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« February 2007 |
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| April 2007 »
This year, my main crop will be tomatoes, same as last year. Seems we can't can enough of them. Here you see the start of the 2007 tomato garden - 24 plants will go into these tires - and there will be four times that many out in the other garden at the back of the property.
Today, I also set the horseradish into the garden. Just thought I would mention that for anyone who might be interested.
I guess there's no secret in getting the body off - a lot of wrenching is involved. Some lubricant, sometimes, never hurts. But the main thing is the want, the vision. And I wanted it bad: I had to get this body off, and I had only Sunday to do it. Here, you see the body after I got it off, but it's settled back down onto the stands. Still up somewhat, but mainly down.
Once again, this car does not fail to surprise me. When I tore into the motor, I discovered this brand new, BARELY USED clutch. Someone had been into this motor recently and then it had seen some (though not much) use afterwards. Hmmmm. I do so love a good mystery ....
The front floor pans of this VW Beetle were not quite as rusted as the back but still will be replaced once the body comes off the chassis.
In an old VW Beetle, this is never surprising - the floor pans always tend to rust, particularly under the battery pan. Here, it's rusted clear through. The previous owner had the battery sitting in a modified plastic tote so that it wouldn't fall through and out onto the street.
With all the body rust on the car, I was quite surprised to find a brand new rear deck in place after I took out the back seat and ripped out all the carpet. In an old VW, this is usually quite rusted and almost always should be replaced in any rebuild. Curious now, I contacted the man who sold me the car who now admitted that there had been an engine fire in the car's past. That accounts for the body damage (rust) and the new rear deck.
Damn shame, too. This car is slated to become a greenhouse out in the back yard... what a waste of a good rear deck. Unfortunately, that's about all this car has that's redeemable - outside of the running gear. We're keeping all that, of course...
After adding eight yards of topsoil to the back yard, it was thoroughly tilled and left for the Spring rains. In a few weeks, the yard will be tilled again (once or even twice), levelled, and then planted with rich, lush green grass.
WOOHOO! Or, for those with T9 - ZONINO! The garden has had almost a cubic yard of good soil added and has been tilled. Now, the peas have gone in ... so the season has officially started! ZONINO!
I get a lot of comments from friends who look at this blog and from my associates who tell me what a beautiful car this is. Yes, the deep red color is magestic and yes, the body looks straight. But on closer inspection, much of the rear end of the car is totally rusted. This is a VW body destined for the scrap heap, but the rest of the car will be put to good use.
Here, Hoooooga and Rina kiss their little brother, Michael. This photo was taken January 13, 2007, and just look at that poor little kid as wet slobbers rain down from all sides. :)
Here, eight yard (10 tons) of new topsoil is dumped in Jim and Linda's driveway. This topsoil was moved one wheelbarrow load at a time, all the way around to the back of the house and the rear of the property. There, it was spread and levelled in preparation to put in a lawn.
With four VW Bugs on his property now and with spring and summer approaching, it's about time to get back to work. Here, Jim W. Coleman is pictured with Connie, the first in his Bug series, with the motor out and ready for some rocker assemby work.
Behind Jim, Charlie (yellow), the most recent addition to the fleet.
Here, three of the four Coleman bugs sit side by side on the driveway, like chickens on the roost. From left to right: Connie (1976), Charlie (1974), Linda's (1972). Inside the garage, and barely visible in this photo, the 1971 Super Beetle, currently undergoing a "ground up" restoration.
I think that if my dearly departed friend, Charles Brooks, knew that I would name a rusted-out Volkswagen after him, he'd be proud. This is how we found Charlie, and later brought him home. (He won't look like this for long!)
With no real place to put a new fruit tree where the deer won't get at it, Jim places a new baby plum tree smack dab in the middle of his asparagus patch. :)
The world has lost a charming storyteller and I, a close friend, a kindred intellect, a fellow smartass. Those times we spent discussing quasars, black holes, air guns and women were assumed to always continue but now have abruptly ended. The projects we started are left unfinished and I, too, feel incomplete. With whom shall I argue the fundamentals of dark matter or the pitfalls of NASCAR in Kitsap County? We left young Charlie Brooks walking alone up the road and the frogs still are making quite the ruckus, Charles.
Fly on, Doc, and don't succumb to the siren song of gravity. When you solve the dark matter question, radio back somehow, or just turn and look behind you. I may be there.
Signed,
The one you called "Reverend."
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