Hot-weather walking, trip to Michigan, new motorcycle

(Posted from home)
(This post covers 24 July through 22 August, 2013)

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Thursday, 22 August -

This morning we completed the acid-neutralizer top-off project. I want to keep the procedure online so here goes: The procedure for the acid neutralizer unit (with a Fleck 2510 valve) is: (1) Start a backwash by rotating the control wheel slightly clockwise (2) Let the backwash run for about three minutes. It will stop about three minutes in, but will then pick up again after another few minutes. (2) Unplug the controller after the second start-up. (3) Shut off the water supply where it enters the whole-house filter (4) Relieve pressure in the pipes by opening the faucet in the bathroom (5) Set the bypass valve on the Fleck unit to ‘Bypass’ (6) Open the tank’s filler plug. Water will be right at the level of the opening. (7) Siphon water out of the tank down to near the level of the calcite (8) Use the funnel and hose assembly to top off the calcite and level it off (9) Clean the opening and plug and re-grease the plug’s O-rings with silicone plumber’s grease (10) Replace the plug and rotate it into lock position (11) Move the drain pipe into a bucket sitting on the water-softener’s brine tank so you can see the outflow. (12) Open the valve to the whole-house filter (13) Crack open the Bypass valve to allow the tank to slowly fill. Close it once water starts running into the bucket. (14) Let the calcite soak for ten minutes (15) Slowly open the Bypass valve and observe the outflow into the bucket. If/when it’s clear, close the Bypass valve. (16) Move the blue drain pipe back to its standpipe (17) Open the Bypass valve to ‘Service’ (18) Plug the Fleck valve back in (to allow it to resume the backwash cycle) (19) Set the correct time on the control valve by pressing in the red button and rotating the control wheel to the current time.
After cleanup I wrote down the procedure since I had developed my own from three other procedures I found on the internet. I called Fleck technical support on a few questions I had. My unit had failed to go into backwash when I rotated the control wheel the first time today. I rotated it the whole way around and it still didn’t start. I know it worked a few days ago so that was mysterious. I was about to call Tech Support but then tried it again and this time it worked. The tech guy suspects I have a poor connection to one of the micro-switches. The other question is why the unit pauses after three minutes. The guy says there’s a pause as it rotates the control from contact pin to contact pin.
That afternoon I rode the Concours down to Starbucks and then to Rudy Park for my walk. I again did the five-mile loop in mid-80’s temps and was pretty exhausted by it.
That evening we watched several documentaries -- ‘Alexandria’, then ‘Arabia’, then the last half of ‘Park Avenue’.

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Wednesday, 21 August -

This morning I had an assignment. Orat called yesterday evening and said he was looking at a Triumph Tiger 1050 on Ebay. He had found the same model and year at my local Triumph dealer and wondered whether I’d go look at it. The idea was to see if my feet reach the ground. We’re both on the shorter side and this bike is known as a taller one. The specs say we should be able to touch both feet but may not be able to put down a heel. That turned out to be the case. Sitting astride the bike I could touch the balls of both feet or I could shift slightly to the side and put a foot fully down (and the other on the peg). That’s not great, particularly if you make the mistake of parking slightly down-hill in the front. In that situation the bike is difficult to back out. I’ve had that problem when I had the KLR. A couple of times I had to get off the bike and struggle to back it out walking beside it, being careful to not let it fall away from me.
But the more significant problem today was the leg throw-over. I could just barely get my leg up over the tail of the Tiger. And this one didn’t have saddle-bags. The one he’s looking at on Ebay has bags so as the bike sits on its side-stand, the right bag may be even higher. In any case that will mean the leg has to go further out-and-over. It’s gonna be iffy.
I had taken a look at lowering kits for the Tiger and see they have lowering ‘plates’. My guess is that’s going to be needed.
In mid-afternoon I called Orat and learned I was too late. He had already bought the bike! I told him what I had seen and we then started talking about arrangements to pick up the bike this weekend.
After supper I mowed the lawn for my walk.
That evening Labashi and I watched ‘I Am’, an odd little documentary about ‘what’s wrong with the world’ and ‘what to do about it.’ Meh.
We then started ‘Park Avenue’, a documentary about the billionaires living in New York. This was a good match to ‘I Am’ but Labashi had had a tough day working on her trees on this very hot day. She fell asleep about half-way through the movie! We’ll have to pick it up later.

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Tuesday, 20 August -

Labashi had appointments today so I decided to put off working on the acid neutralizer until we’re both available. Until I’ve run through the procedure a time or two, I don’t want to assume I can do it alone. Sometimes you just need another set of hands.
Labashi had been getting notices about software version updates for her desktop PC so this was a good time to get that out of the way. I’ve had some problems in the past with Norton Internet Security updates but this one went okay. After the install and system restart the software didn’t come up. It wouldn’t start up from the Programs bar or desktop. I dug out the tech support number and sat down to call when it came up-- I have no idea why. After a round of updates and scans I was done.
While the full-system scan ran I went out and began installing winglets on the F650GS. These are clear, plastic air-redirection triangles which mount at the base of the Madstad windshield. Without them, air rushes up over the tank and hits my mid-section. Madstad had sent me templates to accurately drill the aluminum mounting cowl and that worked out very well.
After securing the winglets I took a short test ride. Success! The unwanted buffeting is gone, even in the wake of trucks on the interstate.
I then rode the Thruxton down to Rudy Park where I walked a longer five-mile loop, pushing pretty hard in the mid-80s heat.
That evening we watched the pilot for the BBC Masterpiece Theater series ‘Heat of the Sun’.

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Monday, 19 August -

This morning we started the process for topping off the acid neutralizer tank. I put the tank in backwash (the first step of the procedure), but then took a Skype call from Orat when I went to the laptop to check on something. The call lasted a while and when I returned to the acid neutralizer I realized I was in trouble on my procedure. I was supposed to unplug the control part-way through the backwash procedure so it would pick up from that point once I topped off the tank. According to the manual, the entire procedure lasts three hours so I couldn’t just start over again.
I abandoned that procedure for today but proceeded with changing out the light bulb on the ultraviolet water-sterilization unit. That procedure was: (1) Unplug the controller and wait 30 seconds. (2) Rotate the locking tab on the black wire-connection unit at the top of the assembly until the assembly pops up. (A spring at the base of the bulb pushes it up). (3) Pull the white plug off the bulb. It slides up off of four straight pins. Do not twist. (4) Set the wire-connection unit aside. (5) Lift the bulb out, being careful not to let it touch/break the glass sleeve it sits in. Best to use gloves. (6) Inspect the inside of the quartz glass sleeve, looking for any indication it should be cleaned. If so, follow the cleaning procedure in the book before proceeding. (7) Unpack the new bulb and inspect it for any problems with the bulb or connectors. (8) Carefully insert the new bulb into the glass tube, connector up. It should protrude about an inch. If it falls in too deep, lift it up and angle it slightly and try again until it protrudes (so you can connect it). (9) Connect the white plug to the four pins on the end of the bulb. (10) Life the connector/bulb assembly and re-insert it until the bulb now goes further down into the tube. (11) Gently push down the black connector unit until you can rotate the locking tab into place. (12) Plug the controller back in while holding down the reset button on the end of the controller. Hold it down until the display shows ‘RESET’.
(13) Pack the used bulb and mark it’s number of days of use on the package. It can serve as a temporary if the other one goes out prematurely.


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Sunday, 18 August -

Today was overcast and we had a light rain early this morning so the roads were too wet to ride. By lunch time the road looked good here but I knew there would still be some wet spots. I had ‘Thruxton fever’ so when I couldn’t stand it anymore I chose to ride down the interstate for its dry roads. But the US30 exit is blocked for construction so I took an earlier exit and sure enough encountered roads that weren’t quite dry yet. I didn’t want to dirty up the showroom finish of the Thruxton but at that point had little choice. So much drama for a ride to the coffee shop, eh?
That night we watched ‘Unfinished Sky’, an Australian story. Not bad. A bit melodramatic but we loved seeing the scenery. It was shot about an hour southwest of Brisbane. After the movie I did a bit of cruising in the area on Google Maps.

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Saturday, 17 August -

Today was to be nice but tomorrow rainy so I headed to Chambersburg today to get a longer ride in. I left around 0930 and took my time by stopping at all the motorcycle shops in between, looking for a helmet and just the right tank bag. I stopped at the cycle accessories shop in New Oxford and tried a Cortech mini tank bag with magnetic mount. I think that’s the one but it’s too early to commit to it-- particularly when they’re selling it for list price. They had an interesting leather-covered Fulmer helmet but even the 2X size was too tight and the clerk says that’s their largest.
My next stop was Battlefield Harley in Gettysburg but didn’t see anything interesting. A few of the Harley guys gave me odd looks as I was wearing my bright green riding jacket and didn’t want to leave it on the bike in the lower parking lot. I clearly wasn’t a member of the tribe. ‘Freedom’ means you have to wear the same grunge look as everyone else, after all.
In Fayetteville I stopped at Roxy’s Kawasaki and saw a very magnetic-mount tank bag for one-third the price of the Cortech. It was a bit too big, though, for the lines of the Thruxton. It would be fine for a longer trip but too big for around town. I did buy a half-shield to try on my open-face helmet since it was only ten bucks.
I visited Maypo for a couple of hours and we decided we’d better run the boat motor a bit to keep it healthy. The boat hasn’t been used this year yet and we’ve only run the engine once before this year (in April). It started immediately,though. We were careful to use fresh gas and after running the engine a bit allowed the gas to run out rather than let it sit in the lines and fuel system.
I then headed home, stopping briefly at my nephew’s house to show off the Thruxton since he has been talking about them. He told me a buddy has an 09 red one for sale for $4800. NOW he tells me---- the day after I bought a new one!
I rode home via I-81, SR174 and SR74. At Boiling Springs I stopped for a cappuccino at the little coffee and ice-cream shop on the square. I see they’ve re-done it. Very nice!
The rest of the trip home was uneventful and I was happy to see I was still pretty comfortable after the ride. My wrists and butt were a bit achy but my knees were fine, despite the tighter crouch position of the Thruxton.

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Friday, 16 August -

This morning I hooked up the utility trailer to Mocha Joe. I drove the 75 miles to Hermy’s and picked up my new Triumph Thruxton 900 motorcycle. Yeee- HAH!!!
With the paperwork and the slow trip home (traffic was backed up), I didn’t get back until 1430 but by 1500 I was on the bike and headed down to Starbucks for my first ride. I love it!
After a quick coffee I came back home and almost immediately decided I needed to ride up to Cycle Tech to see if they have any more suitable helmets. The shop was closed with a ‘Gone Racing’ sign so that didn’t work out but I didn’t mind--- I just wanted to be out riding.
That evening we watched three episodes of ‘A Gifted Man’. I think that will be enough for that one. Couldn’t get into it.

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Thursday, 15 August -

We had breakfast with our hosts and then headed out around 0830. The trip home was similarly straightforward. I-75 to I-80 to I-76 for ten hours.
We again listened to a few ‘This American Life’ episodes and time seemed to go quickly.
Once we got back home, I went over to our Giant to top up the tank before our gas-credits expire and learned we had gotten an unprecedented 18 miles per gallon for the 500-mile drive home. The van turned over 198K and is getting better gas mileage than ever? What’s up with that?

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Wednesday, 14 August -

Today was another full day inside. I spent much of it playing with Skype, both in installing it on two computers and in using it to entertain a seven-year-old. There were two grandchildren in the house, both girls, seven and three, and they were wonderful entertainment for us all. Naturally there were a few minor crises and a few tears but it was great to have them around.
That evening we had a home-made lasagna and still managed to talk, talk, talk while we sipped margaritas all evening.

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Tuesday, 13 August -

We spent the entire day inside even though it was a beautiful day out. We had so much to catch up on. The day flew by.
That evening we ordered takeout ribs for supper and stuffed ourselves.

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Monday, 12 August -

Today we spent the entire day driving to Michigan. We didn’t rush our start and got underway around 0830. With our regular stops, we arrived at our destination at 1830.
As we drove we listened to three episodes of ‘This American Life’ podcasts. That was only three hours of our ten hour trip but gave us something to talk about in addition to the actual listening time.
As we neared the Michigan border I realized the gas guage was doing something strange. It wasn’t as low as normal. Upon filling up I learned we had gotten almost 17 miles per gallon coming out. It’s normally a bit over 15, occasionally into the 16s but usually only with a favorable wind.
After supper with our hosts (Labashi’s brother and family), we sat around the table talking until bed time, catching up.

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Sunday, 11 August -

Today I got out the wet-dry vac and cleaned up the van for our Michigan trip. I pulled the bedding for washing and I vacuumed and cleaned windows and re-organized.
I then drove to the west-side Walmart for an oil and filter change. The last change had been done about 4000 miles ago but I was about to put another 1000 on. I also wanted the tires rotated, a lube job done, and a general checkup done of lights, air filter, etc. I was surprised to find my favorite hard-to-find oil was not only available but was also on sale. Good deal!
That evening we watched ‘Burma VJ’, a good documentary about video journalists in Myanmar.

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Saturday, 10 August -

Well, heck,it’s time to go to Hermy’s. I’ve got the itch to sit on a Thruxton and I need to test Mocha Joe’s new cooling system before we go to Michigan next week so Hermy’s it is. This is a motorcycle shop about 75 miles northeast of home. It’s just a few miles north of Cabela’s along I-78. I’ve been there a few times, generally looking at the BMWs after a visit to Cabela’s but today my priority was Hermy’s and Triumphs.
I had seen their inventory showed three Thruxton’s, two blacks and a green. When I arrived I found a green on the floor and learned there was only one black one (the color I wanted) and a guy had just been in this morning looking at it and said he was going home to get his credit card to put a deposit on it. Now that may have been a story but when the sales guy gave me a good deal, I jumped at it. My local dealer had told me they couldn’t give me any break from MSRP or shipping or assembly charges because the bikes were so hard to find. When I had objected to paying full price so close to the end of the season, he said I’d be lucky to find one at all, much less one with a break on price.
When I saw the Hermy’s deal written and knew there weren’t any surprises, I whipped out the credit card and put down a $250 deposit. I didn’t even have to think about it. After my Bonneville rental last weekend I knew I liked the engine and trans but hated the riding position. And the Thruxton’s riding position was much better than the Bonneville’s for me.
That evening I walked at Rudy Park, yet again.

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Friday, 9 August -

This morning I blundered upon an interesting cafe racer kit. An outfit called RYCA has a $3000 kit to turn a Suzuki 650 cruiser into an owner-assembled and interesting cafe racer in about 40 hours of labor. Since Orat had told me he was looking for a winter project and his son had expressed interest in a cafe racer, this jumped out at me. I sent them an email and found several owner-built units for sale in the $6000 range as well as several used Suzuki 650s in the $2000 range.
That got me to thinking about doing something like this but I’m not equipped for it. I don’t have a garage or a space where I could do it. I guess I could rent one but if I had to spend $5000 for the donor unit plus kit and then do all the work, I’d be better off to buy an assembled one. And it’s not much more to just buy a new Thruxton.
I had a few errands to run and took Labashi’s car into town. I included a stop at Action Motorsports to sit on a Honda F6B--- a stripped-down version of a Gold Wing--- but quickly ruled it out. The only word I can think of is ‘ponderous’. Too big, too unwieldy. It would be smooth on the highway but I’d rather travel in Mocha Joe.
After 10k steps at Rudy, I went back home to dream some more about motorcycles on the web.
After supper Labashi drove me up to the shop to pick up Mocha Joe. It cost me $450 to get a new water pump and thermostat and hoses for them and the heater. Nevertheless, I was happy.I had feared it also needed a new radiator and if that were the case my bill would have been in the $750 range.
That evening we watched ‘Gold Rush- South America’. Ha! The boys aren’t making any money mining gold but apparently they’re doing okay making ‘reality’ shows about it.

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Thursday, 8 August -

This morning I received a reply from the seller of the used camera for Dad. The reply gave me a good idea of the camera’s condition so I went ahead and ordered.
I then rode down to Starbucks and then Rudy Park for my walk. I cut it a bit short and only did 10,000 steps.
I got home just in time to accompany Labashi to our family doctor’s office to get shingles shots.... or should I say anti-shingles shots. The shot was entirely pain-free-- I didn’t feel the needle at all.
We were ready for a restaurant meal that evening and went to Culhane’s. I loved the filet mignon but Labashi’s crab cakes weren’t the best. If we can get that right we’ll have a go-to restaurant very comparable to our old favorite that burned down.

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Wednesday, 7 August -

I was hoping to go to the Triumph dealer with Orat today to check out the Thruxton I’d seen there a few weeks ago. We ran out of time yesterday so I went alone today.... only to find they had just sold the Thruxton. But I learned another one was due in next Tuesday and they’ll give me a call when it’s ready to check out. The issue for me is whether the peg position would be more comfortable than the abominable position of the Bonneville’s pegs.
I also went over to Mom and Dad’s apartment to fix their Skype camera. I had stupidly disconnected it while testing the Smartmedia card reader last week, thinking it was the now-useless transfer cable for the camera. It just took a minute to get things working again.
I then went home to mow on this very hot day.
That evening we watched ‘Hell on Wheels’ -season two- episodes.

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Tuesday, 6 August -

We didn’t have to pick up the truck this morning until 1100 so we drove the van to Action Honda in York to see if we could get a test ride on their demonstrator FJR 1300. Unfortunately, the rain started just as we pulled into the parking lot. No ride today! We looked at bikes for a bit and then drove to the nearby Enterprise lot to get the pickup.
The pickup was a new Dodge Ram 1500. I thought that was great since I had been looking at Dodge pickups recently and had test-driven a Ram 2500 diesel. At the time I decided I didn’t really want a diesel so this was perfect.
Unfortunately, I hated it. This one had a problem. When I’d try to accelerate, it would pause so long I thought it had shut down. Then it would suddenly change down a gear and accelerate too much. Clearly, there was something wrong. So much for my interest in Dodge pickups.
We backed it up to the small hill at my house and it became apparent we had a problem. The bed of the truck was so high off the ground and the ramp so short that we couldn’t possibly push the bike up the ramp. While I was looking for a longer and wider ramp, Orat came up with the solution. Take the ATV out of its trailer, back the motorcycle up the trailer ramp into the trailer, then raise the ramp to the level of the pickup bed. That was a great idea! We ended up having to use a come-along to help pull the 600-pound bike up the ramp into the pickup bed but it was done completely under control and we were very happy with the solution.
Orat left for home shortly after noon and I spent the rest of the afternoon looking for a used camera for Dad. His camera has a broken mini-USB port and is old enough that I could find a replacement camera for only $30. I sent an email to the seller hoping to get a better idea of the camera’s condition.
That evening we watched ‘Hell on Wheels’ episodes.

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Monday, 5 August -

We spent the morning looking for a tire for Orat’s bike. We knew going in that this particular bike, a ‘95 CB1000, uses a tire unique to it and the ’94 model. We eventually found one but it would have to come from the west coast. Surprisingly, it was a good deal... it was being discontinued so it was being sold cheap. But it was in California.
We then checked on renting a pickup or cargo van. That turned into a frustrating process but we eventually found one for one-way rental at Enterprise rental outfit across from the Starbucks I frequent. Well, heck, I sure know the way there! We made arrangements to pick it up tomorrow at 1100.
We took a last motorcycle ride, this time down the back way to Starbucks for a coffee. We then returned home to get Labashi’s car. I drove it and Orat rode the Bonneville to the motorcycle-rental guy’s business near Lancaster. Everything checked out on our return and we were soon on our way home.

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Sunday, 4 August -

This morning we discovered Orat’s motorcycle has a problem. I had noticed a light-colored line on his tire tread and at first thought it was a piece of string or something stuck to it. But it turned out to be the rear tire’s metal mesh belt material. I only saw a short bit of it but when we rotated the tire, we found it was actually much worse. It was too dangerous to ride.
He had wanted to ride my F650GS anyway and I had rented the Bonneville for two days so that wasn’t an immediate problem. But how was he going to get home? Fortunately, he didn’t have to get home until mid-week so for today, we just forgot about it.
We spent the morning riding to and then down along the Susquehanna River. We stopped to check out the unknown Confederate grave near Accomac and then rode to the new county park overlooking the river south of Wrightsville. After a walk to the top of the hill we continued down along Long Level, then returned home for lunch.
After lunch we rode to Chambersburg to see Maypo. We were originally thinking of getting a motel room in the area there but it was such a perfect day that we decided to ride the two hours home. Along the way I detoured to King’s Gap State Park but we never got to the top to see the sunset from the mansion. There was a bluegrass festival going on and the road was jammed up more cars than I’ve ever seen there before. The parking lot was full and people we parking along the narrow road, making it impossible for cars to pass. What a mess. We got the heck out of there.
It was just getting dark as we drove into the driveway at home.

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Saturday, 3 August -

Orat came down to visit via motorcycle today. We were planning to make a weekend of motorcycle riding and I rented a Triumph Bonneville for it. Orat had ridden five hours to get here and rain was threatening so we took Mocha Joe and the utility trailer to go pick up the Bonneville in Lancaster.
We spent the evening chatting and figuring out where to go tomorrow.

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Friday, 2 August -

This morning I went into town on the Concours for my regular coffee and walk. It was a spectacular day at Crist Park and I pushed both the walk and pushups.
That afternoon I made a call to Johns Hopkins regarding my possibly participating in a clinical study but that didn’t go as well as I had hoped. If I could talk directly to the doctors I’m sure we could figure this out but the study director didn’t seem very helpful in giving me the information I’d need to make an informed decision.
That afternoon we took Mom and Dad out to dinner at Bonefish Grill. That evening we watched three episodes of ‘Hell on Wheels’, season two.

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Thursday, 1 August -

I dropped off the rent check for out storage unit on the way into town to buy mower blades this morning. I’ve whacked a couple of rocks since the last blade so it’s time. It’s getting tough to find the blades so I bought two.
I hit the East York Starbucks and then Rudy Park for my daily walk.
That evening we watched three episodes of the second season of ‘Hell on Wheels’.

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Wednesday, 31 July -

This morning I took a few minutes to assemble Labashi’s work table beside the utility sink and then spent the rest of the morning digging out the drainage trench around the house. This both keeps termites away from the house and gives water from sudden storms a bit more temporary storage area until it has a chance to drain away.
I took a break with ride down to Starbucks but returned home to walk--- behind the mower! That’s a four-mile walk right there.
That evening we watched ‘The Way Back’, a movie which purports to tell the story of a group of prisoners who escaped from a prison in Siberia and walked 4000 miles to India. It’s difficult to tell what portions of the story are true and which are ‘based on a true story’ exaggerations.

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Tuesday, 30 July -

I needed to do another coat of paint on Labashi’s work table so had to make a run for more paint and then finish that job tomorrow.
I waited until evening for my walk and had another really nice, balmy evening for it.
Back home we watched a movie called ‘The Imposter’ about an abducted child who appears to have been found several years later and then the last episode of ‘The New Girl’. I love Zooey Deschanel but that’s enough of that.

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Monday, 29 July -

Today we arose at 0500 to get Labashi to a medical appointment by 0630. The procedure was over by 1000 and we were home before lunch. We hadn’t slept well so took a short nap, then I rode into York for some plumbing parts for the water treatment system maintenance I need to do sometime soon. I need to add a section of clear tubing to the drain for the acid neutralizer so I can monitor the opacity of the back-wash water during the calcite refill procedure.
I also bought paint and painted the parts of a work table I had made to sit beside Labashi’s utility sink in the mud-room.
Late in the day I rode over to Rudy Park for my walk and then we watched the rest of ’56 Up’.

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Sunday, 28 July -

Today was a lazy Sunday. We watched ‘Sunday Morning’ and I headed off to pick up a prescription on my way in to Starbucks. The prescription order had been lost so that delayed me a bit. But with today’s steady rain I wasn’t going to get my walk in.
That evening we watched a quirky movie, ‘Safety Not Guaranteed’, and two episodes of ‘The New Girl’.

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Saturday, 27 July -

Another hot one today and rain is due in later so I walked earlier in the day, again at Rudy and Crist parks. My step count was 14,000 for the day and I did 160 pushups on the bench-backs.
That evening we had a short but strong rain storm blowing in onto the west side of the house. WIthin 20 minutes the water alarm downstairs went off. The rain came in so fast it overwhelmed the drainage trench and came in over the top of the west half-wall (the wall was built one block-row too low).
We rushed down and rolled the storage shelving out of the way and I went to work with the wet-dry vac. It picked up four gallons of water and the floor quickly dried out. We keep the humidity low (around 50%) with a dehumidifier so it’s not surprising that the floor would dry quickly.
The good news is the alarm gave us quick notice and we had no damage whatsoever. If we hadn’t been home, damage would still have been pretty minimal since we have all the storage shelving and storage cabinets on wheels and up off the floor. The water would have to get two inches deep and the floor drain should prevent that from happening (unless it got clogged somehow).
After our little cleanup adventure we watched ’56 Up’, an English documentary which visits the same set of people every seven years to document their lives as time passes.

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Friday, 26 July-

Today the humidity dropped a good bit and though the temperature was still above 80, I loved the relief from a sweaty brow on my walk.
I drove Labashi’s car into town and bought two bags of calcite for the acid neutralizer portion of our water treatment system. This will be the first maintenance on the system in a year. I’m having some problems finding good instructions for the refill procedure, though.
Instead of coming home I drove on over to Rudy Park and walked five miles. I forgot my Fitbit for the first time so will have to make a manual entry in the online log to get credit for my steps and pushups.
That evening we watched three episodes of ‘The New Girl’. It’s silly.

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Thursday, 25 July -

Today was a hot one and I took my walk late in the morning. I forgot my hat and sunburned my face and forehead more than I liked. I pushed pretty hard for the heat and ended up needing to lie down and read for an hour that afternoon.
That evening we drove over to Restaurant Sidney and spent way too much on making a meal out of appetizers and their very tasty (and strong) drinks.
We were quite happy with our meal and watched three episodes of ‘Life Below Zero’ on TV. But later on I woke about midnight and couldn’t get back to sleep until after 0500. What the heck was that about?

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Wednesday, 24 July -

I had to wait for a doctor to call today and that didn’t happen until 1700. I caught up the blog in the morning and had a long Skype chat with Orat in the afternoon.
After supper I rode down the Rudy Park and walked my regular loop. I at first wasn’t happy about getting such a late start but it was very, VERY nice down there. Lots of people were out enjoying the pleasant evening. I saw a big vee of Canada geese fly over very low in the red light of sunset and the bunny rabbits and squirrels and birds were playing about along the edges of the tree lines. Nice.

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