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Jan. 31, 2004

While working Jeroen's  Semi-blog, we somehow got to another Death TEST. One of those quizs that purport to predict how long one might have left to live? Oddly enough, getting an answer that was pretty close to the Death Clock,  from the Dec 12, Blog entry.

We also ran across this
Pickled Dragon Story. You'll have to decide if you believe in Dragons, or not.

Jan. 30, 2004

A major nod of the Blog Bonnet to JARVIS.  He sends along several interesting sites.
Exploding Whale

He also found another intelligence test.

The Penguin Game

Here is a great BLOG Search Engine. Is yours here?

Finally, some blue sky! VERY windy, temps only in the forties. Ann and I going walking in the wind. We'll take the camera.

Todays walking pictures have been added to the January Pictures Page.  We were at the water, saw a new Tug boat and the Ferry, Kitsap.

Jan. 29, 2004

A few weeks ago I walked right by this car, and didn't know it was there?

Walking. Yes, that is the operative word, here. Am I on an exercise kick? No, I am not. It's a Saab thing. That cute red light on the dash came on. I thought it must be some sort of a celebration thing, for finally going over two hundred thousand miles? No, it was the YOU WIN! light. You win a chance to spend some hard earned cash! Well, cars don't run for over 200,000 miles without making some investment in parts and maintenance. It just gets harder to make the investment in cold cash, when the miles mount up and car is a rusty beater! At least, it's not rusting quite as fast, here in WA.

The red light that greeted me yesterday was the alternator fail light. Alternator no go light. Alternator not doing its job light. It flickered for awhile (while the fan belt was being mangled) and then just settled for a healthy (or not, perhaps) bright red glow. I didn't hesitate. I drove immediately to the local garage. Over the last few years that I have been racking up the miles on the Saab, replacing this that and the other thing, I never replaced the alternator. I bought the Saab for five hundred bucks from my Michigan mechanic, Mr. Dinh. I highly recommend him, if you happen to live near Ferndale. Ferndale, Michigan.

Mr. Dinh had helped me keep several beater cars on the road. When a guy dropped off the Saab for a fuel pump and never came back, Mr. Dinh offered me the car. He knew that I am always looking for a good used car with a stick shift. In fact, I had asked him to call me if he ran across a nicely used convertible anything that was a stick. When he told me about the Saab, he pointed out that it was a five speed. Yeah, said I, but it's not a convertible? He noted that it did have a swell sunroof, and that was that. He allowed that I should get a hundred thousand more miles out of the motor and trans, without any significant repairs. So far, he was right. I've put almost 60,000 miles on it. I figure that I now have (or will, after today) about three grand in the Saab, including the purchase price.

That equates to about a grand a year, to keep it running and reliable. It has been that. What's a grand? Three months car payments? I know, folks making car payments are not driving beater Saabs. Can't be helped, I'm on a fixed income, after all. Ok, lazy. Prudent about how I spend my time. That sounds better?

Here is the bad part. I had been given 'signs'. Saab was trying to tell me that the fan belt(s) were loosening. I.E. hard starting (due to poorly charged battery). Belt squeal. I ignored the call. I pay the price. It was the power steering belt that failed, and wrapped itself around the alternator pulley, causing that unit to burn up, and ruining the other belts. There are three, on a Saab. Did you know that the motor in a front wheel drive Saab is sitting under the hood facing the rear of the vehicle? Yep. That way the transmission is over the front axle, a fine place for it to be, by the by. But the power steering pump, and alternator, and other motor driven accessories are between the motor and the firewall. Looks a tad weird, but works just fine. The alternator is a Bosch, good German brand. Must be, it's the original, and lasted over 200,000 miles. Almost nothing of a Saab is Scandinavian. It's innards are garnered from here and there, some Brit, some German, even some US parts.

I am hoping to be picking the Saab up in an hour or so, in time to pick the girls up from school. It's raining a bit, here in WA in the winter. Third day in a row, as a matter of fact. The up side is that it feels like spring in MI, the temps are in the fifties.

Late addition to the 29th. At seven PM it's still quite balmy, tho damp. Over fifty. I walked a lot today, covering most of downtown Anacortes from about the docks at the south end of the main drag (Commercial) out to the Saab repair joint at about 38th. We live on 17th, to give an idea. I also sat on my duppa a lot, as the guys didn't get the car finished until nearly six PM, and I'd arrived about four to pick it up. Cranky bolts, rusted in for 16 years probably best explains it. Mr Dinh might have been able to save me a few bucks, as he could usually track down junk yard parts. Today I flipped for a brand new alternator, from the good folks at Bosch. Pricey devil, that.

If you can't replace, you repair. It was a gamble to bring the Saab out here, in the first place, as old as it is. But that was a year ago, and seems to have paid off. Most of the money I put in the Saab was during that first year, when I was trying to get it reliable enough to drive to work in Port Huron (from Detroit) at 3 AM and thirty below. And start up after sitting two days to bring me back home. I put close to two grand in that five hundred dollar car. But boy, did it run. A lot of that money went into front end suspension pieces, weakened after a minor mishap (sometime before I came into possession) and impossible to foresee ahead of time. I was prepared to ignore the slight shimmy until the front wheel collapsed one fine afternoon just after I got off the freeway. A solid front end is a wonderful thing.

Tires, brakes and exhaust work, and a radiator, comprise the balance. Tune ups. A clutch slave cylinder. With the trans way out there by the radiator, you need a slave unit to operate the hydraulic clutch! Small potatoes. The Saab is a masterful piece of design engineering. There is a spotless red convertible running around town. It is the same year and model as mine. I wish it was. Don't you love the new ones? And the commercial is so trendy; 'Most folks that test drive a Saab, buy one.' Right. The rest buy what, two or three? At any rate, we're back on the road!

Jan. 28, 2004

Maybe there are no more interesting links out there? Nah. . .

Too many things going at once, as usual. Everyone is back into their various routines, after the holidays. I, personally, have at least six half finished projects in various states of incompleteness. And too many good books. And not enough time. I'm not even counting the listed but as yet unstarted projects, like the shed addition, etc.

Finished letters to parents, friends, and still working on correspondence to a few children. I can find nothing to complain about. Life is good. Maybe that makes for a boring BLOG?

Jan. 27, 2004

We're still here. Month is winding down. Busy times. Found any good links? Send 'em along!

Jan. 23, 2004

Thanks to Dick, for helping me track down the Crowley Tug boat pictured below. Dick pointed out that it is the Voith/Schneider Propulsion System that makes this Tug different and more efficient.

Thanks to KIP, for alerting us to this Newest ATM SCAM. 

Jan. 22, 2004

Now this is a boat blog? Beats me. . .

The factory 'barge' was gone yesterday, and this Bright red boat in it's place. I'd like to find out more about this boat. Any ideas? A quick 'Google' search didn't find it.

Jeroen mentions that everyone has linked to this MUSICPLASMA page. Well, I hadn't, until now. I typed in Tom Petty and was pretty impressed.

Jan. 21, 2004

Posted some scooter/boat pictures to This oddball PAGE. 
Further, since the sun is out, C YA!

Jan. 20, 2004

How do I keep getting a day off? It's Tuesday. I dated all the stuff from yesterday the 18th. Yes, that's how we almost missed the plane. . .

Getting warm fast, so a couple quick things:
First, JKZ has finally posted some of his really excellent photography. For you point and click folks, this is the other end of the spectrum. Jim makes his own cameras, papers, chemicals, etc. He also has the particularly skewered mind of an former Amtrak employee. . . which makes for some truly GREAT PHOTOGRAPHY. 

Jarvis has sent along a link to some VERY STRANGE STUFF.  I enjoyed these a lot! Thanks.

Jan. 18, 2004

The weather in WA holds, nice again today. Now that the holidays are over, I know it's time to resume the chores. However, I was in the saddle again today, goofing off. This is the greatest! There is other news: SAAB turns over two hundred thousand miles!

I'm thinking about a Saab page, but it's too much work.

Dick gets a new ride! See it on the January Pictures page.

Ken sends along news from the frozen north. Ok, Mid north of Michigan. They have been getting plenty of the white stuff. See a deer looking in his front window, and other treats, HERE. 

Thanks to Jarvis for More fun Games! 

Jan. 17, 2004

Took the notion to move the scooter back onto the street, it was so pleasant today. Some of that Two Wheeled Activity was recorded. Along with some other miscellany that probably should have gone on the Jan. Pix page. Go figure?

Jan. 16, 2004

Added some pix to the January Pictures, ETC. page. Enjoying my wife's company, post vacation. She is still off, until the twentieth. I'm not going to try and figure out how many days that might be. Figuring days is not my strong suit, it would seem. . .

Jan. 15, 2004

All's well that ends well.
This would include several and various issues: the matter of the frozen pipes, air travel in general, and our exact tickets, in particular. Imagine our surprise as we queued up at the ticket counter in Orlando to discover that our plane had left the day before?

Indeed. I had calculated the length of our eighteen day stay, and so had United Airlines. I figured, somewhat erroneously, thirty days in December. This had us leaving Orlando on the fourteenth. The airline calculated our departure, correctly as it were, for the thirteenth. They had even been kind enough to offer their calculations for our perusal in an itinerary. Somehow I had perused right over that one small fact.

However, there was no escaping it when the nice lady at the United Airlines counter allowed that we had been 'no shows' for our flight the day before, on the thirteenth. She was very, very nice about it. And I felt very, very much the idiot.

We had marched right up to the counter with printed reservation in hand and bags in tow. The nice lady started banging keys. And kept at it. Finally, she spoke, "I can't seem to find you in the system, Mr. Smock." At this point, she already knew what had happened, and was trying to break it to me gently.

"Uh Oh." was the best that I could manage. "I know we were in the system for the flight out?" Hopeful smile.

"Here. Look at your reservation," as she handed it back over the counter. I had the first glimmerings of idiocy, at this exact moment. I scanned to the return flight data. Flight number, OK. Number of pax, OK. Flight number, OK. My eyes did not want to track to the date; January thirteenth! Not OK.

"We have you in the computer as a no show for yesterday."

"Omigod. You mean, we should have, it was yesterday? oh. . . no. . ."

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Smock, but these are Priceline dot com tickets, which, as you are surely aware, are no transfer, no refund, no cancellation, no change, tickets."

"Of course. I must have somehow mis read the date? I can't believe I did that!? It's totally my fault. Is there anything that you can suggest?"

"Just a moment, sir, I'll see what I can do. I can't promise anything."

It was at this point, that we got lucky. The nice lady was a supervisor. She was in a good mood. She had the authority to make things happen. There were a few seats on the same flight, for today. She started banging the keys, one more time.

Several moments passed. Then several more. Her fingers were flying. She got on the phone. More typing. Nervous smiles between Ann and myself, lifted chins for Evelyn. I was imagining three last minute tickets at the going rate - close to 1500. Not a cheery thought at the end of an extended holiday.

The faintest smile appeared at the corner of her mouth. I hoped that this meant something good for we day late travelers. "I think I can change your tickets for today's flight, for a small fee. One hundred dollars?"

"You are an angel and we will name our next child after you. Thank you, so much."

I looked at my wife, and we agreed, next time we'll both look at the reservation. Evelyn, who had been quietly taking in this whole episode, added, "Next time, we'll ALL look at the reservation!" Can't hurt, I figure.

We had a pretty good lunch in Denver. Turbulence over the mountains left the plane intact. A timely shuttle at Sea Tac delivered us to our vehicle. Rush hour Seattle traffic was endured with no complaint. And when we turned the water back on at the main, in Anacortes, we had positive flow, and no leaks. Re light the water heater and it's hot showers for all. The powers that be, smiled on us, this day. It was a great vacation.

Jan. 13, 2004

Adding in the evening from Orlando. We thought that staying near (five minutes) from the airport might be pricey. Not. This is one of the nicest rooms, (at a La Quinta) and the most reasonably priced. Slow internet, is the only downside. For sure the warmest pool.

The plan now is too get up pretty early (for us) and enjoy the continental breakfast. Head to the airport by 8:30 AM or there abouts. Drop off the Buick and get thru security in time for our 11:30 flight to Denver. Enjoy lunch in the mile high city and be back in Sea Tac about 6 PM. Locate 'Bob' the red truck and head north. We could be home by 10 PM tomorrow.

Here is a last picture from FL, taken at dinner.

And one from the hotel pool. . .

Picture or two also added to the January Pictures page.

Earlier today, from Anna Maria.
The room is tidy, the car is packed. One last walk on the beach and we're off to Orlando, where we'll spend our last night in Florida. The weather today, of course, is beautiful. It's about a two or three hour ride to Orlando, depending on our hurry, which has been on LOW this last week.

Jan. 12, 2004

Evelyn gets ready to ride her new friend, Horsey.

Once again the sun god favors us. This being our last day on the beach, we are glad to have it be a pleasant one. Pictures added to January 04 Pictures and stuff.  At 9:30 AM we have already walked on the beach and had breakfast. Ann got photo's of the dolphins that swim right off shore. This has been a great place.

Jan. 11, 2004

Day dawns bright and sunny! Temperatures on the rise! Off to the beach.

Jan. 10, 2004

The day dawns grey and cool. Big rains during the night. We are holed up playing poker, hoping for afternoon clearing and a return of the HEAT! Only our afternoon walk proved to be exciting, as Evelyn met the 'TAME' giant lizard that lives behind the building.

Jan. 09, 2004

Starting the day right, with fresh grapefruit picked off the tree by Evelyn.

The day clouded up in the afternoon. The girls shopped. I took a beach walk hoping for a sunset picture.

Jan. 08, 2004

Added todays beach stuff to The January Picture Page with this exception; As previously noted, things grow BIG in Florida. Evelyn found this really GIANT sand dollar on the beach today!

The heat is back! After a cooler (60's, boy are we spoiled) day yesterday, things are warming up nicely today. Off to the beach. Brown, not burn, is the motto. . .

Jan. 07, 2004

Temps never went much over 60 today, so we motored south along the keys - Lido Key, Long Boat Key and Siesta Key. Shopped in Sarasota. Cooked dinner at 'home'. Saw some beautiful beaches, but none prettier than the one at the end of our street.

Very large Crustaceans in Florida, we notice. . .

Somehow we got a day ahead? I believe tomorrow, might be weds, the 7th? I've lost track. . .
This just gets better and better~ freezing pipes at home in WA, while we sunburn  on the Gulf. Our friends in Jacksonville report chilly temps there, too, but we continue in the 70's this evening. It did cloud up a bit this afternoon, which was good. It got us off the beach before we burned any worse than we did! Evelyn tanned, the lucky rascal.

Vacation pictures are moving to: January Pictures

Jan. 06, 2004

We are settled in on the Gulf. An efficiency cottage walking distance from the beach. And what a beach! We shopped for groceries, swam in the pool and checked out the beach. They still have the xmas decorations up! Here is the good news: we found a Starbucks!

We'll try to update and identify the photos tomorrow.

Jan. 04, 2004

Blogging from Florida - Happy New Year!

No computer hook up from Cocoa Beach, but a fun place to find ourselves on Saturday. Lining up for the space Center at 'the Cape', tomorrow.

The last few days were spent with family and friends in Jacksonville. We got a day in St. Augustine, as well. Time constraints dictate that a bunch of pictures be dumped in at this point. We enjoyed the company of friends Jim and Pam, and their daughter, Nicola, and her husband, Josh. We met grandson Hogan for the first time, spending a few enjoyable days with his mom and dad, Brett and Amy. Uncle Jacob, too!

Now we jump to cocoa beach, having left Jacksonville and on our way south to the Space Center

A baby Jellyfish like the one that STUNG EVELYN while we were swimming in the Atlantic Ocean.

A visit to the Space Center, where they are pretty wound up after 'landing' on Mars last night.