Friday February 2nd.

Here "Two Weeks From Anywhere" it's Humboldt Penguin Day! 

Say what? 

So, they replaced him with a group of Penguins? 

Sounds like "Cancel Culture" to me. 

 

Who's going to believe a bunch of Penguins?  

 

 While I try to figure out this situation, What's on Your Weekend Agenda? 

You really should try getting out more @Larry Buskirk.

 

Grandson's staying the weekend. Rare one, no sports of any kind. Church responsibilities Sunday.

 

Need to check/ retorque lug nuts on Mrs. car after new tire install. Might take recycling to drop-off. Weather will determine whether any outside tasks will be tackled... oops, no sports this weekend so that's out. Maybe plink a groundhog.

Haven't posted about my growing radio hobby in a while.  Here it is for those that might be interested.  

 

Added a linear amplifier to my rig.  Required running a 240v plug into my office. 

 

The amp is capable of 700 watts.  In the photo you can see I'm tuning the 21.325MHz frequency and pushing 508.5 watts to the antenna with a Standing Wave Ratio of only 1.58:1.  I've been working on my antenna farm replacing antennas that can't handle this much power.  The proof is in the pudding as they say.  The additional power allows the signal to travel further and sound stronger at the distant receiver.  I'm close to "finishing out" the rig but not quite there yet.  

 

Recent contacts in far away places.   

 

Approaching 900 logged contacts.  Here they are on a map.

 

.40

 

I've been trapped in the house the last 2 days and part of today as contractors are installing a handicap shower in our bedroom. But with a nice weekend looming I may be able to get out and do some cleanup in the yard....but probably not much shop stuff. The furnace is still out and I haven't been able to start calling to see who might be willing to work on it (ceiling hung furnace). Disappointing since I got a couple of gizmos for the lathe I want to try out, and I have a plant stand to build

Not much planned.  Need to put some finish on the batch of awls I made this week.  Weather is supposed to be nice.  May go out for a walk about.

 I'm hoping for that sunshine they keep talking about, I am done with these overcast days.

@Larry Buskirk, how'd you get out today! Or did your wife finally give up.

 

Wife and I got a date with our oldest girl, gonna visit her and take her out to lunch. On the way to her place going to look at a car for our son, he's buying, dad is inspecting, even with this economy where it seems the dollar don't get much these days, the small 4 door sedans are quite reasonable on the secondary market. Looking to stay below the 6500 dollar mark and in our area much is out there, Nissan's and Mazda's and Toyota's around the 100,000 mile range with a lot of life left in em and looking sharp too. Hope we get something for him this morning, we getting tired of transporting him to and from work the last couple weeks. He was driving my truck for the last year but our insurance company slapped us so we need to get him on his own with this.

 

Got an appointment for this car this morning, a Toyota dealer wants 6995.00 for this 2016 Nissan Sentra, been shopping for cars the last three weeks and with my experience, if the interior looks as good as the exterior, and she runs tight and clean, this could be the one, I'll try to get em down a bit too. She's at 80,000 miles, means with good care my son could get another 80,000 at least out of her. Wish us luck!

 

 

21 minutes ago, John Morris said:

@Larry Buskirk, how'd you get out today! Or did your wife finally give up.

 

Wife and I got a date with our oldest girl, gonna visit her and take her out to lunch. On the way to her place going to look at a car for our son, he's buying, dad is inspecting, even with this economy where it seems the dollar don't get much these days, the small 4 door sedans are quite reasonable on the secondary market. Looking to stay below the 6500 dollar mark and in our area much is out there, Nissan's and Mazda's and Toyota's around the 100,000 mile range with a lot of life left in em and looking sharp too. Hope we get something for him this morning, we getting tired of transporting him to and from work the last couple weeks. He was driving my truck for the last year but our insurance company slapped us so we need to get him on his own with this.

 

Got an appointment for this car this morning, a Toyota dealer wants 6995.00 for this 2016 Nissan Sentra, been shopping for cars the last three weeks and with my experience, if the interior looks as good as the exterior, and she runs tight and clean, this could be the one, I'll try to get em down a bit too. She's at 80,000 miles, means with good care my son could get another 80,000 at least out of her. Wish us luck!

 

 

What...not an EV? Newsom is liable to scold you.

23 minutes ago, Gene Howe said:

What...not an EV? Newsom is liable to scold you.

Hey! I'm converting to battery operated garden tools though! Does that count? Not for Gruesom, but just because I'm tired of maintaining gas powered and the mess and noise. It's kind of therapeutic whacking weeds with a dull hum of an electric motor, I can literally hear my wife yelling at me while I'm whacking weeds now. Ummm, come to think of it, perhaps I'll go back to gas.

2 hours ago, forty_caliber said:

I'm close to "finishing out" the rig 

I always thought that was not possible 

 

Still trying to get a decent finish on a platter. 

 

Back in the fall I did an EWT "meet and greet" at the local turning club. I'm not a "club" person but decided to join as I knew a couple of the members in a past life. Seems now I'm scheduled for some demonstrations. Have to figure out what I can turn start to finish in a little over an hour. They also want to see how I make my Celtic knot rolling pins.

Got parts cut for memory boxes for patients at Children's Hospital (one of our ww club's charity)

 

 

 

 

On my "memories of the day" a photo from 18 years ago, an entertainment center I made for a daughter.  Little boy on the top is now a college sophomore.

 

1 minute ago, lew said:

Seems now I'm scheduled for some demonstrations. Have to figure out what I can turn start to finish in a little over an hour. They also want to see how I make my Celtic knot rolling pins.

No pressure!  

 

Maybe a greenwood rough turned bowl.  Show how, why you leave it thick, etc etc. 

.40

 

1 hour ago, John Morris said:

@Larry Buskirk, how'd you get out today! Or did your wife finally give up.

 

 I escaped through the tunnels,

SWMBO's a bit claustrophobic, won't follow me there. 

Wiarton Willie didn't see his shadow, so we'll have an early Spring! Of course, around here, six more weeks of Winter IS an early Spring!

11 minutes ago, HARO50 said:

Of course, around here, six more weeks of Winter IS an early Spring!

And our winter is just beginning!

9 minutes ago, John Morris said:

And our winter is just beginning!

 

And it continues to be, ...

And, ...

 

 

 Not sure how this Humboldt Penguin deals going to work out. 

They sent this guy with the following message, ...

 

 

 Never mind the Penguins ,  Sun Prairie WI's "Jimmy The Groundhog" has predicted an early Spring! 

 

 

27 minutes ago, Larry Buskirk said:

 

 I do live in California you know, nothing normal about that.