Month: August 2024 (Page 1 of 4)

–Paid State Farm $95.73 for (difference in) insurance on BMW 230i.

–Went to Home Depot for a hacksaw. Used it to saw off bolts that hindered drawer opening after I mounted the vise (finally).

–Put gas in the Honda and washed the windshield.

–Got 3 Red baron pizzas at Smart & Final. Had one for dinner: good.

–Took the Beemer to REI in Sacramento, bought 3 Pairs of cargo shorts, size 40 (up from 38). Ready to roll.

–Took Grace to Hallmark at Sunrise Mall to look for birthday stuff for Kathy. There are like 3-4 jewelry stores at that mall, and I can’t imagine how they pay rent when it looks like the mall is mostly deserted.

–Tried to paint in the RB logo on the new Reggie Barber tamper–with BMW Alpine White paint and then with Testors enamel. Total failure. Wiping off the over-paint just screws up the paint in the letters. I suppose I could try a thinner paint and a micro-brush so there’s no paint leaking out of the grooves; hard to do though.

–Finished tweaking the last of the Silca pumps. It took (finally) a 9mm dual-wire spring clip to fit the pump hose. We’re rollin’ now.

–Took the BMW to Nai’s Berry Farm. Closed. Open tomorrow. Really liking the Beemer. It gives me sort of a God feeling when driving. I vaguely recall the Mustang was like that, though it lacked the smoothness, pickup, tautness, etc. of the BMW. Siri works great in the car–no wires needed. I tell her where to go; she directs me, with aplomb.

–Took the Beemer to Michael’s to get Grace some glue for her photo assemblage. Picked up varnish at UPS on the way back. Turns out I didn’t need it: 99% isopropyl alcohol removed the water spots from the Capitola miniature paintings without damage. Not sure what happened when I tried it a couple days ago and it seemed to remove the original varnish. Less-pure alcohol? I don’t know.

–Watered the plants in back.

–Raley’s rising-crust pizza for dinner. Not good. Back to Red Baron.

–Played with Silca pumps.

–Took the BMW to Bel Air for potato salad. Sweet car.

–Barbecued turkey burgers and (from Sherry/Davis Ranch) corn and tomatoes.

–Took the BMW to REI Folsom to get some new sneakers. Car was good, Siri was good.

–Re-hung the parking duck.

–Sherry Stults went to Davis ranch and brought us back (per request) some corn, tomatoes and peanut brittle.

–Still hot!

–Dinner at Zinfandel. Pretty good.

–Breakfast at the Holiday Inn, cinnamon rolls and bagels at Top Donuts, then headed back (Phoebe’s doesn’t open until 11). BMW was good, especially after I redirected the AC air flow.

–Hot here, still not conducive to working in the garage.

–Switched over to iPhone for the BMW in order to get Siri. It’ll be hard to beat the car’s native GPS system, which (I learned today) knows about slowdowns and how long they’ll last–but we’ll check it out.

–Red Baron for dinner.

–Took the 330i to BMW Monterey; traded it in for a 230i. Car salespeople are still jerks: I got a 15-minute high-pressure sales pitch on various kinds of insurance from the finance guy. Anyway, the car is fabulous, though it does have a fairly strong odor.

–Briefly checked out La Selva Beach with chips on the bluff.

–Checked in at the Holiday Inn Watsonville. Got room 319, same as last trip.

–Dinner at McDonald’s.

–Big diarrhea attacks this morning, a day early.

–Paid State Farm homeowner’s insurance $1,186, due in October. Hope this is for a full year.

–Took the BMW to Bel Air for cash, then Coloma Arco for gas.

–Tried to pack, sort of.

–Took a shower and shave.

–While fiddling in the bathroom, I noticed that the two Vern Scharf paintings (hot dog and donut over Capitola) were covered with water spots. (1) Be care when using the water flosser. (2) Tried getting them off with water, Mother’s Mag, white vinegar: nope. Tried alcohol, which seemed to work, but also removed some varnish. Ordered some varnish. May try to clear up all water spots, then re-varnish.

–Went birthday shopping at Oto’s market and Osaka Ya. Total nightmare, due to terribly blurred vision and circuitous routes.

–Haven’t heard a word from Nathan Reed. Looks like I might have pissed him off with my Perma-Plate complaint.

–Went to Bel Air for cheese, milk, cream, dessert, avocado.

–Took the BMW to Folsom Glenn car wash. $45 and a great job. Now that I’m not taking it anywhere soon…