What did you do today?

[Beap52 1,424]

11 hours ago, 953 nut said:

                   Wouldn't this be a good job for a vacuum cleaner?

Indeed a vacuum will be used but those tiny resin balls scattered under the model railroad table, a work bench and tables and chairs stacked along the wall.  I found them eight feet away from the drop zone.  I can shine a flash light and it almost looks like hundreds cat eyes in headlights. These balls are about the size of a pin head. 

[adsm08 3,259]

49 minutes ago, Beap52 said:

Indeed a vacuum will be used but those tiny resin balls scattered under the model railroad table, a work bench and tables and chairs stacked along the wall.  I found them eight feet away from the drop zone.  I can shine a flash light and it almost looks like hundreds cat eyes in headlights. These balls are about the size of a pin head. 

 

Probably easier to just move at this point.

[Ed Kennell 42,008]

Watched my lawn mowers at work.

 

[adsm08 3,259]

11 minutes ago, Ed Kennell said:

Watched my lawn mowers at work.

 

 

Milo would like to come play with your lawn mowers.

[SylvanLakeWH 28,423]

Just now, adsm08 said:

 

Milo would like to come play with your lawn mowers.

As would Denali... he says: "They taste just like chicken..."

 

 

[adsm08 3,259]

1 minute ago, SylvanLakeWH said:

As would Denali... he says: "They taste just like chicken..."

 

 

 

Denali can come play with Milo. My two beagles grew up with a lab, they love labs.

[Ed Kennell 42,008]

2 hours ago, SylvanLakeWH said:

"They taste just like chicken..."

Having consumed more than most, I beg to differ Milo.  Wabbits taste better than chickin.

I had many beagles for over 30 years boarding 13 at one point.    My last 10 years of rabbit hunting was spent without a gun.  I enjoyed watching a good rabbit circle by me 2 or 3 times and came to believe the rabbits enjoyed the chase as much as the dogs.   I have seen rabbits circle back and jump up on a stump and listen and watch for the dogs to catch up before the continue the chase.  Another trick I have seen rabbits jump on the low end of a fallen log, hop to the high end and then back track to the low end and jump off as far as they can.  This really confused the young hounds as they would race up the log and jump off the high end and never find another track.  I could almost see the rabbits smiling when they pulled this trick.

Now I just enjoy watching them mow my lawn.

 

 

 

[adsm08 3,259]

2 hours ago, Ed Kennell said:

 

Wow, the one on the top there really looks like my older one around the face. Same shaping, very similar color pattern.

[Beap52 1,424]

10 hours ago, Ed Kennell said:

Watched my lawn mowers at work.

They mow and fertilize with all natural organic pelletized  fecal pellets as well as cecotropes.

[adsm08 3,259]

Today we said goodbye to George.

[8ntruck 7,835]

We went to the festival at the Heritage Village at Montcalm County Coummety College.  They have a collection of old buildings dating from the 1800's to the first quarter of the 20th century.  For the festival, they have olde timey baseball games, quilt displays, musicians, black smiths, farm implements, a laundry set up, etc.

 

Interesting stuff, but we got there too late in the afternoon, as they were starting to close up the displays.  This event has been held for many, many years, but this is the first time we've attended.

 

I was planning to take my zero gravity chair onto the dock tonight to watch for meteors.  But, there is a forest fire somewhere up wind from us.  It is pretty hazy tonight:

 

 

 

The picture does not do the scene justice.  It lost the vivid red for some reason.

Edited yesterday at 12:43 AM by 8ntruck

[ML3 1,701]

Went to a local show today. Only 10min away. 

[PWL216 1,100]

Spent the day on Sebago Lake

[ebinmaine 72,699]

1 hour ago, PWL216 said:

Spent the day on Sebago Lake

 

 

If you're around Monday afternoon do feel free to stop by. 

 

We've spent the day at the Owl's Head Transportation Museum Air Show. 

IT. WAS. EXCELLENT. 

 

The parking lot was so full the Museum had to shuttle from satellite lots. 

 

Hundreds of exhibitors of all types of vehicles. We brought 4 tractors. The Museum put theirs out when they saw we'd brought them. 

Many great conversations about our Herd. 

The Air Show was fantastic! 

 

At the day's end we went back to camp,  had a meal,  and did an evening hike up  Mt Battie.  

There's a stone tower at the top. 

Night views looking out over the lit villages of Camden and Rockland Maine. 

Beautiful views. 

 

Pics when we get back to wifi.  

 

 

 

[Jayoutdoors 97]

Wife got a little time in on the B-60 up at camp today

[ebinmaine 72,699]

19 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

 

If you're around Monday afternoon do feel free to stop by. 

 

We've spent the day at the Owl's Head Transportation Museum Air Show. 

IT. WAS. EXCELLENT. 

 

The parking lot was so full the Museum had to shuttle from satellite lots. 

 

Hundreds of exhibitors of all types of vehicles. We brought 4 tractors. The Museum put theirs out when they saw we'd brought them. 

Many great conversations about our Herd. 

The Air Show was fantastic! 

 

At the day's end we went back to camp,  had a meal,  and did an evening hike up  Mt Battie.  

There's a stone tower at the top. 

Night views looking out over the lit villages of Camden and Rockland Maine. 

Beautiful views. 

 

Pics when we get back to wifi.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

This morning we did another hike. 

I believe we were over 8 miles in maybe 15 hours. 

 

The day hike was Mt Megunticook. 

 

Here's a few pics from the weekend.  

 

 

 

 

 

[JCM 10,222]

And you didn't stop in Rockland for the lobster festival. That's the best part of living in Maine other than Venison. @ebinmaine

[ebinmaine 72,699]

Just now, JCM said:

And you didn't stop in Rockland for the lobster festival. That's the best part of living in Maine other than Venison. @ebinmaine

 

Oh no no no no no.

I have no intention of ever getting near that.....

BBT strongly dislikes seafood and I could take or leave it. 

Me Bears ARE NOT crowd friendly. We don't do "festival" anything. 

[ebinmaine 72,699]

Night hike pics...

 

 

 

 

 

[8ntruck 7,835]

Started thr day at the ma & pa restaurant at the next lake east of us.  Drove around that lake.  Walked about a mile with the dog.  Dug the chipper shredder out and discovered that it seemed to have healed itself, so I got the remainder of the storm debris from a couple weeks back processed into many, many small pieces.  A couple of larger limbs got chopped into firewood.

 

Since the new tube I put in the bad garden cart tire is holding air, I got Pack Rat, the AC B-110 out to move the firewood to the wood piles, and move a couple of items down to the lake house.

 

The afternoon had warmed up enough that Mrs 8n and I took the pontoon out to the middle of the lake and took a swim.

 

The neighbors invited us over for hamburgers and hot dogs.  We ate too much and told stories. 

 

Noticed that the moon is much redder than usual.  Probably Forrest fire smoke.

 

Decided we've done enough today, so we are both in veg out mode.

[Razorback 1,125]

Made two batches of 2-ingredient biscuits (self-rising flour and heavy cream), made some wonderful salsa with tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, and banana peppers from our garden, then experimented with sauteed eggplant slices to help figure out what to do with what we're getting from the garden..... it was REALLY good! I used olive oil, some Kent Rollins taco seasoning, and some "mixed spices" we got from Grajeda Farms in Hatch, NM, done in a cast iron skillet. Oh, also had several ears of sweet corn from the garden. 

[oliver2-44 10,723]

On 7/28/2025 at 5:19 PM, oliver2-44 said:

Son#3 called and said

"Dad I need help, I broke a bolt off on my car transmission"

He's a software trouble shooter for software used in many electronic financial transactions, (data in motion) so he's kind of techie.

But I have to give him credit, he tries to learn and do a lot of house and hands on stuff himself. 

He had rotated tires, changed engine oil, and was changing transmission oil on his 2017 Chevy Equinox.

It has a semi sealed transmission, no filter, no dipstick, but manufacture recommend changing transmission oil every 45k miles.

He watched a YouTube where the guy pulled one bolt to remove an O-ring sealed speed sensor to verify full level.

Speed sensor is located under front left wheel wheel, pic has tire removed and wheel skirt pulled back to the right.

His driveway is too sloped for jack stands, so car is on asphalt pavement street, 97F 2pm.

Have I mentioned that broken bolts challenge me!

@adsm08 you came to mind as I scratched my head looking at this.

I thought about options, but decided dealer or local shops would just say transmission case needs to be replaced.  So......I can't make it any more broke!

I brought a Dremel with a 1/4" flat end stone to try to square end of bolt for a good center punch mark.

 I got a small center punch, bolt seemed fairly hard to be going into an aluminum housing.

I started drilling with a 1/8" left hand bit, but it quickly walked to the side of the bolt.

I also had a 1/4" rounded end Dremel bit and with difficulty ground a cone into end of bolt (ground a little bit of surrounding aluminum too!)

I decided since bolt seemed hard, I needed a really sharp/hard cobalt drill bit.  Checked on line and headed 7 miles to town, Ace hardware.

While I went to town I had him search parts list and find length of bolt and thread. I didn't want to drill to far and cause other problems!

M6 thread, guy at Ace said they didn't carry metric taps, but when I looked there was a lone M6 tap on the hanger.  Miracle #1.

Thankfully the sharp bit and the ground cone got my drilling started straight. (and I prayed to St Joseph the whole time I drilled for it to go straight)

At close to depth I tried an EZ-Out but no movement..

I kept praying and put the left hand 1/8" bit back in the drill and gently drilled with a careful /slight side pressure. The bolt started to move a little!

Back to the EZ-Out, and it slowly unscrewed. 

  

My prayers were answered, Miracle #2 it drilled as close to center as imaginable! 

P.S. while my son was looking for bolt length he found there is an actual square headed level plug on the rear side of the same left wheel well.

So the YouTube video guy was wrong, or doing it the hard way. 

Cleaned all the metal shaving away multiple times.

I let him button it up,  add transmission oil, and drive it around as I packed my tools up.   

He was kicking himself for breaking the bolt, I never ask how he broke it.

I told him I've broke my share!)  But reminded him I always try to watch multiple YouTube videos.

 

@adsm08 The transmission in my son’s 2018 Equinox seems to now be dying.  It will only go 40 mph like it is in a limp home mode. After changing the transmission oil he drove it 5-6 miles and rechecked oil level at plug and it was good. The old oil was really black. He’s down on himself for killing it when he tried to do the correct maintenance on it. I wonder if changing the oil without being able to replace the internal filter dislodged some crud that go stuck in the electronic valves.   I guess theirs always a chance some metal shaving got in it when I drilled the broken bolt out, but I sure tried to keep everything plugged and tin cleaned really well. He hasn’t taken to a shop for any diagnostics. He bought the car about 4 years ago with around 60k miles and now at 122k miles. Any thoughts or suggestion you could share would be appreciated. 

Edited 6 hours ago by oliver2-44