So if you didn't do anything airgun related what did you do today?

[anti-squirrel]

We spent Saturday night on our property after floating a section of the Upper James.  It was our first trip on our inflatable "kayak", a Bote Zeppelin.  The Bote was even better than we hoped, wanted, and expected.

We spent a good part of Saturday evening relaxing around a fire enjoying adult beverages, discussing important topics, and thinking important thoughts.  Sunday we went to a friend's home in what used to be the town of Manteo (a couple miles downriver from our property.  The whole experience was new to my wife's best friend, her husband, and their twins (both just turned 4).  Everybody had fun.... but it was good to get home.  I'm still looking forward to moving there once we finish building the quonset hut.  While we were happy to get home, it was readily apparent summer traffic was already in full effect as were neared Richmond, and from the city eastward, traffic was heavy- more like a regular work-day instead of 4 PM on a Sunday.

Pictures!  My parents have had a Bote for years.  They call her "Miss Floppy" and they have paddled it all over the country, even in whitewater.

I didn't take any on the trip since it was a relatively short paddle (maybe 6 to 7 miles)- our next trip (probably this upcoming weekend) I'll be sure to take some.  But yes, the Bote is amazing.  It could easily handle some whitewater.  My wife and I took an inflatable 'yak on the Cheat River in WV last year for our first experience using an inflatable and it is a game-changer.  Her sister and sister's husband are- in order- experienced white-water and wayyyyyyyyyy beyond experienced whitewater paddlers (he was a pioneer on the Cheat, the New, and numerous other rivers during the late 80s) and they bought custom hand-made inflatables 18 months ago.  The PVC/Nylon inflatables are tough, and new materials are making them even more tough.  Geartrade has a Bote Zeppelin (what we bought) for ~ 700-ish IIRC; they're capable and incredibly fun.

[avator]

A while back I got a couple wheels for the lawn tractor I brought back to life from Baker at the junk yard. They weren't the right wheels for the husqvarna so I had to use washers to make them work. The problem was that they had water in them from sitting so long. That rusted the rims beads and they kept losing air.
So today I decided it was time to take the tires off, clean them up and put them on the stock husky rims. I had already removed the bad tires from the rims a week or so ago. The stock rims look brand new inside, no rust and no pitting. They still had the powder coat on them.
Funny, changing tires by hand seem alot harder than it used to be. Lets just say it took more than one break to slow the heart rate back down... and that was just the first wheel..    But persistence paid off and I got it changed. I put a thick dose of sealer around the bead after I got it cleaned up. I aired it up and check for leaks in the puddle in the driveway. Good to go and I put it back one the tractor.
Then came tire #2. I got it off the old rim, cleaned up and halfways onto the new rim. That's when I felt the old ticker thumping in my whole body and decided that today was not a good day for cardiac arrest. I came in, washed up a bit and sat in front of the a/c to cool off and slow down. Then I'm gonna hit the shower. I'll finish the job up in the morning.

[oldnamvet]

A while back I got a couple wheels for the lawn tractor I brought back to life from Baker at the junk yard. They weren't the right wheels for the husqvarna so I had to use washers to make them work. The problem was that they had water in them from sitting so long. That rusted the rims beads and they kept losing air.
So today I decided it was time to take the tires off, clean them up and put them on the stock husky rims. I had already removed the bad tires from the rims a week or so ago. The stock rims look brand new inside, no rust and no pitting. They still had the powder coat on them.
Funny, changing tires by hand seem alot harder than it used to be. Lets just say it took more than one break to slow the heart rate back down... and that was just the first wheel..    But persistence paid off and I got it changed. I put a thick dose of sealer around the bead after I got it cleaned up. I aired it up and check for leaks in the puddle in the driveway. Good to go and I put it back one the tractor.
Then came tire #2. I got it off the old rim, cleaned up and halfways onto the new rim. That's when I felt the old ticker thumping in my whole body and decided that today was not a good day for cardiac arrest. I came in, washed up a bit and sat in front of the a/c to cool off and slow down. Then I'm gonna hit the shower. I'll finish the job up in the morning.

That shows you are smart. Having had heart issues requiring hospitalization, I know the importance of knowing your limit. The wheel won't go anywhere.

[Blowpipe Sam]

Probably a wise decision Bill.  The Memsahib and I have been out in the garden all a.m. and we're taking a little siesta time.  It's too dang hot and humid to work outside right now.  Played with the new pup a lot.  She's coming along.  She's losing her shyness.  Neither of our two older dogs are crazy about having a puppy in the house.   But my mom's Duck Toller (Bon Bon) think's she's the bomb!  Works out real good!  The two high energy dogs wear each other out playing and leave the two old dogs alone.

[Rabbit\Squirrel Killer]

This morning I mowed some 6' tall weeds by the road down. That area is sandy on top and easy to get stuck in, yep I got stuck. I had to get off lift and pull on the front bumper until it was able to get traction again, not easy to do when it is high centered in sand with the back dug in. That got my heart pumping and I had to take a rest once. After I got it out, I did some shovel and pitch fork work and proceeded cautiously because I am sure it is a spot rattlesnakes would love to hang out. I got about 25% of the tall weeds, that filled the lawn tractors trailer once. I decided that was enough for today, I have a high school graduation and party for a granddaughter to go to this afternoon.

[avator]

Tom, Carter...
Last year when I got sick and was forced to retire 6 months before the plan was a wake up call for me. I'm much better now but not quite where I was before getting sick. I'm a little more careful about pushing the limits now. My biggest worry is leaving Betty Lou alone.

[Rabbit\Squirrel Killer]

My youngest brother and his wife moved out of state recently. Their son want to finish school and graduate here with his friends, he stayed behind with a close friends family. He went to a Charter school and we found out when we got to the graduation last night that his school was graduating in the shared venue and ceremony. So we were there for the granddaughter and nephew too.  His parents couldn't be there but at least we were able to give him a hug and congratulations and he had cousins and other relatives there too that he didn't expect! With the move they didn't get invitations mailed out, but it worked out better than in might have.   

[avator]

Got the second tire mounted, sealed up and back on the lawn tractor. Then I went and got gas and mowed everything. After that I pulled the z turn down into the barn with Betty Lou's Kodiak where it will sit until I get ready to put a new motor on it.
Betty Lou made me a killer doubles sausage, cheese and tomato breakfast sandwich and brought me a large yeti cup of coffee while I was mowing and asked me to mow under her clothes lines next so she could hang clothes out to dry. She prefers air drying over machine drying... especially towels and bed sheets. I'm just glad she's feeling better. I had some pain pills left over from when I had the shingles and she took a couple before bed last night. They seemed to have done the trick. I'm surprised she took them because she is like me and hates meds of any kind.
Next I need to clean up my mess in the Red Shed from changing tires yesterday and this morning. Might even have a beer or 2 today and do a bit of shooting. Maybe even a fire in the pit later. We like sitting around the campfire, drinking a couple beers and popping beer cans with the Daisy BB guns.

[Madd Hatter]

Just got back from dropping off our old Samsung plasma tv to some friends that are living paycheck to paycheck and didn't have 1. Gave them the old sound bar too. Wife thought for a minute of just putting it in her room but then realized it would just sit there taking up space and collecting dust.

[maraudinglizard]

Managed to get the rest of the mowing/bush hogging done yesterday. Just some weed eating and hand trimming around some things. I had change my platelet donation appt. earlier in the week, did that today it was raining so that worked out. Tomorrow I will head to B-town for animal feed and some groceries before the weekend stamped ramps up. I am finally going to take a break from the yard and build some brooder pens for the chicken, try out the new plastic bait molds, set up the lead casting stuff and find all the molds, exercise my break barrel guns, another words for once set on my tush and do absolutely what I want to do, not what needs to be done. 

[avator]

Sounds like a plan Kris.

[Madd Hatter]

Had to run up to Williams to pickup my wife's med and since I was there bought a few groceries. Man that hill going up to Williams gets to be a pita with the trucks taking up all of the lanes just because they're going 2 mph faster than the truck in front of them.😡😡🤬🤬

[Blowpipe Sam]

I rode the JD zero turn mower for six hours today.  I got about 2/3 of the park mowed.  I'm back on field duty tomorrow and I'm considering finishing the mowing or breaking out the String trimmer and the stick edger.

Decisions decisions.

[Madd Hatter]

Got to take the wife to Prescott tomorrow for cataract surgery on her left eye 👁️. Only suppose to take 2 hrs for the surgery so I'll be sticking around to take her back home. They just put some drops in her eyes to keep them from moving. When I heard that I'm so glad it's not me because I'd just go blind instead. I'm extremely sensitive to anything to do with my eyes. She's going to have to go through this for both eyes. 😱🫣😱

[buellm2]

Cataract surgery is pretty fast and easy for the patient.   It was probably two hours for me, from the time I walked in the door till the time I walked out.   Actual time for the surgery was probably less than 15 minutes.   They made a video of the operation for me.  Very exciting.   You can see the positive results of the surgery immediately. 

[maraudinglizard]

Sounds like a plan Kris.

Thanks Bill, I have worked on holidays most of my career and this is first time since bailing out that I will not have to worry about something going stupid during the holidays. I have most of the yard under control where I can branch off onto something else for a day or two. I have finally got my air gun groove back with the garden pesting and hopefully later this year I can put bigger stuff in the freezer as well. Get the fishing back up and running again, I have a cast net that needs to be finished being tied and lead line put on it. Hopefully I will have it ready by the time the mullet make their run in the fall. I am taking it one day at time and actually able to stop and smell the roses for a change.

[bReTt]

Work, help make dinner, take boys to the races, home now and going to eat dessert for one of the boys school projects, surf then bed

[buellm2]

I just spent an hour and a half cleaning some shooters that don't use air.   It's something that I no longer enjoy.   Yet another reason I'm liking AGs more.

[anti-squirrel]

It's a little late today to be extolling the virtues of what I did last night- to preface, we were up at 4:30- Sonja has a 90 minute commute each way but the money is worth it the 2 days a weeks she works.  She got home ~ 5:30 last night.  We opted for EASY-MODE dinner- just cereal.

Then we loaded mowers on the trailer and drove a couple streets over, unloaded, and cut the lawn for a property with no apparent owner.  An hour later, we finished.  Knee to waist-high grass, weeds, violets, and a half-buried rose bush, with a bunch of poison ivy and oak mixed in.  When we got home, Sonja looked it up and HUD owns the home.  She called HUD's office today and golly-gee, the record keeping there is abysmal.  The HUD rep is doing more research though, and was very grateful we cut the lawn.  As an aside, I find it totally baffling that nobody on that street even attempted to cut the yard.  The home has been empty for close to 2 years that I'm aware, likely longer.  And the house next door is on the market; if I was a real estate agent, I'd be paying somebody to cut the other lawn simply to ensure the max price.  Abandoned properties next door negatively impact home sale prices. 

The good news is my improved "grass deflector 2.0" worked absolutely amazing- enough to where I'm not going to retrofit my Husqvarna and Troy-Bilt riding mowers with similar.  When we mow the acreage on our property, the wind blows it all up and into your face as you mow despite the existing factory deflectors.

[bReTt]

So far we have awoke, made coffee and breakfast burritos for the troop and now I'm surfing and planning the house projects for the next couple of days.  Family will be coming over Monday so I want things wrapped up to a place where I feel that I can relax on my weekend.