What I did today -instead- of Rocketry.

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Now I am replacing the rock that I just moved. OMG, I'd rather being pulling fillets :)

I'm not entirely sure of your project, but a neighbor rented a backhoe to shovel some river rock in his yard into (yes, used a hand shovel to put the rock in the bucket and then move the rock.).

His intent was to wash the rock to make it clean and then put it back where it was. I'm not entirely sure what went wrong with the plan, but at this point he has a pile of rock in the back yard and a big bare spot where the rock used to be.

The river rock was an 'extra' parking space between our properties and he rarely used it unless guests were in town (the previous owner used it daily). I also have an extra parking space at the end of the driveway where I normally park the rocket trailer. I will not be removing the rock and washing it, however. I guess I'm a bad neighbor. . .

Sandy.
 
Rented a Rock Vac to suck up the rock, moved it to a neighbors driveway as he wanted it. I am then replacing it with white limestone. And yes, I am washing it before it goes in place. The last load I had to screen as it had so many fines in it. I am really tired, need bubble bath:)
 
Yesterday was spent removing fittings and patching drywall in preparation for painting walls in our main living area. Will complete that today. I hate painting but we need to modernise the color scheme.

My automatic gate has stopped responding to the wired buttons, but the remote still works. Problem on the control PCB. Need to look at that too.
 
First XC mountain bike race since August 2019 today. It hurt, good. Fitness was about what I expected and it was not my kind of course (except for the jumps). My son got second in his race and got to hang out with his MTB buddies again, so it was a great day.
 
Attended my first public event since Feb of 2020 - honestly probably many months before that due to other circumstances. It wasn't a rocket event, it was the NHRA 4-Wides at Zmax Dragway in Charlotte. Had a ball.

Even though the governor opened everything up Friday (no masks, no attendance limits) we had previously purchase tickets under their limited seating arrangement. A lot more people showed up and masks were few and far between. We still wore masks and used a bottle of sanitizer, but I kinda wish he wouldn't have opened things up until next weekend. . .

Either way, we had fun and enjoyed the show. Its nothing that can be described. (I included my thumb in the pic so everyone would know it was really me. . . )

Sandy.
 

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Attended my first public event since Feb of 2020 - honestly probably many months before that due to other circumstances. It wasn't a rocket event, it was the NHRA 4-Wides at Zmax Dragway in Charlotte. Had a ball.

Even though the governor opened everything up Friday (no masks, no attendance limits) we had previously purchase tickets under their limited seating arrangement. A lot more people showed up and masks were few and far between. We still wore masks and used a bottle of sanitizer, but I kinda wish he wouldn't have opened things up until next weekend. . .

Either way, we had fun and enjoyed the show. Its nothing that can be described. (I included my thumb in the pic so everyone would know it was really me. . . )

Sandy.
Isn't that gut punch when they launch wild? We had a friend that raced and whenever they were at Raceway Park we'd get to hangout in the pits and watch some races from behind the staging area. Getting hit with rubber 20 yards back is pretty nuts.
 
Isn't that gut punch when they launch wild? We had a friend that raced and whenever they were at Raceway Park we'd get to hangout in the pits and watch some races from behind the staging area. Getting hit with rubber 20 yards back is pretty nuts.

That is an understatement. The first time I went 5-7 years ago, a 'friend' said to leave your earplugs out for the first pass. While he is still a lifelong friend, I won't ever take his advice again. When the burnouts happened, I was concerned, but thought it wasn't that bad. I didn't know that during the burnout, there is a throttle stop that keeps the engine from making 'much' horsepower. When the 4 cars launched, I felt one of the worst pains I have ever had in any part of my body, much-less just my ears, sinus's and insides of my teeth. I could not get my fingers in my ears fast enough. I am 100% sure permanent damage was done and I am still aggrevated about that, but otherwise, he's a good friend. . . (in fairness, cars in the 1990s were likely making between 7000 and 8000 hp and there were only 2 at a time when he saw his first pass with no earplugs. Pretty sure the 10-11,000 hp version they have in modern history with 4 cars at once instead of 2 made a huge difference in my 'initiation.').

The rest of the event, with earplugs firmly in place and hands over my ears, was pretty mellow for most, but I was actually feeling anxiety the whole time and even thought about just leaving to go home.

Fast forward a year, adding ear plugs, plus over-ear muffs that are -34db and I enjoyed the event immensely and have every other time I've been.

Anyway, if you want to have an un-explainable experience, go to an NHRA race. 2-wide or 4-wide, doesn't matter - either one will be impossible to explain. But wear multiple levels of hearing protection at all times. Period. No joke.

Sandy.
 
Reading, DQ Blizzard, Bike ride, sculpting a custom seat cushion out of polymer clay for a smurf-scale model kit, watching a few Johnny Carson interviews. You know. Typical Sunday stuff.
 
Took a 10 Mile power chair ride today as it was perfect weather but lots of cloud cover. Tonight I went down to the man cave and waited for the 8 pm launching of the Black Brant rocket and naturally could not see anything at all, as there were lots of clouds down low and scattered up above but I think as far away as we are that there was no way I was going to see that small of a rocket.
 
Ran the timing console at little dude’s swim meet and cooked a lot (smoked some chicken thighs for dinner, made some beef stew for Tue dinner, and a pot of 15 bean soup for my lunches this week). Also, cleaned the crud from last few rides off my bike.
 
Deck plates glued in on my Weedless 1 meter. Ballast next...

(and a unique shot of my hobby room.. (the door is just to the right of the mannequin..)

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Very nice! I just got the second coat of epoxy on my hull this weekend. After the hull is done, I'll be ready to start working on the deck.

BTW, I also built that same paper hawk hanging up on the left side of your window. That was fun, it hung in my room for many years.
 
Very nice! I just got the second coat of epoxy on my hull this weekend. After the hull is done, I'll be ready to start working on the deck.

BTW, I also built that same paper hawk hanging up on the left side of your window. That was fun, it hung in my room for many years.

I've had the whole 'Birdmobile' set. The 'fuse' of the Osprey is hanging, up, but the wings are on a shelf (that thing is HUGE!!) You should also see the Kingfisher & the owl in that shot..

They are getting harder & harder to find..

What boat you working on?
 
Pulled the left rear tire from our nearly-new ZTR mower and ordered a rubber axle seal. Running over bird netting and having it wrap around the axle does not improve the seal. Talked to the wife about leaving bird netting where the mower can get at it.
 
Trying to beat the deadline for the next theater production, and finally finished this plantain prop (which gave me fits - I wore out 2 full sheets of 100 grit). With props finished, maybe I can work on some rockets now!!!!plantain.jpg
 
I took a day off work to take my youngest to the dentist and to take my oldest bike shopping.
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I think we found the color combo for my peregrine build.

(Purple, Teal, Magenta)
 
More wall filling in preparation for painting, including filling a couple of locations that had odd angles that the carpenters missed with their joinery (or rather lack thereof). The plugs for those four locations were 3D printed and then glued in place.

Cat brought a mouse in (we have a plague currently in Oz) and then let it go in the laundry. Still waiting for it go into a trap.
 
Cat brought a mouse in (we have a plague currently in Oz) and then let it go in the laundry. Still waiting for it go into a trap.

Ah yes, the mouse plague. We have caught 18 in the last 6 days. Using cage type traps so we can make sure they aren't native mice or antechinus before we dispose of them.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antechinus
 
Cat brought a mouse in (we have a plague currently in Oz) and then let it go in the laundry. Still waiting for it go into a trap.
Ah yes, the mouse plague.

Is that a common occurrence in Australia or is it something unusual? Also, what good is it going to do to trap the cat? It already brought the mouse in! :)

Sandy.
 
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