Posted By RichC on August 1, 2017
Although "I" am suppose to be the photographer of the family, I think it might be time to hand over the duties to my son Taylor. He enjoys capturing beautiful photos and definitely has the eye for natural beauty – some impressive ones in Hawaii last year too!
While on the subject of appreciating photos that I can’t take credit for, below is one that I’ll title "Moms are Moms" … even in nature.
Posted By RichC on July 31, 2017
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Posted By RichC on July 30, 2017
Sort of makes hauling a few spare parts, some fluids, a toolbox and spare tire seem hardly worth mentioning?
Posted By RichC on July 29, 2017
It is that time again … the pool pump motor is chattering and popping breakers. That is a likely indication that the bearings are worn and it is time to recondition or rebuild the electric motor. I’ve had pretty good luck the last couple of rebuilds, but this time I’m opting on ordering a new AO Smith motor on Amazon to match my the old one. Hopefully the "made in China" model uses the better grade of bearings, but I’m not getting my hopes up.
For now I’ll just replace the old motor and leisurely have the old motor rebuilt so I’m ready for the next time (5-7 years???).
Posted By RichC on July 28, 2017
Roto-Rooter’s Paul Abrams has a pipe-clearing trick that’s simple, cost-effective and environmentally friendly (unlike most drain cleaners, which use harsh chemicals). Here’s how it’s done:
"A monthly or even a quarterly treatment of the drain using this method should clear your pipes of soap products, shaving creams and even whiskers,” Abrams says. “Plus, it doesn’t involve caustic chemicals, and it’s easy—most people have baking soda and white vinegar laying around the house.”
Posted By RichC on July 27, 2017
Hagerty (the classic car company) posted an article talking about essential tools to keep in your car that I wanted to archive. I’ve always kept tools in my car along with odds and ends and even fluids like antifreeze, oil and brake fluid. The problem I face is keeping the correct tool in the right box for the too many cars "in my fleet," as my son-in-law calls it. 
I’ve hodgepodged together a couple toolboxes that fit in wheel well, spare tire well or under seats of each car, but most satisfied with a plastic toolbox from my dad which seems to hold just the right combination of screwdrivers, wrenches, etc … of course I’m always missing something.
Here’s the suggestion from Rob Siegel at Hagerty:
About a year ago, I bought a medium-sized plastic toolbox and filled it with a few redundant tools, the intent being to create a “go-to” toolbox that can be easily thrown into the trunk of whichever vintage car I’m about to drive. Now, there are limits to this. If I’m driving a car to an event a thousand miles away, I’ll always bring a lot more. But many of my needs involve 100-mile trips, as I keep four cars in a storage area 50 miles from my house. The go-to toolbox contains:
- A set of the most commonly-used box-end wrenches. As I said, for a vintage BMW, these are 8-, 10-, 13-, 17-, and 19-mm. I have spare sets of the Heyco wrenches that originally came with the cars, so those are the ones I throw into go-to toolbox. I make sure that I have two of the 10s and two of the 13s, as that’s what’s needed to easily loosen or tighten the distributor and the fan belt adjustment bolt on the alternator. And speaking of the fan belt, I recently drove one of the vintage cars while taking my wife to dinner, and the fan belt began slipping just a few miles after leaving the house. Thanks to the wrenches, I was able to fix it right then and there instead of squealing all the way home and taking a different car.
- Ratchets and sockets, both big and small. That is, I bring a 1/8-inch ratchet handle and a set of 1/8-inch metric sockets from 6 to 13 mm, and a 1/2-inch ratchet handle and 1/2-inch sockets from 10 to 22 mm. With these I find that I don’t need the more standard 1/4-inch sockets (although experience has taught me that if I have only the 1/4-inch set, I often want something larger or smaller). A single medium-length extension for each is usually adequate for quick jaunts.
- A slotted screwdriver and Phillips screwdriver.
- Regular pliers and needle-nosed pliers (vise grips are best).
- A battery terminal cleaner. With all the swapping of cars in and out of storage, and swapping batteries in and out of cars, this is a must-have item. Corrosion forms on the inside surfaces of the battery cable connectors, and if it isn’t cleaned off you can tighten down the terminals on the battery posts until the bolts practically strip, and still hear nothing but the dreaded “click” when you turn the key.
- A multimeter. One of those $5.99 specials is more than adequate to check battery voltage and verify that the alternator and regulator are charging the battery.
An inexpensive electrical kit with a crimping tool and an assortment of butt splices and spade connectors. For real electrical work, I prefer using higher-quality connectors, but this is a great item to have in a travel toolbox.- A pair of wire cutters, since the wire cutters on crimping tools always stink.
- A pair of 6-foot lengths of 14-gauge wire, each with a battery charger-sized alligator clip on one end that can bite onto the battery terminal, so I can wire things directly to the battery (if needed).
- A 20-foot, 14-gauge lamp cord (two-conductor wire) than can be cut and spliced as needed.
- An inexpensive set of metric nuts and bolts. The number of times I wind up digging for one is surprising, even if it’s only to re-attach the front license plate to a car that’s been sitting in storage and has an expired inspection sticker (in Massachusetts, the front plate needs to be attached for a car to pass inspection).
- A pack of zip ties.
Contents of my throw-it-in-the-trunk tool boxWhen I swap cars in one of the storage spaces, I bring the tool box, plus either a set of jumper cables or a battery jump pack, and a cigarette-lighter-powered air compressor to inflate tires. It’s proven to be a winning combination.
For longer trips, I want to be prepared for mechanical problems far from home, so the tool volume and weight increases substantially. First, there’s the aluminum floor jack and aluminum jack stands. Even though these days I’m perfectly happy to call Hagerty Plus Roadside Assistance to change a flat on the interstate (I no longer have the stomach to crawl under a car while traffic whizzes by at 75 mph), the idea of traveling 1,000 miles without being able to jack up the car drives me crazy. So they come too.
In my garage, I have the requisite big-ass, multi-level, multi-draw tool chest, but over time I’ve set up three small tool boxes: one with commonly-used wrenches; one with most of the ratchet handles, sockets, Allen key sockets, extensions, and universals; and a third with everything else—all the screwdrivers, pliers, picks, telescoping magnetic pick-ups, circlip pliers, files, flexible nut drivers (that are the bee’s knees to use on hose clamps), and more. I’ve basically given up on configuring a compact minimal set of tools for a big road trip, and instead simply throw these three toolboxes into the trunk.
The three small toolboxes containing most of my tools that I take on longer tripsIn addition, there are a few things too big to fit in a tool box, such as the breaker bar, the pipe extension for the breaker bar, the BFS (big freaking screwdriver), and the BFPs (big freaking pliers). Depending on my mood, I may or may not bring a 1/2-inch torque wrench. I always imagine having to change a head gasket on the road—although these days most of the head gaskets I’ve used call for angle-torqueing the head bolts, and while I do have the angle-torque jig, bringing it on a road trip strikes me as crossing some invisible line of sanity and rationality.
Of course, for a long trip, I’ll also take a timing light, dwell tach, fuel pressure gauge, and an old Heathkit portable exhaust gas analyzer. They have all been used on the road.
Even with all those tools, it is axiomatic that anything you don’t take, you’ll need, and anything you take, you won’t. Case in point: when I took a 1,000-mile trip to rescue Louie, the decade-dead 1972 BMW 2002tii that I bought in Louisville, I brought a roll of copper-nickel brake-line tubing and a flaring tool, and did not need to use it. Conversely, I did not bring a hacksaw or Dremel tool, and wished to high heaven that I had.
So there you go. Run out and buy some milk on Sunday morning. Bring two 13-mm wrenches for the fan belt and you’ll probably be fine. Unless the milk is two states over. Then I’d pack the brake flaring tool.
Posted By RichC on July 26, 2017
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Posted By RichC on July 25, 2017
Last month I spent quite a bit of time prepping and painting the wicker chairs passed down from generation to generation (see post). This past weekend I used recovering and adding filler to the old cushions as an opportunity to learn a little bit more about sewing — with Brenda’s Sailrite machine. I’ve tackled a few projects with some success so far, but curtains, generator covers and pool cover repairs are hardly a cushion requiring me to make piping and install hidden zippers. Even with all the many "learning mistakes," I’m pleased with the result (even got a complement from Brenda saying how much her mother (photo) would have love them … and she doesn’t hand them out all that easily!)
Posted By RichC on July 24, 2017
Although I’m partial to Jimmy Buffett‘s recording of Bruce Cockburn’s 1996 song Pacing the Cage, it is time to give credit where credit is due … to the multi-decade career of Canadian folk songwriter, performer and activist. 
He wrote the song in 1996 and recorded it on his album The Charity of Night. Although like most artists focused on political action and environmentalism, he is likely a political liberal and I do find it difficult to agree to "their" solutions to the many problems Cockburns‘ songs address.
| Pacing The Cage Bruce Cockburn – 1996 |
On the other hand, his talent for the guitar and writing heartfelt song is admirable. We each have our balance as to progress and prosperity and how it impacts the environment and the people who are many times left behind — often the indigenous peoples of an area impacted by those capitalizing on the resources … many times the focus of his songs (mining, deforesting, etc).
Since I mentioned Jimmy Buffett recording Pacing the Cage, thought I would include another Bruce Cockburn song that JB recorded as well … All The Ways I Want You from his 2002 album Far Side of the World.
| All The Ways I Want You Jimmy Buffett – 2002 |
Posted By RichC on July 23, 2017
One of the more interesting aspects of social networking is that one never knows who they might connect with. I’ve been a fan and have posted before about the late James Garner (1928-2014) for most of my life and noticed his daughter Gigi (MavrocksGirl) actively keeps his memory alive on Twitter. I’m not sure what her purpose is in reaching out to a few fans, but I don’t mind connecting and smiling at good memories that came from his many movies and television appearances.
