Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Once more into the breach?
I bought a Miata from my sister-in-law 3 years ago. Thoroughly enjoyable car, except it has an automatic transmission. That's like going to a Red Sox game, but being told you have to cheer for the Yankees. So I've been plotting ways to convert it to a 5-speed.
At the beginning of summer, I thought I had it sussed. A guy in RI had all the parts I needed, plus a bigger motor (1.8 vs 1.6), all for a great price. Went back and forth on whether I wanted to tackle such a project, could I afford it, did I trust the seller, etc. Turned out the mileage he reported was incorrect (double what he reported), after I ran a Carfax report. I got spooked, and ran away.
Now there's someone in Delaware with the same package - all the stuff I need to do the tranny swap, and a 1.8 motor, with low miles, for a good price. Here we go again - do I trust the guy? Do I want to go through all the trouble to do this? Can I get this past the finance committee (my wife)?
Ah, middle-class problems!
More as it occurs,
teebee
(p.s. - the 1.8 motor has 133hp, vs 100 in my 1.6. 33% gain!)
At the beginning of summer, I thought I had it sussed. A guy in RI had all the parts I needed, plus a bigger motor (1.8 vs 1.6), all for a great price. Went back and forth on whether I wanted to tackle such a project, could I afford it, did I trust the seller, etc. Turned out the mileage he reported was incorrect (double what he reported), after I ran a Carfax report. I got spooked, and ran away.
Now there's someone in Delaware with the same package - all the stuff I need to do the tranny swap, and a 1.8 motor, with low miles, for a good price. Here we go again - do I trust the guy? Do I want to go through all the trouble to do this? Can I get this past the finance committee (my wife)?
Ah, middle-class problems!
More as it occurs,
teebee
(p.s. - the 1.8 motor has 133hp, vs 100 in my 1.6. 33% gain!)
Sunday, August 21, 2005
Vacation
Vacation Report from TeeBee
We went out to Rockport last Sunday to spend a week with my folks. A wonderful week ensued.
Sunday - arrived around 3:00 pm to a warm welcome from M&D. Unpack, set up base camp in the west wing of the house. Kids immediately ask if we can go downtown to get slush/taffy/etc. Mom makes a great dinner. All go downtown for ice cream afterwards.
Monday - weather no good for beach, so we spend the day at the Boston Museum of Science. My old stomping grounds from when I was a Cub Scout, it has grown and is still tons of fun. The kids have been several times, so they have their favorite spots. We go to the Planetarium show and learn about Supernovas. 12 billion years from now and we've had it. Afterwards, we escape the city untouched by traffic (amazing, since we left at 5:30), and stop at Polcaris on Rt 1 for dinner. Last year my mom ordered a pizza with no cheese, and they messed it up. This year we emphasized the no cheese part. They got that right, but forgot about the toppings. Next year they'll probably forget the dough.
Tuesday - sunny but a bit cool, so we head for Halibut Point - a former granite quarry and ledge. Excellent views up the north coast of MA and NH - you can trace the beaches from Crane's to Plum Island to Salsbury to Hampton. On clear days you can see the Isle of Shoals.
We get there with lots of water and some crackers, and spend the day leaping from rock ledge to rock ledge, and peering into tide pools.
Dinner is at The Lobster Pool. My friend Tommy Tedesco runs the place now, and serves great fried fish. I save all my fried food cravings for a trip to the Pool, and it is always worth it. My brother Dave and his wife Carol join us and we eat and chat while the kids climb on the rocks. All go downtown afterwards for monster ice cream cones. This is supposed to be a small? Sheesh!
Wednesday - beach day. We usually go to a local Rockport beach (Front Beach - small but close, with a snack bar across the street and a swimming platform in deep water for the brave). This time, Gina wants to go to one of the big beaches. That means either Good Harbor or Wingaersheek beach. Wingaersheek has a rep as a better family beach, with a gentle slope that means lots more room at low tide, so we go there. WE pack as if heading for the Artic, and set off.
Get there and things are already pretty crowded. We find a good spot, and are joined by my brother Ed and his family, plus sister-in-law Carol. We showed up at 1/2 tide falling, so by 2:00 the beach is huge. We stay until the sun sets, then pack up our sand dollars, driftwood, trash and sunburned feet (me) and head home.
Thursday - more beach. Same spot, same crew. Colder this day - sun is bright but a stiff breeze off the water cools things down quite a bit. Still lots of fun, but by end of day all are feeling beached out.
Friday - ad-hoc activities including salt-water taffy, a drive up the line to pick up my Dad's newly painted sailboat, rock-climbing, then a big barbeque at my brother Ed's, with all 5 siblings (and families) in attendance. I get to drive my brother Ed's project - a '74 Porsche 914 which has been, er, upgraded with a small-block Chevy V8 to the tune of about 300 hp. At idle it sounds like a Cigarette boat. Under way it roars like a '57 Chevy. Shocking power, really. A formidable accomplishment for Ed - kudos on the engineering.
Saturday is pack-up day. Last-minute trips downtown for Twin Lights soda (one of the few remaining 7-oz old-fashioned soda companies still around) and such. Load up the dogs, into the car, down Rt 2 and we're home again.
teebee.
We went out to Rockport last Sunday to spend a week with my folks. A wonderful week ensued.
Sunday - arrived around 3:00 pm to a warm welcome from M&D. Unpack, set up base camp in the west wing of the house. Kids immediately ask if we can go downtown to get slush/taffy/etc. Mom makes a great dinner. All go downtown for ice cream afterwards.
Monday - weather no good for beach, so we spend the day at the Boston Museum of Science. My old stomping grounds from when I was a Cub Scout, it has grown and is still tons of fun. The kids have been several times, so they have their favorite spots. We go to the Planetarium show and learn about Supernovas. 12 billion years from now and we've had it. Afterwards, we escape the city untouched by traffic (amazing, since we left at 5:30), and stop at Polcaris on Rt 1 for dinner. Last year my mom ordered a pizza with no cheese, and they messed it up. This year we emphasized the no cheese part. They got that right, but forgot about the toppings. Next year they'll probably forget the dough.
Tuesday - sunny but a bit cool, so we head for Halibut Point - a former granite quarry and ledge. Excellent views up the north coast of MA and NH - you can trace the beaches from Crane's to Plum Island to Salsbury to Hampton. On clear days you can see the Isle of Shoals.
We get there with lots of water and some crackers, and spend the day leaping from rock ledge to rock ledge, and peering into tide pools.
Dinner is at The Lobster Pool. My friend Tommy Tedesco runs the place now, and serves great fried fish. I save all my fried food cravings for a trip to the Pool, and it is always worth it. My brother Dave and his wife Carol join us and we eat and chat while the kids climb on the rocks. All go downtown afterwards for monster ice cream cones. This is supposed to be a small? Sheesh!
Wednesday - beach day. We usually go to a local Rockport beach (Front Beach - small but close, with a snack bar across the street and a swimming platform in deep water for the brave). This time, Gina wants to go to one of the big beaches. That means either Good Harbor or Wingaersheek beach. Wingaersheek has a rep as a better family beach, with a gentle slope that means lots more room at low tide, so we go there. WE pack as if heading for the Artic, and set off.
Get there and things are already pretty crowded. We find a good spot, and are joined by my brother Ed and his family, plus sister-in-law Carol. We showed up at 1/2 tide falling, so by 2:00 the beach is huge. We stay until the sun sets, then pack up our sand dollars, driftwood, trash and sunburned feet (me) and head home.
Thursday - more beach. Same spot, same crew. Colder this day - sun is bright but a stiff breeze off the water cools things down quite a bit. Still lots of fun, but by end of day all are feeling beached out.
Friday - ad-hoc activities including salt-water taffy, a drive up the line to pick up my Dad's newly painted sailboat, rock-climbing, then a big barbeque at my brother Ed's, with all 5 siblings (and families) in attendance. I get to drive my brother Ed's project - a '74 Porsche 914 which has been, er, upgraded with a small-block Chevy V8 to the tune of about 300 hp. At idle it sounds like a Cigarette boat. Under way it roars like a '57 Chevy. Shocking power, really. A formidable accomplishment for Ed - kudos on the engineering.
Saturday is pack-up day. Last-minute trips downtown for Twin Lights soda (one of the few remaining 7-oz old-fashioned soda companies still around) and such. Load up the dogs, into the car, down Rt 2 and we're home again.
teebee.
