So I have a new favorite music source. Our TV package has a steaming music service, Stingray music. It also has a mobile app to allow streaming to my iPhone. Couple that with Bluetooth streaming to the car stereo and it’s pretty sweet.
Yesterday I’m listening to my favorite channel Classic 80s Rock while running some errands. Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven comes on, great song. Then, the very next song was AC/DC’s Highway to Hell.
Coincidence?
The path is narrow, a stairway vs a highway . (Mt 7:13)
I’m spending some time quiet time at the lake catching up on some old emails, checking out some web sites and just in general goofing off. I took Friday & Monday off from work so we’ve made our own “long weekend”. The weather today (Friday) is warm, but overcast and drizzling on and off. There are no big projects on the horizon for the rest of the cottage season, except for the never-ending opportunity to paint or stain some part of the buildings, but none of that today as everything is wet.
For some time I’ve neglected my Flickr account but I recently noticed that my membership was automatically renewed so I guess I should really make better use of it.
One thing that came to my attention was that the newest Grandkids, Dane & Clark don’t have their own albums like the older guys Easton & Parker do. Time to fix that.
I’ve got a system within Lightroom with “smart” collection publishing from Lightroom to Flickr where the collection watches for photos that are flagged, and have the keywords containing “flickr” and one or more of the grandkids names. Now it’s just a mater of reviewing all my photos since about October 2014 (490 so far) and tagging the best of the best with the appropriate keywords. This is a bit of a work in progress and I can feel the couch calling my name for an afternoon nap right now. But, it’s started.
As a result of the boat show, and a few conversations in the family, we’re now the proud owners of a Sea-Doo Spark. On May 10th, our 1st weekend at the lake we’re getting ready to take it out for its maiden voyage. The weather is not the best. It’s cool/cold, overcast and a little windy. Everyone wants to take it for a spin, but nobody is too keen about how cold and wet it might be. On the Sunday, it’s decided, we’re going no matter how cold it might be.
Getting ready to take the Sea-Doo to the launch site
We hook it up to Scott’s truck, load up the family and head over to Smith’s Camps to put it in the water.
At Smith’s we re-connect with Allen, the owner, and catch up on a bit of the neighbourhood news. Some discussion about launch logistics and Eric and Scott are ready to do it.
Rider Up, ready to launchGetting Closer
Down the ramp we go and the trailer and Sea-Doo are christened with their first dip into the frigid water. After all the ice just went off the lake on May 3rd!
We’re not super prepared for this, just super confident. We have no ropes on the Sea-Doo so once it’s set free from the trailer, Eric is on his own.
Well, this is when things get a little interesting. The Spark is not starting and Eric is adrift in the lake!
Fortunately, we’re in an enclosed area at Smith’s and eventually Eric and the Spark will drift over to a dock. But, there is a small chance he’ll drift out the opening you see in the background and out into the lake. Our boat is not in the water yet. If this happens we’ll need Allen to launch a rescue mission for some serious $$$s.
But that doesn’t happen and Eric drifts over to one of the docks and after several tense / frustrating minutes and quite a few tries, it starts! Let the fun begin!.
Underway for the 1st time.
After zooming around the bay for a few minutes Eric returns to take Parker out for a ride. Everybody is pretty pumped and excited.
Eric and Parker set to ride.
I’m next to ride and I must admit it’s very nice, like a motorcycle on the water.
Garry returning to the dock after the first ride.
Scott is next to go.
Scott’s 1st ride
After lots of discussion on how it handles, the speed and acceleration, and how much fun it will be this summer, especially when it warms up, we load the Spark back up on the trailer and head back to the cottage where we had an awesome hot lunch.
Perhaps we’ll need to give this toy an official name, something more than “The Spark”?
It seems to be hard to get everyone together on someone’s birthday so it’s quite the occasion when the family gathers these days with all the Grandkids. With Des’s birthday passed and Scott’s coming up we managed a combined dinner celebration.
Of course for us, the best part is spending time with everyone, especially the newest additions Dane & Clark .
Nana with an arm full of Dane & ClarkGranddad with DanePrepping the candles on the cake
An of course no birthday celebration would be complete with out a fancy Birthday Cake or two!
Getting some assistance with the candles.
With all those candles (somebody was having a “big” birthday”) you need a little help in blowing them all out.
Good food, good times, and having everyone together made for a memorable evening. Super busy with two 2 3/4 year olds and two babies, such a blessing to have such a happy and health family.
I invited the guys to the boat show. We saw some impressive water craft. Drooled over some ridiculously expensive fiberglass. Went out for wings and a beverage and talked about stuff.
And then, the next day, it started.
There were a few more discussions and then today we’re in a store looking around. Parker saw lots of cool stuff and had to get into, or on to most of them.
But we really knew what we were looking for and after some discussions about the colour we close a deal on one of these bad boys.
With a trailer and a few accessories. Now somebody is shopping for some more add on gear.
Going to be some fun times at the lake this summer.
Between services at church today I got the privilege of spending a few special moments with Scott, Mandy, Easton and Clark.
So nice to touch base and connect even for a few moments. Shared a cookie with Easton and had a nice cuddle with Clark who was so relaxed and looking around checking out all the action.
Best Christmas present ever was having our entire family, extended family and church family together in the Christmas Eve service. Having your children and grandchildren together at church, worshiping, keeping the young ones engaged, and just reflecting on the family is the best gift ever. So proud of them all.
My first stereo system component was a Harman Kardon Rabco ST-7. This is a very sweet linear tracking turntable and for several months it just sat on a shelf as I admired my 1st purchase. At that point I had nothing to hook it up to!
Well after a couple of decades in retirement, it’s back in service. The main driver for this revival was a gift of Hillsongs Zion on vinyl from Scott and Mandy on my birthday. It hooked effortlessly into my current audio system, and even had a space waiting for it on the shelf.
However, halfway through the first song, things came to a screeching halt, quite literally. The tone arm mechanism was not tracking properly and trailed the arm is such a way that it pinned it down to the record. Not good.
Well, after 20+ years of just sitting around, I guess a little maintenance work is to be expected. The ST-7 is notoriously finicky to get set up correctly, but once you’ve got it, its a thing of beauty. After removing the back cover plate it became clear that there was a lot of buildup and “gunk” on the tracking shaft which is instrumental in keeping the arm moving properly across the record. After cleaning that I my attention turned to the small tracking roller that rides on the tracking shaft roller tube. It had similar looking gunk on it. Armed with a Q-tip and alcohol (for cleaning purposes on the Q-tip) I started to clean the roller. A short time into that process and I started to wonder if this was normal, and what is this gunky stuff.
Google to the rescue. It turns out this “gunk” is what’s left of the silicone ring that is fitted onto the roller. For the ST-7 this is a well known maintenance issue, and from all the descriptions I could locate on the web, very challenging to get the roller out. Once out you can replace the silicone ring with a fairly standard plumbing o-ring from Home Depot. The challenge is getting the roller out and back in without breaking anything or doing a full and complex disassembly. The roller is in a plastic U shaped holder, with very limited access. Apparently surgical tools and surgical skills are a asset in doing this repair.
Perhaps some more disassembly will assist in getting this thing out. Next thing you know my ST-7 looks like this, stripped of all it’s aluminium finery.
The roller that I need to replace is in here, behind that metal plate with the screw sticking out (Tracking adjuster), cradled in that light grey plastic piece that you can hardly see.
After quite some time and some careful exploration, the roller is out!
Apparently, the roller is not symmetrical, some 0.20 mm wider on one end than the other so I get a measure to ensure it goes back in the right way. That brown stuff is like a gummy bear that has melted down and wrapped itself around the roller. Cleaning it up and putting the new o-ring on is easy. Another hour to get the roller back into it’s holder.
After a few re-assembly goofs, it’s all back together and running. I probably spent another 1-2 hours adjusting the tracking while enjoying some resurrected albums from the storage areas that we’re saved from my collecting days.
I’m sure there will be a little more vinyl in my listening future.
I’m pretty excited about our newest family members, a couple of handsome young men.
Just hanging out at a family brunch, chilling’ on the couch
First on the scene was Dane William Stewart (left) on Tuesday October 28 at 8 lbs 9 oz and 21.5 inches. Parents Desire and Eric and brother Parker.
Only a few short days later Dane was join by Clark Wesley Stewart (right) on Sunday November 2nd at 8 lbs 12 oz and 21.25 inches. Parents Mandy and Scott and brother Easton.
As a grandparent it’s hard to put into words the excitement, joy and happiness that four grandsons bring into my life. To have the whole family, sons, daughters & grandkids together, close by, and good relationships is a blessing that I’m very thankful for.
I’m looking forward to them growing up and being a part of their lives at every stage.
