Donut or No Donut

As you travel through life,
Sister or brother,
Whatever be your goal,
Keep your eye on the donut,
And not upon the hole!!!


Here's something that I came across, a blast from the past.

First let me preface the story with a bit of background. While my wife was making the rounds today, the Maverick started running rough. As she was picking the boys up from school, it got bad to where it wouldn't even idle. Any number of things that could be, but the two that came to mind were either a loose or broken vacuum line or an ignition system problem. She got a ride home and left the car there. After I got home from work, I went to the basement to gather my tools, as well as a spare coil and ignition module I had knocking around down there. While searching for the ignition parts, I came across a small box. I opened it and found three things: A #4 birthday candle, a clamshell with a couple of used screws in it, and this piece of paper.

When my older boy was a year or so younger that the younger one is now (or around 4, if you will) when we'd take him places and trying to get him to behave, we would bribe him with a trip to the donut shop if he'd behave. These are scans of the two sides of a paper I drew for him once when we were doing this. In case you're wondering about the specks on the donut, those are sprinkles. Used to be his first choice for type of donut to get. He called the sprinkles "Frostos".

Ah, memories!!!

My $$$ Ran Away and Joined the Circus

As I mentioned in my last post, most everyone in my extended family had other plans on the actual Thanksgiving day. I took my family out to Las Vegas for a little trip. It was pretty fun, but not so much gambling. Last time we went to Vegas was 14 years ago. This first picture is of the world's largest thermometer in Baker.



On the way we stopped in Primm, the first area right across the border into Nevada. There are a few casinos there, but the main reason I stopped was that they have a huge roller coaster. I've never even stopped there, so I finally did and we rode what is billed as one of the tallest, steepest coasters in the world. Well worth the stop!!!


There's the boy jumping over the swimming pool in Primm. It's shaped like a buffalo, of all things. The hotel and casino used to be called Buffalo Bill's, but now it's called Terrible's. Why would anyone call someplace you want people to come to terrible??? Makes no sense to me.



Cruising up The Strip. Billboard with ass on it. This is what Vegas is about!!!



New York, New York hotel and casino. It looks pretty cool, but we never made a stop there. I would have liked to, but there's only so much time.



The first evening we were there we went to the Stratosphere, another one of those never-been-there-but-always-wanted-to stops. The tallest observation tower in the United States. There used to be a roller coaster that went around the outside of the top, but it has been since removed for a couple of other rides. Just as well, it didn't look like much of a coaster, but indeed there are constraints on what you could do there. It used to have two of the tallest thrill rides in the world, but now it has three. The tallest is the Big Shot, a vertical launch and free fall tower coming from the top. Also it has Insanity the ride, which dangles you over the edge and spins you out near flat. It was already cool and breezy up there, but when they spin you at 40 MPH, it really chills you!!! I had purchased tickets for myself and the oldest to ride one ride each, but his vertigo got the best of him and he ceded his ticket to me so I got to ride both of these.



I took several pictures from up there, with varied degrees of success. Afterwards we went to the buffet at Circus Circus for Thanksgiving dinner.



The next day we went back to Circus Circus. Went to the midway games and played, we all won something. Wifey won a stuffed spider, the younger won a stuffed sting ray (which he lost and was very upset about, but his hero older brother was able to find), the older won a stuffed hamburger (PERFECT for him, and rather amusing I thought. He named it Mac), and I won (for my woman) a stuffed bee that looks freakishly like Jerry Seinfeld (of course, named Jerry).



They have a rides area under the world's largest free standing glass dome. Wild place in there, and it has the world's largest indoor roller coaster. Bought unlimited passes for both the boys, and one ticket each for the coaster for the wife and I. Nice coaster, great inversions (double loops and double corkscrews) but lacking any great drops. After a while of accompanying the boys on separate rides with a parent each, we consolidated both kids with one parent and took turns hitting the casino. This was the first time we'd actually gotten to play anything!!! High roller me, I put $20 into the progressive nickel slot and played it until it was all gone. I was up to $24 or so for a bit, and got a couple of $6 wins, but that was about it. But hey, I was playing for a cool $730!!! Also got a chance to get a drink and say "Thanks, sweetheart" to the cute chunky cocktail waitress, and had the got to think to myself that drinking, gambling and that kind of thing were what Vegas is all about!!!


Since we were still at Circus Circus, we hit their buffet again for dinner. That place got the bulk of my money spent there this time!!! Fun, though!!!

Giving Thanks

Apparently most everyone in the family is planning on doing something else for the four day weekend, so my sister organized the Thanksgiving feast for Saturday. The food was great, and it's always fun seeing the extended family.



There's Eyeball and his girl. In case you were waiting for an update on that scene, May 18. 2008. Mark it down!!!



Have you heard the saying "If you don't have what you want, be thankful for some of the things you don't have"??? One of my sister's friends (and a distant friend of mine, we were actually in a class together in high school) was there, but without her husband or kids. One of the other guests (there were 40 people invited) was asking if we were husband and wife, and she replied, "No, but he's got a hairdo just like my husband's". I had no idea, but she filled me in. He was diagnosed with cancer, just after the last time we saw them. That was at my niece's graduation party. A very short time, but he's had chemotherapy, and the prognosis is good.



Then, there's my sister's boyfriend's daughter. This is the first time I've actually seen her, but I heard of her before. I don't remember what her affliction is, but she has poor motor control skills, and can hardly speak. However, she seemed to have such a cheerful disposition!!!



And look at this kitten!!! Doesn't it have pretty markings??? I don't think it's eyes are really two different colors in real life, just the way the flash caught them.

The Westin Bonaventure

There's many a taller building and many a flashier building in downtown, but my all time favorite will always be the Westin Bonaventure.



Four cylinders surrounding a central cylinder



with cool glass elevators down in the groove where they meet.



I think the window washer saw me taking his picture!!!

And He Said To Me....

"What??? I was cold!!!"

My oldest boy's reply when I gave him the look for wearing a suit coat with his pajamas.

The Return of a November Traditon

Ladies and gentleman, here it is yet again, videos of the destruction of the jack-O-lanterns!!!



For a little explanation, check this out!!! Last year's videos here... (Scroll down)

Progress, Yet Slow

Last weekend I started the undertaking of swapping the motor in the Benz. Many things to disconnect, many things to label. One thing that has complicated things is the air conditioner lines. I'm not sure if the system has a charge or not, but its a bit expensive to recharge it if it loses a charge, so all the hoses and the pump must remain intact. One hose runs over the top front edge of the engine, the other one goes under the bottom of the front. Not convenient for trying to do this, not to mention the compressor is quite heavy. Anyway, last weekend we got most everything disconnected and ready to pull the old hulk out of there. Today we did just that, and then jockeyed the new one back in place. It went fairly well and not too difficult. Now, everything needs hooked back up. Maybe one more day, maybe a little more. I bought new filters and fluids for it today, a little more than fifty dollars worth. Progress, yet slow.

I think this is the greasiest, dirtiest engine we've ever swapped. Seems that diesel grease has a whole other element to it, for some reason.

My father was counting up all the engines we've pulled and swapped since he purchased the crane. 11, I think he came up with. Well worth the money.