11 years

Well, I'll be heading home taking some time-off from my new job this Friday as it is our 11 year anniversary! I have some plans for us on Friday to enjoy a night. It's been really hard being away from the family. I haven't been sleeping well at all, normally only getting about 5-6hrs of sleep each night. Last Sunday I was finally able to sleep-in and get about 10hrs, but then that really screws up the body too. Just can't win!

Everyday that is nice I keep hittin' the road for some cycling. I keep hoping that it will be a good night's sleep due to the work-out, but so far no chance. I do feel good, just slightly tired, and I've been eating well. It's almost like when I was in training for racing, but I'm in no way trying to get into a training mode.

I finally found someone with a bolt for my single speed! It's been 1 year since I got it from Cannondale when I noticed at the 24hrs of Boyne that I was missing parts! It the resulted in an early end to my race, which I'm positive I could've won, since I ran into mechanical problems with my converted SS bike. Since then I've continued to request the shop to get me the bolt and couple of parts that were missing, as well as searching all the hardware stores I could find with no luck! Until 2 nights ago when I thought, "Why haven't I asked my Corvette Forums buddies if any of them have an idea where I can get it?!" Well, within an hour of my post I had a response and a guy just mailed me 2 bolts free of charge!!! Just AWESOME! Now I'm just waiting for it to arrive to verify that it is the correct bolt and I'll be riding in the dirt again!!! I'll be bringing my SS back with me on Sunday to try the area trails.

Also, we're still waiting for the traffic to start with buyers for our house in Winchester. At the same time we're trying to find a home here or decide if we want to have another new home built. We really need a 3-car garage, otherwise the 2-car garage must have a ceiling tall enough for a lift for the Vette.

Rollin', rollin', rollin'...

Yes, it's been a long time since I last posted an update on our blog so here is a new update. I wanted to send you all an email about what has been happening in our lives! We've been very busy, and now more than ever!

Biggest news...Thane is potty-trained!!! He went from not wanting anything to do with it to standing up at the toilet! Unfortunately for mom, it all happened as Julz and I went on vacation. He had just started, thus he was peeing all over the toilet and she made him sit down. When we got back it took a couple times to get him to stand again, but all is good. He is growing fast, and is way smart! Not bragging, but we truly cannot believe how smart he is. Of course it creates problems because he is already trying to manipulate us. I'm thinking I'll try to get him to become a space engineer and be an astronaut. Maybe by the time he is our age with a family he will be able to take them to a new planet that isn't decomposing...

Vacation...Julz and I finally took another vacation after a 2yr drought. This time we tried something new and she found a deal at an all-inclusive dive resort in Cozumel, Mexico. The diving was ok. The best part was seeing 4 sharks in 3 days. 3 were nurse sharks, but on the last dive I finally found a black tip reef shark. It was AWESOME! He was at about 130ft, only about 20-30ft below and to the side of me. It was difficult to get too close as it was a strong current. The current was strong everywhere, completely different from what we were used to in Roatan. We were talking numerous times about things we didn't care for, thus we may be going back to visit our good friends, Alvin and Mish who own Native Sons Diving, in Roatan again next year.

Work...well, this is where it gets interesting! Julie, as always, is working her tail-off trying to get her plant organized and up to code by re-creating the HR department from scratch. Me, well I was laid-off from Rubbermaid...no reason was given, but 2 of 4 programs were cancelled and a 3rd was on the edge while the 4th was launched into production. Un-like Lear, where I expected it to eventually happen which had me already interviewing, RCP had just given me a 32% bonus 3wks prior...I was dumb-founded! However, they gave me a nice seperation package and it didn't take long for the job offers to begin. I turned down 3 jobs and accepted my current position. For now, Julie will be staying at the house at her current job until it sells. She is joining me this weekend to see the area for the first time and to start looking at houses we have picked-out. She apparently brought along some cold weather, as it's been in the 90's since I got here. Since she arrived it's been drizzling rain and in the upper 50's low 60's for the highs!

Here is a link to our house listing. Please spread the word in you know anyone looking in the area...it's an awesome deal! 106 SENTRY COURT, WINCHESTER, VA 22603

Extra-curricular activities...Cycling is now in the fore-front as I cannot work on our Vette. I'm currently in an extended-stay hotel until Julz and Thane can move down. So, I ride after work then fix dinner and search the net for homes. I can't wait to get everything moved so I can continue the restoration of the Vette! Although, hopefully on one of the weekends I go home I can hook up with 2 friends, Matt and Scott from RCP, to get some help with tuning the carb and installing the correct radiator support and fan shields that I have waiting! After months of what everyone thought were hot-start issues it came down to faulty NEW parts from Autozone. Both the new battery and the new alternator were bad.

Well, that's about it for now...time to get back to work! We'll let everyone know when we get settled, again! Then you will all be welcome to visit if you plan to be in the area or passing through!!! I'll look to get an update with pics on the blog soon.

Bart, Julz, Thane

Weather changes

Weather changes have been frequent and unpredictable lately. We've had to manage Thane at home due to school cancellations from the weather as well. 2 weekends ago it was snow covered with ice. Last Sun was heavy wet snow. Between, and again now, the temp is in the 50's! Kinda makin' us homesick as it is acting similar to MI weather.

Anyhow, I've managed to get ceiling fans in the remaining 3 bedrooms this week. All I have left now are 2 can lights and the fan in the great room. Which I plan to work on starting tonight. Then it’ll be time to start the tile floor in the master bath. Julz bought the tile last Sun as we spun around town in the snow with the Tahoe. We just can't believe no one can handle the snow around here. They all need drivers' ed! I also bought a tile saw to make the job easier, plus it seems everyone keeps asking me to do their floors as well.

Soon the weather will be nice enough to drive the car again. Had it out on Sat before the snow returned as it was sunny and near 50. It’s back in the 50’s again all week approaching 60’s. I’ll be going to buy tires for the car soon and will be getting the wheels sandblasted so I can paint them before having the tires mounted. The local gravestone shop will blast them for about $10 each.

Tonya sent some more photos and I posted them to her album.

Ready to resuscitate!

Clear!

Yes, the re-wiring of the car is now complete and I'm installing the last of the new bulbs into their sockets. Tonight Matt will be coming out to help me run electrical checks prior to trying to re-start the car. It's hasn't been started for a little over a month now. I've re-attached a lot of the trim items and will be re-installing the seatbelts and seats. I need to have it ready for the road soon, as the weather is warming back up! It's to be approaching the 60's again staring today! I'll just need to wait for the roads to be washed clean of the salt that has been spread on them.

My dad will also be arriving sometime today for a short visit. He will be staying for about a week, which will be a big help since Julz will be traveling for work Thurs and Fri.

Officer down!

On the news this morning they mentioned a stand-off in Ranson, WV. My cousin is on the force there. Apparently an officer was shot 3xs and the perp died. I called Keith this morning to first make sure he was ok. He arrived just seconds after the altercation started and was exiting his vehicle when he heard shots fired in a house. The first officer on the scene didn't have a vest on and was critically injured. He is currently stable and recovering and we wish him the best! It was over a 7hr stand-off with 1 officer shot, 2 children released, 2 dogs shot and the perp dead.news link

Progress report or weather report?

This last Sunday I made more progress with the wire harness installation. I was able to remove the rear lamp harness and feed in the new one. However a few items now need to be fixed.

While removing the nuts from the rear lamp housings to remove them from the car the threaded posts snapped off. No matter how gentle I was it happened. I fully expected it as when I inspected the items prior to starting I noticed how rusted they were. To replace these items it would cost me $200, at $50 each. That is not an option as I will need this cash for more important repairs for sure. I will be drilling-out the posts which appear to be welded-in or riveted in threaded posts. There are 2 per housing. The upper held the routing of the harness while the lower was used for a ground and both secure it to the body.

The 2nd, more major issue, was the door ajar switch for the passenger door. It was riveted into the body with 2 rivets, both of which broke-out as I tried to remove the switch to replace the wiring to it. I'm hoping I can get suggestions from other resto's fromthe Corvett Forums bulletin board. My thought here is to drill and tap the holes which held the rivets and use flat head sheet metal screws to re-secure the plate. The plate is inside the body in the lower B-pillar and I could not see any way to access it. It may be possible with the body off the frame, but that is still a ways away as I do not have a lift yet. Worse case would be to wait until then to repair it and leave it disconnected until then with the new wires protected until they are connected.

I also managed to get my passenger seat trimmed-up.

Upon waking this morning we discovered that the weathermen were right. We were told of a winter storm warning, and it has arrived. There was wet snow on the driveway this morning that was only about 1/3" and easily shovelled off. However, they are calling for continually increasing levels of ice and snow. Julz gets to stay home with Thane, as his daycare is closed, along with pretty much all gov't related operations.

2nd snowfall`

Last night we had our 2nd snowfall this winter. It was about 2-3" in volume. Again the schools shut-down or were delayed until 10AM. Being cold and dry, none of the snow stuck to anything making it very easy to clean up. After 15mins I had both cars wiped-off and the driveway shoveled clean. I think I'll focus on organizing the garage tonight so that I can park another vehicle in-doors. I was waiting to finish the garage before organizing it, but I just never got to it once I finished the garage.

I've also started working on Bernie's wedding video. Bernie and Nikki had asked me to be their videographer last fall at their wedding. It was fun, and I was able to get nearly 3hrs of video for them. Now I just need to get my laptop and desktop talking to each other so I can create the video. I have transferred all of the video to the desktop, but for some reason prior attempts at making videos the DVDs did not work properly once completed. I think the DVD burner on the desktop may be damaged. So, I'll be trying to use the laptop to burn the DVD once the video is created. I'll start with a very small clip to make sure it works before continuing.

The fish we got for Thane are living good. Too good it seems, as one of the females gave birth to 5 guppies the other week. So far they are all still alive and eating while not getting eaten by the others. He enjoys feeding them every morning and night. He's always reminding us to not let them get out, I guess like the movie Nemo, eh!? :)

Julie had an awards banquet for work last Sat that we attended. It also included a casino night. I tried my hand at Texas Hold'em. My start was rough and I nearly lost all my chips. Then I had almost double and decided to move over to Blackjack where I lost about $500 worth of chips. We started with $2500, where $2K worth at the end of the night bought a raffle ticket for prizes. I then went back to the poker table and continued my good luck. I ended up with a profit above the $5K base of $15K! I guess I'll need to head to a casino soon, eh!? According to my cousin, Kieth, Ranson/Charlstown is placing the tables for the track casino back on the voting block. I might have to make a visit if it passes and tables are brought in. Currently there is only track betting along with slots.

Tonya has been having an OK time in Iraq. They are keeping her very busy. She has also sent a few photos so far which I've been placing in her Photobucket account that I had created for her. Unfortunately she cannot access it, so I am doing it for her for now. Go here: Tonya's Photobucket

Finally, we're keeping in close touch with Julie's parent's, Bob and Judy. Judy had her 2nd knee replaced on Monday and they have been fighting her low blood pressure following the surgery. Also, Bob was to be tested to check the status of an artery in his leg that was of concern. We're really hoping that it is healing itself. If for some reason they need to fix it Julie will be going home to help them both out until they are safely recovered from their operations. We continue to hope for a speedy recovery for them both!

Garage is almost...

The garage is almost finished. I have about 70% of the ceiling left and 1 wall. The blue is about 1 shade darker than what we expected, but it'll be ok. Julz said you can see it very well from the road, but she didn't like how it looked with the house being beige.

I will get back to work on the car and basement tomorrow also.

Wrapping-up

Well, just wrapping-up for the night and heading to bed. I got the new shocks in. It didn't take long. I brought home a cut-off disc for my air compressor and it made getting the old front shocks out quick. I then mounted the front and rear and dropped the car back to the ground. I plan to do some more painting tomorrow, as well as touch up a few more areas with mud. Then also start working on the remaining 2 wire harnesses.

Quick note

TGIF! Well, I have stalled with the install of my wire harnesses in the car. I've spent the last couple of days touching-up the mud in the garage and priming the walls and ceiling.

I will be borrowing a couple of tools from work for the weekend to work on the car, as I need a cutting disk to remove the front shocks. I received a set of new shocks for X-mas from Bob and Judy! I have the rears out, but the fronts are not. I could not get the nut off the top of the front shocks to drop them out. I tried holding the threaded post with ViceGrips, but it did not work. I'll use a cutting disc to cut them off instead.

I also need to spend some more time in the basement to finish-up the bike shop area. Before I know it the racing season will be here! I'm contemplating doing the 12hr race in Florida again. I won it a couple years back in the SS category, and I finished in the top 10 overall just 1 lap down from Tinker Juarez, and 2-1/2 laps up on 2nd place in SS! It's a nice course for the SS and I was able to do it as a TRUE SOLO by being my own support as well. I just set-up a pit on the side of the course with all my food and drinks pre-made along with lights and a change of shorts. It was by far one of my best races and accomplishments. The race is in Reddick, FL and runs from 10AM-10PM. 2005 12Hrs of Razorback