Hello Mr. Jello........

 8:06 am - Friday - October 15th - Cle Elum, WA - 39° F, 100% humidity, wind 1 mph out of the northwest....heavy overcast today with a forecast high of 59° F.  On this date in 2016 TLE and I were having dinner with long time friend Don Neff at Christy Hill Lakeside Bistro in Tahoe City.....it was a stormy night on Lake Tahoe......↴

On a stormy day Lake Tahoe looks like the ocean

Our Jello plan for Thursday, our departure day, was to be at the Clinton/Mukilteo Ferry (on the south tip of Whidbey Island) before 12 pm, and hope to make it on the 12:30 or 1 pm ferry to the mainland.  We only had around 146 miles to our planned destination for the day.  No reservations are allowed on this ferry, so you just show up, and they put you on when they can.

By 9:45 am we had moved the Newell up the hill to pavement, and then Bob dropped the trailer onto the hitch of his 2004 Ford dualie to do the same.  By 10:30 am we had the trailer dropped onto the hitch of the Newell and we were ready to roll our wheels, but then Mr. Jello winked at us......before we depart each location TLE walks to the back of the trailer and we do a 'light check'.  A 'light check' means we check to be sure the turn signals, the brake lights, the emergency flashers, and the running lights are all working.  When we arrived 11 days prior all were working fine, but on this morning only the right turn signal worked, and the running lights.....nothing else worked...doh!  The trailer is connected to the Newell 12 volt system via a 7 pin connector at the rear of the coach.  Each pin controls one thing....it could be the brake lights, or turn signals, or running lights.  I first checked the ground terminal for all the wires going to the trailer, and saw a little corrosion, so I cleaned all the connections, and things improved slightly.  I sprayed some electrical miracle juice into the female end of the cord from the trailer, but sill nothing.  By this time it was around 11:15 am, so I decided that at least we have running lights on the trailer, so we would proceed south to the ferry, and then while waiting to board the ferry I would do some more trouble shooting.  

It's about a 1/2 hour drive to the ferry, and we arrived there just before 11:45 am and were put in lane #4 to board the 12:30 pm ferry.  While we were waiting I asked TLE if I could have one of her emery boards, which I whittled down to fit into the female pins on the trailer cord.  I sanded each of the seven pins, then reinserted the connector into the 7 pin connector on the coach.  I noticed that two of the pins in particular were showing a lot of corrosion, so I gave them special attention.  TLE then walked back to the back while I went through the turn signals, brake lights, running lights, and flashers......to each she gave a 'thumbs up'.  I've said this before, and I'll say it again.....it is almost always something simple.

With our electrical problem solved we boarded the ferry for the 10 minute ride to the mainland......

....TLE managed to get some video of us exiting the ferry and merging onto SR-525.....

.....SR-525 would take us to I-405, which would take us south avoiding the terrible Seattle traffic to I-90 eastbound.  As we edged southward the traffic became lighter, and then we merged into the eastbound lanes of I-90 where traffic became even lighter.  It rained occasionally, but never hard, and never for very long.....

....we even caught sight of a rainbow......we were about 14 miles from our destination, and it appeared we would arrive by 3:15 pm.....

.....as luck would have it Mr. Jello winked at us again, and traffic stopped....never for long, but I actually turned off the big Detroit Diesel a few times while waiting for traffic to move again.  As it turned out there was some road construction at a bridge around 5 miles from our destination, and the delay caused us to arrive at our destination around 4:15 pm....an hour later than we hoped....oh well....where do we have to be, right?

Many Washington State Rest Areas allow overnight parking, so for the first time in our almost ten years of travel we spent the night in a Rest Area.  Most of Washington's Rest Areas also have free dump stations for RV's, and the one we overnighted at  (Indian John Hill Rest Area) is one of those.....there were several other RV's spending the night with us.....

....TLE and I spent the night reading, and I would check my phone occasionally to see what the score of the Dodger/Giants game was.  This was a do, or die game for both teams to see who would advance to the NLCS.  Around 9:40 pm the news came in....Dodgers win 2-1 in San Francisco.  Now on to the NLCS (National League Championship Series).

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One last task......

7:10 am - Thursday - October 14th - Coupeville, WA - 50° F, 74% humidity, wind 11 mph out of the southeast.....overcast and drizzly this morning with a forecast high today of 55° F.  Today is departure day so we will not be experiencing that high....we'll be somewhere near Yakima, WA by late this afternoon.  On this date in 2017 TLE and I arrived at Downata Hot Springs in Idaho to soak in their hot pools for a few days.....↴

Since we had postponed our departure from Wednesday to Thursday I decided to, at Bob's request, do some work with the JD 830B on the gravel road which we use to enter Bob's property, but before I did that I spent about an hour organizing the trailer for VW insertion.

From organizing the trailer I poured 10 gallons of diesel into the JD 830B to top off her tank, then made my way over to the corner of the gravel road to shave a few feet off the corner making it easier for us to extract the trailer from her current position.....

....the picture above is a kind of 'before' picture of the corner where the rocks are in the right foreground.  We needed to round off that corner to make it easier to take the trailer out.....

.....the picture below shows the trailer, and how it must be pulled around that corner to the left and then up the hill....the rounded corner will make that easier than in the past.....

.....I first had to move all those rocks you see in the picture above (the picture above is of the finished product) to the opposite side of the road, then shave a few feet off the corner, grade it, then move the rocks back.....

The video

.....TLE was kind enough to take some video of me moving the rocks back to the corner after I finished grading the slope, and spreading some gravel on the fresh dirt.  In all it took me several hours to do the work, but I think it turned out well, plus I became more familiar with the operation of the backhoe.  It is actually more intuitive than the backhoe attachment on the Massey-Ferguson.  By the time I finished putting the JD 830B away, and the tools I used to grade the slope I was beat.  I took quite a long hot shower, then took a nap.  

We spent a couple of hours down at the house saying our 'until next times' to Bob, Karen, and their adult daughter Lori, and were back home by 9 pm thinking about our departure on Thursday, and what still needed to be done  We laughed a lot as we always do.  We will return, God willing the the river don't rise, late spring 2022.....next summer will be  blast!

Thursday we will haul anchor and begin our week long trek back to SoCal and a much warmer climate....thanks for stopping by!

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Not much......

 8:10 am - Wednesday - October 13th - Coupeiville, WA - 47° F, 83% humidity, wind 13 mph out of the northwest......overcast today with a forecast high of 52° F.  On this date in 2017 we were camping at Ririe Reservoir just outside Idaho Falls, ID.....we awoke the next morning to a winter wonderland......↴

Ririe Reservoir

Afternoon view from the Newell on October 13, 2017

Morning view from the Newell on October 14th, 2017

Bob and I planned to spend Tuesday igniting his rather large burn pile, and then doing a little landscaping with the JD 830B, but the weather intervened in the form of wind and then rain.....no burn piles on windy days, and the rain put and end to any thoughts of working the JD 830B around the property.  I, instead, spent time putting things away in the trailer as our 10+ day stay here on Whidbey Island is quickly coming to and end.  We will be extricating ourselves, and our 62' of heavy equipment from Bob and Karen's property Thursday morning, then heading south on SR-20 to the Clinton/Mukelteo Ferry which will carry us over water to I-405 where we will continue our southern trek to warmer climates.

In spite of the rain Bob and I did run into town around 1 pm to fill up a few of his diesel fuel containers so we can fill the JD 830B's diesel tank.  Hopefully, on Wednesday, our last day here, we will get to the burn pile, and the landscaping work we wanted to do Tuesday.

Not much else to report about Tuesday, and I hear TLE putting the finishing touches on our breakfast so I will bid you all adieu until tomorrow.....time to roll our wheels again!

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All systems are go, but confidence is not so high......

 8:24 am - Tuesday - October 12th - Coupeville, WA - 39° F (brrrrr....time to move south!), 93% humidity, wind - CALM.....mostly cloudy today with a forecast high of 53° F.  On this date in 2015 TLE and I were having lunch at Wenatchee Brewing Company in Wenatchee, WA.....Kobe Beef Sliders and Chopped Salad........↴

Every story must have an ending, and for me Monday was the end of the 8 day saga to get Bob's John Deere 830B running again.  I would either succeed, or slink away in draped in failure like all the others before me.  All the preparations had been completed, and it was just a matter of pouring a couple of gallons of diesel into the empty tank, priming the fuel delivery system, and then pushing that 'START' button to see if she would start, and run.  As I walked down the hill to the 18 month home of the JD I felt like there was a 50/50 chance she would start, and then continue to run.  I've never done anything like this before, and knowing Bob had already spent several thousand dollars in parts and labor (professional labor I might add) trying to do just that was a little intimidating to me.  

There are really just two things you need for a strictly mechanical diesel engine to start, and run....compression, and fuel.  We removed all the bad diesel from the tank early last week (13 gallons of water spoiled diesel), and we knew the fuel lines were clear.  The compression is still quite good on this 1975 tractor so we had all the elements for success, but others had thought the same, and failed.  As I was pouring in the last of 2 gallons of diesel TLE came walking down the hill so I asked her to get up on the tractor and push the 'START' button to move fuel from the tank to the fuel pump, then through the fuel filter, and ultimately to the injector pump.  I 'cracked' each of the lines in their order to allow air to escape the system, and then closed them when fuel began to leak out of the fittings.

All that now remained was to connect battery power to the injector pump solenoid, and have TLE push the 'START' button.....

Just after the successful start

....it took a few seconds as fuel passed successfully through the open solenoid in the injector pump up to the injectors and into the individual cylinders.  Soon white smoke began to emerge from the exhaust, and then suddenly she fired.....and continued to run for the first time in 18 months!!!

TLE and I were yelling so loud Bob and Karen could hear us up in their home office.  We shut her down, and restarted her several times to be sure all was well, and shut her down a final time so I could install a new trigger wire from the ignition to the injector pump solenoid.  That took about 15 minutes, and then it was time to move her back up the hill to the barn.....

The new red trigger wire attached to the solenoid

The new red wire attached on the other end to the ignition

Had to back the JD all the way up the hill as the backhoe attachment makes it too heavy in back to drive forward up the very steep hill...the front end will literally come off the ground

.....the JD 830B tends to be back heavy due to the large backhoe attachment.  Bob's property runs down a long hill to Harrington Lagoon, so the path up to the JD's next resting spot is quit steep making it necessary to drive the JD backwards up the hill.  If you attempt to drive forward up the hill the front end will literally come off the ground....so back it I did.

Before....where the JD 830B sat for 18 months

....after....she's gone

Her former resting place for the past 18 months

New resting place for the John Deer 830B...we've got a battery charger hooked up to her two in series 6 volt batteries to keep them topped off

...after getting her parked in her new spot I proceeded to check all of the backhoe functions to be sure they still worked, and they did.  Bob had all the hydraulic hoses replaced a couple of years ago, so we were pretty sure there would be no blown lines....

Making sure the backhoe functions work

......around 4 pm TLE and I decided to do a re-enactment of what it might have looked like if I was on the seat of the JD when it started......

The Re-enactment

....I was pretty much just as excited as the first time it started a few hours earlier.  

To say the very least, Monday was a high point for me.  TLE and I returned to Bob and Karen's after almost 13 months primarily to help them get the JD 830B running again.  Bob has a lot of work he wants to do on their property, and it has all been on hold until the tractor was running again.  I had no idea if I would be successful, and was less than confident as I walked down the hill early Monday morning, but all that changed in the wink of an eye.  All the self doubt quickly faded away as the JD 830B rumbled to life once again.

Thanks for stopping by!

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So close......

 8:19 am - Monday - October 11th - Coupeville, WA - 48° F, 74% humidity, wind 9 mph out of the northwest.....clear today with a forecast high of 52° F.  On this date in 2017 we were in Dillon, MT just off I-15 on our way south to warmer climates after our time working in Yellowstone NP......↴

Sunday began heavily overcast, and blustery, and just as I was walking down the hill to the JD 830B tractor to install the new fuel filter assembly, and the brass cap on the brass 'T' at the bottom of the fuel tank it began to sprinkle.  It never really rained, and I managed to continue working until the sun arrived, and the clouds began to disappear.....

The new filter, and bowl

The brass cap reinstalled sans petcock valve...had to solder the hole in the cap

....now that the fuel filter has been installed, and the brass cap has been returned to its original position sans the petcock valve we can pour diesel into the fuel tank once again, and reprime the fuel system.  After that we will see if we can get her to run for more than 2 seconds.

A little discussion about the 'brass cap' is in order.....we have determined the petcock valve attached to the brass 'T' was, indeed, not a petcock valve, but a fuel shutoff valve instead.  By turning it to the 'OFF' position one could detach the fuel line on the left side of the 'T' without spilling fuel.  We intended to reinstall it, but the threads on the valve part which are supposed to screw into the 'T' were slightly damaged in the removal, and it would not go back into the 'T' so we went to plan 'B'.  Plan 'B' was to go to Home Depot and buy a brass cap to just close off the right side of the 'T', but none of the three types of brass caps (compression, flair, brass pipe) we purchased would thread onto the 'T'....doh!  Okay, here comes plan 'C'.  Plan 'C' was to cut off a piece of the brass rod on the petcock valve, and insert it into the hole in the end of the old brass cap.  There is a rubber bushing which surrounds the rod thereby keeping fuel from leaking past it. I then soldered up the hole in the brass cap to seal it.  Installation took just a few minutes.  We'll see if it leaks...I'm pretty sure it will not.

As I have written previously, we have determined the trigger wire which runs to the injector pump fuel shutoff solenoid is not working, but we have jumped a wire from the battery to the solenoid and it does work, and we have also jumped power from the battery to the wire terminal on the back of the ignition to which the trigger wire is attached and gotten the solenoid to work, so the trigger wire is good, therefore the ignition switch is not sending a signal to the trigger wire for some reason, however, it doe send a signal to the starter button, and it works as it should.......

The ignition and push button start

The back of the ignition switch....when the key is turned on power should flow from the 'HOT POST' to the 'TRIGGER' wire post, but it does not

......in order to start the JD 830B we will send power directly to the fuel shutoff solenoid from the battery at startup.  If we are correct, and the problem has been the failure of the solenoid to 'OPEN' and allow fuel up to the injectors the JD 830B should start, and continue to run as long as power is supplied to the solenoid.  

By the time I finished  with my tasks Bob had not yet returned with fresh diesel, so I called it a day, and determined that Monday would be the day we gather en masse around the JD 830B to start her for the first time in 18 months....fingers crossed....lol!

Thanks for stopping by!

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Delayed gratification.....

 8:16 am - Sunday - October 10th - Coupeville, WA - 51° F, 74% humidity, wind 15 out of the west.....partly cloudy today with a forecast high of 55° F.  On this date in 2010 TLE and I were in Santa Fe, NM with good friends Forest and Cindy.......↴

We had but one purpose Saturday.....drive 48 miles over to Mt. Vernon, WA to pick up parts for the John Deere 830B tractor before the supplier, Papé Equipment, closed at 12 noon.  We were in Karen's 2005 Infiniti SUV driving north on SR-20 by 9 am, and reached Papé Equipment around 10:15 am.  I retrieved the parts from Mike at the parts desk, compared them to the old parts from the JD to confirm their usefulness before beginning our 48 mile drive back to Coupeville.

We had a few stops planned in Oak Harbor (Home Depot, Ace Hardware, and Napa Auto Parts).  By the time we finished in those three stores it was after 12 pm so we continued our drive back to Coupeville deciding to stop off at Penn Cove Taproom for lunch......they get 4.5 stars on 62 reviews on Yelp.....

.....we were last here in September of 2020 on our way to Seal Rock.  They offer a great hot dog with chips for $5 each, and have very good brews.  I chose a pint of their Coup's Private Reserve Amber Lager, and TLE a pint of their Saratoga Milk Stout to pair with the hot dogs.....

.....we are definitely in our happy spot whenever we can spend time enjoying good brews and good food......

......both brews were top notch, and the hot dogs were as good as I remembered!  The brews cost more than the hot dogs....lol!

As we arrived home it began to sprinkle, and within 30 minutes it was raining as it would continue to do into the night....we weren't expecting that.  At any rate, due to the unexpected rain Bob and I decided to defer gratification, and installation of the new parts to Sunday when it should be sunny one again.  We are both hoping that by the end of the day Sunday the JD 830B will be running once again....fingers crossed!

Thanks for stopping by!

When you shop Amazon, please use our link (below) to access their website.......we will appreciate every purchase you make using our Amazon Affiliate link, and  remember, using our link will not add one penny to your purchase, plus we will receive a small commission which over the course of a year adds up to enough to by a tank of diesel for which we thank you very much!

Houston, I think we've solved the problem......

 7:41 am - Saturday - October 9th - Coupeville, WA - 47° F, 83% humidity, wind 10 mph out of the east by southeast.....cloudy today with a forecast high of 58° F.  On this date in 2018 TLE and I entered our 48th state in the Newell.....Delaware....we stayed at a local Elks Lodge for a few days......↴

I finished writing and editing yesterday's blog post around 9:30 am just as TLE announced breakfast was ready.  Instead of publishing the post, I got up, set up my coffee table, and sat down to a wonderful bacon and eggs breakfast, fulling intending to, but never returning to my blog.  It wasn't until my brother-in-law, Glenn, sent a message to TLE and I asking where "today's" post was around 5 pm that I realized I had not published it.....lol.  In case you missed it, it is now up for your reading pleasure.

After breakfast I headed down the hill to run the test on the ignition system on the JD (John Deere) I wrote about in yesterday's post.  I made up a long 'jumper' wire to run from the battery to the solenoid in the injection pump to see if I could activate it directly.  Sure enough as I touched the terminal on top of the pump with the metallic end of the jumber I heard that audible 'CLICK' one should hear when power is applied.  I next moved the battery end of the 'jumper' to the terminal on the ignition switch which should supply power to the solenoid when the key it turned to the 'ON' position, then turned the key, but there was no audible 'CLICK'.  We then tested the actual trigger wire running from that ignition post to the solenoid and heard the audible 'CLICK'.  So now, what do we know?  We seem to know that no electrical signal is being send via the ignition switch when the key is turned to the 'ON' position, so that would seem to indicate there is an issue with the ignition switch.  To confirm our suspicions we called a local the same heavy equipment place which rebuilt the injection pump to see if their technician agreed with our diagnosis.  After answering quite a few questions he ruled out a fuel line issue, and agreed this was an electrical issue, and that we were most likely right.  Have we solved the problem?  Until we can install the new fuel filter/water separator assembly and run fuel through the system we will have to wait for that answer (pictures of everything forthcoming).

In the mean time TLE and  I will drive into Mt. Vernon to pick up the new fuel filter assembly Saturday morning, and then Bob and I will install it upon our return.  Bob went ahead and ordered a new ignition switch, but it will not be here until Monday, however, we can bypass the ignition in the mean time to test our theory before then.  We are so close to getting the John Deere operational after 18 months of sitting silently down the hill from the house.

It was still early in the day when Bob and I concluded our tests, and the sun had finally made an appearance, so I decided no time like the present to fire up the commercial steam/pressure washer and clean my radiator.  While I was at it I pressure washed the generator bay, as well as the underside of the engine, and transmission....it's gotten a little grimy under there over the years to say the least.  By the time I finished putting everything away it was after 4 pm, and I was one tired puppy.  I left the engine bay doors open so everything would dry out as I need to apply a fresh coat of gray Rustoleum to the floors in each bay after a year in Seal Rock, OR.

And so, we have been gone from SRRVC for a week now, but it actually seems much long....I don't know why.  We've got about 5 days left here in Coupeville, and a lot yet to accomplish, but I am now extremely optimistic all of our goals will be achieved with time to spare.

Thanks for stopping by!

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Zeroing in on the problem.....

 8:21 am - Friday - October 8th - Coupleville, WA - 44° F, 93% humidity, wind 5 mph out of the east.....partly cloudy today with a forecast high of 55° F.  On this date in 2018 TLE and I were having a late lunch at the world famous Katz's Delicatessen in Lower Manhattan, NY......↴

Best pastrami sandwich ever!

The place was packed, and there was a 30 minute line outside just to get inside and wait another 20 minutes for a table

Bob and I were kind of at a standstill on the John Deere Thursday as we are waiting for parts, so I spent time doing some maintenance on the Newell.  I replaced some small burnt out automotive bayonet type bulbs which, when not burnt out, illuminate these little red plastic globes which tell us something like the porch light is on, or the water pump is on.....

The really small bayonet style 53 bulbs

The slightly larger bayonet style 1445 bulbs

The porch light is on

The house water pump is on

.....I keep a supply of these on hand as you never know when one will give up the ghost, and now I see it is time to resupply.

Later in the day I did a search on YouTube regarding the injector pump used on the John Deere, and I found one. As Bob has been describing the symptoms of the engine starting, but shutting down a couple of seconds later I finally remembered that a solenoid is usually used to shut off the fuel supply to the engine, which is how you turn off a diesel.  The solenoid is normally closed when the ignition key is in the 'OFF' position, and opens when 12 volts are sent to it via turning on the ignition (On our Newell the shutdown solenoid is normally in the 'OPEN' position, and I must push a momentary switch to turn it off, and shut the engine down....once I release the switch after the engine has shutdown, the solenoid returns to the 'OPEN' position).  The injector pump was rebuilt about 18 months ago, and worked fine for a couple of days, but then the problems with it shutting down began.  It occurred to me that there must be a solenoid somewhere between the fuel tank and the injectors. The video I found is of a guy tearing down the same exact injector pump the John Deere has, and learned that the shutdown solenoid is just under the top cover of the injector pump.  The wire running from the ignition activates the solenoid causing it to open the fuel line and supply diesel to the injectors.  That wire appears quite old, and it may be shorting, or have a bad connection, or the solenoid itself is bad.  At any rate on Friday we'll first test to see if the solenoid is working by turning on the ignition key, and if we hear the solenoid go 'CLICK' then we'll know it must be something else.  If it doesn't go 'CLICK' then we'll jump a wire from the positive terminal on the battery to the terminal on the injector pump to see it that will activate it.  It will either be something simple, like replacing the trigger wire, or replacing the solenoid, or something wrong with the injector pump itself.  Meanwhile we are waiting for a new water separator for the tractor, which should be here on Monday (October 11th).

The video I found....there are two types of injector pumps used on the 1975 John Deere tractor.....Stanadyne, or Roosa Master.....Bob's John Deere has the Roosa Master....both pumps are virtually identical

Meanwhile, the days are flying by, and we've been here 5 days already.  Our projected, written in JELLO plan is to depart Coupeville Wednesday, the 13th, and begin our trek to SoCal arriving there around the 21st.  The daily temps continue to run about 10° cooler than Seal Rock, but there is no bone chilling north wind with which to contend.

Thanks for stopping by!

When you shop Amazon, please use our link (below) to access their website.......we will appreciate every purchase you make using our Amazon Affiliate link, and  remember, using our link will not add one penny to your purchase, plus we will receive a small commission which over the course of a year adds up to enough to by a tank of diesel for which we thank you very much!

Migrating geese.....

 8:23 am - Thursday - October 7th - Coupeville, WA - 49° F, 90% humidity, wind - 5 mph out of the south.....partly cloudy today with a forecast high of 54° F.  On this date in 2018 TLE and I were dining at One Dine Restaurant on the 101st floor of the World Trade Center.....↴

.....our views this morning.......↴

We awoke to partly cloudy skies Wednesday, and much dryer conditions than Tuesday, but there was also a definite autumn chill in the the air.  The sun is now rising around 7:20 am, and setting around 6:40 pm as we edge slowly to the shortest daylight stretch of the year.  We see geese beginning their southward migration, and in about a week we, too, will answer the call of the warmer southern latitudes to begin our trek back to SoCal and family.

I spent about 6 more hours working on Bob's John Deere loader/backhoe removing all the fuel lines, and blowing them out with compressed air to be sure there were no blockages, and then reassembling them.  We hope to re-prime the fuel system on Thursday, and move her up the hill to the area behind the barn where it will be closer to tools, and electrical power if needed.  Some of the fuel line connections were difficult to reconnect resulting in a lot of frustration, but we were victorious in the end.  Bob came down the hill to help me with the reassembly, and by the time we were finished it was pushing 4 pm.  You could feel the temporary warmth in the air dissipating quickly, and with 90 minutes it began to rain.....completely unexpected.  It continued raining on and off all night long.

TLE and I continue to be asymptomatic to the Wuhan Flu.  We continue to be grateful we can travel, and live in rural areas where there is little risk of catching flu bugs of any kind.  We've been able to take long walks daily, and while I've been working on the John Deere I find myself walking up and down the long, steep concrete driveway 4, or 5 times per day fetching additional tools, whilst getting additional exercise.  As I write I can see the sun edging ever upward over the hill to the east, and casting its warming rays across the grassy landscape....time to begin another day.

Thanks for stopping by!

When you shop Amazon, please use our link (below) to access their website.......we will appreciate every purchase you make using our Amazon Affiliate link, and  remember, using our link will not add one penny to your purchase, plus we will receive a small commission which over the course of a year adds up to enough to by a tank of diesel for which we thank you very much!

Weather interruptus.....

 8:20 am - Wednesday - October 6th - Coupeville, WA - 50° F, 80% humidity, wind 11 mph out of the south by southeast.....sunny skies today with a forecast high of 57° F.  On this date in 2018 we arrived in Jersey City, NJ at Liberty Harbor RV Park just across the Hudson River from NYC, and in sight of the Statue of Liberty.......↴

The rain came down pretty much all night Monday, and into Tuesday morning before abating, but the damage was done.  It was too wet, and windy to work on the John Deere loader/backhoe.  Bob and I had big plans to move forward on getting the John Deere running again Tuesday, but the weather had other ideas.

Instead TLE and I drove into Oak Harbor to do a big shopping involving forays into both the local Walmart and Safeway stores to acquire all of the necessary foodstuffs TLE had on her extensive shopping list.  People are pretty much in full mask mode here on the north end of Whidbey Island, but no one is enforcing the rule.  We saw maybe 10 people in Walmart not wearing masks, but zero in Safeway.  

We were home by 1 pm at which time I spent some time in the trailer moving things around so I could set up my tool bag table (I hate having to bend over to find a tool....lol), and fold down the work bench table.  Around 3 pm TLE and I took a long walk out to the Harrington Lagoon point, and back.  In all Tuesday was a nice lazy day doing mostly nothing, and we both enjoyed it.  Hopefully Wednesday's weather will be more conducive to working on the John Deere.

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