Spring or Not?

Is it spring yet? In my part of the world we generally get excited when we see the first Robin in our yard. To us this usually denotes the yearly genesis of spring. Well, I have seen my first Robin today only about an hour ago. Yet, I contrast that against my workday and I become confused (some say this comes quite easily for me). In all my journeys this winter I have not gotten my vehicle stuck even once. Until today that is. With the nasty weather we received last night and this morning I was able to get my truck stuck not once but three times! So, please tell me . . . is this spring or not? Ah, I guess I should not complain too loudly as I hear they received 27 inches of the cold powder just one hour to the north of me. 'Slurp.' Ah, this hot coffee sure is good. 'Slurp'. Maybe time to pour another. 'Slurp'.

Now that I think of it, I've seen ducks sitting motionless on ice covered lakes, the last two weekends in eastern North Dakota. They were probably thinking they were a little too early. I wish I could have photographed them because it was striking to see them in this predicament.

and this little bugger sat forever
(almost motionless) today on my ice covered deck

My Saturday Drive Home

This was my drive home Saturday.

It was actually much worse than this - I only took a pic when I felt it was safe to do so.
As such, you only get to see the best conditions.

There was a car directly in front of me in both pics.

I think you can barely make it out in the 2nd photo.

By the way, I meant to moblog these but, have forgotten how.
Time for a refresher.
^

Affect or Effect

Hey, my previous post gave me pause. I almost didn't hit the submit button. You will notice I had the word 'affect' in the title and the word 'effect' in the actual post. These two words have given me a great deal of trouble. Does any one know the correct usage for these two words. I sure don't. Perhaps one of you great writers out there know the proper use of these words. I sure would like to hear from someone with knowledge in this area.

I'm Back!

Well, I'm finally back.

First, let me apologize. In my hurry to get out the door to my annual hunting retreat, I neglected to place a post announcing the same. It was a very, harried evening when I took off to the hunting shack and I was in great fear of leaving an essential piece of equipment behind (I know - excuses, excuses). I am sorry for not posting that I would be away for a while. Anyway, all is well now and I shall resume my blogging habits, for better or worse.

I have noticed that, well I was gone, Sunni Kay has tagged me with a meme. Sorry Sunni, as much time has elapsed since you tagged me. I do not know what kind of time restrictions there are on such things, as I HAVE NEVER BEEN TAGGED BEFORE. I will check your site and see what this is about. If it is not too late I will possibly play this meme, otherwise thanks for the tag anyhow.

I must check out Sunni's site now and see what's up. I must, also, check out the other typical blog reads that I have not read in my absence. I must, also, check out a ton of email that didn't seem to mind that I was gone hunting. Then it's back to posting here, as time allows (my work schedule is getting real hectic) and the mood strikes. Wow, what a thing to come back to after vacation - things at work are getting extremely chaotic. I think I need another vacation!

^

My New A700 Arrived

I arrived home from work yesterday to find my new baby waiting on me. My A700 has arrived safe and sound. I ordered it directly from Sony on Monday and received it yesterday, as I stated, with no special shipping. I was way too tired to try it out after a 17+ hour shift, so I will see what it offers today. I can tell you from the two minutes I did spend with it that the screen is awesome and beyond compare. Amazing! I can't post any further now as I must finally check out the new camera.

If you need a review of this camera
check out dpreview , Steve's Digicams, or imaging resource.

^

USG Racing

USG's NASCAR Ford was in town today. This baby driven by Matt Keneseth had four wins last year (Fontana, Dover, Michigan and Bristol) and a career best of 15 top-five finishes. Matt, also, finished second in the Nextel Cup championship point standings.

The USG/NASCAR partnership began nine years ago in 1998. Many more exciting years are anticipated.
^

Finally Camping

We finally, got to take our virgin (with this camper) camping trip this year. We went to The Gull Lake Recreation Area Campground which is run by the Corps of Engineers. It is an excellent place to camp. Great for families. We stayed at site 16 while my daughter and her family stayed at site 17. My niece camped at site 32 with her husband and boys. We were there from about 1 or 2 pm Saturday until about 1 or 2 pm Tuesday. The weather was great, considering all the heat and humidity we had at home recently. We had none of that horrendous weather this trip, thank God. The time we spent there was wonderful but, too short. We can't wait to return.

My grandson was often engaged in trying to
catch the chipmunks which frequented our site.

One morning a chipmunk was spotted
trying to drive off with my grandson's truck.

Roasting marshmallows and making smores
was a favorite pastime for the kids.

Big Smile

I've got a big smile on my face. I am going to work in a few minutes (no I'm NOT smiling about that) and when I return on Saturday I'm off on a four day/three night camping trip (now that's something to smile about). It's been a long time coming and I can't wait!

Purchased Camper

On the 18th of July, my wife and I purchased a 2000 Dutchman M-1203 Classic Pop-up camper. I couldn't post a picture until today because I immediately took it in and had air conditioning installed. It's in great shape and it seems we got a good deal on it.

My wife wanted a full-fledged RV - I did not. I like RV's and would enjoy one but, this was not my goal here. I bought a camper. Campers are great and RVs are great but, they are two distinct creatures in my mind. I sold my wife on a pop-up by highlighting the gas saving ability of these campers. I would have given gas mileage zero consideration, just a short time ago. With today's gas prices, I like the idea of the camper folding down to a height which really minimizes wind drag. Aside from that, I discovered something I really liked at the dealership, which I had not considered before - the openness.

After sitting in a couple of pull behind trailers of full height I suggested we check out the pop-ups. I sat in one and fell in love! With the window covering fully open I could look around in a panoramic view, in every direction. This may not be important to others but, to me this was huge. I know of no other camper style or RV which can offer this. Hell, you can't even get this 360 degree view in most tents. As far as I know, this is unique to pop-ups. I was sold on this style of camper. Now with a specific style in mind, it was time to do some horse trading.

After a few hours, at a couple of dealers, we were not happy with the price quotes given us. We almost purchased a new 10 footer at one dealer but, decided to return home and think about it further. On the ride home we were considering putting off a camper purchase for a while. Suddenly, on the last main road just before our house and only two blocks from home, there was a pop-up camper parked close to the roadside. It was completely set up and looking good. My wife said to stop and check it out. I pointed out that it had no for sale sign in it and somebody was probably just airing it out.

The next day she proved me wrong (again), when she stopped there on her way home from work. It was for sale. It was in great shape. And it had an excellent price. And it was a 12 footer. We could save tons of money and gain 2 feet buying this camper instead of the new one we almost bought. Two feet in your living room may not be much but, in a pop-up it's a huge difference. The rest is now history. We consider it fate, as we were talking ourselves out of a camper purchase on the way home and then spotted this gem just 2 blocks from our house.

Happy camping coming soon!

Quick Release Arrives

I came home from work this morning and found a Slik Quick Release on my porch. I guess B&H was now able to get one to me. I mounted it on my camera and tripod and it seems plenty sturdy. It is already very, obvious that it will be extremely useful. I should have bought a release years ago.

Now, I must test it for a while. If it is everything I expect it to be then I will acquire another set. The second set will allow me to mount my 400mm lens directly and the female piece will go on my window pod setup. Wow, that will truly be convenient.

Grandson's Birthday

My wife and I went to my grandson's birthday party and had a blast. Shown here is the 'Little Man' with what appeared to be his favorite gift. Not the gift I bought but, this toy was really cool. He now has his own lawnmower which makes your typical lawn mower sound and expels bubbles for exhaust. Very, clever idea. Little Man loves it and so do his parents stating, " . . . it will help him burn off some energy." He surely has plenty of energy!

We, also, took him to his first ever Twins game. He is obviously too young to follow the game but, he truly seemed to enjoy himself immensely because he is definitely a people watcher. The arena is of course a haven for people watchers.


My daughter chose the 'Family Seats' which I have never used before. The view from here was alright and it was less crowded than what I'm accustomed to, which is really to my liking. This may just be because of this particular game but, whatever the reason I enjoyed having a little moving room.


The Twins won 4 to 3 with Silva pitching into the 7th inning and allowing 2 hits.

Still Planting

I'm still planting the items my wife bought Monday. She told me she bought about forty-two cedars. It turns out, there are forty-six of them. As of today I have thirty-one in the ground, with fifteen remaining.

I quit at this number because the wind picked up, making it quite difficult. In fact, I now see there is a wind advisory for the area. On the internet I read,

"West to northwest winds sustained from 25 to 35 mph... frequent gusts up to 45 mph are expected for much of the rest of today. . .Reports of some trees and power lines being blown down have already been received... and additional trees and power lines may be blown down by the winds for the rest of today across the entire advisory area. Anyone on area lakes this morning across east central Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin should seek shelter and prepare for the onset of strong west to northwest winds by midday.

A Wind Advisory means that sustained winds of at least 30 mph are expected for more than 1 hour. Winds this strong can make driving difficult... especially for high profile vehicles. Use extra caution.

One of the cedars I put in the ground went on the northern property line, while the rest were all placed on the southern border. I am very, happy that I only lost one cedar from last years planting and have now replaced it. I expected to lose more.

The trees I spoke of yesterday are in the ground, also. One is a Royal Red Maple. This too, is a replacement plant. It replaces a Northwood Red Maple, which I planted two years ago (pre-dating this blog). The rabbits ate the bark off the lower couple of feet and killed it. I have learned from this aggrivating incident and my current trees have protection in place.



The other tree I planted was a Bergeson Ash. This went in the backyard. I guess this is sort of a replacement tree, also, as I have been cutting out a lot of pine trees from the yard. I have many, many conifers in the yard and comparatively few deciduous trees. I am aiming for more of the deciduous type and here is a start.

All of these plants will be a welcome addition to my little domain. If only I could get them fifteen remaining cedars in the ground.

A photo is still hence coming, once all of the plants are in the ground.

Still Trying to Obtain a Quick Release

Sadly, I'm still searching for a quick release for my Slik Ball Head. After much investigating on many photography forums, I came away somewhat confused. Different releases for different folks, I guess. At any rate, I finally decided on the Slick DG-L Quick Release. I was getting conflicting info on the forums, so I simple chose a matching release from Slik after talking to a rep from THK Photo Products. They recommended I order the DQ-L Quick-Release Adapter Set from B&H Photo.

So, about last Saturday, I broke down and tried to place an order for the quick release set. B&H said the product was not currently in stock. Bummer. Then, Monday I receive an email from B&H and they said the product was now in stock. They encouraged me to resubmit my order, which I immediately did. Today, B&H sends me another email stating -

"We regret to inform you that due to a system error the ordered merchandise is not in stock.

We apologize for this inconvenience"

There seems to be no other U.S. supplier I can order this from. I found a supplier from the U.K. but, was hoping to order from the U.S., thinking shipping would be much more reasonable. I guess I am still on the trek in search of a quick release for my ball head!

Planting the final Border

My wife was kind enough to find more chores for me to do today. Here are forty-two or forty-three new cedars she purchased for me (to put in the ground). Also, a couple of trees. Thank you, honey. Last year I planted about 50 of them on two sides of my front yard. We couldn't plant the last side because we bought all the cedars that the greenhouse had. I guess we needed to plant the remaining border.

The plants are pictured here before they went in the ground. I know it doesn't look like forty plants but, trust me there are actually more than forty. I only got some of them in today. I will take pictures of them when they are all in the ground. Hopefully tomorrow.

Happy Independence Day

Happy Independence Day to all you Americanos. Hey, I wanted to do a large and thought-provoking post for the 4th of July but, like a true American, I worked a 16 hour day. So, everyone will have to wait until next year, for my profound wisdom on this matter.

My Dub Shirts Arrived

My Sgt. Dub shirts arrived Thursday! I was off to work when they came in and didn't have time to post this until now. Wow, was that service fast. We ordered them last Monday making it only a four day wait, from start to finish. And that's with normal shipping through the U.S. Postal Service. I was kind of bumming because I felt I ordered them too late. I wanted badly to sport them on Memorial Day, you see. Looks like I'll be showing them off on the holiday after all.

For those that don't know, these shirts were ordered from Sgt. Dub. I've written about him before, albeit briefly, and even have a favorite link to his site on my sidebar. He is a great man with a great blog. If you haven't checked his site out it's a must do. His blog has daily postings about his tour in Afghanistan. His second tour that is! It is a well written and very personable blog. You can tell, in short order, that you would like this man had you the fortune enough to meet him on the street.

This purchase was simply one tiny way of showing my support and admiration for his patriotic sacrifices. The saying on the shirt struck me as very clever. And how true. I can't praise the good Sgt. and his family enough. I can't give enough praise to all who sacrifice for our country.

Also, if anyone is wondering why two shirts were ordered the reasoning is quit simple. When my wife saw what I wanted to order she, too, had to have one. Now we are both ready for the big holiday.

Lastly, I mentioned everyone should check out his blog but, failed to mention you should hurry. He is now a short-timer with under a month to go! I do think I read, somewhere on his site, that he was going to continue blogging when he got stateside, though I can't be sure. I truly hope so.

Stay safe Sarge. You're almost there.

Elusive

We put one of these feed bags with thistle in our backyard for the last three years and it was never used. This spring my wife said we should not waste our money putting out one this year. For the last couple of days it has been used by up to three birds at a time. My wife has yet to see this so this afternoon I tried to document the event with a photo. Well, there were three birds on it when I stepped onto the deck with my camera. Two of them flew away instantly. The remaining bird looked at me but wouldn't stay that way for a photo. He is not headless but it's back end was all I could manage to get. When I have more time I will try for a real photo.

Niece Marries

My niece got married last Saturday. The groom is a wonderful guy. His family is awesome. She is a lucky gal and he is a lucky man. I will be posting pics of their reception shortly.

Refreshing the Rider

My brother and I worked on my riding lawnmower today. The wife said get the lawn cut or else but. the rider wasn't cooperating. She is a Sabre brand (made by John Deere) with a 15.5 HP motor and a 38 inch cut. It had a flat tire and a dead battery. So off to work we went. I dropped the tire off to be repaired and was told it couldn't be repaired. I either needed to have a tube put in or purchase a new tire. I selected the new tire.

I picked up the battery and left my wheel and old tire to be replaced. When I got home I installed the new battery. Here is where the fun began. She still wouldn't start! After getting her to turn over a couple of times she soon flooded. And she flooded good. Suddenly I had more gas than oil where the oil was supposed to be.


So I drained the oil (or should I say gas) and put some new oil in. While the oil was draining I figured I should check the spark plug. I carefully tried to pull the spark plug wire but, it was very stubborn and I had little room for my hand. Eventually I gave the wire a big yank and off it came. It came off without it's proper end that is.



Now, I had to repair the wire and put the terminal back on it's end. About this time my brother arrived with his electrical tester. After putting the plug with the fixed wire back in the tractor still would not start. At this point I put my camera away because my hands were getting too greasy. I should have left my brother to do all the work and then I could have kept on taking pictures. At any rate, we did many electrical tests on the beast including all the safety switches. There was a seat switch to test. A brake switch to test. The lever for engaging the blades even had a switch which we tested. Somewhere in all this testing we took a break and decided to come back to it with a fresh outlook.

My brother went home for a while and after some coffee I went back to the garage. At some point I figured out that I could pull the lever which engaged the blades about a quarter inch further down if I used some effort. Ah, this allowed the mower to start every time. It seemed as though it would not engage the safety switch unless some extra exertion was applied. Problem solved? Nope! It would now start every time but, as soon as the brake was released or the blades were engaged it would die. This didn't do me a lot of good. I called my brother with the new discovery and asked him to return with his tester.

My brother arrived and we tested everything we tested before and a few extra things were tested. We scratched our collective heads for some time and tried various fixes to no avail. In the mean time, we reinstalled the tire (which I had my wife pick up) and we greased some fittings.

We went back to concentrating on the lever which engages the blades and he eventually discovered it was a mechanical problem and not electrical in nature. He followed the blade lever down and watched it in action under the chassis. There was a long threaded rod under there with a spring on one end. This rod is what engages the switch when the blade lever is in the lower position. It took a few stubborn turns on this rod to give it the right reach. We started the bad boy now with much anticipation. She fired. I released the brake and she still ran. Now the real test. I engaged the blades. The blades immediately started turning and amazingly the motor kept going. Finally! My brother did note that soon, very soon the rod would need more work. It was pretty much at it's end of adjustment and the bracket that supports one end is almost worn through. I decide to save this for another day because if I didn't get the hay mowed soon my wife was going to hang me. Better to mow now, while I can, and tear it apart for further repairs afterwards.



For now she's back together. I still need to give her a good cleaning. I will try to mow the yard tomorrow and then I will clean her up good. Later (not too much later) I will have to work on the rod that's in such poor shape. Hey, maybe I can get my brother to do it so I am free to take photos for the blog.

Shed Project Is Coming Along

This photo was taken Tuesday and was meant to show I was nearly completed with the siding of the shed.


I, actually, finished the siding job about an hour later. I still have to paint around the overhead door and place the final trim there. Then the siding will be truly complete. After that is done, I plan on painting the foundation blocks white and I still have to hang the ladder racks on the north side. The exterior will then be complete with the exception of lights and outlets which I will install once I run the electrical.

It should be noted that I had a lot of help on this project and I am simply placing the finishing touches on it.