Wednesday 3-14 Wonderful Wednesday

Smile and be happy

We had a wonderful day. The temperature got to 70 degrees and no wind. We spent some time outside doing projects.

We started off the day picking up a package from the UPS Store. Then we went across the street and did our grocery shopping. The next stop was Belton Locksmith to get a couple of keys cut. 

Doing errands

The motorcycle carrier has a couple of wing nuts that hold the ramp in place and Larry wanted to get a couple of spares. The wing nuts are metric and Larry knew it might be hard to find them, we tried Ace Hardware, McCoy's and Auto Zone, we were unsuccessful When we got home he found them on Amazon but he decided to convert a couple of large knobs he had to work.

For lunch we tried a Polo Asado rice bowl that we bought at HEB. It was ok but a little bland. After lunch Larry started working on projects. The first project was the holding tank vents on the Minnie. He installed one the other day but decided to modify it a bit. He did the other one the same way and installed them both. Next up was a couple of projects on the motorcycle. He received the new oil drain plug so he was able to complete the oil change. Then he took it for a ride to make sure everything he fixed worked correctly. The next project for the motorcycle was to see how to tie down the cover when traveling. Larry put the carrier on the back of the Minnie, then he loaded the motorcycle and strapped it down. We put the cover on and strapped it down using the straps that came on it. The other day I sewed a couple of extra clips on the cover so we could have more straps. We figured out how long we wanted the straps. Then I sewed the clips on the straps. Afterwards we tried the straps out and they work great. Larry thought it still needed more straps so he found a couple of rubber straps in his stuff. He put them on the cover and he was happy. Then we removed the cover and put the cover and straps in a bag so when we need the cover we have everything together in one place.

Doing motorcycle projects

Ready to go on an adventure

Last night we rented Thor: Ragnarok and the rental was for 72 hours so we watched it again. After the movie we listened to music videos through the Ruko. We had a super day.

Relaxing in front the television

      

  

Tuesday 3-13 Spring is a week away

Spring is just around the corner

We had another beautiful day. It was a little cool but the wind was down. I can tell spring is almost here, the tree across the road from us is in bloom and my allergies were acting up this morning. The kids in the neighborhood are on spring break.

We have been wanting to give the Minnie a bath since we came back from the Rio Grande Valley but the weather hasn't been cooperating. This morning it was in the 30's and too cold but by afternoon the temperature was in the 60's. It was a perfect time to wash the Minnie. It was filthy considering it went through a lot of rain going to the valley and we drove through more rain coming home from Tool last week. The first thing Larry did was climb on the roof and wash it, this took awhile, he used a big brush to get most of the dirt off, then he took a smaller brush and scrubbed in the corners and groves. After doing the roof he climbed down and worked his way around the Minnie. When he finished washing the Minnie I came behind him and wiped it down with a towel. When he finished washing the Minnie's body he washed the wheels and hub caps. Now the Minnie is clean and ready to go for its next adventure.

Washing the cab of the Minnie

Washing the running board

Washing the Minnie with the big brush

For dinner I barbecued hamburgers on the charcoal grill. 

After dinner we watched YouTube videos and a movie from Google Play. We were going to watch Lord of the Rings Two Towers but our dvd player couldn't read the disc. Larry went to Amazon and Google Play to see how much it would cost to rent the movie. When he got on Google Play there was a special that allowed us to rent any movie for $.99. We figured it was a waste of money to rent a movie we have seen many times so we rented Thor: Ragnarok. It's a superhero movie made by Marvel Studios. We like action movies and we enjoyed watching this one. We had a great day.   

Monday Sundancers 21st Anniversary Dance

Having fun with friends

We had nothing on the agenda. What should we do? We hadn't done any walks on the local trails or around the neighborhood in a while so we decided to walk the Pepper Creek Trail. We started the walk but it was so cold and windy we turned around and went back to the car. We walked less than a mile. After getting to the car we went to Harbor Freight to pick up a lock for the motorcycle. 

I spent most of the day doing Sudoku puzzles. I worked out for a half hour with Gold's Gym. Larry did some reading.

If it wasn't so windy it would have been perfect day. It was a beautiful day with sunshine and the temperature didn't get to 70. When it was time for dinner I barbecued hamburgers on the charcoal grill. 

Barbecuing hamburger for dinner

After dinner we went to Sun City to dance with the Sundancers. We thought their anniversary dance was going to be next week but we were pleasantly surprised it was this week. The Sundancers invited Wade Driver to call with Brad Caldwell to celebrate their 21st anniversary. They also invited Lucy and Jerry Pate to come and cue round dancing. The dance started out with 15 squares and ten couples round dancing. Dancers came from all over the Austin and surrounding areas. They had refreshments and an anniversary cake. Brad and Wade called seven tips and an A tip. In between the tips Lucy and Jerry cued two rounds. We had a super time dancing with friends and to Brad and Wade. 

Lucy cuing the round dancing

Jerry and Betty round dancing to Lucy cuing

Friends having fun square dancing to Brad and Wade

More friends having fun

Twirling and having a ball

Friends laughing and having a great time during the dance

We had a great day.      

Sunday 3-11 Windy Day

Hold on tight!!!

We had a very windy day. At times it was so strong that you could hardly close the car door. It was a bit nippy considering the wind was coming out of the north. We were glad we didn't have anything that we needed to do outside.

I have talked about having a Roku, it's a device used to stream internet shows to your TV. We still use ours but since getting a smart TV we stream most stuff  directly from the TV. Louise has a couple of Roku's. When Larry installed her smart remote control for her television he noticed her Roku was very slow. She ordered a newer model and this morning we went over so Larry could set it up for her. The new Roku is a lot smaller than the old one and it definitely faster. Whats nice about replacing an existing Roku is you don't have to program all your channels, the data is simply transferred over. Once he got the new Roku installed he had to reprogram her smart remote controller so it could work with the new device. While there we ate lunch. Louise had bought a Papa Murphy's pizza and we had chips to go with it. We didn't get back home until late afternoon. We had a nice visit with Louise and I played with her dog Alice. 

Alice sleeping

In the evening we watched YouTube videos and the dvd The Lords of the Rings, it was The Fellowship of the King which was the first of the series. We have watched this dvd many times. Afterwards I worked out with my Gold's Gym for a half hour. We had a very relaxing day.

Saturday 3-10 Busy Busy Day

What did we do today?

What did we do today? Where do I begin, we kept busy all day.

Larry started the day off by putting the new vent on the Minnie. 

Spring is just around the corner. Our yards don't look too good. Larry started off by spraying a pre-emergent on the front and back yards. Next  he stated the irrigation system back up. He started each zone up one by one, all of the heads worked but a few in the back yard will need to be adjusted a bit, that can wait until another day. He then ran each zone for 30 minutes to water in the pre-emergent and while the grass was still wet he fertilized the yards with a feed and weed. Lastly he got out the pump sprayer and walked around treating the gravel for weeds. 

After doing yard work Larry finished putting grip tape on the ramp of the motorcycle carrier. Then we put the carrier on the truck and put the motorcycle on it. Once we got the motorcycle strapped on  we put the cover on it. We played with tying the cover down. The cover fits fairly well but it needs a few more straps to hold it on better so we modified it. He marked where the straps clips should be, then I sewed them on the cover. 

Rolling the grip tape on the ramp of the motorcycle carrier

By the time we finished doing this and that it was time for dinner so we called it a day. After dinner we watched the YouTube videos we follow and music videos. I worked out for a half hour using Just Dance. We had a very busy day.    

Friday 3-9 Lovely Friday

It's Friday

Today Larry started out the day working on the Minnie. He is replacing the vent on one of the holding tanks. He was unable to complete it today because the new vent required you to glue a couple of pieces together and now the adhesive has to dry.

Next he was back to working on the motorcycle. He took the motorcycle for a short ride to warm it up so that he could change the oil and filter. When he was removing the drain plug he discovered the threads on the plug were a bit damaged. He called the Yamaha dealers in Killeen and Georgetown and neither had the plug in stock. He ended up ordering the plug and a couple of other items from Rocky Mountain ATV in Colorado. They will be here in a few days.

The motorcycle has a disc brake in the front and a drum brake in the back. Larry did not feel the rear brake was working as well as it should so he had ordered new brake shoes.  To replace the shoes he had to remove the back wheel. He needed to get the tire off the ground so he supported the bike with a bucket. He removed the axle bolt and the chain which allowed him to remove the wheel and brake drum. The shoes actually looked pretty good and the drum was in good shape. He cleaned everything up and installed the new brake shoes. Then he put the wheel back on and adjusted the chain.

Working on replacing the brake shoes

 

Cleaning the casing for the brake shoes

Putting the brake back on the wheel

Adjusting the chain once the wheel was on

 

The stock foot pegs are really small so Larry ordered some larger ones. They did not fit perfectly so he had to modify them a bit. They now work correctly and look great. 

Old foot peg

New foot peg

Installing the foot pegs

Larry has always liked working on motorcycles. We haven't owned one in years and he is having a ball working on this one. 

While Larry was doing his projects I worked out for a half hour with my Wii Fit and did some Sudoku. I helped him when he needed me, which wasn't that often.

In the evening we watched YouTube videos and an Amazon movie called The Ballard of Lefty Brown. It was a western about friendship, loyalty and justice. It was a slow movie but I liked it. Then I did my Daily Challenges. We had a great day.            

Thursday 3-8 A Dancing with Dan Clairmont

What a wonderful day

Today we did this and that. We started the day off by going to town to do our weekly grocery shopping at HEB. 

Grocery shopping at HEB

After lunch Larry worked on a few projects. First up was completing the plumbing of the water pump in the Minnie. Then he blew the leaves out of the garage and off the porch and driveway. Next up was the motorcycle carrier. The surface on the motorcycle carrier is a bit slick and the motorcycle tends to slide a bit when loading and unloading so Larry installed Grip Tape on it. It's the stuff that is used on lots of surfaces so you don't slip. 

While Larry worked on projects I did some Sudoku, my weekly housework and worked out for an hour using my Wii Fit and Gold's Gym.

Working out

Larry and Patricia Daniel's met up with us around 5:00 to go to Sun City to dance with the Sundancers. We had a special treat, Dan Clairmont called the dance. We had three squares. Our friends from Marble Falls were there. Dan did a great job. We had a fun night.