41 Years

It was 41 years ago.

The Fuzz & His Sweetie

No Regrets.

Still On Top

The Fuzz has been a bit slack these days on his posts.  But he did promise to keep y'all posted on this business.

He and His Sweetie have been working on this, a bit at a time.  The rope is there as a safety precaution.  The pitch of the roof is just enough to make it easy to slide down, and right off the edge.  It would not be good for The Old Fuzz.

But the back side is finished now.  Next they'll start on the front.  That should be a bit less complicated, since it's pretty much a strait shot.  Of course it could be a while yet, with the Holidays and all.  But that is one advantage to retirement, the schedule is pretty flexible.

Nightshot

More Heat

Well, now that there is a heater out in Our Fuzz's "shop", he remembered an old article he had seen years ago for making a "Waste Oil Burner" that would fit inside an ordinary wood burner.

This is not exactly the same design, but as can be seen, it is working. (so far)

A large can was selected for the outer body, and a smaller can placed inside as an oil reservoir.  A series of 1/2" holes were cut into the outside can to let in air for combustion.  The space between the cans was filled with an absorbent material, originally sawdust*.  Tiny holes were made into the inner can which was then filled with a cup or two of old motor oil.  Theoretically, the oil would seep slowly into the absorbant material which would act as a wick.

In practice, once the thing heated up pretty good, the oil in the small can would ignite.  But this worked out fine since the fire was well contained, and could only burn at the surface.  
In testing it was determined that it could burn for well over an hour- maybe two- without refilling.  Then all that was needed , was to add a bit of oil to the small can.
The Fuzz reports that this thing actually did warm up the shop pretty well in the first trial.
It may not be the best way to recycle oil, but it is better than pouring it a ditch, or down a storm drain.

*The Fuzz plans to try using sand, and perhaps some steel wool in the future.

Getting on Top of Things

So what has The Fuzz been up to lately?

Well, His Sweetie and he have been doing a bit of roofing over at the Old Place.

Here's a look at His Sweetie taking a break with a view.
Although they don't live there anymore, they do occasionally spend a night over there.  And there are still a lot of things stored over there.
This roof was put on when they originally moved in to the place 34 years ago.  And to be honest, it is shot.  So it was either re-roof, or let the place simply cave in.
This time they decided to go with tin.  That should still be there when they're gone.

Rather than having everything delivered at one time (and sit there unguarded) they elected to just bring what was needed for a day or two at a time.  That way it anything not used that day could be easily stored inside.

They are taking their time, working when the weather is good, and staying away when it rains.  Since the old shingles are not being removed, there is no necessity to work quickly anyway.
This should be a big improvement.  The Fuzz promises that he'll keep y'all posted on how this turns out.

Christmas Lights

The Fuzz finally got around to getting some new Christmas Lights up on the trailer.

Have Heat

With the arrival of cold weather it was time for The Fuzz to add a bit of creature comfort to his new workshed.

When The Fuzz upgraded to the New Woodstove, the old one was moved out to the shed.  But That Lazy Fuzz had never gotten around to hooking the thing up.  
So with winter moving in for real, it was time to quit putting the job off.  After all, what good is a woodstove you can't make a fire in?
And so Our Now Motivated Fuzz trucked on into town to the Home Improvement Store for some stovepipe.  
Once the location for this Little Hot Box was determined, it was time for the smoke pipe.  Rather than running straight up and through the roof*, The Fuzz opted for a run through the wall.  An old piece of roofing tin was trimmed to fit, and a hole cut through for the pipe.  The pipe was secured to the tin roof with a bit of metal strap, and Voila!

We now have heat in the shop.

*Cutting a hole in the roof just seems like a bad idea!

It Was Cold Up There

The Fuzz, His Sweetie and the Not So Young Anymore Daughter took a trip up to Asheville over the weekend.  It was cold and windy up there!  It looks like winter has made it to North Carolina.
They had a pretty good time poking around the various shops and all.  They even made it to the Goodwill Outlet store.
But The Fuzz would like to go on record that he does not recommend Vegan Cheesecake!

And while there, they even got to see Santa!

Well, Thanksgiving is coming soon, and The Fuzz says he has a lot to be thankful for.  So enjoy some time with your families, and have some turkey together.

The Fuzz's Excellent Motorcycle Adventure 11

When we left Our Fuzz, he was puzzling over whether to take a chance on the weather.

The original window for this trip had been pretty optimistic.  But of course the trip had been extended several times, and now there was talk about some sort of "tropical" situation moving in his direction.

It was not a long ride back to Charlottesville, but things could get a bit wet.

Of course it has been said that "If you don't ride in the rain, you don't ride!"

And this was supposed to be an Adventure, wasn't it?

There had been plenty of times when rain had been forecast and in the end, nothing much came of it.

So The Fuzz decided to go for it.

A light drizzle began shortly after he left, and gradually increased.  And there was traffic.

At this point The Fuzz figured it was time to break out some rain gear and stopped to pull his rain pants over his leather.

The rain increased in intensity forcing him to wipe his glasses frequently now so he could see.  This was important with all the traffic.

Next, he realized that his jacket would not be able to turn  as much rain as he was now getting.  So it was time to stop and put on the rest of his rain suit.

It wasn't long until the rain required him to put the goggles on as well.  But even with them on, he could barely see the road.

More Adventure!

But he was making progress, if in slow stages.

Finally he stopped at a gas station for a break and hot coffee.  The women there checked the weather on a iPhone and told him that the worst was just then passing.  Things should be a little better the rest of the way.

So after getting warmed up a bit, the Intrepid Fuzz got back on the road.

And the rain had lightened - just a bit.

And that was just enough.

The rain continued to decrease as he was getting closer to his destination.  But it had taken it's toll.  He was wet, but could have been much wetter is not for the rain gear.

He was also hungry.

So he pulled into a KFC for some greasy chicken.  For some reason, they didn't serve coffee here, which seemed a bit strange to The Wet and Hungry Fuzz.  But the greasy food did help, in it's way.

As he approached Charlottesville, the rain actually stopped, and he found his way to his sister's house, and a chance to get dried out.

Time to Split

The Fuzz and His Sweetie have been burning wood for years to keep warm each winter.  Of course that can be a lot of work.  Some years ago they invested in a log splitter to make things a bit easier on the Old Fuzz's back.

For the last couple of winters, The Fuzz has been able to keep up with things by hand, leaving the machine for others to enjoy.  But this year he was faced with an abundance of larger trees from a neighbor.  This was a lot to handle at one time.  So this year it was time to break out the Power Equipment.

And The Fuzz has been busy.

But as can be seen, there is still a lot to do.

The Fuzz's Excellent Motorcycle Adventure 10

Continuing the tale-

With all the political shinanigans going on there wasn't a whole lot going on in the area.  But The Fuzz was content to just hang out with the Newlyweds.

There was good food, and the amazing Puzzler.

Whoever thought of making a 1000 piece puzzle out of Stary Stary Night, was a sadist.

The Fuzz wonders if this thing is even finished yet?

But later, it did inspire The Fuzz's Sweetie to break out their own 1000 piece puzzle!

It took a week, but finally, one morning things all came together for them.

It wasn't as easy as it looks!

The Fuzz had a nice quiet visit with the Newlyweds, but it was time to move on again.  The weather forecast however, was not promising.  The was rain moving into the area.  The Fuzz was hoping to make it back to Charlottesville to spend the night with His Sister again.  

It was decision time, would he play it safe and stay here, all warm and dry?  Or go for the Adventure?

The Fuzz's Excellent Motorcycle Adventure 8

In the morning it was time for Our Fuzz to get back on the road.  But this time there would be no clutch problems!

So he got his gear together. 

But since he was only riding to Herndon in northern Virginia on this leg, there was no rush to get started.


After a bit of breakfast, he loaded up the bike, and headed out to top off his tank before leaving town.

On a previous trip, The Fuzz and His Sweetie had invested in a semi-local map of the area.  Actually, it was supposed to cover the area in a 50 radius of Washington.  Using this, The Fuzz planned a route back though Maryland and down to Leesburg, thus avoiding once again the nightmare of Our Nation's Capital.

Highway 26, the Liberty Rd, passes though wine country and some pretty little villages.

Then he turned south, toward Virginia and crossed the Potomac.

At Luckett, he stopped for a break and some apple cider.

It was a Saturday, and there was a sort of a trade lot - tourist trap going on.

The rest of the ride went quickly, and The Fuzz arrived at his destination safely.

From Near Disaster to Carport

In previous posts The Fuzz has mentioned an unfortunate  occurrence while preparing a place for the New Carport.

That did slow things down a bit.  The Carport People called a few times, but had to be asked to wait just a bit longer.  But the site was finally ready, so the Carport People were informed.
This morning, just as that Not So Young Anymore Daughter was heading out the door to catch the school bus, The Fuzz became aware of the sound of a truck.  Looking out side he was surprised to find a truck backing a trailer into the driveway.

The Carport People had told him they would be coming today, but not until noon- and they would call, on the way!

It was literally the crack of dawn.
The sun was just beginning to hit the treetops.

But the moment had arrived at last.

These guys know their business.
Just backing a trailer down this driveway is no simple matter.

They wasted no time and got right to work, unloading the stuff, and setting it out.

The base was laid out and the frame assembled.

Then it was time to add the roof,

and screw it all down.

The whole job was done in about 45 minutes!

And here's a look at the finished product.

The Fuzz's Excellent Motorcycle Adventure 7

Back to "The Fuzz's Excellent Motorcycle Adventure"

After a short wait, The Fuzz's Motorhead Daughter and Husband arrived.  And after a delicious dinner, (and a few "shots") it was time to hit the sack for a much needed rest.

The Fuzz had a nice breakfast of ham & egg on a bagel, and hug loose for a while.

He took the opportunity to add a bit more to his Trip Journal.
His mechanically minded Daughter hinted around at taking a look at his bike problems.  So he got out the shop manual, which he just happened to have brought with him.  Even when traveling light, it doesn't hurt to be prepared.

Here he found his problem described exactly.
Could it be possible that this could all be straitened out without ordering parts from the distant Orient?
It looked like there might be a chance, if it really was merely a matter of bleeding the clutch line.
It was worth a try.

So it was off to the Auto Parts Store (they even have them in Maryland!) for the needed supplies.

And in short order, the job was finished!
And now due to some idiocy in Washington, (The Fuzz has a policy of not bringing up politics on this blog) it seemed that another family member had been laid off for the time being.  And since Northern Virginia was on the way back to Charlottesville, plans were made for another extention to The Fuzz's itinerary.

In the morning, he would be back on the road.

Mountain Hike

Over the weekend, The Fuzz and His Sweetie thought it might be nice to get a bit of exercise and take in a bit of mountain scenery.  Since it's only a short drive over to South Mt. The Fuzz suggested a hike up to Chestnut Knob, and His Sweetie agreed.

They seemed to have picked the perfect time for it.  The leaves had finally broken out their Fall Colors, and enough had already fallen that you could see out into the woods a bit.

The sky was clear when they made it up to the rocks at the top. It was possible to see all the way to the Charlotte skyline many miles away.  In the summer it's usually too hazy for this.
Unfortunately, The Fuzz's little camera was incapable of capturing this.  The little question mark (?) shows the approximate location.

They had a light lunch up there, and headed back dow enjoying the sights along the way.

It was a beautiful day, and a wonderful outing.

The Fuzz's Excellent Motorcycle Adventure 6

Even though The Fuzz's Trusty Bike had been giving a little trouble, he had decided to take the plunge, and push on to Maryland.  Having checked out some maps, he realized he was more than halfway there already.  He would have plenty of time for this leg, without pushing the bike.  Maybe it would do okay.  So in the morning he headed north toward the Baltimore area.

The plan called for definitely avoiding Washington.  On a previous trip, The Fuzz's Sweetie had worked out a nice route up into Maryland, and across through the countryside past a few wineries.

The first leg was to head north on 29, then catch 15 to Leesburg, and across the river into Maryland.
The Fuzz took it easy on this leg, and the bike gave no trouble.  Once in Maryland he stopped for a bit of fuel and a cup of coffee.
At Fredrick, after a rest break at the local DQ, he picked up 2 lane Maryland 26 east.  Those Maryland DQs don't quite hold up to NC standards.
He passed a few wineries, but resisted the temptation to stop.  He was getting closer to his destination, and would be there a bit too early at this rate.  So a bit of a lunch break seemed like a good idea.

He found Oscar's Alehouse.  That was hard to resist, so he didn't.  After a beer and ruben sandwich, he was ready to hit the road again.

But of course one thing came first.

And for the Ladies.

The Fuzz missed his next turn, but fortunately realized it before he got sucked into Baltimore.  A quick consultation of the map produced an alternate route, and he was able to "Recalibrate"
He was still a bit early getting to his destination.  So he decided to stop by the shop and see the Motorhead Daughter on the job. But due to some faulty directions, ended up lost.  And his clutch was acting up again.

So in the end he just went to the apartment, and waited, taking the time to catch up in his little Trip Journal.