David's Tangled Thoughts

See also: In Casper, Wyoming to See the Eclipse Shortly I will be on my way to see a solar eclipse. Where I will end up is uncertain but my main plan is to be in Texas. I chose Texas as April isn't exactly known for sunny days in Indiana or Ohio.  So I have a reservation in Fort Stockton. Trying to find accommodations in the eclipse path proved to be difficult once I got my PTO from work approved. It's about 4 hours from where I think I will go - Eagle Pass which is on the border with Mexico. I'm guessing even Fort Stockton is filling up as I was contacted today by the hotel to see if I really needed two beds. Eagle Pass has a designated place that will open to the public for parking. I hope that will go as smoothly as it did when I went to the last eclipse in Casper, Wyoming. Back then and there, I saw people camping on the road. But aside from having to wait in line for the fair grounds to open, there was plenty of room and nothing to worry about. I am worry about the tra

  It's my birthday. I got a lot of messages today wishing me well. Yet, it has been one of the loneliest birthdays.  I went to the beach today to see a sunset. I saw it it set behind the towers of Chicago. 

 When I purchased my house, I thought my heating system was bonkers. It used hot water from a tank and blew the air over that to be heated up. Like a boiler... kinda? I had made some inquiries to businesses in the area because if this broke, who would fix it? The best lead I got was familiar with the system but didn't service it. I knew that when the system goes, I would be replacing it with an entirely new system. Well that day came. The old system with its water tank. The new system. Notice the old water tank is gone. A couple years ago the air conditioning had gone out too but summers are pretty mild and I had gotten away with a window unit. After the car purchase and also a garage door repair needed, I had to finance this. I took a few thousand dollars to pay off the existing loan that I had out for the window replacements. I can apply the money that had been going to the windows loan to go on top of the loan I now have out for this system. That will help me get this paid off s

 I ordered my Ford Escape PHEV on October 13, 2022 and I finally took delivery on September 1, 2023. h/t to my salesman Meet Bob. Actually, I thought I would come up with a better name since my last car was named Patty because I got her on St. Patrick's Day. But after spending about three minutes trying to think of something clever, I threw in the towel and settled on Bob. So this is a base model PHEV. It doesn't have things like a heads up display, 360 degree camera, premium audio system, etc. Mind you, I came from a base fiesta. Patty had roll-down windows and didn't even have cruise control. This is a very big upgrade for me. A little over two weeks in, I've hit 1,000 miles. I've tried to force some non-ev time. I'm not sure what kind of engine break in is needed for this. I figured I should do some of that and get its first oil change before I head down to Florida with it in November. So far, just one and one-quarter tanks of gas used. Averaging 86 mpg. Most

  I was on my way to the county fair when my car wasn't rolling backwards like it usually does. It seemed like it was up against a chock. I applied some gas and heard some scrapping. this residue was left on my driveway. I drove around for a bit and then stopped. I felt some heat coming off the driver's rear wheel. Yup, something was wrong with the brakes. Well I can't go to the fair without a car to get me there so I resigned myself to missing the fair this year and steeled myself for the possibility of having to bike to work. I bitched about this on facebook. My friend Autumn saw the post and offered to pick me up as she and her husband, Brett, were heading there this evening. So the fair was saved. I got my steak tips and elephant ear. While I was waiting to hear about my car, I relaxed on the porch. After getting my car back--with new brakes-- today, I headed to the fair one last time with another friend, Chase. He had never been there despite being a local. It blew my

  Kitch-iti-kipi is a spring with amazingly clear water. I got there at park opening and aside for a park worker, I was the only one there. I took the raft out to the middle of the lake to watch the sediment get disturbed the water gushing from the ground as well as watch the fish. When I came back, three other people were waiting for me to dock. One couple turned out to be from South Bend. Small world! I was supposed to take a boat tour of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. I may not seem like it but the wind was bad enough that it was cancelled. So I headed up to Miners Castle and Miners Beach.