beach.....of course the first thing the kid said when we got to the beach...."should have brought my board Dad, some good waves tonight"......no way possible to follow the mind of a sixteen year old.....we go to watch a historical significant event, and he wishes he had brought his surfboard......always looking for a good time.....but it was a great show.....the sonic boom lasted a good 20 seconds and was a fantastic conclusion to a pleasant evening spent with good company........
not with standing the shuttle launch, this time of the year always makes me think of where I came from and how I became what I am......what are the memories that formed the person I am now.......don't start this trip trepidly.......a lot of time and energy is spent rationalizing what we are.....
I saw this movie with my Faher and Mother the first time......my Father truly enjoyed it and I in my later years understood why......
spent the day working as the majority of people do.....it's not a national holiday, not even a local one....spent the evening with the kid.....went to watch the last night launch of the space shuttle....
the kid and I picked up the longrooffan and drove a block easgt to the beach.....of course the first thing the kid said when we got to the beach...."should have brought my board Dad, some good waves tonight"......no way possible to follow the mind of a sixteen year old.....we go to watch a historical significant event, and he wishes he had brought his surfboard......always looking for a good time.....but it was a great show.....the sonic boom lasted a good 20 seconds and was a fantastic conclusion to a pleasant evening spent with good company........
not with standing the shuttle launch, this time of the year always makes me think of where I came from and how I became what I am......what are the memories that formed the person I am now.......don't start this trip trepidly.......a lot of time and energy is spent rationalizing what we are.....
I saw this movie with my Faher and Mother the first time......my Father truly enjoyed it and I in my later years understood why......
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