Half Mile Trail Walk With Better Half

1/4 mile marker at Development Authority of North Country Nature Trail, Calcium, NY

I took a half mile walk with the Better Half today on the nature trail in Calcium, NY. She has long had a back and leg problems that have been limiting her walking. Her pain and discomfort during walking is abated when she pushes a shopping cart through a store. With that in mind we recently bought her a walker. Today we tried it out on the nature trail. WE made it to the first 1/4 mile marker, trned and went back, executing a half mile. This was a real milestone and morale booster. Especially since she is soon facing some surgery and the doctor would like her to get walking before hand so as to be better prepared for after surgery recovery.

Development Authority of North Country Nature Trail, Calcium, NY

It was a  lovely day after 2 or 3 days of rain. Breazy with a temperature about 68 degrees, low humidity. I also put a couple hours work in at our Clay St apartment house. My phone app says I walked 5,501 steps today.

Sink Cabinet Repair, Club Sandwich, Beer May 11 2024

Don't let the glass fool you. It contained Sierra Nevada IPA. I would NEVER drink Michalobe Ultra.

What I did Yesterday, May 11, 2024. 

BEFOR: Under the kitchen sink, apartment no 1, Clay St. 

I repaired the floor of kitchen sink base cabinet in apt No. 1 of our Clay St house. I used some scrap plywood to crudely replace the missing particle board of original cabinet floor. I then cvered it with some left over flooring planks. It is sturdy and looks good and is sealed up against bugs, mice and any other vermin that might show up unannounced. 

Couple scraps of 1/2 inch plywood to cover most of hole and support new flooring.

Final result: Strong, clean, attractive. 

About 6:00 pm we decided to take a drive, no place special, just toward the lake. Next thing you know we were at the Shangra La bar / restaurant on Point Peninsula. They just opened for the season. Musician Adam Netto was playing there. Nice surprise. I had a couple beers and a garlic pizza with chicken and bacon. The Better Half had a turkey club sandwhich. The food was delicious. Tab came to $51.00

An excellent turkey club sandwich served up at Shangra La on Point Penninsula, NY.

It was a quite pleasant day, mostly sunny, 55 degrees or so.

My iPhone says I walked 4,704 steps for the day. 

Medical Stuff Eats Up the Day

 

Some type of daisies at Onondaga Lake Park, Liverpool, NY

Yesterday (Wednesday the 8th) we left the house at 6:30 AM to make it to Syracuse  where Better Half had a colonoscopy scheduled for 8:30AM. Too much to go into now but later in the day,  at 3:00, she had a scan of some kind that can be done in lieu of a traditional colonoscopy. Between appointments we shopped a bit at Wegman's and hung out at Onondaga Lake Park in Liverpool. Very war and WINDY. Anyhow, all went well and we were home about 5:00. We were both quite tired. The day was shot in the ass at that point. We had pulled pork sandwiches for dinner. 

Artists Greg Lago Appears in My Dream

 

Greg Lago on the phone at Winged Bull Studio, Clayton, NY in 2007

My good friend Greg Lago appeared in one of my dreams a few nights ago. Greg was a multi-talented artist who owned and operated Winged Bull Studio in Clayton, NY. He died unexpectedly a year ago on his 74th birthday. I have missed him a great deal. Every day since then I have thought of him. 

In the dream Greg and I are going to visit  our mutual friend the artist Will Salisbury. Will had a home, workshop and studio in Omar, NY.  In the dream neither Greg nor I had heard from Will in awhile. He doesn't answer his phone. We are sure he is home. When we get there Will is nowhere to be found. It seems strange, a bit eerie. Somehow it dawns upon us that Will had passed away some ten months earlier and is no longer with us. Then, as dreams go, the scene changes and we are walking near a large body of water. In the distance there is a huge rusty hulled ship sitting upright, beached on the shore. There are many people milling around the vessel. As Greg and I talk and try to make sense of the news about Will Greg's voice becomes less distinct. He is moving towards the people and the ship on the shore. We look at each other as he recedes into the distance as if walking backwards. I am becoming confused. As Greg and this scene blurs and fades I gradually waken and realize I am dreaming. It is sad. I loved both of those guys. 

Pulled Pork and Haircut

Saturday, May 4, 2024

A new rub I tried out. It was good and I would recommend it, but my favorite is one from Emeril Lagasse.

    The morning began with some light on and off again rain, warming and clearing as the day went on. It ended a beautiful, partly sunny day. Temps hit 70 degrees. Most pleasant. 

I started a charcoal fire about 6:30 am and smoked a 14 pound pork butt roast. Purchased it on Friday at Hannaford Grocery store at $.99 a pound. A great buy. I used charcoal to initially start the fire and then used hickory and occasionally a little more lump charcoal to keep it going through the day. 

At 10:00 I got a haircut at Sportsman's Barber Shop in Watertown. 

The pork was ready to pull 5:00. I usually use a dry rub blend I mix from an Emeril LaGasse recipe. However, this time I tried one that I picked up at the Dexter Market. In the end I learned I like Emeril's better. Don't get me wrong, the pork was still delicious. 

A health app on my iPhone shows I walked 6,255 steps. 

14 lb pork butt after being in smoker for a couple hours at 250 degrees.

It doesn't take a lot of hickory wood to keep the fire and smoke going at a 250/300 degrees

It doesn't take a lot of hickory wood to keep the fire and smoke going at a 250/300 degrees

Another Auto Repair: Fuel Pump for 2011 Kia Sedona

Our 2011 Kia Sedona on a lovely April Day, perfect for repair work.

Today I replaced the fuel pump in my 2011 Kia Sedona van. The van has 176,315 miles on it. For the past year I've thought the pump was beginning to fail. Sometimes the engine would crank over longer than normal to start. Once in awhile it seemed to lose power. On Monday, April 29, it stalled as I was backing out of the Clay St. driveway. Very difficult to get it started again. Finally got it to run poorly and managed to drive it home. Brother Al followed me, just in case. 

By the time I gio home it was running good. The next morning it started right up. ButI knew it was time to replace the fuel pump. Got one yesterday at Auto Zone in Evans Mills. It was $288.35 with the tax. This comes about a week after repairing the brakes.

 The job was easy. Hardest part was removing the seat to access the fuel pump cover.

The old fuel pump I removed from our 2011 Kia Sedona .

The old fuel pump I removed from our 2011 Kia Sedona .

Auto Zone parts store receipt for 2011 Kia Sedona fuel pump.

Playing In The Surf at Cape Hatteras, NC

 

Gavin in the surf at Cape Hatteras, Outer Banks, North Carolina.

Family members from the Better Half's side  playing in the surf at Cape Hatteras Beach, North Carolina. This was on April 24, 2024. We rented a big beach house for a week. There were 11 of us. The lighthouse is Cape Hatteras lighthouse. It was wrapped in scaffold for repairs. 

Getting into the surf at Cape Hatteras, Outer Banks, North Carolina.

Gavin in the surf at Cape Hatteras, Outer Banks, North Carolina.

Gavin in the surf at Cape Hatteras, Outer Banks, North Carolina.

 Cape Hatteras Lighthouse wrapped in scaffolding for repairs. Outer Banks, North Carolina.

    

PHOTO: Runner On the Beach at Outer Banks NC April 21, 2024

 

Runner on the beach, Outer Banks, North Carolina. Photo copyright Gary Walts

I snapped this photo a runner on the beach on our first day visiting the Outer Banks at Waves, North Carolina. This was about 8:00am. I used a Sony a6000 camera set in the black and white mode. No special reason for that. Experimenting. This was Sunday, April 21, 2024. We arrived the night before at 8:30. Was about 14 hour drive from Chaumont, NY. 

Recent Auto Repairs, Safety Inspection Oil Change

 Cars eat up a lot of money. The purchase price, financing, auto insurance, gasoline, maintenance. We have a 2019 Kia Sorento the we are still paying for, and and a 2011 Kia Sedona. that has been paid for for a few years now. 

March 25th I dropped the Sorento off at Watertown Main Auto, 620 W Main St., for the mandatory NY State annual safety and emissions inspection. I also had the garage change the oil for me. I can do it and have done it many times but once in a while I get lazy. The inspection revealed the car needed new front brake pads and rotors.  The total for that came to $387.34

On Monday April 15 I took the Sorento to the former Cheney Tire shop on State St and had the wheels and tires checked out and balanced. That came to $77.76

Well, wouldn't you know it the next day my Kia Sedona started making some ugly noise that sounded like it was coming from the rear brakes. I checkout out and discover a seized caliper and worn brake pads on driver side.  Parts for that job cost $201.94 at Auto Zone. I did the repair so that saved me labor cost. Took me about an hour to do the drivers side. 

The passenger side needed only brake pads. Caliper was beautiful. But the wheel was rusted in place, took forever to break it free from the hub. I sprayed it frequently with WD40, hit the wheel with a sledge hammer and all to no avail. after couple hours I soaked it again with lubricant and left it alone until next morning. 

It came free after I put 3 lug nuts back on loosely, drove forward and suddenly hit the brakes. I did that a couple times and the wheel came loose. 

So, in a months time I spent $667.04 plus a few hours of my time on these vehicles. 

Doctor's Appointment Leads To Wheel Balancing

 Friday April 12th we had to take a drive to Syracuse for a doctors appointment for the Better Half.  We took the trip with her 2019 Kia Sorento. At 60 mph or so there was a vibration in the steering wheel. At 70+mph the vibration was distinct, pronounced. Past experience lead me to believe we had a bad tire or unbalanced wheel(s). So Monday the 15th I dropped the vehicle off to Cheney Tire in Watertown. They checked it out and found two wheels that were well out of balance. They rotated the tires, balanced the wheels and the bill came to $77.76 which I thought was reasonable.  Friday the 19th we leave on a road trip to the Outer Banks in North Carolina.

The bill for balancing and rotating the tires / wheels on our 2019 Kia Sorento

On another note Cheney tire was recently sold to Steve Shannon Tire and Auto Centers.The doctor visit was a consultation in regard to the Better Half's off and on again diverticulitis.

Thomas Jefferson's 281st Birthday and My 70th Photos

Thomas Jefferson, 3rd President of the
United States, Born April 13, 1743

I was born 70 years ago on Thomas Jefferson's birthday, April 13th, 1954.  It's Thomas Jefferson's 281st.  The Better Half and I had a low key celebration. We went to Garland City Beer Works in Watertown where we had a couple of drinks and food. The band Bad Husbands Club was playing there 6-9:00.  The next day my daughter S made us some great macaroni and cheese, dropped off a couple of rib eye steaks, a 6 packof Guinness Extra Stout beer and a Friendly's ice cream cake. It was delicious. I couldn't ask for a more pleasant birthday. 

Selfie I made at Clay St on my birthday, 70 years old.
 Yikes, where did the time go?

Cheese and meat tray at Garland City Beer Works

House cocktail called Posh Purse Punch at Garland City Beer Works

House cocktail called Posh Purse Punch at Garland City Beer Works

The Bad Husbands Club trio at Garland City Beer Works

Rib Eye steaks on the grill.

Rib Eye steaks on the grill andGuinness Extra Stout Beer.

Guinness Extra Stout Beer, birthday 2024

Friendly's ice cream cake. A gift from daughter S that included
Guinness beer, steaks, mac and cheese.

Bird Nest Building on My Cement Head Art

Today I discovered that a bird has been trying to build a nest on one of my cement head art works. I suspect it was the work of Robins. They are very active this time of year. The creatures unknowingly created a most interesting and fitting hairdo for my creation. 

Birds attempt to build nest on one of my "Cement Head"
creations on my garage in Chaumont, NY. 

On another note it was a good day. Well, at least it seemed so to me from a mental standpoint. The weather though was rainy, heavy at times. By late afternoon the showers stopped, the wind picked up and it felt very humid. High temp was 64. 

Earlier today I spent a few hours at our Clay St apartment house. Put on some moulding on part of a bedroom ceiling and some baseboards in same room. This was apartment 1. Dd some minor painting in that same room. Hoping to sell the place soon.