This Always Cracks Me Up

The initial log in screen from Blogger, about creating "a unique and beautiful blog." 

Not the blogs I write or read.

Gropey Joe Now Has More BLOOD ON HIS HANDS!

3 dead so far in a boat full of illegals capsizing in San Diego this morning. 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/san-diego-boat-overturns-point-loma/

Hey Gropey Hair Sniffer... keep telling them and letting them come. Might want to be that good Catholic you claim to be and spend some time in a confessional and repent for killing all these illegal aliens that have died due to your border policies and gross incompetence.

Benefit Motorcycle Cruise 5-1-2021

Organized by the Murdercycles MC chapter out of Manchester, CT to benefit the family of Willie Cooper, who was killed on his bike on Friday November 27, 2020. He had just left Rackers Billiards on RT. 83 in Vernon headed home, and 1/2 mile down the road got taken out by a driver that turned left in front of him to go down Thrall Road. He was a Goldwing rider as well, supposedly a pretty red older one in nice condition. A link to the news story from the local NBC affiliate is below.

https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/crews-at-scene-of-serious-injury-crash-in-vernon/2371672/

This was my first group ride and first benefit ride of the season. There were around 40 bikes, of which the majority were the Murdercycles MC members & prospects. $20 per rider and since it was chilly yesterday morning, I was riding solo. Staging was at 09:30 at the commuter lot just off I-84 exit 67 in Vernon. We put rubber to the road at 10:30. The ride went north on RT.31 to RT. 30. One of the Manchester Sunday morning bunch I ride with had his girlfriend snapping photos on the ride. This was approaching the traffic light at RT. 30

That is yours truly on the Goldwing on the immediate left.

 

Up to RT. 30 east where it turned into RT.74 east into Willington and then north on RT. 320 until it ended and became Turnpike Road. We followed Turnpike Road until we hit RT. 89 in Ashford and headed south to RT. 44. We went west the short distance on RT. 44 until we hit the Xtra Mart/Dunkin' Donuts where we all pulled in for coffee, snacks, and a pee break. The photos below were the two biggest groups of parked bikes and riders. Since there were other customers parked there, some of the other bikes were parked 2 or 3 together.

No masks and no social distancing among the freedom loving biker crowd! Masks on in the store only.

The break was over and we saddled up to head down RT. 44 west. We took it to the split of RT. 6 west and followed that a short distance to the junction of RT. 85, but turned right up Cider Mill Road and then onto Lake Street to head back for Vernon. We crossed RT. 30 at Dobson Road to get out to RT. 83. RT. 83 is two lanes in both directions, and we turned north to head to the accident scene where Willie was killed. We took up both northbound lanes and did a slow ride up to Thrall Road. At Thrall Road was the Harley salute... rev the engine with open pipes. Just ahead on the left was a vacant parking lot directly across from Rackers. That is where we all parked and hung out for a while, with more loud revs and a couple of guys doing smoke shows. The Murdercycles members went across to Rackers, where they were continuing the event with a charity pool tournament. I hung out a little longer and left with everyone else going our separate ways.

On the way home I saw a friends Dad outside doing yard work so I stopped in. I had not seen Rich in well over a year because of Chink Bug cancelling all the events we normally see each other at. I was at his place for over an hour and it was really good to see him. Since my Dad has passed on, I tend to use other peoples Dads as a substitute to talk to older guys of a certain age, even though Rich is probably only 10-15 years older than I am. But he has been around the block a few times.

Home Construction Projects

Well, the basement door project came out beautifully, and is now ready for the new storm door. All I need to do is get Wifey to decide which door she wants. She has concerns with the pet door flap. Our friend's dogs refuse to use it on their new EMCO door, and she wants to take our dogs over their house to try it out. I don't think it is as big a deal as she does, but she is in charge of the dogs for the most part, so I relegate all authority to her on those matters.

One other thing I realized the builders fucked up on that delayed completion. They did not wrap the Tyvek sheet under the vinyl siding around the opening and into the house. They cut it flush with the edge of the siding. That left the plywood sheathing naked from the edge of the siding to the rough opening. Therefore, I primed and painted the plywood with 2 coats of exterior latex paint to add some extra protection against the elements. The door itself will get a fresh coat of paint after the storm door is installed and it is no longer exposed to the weather.

With that completed for now, it was on to the deck rehab. There were a couple of rotted floor boards, the stairs need repair, and the whole thing needs a pressure wash and water treatment application. I thought about replacing the entire deck floor boards. The deck is 12' x 18'. I need twenty five 5/4 x 6 deck boards 20' long. The thought was if not too pricey to just do it all over instead of piecing it together. Have you priced lumber lately? $50 a board for a total of $1250.00 plus tax before adding screws. YIKES! Just for ha-has, I wondered how much more synthetic decking would be. More than twice the price just for the deck boards, not including screws, mounting hardware, installation tools, screw plugs, etc. Guess it will just be a repair job. The initial haul from the building supply house was $290, and that included $40 for the brickmold to fix the door.

I started by removing and replacing the rotted floor boards. I thought I had screws. It turns out they weren't what I thought they were, they were too short. They were in a plastic bag that I had gotten from my Dad when he passed away. I figured I would grab the screws at Lowe's since I get a military discount there, and it would be an excuse to get out on "The Beast" for the afternoon. I also had a small busted bar clamp from Harbor Freight that required a free replacement, throw in a stop for lunch, hook up with my riding buddy after his doctor appointment, and there you go! $37 at Lowe's for 4 boxes of needed screws.

When I got home I screwed down the new boards and started dismantling the stairs. My wife asked that if the stairs were going to be replaced, could I widen them? Sure, since I had to replace the stringers, I would cut 1 extra and then install longer boards for stair treads and redo the railings. The stairs were in far worse shape than I thought.

Half the stairs and part of the railing removed. New deck floor boards in place

Close up of the rotten stringers. I will remove the rest when I start installing the new stairs.

I have decided not to reuse the 2 x 2 spindles. I will get all new ones wherever I removed old ones and redo the railing for the steps as well. I will also need to get a short pressure treated 2 x 6 and 2 x 4 for the railing top. Sigh... more money! But it will look nice when done.

Because it rained off and on all day, I worked in the garage to cut the new stringers after my wife left for the day. First thing I had to do, was clean and cover my bike to keep the sawdust off. I got them all cut from one 2 x 12 x 12' board. It was cheaper than buying pre-cut stringers which were about $40+ a piece depending on how many steps. 

The four new stringers. I used the one old stringer that was mostly intact for a pattern.

 

While working in the garage late this afternoon, I heard some lucky person exercising their 2nd Amendment rights over at my club range. There was a break in the weather for over an hour. It sounded like maybe an M1A to me.

Next up will be to complete the stair demo and get the concrete blocks set to the proper height, as well as put in the additional one. I'll probably go back to the supply house tomorrow for the additional lumber. Its less than 10 miles away, so not a big deal. Below is a photo of the debris pile so far that will need to go to the transfer station (dump). There is also a barrel of small pieces of scrap from cutting of the stringers sitting in the garage that needs to go too.

Still Finding Fuckups 16 Years Later

16 years. Thats how long we have been in our present house, which we had built. Even though I was on the job site every couple of days and photo documented virtually everything, mistakes were made and crappy workmanship was done. I found yet one more today.

We have a walkout basement, and that opens out to the fenced in yard for the dogs. The storm door we put on the basement door was beat to shit so we plan on replacing it with one that has a factory installed dog door. The brickmold around the insulated exterior door needed replacing as well. I bought some today at a local building supply house. It came primed and ready for paint, so I painted the surface that will butt up against the vinyl siding trim, because it can't be painted after its put up. I took off the old door, and got ready to demo the rotted brickmold.

 As I started to pry off the brickmold, I encountered some unexpected resistance in the form of 3" framing screws through the brickmold, plywood sheathing, and into the 2 x 6 framing. I had no idea why the builders did that until I got to the other side of the door where they also did it. The brickmold was what was holding the door frame in place so it was anchored outside with the extra screws. Who the fuck does that? Hacks, thats who.

Once I got all the brickmold removed I properly shimmed and nailed the latch side of the door frame to the framing members of the rough opening. The hinge side is held in by 3" screws at the hinges. The builders also neglected to put any insulation in the gaps around the door frame, so I used some spray in expanding foam. Since its not going to rain any time soon, I quit for the day. Construction called on account of darkness don'tcha know. Tomorrow I will cut and put up the new brickmold, and then give it two nice coats of white exterior latex. The door frame will be all ready for the new storm door when it comes in.

After I finish that, I will start on my deck rehab project.