Bugs Palace!

Bad blogger.. I was doing so well with my 1-2 posts per month and then the summer time hit and I fell off the tracks.

First up : The bug has officially been apraised and set up with some classic insurance. Saves a great deal of money per month and more importantly I am fully covered in the event something terrible happens to my old girl. Have been lucky enough to do a bunch of driving around haldimand/norfolk and also made it into Burlington for a TurboTuesday last month. Looking around for some Cruise nights coming up later this summer on Fri/Sat/Sun/Mon nights. Be nice to do some more driving around and seeing more classics.  Happy enough with the suspension. It’s behaved fairly well at the current height and still looks awesome. This winter: add bumpers and maybe a new carb and exhaust. Time and money will tell.

Next up : Pool liner. After limping buy and patching the patches in Mom and Dads pool, we finally decided to rip out the old liner and install a new one. LOTS of work but made easier with help from pretty much the whole family and Alex. Looks great, the sand has been rebanked to add a better ledge to walk around and all in all it came out quite good for a bunch of rookies. Since then, any day about 20degrees my kids have either been in swimming and playing.

Speaking of swimming : swimming lessons started mid-July. Both kids went for 30 minutes a day for 2 weeks. Amazing watching how much my little sponges can learn in such short period of time. Both have done everything they have been shown and even jumped off the diving boards. Abby even jumped off the high-dive. They have 2 more weeks coming up mid-August. Looking forward to it.

Play Center:  I have been busy in the backyard once again. This time I started the first phase of the kids new play-ground. Phase 1 is the frame work as well as a pair of swings hanging below for the kids to enjoy. I have started working on Phase 2 but they wont be able to use it till next summer as it’s pretty high up and I would feel better if they were a bit older. Specifically Joey, as he tends to be a bit too daring. So for now the floor of their balcony is done, but I won’t be adding the ladder, railing or opening up the fort portion until next spring. Can’t wait to get it done. Kids are stoked.

House stuff :  Not too much to report on the house. Painted the upstairs bathroom a nice greeny colour. Looks good. Seems wierd as it has been white since we built the house, but I like it. We picked up the last pieces of the puzzle for the basement bathroom. Hoping to find a weekend with Dad being free to come over and help plumb the toilet and sink. With Katie and Brians house needing to be done, it may be a little while yet. Poor old man doesn’t know if he’s coming or going these days. US Steel has to get back to work – NOW.

Yep. US Steel is still on work stoppage. About 4-5 months now. Getting a little ridiculous. Hoping they resolve things soon. They are talking at least now, so hopefully it will come to an end before September hits.

Will get back to my 1-2 posts per month again now. Hopefully I won’t slip again.

I know I’ve missed something but for now, that’s it.

Until next time..

Been a bit crazy over the past month.  Sorry for the delay.

Beetle is road worth and good to go! I`m still tweaking the front suspension to get it right where I want it, but it`s nearly there. Hopefully one more adjustment and it will be perfect. Next up — bumpers.

Bike is running well. Summer is here and its getting lots of use. Hopefully this time next year, I will be ready to go to my m2 exit. Odds are I could do it now, but i`d feel better with another season under my belt before I try. Especially since I`ve only had this bike since October.  Also, I need to tweak the exhaust on the CBR to be a bit shorter. Right now the muffler covers the tail lights more then I would like. Hopefully I can make it flush, or even a bit shorter then the seat lip where it is now.

We had another wonderful Fathers day weekend + Grandpas birthday. Nearly everyone came and it was a typical – full of fun and food family shindig. Love these days.

Speaking of birthdays – my little man is OFFICALLY 3. He has such a sweet heart and a big personality. Little dude means the world to me. How`d I get so lucky to have two of the most amazing kids on the planet. I must be doing something right.

US Steel is STILL on lockout. So Dad and Grant are still out of work. I pray this ends soon. There is no good going to come from this work stoppage. The sooner both sides see that and can come to an agreement – the better.

This past weekend (Canada Day) we all spent the weekend stripping out the old liner from Mom and Dads pool, put new sand in, smoothed everything down and finally put in a new liner. Considering the only real instruction we had was me watching Youtube + a couple conversations with a buddy of mine , it all came together pretty well I think.

I`ve been on a roll  uploading photos over the past few weeks. Still a bunch more to come. Once they are all uploaded I am going to have to spend some time re-aligning the galleries. I really don`t like the way it is now. It`s usable, but had to find what you want quickly. Once it`s sorted, I will finally get my parents Box-o-Photos`s all scanned and uploaded as well.. This summer  — it will happen.

That’s it for now. Hopefully get back to my bi-weekly updates. Until next time…….

Wheels finished and put together. Tires mounted. Alignment done. Bug is officially drivable. Hopefully in the next week or so I will get my stickers for the plates and we’ll be back on the road for good. Can’t wait to go for a spin in the old gal.

The bastards at US Steel have once again locked out the employees, and has left Dad (and this time Grant too) out of work. Been a pinch over a month and it sucks already. With any luck they will get back to work soon.

Katie and Brian had their stag and doe a few weeks back. HUGE thanks to everyone who came out and supported them. They did pretty well, and I believe everyone had a good time. Can’t ask for more then that.

Not too much else to report right now. Until next time!