tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86801778309902895572024-03-14T05:52:51.412-07:00Radar58Rants, Musings and Excruciating Daily Minutiaradar58http://www.blogger.com/profile/12343124595166375494noreply@blogger.comBlogger215125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680177830990289557.post-56766642041232861742019-08-06T18:25:00.001-07:002019-08-06T18:25:49.669-07:00The End or The Beginning?<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As we approach 3/4 of the way through 2019, I look back at some of the chaos that's occurred the last 12 months. Pleasure, pain and progress. From a wicked winter that tested my patience and pocketbook, a railroad-induced spring flood situation that almost wiped out the freshly completed Knit Hut, to a city government that has methodically eroded any reason for me wanting to continue to live here, it really has been a helluva rolling-12. <br /><br />But first the important stuff, because I know you're wondering if that horizontal boring contractor ever showed up last fall. Good news, he did! It was a very mild November before December and January beat the shit out of us. <br /><br />The geothermal went online and we got all 6 slinkies laid out in the huge excavated trenches without kinking. Over the winter I installed duct work, an open-loop flow-center, and had the system running very well, up until we hit major negative temps and really needed it. That's when the portion outside of my control (the heatpump itself) decided to fail. A story unto itself, I now own the equipment, and dabble, in the HVAC trade apparently. Knock on wood, it's running this very minute, pumping cool air around the Lodge interior, rejecting heat into 87F fluid circulating within the earth.<br /><br />I mentioned last time OMY syndrome, and I think I've made my decision. The average male lifespan is 76.4 years, so under the best statistical probability, it's literally all down hill from here. Good thing I already got that midlife crisis out of the way. Unfortunately, the quality of life of those remaining years doesn't hold a candle to the peak of the first half, where we spent our summers in corporate offices as training for those later years....of spending year-round in corporate offices. The first order of business will be working to undo years and years of damage to posture, health and mental outlook, but I digress...<br /><br />Perhaps the saddest fact of all is passing someone in the hallway I haven't seen in a couple years and just taking in how much older and haggard they look now from when I remember them as a fresh employee. That's a punch to the gut, honestly. You've watched their life pass by you, their hair gray, a few more lines appear, while you slowly realize you're racing them. No wait, it's recalling those people that worked so hard and identified 100% with their work, had a nice retirement party in the auditorium, and now you realize that 90% of the people you work with today have no idea who you're talking about. For a moment of time (their best years, actually) they were here and now they're not and someone else has replaced them. <br /><br />Or hey, was it those shooting stars that one day said, screw this, and left the company for greener pastures...how'd they do that? (You're not allowed to do that!) Why would they do that? That was good money?! I'm sure the regret of leaving the mother Co. with its stable employ and year-end bonus is the first thing they think about every morning when they wake up. <br /><br />No, no, it's gotta be the guys that put in 40 years, retired, and now are back on contract. It's not exactly that they enjoy the work, it's that it's all they know. They've been clocking in longer than I've been alive!<br /><br />Actually, it's Rich, Broke or Dead that shook me. Cancer, dimentia, car accident, heart attack, we have no idea what next week could bring. Tomorrow is no guarantee. Maybe the money will last, maybe it won't, but when your odds of dying eclipse that of portfolio failure, it's time to get serious. https://engaging-data.com/will-money-last-retire-early/ <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span>radar58http://www.blogger.com/profile/12343124595166375494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680177830990289557.post-55691904809811788512018-11-28T11:09:00.001-08:002018-11-28T11:09:02.179-08:002018 Wrapup<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You know it's been awhile when you hesitate to recall
your own blog address. Fear not, enough neurons were still firing to get me
here. Now if I can manage enough mental muscle to form a coherent thought....<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So how have things gone the last 14 months? Well, for
one, busy. Unlike 2017's planned break, 2018 was a time of both planning and
execution. Call it a 'Setup Year'. The biggest news was getting the Knit Hut
off the ground and closed in. The late spring pushed back ground-breaking, but
we persevered, getting trees and brush cleared, the foundation set, steel beams
anchored and platform built and insulated by the end of June. As I write this,
the walls are being painted, I've got half the flooring installed, the power
and communications have been trenched in and connected, and the last obstacle
will be siding and metal trim. We'll ignore the month delay in getting the
special order slider and front windows that had family exclaiming "that's
all you've done?". <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Continuing the construction theme, I hired the septic
company to connect up CS3, though I did have to rent an excavator and hire our
concrete drilling to get the plumbing at the building ready for connection. In
tandem, I also trenched, excavated, and ran poly tubing to distribute power
from CS3 out to the drive-in area, as well as get a waterline run for eventual
connection to the Pump House. I managed to manually excavate from CS3, to the
Blazer, and over to the burn pile before my daily rental was up. And that was
enough, because the yard may never be the same. From there I had a boring
contractor come out to complete the job. And I'm still waiting for them to
follow through. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No matter, the drywall job was completed as promised by
IWS (though once again I'm convinced hanging drywall and cutting around boxes
should be left to non-professionals). It worked out, with only minimal damage
to the new sliding door, and only small holes to patch ourselves after the pros
left. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">48 hours from now, I may be in an 8-foot trench. Though
hopefully not. That's right, yet another contractor that specializes in earth
moving will be descending on The Lodge this Friday to start digging the 80'
long trenches for our geothermal slinkies we've been building. Once buried,
these will act as underground heat exchangers for a heat pump we wrestled into
The Lodge recently. Using a small ice-fishing augor and a hand drill, I dug out
the dirt connecting holes in the slab to bored openings through the concrete
wall on the west side of the building. If we can manage to run the poly lines
up and in without kinking, it will then be a matter of calculating what I need
to select a pump for max efficiency, pressure and flow. Initial research shows
I have my work cut out for myself. I had hoped to have heat in The Lodge proper
before the year was out, but a month of rain pushed the majority of
contractors' schedules well into FY19.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With only one month left in the year, the final item on
the task list is getting the steel siding and trim ordered for the Knit Hut,
and getting installation underway. In the spring I'll focus on the side deck
and railing and things will be complete.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And what of the FIRE movement I've been running on
about? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, the big news is that DW pulled the plug. I'm on a
OMY cycle and have revealed my date to a grand total of 2 people. We stuck to
our plan for 2018 and should finish the year on target. And of course just when
I had the tax system "figured out", it all goes and changes for this
year. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, this is a good reminder that right now is the
perfect time to take stock of where you're at and where you want to be. Once
the ink dries on those W2's, Uncle Sam will have his cut, so a few back of the
envelope calculations and online contribution adjustments in the next 30 days
will help prevent post-tax erosion. For those that front-load their tax
advantaged accounts, the recent market downtown is a good example of why you
shouldn't do that (unless you know you're getting canned). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the same vein, while adding to my stash of dry powder,
it's the cost-intensive projects I'd like to have off the books before a major
lifestyle change (hence, the Setup Year). Next year will be concrete in front
of and around CS3 (I can hardly wait for that $$ quote). And building the link
between the Annex and CS3, thus answering the question of why it's called The
Annex. This will be a large car port with steel framing and excavated footings
in a similar style to provide shelter from the clearcoat-killing sun attacking
outdoor vehicles and equipment. To say nothing of a little hail protection.
Now, how to keep it low and long, yet still have one stall high enough to
accommodate the Shasta for when it's out of storage, that's the question.
I'll save that for 2019. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Plenty to focus on right now to get to where I want to
be.</span></div>
radar58http://www.blogger.com/profile/12343124595166375494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680177830990289557.post-53386563581655870192018-03-05T12:02:00.002-08:002018-03-05T12:02:47.857-08:00September 2017<br />
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _MailAutoSig;">Time sure flies, yet
this has been a fairly relaxed year (by design). Instead of breaking ground on
something new, it was time for finesse and completion. The prairie has gotten
off to a good start without requirements of mowing like last year and we’ve
seen lots of interesting flowers pop up depending on the time of season. We had
rock brought in to top the stretch of lane from the tracks to the Lodge, and
later on the curve that was starting to wash out on the west of the tracks. The
tractor came in handy for smoothing those sections and moving material around
and I’ve been keeping the weeds down with the sprayer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _MailAutoSig;">The solar array has
been working flawlessly since it went online last July and has cut our electric
bill significantly; paying us during the summer months which offsets our
internet cost. In fact, the savings is on par with the estimated payback
schedule.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _MailAutoSig;">3.5 tons of cooling
was installed last month in CS3 to provide climate control for the ‘artifacts’
upstairs. With storage of film, records and tapes, radios of bakelite and
thermoplastics and wooden TV’s, this was sorely needed. And with the plan to
spend a good part of my future days upstairs working and tinkering, I’ll be
able to do so without sweating onto my soldering iron. This has already been a
boon for working downstairs as we’ve had some hot, but very humid, late summer
days where being able to work on a car without sweat stinging your eyes as oil
runs down your arms is much appreciated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _MailAutoSig;">Back on the ‘summer
of improvement’ idea, the Suburban has gotten some attention the last few
months with a new headliner, a transmission cooler, a sport tach and cleanup of
the inside of the instrument panel and some other maintenance performed. We ran
it hard pulling with the Shasta with A/C blowing on max and outside temps
soaring for the 7 hour drive to southern MO, then adding a vintage refrigerator
to the cargo for its return trip! With cooler weather, it hummed right along
for a much shorter trip to Wisconsin recently, then onward without the trailer
to Oshkosh, only to re-visit the state a week later…this time to Milwaukee. I
suspect a trans filter and fluid change may be in its future. And the valve
stem seals should be done at some point.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _MailAutoSig;">We’re also learning
about the limits of the Shasta. The week I took off of work last year to focus
on upgrades has paid dividends on convenience and reliability and I took some
time to document them here to help others: </span><a href="http://www.linearlook.com/shasta/shasta.html"><span style="mso-bookmark: _MailAutoSig;">http://www.linearlook.com/shasta/shasta.html</span><span style="mso-bookmark: _MailAutoSig;"></span></a><span style="mso-bookmark: _MailAutoSig;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the biggest limitations is in liquid holding
capacity. IIRC, 25 gallons of fresh water, 12 gal of gray and 5 gal of black.
Fresh water isn’t terrible, the biggest consumer is showering (a Navy shower
helps) and worst case you could refill from a 5 gal tote. But 12 of gray* and 5
black is almost laughable (the published figures, of course, are quite
different). I shelled out a few bucks last week for a 14 gallon tank I plan to
mount up under the rear of the trailer (have to practice my ABS welding skills)
which I figure, along with judicial valve placement, will allow for
accommodating either holding need in the future. The rear dinette modification
meant that we never even set the front bed up as a table on this last trip, and
was a nice place to have breakfast and a cup of coffee when you’re not quite
ready to greet the fire ring. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _MailAutoSig;">*to stem graywater
accumulation, I installed an outdoor shower on the right rear which is handy
for several uses, but not always practical depending on the shape of the
campsite and your proximity to others. The other major advance is a hotwater
bypass control. You flip a switch and the hot water lines are flushed of their
cold water (which returns to the tank), so when you fire up the sink or shower,
you get almost instant hot water without waste.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _MailAutoSig;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-no-proof: yes;">I had been looking forward to July and the trip up north in
2017, but consider that month a loss. I was fighting poison ivy the days
leading up to the trip, which not only meant constant pain, irritation and loss
of focus on other things, but resulted in two clinic visits and a trip to the
e-room back in CF. I essentially couldn’t do anything productive the entire
month and sequestered myself to the air conditioned bedroom and a car with A/C
for commuting (the plow truck, actually). It wasn’t until August that things
calmed down. Glad to be over that, but I suspect only the minorest of
irritations will cause a relapse. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _MailAutoSig;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-no-proof: yes;">One other thing I’ve been trying to do this year has been
spend more time with friends. Time is a precious commodity and at this stage of
our lives, will only become more scarce for those our age as people settle
down, focus on their careers, have children, etc. The trip this past spring
with Micah, Don and Cam was a welcome break to the monotony, and we got to see cars
I haven’t laid eyes on in years. A certain trip to the High Life Lounge and an
IMAX presentation of Dunkirk was also quite memorable. Now if we could only
manage a bonfire this year. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br />radar58http://www.blogger.com/profile/12343124595166375494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680177830990289557.post-15308547141710530272018-01-11T06:22:00.001-08:002018-01-11T06:22:19.806-08:00A Gap<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One nice thing about the company I work for are the extra-days
off during the Xmas break. I managed to parlay this into 12 consecutive days this
year (including weekends). I can count on one hand the number of times I left
the house. Which is just the way I like it…except for this year, the cold
really got to me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This little break in the year is typically when I’m most
productive. In the days before electricity and windows at the Lodge, I’d get up
early at the apartment, fill my thermos and head out to work for the day..as
long as the temps were in the 20’s or so. I could warm my hands on a small
kerosene heater, but that was about it. I drywalled the downstairs this way,
built the kitchen and island, built the first gen garage doors, even worked on
siding from the picker. Later, along with insulated walls and heat, this break
became the perfect time for indoor work. There was one break where I completed
the bamboo ceiling sections in CS3, and cut, stained and installed all the
window trim for the 40+ linear feet of windows. Some years, this break has been
the perfect time for Relay Computer work. Hand assembling boards with thousands
of solder joints. Grueling work, taking around 6 hours per board, if I recall, which
is why it took multiple seasons to complete all six. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But this year was different. Sure, I knocked out the annual
tasks, like taking all the glassware down in the dining area, cleaning the
works and re-arranging. Cleaning and organizing downstairs CS3. Getting the DD
stove back to 100% operation. And other yawn-worthy things. As much as I wanted
to knock out a little Relay Comp work, the bites were too big. I did manage to
assemble and load the firmware on ‘the LittleGP-30’ computer (Google it). Oh,
and started building a steel cart for the RR Mark V. That is, before I managed
to sun-burn my face from errant welding UV. December in the Midwest and I was
applying aloe and dealing with peeling skin for a day or two...without the
backstory of laying on a tropical beach.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before I knew it, the days had passed (much more rapidly than
expected) and I found myself back at work. Heck, I was almost glad to roll back
in to a place with steady heat and dual monitors. This tells me I’m getting
soft, nay, complacent. A bit of Stockholm syndrome, perhaps. With a finite
amount of time on this planet, with the knowledge that it could be cut short
tomorrow, there is simply no excuse to sit behind the desk of a passion-less job
for 8 hours a day while the body atrophies. Don’t get me wrong, I (currently)
don’t hate my job. But I do twinge when I think about the energy and creative
spark I once had, fade so significantly. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I was a kid, if you had asked me to visualize a prototypical 'adult', I would have conjured up images of people my parents' age, going to work, paying the bills, buying groceries, but also being rather boring. Especially when you'd compare that mental image against pictures of them you'd find in a photo album taken 10, maybe 15 years earlier ("really? that's you!?"). I realize now it's not the growing up that causes this shift. It's the compromising. I've met many 30 year olds that are going on 60 (I plead the 5th). And spry young 70 year-olds that are living life to the fullest. Sure, frame of mind is part of it, but the image in that frame is shaped by the day-to-day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The litmus test is, would I do this job 40 hours a week if
there were no pay? If not, what would you want to do for zero pay that took the
majority of the day, every day, for decades? If you can answer that question,
then that’s the job to seek; the pay is merely a perk to keep the lights and
heat on at home. If you can’t answer the question now, then when? Hopefully
before your assets have become liabilities. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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radar58http://www.blogger.com/profile/12343124595166375494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680177830990289557.post-38619491249205470832017-05-30T06:30:00.002-07:002017-05-30T06:30:19.061-07:00Damfest 2017<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now that was a Damfest! The days leading up to Friday the 26<sup>th</sup>
forecast the weather to be potentially…inclimate. Rain and overcast skies were
in the cards, but by the afternoon of the day of, the skies cleared and the
temps were perfect. Setup was straightforward except for a lack of power this
year which required some trekking across town for mechanical assistance. Turnout
was possibly the largest ever, breaking the 30 barrier. Lots of great food,
cold drinks and no Po-Po drive-bys. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One new addition was a tripod Micah brought along to get a
well-composed dam shot and that seemed to work well. I unburied the Polaroid
220 but the aging film (10+ years old by my estimation) captured a couple of
partial shots before giving up. One notable absence was Cam’s showboard;
previously display space was at a premium, but it occurs to me some twine
tossed around the roof support on either side would allow it to be hung up on
one of the sidewalls up out of harm’s way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Around 9:30 someone got the bright idea to close up shop but
evenings as clear, temperate and bug-free, under twinkling lights and with good
music are tough to come by. Even tougher to come by as the years progress. A
small group of us hung out and chatted for another hour or so until finally
retreating to Micah’s place to witness the infamous back yard fountain and take
a spin on the new rider…at midnight.</span></div>
radar58http://www.blogger.com/profile/12343124595166375494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680177830990289557.post-71871243618683911322016-10-24T16:13:00.002-07:002016-10-24T16:13:27.886-07:00Hard Stop<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">That title goes double for this entry. Firstly, it's time for a brain-dump and a little timeline of the goings-ons around here. As far as I can recall, September was consumed with Geoff's visit, a rather low-key birthday (mine), travel to Chicago for work, the Don and Mark wedding, and a good old fashioned flood. Any remaining time was consumed with a final mowing of the upper field, painting of the CS3 east and west fascias, and some prep work on the Suburban. <br /><br />This rolled us into October and the first camping trip with the Shasta. Pike's Peak was a great time and the scrambling to get the Pull-Rite bars modified to work was well worth the effort. Unfortunately, there's not much more camping to be done this season, so the Shasta now waits for a wash and winterizing before putting it away for the winter. As for the rest of October, that's a blur. The next Saturday I hopped in the car and drove to the twin cities on a moment's notice. I had learned of an auction at the Northwest Airlines flight simulator center in Eagan and bid on a few items I knew I could fit in the Sonic. Half the anticipation, however, was having free reign of the building. Free to explore the computer rooms, simulator rooms and offices. And that is where I ran into the LINK Group General Precision GP-4 Computer. A mid-60's design that would easily fill a single stall garage, housed in 9 double-width steel cabinets towering 6' tall. My back hurt just looking at this machine. How could I have missed it during bidding? And what would I have done with it if I had won? I snapped lots of pics while trying not to sweat all over everything (the heat was CRANKED) and I had been moving equipment and climbing up on half-walls to remove aluminum blinds. Then another 3.5 hours back to get home in time for Micah's birthday celebration. <br /><br />Festivities kicked off at Oktoberfest on The Hill with wrist bands and craft beers. Jon and Amanda joined Micah, Cam, Cara and myself as we worked our way through several different brews. Then onward to Los Cabos on University for some welcome food. Robert O. dropped in and we made a time of it. <br /><br />After dinner, we pressed on to the Beer Hall over by Rudy's where Viet joined us. They had replenished their stock of Old Tankard and a tallboy hit the spot while much kibitzing ensued. But if that wasn't enough, we decided we better head over to Maple Lanes for semi-lunar bowling. For some reason it wasn't as dark as I recall back in the day, and we pretty much closed the place out at midnight. However, as someone mentioned, we witnessed a unicorn. The attendant on duty pressed the reset switch for the entire alley. Every lane, save the 2 in use, knocked over all their pins and performed a reset before shutting down..all in the matter of 5 seconds or so. Like the crack of a bat, that is a VERY satisfying sound.<br /><br />The news of the closing of The Blue Room prompted us to make that our next stop. Jon was supposed to meet us there but ended up MIA. Cam and Viet called it a night, but Micah, Cara, Robert and I pressed onward. Some foosball and (lousy) pool was in the cards and the place was fairly busy. Around 1, we folded and headed for home.<br /><br />Sunday arrived and the thought of that GP-4 continued to haunt me. I put out a post to a computer mailing list I'm on. This list was formed back in the 90's and is the home for all manner of experts that indulge in rote daily conversation that keeps me a lurker. When that message failed to ignite a discussion, I uploaded photos of the complete center I had taken and posted the link on Monday. I buried the lead and this time someone took the bait.<br /><br />So, why all the interest in this machine? Well, for one, this was a fully intact computer, that appeared to be turn-key, and had somehow survived over 50 years in working order, complete with its schematics and connection diagrams. There are only a couple computers in the WORLD that date from the same era and are complete enough to have been restored to working order. Two, I felt like this might have been my time to step up and be the voice of preservation for something pretty darn rare. At age 25 I couldn't have done it, but at 35, while stretching it (trailers, storage, moving equipment, connections in the community, etc) I might stand a chance. But it was not to be. After some detective work and a few phone calls, I had the buyer's name, number and the selling price. Before I could figure out my next step (perhaps just saving a couple cabinets full or early digital cards), I got the news I was hoping not to hear. It had all been bought for scrap, and while I was pondering what to do next, half the machine had already been gutted, the control panel cut out and in the back seat of some guy's car, and the rest would be gone in a day. So ends the chapter on the GP-4.<br /><br />I suppose I'll stick to little things, like console TVs, and cars. And so we jump forward to the next weekend. Friday I had lined up a U-Haul trailer and Saturday before sunrise Cara and I set off for Overland Park, KS. A long haul in the Suburban, especially when we were turning around coming back the same day! The trip was a success, and we loaded 8 Philco Predicta TVs from 1959 into the Suburban & trailer, along with another late 40's console and some early portables. We also indulged in some delicious KC BBQ for lunch. Paired with a Boulevard wheat, it hit the spot. <br /><br />And so, we pointed the rig north onto 35 and began the trudge back to Iowa. At roughly the same location as seen when we departed, we now watched the sun drop below the horizon, and the miles click on. Sleep came easy Saturday night.<br /><br />Sunday came the unloading, and getting the trailer back over to University Ave. Then more chores before setting off to the parents' for my sister's birthday. Meanwhile, Cara's father dropped in to unload "her things" that have been cluttering his basement. Guess everyone was on the road this weekend.</span></span>radar58http://www.blogger.com/profile/12343124595166375494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680177830990289557.post-5819510037596700792016-08-09T07:40:00.002-07:002016-08-09T07:40:18.592-07:00MMM Check-In<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So it’s been a year since I signed onto the MMM train; at
the time I kicked myself for not discovering the group earlier. I still do, but
I’m glad I didn’t wait any longer than I did. So now that we’re 12 months in,
how are things shaking up?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you recall, the first order of business was taking
advantage of any tax deferred accounts. This meant things got kind of lean
towards the end of 2015, but it also meant I was able to max out the 401k up to
the federal limit. If I had to live on Ramen to do so, I’d do it again in a
heartbeat. Everything not put there gets taxed at your AGI, plus the state tax,
and if you spend it, better tack on sales tax, too. In the end that dollar only
has about 75 cents of buying power, even in your savings account. While a
simplification, you just worked 10 hours of your 40 hour week for free. Not
only did you do it for free, you will never get that time back. Scale that out
to 25% of the working year, and….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don’t have a 401k? You likely qualify for other pre-tax
savings plans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next step was investing in an IRA. Nice thing about a Roth,
if you need the money in an emergency, the contribution portion can be
withdrawn at any time without penalty as it’s post-tax money. You can’t make up
for the lost cost-opportunity of pulling that money out, but it is a legit
option. Roth or tIRA, see which one is right for you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There was some pain and work involved. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The next goal was to reduce fixed costs. I sat down with my
insurance man…several times…and sharpened the pencil; coverage is now
appropriate and we moved a couple cars over to take advantage of bundling
discounts. A pain in the ass for sure, but I’ll be sitting down with him again
in a month to revisit. If I don’t like the numbers, I can always take my
business elsewhere. You’d be surprised how much money can be ‘found’ if you talk
turkey. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Other fixed costs; I had a car I was making payments on. A
2009 Sky Convertible. My newest vehicle…working A/C, impressive gas mileage,
fun to wind out. It had been on various trips to MN and even New York, but I
had a note on it and as is the case with new cars, eventually it would cost me
major bucks. Sold that off before it would eat me alive. No more car payments. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some very uncomfortable phone calls to the farmer renting my
land, and lots of paperwork at the FSA office to get us into a CRP program.
This also meant a conversation at the Assessor’s Office to get us squared away
for farming changes. And it’s not as easy as shuffling paperwork. Both C and I
have spent untold hours on the tractor rotary cutting 47 acres of grass and
weeds so the prairie has half a chance. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Taxes: Such changes have implications, but there are likely
credits and deductions you qualify for that aren’t caught by H&R Block nor a
computer program...because to qualify, action is required on your part ahead of
time to take advantage of such. The biggest takeaway for me was that if you
wait to look at your tax situation when taxes are due, you’ll always be behind
the 8 ball. I admit, this is a rather daunting topic, but the question becomes,
at what level of effort are you okay with sitting in a cubicle vs. taking
action. If you look into it right now, you still have 4 months for course
correction. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Flexible Spending. Based on a rolling 12 months from the
year prior to the most recent 12 months. Groceries and adult beverages: We don’t
scrimp here, but the local grocery stores put almost everything on sale on a given
rotation so it never makes sense to pay full price. If there’s a sale, I stock
up and ride it out. This takes almost no effort and keeps the spend under
$200/mo for two people. If I’m out of state and see a good deal, I’ve been
known to buy a few cases of libations which really adds up in savings over the
long run. Plus I send in the rebates. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fuel costs are down, due to a combination of pump price, but
also due to a little planning. I have to drive into town for work anyway, might
as well make the most of it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How about plugging those leaking holes? I know people here
at work that buy both breakfast and lunch in the cafeteria DAILY. That way madness
lies. According to my records, in the 12 months prior, I paid for lunch at work
20 times during the course of the year. That’s less than once every 2 weeks.
For the most recent 12 months? I cut this number to 1, and it was for the
outdoor car show with coworkers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And coffee? 71 times at $1.18 now down to exactly 10 cups
over the year. And I ate outside the office 4 times at a total cost of <$10.
So roughly, a $20 bill took care of lunch and coffee for the last 12 months. I
can live with that. Yes, I am still drinking coffee every morning, it just
means I have no excuse not to clean the percolator and load the basket each
day. And I still eat lunch at my desk, I just don’t “treat” myself to the
overpriced cafeteria. Is my quality of life somehow reduced due to those decisions?
Not that I can tell.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was a debit card man up until this time last year. It made
record keeping easy as all transactions were in one place and I could be
completely up to date in 5 minutes. Plus, as you know, credit cards are evil.
Well, so much for that. There are folks that take CC churning to new levels,
scoring travel miles and cash rewards by being savvy on the latest offers. I
decided to stick my toes in the water and took advantage of several cash back
rewards cards and can honestly say it was worth the juggling. The Citi Double
Cash is my go-to for most purchases but each card has their advantage. For
example, there will always be something I need from Amazon, so having that card
as a tool in my belt makes good sense. I will always buy groceries, so why not
take the 7% bonus for 3 months and 2% for the other 9? It’s free money.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Additional “opportunities”. I try to routinely list a few
items on eBay for a little ‘fun money’, branched out into other services for RR
Central, and doubled down on our energy costs by going solar. Interestingly, as
time rolls on, the state and fed tax credits continue to decrease so it makes
sense to get this plant in now. As of August, we are online and producing and
just crossed the 1 megawatt/hr production threshold. Yes, payback time is in
YEARS but the tax credits are arguably more valuable now during my working
years when we’re in a higher tax bracket, so that’s bonus 1. And every dollar I
save not giving to the utilities for electricity can be put in pre-tax savings,
so that’s bonus 2. Oh yeah, did I mention clean energy? Plus they look cool. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No, I am not riding my bike to work from where I live; I don’t
have a death wish. No, I am not trading my ‘gas guzzling’ vehicles; I see the
automobile as more than just transportation. Yes, I actually bought a project
car earlier this year that I can spend time working on when I’m out of the rat
race. Perhaps not the most opportune timing, but the fact that I could see the
car in person rather than as photos on the internet, and that I wouldn’t spend
25% of the purchase price transporting it on a carrier, weighed heavily into my
decision. I don’t plan to stop such insanity anytime soon. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wow, so I guess I did make some changes in the last 12
months. In my estimation, quality of life is exactly the same, but now I know
each day I spend at work gets me one day closer to a goal; something tangible.
C is onboard and has made similar changes with her spending and investing as
well. Do I recommend it? Hell yes. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
radar58http://www.blogger.com/profile/12343124595166375494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680177830990289557.post-75255368113583146772016-08-01T07:40:00.000-07:002016-08-01T07:40:14.624-07:00Good. Lord.<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It has been a week. Literally, a week’s sabbatical without
pay to get away from work for a few days during the factory shutdowns and allow
me some quality time to get to know the Shasta Airflyte. Most of it was fun,
though rustoleum paint dripping in my face, and lots and lots of sweat were not
so fun. I looked back yesterday eve and managed to cross off 41 projects;
others had to wait as parts weren’t yet here, and still others due to time
constraints. Eventually I’ll put up a webpage with info for other owners, but I
was pretty vocal on the Shasta Reissue FB group, to the point some people
thought I was talking cheap shots at the manufacturer (and to think I was holding
my tongue).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But it wasn’t all trailer work. The rock came in for the
driveway on Monday. Took 17 truck loads, which I estimate to be over 300 tons.
In addition to the rock MidAm put down on the final curve, that gets us a layer
a couple inches thick from tracks to road. Problem was, it wouldn’t spread from
the truck as it should, which meant bare spots and piles several feet high,
both left/right and fore/aft. So instead of spending Monday working on the
trailer, I was busy with the loader trying to make things passable while the
rock kept on rolling in. To add insult, the final product is so bumpy that if
you exceed a crawl, you’ll get bounced through your windshield. I made a call
midweek and found a guy in Waverly that does excavation and grading work and he
stopped out Sunday. He’s going to put a guy with a skidloader on the job today
to see if they can smooth it out before it compacts. Fingers crossed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I managed to burn a couple other mornings by running
errands- Menards a few times for supplies, then groceries, post office, etc.
That still left me with afternoons. Friday morning (with last bearing in-hand)
was spent rebuilding the PTO for the Farmall and getting that installed for the real test on
Saturday. The original outer bearing had blown out to the point several ball
bearings were worn into halves! After assembling a cheap hydraulic press, I was
able to drive in new bearings as well as the output shaft. What a lifesaver. That
meant Saturday we’d finally be able to cut the grass that had been growing for
two weeks. That took the better part of Saturday…thick, wet grass that put the
mowers to the test. While I ran the Farmall, Cara ran the JD as the 14 acres of
prairie on the east side of the tracks needed another cutting. I managed to
sneak in a couple hours late in the day but she really handled it, finishing
that field on Sunday. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All-in-all, an enjoyable, if not exhausting, experience. By
the end I couldn’t even remember what the office looked like. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
radar58http://www.blogger.com/profile/12343124595166375494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680177830990289557.post-51617877589900539012016-07-21T18:00:00.001-07:002016-07-21T18:00:41.403-07:00A Heat-Wave UpdateSo here we are, mid-July already. I figure an entry is due, at least as a way to capture the progress and events of the last few months should I ever look back at 2016 and wonder what happened.<br /><br />On the solar front...Apr was set aside for planning the system, revising the system, shopping components around, contacting the necessary authorities for approval and ordering parts. May was the buffer for the parts and components to arrive from all corners of the globe (and of course multiple freight deliveries), while the galvanized pipe was sourced locally. I also took care of the digging and cement work during this time. June was slated as the build month, for trenching, framework, panel bolt-down, excavation into CS3, etc. And I'm happy to report we were ready to flip the switch as of 1 July, with just one little hangup. Inspection. However, this process went smoothly after a date was pinned down and as of 14 July, the initial pass was given, CFU installed their net meter, and we went online that afternoon. Initial response is favorable- we are in fact generating more power than we're using, though without the ethernet link connected (hopefully be end of the week) I can only compare values off the inverter display and the registers on the net meter. It's an interesting paradigm shift (to use a phrase I'd rather not use). During the day we generate power at a higher return per kWh than we use.. And at night, we buy kWh's from the PoCo at the standard reduced rate. So when it's a cloudy day and production is down, the initial instinct is to conserve, but I'd argue that's probably the best time to consume as you're not offsetting those more valuable solar kWh's your selling back. One day I might get around to putting together a web page to capture the entire build; I made sure to snap photos and keep a log of the process and part numbers as others have done as no two builds are ever alike.<br /><br />Earlier this month was the annual trip up north. This year was similar to last year's in that obviously the destination (Leech Lake) was the same, but also that both grandmas tagged along. On what is normally one of the busiest travel days of the year by car, I chose to avoid the whole 35/94 beaten path and headed west at Albert Lea, taking 13 to (state) 14 to 15 which merges with 10 at St. Cloud. With no congestion, accidents or construction, I'm convinced this was a faster route. And it allowed us to have a nice sit down lunch at McCormick's Family Restaurant, to pick up some tasty bacon and summer sausage at Knaus' Sausage House, and spend a few minutes at the Motley antique, uh, shop. Plus it was a beautiful day to cruise the two-lanes.<br /><br />Once up north things unfolded predictably, except my desire to play Canasta. Years ago I'd play this up on 3rd Crow Wing and it didn't take much doing for us to get back into the grove of things after a quick consult with Wiki on the scoring rules. But for some reason this game managed to bring out the bickering and loathing of half the players when we'd all sit down for a 6-handed round. I have no idea why. Dominoes was a much safer choice and became the default when it was obvious things were going sideways.<br /><br />This is likely the first year we didn't get to see the fireworks. Had pizza at Rocky's but the rain moved in fast and after sitting for an hour with clouds moving in the first droplets starting, we packed up and headed for the car before it became a frenzy of dashing tourists flailing coolers and folding chairs in the dark. As it turned out, they went on with the show 45 minutes after the fact (according to the radio), but I can only imagine sitting in all that rain and lightning just a few feet from a sizable body of water. I think we made the right call. Too bad the drive back to the parents was another hour.<br /><br />We have our rock! Well, a quarter of it at least..I'd estimate about 50 ton. I got Mid Am to lay rock on the final stretch of lane where the biggest wash outs occur after the final turn. Actually, the rock extends up past that turn as we originally did have gravel there which was bladed under during their construction this winter. Nice to have that corrected, and the order for the rest of the out of pocket aggregate should arrive this Friday, weather permitting. Still have some grading to do as well as laying more of the geotextile fabric.<br /><br />The Farmall is in intensive care due to a PTO bearing "failure". This little issue has turned into a project after pulley failure the week prior, prompting the purchase of a hydraulic press, which'll come in handy for lots of other uses. New seal, bearing and gaskets are on order. I just hope all goes well and soon! We'll get by with the push mowers and the rotary cutter if necessary, but that grass is starting to take off.<br /><br />The CRP project is underway and we have completed the first mowing of the 47 acres. This is to cut the weeds down so sunlight can reach the prairie grass seedlings. It was roughly a 2-week task of getting in a few hours here and there whenever weather would allow, and burning weekends to stay ahead of the growth. Though it's really a never-ending battle and it looks like we'll have to go for round 2 here in just a couple weeks.<br /><br />With respect to the Annex, the siding and paint work are officially complete. Soffits are next, though I'm not entirely sure if that's in the cards this year. I've got the materials, but it's a major time sink and there's enough other projects happening that it can wait. They say you'll never be bored living in the country, and that's true to a fault. I have finally managed to slug my way through sorting and stacking all the wood we cut from the highline project. I forget now, 3 or 4 pickup truck loads full up to the Lodge. Initially I laid a pair of treated 6x6's over landscape cloth as a makeshift drying base and stacked the logs on that. When that filled up, I added an 8' pallet and went three rows deep with logs (took another afternoon). When that reached capacity, I dragged over a 4x4 pallet (yesterday) and managed to get the last logs off the ground. Those rotting, not easily stacked or partials then got hauled to the burn pile. At least there's no longer a big pile of cut-up wood killing the grass and inviting snake habitation.<br /><br />And to top things off, we got to see Huey Lewis and the News play right here in town to a venue of 1500 just two days ago. There's nothing more surreal than spending your afternoon sweating in the sun stuggling with a galvanized fence...a few hours later, raiding the refrigerator, and in between, seeing Huey Lewis perform. Foremost, they put on one hell of a show and somehow, 30 odd years later, sounded just as good as if I were spinning Sports. I have no idea how these guys manage to put on a show almost every night of the week; check their schedule, I'm not exaggerating. Frankly, I couldn't say enough good things about the performance, but the venue was a little too formal (typical CF haughtiness), and the dynamic of the crowd, a bit odd due to a mix of college kids not entirely familiar with the repertoire, older folks, like the man next to me, who I'm not entirely convinced had heard of HL before, and those in between who were rocking out to Power of Love.<br />
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(note: Originally photos were going to be added to this post, but it's 98F in the room I'm sitting in, and if I don't post the text now, it'll never happen).<br />radar58http://www.blogger.com/profile/12343124595166375494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680177830990289557.post-79525429713243649122016-04-13T09:09:00.002-07:002016-04-13T09:09:28.386-07:00Spring has Sprung<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s been a while since I’ve written…partly lack of desire, and
partly due to concerns of modesty or privacy. It’s hard to give personal updates
that involve the positive progress in one’s life without it coming off as a
humble-brag, but rest-assured, I don’t like to dwell on negativity nor air
dirty laundry, so that’s why you don’t see that here. I have no problem mentioning
challenges and obstacles in this blog, but when I do, it’s because I’m thinking
about ways to resolve them. If you want bad news, just turn to your favorite
mainstream media outlet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So some good news- Spring has finally arrived. No April
showers yet, but the grass is greening up and the temps are warming. That means
spring maintenance like taking down the snow fences around the trees, trimming
branches, putting away the snow shovels and ice chipper. And a return to
fair-weather transportation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The to-do list is growing and I didn’t accomplish all I
wanted to last year on my “break” summer. Still one wall of siding to complete
on the Annex, soffits remaining and painting to tackle. I think the secret here
is to hit it hard while spring-fever gives me enough drive to do so. And before
the heat, bugs and humidity make it unbearable. The picker batts are charged
and I have this Friday off so we’ll see how the painting goes on the north
side.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There’s also some new construction projects this year,
including adding lean-tos to each side of the existing tractor-shed (of course
that means geo-textile fabric and gravel $$). I’m also moving full-steam ahead
on the 10kW grid-tie solar project. I’ve spec’d out a system and put together a
proposal. This week I met with CFU to share my details and was met with a “fine,
whatever” response. I was provided a form for Parallel Generation of Power to
be completed and submitted, but am waiting on questions regarding credits to
make sure this project is worthwhile. Unfortunately, Iowa is not as progressive
as other states when it comes to alternative energy, and this utility offers
ZERO rebates for installing such a system. If the answers come back favorably,
I’ll be pushing this forward hard to take advantage of the summer peak-power
producing months. The next obstacle will then be pulling a permit and working
with the district inspector for approval.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is the first year we’ll be ‘farming our own’ and have
pulled the land off of cash rent. Seeding is already taking place around us but
we’re at the mercy of MidAm to get their equipment and dirt piles cleaned up
before that can start (within the next 10 days). This’ll be an interesting experiment
as well as it requires a lot more work than just depositing a check once a
year, but it does mean no more heavy equipment cross-traffic on our lane. On
the upside, with MidAm out of the picture, and potentially the neighbor using
his own new-found property, we might just get a real road put in this year. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Plan 2020 is still in effect. We added a camper to the lineup
this winter for future endeavors but my engineering side has put together a
list of improvements and upgrades that will actually be fun and provide instant
gratification (as opposed to multi-year gratification which ain’t so hot). I
also brought home a ’66 Toro from MN with Ben’s help…something to tackle later
on, after construction projects are wrapped up and the Bluegill Pontoon is
restored. And after I figure out what to do with this Touring Sedan. Actually, if
it were in better interior shape than I thought it was in, this wouldn’t be a
problem. I suppose I could clean it up..after all, the paint and body is
excellent, and after some mechanical work it should run like a new car. Hell, with
a little elbow grease it’s essentially free transportation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />
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<br /></div>
radar58http://www.blogger.com/profile/12343124595166375494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680177830990289557.post-6503912048782989252016-01-12T09:05:00.003-08:002016-01-12T09:05:47.374-08:00A Mid-Summer's Check-In Part 2 aka The Second Half of the Year in Review<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It
wasn't too long before an opportunity in Michigan presented itself. A complete
Cad 390 engine and Hydra-matic transmission from a 1959 Cadillac were put up
for sale. The pickup was empty and the price was right. Don offered up his
place for an overnight stay and Ben and I hit the road for a quick turnaround.
We made it back by Sunday afternoon though missed out by minutes on a
Radarange. We may also have worn out a few cassettes…. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Next
thing you know, the Cadillac-LaSalle Grand National was staring me in the face.
Betwixt the construction projects and travel, I was also working on the '59 CdV
that's been off the road since '09. Brakes were completely dry and still on a
single MC. The rebuilt engine was untested. The fuel system needed an overhaul
including a new fuel tank, hoses and fuel sending unit, and the exhaust
remained loud as hell despite throwing money at it back in '05. The leather was
dry, the interior panels were once again discolored and the mice had made a
real mess. But by the end of July, the car was ready, and we set out for
Milwaukee with Ben and his '61 for the show. It was the perfect 'shot in the
arm' needed to get the car ready and roadworthy and we had a great time
traversing the countryside and taking in the other beautiful cars despite the
rainy departure. I think we may have even made a few friends there.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">With
barely time for a breath, Cara, myself, and both grandmas, loaded into Grandma
K’s Deville and set-sail for Walker, MN for a week of relaxation. This was the
first 4th of July trip since my grandma sold her place so it was a little
different game plan, but I'll save that for another entry. Let it be said,
there was some Cracker Barrel on the way! The fireworks did not disappoint and
Cara and I got in a little canoeing. We even came right upon a bald eagle
perched on a branch enjoying a fish he had just caught. Our presence didn’t
seem to faze him.</span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The
'59 Pontiac became the daily-driver after putting exactly 1000 miles on it last
fall. Mileage is probably triple that by now this year. The only issue has been
a faulty fuel pump (new last year) causing a knock and occasional starvation
issue. Easy fix once I figured it out. </span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">For
a brief while, we had a functioning 1957 dishwasher, after adding casters,
replacing hoses, and sprucing things up a bit by adding a lighted dial.
Unfortunately, it was not to be as the pump seal started leaking thereafter, so
this one goes back on the list for repair. A GE combo machine was added to the
collection and after a few hours work, is now in service. This was my first
transaction with Uship and getting the machine from California to Iowa was
interesting with delays, excuses, and break-downs, but it made it intact. </span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy7F80lTbM5iOjZysOuDm7hkA4Ym1iCAFGrbtfCRN-pEeupL0kiQWvP_cZozwj1s73YqUCZ1uo1t9P9TmMAmqFqF0I7O9oK5ZHDnpixErk0b8p_UrpHSpLBs4G8-2KpSEp4Ng934GvTo4/s1600/brush.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy7F80lTbM5iOjZysOuDm7hkA4Ym1iCAFGrbtfCRN-pEeupL0kiQWvP_cZozwj1s73YqUCZ1uo1t9P9TmMAmqFqF0I7O9oK5ZHDnpixErk0b8p_UrpHSpLBs4G8-2KpSEp4Ng934GvTo4/s400/brush.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Summer Chores</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Almost
every week there was something new in July…from getting tipped off about a CRP
program and getting the ball rolling with the local FSA office, to finishing
the rock and drainage at the pole building. I even finally pulled the trigger
on a much-needed tractor at the local dealership which handled mowing duty,
lane maintenance and snow removal this December. Plus hauling and transporting
rock and other heavy things around the place (like toting a THM325 from the
Lodge to the pole building in its bucket). </span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha5yFZ2ErhFTsb5i5AcQO2sasvKyEW4kzK_4lwKmGvc11cJeu2J3OwMPphCnub3yS3ObrDrRmg14j0AlL0B4GdtaiBhQQPZnW269AodZQAkVgRwVs8dNUXyb0EXIhuuZqgJU8J5Eyjru4/s1600/bonfire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha5yFZ2ErhFTsb5i5AcQO2sasvKyEW4kzK_4lwKmGvc11cJeu2J3OwMPphCnub3yS3ObrDrRmg14j0AlL0B4GdtaiBhQQPZnW269AodZQAkVgRwVs8dNUXyb0EXIhuuZqgJU8J5Eyjru4/s400/bonfire.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking a break to enjoy a weekend bonfire</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">By
this point we were bearing down on August, and a welcome invite from some
washer friends had us loading up the Sky and heading to Minnetonka, MN for the
weekend. The weather was perfect as we enjoyed drinks on the lake, cruising
away the afternoon. Just recalling it from the distance of this snowy January
morning is enough to give me a little inspiration to get the Blue Gill
restored. The trip was memorable for another reason as well….we almost died. A
4x8 sheet of plywood broke off of a semi we were about to pass and hit us
square on, but since we were so low to the ground we were fortunate that it
only skimmed us. Any other vehicle and the force would probably have tripped
the airbags while we were doing close to 70MPH. This also meant that I had to
deal with the transport company’s insurance and have the repairs made on the
car. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">But
August was busy for other reasons, too. My failed attempts at trying to finish
the Lodge EIFS had culminated with me tracking down Fernando. He took on the
job but it was slow going, finally wrapping up almost a month later. Meanwhile
I focused on the Annex siding. Finished the front, the rear and 95% of the
west, though only the rear received paint treatment. My bigger focus was
finishing CS3 and between rocking the foyer, installing pavers and milling
cedar for the rear siding (which I painted a 2<sup>nd</sup> coat earlier in the
spring) I’d say is just about there. I also discovered MMM and the potential of
early retirement that month which I’ve written about prior.</span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1cZ0F4c3pB2jqShynxOAr3guaD8SjbAWzpcQ_PXyeWjlMCErPW93uhG_L0rBSRIrb3ZXEToABbXku-to4n9uzpcO7cdtEY7NAWCZ47DAsmzVlakZmWdaYg5TtKDI02pJqmemp4cBgirU/s1600/eifs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1cZ0F4c3pB2jqShynxOAr3guaD8SjbAWzpcQ_PXyeWjlMCErPW93uhG_L0rBSRIrb3ZXEToABbXku-to4n9uzpcO7cdtEY7NAWCZ47DAsmzVlakZmWdaYg5TtKDI02pJqmemp4cBgirU/s400/eifs.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trimming out the doors after EIFS completion</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">During
this time Cara and I were also busy sending out invites and securing Black Hawk
Park for our wedding celebration (29Aug). The party was a major success even
with torrential downpours the days prior. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">September
kind of snuck up on us. I found a little breathing room to get things ready
before Geoff dropped in from Australia and spent a couple weeks. We paid the
Kiwi a visit to exchange a teletype for a homebrew computer that was once a
Mohawk Data Systems Key-to-tape unit and took in some super computers in an
Iowa barn as well as a Delorean, but more importantly, toured the Iowa
countryside in the Suburban on a sunny, but chilly, day, and had a memorable
meal at the Dirty Dog. </span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdI7yglnR6-G1gC_DfME5rBFmcljH0RjFqf-8ojbGmXNcWi7tkLJ1a91a6DsG11rCWjMkzUDmtZbg6XT5yV5cHZI_zeyzSLohq3KB8PlYoXJLNNALyS58Py7C-3WHOlR38s43FWyXhx4k/s1600/rubes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdI7yglnR6-G1gC_DfME5rBFmcljH0RjFqf-8ojbGmXNcWi7tkLJ1a91a6DsG11rCWjMkzUDmtZbg6XT5yV5cHZI_zeyzSLohq3KB8PlYoXJLNNALyS58Py7C-3WHOlR38s43FWyXhx4k/s400/rubes.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The '59 Catalina and '61 DeVille ventured to Montour, IA.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The
month marched on, I continued with my evening RR panel repairs for folks and
struck up a deal with a seller on the east coast who had an actual RR-1. A
friend is holding it until I can get out there in 2016; while I don’t want to
count my eggs before they’re hatched, this would be a real centerpiece in the
collection. Meanwhile, more dealing was taking place on setting up the CRP
paperwork for next year. Cutting out costs and getting my insurance up to date,
and deciding to sell off the Sky. I could either have that money working for me
generating interest, or working against me as depreciation in a used car. Time
to get serious!</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Now
it was getting cold and the prospect of snow was on the way. With the potential
for MidAm to come in this winter and work in our field, I decided a gate and
fence would be cheap insurance not only from trespassers, but also from damage
to my personal portion of the lane from their heavy equipment. I cut up some of
the old drive-in 6x6 timbers and Cara and I installed them along with a 12’
gate down near the tracks. It took a few weeks (not a lot of evening light in
December) but I eventually got the barbwire fence put in along with the timber
N-frames at each end. A come-along put the needed several-hundred pounds of
tension on the barbed wire so I could get it tacked in place and supported. An
educational project for sure.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I
had wanted to get CS3 online in the fall, but eventually decided the only way
to get the project moving forward was to skip connecting to water at that time
(digging down to the well and installing an underground valve and drainage
would have been a major undertaking). I can run an alternate path to the east
side of the building at a later date, and the savings of trying to combine both
in the same trench is minimal in the long run. After lining up the trencher, I
got cold feet and decided to ‘play it by the book’ with the service entrance.
It worked out as we spent all day trenching from the new gate to CS3, then CS3
to the Annex for power. We got a little snow a week later and the electrical
inspector got back to me and gave the go-ahead for the service entrance. While
not exactly a ‘fun’ time, cables were buried for power to the meter and for
communication into the lodge.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">We
wrapped up the year with solar power up at the road, an automatic gate opener
controlled from the Lodge, and full time power into CS3. </span></span></div>
radar58http://www.blogger.com/profile/12343124595166375494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680177830990289557.post-30731355506484701762015-11-24T11:36:00.001-08:002015-12-23T11:57:51.577-08:00The Solar Garage Door Opener<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Well, not really. More like the 12V DC powered opener. I’m
sure they exist, and they probably cost an arm and a leg. But let’s see what we
can do with a more conventional model; both for cost and for parts. The idea is
to use a 12V deep cycle battery charged by a 100w panel with charge controller
to run a garage door at a remote building. The primary use for the power is for
lights inside and out, but if a suitable door opener can be added, why not?</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After some googling, I found several commonly available
openers (Sears/Craftsman, Champion to name a couple) that possessed a battery
backup feature. Checked the batt specs and they were indeed 12v. Their
description seemed to match what I was looking for (door operation with the
loss of 120VAC up to a dozen or so times). But such ‘fancy’ openers also have
lots of unneeded features. Would they work at all on DC? Would they be totally
useless for the life of the opener? Let’s find out.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After shopping around I picked up a new, surplus ¾ HPS Belt
Drive Craftsman model off that popular internet auction site. Model 9-54918
(139.3043). It came with a pair of remotes, a wireless outdoor keypad, the
required electric eyes and a switch panel that included control of the lights
and door plus backlit LCD display with program buttons. Hmm.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Right off the batt…let’s tear this thing apart and see what
we’re working with. Well, the switch panel with all the fancy features, like
motion detection and display of interior temperature, connects with only two
wires, so there’s a communication protocol taking place, and it’s safe to
assume microprocessors at each end. Indeed, the rear of the opener contains a circuit
board with micro, relays, driver transistors, etc. And you know what else that
means? Software.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZR7jgCDqXUdubRmNXFFf4JcytylL-9e2fMIPx9zsUJe-WUz0fuPYd__HyYyEfNR9QDyiPdkW97vroOOR8uvQlVF-XC1g_F9GfQpgtQesAlZC30HYqZPhznLkH2ojGn9hfNQyGMOuKKe8/s1600/IMG_2783.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZR7jgCDqXUdubRmNXFFf4JcytylL-9e2fMIPx9zsUJe-WUz0fuPYd__HyYyEfNR9QDyiPdkW97vroOOR8uvQlVF-XC1g_F9GfQpgtQesAlZC30HYqZPhznLkH2ojGn9hfNQyGMOuKKe8/s640/IMG_2783.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Standy Curent Measurement</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The drive motor itself is the type used in automotive window
regulators and to cycle windshield wipers and is pretty easy to drive. +12v on
the red lead and -12V on the other will drive it one direction; reverse
polarity to go the other way. So, if you want a brute force drive method and
have no need for wireless control, cut those leads, run them out and there you
go. However, you now have no safety features nor remote operation. There’s
probably a better way…and there appears to be. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">First, the thing is too smart for its own good. Buttons and
indicators on the rear allow for setting the upper and lower limits of the door
and for entering a learning mode to communicate with remotes. When first
connected to AC, a rapid flashing green led indicates battery charging. This
will turn orange when fully charged. The unit also communicates by flashing the
120VAC bulbs to tell you what else is going on, such as a wiring or
communication error with the photoeyes, or restoration of AC power. I would
like to rewire one of the two lights for 12VDC operation, and seeing as a basic
SPDT relay on the PCB turns these on and off, some hacking should be easy, but
it’s not. Software detects the absence of AC power and prevents engagement of
this relay except when the motor is energized, so no time delay. And while the
wall control has a Light pushbutton and the remotes can be programmed to use
their other buttons for remote lighting, that’s a no-go on DC only. At least
the 120VAC convenience sockets are wired with spade terminals, so a little
rewiring allows the second bulb to be pulled out of circuit and wired to DC as
we see fit. A 555 timer triggered off the relay coil (that only energizes
during motor movement) should do the trick. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbvtDfkOPxMW3q-5Ez8am1p24JQLtdWNSHmCevY6EI0faVqxaphAKhdhvMhdQjcDzMbKsHaUCL1Z1CjmxRknH_6MMBTboJLZ6frZd5d9l6E3d_a81NTEmL4zpVHQTAJhuvw6E9pP2YcX0/s1600/IMG_2793.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbvtDfkOPxMW3q-5Ez8am1p24JQLtdWNSHmCevY6EI0faVqxaphAKhdhvMhdQjcDzMbKsHaUCL1Z1CjmxRknH_6MMBTboJLZ6frZd5d9l6E3d_a81NTEmL4zpVHQTAJhuvw6E9pP2YcX0/s640/IMG_2793.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">D24 is in the center of the relay footprint. Sharpie + and - marks denote<br />
coil pins that will trigger external time-delay circuit.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The photo eyes must be wired and installed, and I believe
they also have serial communication to the opener. The good news is a visible
LED is mounted on each to see when they’re connected and when they’re drawing
power. There’s no tell-tale click of a relay when the eyes are blocked, so
bypassing to conserve power is not an option. However, there’s some good news.
After 5 successful door open/close cycles (aka learning mode) once power is
connected, the eyes power down when the door is closed. This cuts standby
current in half (0.130A drops to 0.055A in standby). That’s less than 1 watt in
the quiescent state.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you think you’ll just bypass the transformer and inject
your DC there, that could work, but be aware the system voltage is in the
low-20’s VDC so it’ll take more than a 12V battery to make it work. I have to
assume the way the software is written that you’ll also draw more standby power
going this route, as it will think it’s connected to AC.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When on DC-only several other things happen. The backlight
is shut off on the wall control and the LCD lets you know you’re off the grid.
The light button is disabled as well as temperature and motion sensing. Luckily
the door button still works. The wireless remotes still work, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A “Time to Close” feature that automatically
closes the door x-minutes after opening is disabled. Big deal.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While I haven’t buttoned the unit up and installed it yet,
one glaring issue is that if DC power is removed while not plugged into an AC
outlet (such as swapping your battery) the unit will not power-up again without
momentarily seeing AC. And you can’t just leave the onboard battery in parallel
with the external deep cycle source as it’s small enough to be damaged/overheat
and lead to bad things. Since this should be a rare occurrence, it might be
possible to wake it up with a little AC inverter plugged into my cigarette
lighter should the need arise. Current would be minimal, we’re just
jump-starting the micro. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Update: The unit has been installed and works! I used 14<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> awg</span> NM romex <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">for the 12V power and I suppose voltage drop could be improved with 12<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">awg or larger, but honestly th<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ese openers were never designed to be "speed<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">y" on DC<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">; the<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ir aim was to get the job done. <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">less than 20' from the battery, this </span>doesn't appear to be an i<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ssue. </span><!--20--></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I used a 12v inverter and a pair of aligator leads to jumpstart the unit. After l<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">eaving it powered for <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">0 seconds, I simply disconnected the clips<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, put my wire nuts on the DC leads and coiled up the AC <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">cord. Disconnect<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> to<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">o early and it won't go into DC mode. If one really wanted <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">a belt<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">-and-suspender approach, one of those cheap<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ie 150w self contained inverters could <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">be mounted inside the opener case (plenty of room) and a toggle switch <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">a<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">dded to the exter<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ior. The AC cord could be removed and rewired internally to the inverter<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. No futzing necessary. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2tlASmg11gvBZmaBTNwHK7-YdmluPKIQ5VPQ-W63eAVA527C7VowFclvQZdxAz4mFygNFO70wW8iIjvSGc5LxpvdmY9bPxYcSDDgjAS5Zw-ONoui0ZLOMaArkxKTgYihgIa0IGEKXHsc/s1600/IMG_2820.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2tlASmg11gvBZmaBTNwHK7-YdmluPKIQ5VPQ-W63eAVA527C7VowFclvQZdxAz4mFygNFO70wW8iIjvSGc5LxpvdmY9bPxYcSDDgjAS5Zw-ONoui0ZLOMaArkxKTgYihgIa0IGEKXHsc/s640/IMG_2820.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Also of <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">note, this unit <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">learn<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">s remote controls <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">dynamically. You press the <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Learn button on the unit, then hold in the <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">wireless remote button until the unit flashes its lights. Well guess what...on DC it <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">won't flash its lights (o<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">bviously). It won't even click its re<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">lay....but it<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> will st<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ill pair with your rem<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ote. Simply hold down your <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">remote button for 30 sec and then <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">see if it works</span>. If it didn't learn it, try again but hold it down longer. Eventually it'll get through all the codes and have picked the transmitter up. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>And there you have it- <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">custom 12V opener with remotes and minimal power consumption for the price of a discount standard model. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(Update 12/23: <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It's one month later and the unit works perfectly. No resets, <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">no outages, no issues.)</span></span> </span></span> </span>radar58http://www.blogger.com/profile/12343124595166375494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680177830990289557.post-1475975390443154202015-11-09T09:36:00.001-08:002015-11-09T09:36:12.860-08:00On November, Part 2.<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">One couldn’t ask for a better segue
into this month. The days are sunny and temps hover in the 50’s; we’ve only
started to nip on the heels of the overnight frosts, and there’s less than a
week to go before we can cross off half the month. Soon enough this’ll all feel
downright tropical…better make hay while the sun shines.</span></span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>And make hay, we
did. Since this year was one of a maintenance-mode (no major construction), it’s
meant I’ve gotten a little soft in crossing off the to-do items. Oh, I still
update the spreadsheet daily, and try to at least chip away at the projects
that are due, but there’s been no hard and fast schedule to dig a trench by a
certain date, nor play beat the clock with the weatherman over getting a roof
on the place. Since I rely on setting goals and crossing them off the list so I
can sleep well at night, lately this has posed a problem. If I were one of
those types that took serious satisfaction in my corporate office job, this
wouldn’t be an issue, but I have a hard time equating 8 hrs in front of a
computer with the same mental planning and physical effort of framing a wall.
That’s not to say one is inherently more virtuous than the other, it’s just
that lunch tastes better when you’ve worked up a sweat.</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>So this was a
welcome weekend where I was able to cross all the to-do’s off without
exception. Saturday morning I decided to defrost the Deepfreeze..first time it’s
needed doing since I brought it home and since it wasn’t 200F inside I figured
I had half a chance of knocking it out without the ice cream turning to mush. A
little heat gun action and a bucket to haul off the ice chunks and we were back
in biz. Love that pre-war Deepfreeze…. I also got it into my head to vacuum the
upstairs, grab the shopvac to get all the Asian beetles and boxelders swarming
the clerestories, then go after the bugs that so love the 18’ garage door
windows. Plus a good downstairs sweeping. What a difference! And let’s not talk
about the flies…</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>Sat PM I could start
on the work, and this involved cutting, edge priming, drilling and installing
more siding on the west side of the Annex. I’m really beginning to rue siding
work, especially with all the gyrations of fetching planks, crawling up ladders,
using the picker bucket, painting ends, etc. I managed to wrap it up by 5PM,
leaving a couple courses of siding left that will have to be cut to follow the
slope of the roof. This gave me time to clean up before Ben stopped by at 5:30
for a trip to the OP in Waverly. Note: Good food, extremely busy, too damn
bright. But it was a nice night and despite each of us only eating half our
orders, I think we still required rolling to the car. </span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>It seems I have a
tough time on weekends these days. I wake up far too early, still tired, but
not wanting to go back to sleep. The sun is up so I screw around on my phone
for a while, say enough is enough, then get up and get dressed. Sunday was no
different. So after a quick breakfast, I proceeded to juggle the chargers on
the picker batteries, got the compressor and charged it, then blew out the yard
hydrant lines. Next was man-handling the old 16’ gate, and the 18’+ long 6x6
timbers once used for the drive-in screen. The pickup handled them with ease,
along with the post hole digger and shovels. After a few trips to the tractor
shed for pea gravel, I was set. Cara came down to lend a hand and we installed
the cut down 6x6’s on each side of the driveway on the east side of the tracks.
A third 6x6 went in to form the slat reinforcement for the hinge side of the
gate. Prior to digging, I decided a smaller gate would better suit us, even if
we had to go buy one. The 16’ would be unwieldly in the snow and force the
posts too far apart…then there was the matter of weight. We ended up getting
everything placed and backfilled before 12:30, though I still need to pick up a
12’ gate to hang.</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>Next was the
unenviable chore of sealing the front cement deck on the lodge. This is a
yearly chore to help keep ice from damaging the cement. Last weekend I replaced
all the butyl rubber in the expansion joints as part of this two-pronged
attack. The trick is to roll out the sealer without allowing any of it to run
or drip off the cement edges, yet all top surfaces have to be coated. It went
fairly well this year.</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>Finally, a vintage
light fixture was installed at the pole building up at the road. This is in
preparation for a 100w solar photovoltaic system I’m planning on putting in
this month. Just a simple, single panel arrangement with charge controller and
deep cycle batt. Depending how the install goes, I might expand the system with
a modified overhead door opener so Cara can get in and out with her car this
winter without the “fun” of a manual door in sub-zero temps.</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>However the big news
will be next weekend…the current plan is to rent a trencher and put it to work.
500’ feet will need to be trenched for some Cat-5e cable to run to a telephone
down at the gate (as well as future connection for a camera, low-v lighting,
etc). Then underground 12-3 cable from CS3 to the Annex. Then a trench from CS3
over to the Pump House to finally get CS3 on the grid. Dropped into the same
trench in ¾” poly pipe will be network and coax cables tying CS3 to the Lodge.
Cable and other items have been ordered and are enroute but the biggest
obstacle is the planning. There are already enough underground cables and pipes
that we’ll have to tread carefully in some areas, which means lots of hand
digging.</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span></span></span></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
radar58http://www.blogger.com/profile/12343124595166375494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680177830990289557.post-47458529459371805682015-11-03T08:02:00.005-08:002015-11-03T08:02:59.656-08:00Enter November<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_MailAutoSig">Did you hear the one about the
insurance adjuster that walked into the bar….? No? Oh, sorry, looks like your
eyes glazed over.</a></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span>Yes, I spent far too
many hours at my local insurance agency renegotiating my homeowners coverage
and adding protection for the other buildings on the property. In order to get
the discounts that mattered, I had to move at least one vehicle from a
competing firm, and to get multi-car, we moved a second. There was also lots of 'recalculating' going on as the previous lodge coverage was far out of date. While I trust the
competing firm more, it’s nice to have a local rep for all the other insurance
and I’ve been with both of them for at least 10 years. Not wanting to leave a stone
unturned, it made financial sense to sign up for their credit card (no fees,
etc) which essentially adds another discount on top of the quote when used to
pay for “insurance products”.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span>I also found a nice
card that returns 3% on gas and 2% on groceries and offers a nice bonus if you
spend so much in the first 90 days. Again, no fees or ‘gotchas’. Just pay it
off each month and it’s essentially free money on things we would buy anyway.
For now I’ll continue to use cash/debit for everything else which makes
tracking easier.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span>And then there’s the
big one. On an impulse I sold the roadster. Let’s just say I received an offer
I couldn’t refuse…man that was a fun car, but no more monthly payments, and no more
silly triple-digit registration fees for plates. I sent her off to the new
owners yesterday…hope they’re happy with her.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span><span>Meanwhile, I’m just
keeping my head down, working my way through the fall and into winter. Trying
to finish siding and paint work on the Annex, winterizing the cars, trying to
get the wheels in motion for the ag CRP arrangement and doing my best to stay
sane at the day job. </span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span></span></span></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
radar58http://www.blogger.com/profile/12343124595166375494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680177830990289557.post-26502153736553714252015-09-30T07:51:00.004-07:002015-09-30T11:40:19.646-07:00Putting my money where my mouth is.<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This
post was meant to pop up approximately one month, to give a quick update, since
I decided I was all-in on the Moustacian train (<a href="http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/">http://www.mrmoneymustache.com</a>).
But what can I say? I’ve been busy. So how are things looking a month and a
half later? Did I commit or fall flat on my face?</span></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As I eluded to recently, the first order of business was figuring out expense ratios on my employer’s 401k
plan and making those adjustments after figuring out just what the heck those were (see last post). Done and done. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Next, I
opened an online brokerage account after doing some googling to determine who
was offering the best deals at the time. Nerdwallet gives a good general
breakdown, but YMMV. (<a href="http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/investing/best-online-brokers/stock-trading-accounts/">http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/investing/best-online-brokers/stock-trading-accounts/</a>)
Next I started watching darling Apple to see when might be a good time to buy. The
latest phones hadn’t come out yet, nor had the iPad Pro and other goodies, but
if history was any indication, the stock would rise, then plummet after
announcement, then slowly climb again. Now, ask any advisor what stocks you
should invest in, and if they’re not on your payroll, they should be telling
you to avoid any single stock pick and instead invest in index funds. If you
are paying an advisor, then they’ll tell you the opposite after consulting
their crystal ball (they don’t care if you make money or lose money, their
commission is on buys and sells). However, Apple is one of the few stocks solid
enough that it’s tough to go bust on if you like to gamble. Incidentally, I
ended up buying both ‘pre’ and ‘post’ product announcements and then again
yesterday. Nobody that ever invested in the stock market has lost money if they
buy for the long term. Not even through the last recession nor the crash of ’29.
Additionally, if you sell without holding for at least 12 months, you’ll get
taxed up the ying-yang, so why not let it ride?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Then
the market dropped out. No joke, about a week after going all-in, the market
fell apart. But guess what? No better time to buy then when stocks are “on sale”.
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now,
after crunching the numbers, having adjusted my 401k diversification and seeing
the S&P plummet, I went all-in on my 401k contributions and will continue to
do so through the end of the year in an attempt to hit the IRS max contribution
limit. This will be a bit of a game as if I cap out early, I won’t get the
employer match…or maybe I will (and a question to HR on front-loading and
percent-distribution was met with boilerplate that didn’t answer my question). Yes,
my take home checks are pretty small, but the net gain is larger in the long
run as the majority was deducted tax-free.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Unlike
a 401k that limits contributions for the year at Dec 31<sup>st</sup>, an IRA can
be contributed to through April 15<sup>th</sup> of the following year. Though
both traditional and ROTH IRAs have a combined cap of $5500. Since my 401k plan
doesn’t offer Vanguard index funds (seriously, look these guys up), it made
sense to open a free account with Vanguard themselves. Anyone can do it, and
since they manage the funds directly, you’re not paying a second party a hefty
expense ratio to do so. This is where you want to invest. I opened a ROTH and
invested in a stock heavy mix. Then when the markets dipped yesterday I made
another buy. The goal is to max this out by the 2015 tax deadline, then do it
again in 2016. Yes, this is considered taxed income, but withdrawals on the
deposits can be made at anytime without penalty. If you don’t have a 401k plan
through your employer, you should seriously consider a traditional IRA which is
pre-tax and see if you meet the guidelines. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So,
the goals so far have been pretty simple: Max out any tax-advantaged vehicles.
Put any “savings” into index funds (whether taxed or not). Optimize any company
matching. Cut frivolous spending (I cut my coffee/lunch bill for the last month
down to $1.18 for the ENTIRE month). Invest in stocks when they’re on sale. Oh,
and go read Mr. Money Moustache. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
radar58http://www.blogger.com/profile/12343124595166375494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680177830990289557.post-89910092323328113842015-08-17T12:59:00.000-07:002015-08-17T12:59:02.017-07:00The Wheel of Interest<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As Cara and I were talking the other
night, and I was rambling on and on about 401ks and inflation, she threatened
to create a ‘wheel of interest’. Only this time there’d be a new category.
Financial freedom. You see, ever since I discovered <a href="http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/" target="_blank">this website</a> back
in July, I’ve been on a planning, investing and savings kick. </span></span>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span>We’re all told it’s
important to save for our future, invest in company retirement plans,
especially if there’s an employer match, and to work hard so you’ll (maybe one
day) be able to retire. And that’s really about it. Then we’re thrust into the
workplace and find ourselves as “adults”. Car payments, mortgage payments on
McMansions, and crazy spending seems to be the norm these days. The problem is,
the time to get serious about retirement is really years before you plan to
retire, when you're just getting a handle on 'life' in general. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span>I figured I was
ahead of the game in many ways- in college I worked as a lab tech making a few
bucks on the side to cover my projects. I spent summers and part time my senior
year at a company I then joined upon graduating, all the while investing in
their 401k program to get the match. Used cars were the order of the day. No
credit card spending or debt. And in the meantime, I was saving money up to buy
a parcel of farm land that would provide a place to indulge in my eccentric
construction projects but also provide farm rent to cover things like property
taxes and insurance. This ended up being 50 acres just north of town despite my
original intent being only 10.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span>Sounds good, right?
Well, here are some things to ponder….</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span>In today’s market,
money sitting in a savings account will lose its value faster than inflation. Hmm, this is where I've always kept my cash.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span>The average
inflation rate is around 3%/yr. That means you are better off locking in a loan
on a (slightly used*) car, or mortgaging a house at a rate of 4% or less than
you would be paying cash or renting. In fact, you will actually be money ahead
in the mortgage at the end of the term even if property values did worse than
inflation. Plus the interest paid is deductible. Meanwhile, invest the cash you
were going to use and put it in an index fund. Just don’t let it sit in
savings.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span></span></span></span>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For several years I ‘trusted’ the default settings on my
401k, and although I occasionally logged in to see if I could create a better
mix, I was really shooting in the dark. The fact is, few people take the time
to really investigate the investment mixes. As it turns out, these providers
are not offering their services out of the kindness of their hearts. You’ll
find the option mixes you’re assigned typically have very high expense ratios
by default and lots of other little hidden fees. Of course you don’t notice,
because over the course of years you don’t notice what’s happening behind the
scenes. This is death by a 1000 paper cuts. Do some research, and reallocate
your investments so it benefits YOU. If the investment options your provider offers
are especially bad, consider contributing only the minimum to get the company
match and put the rest in an IRA. Remember, this is compounding money. The more
you have, the more it generates, so a few bucks sapped off in fees now
potentially equals a lofty sum lost 20 years from now.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And you know what happens with you put a dollar into your
401k or traditional IRA? 1. It’s all pre-tax money so $1 invested really does
have $1 earning power. 2. If you contribute enough (and this could involve
multiple accts or maxing accts), you can lower your tax bracket which means you
put several grand in your pocket in reduced taxes at the end of the year
without giving anything away. And 3, as if that wasn’t enough, when it comes
time to withdraw that money, it’s taxed at your retirement rate, which could be
15%...down to 0%. It’s a triple win. None of these things are secrets, but it
took having them spread out in front of me like so many playing cards to see
the obvious. “I’ve been leaving money on the table without realizing it, and
spending summer afternoons in a beige cubicle just trying to make up for it.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Okay, that sounds well and good. Now, about that financial
freedom thing. At age 33, how could I even begin to think about retirement?
Well, for one, retirement doesn’t mean doing nothing for the rest of your life,
it means doing what you want to do before you’re too old to enjoy it. If you
want to work on your own terms, fine. If you want to travel, so be it. Bottom
line? It means freedom. But here’s the deal… I’m already behind the 8-ball and
didn’t know it. So, I’m throwing down the gauntlet; time to put a long term plan
into action. I’ll post a follow-up in a few months to see what’s working and
what’s not. Time to get serious.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">*let someone else take the depreciation hit while still
enjoying a competitive APR from the local bank/credit union on an “almost new”
vehicle; rates increase with age.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
radar58http://www.blogger.com/profile/12343124595166375494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680177830990289557.post-62037079575708052142015-08-08T15:19:00.001-07:002015-08-08T15:21:41.569-07:00A Mid-Summer's Check-In – Part 1 <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">I may
have mentioned last year that 2015 was going to be a catch-up/maintenance year
out at the compound, and so far, things are shaping up according to plan. </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Last
fall, as you might remember, the pole building went up before the snow started
flying. Between Ben and I we got the cars stashed and tarps up over the
doorways and this held all-winter. Fast-forward to this summer and all the
doors are in, the cement floor is poured, the aprons are finished and three
dump trucks full of gravel were brought in and spread over 2500 sq ft of
geotextile fabric to help with drainage, minimize gravel loss and block weeds.
The gutters and downspouts are now on, front and rear. And this week I
foam-sealed the corrugations along the bottom blocking dirt and bugs from
entering. I think I can officially say that building is finished. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNGqWgtISFlga0JKfh270ZIDvHkfAj_O_pG7UOOCKxl6UUuxBppgPL_Qoz28R2EGzUMJg6jPpUoHZ31081kQVBplNhiTb0fBjhmyWwbyZ9WG8E8tGJbai37HiAESB7xsdO2GLosDIkbJM/s1600/bldg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNGqWgtISFlga0JKfh270ZIDvHkfAj_O_pG7UOOCKxl6UUuxBppgPL_Qoz28R2EGzUMJg6jPpUoHZ31081kQVBplNhiTb0fBjhmyWwbyZ9WG8E8tGJbai37HiAESB7xsdO2GLosDIkbJM/s400/bldg.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Garage Pre-Cement</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As soon
as spring broke I could be found in the cherry picker staining the east side of
the lodge. Thankfully I had enough drive from spring fever to do the job
because I doubt I'd have the initiative to paint the entire side of the lodge
by myself when the days are 90F. Since the other three sides and trim were done
in the fall, that should hold things for a few years.</span><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2vtL68FB9djxjgCoFlqMmP2IGTGRm8v3ntFL7uD9P0s1PvjboYtF2kMHj6sPAULDy_VwAE0HYuXLBkWadnQbxIogM-dic76jrDDSxjnHwODR1ZzAMn_k-rnXKDVyIo1hGMq9zc9mwI4o/s1600/IMG_0345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2vtL68FB9djxjgCoFlqMmP2IGTGRm8v3ntFL7uD9P0s1PvjboYtF2kMHj6sPAULDy_VwAE0HYuXLBkWadnQbxIogM-dic76jrDDSxjnHwODR1ZzAMn_k-rnXKDVyIo1hGMq9zc9mwI4o/s400/IMG_0345.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CS3 work on those last-winter days</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Another
interesting maintenance project was pulling up the dining room floor and
packing in more sand around the drain swale. This involved removing each floor
plank, piece by piece, and then trying to pack in sand that was "level enough"
but not over-proud, then trying to reassemble the entire affair. (Update: As of
24 hrs ago the water softener flooded the dining rm while we were at work and
swelled all the plank seams. Great.)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrMfr9UDu4L_1Wq25s_fUKc_X_qlkXKSD3s0YuxxIyolUKT5K678VHnb38NyqGJN84FZnZ8KLVOMZDCfXoLGASlD5qmDcYRgoDEapE8I8g3aiEXq0Z1sGHp0PkdhvkfGUMmhy7WWeCiOw/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrMfr9UDu4L_1Wq25s_fUKc_X_qlkXKSD3s0YuxxIyolUKT5K678VHnb38NyqGJN84FZnZ8KLVOMZDCfXoLGASlD5qmDcYRgoDEapE8I8g3aiEXq0Z1sGHp0PkdhvkfGUMmhy7WWeCiOw/s400/photo+2.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Spring in Iowa immobilizes the 2WD Scottsdale</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A real
bear, but something that had to be done, was to fix the fascia situation on the
lodge. You see, when I finished the roof those years ago, the fascia trim was
custom bent locally out of aluminum, so each section had a max length of 8
feet. These created a see-saw effect with lots of overlaps and they were just a
touch short width wise. The bigger problem was that airflow could get up under
those fascias and blow into the lodge. On extremely windy days, the crepe paper
light fixture over the stairs would move around and you could hear the airflow
screaming past. 99% of the time it wasn’t a problem, but the 1% let you know
you had air coming in. The front fascias were also starting to darken from
water running off the front roof and _under_! the fascia trim. Not good, as how
much of it was running behind the fascia boards and soaking the soffits? So,
all the trim (120'+) came off and was scrapped. The fascia boards were scrubbed
and painted (all nice and solid) and bituthene tape was used to seal the
top of the boards to the roof deck, which meant getting up underneath the
shingles all the way around. Invariably, nails had to be pulled, the surface
cleaned so the tape would stick and holes sealed. A grand time. In advance, I
took roof profiles and had Menards custom trim service make up lengths of
fascia trim (up to 12' for fewer seams) with just a little more projection to
protect the tops of the boards. I'm just glad that job is done.</span><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXhkfGVCirgMKQTR3owD5yeK7Ic6g-eJ8EAxXZZaZync_XJ2Yq2gnYhlqP-XVT-dmLrXAcpPC_UARE_JZxfKjDPIko6lUkuLqenWPIprlafzWFKsWWZ7Hl750cpW99rp4O1VqgNtqD5EI/s1600/IMG_1279.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXhkfGVCirgMKQTR3owD5yeK7Ic6g-eJ8EAxXZZaZync_XJ2Yq2gnYhlqP-XVT-dmLrXAcpPC_UARE_JZxfKjDPIko6lUkuLqenWPIprlafzWFKsWWZ7Hl750cpW99rp4O1VqgNtqD5EI/s400/IMG_1279.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Painted Fascias with New Trim</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">At
roughly the same time, I had some brown trim made up for The Annex and this was
slipped underneath the metal roof on the rear of the structure, although I had
to pop each roof panel off and back out screws to get it into place. While it
was the rainy season, at least it could be done in a day.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Of
course the Pumphouse was starting to show it's age, or at least the paint was,
so a Saturday was spent scrubbing the siding and repainting the works in oil
solid stain. And shortly before that, it was discovered the rubber roof had
pulled away from the metal edges and had allowed water to start to rot out the
rear fascia board. Luckily it was caught in time and the roof deck was just
fine (this is why plywood is nice for smaller projects). Another day spent
peeling back the rubber, scrubbing, and gluing the works down with a paint
roller seems to have fixed matters. I also used window sealing tape along the
rear edge to divert water over the trim should the rubber come loose in the
future.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">But it
hasn't been all work, there's also been lots of travel. In February, when it
was still cold and snowy in Iowa, we broke away to Disney World in Orlando and
even dropped in on the parents for a day. The sun and warmth did us some good,
though 24 months between visits might be a little too frequent for Disney. A
month later Ben and I found ourselves pointing the Suburban for Boston to
rescue a one-of, well, one, 1963 Radarange. While there are other ‘Marks’ out
there, I can't imagine many turquoise paneled ones were built, let alone,
survived. The fact that there’s no data plate and no serial number makes me
wonder if this was pre-production. </span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHzmzWXsCWyHCO91NtHwpXp0XyjixGJ-99Ih1xynnOrue3VKThJNul-qrZuIfGsjBvnF4yiHxh-tymKhCglqgUzklblMA19hVIKopLx9I_KfO0h5fKtwrGM4sJUdxWL0GffwqYd_b9vIo/s1600/burban.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHzmzWXsCWyHCO91NtHwpXp0XyjixGJ-99Ih1xynnOrue3VKThJNul-qrZuIfGsjBvnF4yiHxh-tymKhCglqgUzklblMA19hVIKopLx9I_KfO0h5fKtwrGM4sJUdxWL0GffwqYd_b9vIo/s400/burban.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cruising out East</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
trip was a blast, staying with a friend out there for a mini-wash-in of sorts.
Then just a couple weeks later, with Suburban now empty, I headed for Dayton,
Ohio to give the Hamvention flea market a spin. While I came up mostly empty
handed, I did score a couple of goodies that paid for a teletype collection I
picked up in Toledo the following day. And I was able to visit world-famous
Mendelson’s. If you need it, they’ve got it. Staying in vintage roadside motels
actually made the trip a worthwhile experience.</span><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCMG4MCLtzDIRKsxcxMivMxUJxr_LuWMmJb7v8vZ_HwIb64K0f0zBJw5loievt3E0kDCyrSibPln-F3iqYfGlmaMXnKyPa8JqFyseHobsPf1j7-coJfRoRdOvFrn2XPlTHD61X02bVPrQ/s1600/mendel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCMG4MCLtzDIRKsxcxMivMxUJxr_LuWMmJb7v8vZ_HwIb64K0f0zBJw5loievt3E0kDCyrSibPln-F3iqYfGlmaMXnKyPa8JqFyseHobsPf1j7-coJfRoRdOvFrn2XPlTHD61X02bVPrQ/s400/mendel.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mendelson's of Dayton</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span>radar58http://www.blogger.com/profile/12343124595166375494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680177830990289557.post-55307716628496531212015-05-15T21:04:00.000-07:002015-05-16T06:20:10.114-07:00Dayton: Part 1<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So here I am, sitting on the bed in a motel built in 1957, watching a TV show that takes place in 1965, crossing the midwest in an automobile from 1987. Without functional A/C. All the better with the windows cranked down. My back aches and I could use another cold MGD. I'm a little sunburned and windblown, but it'll pass. Tomorrow I put another 500 miles on the 'burb, enjoying the backroads and blacktops, looking to top off the 40 gallon tank. <br /><br />It was a day to be sure. Second year in a row trying out the Dayton Hamfest. I figure I've got a good beat on lodging for the night and the best spot to park without breaking the bank. A medium black coffee and a breakfast sandwich got me to Hara Arena and a back pack and collapsible cart were just what I needed to survive the crowds without doubling back. Once again I made the list for youngest 5% in attendance; didn't even enter the arena this year; a rundown, crumbling, series of structures not unlike the Waterloo Cattle Congress. Here you could find yourself wandering down parking lot rows you just know you've traversed before, yet seeing new things. Sure, that backup generator switch panel looks like a deal, but do you really want to tug it along for the next two hours? Maybe..if the oldtimer would pay you some mind.<br /><br />Oversized antennas grace automobiles both new and old. "Hey, nice Roadmaster!" Between the brief cloud bursts and burning sun, you make your way past the open concession grills cooking burgers, in search of some shade. You spot WW2 communication receivers for sale, professionally restored and the asking price is what you gave for your last car. Later on you spot a satisfied customer carrying one. By 11AM you're shot. Good deals. Bad deals. And outright bargains gone in the first 15 minutes. You've beat the crumbling pavement and second guessed that EPROM burner from 20 minutes ago. 3 hours is a good run for two arms and a sore back as you make your way to the grassy lot across the street, testing those rubber wheels. Time for a strawberry shake and a moments touch of air conditioning, for the next stop is a downtown factory building in Dayton; 1st and 3rd floors accessible, only. This could prove to be a long day...</span></span>radar58http://www.blogger.com/profile/12343124595166375494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680177830990289557.post-34522299622184289892015-03-27T10:02:00.002-07:002015-03-27T10:04:19.504-07:00The Joys of Film Conversion<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The
last time I did a major conversion from actual film to video was
(yikes) at least 16 years ago back in the high school days. The film was
Super-8 in cartridges with an optical soundtrack, however there was
one small caveat. I didn’t have a functioning projector. I had audio,
but no shutter sync. The trick was to play the film through a std Super 8
machine to capture the picture, and run it through the broken cartridge
unit for audio. Then the two had to be brought
together after the fact. Of course the speeds were different and this
meant trying to adjust the picture to match the soundtrack using a
powerful array of PowerPC towers after the VHS footage was copied to a
hard drive. If your film was 20 minutes long (or
you had a stack of these short films totaling a couple hours) then
that’s exactly how long it would take to copy in and to copy out that
footage. And you got to watch the same thing over, and over, and over
until you were sick of it.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So this week I decided to
convert a 16mm film put out by NCR to a format I could post on Youtube.
This was interesting. The film is 17 minutes long. Take 1 was by
projecting it on the big screen and using my iPhone
on a mini-tripod mount. I wasn’t sure if the iPhone would adapt to
shutter roll (a mismatch between frame rate of the projector, and “frame
rate” of the camera) or if it would be something I could adjust after
the fact. The initial results weren’t bad, but
there was definitely a flicker I couldn’t resolve in iMovie.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Take 2 was by projecting
onto a small screen and with new software for the iPhone that would let
me adjust shutter speed and aperture. Initial setup looked promising but
there was a new problem. The film was too
bright for the camera, and thus cranking down the aperture actually
affected the sample rate (obviously there isn’t a mechanical iris or
this wouldn’t be a problem). After trying a few things (including
projecting through a window screen), I found that blocking
off ¾ of the projection lens would reduce the brightness enough that it
wouldn’t overload the sensor. Now we were in business. Roll film!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">First things first, I
imported this footage into iPhoto in order to copy into iMovie (it
wouldn’t go direct). Take 2 was much better than take 1, but again, a
slight rolling. What was going on? I had a hunch. Sure
enough, the camera had locked in at 25FPS instead of 24. Ugh. Time to
get all the equipment back out.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Proceed with take 3.
24FPS, ¾ lens blocked, audio adjusted, image focused. Let it roll. By
now I was getting sick of this film and escaped to the downstairs for a
few minutes. Things proceeded nicely until I checked
on the recording a few minutes later (audio blasting away). With a
minute-30 left, the iPhone had stopped recording to tell me it was
running out of memory. Argh. Okay, let’s back this film up, delete take
2, and record the final 2 minutes of take 3. I could
deal with splicing and framing in post-production.</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Good. No frame roll. Good
audio. Time to transfer to the Mac. But what’s this? A manual import
into iMovie from the camera results in failure. And an import into
iPhoto results in an ‘unrecognized format’. Yes,
those crazy .movs! Take 2 worked fine, why not Take 3? How about
emailing them? Nope, too big to send as attachments. Let’s try a program
I’ve got that lets me access the phone via an IP address in my browser.
OK, I see the files, let the copying begin. The
2 minute clips comes over in half an hour. I let the big clip run over
night. </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Next day…after work. Ok,
the files are on the desktop, let’s review. Hmm, what’s this random
static and audio spiking? Excellent, they’re _<i>slightly</i>_ corrupt.
On the plus side, they play crystal-clear on
the iPhone so I know my source is alright. Looks like they must have
dropped a few bits during the transfer. Okay, let’s try Dropbox. I
download the latest version for the Mac and install. I pull down my copy
from the cloud to the phone and log in (it’s been
a couple years). Clip 1 copies over just fine and, good news, a half
hour later, I have it on the desktop playing clearly. Clip 2 starts but
after a few minutes times out. Alright, I guess I have to set the phone
prefs to ‘Never Lock’. Really? Okay, let’s try
again. It cranks away for half an hour and….surprise! Upload size
exceeded!</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I had already tried manual
navigation with the phone plugged in to the USB and came up empty. Now
what? And then I remembered…possibly Apple’s best, yet most secret
app…Image Capture. I fired that up and BINGO.
There were my .mov files listed and with a click-and-drag, they were
both on my desktop in seconds. So, after 3 full viewings and several
nights of futzing around, I now had the files. </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thankfully, iMovie was a
breeze once I had them in the queue. I was able to compensate for color
drift, crop the framing, increase saturation, splice the two clips
together, and adjust the audio to minimize projector
noise (I didn’t use a patch cable this time around). Down-conversion to a
compressed file took around 40 minutes..or so it said. It may not be
perfect, but at least it’s out there. </span></span>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 5pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://youtu.be/-QFZIHzmsS0" target="_blank">NCR Century Line of Mainframe Computers</a> </span></span></div>
<br />
radar58http://www.blogger.com/profile/12343124595166375494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680177830990289557.post-78876786072693443022014-12-23T12:45:00.001-08:002014-12-23T12:50:06.783-08:00Odds 'n' Ends<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Here we are, the end of December, and
the hard work is behind us. After the Don visit there’s been some puttering and
a lot of ‘one-man’ type work between the odd weekends of mud and rain. With
Cara’s assistance I plugged any ‘goofs’ in the steel roof with screws, however
we’ll need some dry weather to put the ridge cap on.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ben stopped out for
a couple hours one weekend and we put the last piece of west side metal up,
leaving only the north to worry about.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">With the assistance
of the picker and a free Saturday, I put the final top rows of screws in the
east and west ends, put up (and squared) the gable fascia pieces, then set to
work on the west side getting the soffits sorted. I spent Sunday cutting and
installing all the soffits on the north side, trimming the fascia metal to
size, and working on the NW corner transition. By the end of the weekend, I had
all the overhead metal work done.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And here it is the
weekend of the 20<sup>th</sup>… With Ben’s assistance we framed out the front
overhead doors with plenty of blocking, and got the first sheet up. I worked
Sunday PM, continuing the sheetmetal across the front. If I were really playing
it by the book, I would have started at the center of the north face and worked
east and west to ensure the front was 100% symmetrical, but I’m sure it looks
fine the way it is. The only things lacking at this point are a ridge on the
roof, one corner to trim out (the supplied metal is scratched), and metal trim
around the door openings before the doors and tracks can go in. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
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radar58http://www.blogger.com/profile/12343124595166375494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680177830990289557.post-39927356721938027882014-12-08T05:13:00.000-08:002014-12-08T05:15:41.226-08:00Siding Weekend<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It was the Friday after Thanksgiving
and the forecast called for semi-warm weather, but when I got out of the truck
up at the road, it was anything but. The thermometer read 20F but the winds
were really whipping and the ground was still ice covered. Ben was having some
car trouble at home and I figured I better just call this off. This ended up
being a smart move because after the sun came out, I pressed forward with the
work I had planned, which turned out to be a one-man job anyhow. This included
framing out an opening for the west side service door and installing the frieze
channels and 2x4 nailing boards. Lots of fine tuning was required to get these
to line up straight and still be within an inch of accepting the rear siding
panels (which were pre-cut) while being level with where the soffits would
attach. With that, Saturday’s siding plan could commence.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _MailAutoSig;">You couldn’t have
asked for a better day temp-wise. We hit mid-40’s with a clear sky and warm
sun. This was ideal for working on the gable ends of the building, but not so
much the south side where the snow-covered roof was melting in the sun and
creating a muddy mess below the roof line. That said, with a 9AM start, we put
in the first rear sheet to prove out the concept and to set the alignment for
the rest of the 45 linear feet. Piece of cake. Then we tackled the gable ends
which required cutting each panel top at the correct angle of the roof. After a
rudimentary check, the 4:12 roof pitch jibed with basic geometry. A 4 in 12
rise over the width of a 3’ panel meant a 12” slope for each. Using a Malco
turbo-shear (which I cannot say enough good things about), we soon got the hang
of panel lengths and made quick work of the job. By sundown, we had the bulk of
both walls cut, installed, and screwed into place. I spent the evening on the
net trying to figure out the best way to trim out the service door, not being
satisfied with the ‘standard procedure’ which didn’t seem to address the issue
of things like…rain.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _MailAutoSig;">And so it was Sunday
the 30<sup>th</sup> that Ben and I had a few minutes before our buddy Don D.
would roll up, along with my father, not far behind. We put up the partial
pieces of frieze runner and leveled and fastened in the service door. The temps
were not as kind as the previous day and we’d spend frequent sessions warming
up in the car between jobs, but on the plus side, there was no longer a mud
issue and the snow was GONE. Cara joined us around the same time and after some
odd jobs, we launched into the rear panel install. The work was swift, with two
people staging the panels through the back wall, and three aligning/fastening
them down. I’d be surprised if it took more than an hour to finish the whole rear. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _MailAutoSig;">With manpower
available, we snapped chalk lines, put in screws, and even cut/installed the
final two partial roof sheets using the Malco to get from one end to the other
of those 18’ panels. Once again I found myself on the roof, wondering what
might break my fall at the bottom. By 1:30 we were done and headed into town to
hear the latest Don D. tales. </span></span></div>
radar58http://www.blogger.com/profile/12343124595166375494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680177830990289557.post-68126273379975623842014-12-01T07:11:00.000-08:002014-12-01T07:11:02.896-08:00The Garage: Weekend 4<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Up to this point, we had a total of 2 weekends invested, digging
holes, setting posts, nailing girts and getting the trusses/purlins up, plus
random off-weekend work whenever the weather cooperated, which wasn’t much. Add
in some help from Ben on the overhang jacks and some bracing, and a 3<sup>rd</sup>
Saturday for some solo-picker time getting the fascia boards on, and we were
ready for the next installment.
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Highs in the 40’s were forecast for the weekend of the 22<sup>nd</sup>.
Though a major threat of rain/snow was in the cards for Sunday. I took care of
a few details Friday after work and we were ready. Around 9AM Saturday everyone
convened and we started the steel roof install. The Bosch tools made easy work
of installing the (many, many) screws. The steel was dry enough that I could
perch myself on the roof and slide/up down to fasten what Ben couldn’t from the
ladder. By lunch we had the north slope done and were moving onto the south.
The sun came out as we started on the NE end and it took everything I had to
keep from sliding off. My efficiency dropped to 50% and my shoes did more
scratching of the steel than grabbing. Somehow we finished up right before
sundown with roof on the place. Short of a couple end strips, the most
difficult job was DONE. We retreated for dinner and drinks and to complain
about our aches and pains. Guess we’re not as nimble as we once were!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I took it easy on Sunday, only putting in a couple solo
hours to cut/install the rear truss braces while the rain came down. Next would
be the steel siding.</span></div>
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radar58http://www.blogger.com/profile/12343124595166375494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680177830990289557.post-28930583395506471982014-12-01T07:02:00.002-08:002014-12-01T07:02:52.104-08:00The Garage: Weekend 3ish<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The weather got cold and the snow got deep, burying any
lumber stacked on the ground and making outside work a real bear. The high
temps plunged into the teens and any after-work, work, simply couldn’t be done
on a daily basis. Add to that a 90 minute window before night fall each day and
any work was a scramble. That said, I got the braces cut and installed in the
corners, buried a PVC line out for power, and capped the skirt board ends in
prep for cement.</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The next major event would be putting on the steel roofing.
In order for that to happen, the overhangs would have to be installed. There
were a couple small things left to do before that and Ben came out to lend a
hand. Diagonal purlin braces and supports for the front trusses then meant the
external bracing could come down. For once the weather was cooperating.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The crew got a reprieve for weekend three and I worked solo
on putting up the 2x6 fascia boards and shimming them into line on both gable
ends and along the front and rear. Some purlins had to be trimmed in place to
smooth out the fascia, but it wasn’t too bad of work, aside from frequent
breaks in the car to keep my fingers and toes intact. When the flurries rolled
in mid-afternoon, I hitched up the picker and headed back to the lodge. It was
getting dangerously COLD. </span></div>
radar58http://www.blogger.com/profile/12343124595166375494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680177830990289557.post-3140151768072329672014-11-25T07:30:00.001-08:002014-12-01T07:11:50.793-08:00The Garage: Weekend 2<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _MailAutoSig;">The threat of cold
temps and snow loomed in the forecast for Monday, and we knew we had to make
some headway before the white stuff hit the ground. I had taken 2 hours off
work Friday afternoon and tried to get ahead on any small work that could be
done, which primarily consisted of installing the grade board after finding
slab height, then marking the posts for the new header height.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiBAg4jWYrQNSV8C7jspkGeUeHUL9kuFNe-4ywHI-WQXWyq_aLkMUCXqxiMJRMe_X2TD5ScDNNUjJ-mXDPplQoQcYoJSJFA3sKYGs5J-W0ExVkk3StUC6Qeq1HtXHAwz2CGfvlg0NLPQk/s1600/1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiBAg4jWYrQNSV8C7jspkGeUeHUL9kuFNe-4ywHI-WQXWyq_aLkMUCXqxiMJRMe_X2TD5ScDNNUjJ-mXDPplQoQcYoJSJFA3sKYGs5J-W0ExVkk3StUC6Qeq1HtXHAwz2CGfvlg0NLPQk/s1600/1.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _MailAutoSig;">8AM, I got up to the
site and measured for the small sections of grade board that would go between
the doors. I got those cut as Ben rolled up and we set about installing the
headers across the front. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _MailAutoSig;">The day’s primary
objective was to get the trusses up, and hopefully make some major headway on
the purlins. After marking and blocking the east end for the proper truss
height, Ben, Cara, myself and the parents lifted one end up onto the captured
block, then hoisted the other end up onto the truss. After some adjustments
with a BFH, we ran screws and spax through it, committing it into place. In a
matter of a few minutes, it was up and fastened. We did the same thing on the
west end, then pulled out the string lines to see how straight the end walls
were and adjusted as appropriate. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _MailAutoSig;">The next truss would
be a little harder. This time, there’d be no lateral posts to help keep it in
place while lifting. To give it a little stability, I screwed a 20’ long 2x4 to
it from the point on down and the girls used this to keep the truss upright
while Ben, my dad and I lifted from each end. Again, in just a few minutes it
was up, but Ben and I had just about spent ourselves for the day lifting and
fighting it and nobody wanted to go through that again. In the interest of
working smarter and not harder, we backed the picker into one of the ‘stalls’,
removed the header so we could raise and rotate the boom so it was in the
center of the building, and decided to use it to do the heavy lifting. The next
truss was a breeze, but truss number 5 fought us…and then the rope broke! The
very definition of “not good”, it dropped in a controlled way and luckily
nobody was in the fall-path. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _MailAutoSig;">While the trusses
were going up, we began to run lateral braces across the bottom chords to give
them some stability as the wind was really whipping. We finished with truss #6
using a heavy duty tow strap which would easily carry the weight. Then
maneuvered the picker out and restored the header section. It was early
afternoon and the parents’ took off while we finished up additional bracing.</span>
Ben and I then put up the second row of headers as a combine and tractor
pulling a wagon came blasting in and headed for the field. We worked while they
got the combine header on, then started to wrap things up. There was still some
evening light but we were exhausted. A little Seafoam action in the DeVille
capped off the evening. We were now ready for purlins.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH09A7QgziRN64VyZSuuQWaOELSu_iqW69UMosa5BM0cUsezoAJ5sJYZKhqLdWhb9crhGQAbs5fyrwP2052moxOym3cn7TF5UEv1WFiF12-NMAak9M9McGzn8rl-xBJSKLhBqU1bgq-W8/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH09A7QgziRN64VyZSuuQWaOELSu_iqW69UMosa5BM0cUsezoAJ5sJYZKhqLdWhb9crhGQAbs5fyrwP2052moxOym3cn7TF5UEv1WFiF12-NMAak9M9McGzn8rl-xBJSKLhBqU1bgq-W8/s1600/2.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Day 4:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was 8:30AM on Saturday when I crested the hill with the
40’ extension ladder which had already toppled off the truck once, and spotted
Ben turning off the main road. We dragged out the tools and radio, and while
the thermometer said high 40’s, the wind and overcast sky made it feel about 10
degrees cooler...that is, until you started working. Sunday would teach us a
very good lesson on hard labor. Before anyone else showed up, we attempted to
install the overhang jacks on the rear. Things went from bad to worse- the
jacks needed trimming to fit right, the east truss wasn’t where it was supposed
to be on the rear post, bits were stripping, and the parents arrived along with
Cara and they had nothing to do but watch us try to fix the situation. </div>
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<br /></div>
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With geometry corrected, we proceeded to install the
purlins. Purlins are 2x4s that run on their edge to support the weight of the
steel. They get nailed to the trusses with, get this, 6” long nails! With me
scaling the building, and Ben on the extension ladder, we toiled our way across
the rear and up to the peak running these 2x4’s, hammering in these spikes with
the biggest hammer we could find, and swinging both arms to get them to go in.
By lunch we were exhausted, but we had the rear roof section done. </div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK1Ay0wNL_mUhwSeTVxpt0S__QZ9poJX2ulThLmzfhhFSv1iaiODd_s2Nyk5zjk2VIY00VUQdTRS2vJJiejlSCDs6grVsJuvmxf8FrZU9rAmH00CL9WQmDYOCnjE-gSwcvlV_blzJcKCo/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK1Ay0wNL_mUhwSeTVxpt0S__QZ9poJX2ulThLmzfhhFSv1iaiODd_s2Nyk5zjk2VIY00VUQdTRS2vJJiejlSCDs6grVsJuvmxf8FrZU9rAmH00CL9WQmDYOCnjE-gSwcvlV_blzJcKCo/s1600/4.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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The McDonalds did not hit the spot, and I felt sick to my
stomach the rest of the day. By mid-afternoon, my feet were burning, every
muscle ached from balancing precariously from the roof structure, and Ben looked
like he might drop at any minute. Somehow we persevered, completing all but the
top row which would require careful cutting before installation. Installing
these isn’t a very good use of people’s time. It’s essentially two people, one
at each end of a board, nailing these things in, and a third to pass up tools
and materials. That said, I know I appreciated the help.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Before we called it a day, we cut/installed the jacks for
the front overhang and pulled down some braces. Victorious, but flattened, we
all drove to the Wild Hare in our construction garb to drown our aches and
pains in cold beer and boneless wings. A skilled crew would probably have
trusses and purlins set in a day if not sooner, but accomplishing it all in a
weekend isn’t bad for a ragtag crew like us. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha9Del36ZkrBEAnbVuvQZ3H3Loj4WW7vIkNrdYuxhDLyGLYxiRX5aELC1aGlKiIwESlDkVCvNM1GoOyCs5sZtJr5scol5HPYvhD4G6sO_xr_8NwdErH7Re6ysJy0VJmQQQOJEyjJ_z5qo/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha9Del36ZkrBEAnbVuvQZ3H3Loj4WW7vIkNrdYuxhDLyGLYxiRX5aELC1aGlKiIwESlDkVCvNM1GoOyCs5sZtJr5scol5HPYvhD4G6sO_xr_8NwdErH7Re6ysJy0VJmQQQOJEyjJ_z5qo/s1600/5.jpg" height="291" width="640" /></a></div>
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<![endif]-->radar58http://www.blogger.com/profile/12343124595166375494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680177830990289557.post-28149842805501314272014-11-18T12:32:00.002-08:002014-11-18T12:32:38.156-08:00Poncho Check-In<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now that we've got snow on the ground, it's time for a Catalina report. The good news is she's running well. The original carb is back on after fighting a stuck check-ball. Fighting isn't the right word. Turns out there are two check balls in these 2GC's and whoever rebuilt it last accidentally swapped them. The end result? Having to drill out the accelerator pump passage from below to force the ball out with a stiff wire. No other method would work. Baking in the oven, forcing with an air nozzle, trying a syringe of oil, nothing. Heavy Duty JB Weld epoxy was put into service to reseal things and so far, no leaks. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There was that encounter with a very squeaky ball joint- and zerks that refused to take any grease. A combination of physically removing the stubborn zerks, and forcing a liquid lubricating penetrant into the joints first, then letting the grease gun force this more viscous fluid into the old, unreachable grease, did the trick. Eventually they all took grease and the suspension quieted down.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Running with a smooth trans, quiet exhaust and new tires has made all the difference and she now has around 2 months of daily driving on her (mid-Sep to mid-Nov). Now the salt is out so she probably will get stored until the spring. Just a few small things to keep me busy, but overall, mission accomplished! </span><br />
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