It's fall, but summer weather hangs on. At least the humidity is dropping enough for salt to come out of the shaker. I am in author mode again, writing up the story of this year's Old Car Festival trip for the Vintage Ford. I hope writing the story will take less time than it took to make the trip. Meanwhile I'm following Facebook posts by Seamus Hnat, who is driving his 1914 touring car from the Detroit area to the Model T museum in Richmond, Indiana, and then to Hershey. I'll be driving modern to Hershey, as I have to get home quickly for an appointment with my doc. Maybe I'll make it a Model T trip next year.
Wednesday, October 2, 2019
When I drove the runabout Monday the bike speedometer wasn't quite right. It was accurate some of the time, but often skipped to obviously bogus numbers. I know I wasn't driving over 200 mph. Experience tells me that happens when the sensor isn't in quite the right position. So this morning I pulled off that left rear wheel and adjusted the sensor. Later when I went to town the speedometer worked perfectly, so I hope I won't have to do any more to it. Why did I go to town? The main reason was to go to the lumber yard and pay for the wood for my new living room windows. I bought the lumber and Wally took it to begin work on the windows. While I was at the lumber yard I picked up a piece of scrap plywood to make a new floor board for the runabout. I need to replace one that was made incorrectly.
Thursday, October 3, 2019
There are other things I probably should have been doing, but on this day suitable only for indoor work my main project was making that new floorboard for the runabout. In the course of doing that I discovered something I need to shop for at auctions. I've rarely used my table saw but I had a use for it today, and I was annoyed to find that the angle of the blade can be adjusted, but not the height. Table saws are very common at auctions, and I had a choice of several last weekend, but I haven't bought one because I thought I already had one. I just didn't realize what a poor one it is. Anyway, I made the board and painted it, and it should be ready to use tomorrow afternoon.
Friday, October 4, 2019
Busy day. I was going to install new struts on the Camry, then found that I'll need a spring compressor. Instead I finished a Garmin holder for the runabout and painted it. Then had to go to town for cat food, medicine, and oil. Started getting ready for my annual Hershey trip, taking stuff out of the car. I fastened a tarp over the mower to keep the rain off until I can get back to work on it.
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Saturday, October 5, 2019
Today I did the final assembly on the Garmin holder and installed it in the runabout. With the bike speedometer installed in a way that I hope will keep it working, I have two speedometers. Of course I have a real 1915 speedometer too, which I'll install when I remember where I put it. With three speedometers I'll have two backups if one quits working. This afternoon I quit working about three and headed for Wichita. Saturday is my movie night, and I went to see Official Secrets, one of those movies unlikely ever to play here. It's the story of Katherine Gun, a British intelligence agent who tried to stop the Iraq war. Good performances by Keira Knightly and an excellent cast, a good script, and excellent directing by Gavin Hood all add up to a very good film. While I was in Wichita I bought a pair of spring compressors. I'll use them to install new struts in the Camry after I get back from Hershey. |
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Sunday, October 6, 2019
This was get-ready-to-go day. Preparing to head for Hershey tomorrow, I did laundry, bought dog food to fill the feeder, aired up the tires, filled the tank, and gathered the stuff I want to take. I probably forgot something, as usual, but I aim the hit the road early in the morning.
Monday, October 7, 2019
Travel day. I was on the road at 6:52 AM and made it through Saint Louis well before afternoon drive time, crossing the bridge into Illinois at 2:30 PM. There were no major delays, and I bedded down in the first Ohio rest area a little before midnight EDT.
Tuesday, October 8, 2019
With an early start before sunup I made good time again, even through the perpetual road changes at Akron. Arriving in Harrisburg about 1:00 PM I stopped and bought a vacuum tester to use on the runabout when I get home. Then I drove the few miles to Hershey and spent a couple of hours walking around the meet. Tomorrow morning it starts for real.
Wednesday, October 9, 2019
The first official day of the meet started off chilly, but it didn't take long for me to shed my winter garb. By the afternoon we were in bright sun and warm. But it is October, so by five PM a chilly east wind was blowing. Today's pictures are here.
Thursday, October 10, 2109
Day two didn't wear me out like yesterday. Maybe I walked less today, or maybe I'm getting in better shape for it. I'm shopping for one thing in particular: tail lights I can use on my runabout. Finding Model T era lights with the right socket orientation is surprisingy difficult. I've found one so far. I've covered two of the five fields so far. Maybe I'll get lucky in the last two fields tomorrow. Meanwhile, today I picked up some things I wasn't looking for because they were so cheap I couldn't resist. The first was 25 Model T tools, mostly wrenches, for $2 each. A few were drastically underpriced, usually selling for six or seven times what I paid. Others were unusually nice examples of some common tools. The other bargain was three Hayes felloes I can use to make some good wheels. They were $1 each. Along the way I took pictures, but can't post them tonight because the wi-fi won't connect.
Friday, October 11, 2019
I wrapped up my three day hike about three this afternoon. I ended up with some unexpected purchases because I stumbled across bargains, but I didn't find all the tail lights I wanted. So I bought a couple of lenses in case I have to make my own. This evening I posted the Thursday pictures at the same link shown above in Wednesday's entry. I should have time to post the Friday photos tomorrow morning.
Saturday, October 12, 2019
In the morning I went to the Hershey car show and enjoyed the many fine early automobiles. About noon I headed home. About 5:30 I stopped to eat at El Azteca in Akron, then drove on through the rest of Ohio and bedded down at the Mile 144 rest area in Indiana.
Sunday, October 13, 2019
Starting about 5:35 I drove all day and got home a little after 6:00 PM. Knowing I wouldn't feel like going to town after I got home, I bought groceries at the Country Mart in Coffeyville. I was not impressed by the quality of the produce. It didn't measure up to what I used to get at the Country Mart we had here.
Monday, October 14, 2019
I did a little unloading, but spent much more time editing pictures of the car show, then went to town for more groceries.
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
In the morning I posted the car show photos here, then went to town for an appointment with my doc. He froze a couple of raw spots on my face. Those are the results of too much sun in my misspent youth. While I was in town I stopped at the post office to pick up the mail they held for me, then came home and finished unloading. As always, the slow part of unloading was figuring out where to put things.
Wednesday, October 15, 2019
Today's project was making an adapter to go between the carburetor and the intake manifold on a Model T to use a vacuum tester. The adapter is a simple thing, but took a lot longer than expected to make. I made it three times before I finally got one that's usable. Other activities today included a walk down to the wood lot to inspect the road. It's still a swamp. If the boggy part ever dries out enough for me to drive past it, I'll cut logs from the south end of the place and corduroy that stretch so it will be usable even when it's wet. There are so many other jobs waiting to be done that I may not live long enough to do them all. Some are big projects, and some are small jobs that add up to lots of time. A short list: fixing the mower, the brakes on my pickup, the mowing tractor, the loader tractor, the top on my 1915 runabout, and the transmission in the 1923 touring; renovating most of the rooms in my house; building a new tool shed; building a garage, etc., etc. |
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Thursday, October 17, 2019
Last night I burned trash in the fireplace, but tonight I had the first actual fires of the season for heat in the kitchen stove and the living room fireplace. 60º in the kitchen wasn't terribly cold, but it was cool enough to make me want a little heat. So wood burning season is here, and I need to get busy with the chainsaw and the splitter. I suppose I should also fix the brakes on my truck so I can use it to haul firewood.
 Five Champion X plugs from the
early twenties, four from the teens, and four bases.
These will clean up nicely. |
 Ten cores, mostly from the teens.
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| Friday, October 18, 2019 This morning I shot photos of the plugs I brought home from Hershey. Then I set up the vacuum tester on the runabout, started the car, made a video of the test, and posted it on the forum to get opinions. There were lots of ideas, but the one I liked best was taking the engine back to Mike, who rebuilt it, and let him check it out. I may do that. |
 Edison, Splitdorf, Ward's,
Trojan, Horseshoes
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Firewood season kicked off in earnest today. I started up the splitter and brought four boxes of wood into the house. Next I'll start building up the supply in the garage.
Sunday, October 20, 2019
Lazy Sunday. I played online, read some of the papers that came while I was away, and played online some more. I was going to do some wood cutting, but couldn't get the saw started, so I didn't. I changed the oil and filter in the Camry. I laid fires in the fireplace and the kitchen stove, but didn't light the stove because 65º didn't feel cold enough for a fire in the kitchen. After dinner I did light the fireplace to burn junk mail.
Monday, October 21, 2019
When I went to town for groceries I stopped at Wally's and helped him assemble and glue the frames for my new living room windows. He thinks he may have the first one done and ready to install by the end of the month. It will be good to have them in before real winter weather arrives. The old ones are going to pieces and the Gorillla tape covering the cracks is peeling off. We'll install the windows as they're finished so as to not have four open spaces waiting for them.
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Today I was able to start the chainsaw because I cleaned the air filter so it can breathe. I attacked the pile of wood behind the shop, turning big pieces into smaller pieces, and hauled a couple of boxes into the house. I want to use up that pile first because it's blocking my loader tractor, which I want to get running and use this winter. That tractor is my preferred method of pulling inconvenient small trees out of the ground, and there are a lot of those that need to go.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
This turned out to be more of a shopping day than I intended. I was going to drive the Suburban to Winfield to get some rain gutters for the house, but had to charge up the battery first. While the battery charged I cut up more wood. Once the battery was charged enough for the vehicle to start, I went to town for a new battery. The old one was seven years old and wouldn't hold a charge. The Arkansas City Walmart apparently no longer carries the same battery, so I went on to Winfield and got it at the Walmart there. This was not the first time I've had to go toWinfield to buy something our so-called super center no longer sells. With a new battery installed, I went to the lumber yard and got four pieces of rain gutter. That's all I got, because they sell the gutter but no hangers. I swear, I am not making this up. I'll get some hangers at Home Depot when I go to Wichita Saturday.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Brrrrr... A chilly north wind was blowing as I boxed up and brought in the wood I cut yesterday. The forecast predicted rain, and a few drops were sprinkling on me as I finished. I spent too much of the day trying to update my computer's operating system. Of course the downloaded installer couldn't be opened because it was "not recognized". I hate that stuff. About 3:30 I headed north, stopping in Wichita to buy a couple of gallons of kimchi and then on to Hesston for dinner and a Flatland T's meeting. The meeting included electing officers for next year. Happily, I will not be one of them.
Friday, October 25, 2019
Overnight rain got the day off to a wet start and I stayed in the shop most of the day and started putting away and cleaning up. A nice part of that job is finding stuff you've forgotten you had, like this tire compressor. This is a tool no longer sold for cars (something to do with catalytic converters), but it should be fine for Model T use. I just need to get an adapter to screw it into a Model T spark plug hole. I hope it will be a better alternative to the foot pump I've been carrying. When I had a flat in Michigan last month, the foot pump wasn't up to the job of inflating a clincher tire to the necessary 65 or 70 psi. I was just lucky that a guy with an air tank stopped and blew up my tire. I don't aim to depend on always being that lucky.
Saturday, October 26, 2019
Checking out the Defore auction in Winfield this morning I found nothing to keep me there, so I came home and got a little work done. That was cutting and splitting wood. The forecast says I need to do that. Wednesday and Thursday are supposed to bring our first freezing temperatures of the season. About 3:30 I headed for Wichita. Saturday is my usual movie and dinner-out night. It was in Wichita this week because I had to go to Home Depot for rain gutter hardware. The lumber yard in Winfield sells the gutter, but none of the hardware. Tonight's movie was Black & Blue, about a rookie cop who spills the beans about a murder by corrupt cops. Some online reviewers ripped it for beng "liberal". I thought it was just a good story well told. It has good performances all around by a good cast, and the director keeps things moving and interesting.
Sunday, October 27, 2019
A depleted supply of clean sox made this a laundry day. Wally stopped by to let me know that the new window frames are ready for paint, so I went to town to buy some. But the Walmart paint computer went haywire, so I'll have to go to the paint store tomorrow. While I was in town I checked my blood pressure and found it was 155/92. I've been getting alarmingly high readings like that lately, so it seems the medicine I've been taking isn't up to the job. I'll have to see if my doc can prescribe something that works. I went 78 years without high blood pressure ever being a problem, but now it sure is. This is a feature of old age I do not appreciate.
Monday, October 28, 2019
Life is all the stuff that happens to you while you're making other plans. The plan today was to wait until the temperature warmed up above 40º, start up the truck, and haul in firewood. When the time came the truck wouldn't start because the battery was down. So I filled a couple of boxes with wood and took them to the house with a dolly. I put a tarp over the rest of the pile, and in the morning I'll put a charger on that battery and hope I can finish moving in wood before the rain arrives. The forecast claims it's unlikely to start before noon. Earlier today I bought a can of paint for Wally to use on the new window frames, and while I was in town I got my flu shot for this year. I've started doing that in recent years because persons of the elderly persuasion are said to be especially vulnerable.
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
First thing I did this morning was put a charger on the truck, then while the battery was charging I set about installing rain gutters on the house. I got about two thirds of that job done before the moisture arrived. It began as sleet then turned to drizzle. That put a stop to my outside work, so I went to the Verizon store to have my new phone activated, then to the market for groceries. With the wet weather going on, I never did finish hauling in wood.
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
On a dry day I brought in more wood. That's one of the seasonal daily chores you have to do this time of year, along with laying fires in the fireplace and the kitchen stove. Another seasonal chore, but not every day, is taking out the ashes. For these few months another part of the daily routine is going up to my bedroom and hour or so before bed time and turning on the electric blanket. Shorty sleeps outside most of the year, but when it's cold she likes to sleep on my bed with that electric blanket under her.
Thursday, October 31, 2019
Today I took some time to work on my story for The Vintage Ford. I'm writing up an account of my Model T drive to the Old Car Festival in Dearborn. In the afternoon I made a trip to town for a blood pressure check. For most of my life my normal pressure was lower than average, but for the past few months it's been so high that my doc prescribed a medicine for it. The medicine hasn't worked, or it hasn't worked enough, so this week the doc told me to double the dosage and keep a record of my BP readings. I'm hoping that in a few days I'll be back to normal.
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