The Long Delay
The Thrifty Rocketeer continues....
after a delay of almost two months.
You see, Life got in the way.
First, my car blew up. That is, the engine overheated on one of the coldest nights in January, and I had to get home, so I continued to drive in it, all the while keeping an eye on the temp gauge. Big mistake.
The head gasket had failed and the head might have warped.
So, I either had to scrap the car, replace the head gasket and mill the head flat...or totally replace the engine, to start with a used engine in a vehicle that had 229,000 miles on it.
I had the engine replaced.
Then my kids each announced that they wanted to buy a car. One could afford it. The other cannot.
So, we went car shopping.
One kid found a good value. One did not.
But I found an acceptable car with manual transmission that I could drive comfortably, even though no one else in the family could drive it.
So my old car has fallen into the hands of one kid.
Plus, property taxes have come due... and medical bills from last year are due...and I have to file my income tax return shortly.
In short, Life got in the way.
But, once those pesky taxes are filed, I've got my eyes on the next build project. A local retailer has announced a small price break on a kit that hasn't been moving. And though it doesn't appeal to me, the novelty of a new build and cold days without warm sun is tempting me.
I'll announce it soon.
Until then, keep your glue capped.
Oh, yeah... once more thing. The local craft store closed, and I scored a lot of odds and ends. The new store that moved in had a small bird feeder wood project in the shape of a shark (I kid you not!) that I scored for a buck or two. Something spoke to me, so I bought it, and immediately painted the backside of the front panel. As a result, the shape has been emphasized by my using toll house paints and I'm going to use the result as a welcome sign to our new launch field. (Once you have been there, you don't need directions, but because it's not exactly clear how to navigate the farm fields and lanes to get to our new launch point, I'm posting a few simple directional signs to help. As long as you see the signs, you know you're on the right farm lane. Does anyone else do this for your club launches? Let me know.
after a delay of almost two months.
You see, Life got in the way.
First, my car blew up. That is, the engine overheated on one of the coldest nights in January, and I had to get home, so I continued to drive in it, all the while keeping an eye on the temp gauge. Big mistake.
The head gasket had failed and the head might have warped.
So, I either had to scrap the car, replace the head gasket and mill the head flat...or totally replace the engine, to start with a used engine in a vehicle that had 229,000 miles on it.
I had the engine replaced.
Then my kids each announced that they wanted to buy a car. One could afford it. The other cannot.
So, we went car shopping.
One kid found a good value. One did not.
But I found an acceptable car with manual transmission that I could drive comfortably, even though no one else in the family could drive it.
So my old car has fallen into the hands of one kid.
Plus, property taxes have come due... and medical bills from last year are due...and I have to file my income tax return shortly.
In short, Life got in the way.
But, once those pesky taxes are filed, I've got my eyes on the next build project. A local retailer has announced a small price break on a kit that hasn't been moving. And though it doesn't appeal to me, the novelty of a new build and cold days without warm sun is tempting me.
I'll announce it soon.
Until then, keep your glue capped.
Oh, yeah... once more thing. The local craft store closed, and I scored a lot of odds and ends. The new store that moved in had a small bird feeder wood project in the shape of a shark (I kid you not!) that I scored for a buck or two. Something spoke to me, so I bought it, and immediately painted the backside of the front panel. As a result, the shape has been emphasized by my using toll house paints and I'm going to use the result as a welcome sign to our new launch field. (Once you have been there, you don't need directions, but because it's not exactly clear how to navigate the farm fields and lanes to get to our new launch point, I'm posting a few simple directional signs to help. As long as you see the signs, you know you're on the right farm lane. Does anyone else do this for your club launches? Let me know.
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