Random thoughts from the moose cave.

what's going with the trike?

Bumping the hump

it gets dropped off wednesday.

tomorrow I will clean a spot...

the trike intrigues

I had to stop this morning and go back into the back porch and open some bird food.

not for the birds so much as the squirrels.

there is a flippin' army of them here. and they were noisy and crazy this morning.

chasing through the trees and over the garage, screwing on top of telephone poles, and running everywhere.

there was a wave of them that ran past my truck. 3 or 4 taking a path over the front tire as they went.

a needed breath of fresh air...

I have batteries for the camera, I will shoot some photos.

I didn't build it, just making it safe for the guy...

weird but productive day...

I was running late, flying down the interstate. lotsa unusual law presence.

and then I topped a ridge and saw big yellow signs advertising a "DRUG CHECKPOINT WITH DOGS"...

I decided that I didn't have the time nor patience to participate. I profile out as a probable dirtbag. especially the way I was dressed to go weld and grind.

so I jumped off at the last possible exit, figuring to be stopped at the bottom of the ramp and investigated...

he was there, under the bridge and waiting for folks to balk at the signs.

I still don't know why he chose not to have a confrontation, but hey...

I was not carrying anything illegal, but I don't know that I coulda kept my mouth shut long enough to clear it.

I have a big problem with the constitutionality of making everyone submit to having a dog sniff their property.

kinda grates right at my soul...

on other fronts, the old parts are all cut from the frame of the trike, and I got some material to fabricate a new, better pedal set-up tomorrow.

probably gonna take a different route...

cooking up some brussel sproots, and havin' a cuppa tea.

wanted EG, but can't deal with cramps tomorrow whilst I am rolling aroond on the concrete, welding trike.

so I'm having spiced chai.

gonna bake some cod after my sproots take the edge off of my hunger.

I haven't had a real appetite in months...

home...

tard.

got all the cutting done, and the new peg assembly tacked into place.

(mine looks much more "bikey" the the previous mess)

it will be Monday before I can finish it. no worky weekends them salvage fellas...

brought gram some groceries, and grabbed a few for me.

think me and the stinker prolly just hang out here mosta the weekend.

I finally got him hooked on Jeeves and Wooster...

trike's all done.

(wish I had finished it yesterday while it was still warm)

rolling aroung on the cold firkin concrete took it outta me today.

blech...

but a pile of cash on the tv tray helps take the sting out of it.

he was very pleased, and has another one he wants worked on. (they own 3)

gonna try and regroup and go back tomorrow and see about taking the transmission out of the chebby truck.

and hopefully have enough time left to remove the rear end from half an old corvette for ol' bob. then scrap what's left.

something he bought as a project many moons ago, and never got inspired to build it back into a real car.

not a real valuable year as vettes go, but the differential is worth 4 or 5 hundred to somebody...

well...

didn't get anything done vehicle wise at the salvage.

jimmy had sewer emergency troubles.

so I went next door and walked the yard to find myself a bedliner for Bart.

and did. a factory under rail dura-liner. cheap.

I removed it, but was driving the bonneville. and prolly will be until after the weekend. frigid temps rolling in tonight. single digimits...

and I took gram to run errands.

and on my way home, I got a stage call.

first one in over a month...

a play at C2.

sunday morning before first light.

but it's work...

Your temps have been all over the place.

Low 70's here all week. It's a good time of the year to live in AZ.

I am not that fond of sand...

the wind chill is up to 4 degrees now.

gonna have a cuppa and go jump in the cold truck.

s'posed to get mid forties this afternoon.

it's gonna hafta hurry...

nothing is ever as easy as it seems when you plan it...

the heater wasn't working over to the salvage today.

brrrrr....

but the transmission is out. and sitting in the back of my truck. (drained) and laying on the new bedliner. (the bed looks much better with all the scratches covered up)

I will drop it by my tranny builder's house on Sunday after the morning shift at C2.

and maybe be ready to install it by late next week.

gonna hafta sell the Chevy truck fast. I'm almost outta funds. going a whole month between stage jobs was not part of the plan...

I'm not sure exactly, but it's the opening line to something

not an advert to sell the truck.

I'm keeping the ford, and gonna sell both chevys pronto.

I think I am just gonna crush old brownie.

$200 a ton right now.

if it goes to 220, I'm in. I'll drive it over the scales and park it. take out the battery and go get my check...

what a long day.

17 hours on the clock. 9 of it OT...

I was asked to stay over and work the show as a deck hand. rotating one of two giant turntables as needed throughout the show. Tyler Perry's "hell hath no fury..."

they fed us, but I had to pass. chicken and noodles.it looked and smelled awesome, but...

I went and gave mine to the business agent. (the guy that calls me for stage work)

he was pleased, always a good thing...

I had planned on dropping my transmission over to my guy's place on the break. instead I quietly backed up to his truck in the driveway after we got done tonight, and wrestled it from my truck to his by myself. unfortunately, his is a big 4x4 and mine is lowered. oh well, it's done, and I didn't wake the neighborhood.

and I don't have to get up and take it to him in the morning. gonna turn the phone off and the heat up, snuggle up to the cat, and crash...

one of them days it was...

lost my horse.

the truck lost the fuel pump. downtown in rush hour...

got mr vw to come get me and bring me home. cost me dinner at docs. garlic salad and pork chops. very good...

I will take the bonneville in the morning and go finish what I started today. plus pick up a fuel pump and try to slam it in tomorrow afternoon. gotta drop the fuel tank (I just filled up, of course)

but I had it set up to tow to the salvage in the morning after storage overnight with the impounds. I can do it on the lift. making it a not so bad adventure with the tranny jack to assist with not spilling 25 gallons of precious fuel.

it has to happen tomorrow, because I got an unexpected call to work at the symphony for the rest of the week.

apparently they are doing a cirque du soleil at the symphony type thing with acrobats. I will be on one of four ropes lifting and supporting the performer. should be fun. and four performances over three days, plus an out...

urf.

got home to no power...

some genius decided that today was a good day to switch out the main power poles coming into town.

I didn't get a vote...

got all my errands finished from yesterday, and gram's shopping done.

I can't get on the lift until Friday.

gotta hope the bonneville holds together until then at least.

not gonna use that tow company ever again.

there is grease everywhere. a big handprint on the door and handle, the seat has a big stain, and the carpet is filthy.

and they were deathly SLOWWWWW.

verra glad I pulled the new tranny outta the back and went for it again today. even though the bonneville was not verra happy about being pressed into truck duty. no harm no foul...

makin some sprouts to go with my baked cod.

gotta be right tomorrow. 2 shows in blacks...

brrrrrr.

warming up the bonneville to limp to town. we lost fourth gear yesterday morning. no overdrive...

gonna go try and fix the truck.

then go over to grams and get ready for the symphony.

i got the onstage job by default.

I am the only one of the four of us with a black suit...

symphony rules require "dress blacks" for any stagehand appearing before the audience. and I hafta go out and switch devices from the wire rope for different acts.

pretty basic setup. a long cable with three pulleys on carabiners and a pull rope in the wings. at the finale we are actually supporting two acrobats during their whole routine.

gotta scoot.

thoughts with Dutchy...

and Boida...