Years ago I wrote a book on retirement–or at least I started to. I never finished it, never published it. But some people have read bits of it–here an in other forms. I doubt I’ll jump back into this, too many projects. I suspect a lot of it is dated and it’s all a mess, […]
The Retirement Trap Read More »
Fall is when I work. For most of the summer, the big rollup doors of my shop start ratting about ten, and by noon they are telling me it’s Fukinukin’ in the Gorge, and it’s time to drop the tools and go play. I always do. So not that much gets done. From mid-august on
A Busy Time In The Shop Read More »
I like the idea of a foil booster, and the version offered from Australia–the Foil Drive–seems effective if a bit expensive for what it is. Downwind foiling has always been my aim, but the likelihood of me being able to do it with just a paddle is very small. I have most of the parts
This bike is ready to ride around the world. I bought this bike on Bring-A-Trailer because I wanted a bike capable of going anywhere. BMW has been making adventure bikes a long time, my friends have them, I didn’t, and I could easily see they were having fun that I couldn’t quite share. It’s not
2002 BMW R 1150 GS Read More »
I’m not a motorcycle collector, I’m a mechanic and a rider, and I have been for almost 60 years. As such, I’ve accumulated some great motorcycles. That doesn’t mean I have bikes hanging from the ceiling or on display. That means I have bikes waiting for me to get off my ass and do something
1956 Goldstar Clubman made rideable Read More »
As anyone who has known me for more than 43 minutes knows, I have ADD. I could be the poster boy. But lately, I’ve been doubling down. I’m kind of frantic. I might have to see if I can get a prescription for Concerta if only to shut down the circus for a day. For
I’m using my blog as a place to store information about this project. 99 percent of it will be only of interest to me. I considered making it private, but if someone wants to follow along, here’s what I’m doing: TowBot Project Brains: This is where I’ll paste all the development stuff for the
Towbot Project Info Dump: Nav System Read More »
Love this. I’ve always been a dire Straits fan, and Sultans of Swing is one of my favs. But this… …this would get my ass up on the dance floor. Crank to 11.
Update: 2/13/2021 Meshy stuff. I uploaded meshtastic onto two of my TTGO T-Beam One with everything would you like fries with that boards. OK, they aren’t really called that but they should be. Meshtastic is an open-source communications app that uses LoRa to talk at a substantial distance between two boards, compare GPS locations using
TowBots, ESP32 boards, Bugs and Other Silly Stuff Read More »
That could easily be the tagline for my life, but it’s actually an idea for a cookbook I’m starting to write titled Better Next Time. The inspiration came from an eBook I wrote for my friends at Analemma Wines called Tasting and Pairing Unusual Wines. I’ll put the eBook up here when it’s done with
This is going to be tedious stuff, but necessary knowledge if you don’t want your solar installation going up in smoke. The voltages of most solar/battery/inverter installations are relatively easy to manage, but the currents used are not. I’ve seen all kinds of errors in installations, even from supposed professionals. I am NOT a professional,
I’ve had a few questions about how and why I’m doing a solar/battery system for Fritz, what I’m using and how I chose it. This is going to be a fairly long post with a bit of math, so if you’re interested, get a cup of coffee and settle in. Fritz is an extreme experiment.
Solar Power for RVs Read More »
The big plan for Fritz is for it to be all electric and capable of extended dry camping, meaning no campground, no plugging in to handy electric outlets, self-contained–and still comfortable. That’s kind of a big requirement to pull off without propane, but I think I’m in the ballpark. Most RV solar installations put a
Fritz Getz Solared Read More »
No, it’s not a medical condition. As I mentioned in the last post I stripped one of the bolts on the driver’s side output flange. I ordered a rather expensive TimeSert kit to repair it. At least it wasn’t the $400 these kits used to cost–a more reasonable but still stiff eighty bucks. Expense aside,
Fritz has taken up a HUGE amount of my time this summer. It’s not a terrible thing since I’m enjoying the creative work, and the grunt side–the mechanic-ing–is familiar and comfortable. The interior design is basically complete, though anyone looking at it might find that a surprise. It’s sparse. Diane and I really don’t like
Fritzing Away The Summer Read More »
More progress on Fritz. I think people will be puzzled when they see the interior. Minimal. Actually, the far edge of minimal. The living area will be two chairs, a bar cabinet, facing cabinet, and some shelves. The chairs detach and can move outside. Nice little side tables. An aluminum plank that converts the side
Fritz–Starting To Build Read More »
Several people emailed me, saying that they thought the interior is great. They should come get it before I haul it to the dump. I don’t mean to sound cruel, but it just isn’t what we want. My goal is pretty simple: Have a nice bedroom, a usable and simple kitchen, and a space that’s
Fritz–The Vandal Strikes Read More »
I’ve been looking at a lot of videos about Sprinter van conversions, mostly because I’ve got a major league surf jones that I can’t do much about, because I just had carpal tunnel surgery on both hands, and the doc says NO for about 6 more weeks. But the more I looked, the more I
Fritz–The New Surfmobile Project Read More »
30 May 2007 Well, actually a cancer, but it’s the same principle. And the cancer is now sliced into 10-micron slices and arrayed like purple Proscuitto on slides in my doctor’s office. Now I can’t hear you because my ear is full of at least ten pounds of gauze. Before anyone freaks, it’s just Basal
Sorry, Can’t Hear You, I Have A Banana In My Ear Read More »
About thirty years ago I was sitting in a barber chair, reading an article in a car magazine (I think it was Motor Trend) that said used exotic cars were selling for amazingly low prices. My imagination was fired by the notion of a Ferrari, Maserati or Aston Martin sitting in my garage. I certainly
A Project Too Far: My Maserati Mistral Read More »