SCOOTER HANDLEBARS ISSUE

YOU MAY REMEMBER MY COLLASPED HANDLEBAR ISSUE AWHILE BACK.

I JUST HAVEN’T BEEN HAPPY WITH THE WAY IN WHICH I HAUL THE SCOOTER ON THE BACK OF THE PICK-UP. MY FRIEND COLE OFFERED TO REVIEW THE RACK AND MAKE SOME ADJUSTMENT.

COLE DEVISED A SUPPORT THAT ATTACHES UNDER THE TRUCK WHICH STABILIZED THE SCOOTER RACK AND REMOVED THE MOVEMENT BACK AND FORTH AND FRONT TO BACK.  HE ALSO ADJUSTED THE WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION BY MOVING THE SCOOTER BACK ON THE RACK A FEW INCHES. LASTLY HE CHANGED THE WAY WE USE TIEDOWNS TO ATTACH THE SCOOTER TO THE RACK.I AM VERY HAPPY WITH THE CHANGES AND HAVE 100% MORE CONFIDENCE IN HAULING THE SCOOTER ON THE SCOOTER RACK, AND THANK COLE AGAIN FOR SPENDING ALL DAY ON MY PROJECT.

AT THE END OF THE DAY WHILE ADMIRING OUR IMPROVEMENTS WE NOTICED THE LEFT HAND SIDE OF THE HANDLEBARS IS BENDING AGAIN.

HERE IS THE PROBLEM, HONDA MAKES THIS SCOOTER IN THIALAND FOR SALE ALL OVER THE WORLD. THE MAJOR SELLING POINT IS THAT IT GETS 100 MILES TO THE GALLON. ALTHOUGH JUST A TOY HERE IN THE US MARKET, IT’S A MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION IN THE REST OF THE WORLD WHERE GAS IS $8 A GALLON.

EVERY OUNCE OF WEIGHT COUNTS IN THE ENGINEERING OF THIS SCOOTER TO GET THAT GAS MILAGE. THE PANELS ARE ALL PLASTIC, THE GAS TANK ONLY HOLDS 1.6 GALLONS, IN FACT MOST OF THE WORLD HAS AN ENGINE IDLE/STOP FEATURE THAT TURNS THE ENGINE COMPLELY OFF AT STOPS LIGHTS, ETC.  SO THE HANDLEBARS ARE NOT HEAVY ENOUGH TO USE AS TIE DOWN POINTS.

I CAN’T SEE ANY OTHER WAY TO SECURELY TIE DOWN THE SCOOTER TO HAUL IT THOUSANDS OF MILES AS I PLAN TO DO IN THE FUTURE. ANYWHERE ELSE THE TIE DOWNS WOULD BE RUBBING ON OR BREAKING A PLASTIC PANEL SOMEWHERE ON THE SCOOTER.

AFTER THINKING THE PROBLEM OVER FOR  AWHILE, I DECIDED I NEEDED TO FIND SOMEBODY TO CUSTOM MAKE HANDLEBARS OUT OF KRYPTONITE FOR MY SCOOTER. 

I FINALLY FOUND A CYCLE SHOP THAT WOULD ATTEMPT TO CUSTOM MAKE HANDLE BARS OUT OF SOLID STEEL, INSTEAD OF THE WEAKER TUBING USUALLY USED. SO THE SCOOTER  IS IN THE SHOP THIS WEEK, AND I’M SITTING ON MY ASS IN FRONT THE COMPUTER WAITING TO SEE HOW THE PROJECT COMES OUT.

BLOG BLOCK

I’M STILL HAVING WRITER’S BLOCK AND SO THERE HASN’T BEEN ANY NEW BLOGS UP.  I HANDLE THE WRITER’S BLOCK IN THE USUAL WAY, BY TAPPING ON UNCLE HANS AND MARY FOR A BLOG OR TWO, AND THEN POST A NEW PICTURE OF “AZ”.

SPEAKING OF “AZ”, HIS LATEST TRICK IS TO OPEN THE CAMPER DOOR AND AND GO OUT ON THE PORCH. OF COURSE WE HAVE TO LEAVE THE DOOR UNLATCHED FOR HIM, BUT HE ALSO FIGURED OUT HOW TO USE HIS LITTLE PAW AND PULL THE DOOR BACK OPEN AND COME BACK IN.
IN AND OUT, IN AND OUT, JUST LIKE A KID AND A SLAMMING SCREEN DOOR. NOW THIS DRIVES SUSIE, THE CAT, NUTS.  SHE LOVES TO GO OUT ON THE PORCH JUST AS MUCH, BUT REFUSES TO BE OUT THERE WITH THE CAMPER DOOR CLOSED, SO SHE SITS BY THE DOOR TO WAIT UNTIL “AZ” COMES BACK IN FOR HOURS STUDING HOW “AZ” OPENS AND CLOSES THE DOOR.

I’M STILL RIDING THE SCOOTER, AND EVEN KEEP THE CAMERA ON BOARD FOR BLOG PICTURES, BUT HOW MANY BLOGS CAN YOU WRITE ABOUT SCOOTING OFF TO THE STORE AND HAVING A QUICK BEER ON THE WAY BACK? BESIDES I DON’T WANT TO MAKE UNCLE HANS AND UNCLE NEIL TURN TOO GREEN WITH ENVEY READING SCOOTER RIDING STORIES IN JANUARY WHILE THEIR BIKES ARE TUCKED AWAY DEEP IN THE GARAGE.

THE WINTER WEATHER HERE HAS BEEN NORMAL WITH SOME COLD (BELOW 60 DEGREES) AND WINDY DAYS, AND OF COURSE WE BURN SOME PROPANE AT NIGHT TO KEEP WARM, BUT THE DAY TIME HIGHS ARE INCHING BACK TO 70 DEGREES.

IF YOU USE A READER TO READ THE BLOG YOU SHOULD BRING UP THE SITE THE OLD FASHION WAY AND CHECKOUT THE NEW HEADER PICTURE.

   “SUNNY AND (ALMOST) 70”

Happy Birthday!!

Today is Rex’s birthday!

To celebrate his birthday we went to Laughlin Sunday to a “foodfest” and rock and jewelry show.  We ended up at Tea Dancing at the Riverside for a couple of cocktails.  I love, love, love to  watch the dancers.  They all look so happy.  (Rex doesn’t dance-DAMN).

As you can tell by the lack of blogs last week, he has had a bit of writers block or maybe it was too much wind to ride the scooter so he didn’t go anywhere to get inspired.  But I am happy to report that the weather looks like it will be more suitable for scooter riding  this week.  I sure hope so, he misses it.

Yesterday we made our monthly trip to Needles to buy lottery tickets….maybe in honor of his birthday we will win tonight’s drawing. Now THAT would be a birthday present!  On the way home we stopped by Hooch’s for their 75 cent tacos and a margarita. That was nice.

All in all it was a nice relaxing weekend.

Happy, Happy Birthday to my favorite person!

YOU’RE FIRED !!!

LET’S IMAGINE THAT WE’RE ALL IN GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN THIS MORNING.  IT’S CLOUDY OUTSIDE, NO ARIZONA SUNSHINE THERE, AND THE EXSPECTED HIGH THIS AFTERNOON IS ONLY 23 DEGREES.

AS LONG AS WE’RE IN TOWN, LET’S STOP BY  THE HOLY LAND,LAMBEAU FIELD. WHILE LOUNGING AROUND THE ATRIUM, THE PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS HUMS ON AND WE HEAR THE FOLLOWING ANNOUNCEMENT:

“WILL THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE PLEASE CLEAN OUT THEIR LOCKERS AND REPORT TO THE FRONT OFFICE.”

DOM CAPERS, OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR

MASON CROSBY, PART TIME FIELD GOAL KICKER

JEFF SATURDAY, CENTER

EVAN DIETRICH-SMITH, CENTER

“THE REST OF THE STAFF AND PLAYERS ARE REMINDED OF THE BEER AND BRATS BEING SERVED ON THE SECOND FLOOR, IN HONOR OF RYAN GRANTS RETIREMENT, AGAIN”

LET’S HOPE THE PACKERS CAN FIND A COUPLE OF RUNNING BACKS IN THE NEXT NINE MONTHS.

I WONDER EVERY YEAR HOW WE WILL SURVIVE THE END OF THE FOOTBALL SEASON, BUT SOMEHOW WE DO.  WE ENJOYED SEVERAL GAMES AT SPIRIT MOUNTAIN WHERE WE WATCH THE GAMES BECAUSE OF SUNDAY TICKET.  OUR REGULAR DAYS OFF ARE SUNDAY AND MONDAY, WHICH IS PERFECT, AT LEAST UNTIL THE POST SEASON WHEN THE PACKERS PLAYED ON SATURDAY NIGHT.

 

WITH THE END OF FOOTBALL, CAN SPRING TRAINING BE FAR BEHIND?

Coke

By Uncle Hans

Lots of stuff in the news lately about soft drinks and removing them from schools, and limiting the size of mega-drinks in NYC by law, and on and on. The problem is, according to the experts. the high-fructose sweeteners in the soft drinks.

So I did some checking and research. Coke is my drink of choice 4-5 cans per day for the last 40 years (did I mention I have missed one day of work due to illness in that 40 years?) ( did I mention I have had one new cavity in those 40 years--and 12 cavities before I started drinking Coke?) Coke, as you can see, has 39 grams of sugars in a 12 ounce serving. They use the so-called “high-fructose” corn syrup in coke. What is that? Well it is some combination of glucose and fructose (both 6 carbon simple sugars) that is 55% fructose and 45% glucose.

Ordinary table sugar is sucrose, which is 50% glucose and 50% fructose. So, it turns out, the poisonous “high fructose” sweetener in Coke is only slightly higher in fructose, 5% higher if you do the math, than table sugar. A slight change that hardly rates the alarming name “high fructose”.

I suppose it rolls of the tongue a little smoother than “slightly higher fructose”, but it is harder to condemn and outlaw some product for “slightly higher”, now isn’t it?


 
Now let’s get down and dirty and take a look at one of the nutritionist’s darlings:

Orange Juice.

A quick check of the computer shows us that orange juice has 30 grams of sugar in 12 ounces, and that it is 50% fructose. But we all know that orange juice is good for us and not poisonous like Coke.
But the nutritional difference is minimal. Hmmmmmmmmmm

I will criticize the soft drink industry, however, as it is high time they brought us a product that is half sugar and half artificial sweetener. Whenever I am at a fast food joint and they hand me a glass to fill my own soft drink, I make it a 50-50 mix of regular and diet Coke. I cannot tell the difference.  The companies are experimenting with Pepsi 10 and other timid moves in this direction. But they should stop fooling around and score a PR coup on the nutritionists:

Try Coke 50.......healthier than an orange!!!

By Uncle Hans

AWWWW….. SHIT !!!

A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO WHEN WE FINISHED THE PORCH, WE DECORATED, INCLUDING THESES PORCH FLOWERS.

OF COURSE KEEPING FLOWERS ALIVE ON THE DESERT IS A CHALLENGE.  THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME WE WERE SUCCESSFUL, AND I THINK IT WAS DUE TO THE EXTRA LARGE POT THEY WERE PLANTED IN.  THE LARGE POT DIDN’T DRY OUT AS FAST AND I WAS IN THE HABIT OF DUMPING A 4 CUP PITCHER OF WATER ON THEM DAILY THAT I KEPT ON THE PORCH FOR THE CATS TO DRINK OUT OF.

HERE THE PLANT IS IN THE SPRING AND ONE YEAR OLD.

NOT ONLY DID I PITCH OUT THE CAT WATER ON THEM EVERYDAY, BUT I COUNTED THE BLOOMS AND ANNOUNCED THE TOTAL PROUDLY TO MARY EACH MORNING.  THE MOST WE EVER HAD WAS 60 FLOWERS AT ONE TIME.

AWWW…. SHIT !!!

HERE’S MY PORCH FLOWERS THIS MORNING…..

 

NOT ONLY DID IT GET TOO COLD TO MAKE ICE OUT ON THE PORCH, BUT MY LOVELY PORCH FLOWERS FROZE TO DEATH.

NO, I DON’T PLAN TO REPLACE THEM THIS SPRING, BUT WILL BE  HAULING THE BIG POT TO THE SHED ON “THE MOUNTAIN” BEHIND OUR PARK MODEL.

The Swiss Army

By Uncle Hans

This blog starts with a book. I read history as a hobby and lately have been reading about the history of the Swiss during WWII. It is fascinating. It can be summed up in one sentence.:

The Swiss made their concept of “Armed Neutrality” work because of a national obsession with marksmanship and the issuance of 800,000 top notch rifles to every male between 18 and 60, pretty much making the defeat of their country “possible, but way to costly in material and men”
I bought this little book, outlining the development of the rifle, which was interesting, but very technical.


 
.....Then, I was sitting in the office of a friend with an interest in guns and saw this rifle leaning against the fireplace. It had been there 10 years, dropped off by a client, and living as a dusty decoration. It looked vaguely faminliar.
Turns out it is the grandfather of the rifle issued to all those Swiss, the one on the cover of the book on the left......
 


The “inventor” was a guy named Vetterli, who had an interest in America’s cool new repeating rifle, the Winchester (or Henry). The Civil War Rebels, hated the thing because the Union troops had it and “could load it on Sunday and shoot all week!”
The bullets were loaded into a long tube hidden under the barrel and it could deliver about 12 shots inside 15 seconds.....a devastating advantage.

Vetterli, who thought the lever action was a disadvantage in a foxhole, married a bolt action he stole from someone else (Germany) to the thing. This allowed a stronger chamber, and a more powerful bullet. Winchester/Henry was used off a horse, and used the same bullet as the revolver most guys carried. This was handy, but it severely limited the power, the muzzle velocity, hence the range and accuracy of the rifle..............



This picture shows the bolt opened. The result was that in 1869, the Swiss had a weapon which was repeating and had range and accuracy almost like today’s rifles.......



......here is the page in the book that pins this model to 1871, the first modification (very slight) to the original 1869 model. The value is only around $300. Remember, they made hundreds of thousands, and they last forever as they were way ahead of their time. A few were used in WWII by the local “militia” of young boys and old men........



........here you can see the adjustable rear site, which has markings to adjust to 1200 meters, about two thirds of a mile. The Swiss held very large and popular shooting contests, local, regional, national, and international, in which they displayed the weapon and the ability of the “average” Swiss. This tradition continues to this day.
In this picture you can see the bullet feed hole, just like a Winchester/Henry. I believe it held 12 rounds...........



......I just thought it was interesting to see the thing leaning against the wall in my friend’s office. Someone had brought it in for him to identify. The “progression” of rifle development quickly dropped the Winchester/Henry cylindrical magazine for a square magazine that held 5 or 6 rounds (better, somehow than 12?), so this “Winchester with a bolt” is quite a strange looking abortion. It defied identification until we held the book up next to it and said “Wow!” it is 40 caliber, this is a modern 40 caliber handgun round (Renee’s) and a modern 300 Savage round for comparison.........



So, in summary, Vetterli invented nothing, stole some good ideas and combined them. The Swiss instilled a “patriotic” obsession for marksmanship in their people and cleverly showed the world how well they could shoot the thing at contests (great propaganda value?).

In this way they successfully avoided three huge wars between their surrounding neighbors France and Germany (Franco-Prussian 1870), WWI, and WWII). Their belligerent neighbors both knew how much blood would be spilled in invading Switzerland, even though it was a direct route to their enemy.




Is their something to be learned from this today? Arming yourself as a deterrent? Crime has dropped in “right -to-carry” states.

The Swiss have had very capable weapons in the hands of damned near everyone in the country for a couple hundred years. They have a very low homicide rate.
A few years ago, a young man killed his girlfriend with a government issued rifle. So the government collected up the automatic weapons and stores them in the local armory now. Many of these old military rifles are out in public.

A few days ago, a psychiatric patient killed three and injured three in Switzerland with “an old military rifle” Now what will the Swiss do?

Psychiatric patients with weapons is a huge problem. We actually have very good laws in this country to try to prevent that. But the last two mass murderers (Oregon and Connecticut) simply stole the weapon from someone they knew as they were not allowed to own their own. How do you prevent that? Many people who need psychiatric care in this country avoid it because they know they would lose their guns or the ability to buy new ones. They get sicker and still have their guns!!

By Uncle Hans

CAT PICTURE

LET’S GET THE NEW YEAR STARTED WITH A CUTE CAT PICTURE.

NOPE, IT’S NOT “AZ” OR SUSIE, BUT YOU CAN GET EXTRA CREDIT IF YOU LIST HIS NAME IN THE COMMENT SECTION.

HOW COLD IS IT?

JANUARY BRINGS COLD WEATHER, EVEN TO THE LOWER MOHAVE DESERT.

SO REX, HOW COLD IS IT?

IT’S TOO COLD TO MAKE ICE!

WHAT?

MARY AND I USE A LOT OF ICE, AND WE MAKE IT THE OLD FASHION WAY IN ICE CUBE TRAYS IN THE FREEZER OF THE FRIDGE ON THE PORCH.

BUT IN JANUARY IT’S SO COLD THAT THE FRIDGE DOESN’T RUN MUCH SITTING OUTSIDE ON THE PORCH. SO, IT’S TOO COLD TO MAKE ICE. WHAT ARE YOUR WINTER PROBLEMS?

HEY MARY, DO KNOW WHAT I DID WITH MY SCOOTER KEYS?