Woot! I got it started today! It doesn’t idle, but the beast literally roared to life this morning, filling my garage with some really rank smelling exhaust. After a few starts and keeping it running by holding the throttle at about 3500RPM, it mostly cleared out. I have taken the carbs back off and ordered some very fine drill bits to clean out the idler jets. I also think there’s something wrong with the needle jet in carb 4 because it’s overflowing gas. There are more pictures in the gallery. My goal is to have this beast in running condition next summer.
Monthly Archive for September, 2004
Saturday was probably the best it could have possibly been. Warm, sunny, not a cloud in the sky; it was what most would call “beautiful”. The weather only put an underscore on what would have been a great day had it been cold and overcast. A wonderful time was had by all, except maybe my brother, who is “not much into wine yet” as he puts it. And the beer that Bell’s brought was sub-par (not surprising at all). We were joined by my brother and his wife, from Mishawaka, IN, my in-laws (from the Pt Huron area, MI), the parents Watson (from Niles), and our good friends from Texas Township, Matt and Tracy. Accompanying Mateo and Senorita Tracy was Victor, who it was a pleasure to meet.
So here’s the run-down. The Black Star Farm icewine of 2002 is not as sweet as 2000, but in my opinion is just as good. Char thought the 2000 was better. Mainly, the 2000 was sweeter and more vibrant with grape flavour while the 2002 seems more subdued and has some other nice flavors that come out because the grape isn’t as vibrant.
As for the other wines, we stuck mostly to the dry wines, which relegated most of our purchases to 2002 vintages. This new-found love of the dry and complex that we’ve embarked on will give us another year to wait to enjoy the bounty of the 2003 harvest. Oh, well… just another year of winefest to look forward to. 
So the final count is exactly three cases between the three wineries; two at St Julian, 1/2 at Black Star and 1/2 at Warner. Too much money, but the wines are all of decent quality and we won’t have to make any trips to Russo’s for wine (other than the Penfold’s Cabernet Shiraz) for some time. As we drink them, check for some feedback here.
In other news, apparently, the top idiot was in Michigan, spending our hard-earned tax dollars to forward his agenda of fear, uncertainty and doubt with the American people. Oh the joy of living in one of “those states”. I don’t have much bandwidth to dedicate to these clowns lately. Most of the “issues” that are being discussed in the mainstream media are a waste of time and energy to even get too worked up about. At this point, my vote has been decided, not because I believe that the person is the best person for the job, but because, given all the variables, I truly believe that anything is better than the status quo. I don’t hold the values (?) of the current administration in any form (I don’t believe that lying to people about the mortal fate of their sons and daughters is “moral” for example) and I plan on putting my vote where my mouth is.
Take it easy ya’ll. Much wine is yet to be enjoyed.
Today will be our trek to Paw Paw for winefest. I woke up with a nice deabilitating headache this morning. We’ll see how the Advil does, but so far… nothing. Maybe once I get out and start moving around, it won’t be so bad. It’s an hour car ride from here and we’ll be leaving in about an hour.
The roofing came off pretty well, all things considered. There was some speculation that the lowest layer (there were three) of shingles might very well have been the original roof (from the 1920’s). It was basically a layer of hard dirt that had to be removed from the roof with shovels and pitchforks. The tearing off part was NASTY, but the addition of new shingles to the cleaned roof makes it look much better, and so far not leak a drop of water. Many thanks to all who helped out. You all are -very- appreciated.
I’m out.
Oh… yeah… and Happy Bush Profitibility Day! (aka Angry Saudis with Airplanes Day… aka Loony Religious Wingnuts Blew Up Buildings So Let’s Start A War In Iraq Day) Is that offensive? I hope so.
Here ya go… today’s fresh links– all the music that’s fit to listen to; some of our favourites.
Potato Moon - from W Michigan
Hello Dave - from Chicago
Domestic Problems - from GR
Bloom - our friends from Detroit
Ian Anderson - In case you need to know, leader of Jethro Tull, one of the greatest rock bands to ever grace the stage
Franz Ferdinand - One of those “new rock” bands that I’ve been obsessing over lately… in the same vein (sort of) as Modest Mouse and to a lesser extent, Death Cab for Cutie
Speaking of DCFC… check out this site. It’s a concert tour called “Vote for Change” that has some really heavy hitters on it, doing some great stuff for the cause of creating some change with the current state of things. Protesting through the use of the power of music is one of the greatest tools we have. It makes me feel reassured that there are good people in the world when celebrities use their status to try to inspire positive change. Yeah for these guys and VH-1 Save The Music, who are doing wonderful work to make sure that kids are exposed to music. The english language doesn’t have words to express how strongly I feel about the power of the music and it’s positivity in one’s life.
Keep on keeping on, ya’ll. I’m out of here.
So I had a good beer tonight– Stony Creek Red Ale. Normally, I’m not a fan of red ales, but this one is brewed in a German style (don’t think Bavaria… think Dortmund). Super-tasty, malty and wonderfully bitter; it’s a great beer. I also recommend highly Stony Creek’s other creation, Vanilla Porter.
Tomorrow is “roof day”. All the clan is coming to GR to put a new roof on my porch. We have a 15 yard dumpster in our driveway that our neighbors have kindly allowed us to put there for the weekend. Gonna clean all the old computer crap outta my basement, too. Should be a hoot. Preparations for tomorrow’s festivities are in full tilt, with salads and baking happening tonight. Hello Dave on the stereo, a little buzzy from the beer, and everything is just fine.
Next week is wine fest; I’ve been waiting all year for this. There was an accident with the Black Star Farms ice wine we’ve been keeping and now we have to drink it. 
That’s OK… just gives us an oppurtunity to buy another bottle. I soooo can’t wait.
OK… well… off to have another beer and surf the web for something interesting for you to look at. Peace to all you good folks. At some point, you guys should chime in and let me know you’re reading this…
