Spring Trip all set

The car is now clean.  Even after a few days and the cleaner smell has worn off, it still smells nice, even nicer than my truck.  More than good enough to sleep in.  There are a couple things that he missed/didn't clean, like there is still a coffee stain on the rear passenger door, but he also did a bunch of things I didn't expect him to, like he pulled apart the gear selector and got the gunk out of it, so it slides a lot smoother, and apparently there was mold under the passenger seat contributing to the smell, and that is cleaned up as well.  The floor mats also came out a lot cleaner than I expected.  Overall, I think it was well worth the $285 to have a professional do it.

 

Other than that I have been working on the CR-V build-out stuff off and on, though I haven't been working diligently at it.  It is now no longer a concept and the first two layers are all glued and stapled in (the last post everything was cut but not assembled).  I also went out last night and picked an array of storage bins that were roughly the right size for the larger storage area.  I have measured out the last piece but haven't cut it yet since it has been raining the last couple of days. 

I haven't found a deep C channel yet, so I might just make one.  This is so I can attach a shelf going the other way (so I have counter space essentially).  Just take a board, plop it on top of one of the other boards, and this would act similar to a clamp.  I am not too worried about it tipping over, I think there is more than enough weight (several gallons of water plus a 45lb Jackery to hold the build out down).  Either that or get one of those super compact quick folding camping tables.  Just something so I have a place to put the stove when I pull it out and maybe a cutting board.  If I get a folding table, I can also use it as a laptop stand when lying down on the bed, but it is another thing I will have to make sure I have space for.

 

I did pick up a couple of things on Wednesday when I went out shopping to get stuff that wasn't available on Monday.  I got a cheapo battery operated fan from Walmart.  

I ran it for an hour or so and it went down less than 5% on the battery (it had 83% on it coming out of the box), so it should be okay.  I mostly wanted to make sure if I needed to run it overnight it would last.  It is a little noisier than I like but I will get over it.  It isn't a piercing high pitched whine or anything, it is just as much white noise as a bigger fan.

This morning I actually remembered I had the two long strips I cut of the other shelves in the unit, and set them on it.  It looks okay.  It will need some more support for the top shelf, the microwave is a lot of weight and made it sag a little, but that isn't a big deal. 

 

I am not sure I like using two separate boards for it, but oh well.

 

The plan is to use this drawer (the only actual drawer in this cheap as possible build out) as a shelf for if I want to run a movie or something at night while I go to sleep.  I can pull this out and just set the laptop on it.  This drawer was something I had lying around, from one of my failed attempts to make the pantry in the house better.

 

Since I am using the scraps for the top, I also now have a complete sheet of plywood to make the bed platform out of.  There is also plenty of underlay there if I want to glue it on the top shelf so it is a smooth surface.I might add a piece on the back just to add some more rigidity to the build, though it hasn't felt like it needed it.  It hasn't seen potholes yet though, so I might beef it up anyways.

 

This weekend looks miserable from a weather standpoint again, but I should hopefully be able to finish the CR-V buildout, even if I don't get around to testing it.  I need to remove the back seats to test it, which while simple (I have read), I don't want to do in the rain which would not be good for the leather.  I will probably spend a fair bit of it cleaning up before Jess arrives next week.

 

Thinking of traveling, I have completed the itinerary for my spring trip and made the reservations, so it is set in stone at this point.  I am not doing anything too crazy, basically just going to KY and hitting some spots I have missed over the years on the way back.  Despite going to Toronto a couple of times I have never visited Niagara Falls for example.  Not much in the way of National Parks on this one (just one National Monument):

4/24 - Thursday - Drive to KY.  Work half day

4/25 - Friday - Finish drive to KY.  Work half day

4/26 - 4/27 - Saturday and Sunday - in KY.

4/28 - Monday - Drive to Niagara Falls.  Stay at Niagara Falls

4/29 - Tuesday - Niagara Falls (NY).  Visit Yancey’s Cheese Store.  Stay at Falls

4/30 - Wednesday - Niagara Falls (CA). Stay in Webster

5/1   - Thursday - Visit Letchworth State park, Chimney Bluffs state park and The bluffs on Mcintyre road.  Stay in Syracuse

5/2   - Friday - Visit Green Lakes and Wegmans.  Visit Chittenango Falls.  Visit Carrier coworkers.  Stay in Syracuse

5/3  - Saturday - Visit Taughannock Falls State Park. Visit Fort Stanwix NM on route east.  Stay with Aunt and Uncle

5/4   - Sunday - Go to Dog Shack, Hicks, Argyle.  Stay at Mike Kelley.  

5/5   - Monday - Work remotely half day, visit Mike Kelley, drive home afterwards.

 

I haven't thought too much about the fall trip, but I am not sure if I will need to use any vacation time this year for project work.  I intend to avoid it if at all possible, but I really want to get all that done before winter.

 

Available Projects and annual tasks:

• Dunks and bug repellent.
• Clean up yard
• Take scrap metal away
• Finish cleanup on the pile in the back 
• Do something with the trailer.
• Fix excavator
  
• Finish drainage
• Build deck
• Push back trees
• Install concrete pilings
• Install landscape fabric and gravel underneath
• Build frame
• Lay decking
  
• Set up hot tub and pool
• Build insulated platform for hot tub
• Put down pool sand to level spot for pool
• Get water delivered for both
  
• Fix mowers and equipment
• Get tractor serviced
• Build travel station for CR-V/prep CR-V for travel
  
• Move carport
• Build the roof extension over to the rocks
• Fix front stairs 
• Test travel options (rent u-haul and test that, rent trailer and test that)
• Install storm doors
• Build overhangs for windows
• Insulate the water lines
  
• Front yard drainage
• Fix snowblowers (broken grease fitting on big snowblower, gas leak on small one)
  
• Gravel/hardpack driveway
• Fix grade to the shed
• Level a spot for a lean-to up the hill
• Build a small lean-to for off-season equipment
• Make shed mouse-tight 
• Create walking trails (put up markers, maybe put down some gravel).
• Clear and level a spot for orchard
• Build a bridge over the creek
• Build a gazebo or something on the other side

 

 

 

Did you think it was spring? Have some ice.

There was a nice sunrise on Dad's birthday earlier in the week

 

I spent part of the week designing a support for the barrels.  I was going to plant some seedlings, but I have since come to the realization that I am going on vacation at the end of April, so they would all be dead by the time I came back.  I think for my garden this year I will just buy plants, and hope that all the seeds I bought will be fine until next year.

The weekend itself was awful weather.  Ice and more ice.  So I stayed inside most of it.   Instead I worked on getting the "conversion" for the CR-V rolling.  I mocked it up first.  

Dodging freezing rain and sleet, I got most of the boards cut.  I test fitted the big one, and it fit just fine.

 

This is how far I got on Sunday before the power went out.  As an aside, it turns out the UPS on my entertainment center didn't even make 20 minutes, I was hoping for a half hour.  The UPS on my internet and NAS lasted about an hour before it got critically low.  I thought about firing up the compressor using the Jackery, but decided I wanted to keep what was in the Jackery (it was around 70% charge) in case I wanted to run some kind of heat overnight.

There was a casualty as well.  I had already bought replacements though when the old ones didn't stick to my face anymore.

 

I also went and cleaned out the CR-V on Sunday during a break in the icing.  There wasn't much in it, but it goes in today (it is currently there) to get the interior detailed.

 

While I took this picture on Friday before the misery started, this and a couple of really small plops behind the house are all that is left, and were still there this morning.  It will likely be gone before I get home tonight though; it is supposed to rain (not ice) and be well into the 50s today.

 

The main attraction of the weekend though was ice.  Here are some pictures.

 

I also had a ton of trees come down.  

 

This one I got to watch it tip over and slide down.  I just didn't grab my phone quick enough; it was plugged in, not in my pocket.  Thankfully it didn't slide into the driveway.

 

All things considered, it could have been worse, I only lost power for a few hours, not long enough to do anything, and it was hovering right around freezing anyways, I don't think anything would have frozen if it had stayed out longer.  For how much debris I saw this morning, and how many trees I had come down, I will take it.  The new house isn't currently wired for a generator even if mine ran (it hasn't been fixed yet).

 

Available Projects and annual tasks:

• Dunks and bug repellent.
• Clean up yard
• Take scrap metal away
• Finish cleanup on the pile in the back 
• Do something with the trailer.
• Fix excavator
  
• Finish drainage
• Build deck
• Push back trees
• Install concrete pilings
• Install landscape fabric and gravel underneath
• Build frame
• Lay decking
  
• Set up hot tub and pool
• Build insulated platform for hot tub
• Put down pool sand to level spot for pool
• Get water delivered for both
  
• Fix mowers and equipment
• Get tractor serviced
• Build travel station for CR-V/prep CR-V for travel
  
• Move carport
• Build the roof extension over to the rocks
• Fix front stairs 
• Test travel options (rent u-haul and test that, rent trailer and test that)
• Install storm doors
• Build overhangs for windows
• Insulate the water lines
  
• Front yard drainage
• Fix snowblowers (broken grease fitting on big snowblower, gas leak on small one)
  
• Gravel/hardpack driveway
• Fix grade to the shed
• Level a spot for a lean-to up the hill
• Build a small lean-to for off-season equipment
• Make shed mouse-tight 
• Create walking trails (put up markers, maybe put down some gravel).
• Clear and level a spot for orchard
• Build a bridge over the creek
• Build a gazebo or something on the other side

 

Bureaucratic Paperwork.

I didn't do as much over the weekend as I would have hoped.  I made a quick out to Aunt's and Uncle's on Saturday to finish up the paperwork and test the gas mileage.  I had been averaging 24mpg the previous week, which is nice (the truck averages 17-19mpg everyday).

I drove it to Aunt's and Uncle's and when I got back, it claimed I was averaging 30.  When I filled it up I calculated it out to 28.5mpg, so like most cars the computer is about 1-2mpg high.  For this tank I was driving it the same way I drove my truck to Montana last year, which was keeping the speed slow and being gentle with it.

This despite driving home through this.  The wind was howling on the drive back.  When I got to Aunt's and Uncle's, it was averaging 30.5mpg.

I recall from driving it to KY with Aunt that it gets 25-26mpg if you let the speed drift upwards.  But still, a 4mpg increase on my trip last year would have saved me a few hundred bucks ($1071 in gas vs. $1304).

The cold returned on Sunday, though the weather hadn't yet returned to miserable.  To be honest, I ended up taking a nap late morning and then poof it was 2:30PM.  But I went out and installed some of the goodies I have been collecting.  I got the new cabin filter installed.  It needed it, the old one is supposed to be white.  

I installed a new cell phone holder.  I actually bought this one for the truck, but since it rotates, I put this one in the CR-V and put the one Aunt left in the truck which doesn't need to rotate.

I did a more thorough design for the kitchenette in the CR-V.  

Then I realized that I built it 4' high, and I didn't think the CR-V was that tall.  I was right. 

I ended up designing a shorter one.  I lost some of the storage, but it can't be helped.

 

Yesterday was disgusting, and it looks like winter is trying to make a comeback.  It was supposed to be few inches of snow, but instead I had to scrape almost a half inch of ice off the CR-V this morning.  I am very grateful that it has a remote starter though.  It is quite nice.  The Ford can be started via the app, but in order for it to work, Ford requires that you enable sending all the GPS data and everything else to them (which they almost assuredly sell).

 

 

I have all the paperwork to get everything transferred at this point, so I plan on going to the town hall this afternoon.  The CR-V also goes in for an interior detailing on the 31st, so everything is moving forward on that front.  I still hope to at least get the cylinder removed from the excavator, though it is supposed to be cold enough this week that everything will start re-freezing.  Ugh.

I also picked up a bunch of seeds this year with the intent of setting up one of the barrel planters, but looking at it, I might be a bit late in getting them started.  Oh well. 

Available Projects and annual tasks:

• Dunks and bug repellent.
• Clean up yard
• Take scrap metal away
• Finish cleanup on the pile in the back 
• Do something with the trailer.
• Fix excavator
  
• Finish drainage
• Build deck
• Push back trees
• Install concrete pilings
• Install landscape fabric and gravel underneath
• Build frame
• Lay decking
  
• Set up hot tub and pool
• Build insulated platform for hot tub
• Put down pool sand to level spot for pool
• Get water delivered for both
  
• Fix mowers
• Get tractor serviced
• Build travel station for CR-V/prep CR-V for travel
  
• Move carport
• Build the roof extension over to the rocks
• Fix front stairs 
• Test travel options (rent u-haul and test that, rent trailer and test that)
• Install storm doors
• Build overhangs for windows
• Insulate the water lines
  
• Front yard drainage
• Fix snowblowers (broken grease fitting on big snowblower, gas leak on small one)
  
• Gravel/hardpack driveway
• Fix grade to the shed
• Level a spot for a lean-to up the hill
• Build a small lean-to for off-season equipment
• Make shed mouse-tight 
• Create walking trails (put up markers, maybe put down some gravel).
• Clear and level a spot for orchard
• Build a bridge over the creek
• Build a gazebo or something on the other side

New car, it is even green for St. Patty's day.

During the week I didn't do much until Friday, mostly cleaning.  Turns out the pile of stuff I left in the guest room had developed a thick layer of dust on it. 

 

Friday I went out and filled in a hole in my driveway, since I had company coming this weekend.  I think it was caused by some rather unusual frost heave activity, where the driveway was only half frozen at this point.  

Saturday Aunt and Uncle came out.  They got a spiffy new car, and I really like the color.  It still has buttons too which was nice.  It felt narrower than it really was though. 

 

I am buying the old one.  I think it will fit better up here when I move all the sawhorses and stuff

 

Some pictures of the CR-V.  

 

They are letting me keep the organizer in the back.  

I definitely need to make a bit more room.

 

The tires on it are decent, though in the later half of their life.  I might consider changing them before winter, or I might not care and just drive the truck if the snow is bad.

 

The battery seems okay.  It feels a little weak, even when I took it out afterwards, but it is only a 500CCA.  

The clock works, but the date is off.  I knew about this, it is actually a really dumb Honda software error; their time/date is stored internally as time since an epoch point (pretty typical in software), but they used a smaller variable and it rolled over a couple years ago.

As I alluded to, I took it out to Otter Brook after Aunt and Uncle left to work off the big burger.  Their disc golf course was clear.  It was really nice out.

 

 

The water wasn't quite as high as I expected considering the rapid melting that was occurring.

The ice was beached on the rocks.

 

There has been a lot of nasty wind this spring.

I also finally got around to cleaning the air filter in my truck.  It looked a little rough.

 

I didn't realize that cleaning it washed out all the color, and the color is just the oil (some of it came back when I oiled it).

 

It was a nice sunset.  I am still thinking about cameras, but haven't decided on anything yet.  Pentax is for the most part dead, but I am still torn on mirrorless vs DSLR.  My use case strongly favors DSLR (better photos/bigger sensors), but mirrorless (better versatility, better video and speed) is where the industry is headed.  The lenses are not interchangeable between them either.  You can get adapters, but your mileage may vary as to whether the adapter loses the ability to autofocus or stuff like that (much like when DSLR replaced 35mm).  But when you consider that Pentax is dead in all but name, Olympus hasn't been a real player in higher end stuff in decades, Canon and Nikon are both saying they are not making new model DSLRs (only mirrorless), and the pickings are getting slim.  It also means I might be spending thousands of dollars that is obsolete in less than a year.  That all being said, any camera I buy will probably be fine for my uses for a decade at least (as long as the camera doesn't break; I am notoriously hard on equipment).  Speaking of being hard on equipment, mirrorless tend to get dirty and the sensors aren't in the back like DSLRs.  So no hard decision on that yet.

 

Sunday the storms rolled in, so I didn't do much.  Just my normal chores like laundry, and I also tried to clean one of the organizers that came out of the CR-V.  

 

It kinda worked.  It smells like laundry detergent now, and the stain is mostly gone.

 

The storms on Sunday were pretty nasty, and I had a tree come down.

 

 

I also started taking some measurements, but didn't finish drawing things up for the kitchenette thingy. After the rain on Sunday, my snow is all but gone, coverage is down to about 5%.  My yard is still soup though.

Available Projects and annual tasks:

• Dunks and bug repellent.
• Clean up yard
• Take scrap metal away
• Finish cleanup on the pile in the back 
• Do something with the trailer.
• Fix excavator
  
• Finish drainage
• Build deck
• Push back trees
• Install concrete pilings
• Install landscape fabric and gravel underneath
• Build frame
• Lay decking
  
• Set up hot tub and pool
• Build insulated platform for hot tub
• Put down pool sand to level spot for pool
• Get water delivered for both
  
• Fix mowers
• Get tractor serviced
• Build travel station for CR-V/prep CR-V for travel
  
• Move carport
• Build the roof extension over to the rocks
• Fix front stairs 
• Test travel options (rent u-haul and test that, rent trailer and test that)
• Install storm doors
• Build overhangs for windows
• Insulate the water lines
  
• Front yard drainage
• Fix snowblowers (broken grease fitting on big snowblower, gas leak on small one)
  
• Gravel/hardpack driveway
• Fix grade to the shed
• Level a spot for a lean-to up the hill
• Build a small lean-to for off-season equipment
• Make shed mouse-tight 
• Create walking trails (put up markers, maybe put down some gravel).
• Clear and level a spot for orchard
• Build a bridge over the creek
• Build a gazebo or something on the other side