Looks Like New!

Back at the end of April and early May, I did a couple of posts on a deck rehab project at my hacienda to replace rotted floor boards, and to replace the rotted stairs with wider ones. The plan was to then power-wash and then treat the entire deck. Birds nesting underneath and a shitty wet summer was not conducive to power-washing and treating the wood. To review how bad the deck was at 16 years old:

I had just started replacing the worst floor boards. It was really gray and weathered

A closeup of the rotten original stairs

The new wider stairs in place. Now 54" wide

New railings in place

Construction complete

Wifey and I spent a good chunk of yesterday power-washing the entire deck. The far side requires being on a ladder to get the outside of the railings since it is on a slope that puts it at second floor level. I took care of that and then had to head over to my sportsman's club for a couple of hours to do a work party I volunteered for earlier in the week. While I was gone, she did the inside of the long side railing and the floor. When I got back I moved the ladder and got the outside of the long railing. I am always surprised by what a power washer does to old weathered wood.

From this morning... you almost can't tell the old wood from the new

I use ZEP Power Wash Concentrate mixed at double normal strength of 10:1. It really breaks up grime and removes mildew and lichen growth. The weather this week should be mostly not rainy, so the wood will dry nicely. I HATE working with Thompson's Water Seal (actually "painting of any kind) but I like how it repels water. I can't stand how it makes everything sticky. I am admittedly a messy painter. My wife has volunteered to do it all herself. She did the front porch last year and it didn't seem to take her too long, plus she didn't make a mess. Hopefully we can get it done this coming weekend. I will help by getting on the ladder and doing the outside railing.

Fantastic Benefit Ride

In this previous post, I detailed the "Ride For Gage" scheduled for today. The forecast called for a cool start, ending up with mostly sunny skies and temps in the mid to high 70's. The meteorologists were spot on, because that is exactly what the weather was. It was a chilly 44 degrees when I left at 7:45, so I dressed like an onion, in layers. I am sitting in the shade on my front porch, enjoying a nice cool breeze in shorts and a t-shirt composing this post.

The staging spot for the ride was Old School Harley-Davidson, with registration starting at 09:30. I left early (yup... wifey bailed) so I could get breakfast and coffee at the nearby Mickey D's in Ellington. Since the rest of the crew was coming from Manchester, they would have to pass right by, so that is where we met up. I had my favorite #5 McGriddle combo and a large black coffee. I had plenty of time to eat and finish my coffee before they finally arrived. By the time they pulled in and circled around, I was ready to roll. The tunes for the day cranked out of my bike sound system from my cell phone via bluetooth was iHeart `70's on iHeart Radio. That channel is a mish-mash of Top 40, disco, and classic rock. A lot of music from my youth.

It is only a couple of miles north up RT. 83 to Old School. We got lined up near the top of the second group of bikes. This was going to put us pretty close to the front of the ride.

The line up not long after we got situated. Can you find "The Beast?" She is pretty easy to spot.

We got registered and picked up our t-shirts, pins, and black rubber bracelets. I don't wear my bracelet, I put it around the brake and clutch master cylinders. Then it was time to just hang out and enjoy the camaraderie until K.S.U. around 11:30. Remember those layers from earlier? I was down to just a t-shirt and my biker vest.

A shot from the other direction of the quickly growing crowd of riders.

If it was like the last two of these rides I went on, it would be a police escorted 45 mile non-stop jaunt, and it was! We ended up 1/4 mile back from the front, and never did see the tail end. The CT State Police not only provided 2 motorcycle cops to ride with us as road guards, but there were CT State Police 4 wheel cruisers stopping traffic for us at some of the bigger intersections. Through Vernon and Coventry, both towns provided local police at major intersections so we got through unimpeded. Members of The Combat Vets Motorcycle Association also provided road guards at smaller easily controlled intersections. There were lots of supporters along the ride watching as we went by and waving, as well as traffic that pulled over to let us by waving and honking. Except one total dickhead. In Vernon, as we turned onto RT. 31 from RT. 30, this dickhead in a black S.U.V. with out of state plates stuck at the intersection gave everyone that went by the hand motion of jerking off. Obviously a V.I.P. that had urgent places to go. That was a long line of bikes, FUCK `IM, I hope he got stuck there good and long.

The ride was uneventful and we ended up at the Rockville Elks Club for a BBQ and entertainment. Being at the front of the ride meant our group got pretty good parking. I did not stick around too long. There were four bar stations set up, but I never imbibe when riding. I got a bottle of water and my plate of food. I chatted for a few minutes after lunch, but headed home soon after. On a warm day like today, I find these events tiring and will certainly sleep good tonight.

This would be classified under Chink-Bug panic porn as another super-spreader event. The only masks I saw were on a couple of servers at The Elks Club, but most were not wearing one. I did not see one single "Mask of Oppression" on any of the ride participants. Except for very few gullible people, most of the population is so over this bullshit.

Sad - I Will No Longer Hold True To My Oath

I swore my "Oath of Enlistment" on April 12, 1981 and have tried to uphold that Oath ever since. It goes as follows:

I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."

Even when The Kenyan was in office, I have not so despised and was so willing to completely disobey and not comply with a (p)Resident*. After all, although he wanted to destroy America, his efforts were mostly thwarted. Therefore, effective immediately, I must revise the Oath as modified below:

 I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same. So help me God."

As far as I am concerned, the (p)Resident* has openly declared war on freedom loving Americans, and I will respond in kind.

AW, FUCK NO!

(p)Resident* Gropey Joe can lie, mislead, and mandate all he wants, I will never be part of such medical experimentation. The FDA approval is for a vaccine that does not yet exist.

That motherfucker must really want to light off the "party" because that little show this afternoon sounded like a direct threat, to all freedom loving citizens and the governors of free states. So BRING IT ON, ASSHOLES... the Taliban have showed us how weak and feckless you really are!

Wow

The traffic on this blog, in the six short months of existence, has today surpassed the total traffic count of my previous effort that was up for 5 1/2 years. A good portion of those views were caused by bot activity hammering it. The same goes for the frequency of comments. Since I moderate all comments, I look at every one and approve 99.99% of all comments. I write this mostly for myself as a place to vent and to keep my writing skills sharp. The fact so many of you take the time to read it never ceases to amaze me. Thanks so much.