A cold day in...BoCoMo. I unloaded the mighty Mazda, back from it's first road trip. I also set up a work space, close to the wood stove, for making more mobile sculptures using detritus collected while camping. I started one tonight incorporating a found chess piece (the horse-a knight?)and a Nesbitt's orange soda bottle cap.

St. Lou was in the rear view mirror about midnight...after attempting a little quality catch-up with a busy person...a moving target...someone who skips meals for...who knows why. I better stop. Back to Route K: this place was about 42 degrees so I had to wake up REX pronto before getting a little sleep myself. There's 2 1/2" of water in the bucket I left on the porch so I guess that's about how much rain we got while I was glamping(not) in the affluent part of the ghetto in The Lou. It's nice to be back around running water...hot water- and my oatmeal. Once in a while, to re-appreciate the simpler life, one needs to cut out the last few luxuries like heat, water in pipes, more than one dish, internet...and oatmeal.

Bike day. I patched a tube on front of the Trek 820 and recovered the seat-I had other seats I could use but really liked this one. I covered the seat with some rip stop material I had from some thrift store pants I had previously cut off. And while at the farm store, 2.7 miles from me house, I discovered jugs of blue pond dye. I had no idea folks dye their pond water. I read the label-it said "harmless to humans and animals" and that it contains "blue dye #9"...and if ingested, you're to call a physician immediately. Hmm...

The kitchen got another shelf. I had no shelf brackets around so made some equivalent braces from stiff wire. 

1" round hole

making holes square

Maker space on route K today. This morning it was13 (F)  and later only in low 20's- but not at all bad for 30 minute stints outside separated by visits in a house warmed to 80 by carbon sequestered over the past 30 years. I decided to add "lumber racks" to the truck so I can haul the kayak...and occasional frozen dead body. I used some salvaged wood (a hard, dense exotic that was originally part of an outdoor bench-another city yard waste dump find!) and 1" square aluminum tube scrounged from something many moons ago.

 ready for use

 

Have you ever wanted your Kindle Fire to hang from a hook or nail-I'm not sure I have either...but it can. How about getting it to sit up while it plays a PBS video about Alaskan bears...it can do that too. Here's some wire contraptions(prototypes) made from aluminum service entrance cable stripped and de-stranded as well as blue painters tape.

The route K project truck got some racks made from scrap wood-all scrounged this summer from the town yard waste dump site. A nice sunny day in the 40's, warm enough I hung laundry outside and didn't feel the need to feed the stove after the morning fire.

The cold temps are back(to be about 10f tonight) and here it is after 10pm and I'm still not sure what I going to do today. I did manage to drive a loop, stopping at 3 different hardware stores to find the screws needed for the CB450 head reassembly. I found a few at each store. I like it when the Home Depot checker asks "did you find everything you were looking for"-and I say "no"...and they do nothing with that information. Hmm. I also searched for the shim/spacer for the cam and found it was going to cost me almost $20 to get a $3.60 very thin washer-I decided the cam axial play was just right.

a rubber damper ring going on cam shaft

a cam shaft going in head

A nice cold day to hang out by the basement wood stove getting my hands back into the CB450 head. The rubber damper rings(4) were replaced on the cams(2) and the cam shafts and bearings/end caps were installed with new gaskets. Then the axial play of the shafts was checked. Both  shafts had clearance within spec  but one is toward the end of the specified range so I will get a .1mm shim washer to add to the existing shim so it will be more in the middle of the range.

checking axial play with a feeler gauge

On this fine, clear, sunny 50+ degree day I finally got to cutting up the split wood that was too long for my wood stove. The small pieces cut off make for a fine fire.

These double front pants are great for winter work and walkabouts...and accepting of layers. Maybe I should sleep in them-as nights have been cold lately- to the point of broken sleep. I finally got the down bag out to use as a comforter and it's been much nicer since. I think Petra's been cold too, as she's been waking me up early in the morning and then when I get up and start a fire she goes back to bed.

Petra loves her water fall sign found in a Colorado mountain stream in the San Juans.                   

I attempted my first loaf of real bread(w/yeast) and I'm happy with it. Yes, it over cooked the top but seems fine inside and tastes great. The toaster oven cooks to hot I think so I need to adjust temps and times from what's called for in recipes. I used a very simple recipe from the book I got at the library sale(Beard On Bread by James Beard-p74, Myrtle Allen's Brown Bread). No kneading and it's left to rise in the pan. It didn't help that I used a yeast that was outdated by 6 months but it did rise.

The truck project seems successful. I drove into town and she ran fine and drove straight even without a real alignment...and the tire is holding air.

If you have these in your pantry-the coconut chocolate chip ones, you better lock it and hide the key...from yourself. It can't be long before they are banned in N.Y. City.

In: My First Summer in the Sierra(about his summer herding sheep and exploring the Yosemite area in 1869), John Muir often writes of how important his bread is. He carries and uses a sourdoughs starter on this trip into the California mountains.

On p.73 he writes of how nice the clouds are then ..."But in the midst of these sky and mountain affairs a change of diet is pulling us down. We have been out of bread a few days, and begin to miss it more than seems reasonable, for we have plenty of meat and sugar and tea. Strange we should feel food-pour in so rich a wilderness. The Indians put us to shame, so do the squirrels,- starchy roots and seeds and bark in abundance, yet the failure of the meal sack disturbs our bodily balance, and threatens or best enjoyments."


 

Thirteen degrees this morning. The truck is now legal and once the ice is melted from the drive apron maybe I can test drive it more than 40'. I pulled a bit of old nail from a tire and plugged it with my favorite Slime plugs-a few years old and still pliable and sticky at 25 degrees. The fix passed the spit test.

The place saw a little snow last night-maybe an inch and a half on top of some sleet/frozen rain stuff that fell earlier. It helps things go slower which is good these days. I have several indoor winter projects I'd like to, but in some casual sort of "no rush" kind of way. So, I wouldn't mind cold and snow cover for a good month or 2 maybe...except my wood pile is not up to it. For one, I have the rubber rings I ordered for the CB450 cams and look forward to getting back to that project.

I just heard, quite close, the strangest coyote yelping frenzy I've ever turned my ears to. It's common to hear the normal evening group howling but this was different. I can only imagine it as the pack had just downed a deer and the excitement became very vocal as they all tried to get at the soft parts oh so warm.

     I hacked the antenna from a scavenged possessed Barbie boombox to my more serious black radio-using only blue tape and a screwdriver, and that mostly as a chopping device. Then finished up the truck work (timing belt, water pump, thermostat and accessory drive belt-oh, and the temperature sensor. It started right up- about the time the rain, and eventually sleet, started coming down. We're back to winter here.

     Spring is here-62 degrees F today. The new timing belt and tensioner were installed, as well as the water pump...while laundry dried on the line. I will likely finish putting things back together tomorrow, no rush.

     It was in mid 50's, wet and muddy here today due to rain...in January. So, I got the truck reinspected and came home and tore into it to do the timing belt replacement. The water pump, thermostat and a few hoses will be done also while it's all easily accessible. I spent about 2 hrs taking things apart and I'm almost at the belt. The power steering pump/mount(below the a-c compressor hanging from bungees) still has to be unbolted and moved a bit to remove the timing belt cover.

     A better corn popper set-up: a second pan as a lid so it holds all I pop.

old tie rod on new drag link(bent rod)

The B2300 is ready for re-inspection and registration. The lower right ball joint, drag link and brake light switch are done. I spent about 8 hours on it with running around and such-and saved $432.86 based on what the shop quoted me.

Fresh meatloaf just out of the oven - help me eat it...bring some ketchup.

To pass inspection I need to do a ball joint and a tie rod on the truck. I was able to get the old ball joint out but had to take the spindle/knuckle to a shop and have the new one pressed in ($15)...since the tool O'Rileys had was evidently for a barbie jeep. But the job is very satisfying as, for about $70 in parts, I'm avoiding a $550 bill the shop wanted.

I have a mess of oranges dumpstered from an Aldi's (grown in USA + freegans unite!) so I am seeing if my slow dryer will handle them.

The new to me Mazda got it's battery charged since the flashers being on for 3 hours drained it and the rear view mirror mount got glued back on windshield. I'll get it inspected tomorrow but then take it apart to replace the timing belt as it looks original. The ice covered driveway is clearing w/the warmer temps. Yesterday coming into town I saw several large V formations of geese heading north...is winter over?

Route K Project has a truck. I fetched a '94 Mazda B2300(Ford Ranger) from 130 miles away and drove both vehicles home myself thanks to my Attachment of Redundancy. I used a universal tow bar bolted to the bar from my Hi-lift jack... and 8 separate chains used to secure it to both vehicles. Once I had it attached to my liking-I attached more...something like wash/rinse/repeat.

     Last night the low was forecast to be 11 degrees-it was 8(degrees F) when I got up. Not many projects going on here on Route K. It's best to stay inside, warm- and eat popcorn and read. Maybe add some salt and melted butter. The C. J. Box books of the Joe Pickett series are excellent mystery/suspense novels to pass time with. They are all set in or near Wyoming and the main character is mostly working as a ranger...but there's always some crime to solve. Free fire takes place in Yellowstone Park. They are also available for your e-reader.

      The snack: I use a 2 quart stainless pan with the thick/heavy bottom. Put in 1/2 cup of organic pop corn and 2 tablespoons of coconut oil...1/4 cup of pop corn per tablespoon of oil. At some point I have to quickly pour off some popped corn and let the rest pop when I do a 1/2 cup as it all won't fit in the pan-but the diameter of the pan is right for proper oil coverage and burner size.

Tis the season...to clean your firearms -and use a little oil on that steel. Maybe, for the new year, try a little harder to find lead-free ammo.