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Showing posts from June 19, 2011

The Nissan Leaf Gets a New Rear Axle

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Well, I finally have a salvage title for the 2013 Nissan LEAF (Actually I dont have the title yet, but I think they mail it to me. We are far from settled with the insurance company for sure. It has been six months since Angie was rear ended. The following chart shows a very sad and disturbing trend. Insurance companies aren't paying out. It should be criminal. I went shopping for a new rear axle so I can get the car driving again. The rear ended axle was so bent, the car couldn't move. The new one with no connecting bits was over a thousand dollars. The cheapest used ones I could find on ebay were over 500 dollars. I finally scored at a local used parts place for 95 dollars (removed) and with associated bits such as bearings, bushings, parts of the brakes. It took me a concentrated day with cancelled and moved meetings to get the axle replaced and the car running again. The accomplishment felt good. I am now configuring the car with tractor tires and other modifications t...
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I am not in Kansas anymore. I know, the saying is more than old. The folks in Kansas have a great base. It is something I revere as part of my aspirations of farm life. I am off to Europe again Saturday. I arrive in Prague, Czech Republic Sunday. We have a intense agenda. The Pareto Rule applies. "Get 'r done" in a Global City DJ and I are looking at buying property in Costa Rica. It is difficult to schedule the visit/purchase because of work/project compulsion. And of course, spending much time there is a bit of a time-management conundrum as well. Actually, my vision is really developing a respite for friends and family from around the world. I can see a very nice visitor register (on paper) emerging, which of course is priceless. The guy on the scooter... I had to take a pic. It was awkward taking the pic. I am glad I did. It was just too weird. What emotion does that image evoke? I get a few. Interestingly enough when we were on the Interstate in Kansas w...
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I ran into this bug this morning in the parking lot in Duluth. I was thinking I had to go to central America to see a land insect this size. That's my shoe there. I almost tripped over this guy. Yes, he was alive. I kicked him to make sure.
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I hiked about 10 miles on the Appalachian Trail (AT) yesterday. It took a while to get to my start place on fire roads. It was maybe 13 miles off the pavement. It was a nice ride through the woods. It was a little like driving the jeep around the property in Berkshire. It was similar, but the jeep is a lot more fun around the farm. The hike of course was great. I went to the top of Springer Mountain again, but from the other way, not from the approach trail. I met a few folks. Some were finishing up an 8 day trek from North Carolina. It is a culture that's for sure. At the summit we were in the clouds and it was misting and a bit rainy. It certainly felt like I was in the clouds. My new hiking shoes worked very well. The GPS on my phone did the trick is showing where I was. The ceiling was a bit low this morning on a trip up to Gainesville, GA. in N53057. I am getting better with ATC and the Atlanta airspace. Learning is what it is all about.