Drive shaft, Jordon BB and Pellets

 11-8-2024

I asked James to give me a hand hooking up the motorhome driveshaft today.  I am sure glad he was helping me because it was heavy and awkward to get it lined up.

11-16-2024

 Jordon had a game at the Y again this Saturday, it is so much fun to watch.  Jordon dribbles pretty well, but some of the kids dribble once, then hold the ball while they run.  The refs don't call it unless it is a really long ways.

Jordon is checking out the treats he got today.

11-20-2024

James has been here several times bringing me pellets for the shop stove.  Today I finally remembered to take a picture.  Those 40 pound bags feel pretty heavy to me but James has no trouble with them.

Happy Tuesday

 11-5-2024

It sure brightens my day when Laury sends me these Happy Tuesday pictures of Hattie.

I have been working on neatening up the wiring in front of the radiator.  I also made a change to the leveling hydraulic pump mount so it will not rub on the grill.  It was close to making holes in the lower part of the grill.  While I had the grill pieces out I reinforced them by using resin and fiberglass tape on the backside.  I also added metal plates to reinforce the mounting holes.  I also ordered new latches for the hood as the key was wearing out.  I couldn't locate the same size so I will have to make some modifications when I install them.

Debbie's birthday and Jordon's Basketball

 

Jordon had a basketball game at the Y today.  This is during the first quarter and the girl with the ball is the one he was assigned to guard.  I can see a big improvement over last year.

Here is a short video I took during the game of Jordon stealing the ball and making a basket.

After the game we went to the Country Deli for lunch and to celebrate Debbie's birthday.  It was sure fun getting together with everyone.

Halloween

This is how James and the teacher he is working with looked today.  It is the first time the teacher has dressed up and James said the kids loved it.
 

Jordon, Jacob and Debbie's friend Kyla's kids were our first Trick or Treaters tonight.

The Dolans and Hodges were the next and the last for this year.  I think we had 10 Trick or Treaters this year which I think is a new record for us.

Feeling good again

 12-16-2024 It took me awhile to get over the surgery and feel like doing my blog again.  I have taken some pictures of things we have done so I will try and get up to date.

10-22-2024

Josh stopped by today and dropped off Jordon's Switch so I could try and fix the charge connector.  It was a nice day so we visited for a few minutes on the porch.

10-22-2024

James has been stopping after school and telling us about his day. Today he told us about the teachers plan for Halloween tomorrow.

Mohs Surgery

10-9-2024 

I spent a good part of this week hooking up hoses and vacuum lines.  When I quit I was finished with this area except of wanting to reroute the throttle cable.

10-17-2024

I had Mohs surgery scheduled for 8:15 this morning so we were up at 5:30 AM to head for Portland.  By the time they were all done we had been there for six hours.  The good news was they got all of the Basal cell cancer on the first try.

The bad news is that I have to wear this for 72 hours before we can change it.  The nurse that deadened it was the best I have ever had,  Normally there is lots of a burning sensation but I never had any of that this time.  I never even felt the first poke.  I did feel the one the doctor did part way through the surgery.  I was talking with the nurse about the traffic to get there and she mentioned having to deal with it also, plus she got stopped this morning but only got a warning ticket.

There is a Harbor Freight about two blocks from Kaiser.  I had Vera run in get a couple of things I needed.  If you look close you can see her waiting in line.

This is the first Harbor Freight I have ever been at that had an armed guard and bars on the windows.  The area does not look that bad.

We stopped and picked up dinner at Pacific Northwest Best Fish.  The trip home was much better than the trip down which was rain most of the way. 

I tried pulling this band off and couldn't so I ended up cutting it with scissors.  It looks like I will be sleeping in my recliner tonight since the doctor said to have my nose higher than my heart for a few days.

Another busy week!

 9-30-2024

Today James and Henry took our old water heater to the dump.  I took this picture when he came by to give us the check for it.  I figured they would have to pay but it was taken as scrap metal.  I told him to keep the check and gave him a bonus for doing it.

When James got here this fawn and its mother were in the driveway.  Later as I was going to the shop the fawn was out there again.  I talked to it and it came a little closer before running into the brush.

10-4-2024

James came up after subbing at Castle Rock this morning and we had a really nice visit.

10-7-2024

Vera was out taking pictures of the leaves that are turning color today.  There would be a lot more leaves on the blueberries and the burning bush in the back ground if the deer didn't come by every couple of days and nibble on them.

The walnut tree sure showed up with the sun shining through its leaves.

10-8-2024

This is my project this week, the entry to the motor home.  The old carpet was faded and dirty so I ripped it all out.  I used left over tiles from when we did the kitchen and we are really happy with the way it turned out.  Today I added the hinges for the second step which lifts up to reveal a built in ice chest.

James Birthday Party

 

Debbie and the boys were the first to arrive.

Mik and Michelle were next with the delicious Costco cakes.

We had lots of great pizza tonight.

As usual the kitchen seemed like the most popular place.

The candle that was supposed to unfold and turn was quite the adventure.  Then the door was stuck so they couldn't take it outside.  I was thinking the smoke alarms might go off but they didn't!

James ended up taking it out the back door and this is what it looked like after it quit burning.

Michelle and Debbie are serving the cake and ice cream.

This is James as he opened the card from Steve and Dianne, it had lottery tickets in it.  There is a funny story that goes along with the lottery tickets that you need to hear from James or Steve and Dianne.

Kalyn and Will brought Brentley Mae who got lots of attention.

Michelle tried to get around and talk to everyone.

Mik always has a lot of fun with the boys.

Michelle tried to get a picture of James with everyone who came and I think she got every one except Laury.

As they were leaving I got this picture of Josie pushing Hattie home.

It was one of the most enjoyable evenings we have spent in a long time.

Physical Therapy, Hattie and Phone pictures.

9-23-2024 

I started my day behind that upper left window working out on a machine to get limbered up for my physical therapy.  10 minutes on it sure seems like a long time when you are doing it.  Since it was a 7AM appointment we went to breakfast afterwards.

9-24-2024

Laury sent me a "Happy Tuesday" picture today, Hattie really likes being outside.

I was out working on the motor home today and decided to take a picture up behind the front end.  I forgot the phone takes pictures out the back and got several nice pictures of the ground and battery before I figured out what was happening.  After aiming the phone the right way I never did get a picture that showed what I wanted.

James and CVRCF BBQ

9-18-2024 

James stopped by after student teaching today.  The teacher he is working with usually finds some reason to leave James alone with his rowdier classes to see how he handles it.  He sure looked spiffy!

9-20-2024

James came by for a short visit before heading to Skamokawa to meet up with friends.

9-21-2024

Today we went down to Clatskanie for a Cowlitz Valley Radio Control Flyers barbeque and flying.  There was a pretty good turn out with every bench in use.

Our friend and club president Jerry did a great job of cooking.  I think he served about a dozen people.

I was sure impressed with the way this Grand Tundra flew.  We had a great time and really enjoyed the beautiful day.

James, a Peach Pie and Motor Home

 9-1-2024

James stopped by today and visited for a little while this afternoon.

9-2-2024

Laury brought us a peach pie she had made and it was delicious.  They had gotten the peaches from the Peachman at the bottom of the hill.   We spent the entire Labor Day weekend at home.

9-4-2024

I hadn't heard from the repair shop for a while so on Wednesday I asked James to drive me down to Cottage Grove with the van so I could pickup some things I needed.  It turned out the owner had found out they were expecting another child so he needed a job with insurance coverage.  He was planning on closing at the end of the month and had been trying to figure out how to get the motor home to me.

 He made some calls and found one that could tow it tomorrow at a price I liked.  He didn't charge me for any of the labor on the engine change, I just paid for the engine.

9-5-2024

Alpha Towing showed up with the motor home this afternoon.  He would have been a little sooner but had stopped at a car fire to make sure the family was okay.  The car was a total loss but he was able to keep the fire from spreading into the fields next to the highway.

Vera was out on the deck taking pictures of the process.

I took this picture after it was parked.  The driver was really nice and I ended up showing him my airplane collection.

9-9-2024

I had James come up today and put the batteries back in the motor home.  We also went down and got a new battery for the engine, the old one was 5 years old.  I also had him help me get the mower back from the trail where the drive belt had jumped off.  I sent him over to borrow Steve's mower but they were not home.  Then he went over to borrow David's and David said sure but you need to provide the gas as it was sitting in their yard where it ran out.  James walked back and got one of my gas cans.  Then it wouldn't start because the battery was dead so David jumped it.  He followed James over incase it died and that was a good thing because it took the mower pulling and David pushing to get it out of the trail.

9-13-2024

Today we put a new entry door window and assist handle on the motor home.  Both turned into bigger jobs that we planned on.  The assist handle needed to be shortened and the hole pattern was a little different.  The window needed the opening adjusted a little plus it was awkward to get to.

One nice thing about the new assist handle is it lights up when the porch lights are on.