May 2019

On May 1^st Alvin came by to replace the alternator on the BMW and Kari came by to hang with Susan and the new kitty.  I guess orange female cats are unusual so Susan did a little internet sleuthing and kitty-anatomy-checking.  Turns out our kitten is male.  No biggie as we never cared.  Soon after finishing the alternator swap Alvin and Kari left us to hang with the pups for the remainder of the evening. 

On May 2^nd I got off work early.  The plan was to take Scrappy to the track so we loaded it into the trailer.  Things seemed to be going alright until Susan noticed an oil puddle where Scrappy was parked.  So we unloaded the car and took a look.  The underside didn’t look a lot different to me and I determined the leak was likely the o-ring on the oil dipstick.  This was a pain to replace but soon we had Scrappy back on the ground and in the trailer. 

We made a stop for dinner at Qdoba for dinner on the way to HPR which looked to be on the receiving end of some menacing storm clouds.  As we had already made quite an effort to make it thus far we decided to soldier on. 

The track was dry when we arrived but rain was falling from the sky.  I went out for a few laps before parking Scrappy back in the trailer.  I did go out again when the drops paused before once again retreating as the storm really arrived.  Alvin drove up in his Galant and took me for a couple of laps in the deluge before nearby lighting halted all track activities.  For roughly 30 minutes Susan and I watched the weather from the confines of the trailer before the track was reopened. 

Only Alvin and I drove back out on the sodden track in our respective cars with Susan sitting in the passenger seat of the Galant.  It was dark enough that I couldn’t see the instrument cluster well and didn’t feel comfortable driving after a handful of laps so we packed up Scrappy.  Alvin did take me for a few laps in the Galant which was fun.  We left the track a bit before 9:00 to make the hour drive back home.  Twas fun. 

There’s a good chance that our new kitten is now named “Oliver”.  It was Susan’s idea and I think it is a wonderful name for our future rabbit-killer. 

May 4^th weekend – Saturday began around 9:00 when we got out of bed for yummy coffee.  I had started the large slow cooker the night before with taco-bar-style chicken and moved it to another container to store in the fridge.  After coffee Susan went to hang out with Oliver while I showered.  Afterwards I actually played my guitar for a few minutes which was a bit amazing since I have hardly touched any of my guitars in several months.  The plan was to leave the house at 11:00 and we found ourselves in Tuna Bean and on our way around that time. 

The drive was more eventful than we would have preferred with three different delays due to construction.  We stopped at Harbor Freight to pick up a gift card and then a liquor store for liquor on our way to John and Karen’s home to celebrate John’s upcoming 70^th birthday. 

With our delays we arrived later than we wanted but it was of no consequence as some of the guests had yet to make their appearance (Alvin and Kari were already there).  We hung out and chatted about this and that which was nice.  Eventually Wayne, Jan, and Sharolyn drove up and we attacked lunch with wild abandon.  Conversation was lively with the older generation having a lot to say. 

After food was concluded we headed outside to see Sharolyn’s dogs, one of which was just about the fattest pug we’d ever encountered.  Lili’s frame was no bigger than Bella’s but she probably weighed three times as much.  It was sad to see. 

Much hanging out occurred after which we sat down again for dessert which consisted of cake and ice cream. 

Us dog owners have a thing about introducing one’s pup to one’s friend’s pups.  I think it’s an odd way to validate ourselves through our pets but nonetheless we all do it.  This time Karen and John’s Carly got to interact with Jan and Wayne’s pooch for the first time.  They generally stayed out of each other’s way with only a couple of instances of bared teeth.  I will note that Piper, Kari and Alvin’s sweet doggo, was also present. 

John and Karen are converting their fireplace to propane and offered us some of their spare wood.  As we have a fire pit and a car with an empty trunk we couldn’t refuse. 

How much hangin’ and conversing went on for the remainder of the day I can’t be sure of but I recall there being a lot.  Susan and I got on the road around 7:30 and walked in our door just as the sky went dark for the evening. 

Sunday we slept in for a long time.  I was up and surfing the internet for a time before I bugged Susan out of bed for coffee.  The plan was to work on Scrappy and mow the lawn.  In the end we only had time for the racecar. 

I spent much of the afternoon working on the installation of the fire suppression system.  This mostly entailed cutting and fitting the piping under the hood and behind where the dash would have been if there was a dash.  Susan spent much of this time walking Oliver around with a leash and harness.  That is one precocious kitty. 

I was close to finishing so Susan ordered us Cheesecake Factory via Door Dash so I could keep working.  She went for the baja chicken sandwich while I tried an Impossible Burger which, in my opinion, tasted as close to the real thing as is possible.  I enjoyed it thoroughly. 

After the suppression system was installed we spend a couple of minutes wiring in the cool shirt cooler and figuring out how to securely strap it down. 

We made a quick jaunt to Lowes and Walmart for various things and then we were back in the garage.  I swapped the coolant for distilled water and Susan installed foam on the hood to close the large gap between it and the bumper due to some mishap in Scrappy’s past.  Lastly we installed a strap to pull up the hood. 

When we finally sat down on the couch after feeding Oliver his din-din the dogs went into full-snuggle-mode.  We think they really missed hanging out with us as we were mostly out and about on this busy weekend. 

On Wednesday the 8^th we went to Harbor Freight to buy a tool box and tools for the trailer.  Our plan is to upgrade the interior of the trailer to hold more than just a car.  The tool box we had our eye on turned out to be too big for the car so we went home to get the suburban.  Once there we measured out the space where we wanted to place the box and found that the one we had just bought was too large.  Thus we had to drive back to HF to get a refund.  After not finding anything to our liking at Home Depot we settled on a smaller tool box at Lowes. 

The weather was cold and forecasted to get even colder over the next few days so we purchased heating lights, one for Oliver’s shed and one to place in front of Scrappy in the garage. 

Thursday night Susan and I went to Lowe’s to buy wood and screws to build a bench for the tool box to sit on in the enclosed trailer.  I had lofty aspirations that I would quickly finish the work but found the going slow and many recuts were needed before we called it a night, still far from done. 

Friday night had us both in the trailer and installing e-track.  Depending on the internet source the process ranged from simply utilizing self-tapping screws to drilling out pilot holes for each screw.  I found the latter to be the only effective method for us.  With Susan’s help we spent a few hours lining up the e-track, marking holes, drilling, and zipping in screws.  There were a lot of holes to drill and I broke two drill bits before we were done installing the e-track we had. 

Saturday – got up around 9:00 to call Parker Trailer and drink some coffee.  Parker Trailer was literally too busy to talk so I figured we’d just drive over to see if they had what we needed, which was shorter pieces of e-track for the front of the trailer.  So after coffee-time we hopped in Tuna Bean for the drive over to Parker Trailer.

The wait was longish in their main building to talk to someone but this was ok as they give excellent customer service to everyone which takes time to do.  When we finally were helped we found out that they could cut 10’ sections of e-track into whatever size we wanted.  We settled on four even pieces and ventured around the building’s aisles for a time before settling down in some comfy chairs for the wait.  This too took time but we had our trusty never-bored devices so it was no big thing.  The cost of the e-track was very reasonable as they didn’t charge anything for the cutting. 

We knew we had to embark on a journey up to Colorado National Speedway (CNS) at some point during the day so decided it was as good a time as any to drive up there.  The following day’s rallycross was to be at this new site so someone was required to meet with the owner.  As has often been the case in the past, no one else was available. 

With the upcoming evening race the staff was busy and most didn’t know us from Adam so it took some time to finally be connected to the right people.  We met a fellow named Brian and the site owner named Jim who gave us the golf cart tour.  He showed us where we were to run which was alright but then asked if using the main parking lots would be better.  I immediately jumped on this as the area was better suited to our needs. 

Soon after we were on our way back home.  We stopped at Home Depot for some stuffs and Duluth Trading to see what that place was about.  It was interesting and confirmed my belief that the store might as well have been called “hicks have money too”.  Everything was expensive and we left empty-handed.  Everything seemed to be of high quality but I guess we’re ok with paying a lot less for a little less quality. 

Susan remembered we needed to stop by Harbor Freight for some things so we did so which was fun.  After one more quick stop at King Soopers to pick up chicken for Sunday’s lunch we finally went home to unload and work on the trailer. 

We spent the next few hours installing the new e-track, tool box, drawer liner, and various trim to the front bench.  After this we finally had the chance to load the tool box with all the new tools we had just bought and all the old tools I’ve been lugging around in our tool bag for many years.  This was fun and we soon had the box filled.  Unlike most of our projects, Susan had remembered to take before pictures so we made the trailer look nice for more pictures of our progress. 

With the trailer in order (for now) we changed focus to the next day’s rallycross and loaded up the evo.  Then we went inside for the rest of the evening to take care of all the little time-consuming things we have to do to prepare for a rallycross as the Event Chair (me) and Chief of Timing & Scoring (Susan). 

Sunday began early but not as early as most rallycross mornings.  The gates at the venue weren’t supposed to be opened until 8:00 and we weren’t in a big rush to get up there and wait to be let in.  Our plan was to still be early but, due to the perpetual lateness of guy who drives the rally bus, we arrived on site later than we wanted.  As is often the way of things the gates were actually opened long before 8:00 so we could have gotten started on setting up much earlier.  Such is. 

The morning portion of the event went great after Susan nabbed a volunteer help transport a portajohn from the far side of the venue to our paddock area.  Moving portajohns around was never something I thought I’d do but this was not the first time my role as Event Chair has required it.  They are remarkably light and tougher than they look, at least to me. 

During lunch I had several folks help change the course and we were doing our thing soon after.  It was around 2:30 when things went completely off the rails. 

The owner Jim drove his truck to the start line looking for me or Todd.  Once he had me in his sights he trundled over.  What followed was an expletive-filled diatribe of epic proportions.  In my entire life I’ve never been so torn asunder.  To condense the one-sided “conversation” his expectation of acceptable wear and tear was far different from mine and ours.  It quickly became clear he wasn’t looking for solutions but a punching bag so I weathered his storm. 

In what was without precedent I stopped an event due early due to site issues.  While the drivers were disappointed they were also understanding of the situation.  We cleaned up and were about to leave when Brian (the other CNS guy) came by to talk.  Evidently the verbal lashing I’d endured was Jim’s modus operandi and Brian was there to try to make things right.  It was a more productive conversation than the one I’d had with Jim. 

As per normal Susan and I were the last ones to leave and had a blessedly drama-free drive home. 

As fate would have it this was the last rallycross I was to run.  I’d recruited a group of Event Chairs to replace me in the role over several months and even was able to convince one to take over for me as the Director.  I’ve been thinking about and planning on leaving the program for over a year and am relieved to finally move on.  Susan was even able to find someone to take on her job as Chief of Timing & Scoring, a role she’s handled for over four years.  I really wish this last event would have gone better but I’m glad I was the one to handle it. 

Wednesday – I finally mowed the grass for the first time in 2019.  The Honda started right up and did well at hacking through the dense foliage.  It took a few hours but I managed to finish up before dark.  There is something satisfying about the first mow of the year. 

Thursday afternoon had us loading up Scrappy and heading to HPR for some open lapping.  We arrived toward the end of the drivers meeting with the suburban’s hood steaming.  Rut-row.  I saw that one of the coolant lines was leaking a lot but, as the motor was still hot, I elected to worry about it once it cooled off a bit. 

We were hoping to test out just about everything so I changed into my racing suit and hopped into Scrappy.  We found the radios worked fine but the new headset wouldn’t transmit voice.  The cool shirt system worked almost too well.  It felt like my torso was immersed in cold water.  The cooler came loose after a few laps so I pulled in to give Susan a shot. 

There were few at the track and no run groups so she ended up staying out over an hour lowering her lap times.  Her cool shirt seemed to stop working after a while and the headset didn’t work when I tried fiddling with it.  On her last lap Susan managed a personal best which was awesome. 

Toward the end of Susan’s drive I remembered the suburban was in peril so finally took a better look under the hood.  It was with the lightest of touches that the leaky hose broke off from its attachment point, leaving around three inches of plastic inside.  Oh dang.  Fortunately we actually had a decent selection of tools on hand in the trailer and after much finagling I managed to work up a fix of sorts. 

This fix held for 30 miles of the drive home before all the coolant pumped out of the motor.  I stopped immediately and reapplied said fix.  We had just enough water on hand to refill the radiator and made a beeline to the nearest gas station to refill our jugs.  This precautionary filling ended up being unnecessary as the second fix got us home. 

I decided to take Friday off to fix the suburban and go to the track again with Susan.  The nearest car parts store had what I needed and before too long I had replaced the offending part with a new one.  Susan made us coffee and we doddled a bit before climbing back in the suburban to head to HPR.

We pulled into the paddock as the morning run groups were finishing up and checked in at the main office.  The afternoon driver’s meeting wasn’t for another hour so we unloaded Scrappy and sat together in our trailer.  It was very windy out but the temperature pleasant. 

We both had fun driving the track when we finally suited up and the cool shirt system worked flawlessly this time (the hose had simply popped off the day before).  It was an interesting day as there were several cars there that were slower than Scrappy which was a change.  Usually I rarely pass anyone but on this day I managed to get around a bunch of other cars. 

After we were finished and almost packed up another Lemons team also piloting a Miata came by to ask a bunch of questions and chat.  I had met a couple of them last month when they came over to check out Scrappy and ask questions.  Now they were testing out their Miata and saw us as having a lot of answers.  We did the best we could and enjoyed the conversation which went on for over an hour. 

The drive home was uneventful and we left Scrappy in the trailer as rain was coming down. 

Saturday was busy.  I was awake early and edited videos while Susan slept enough for both of us.  Eventually Susan made coffee and we started the day by unloading Scrappy and taking the trailer to Parker Trailers for annual maintenance.  On the way home we stopped by the UPS Store and a gas station for gas. 

Around 1:00 Susan and I wrangled Oliver into his kennel for his first vet visit.  Oliver didn’t actually give us much fuss at all and seemed content on both the trip to and the trip back.  At the vet he delighted the staff with his antics.  I’ve never experienced his level of “kitten” but we were told that he was completely normal as he attached everyone’s hands and everything else that caught his eye. 

Getting up early caught up with me when we were back home and I napped for a time before Susan nudged me awake.  We were to temporarily house a foster pug that was being transported from New Mexico.  So, off we went to Chili’s to wait.  Eventually a tall Sprinter van arrived and Susan was handed an old pug named Romi.  Her stats: 11 years old, fawn with a white face, fat, deaf, arthritic, cute.  Once home Romi had a difficult time calming down so Susan sat on the floor with her. 

We were to meet with Romi’s foster parents at 6:00 at the Park Meadows Pet’s Mart but, alas, they were 25 minutes late.  Once Romi was safely in their possession I drove us to Rockbottom Brewery where dinner awaited.  I had ordered under the assumption that the foster parents would be on time so the food wasn’t exactly fresh.  I wasn’t exactly happy about the situation but such it is. 

Sunday I was up early again and played games until Susan got up and made us coffee around 10:00.  After coffee we went out to catch lunch at Mariachi’s which was unusually not busy.  Susan tried their fish tacos and found them sufficient.  I had my normal creamy chicken plate thing which I continue to love.  We ventured over to Lowe’s and then Walmart before heading home for the last time for the weekend. 

Dan Hipwood dropped by to drop off his trailer and a newly acquired non-running MR2 he’d picked up somewhere in the San Luis Valley.  Getting the car off the trailer was sketchy as it has no working brakes but luckily a strategically positioned fence post was able to stop the car’s momentum well short of our fence.  We hung out for a time while Dan packed up his trailer gear before heading up to the garage to gaze lovingly at Scrappy and talk Lemons. 

By the time Dan left we weren’t feeling like going out again and had little at the house so Susan ordered Cheese Cake Factory for dinner.  The food was tasty and we spent the remainder of the weekend on the couch watching interesting YouTube videos streamed to our TV.  Such a busy weekend!

Monday night had us going out for a quick bite at Qdoba when a strong gasoline smell hit us on the drive.  We arrived safely and I found a puddle of gas on the driver’s side head on the engine when I popped the hood.  Whoops!  One of the rubber lines had evidently cracked.  We made it home after eating and I ordered new lines.  We figured if the car caught on fire it would be a fitting end to its life. 

After work on Wednesday Susan and I installed an electrical outlet on the enclosed trailer.  This entailed cutting a hole in the side of the pristine trailer which proved easier than I expected as it was very thin.  We did have to run to the store to buy the last correctly-sized hole saw they had in stock.  We were super-lucky as most of the rack was empty and there was this lone open-package saw that happened to be the right size. 

Once the outlet was installed we shifted focus to Flo and I replaced the leaky fuel line.  This was more difficult than I thought it would be and eventually I resorted to cutting the old line in half to get it out.  Putting the new line in was much easier as it was a bit more flexible.  I finished the job pretty sure Flo wouldn’t leak any more gasoline.  Pretty sure. 

On Thursday I finally got around to changing Scrappy’s oil and checking the brakes.  I’m glad I did as the front pads were almost gone.  Unfortunately I neglected to purchase another set ahead of time so we had to go to a parts store to buy what we needed.  In an effort to make the next morning a simpler affair we loaded Scrappy into the trailer and packed up most of our racing garb and accessories. 

Friday started early with a 6:01 alarm.  After a snooze we were up and packing up the last few things for another open lapping day at HPR.  Susan wanted to bring Mel to be our track pooch and I acquiesced.  I think Susan initially regretted this as Mel kept her awake for the drive out when she really wanted to sleep. 

We pulled up to the check-in booth a hair after 8:00 and the guy there remarked that we must really like coming out as he remembered us from previous visits.  It’s true we’d gone to many open lapping days so far.  In fact this was our ninth visit in 2019.  We didn’t doddle much and I started the first lap of my stint around 8:30. 

The plan was for me to run until Scrappy ran out of gas.  In the end my tank went empty before the car did.  I think my issue was that I got dehydrated which eventually led to me coming down with a migraine headache.  I did stay out for a little over two hours and I managed to put down a new personal best time but I was feeling pretty miserable when I finally stopped by the trailer. 

I had corded the tires on the left side so swapped them out before Susan got out on the track.  She got in a decent stint herself before lunch was called. 

My headache was finally starting to abate so we walked Mel around and attended the afternoon drivers meeting.  Mel was a fantastic companion at the track and mostly spent her time quietly watching the comings and goings around the trailer.  She kept vigil when one of us was out on the track and was always happy to see us return. 

We both drove more in the afternoon and had a nice time.  We parked Scrappy at 4:00 and watched the other cars zooming around the track and talked with other drivers.  There was another Miata there that looked very Lemon-spec so we introduced ourselves.  It turned out the car used to be a Lemons car but had graduated to WRL.  We had a nice chat about this and that. 

On the way home we stopped at Firehouse Subs for some delicious sandwiches.  We unloaded Scrappy when we got home and spent much of the evening watching videos from the track.  Mel was very tired from her adventure. 

Saturday began relatively early for a Saturday when I dragged Susan out of bed around 9:00 for coffee.  We had an exciting day ahead of car maintenance and garage cleaning.  I started with changing the oil in the suburban before diving into the mess which was our garage. 

It took several hours to reorganize and clean up the garage.  Truly we hadn’t cleaned up completely since 2018 and had done many a car project in the interim.  What a mess. 

At some point I took a break from the garage work to finally swap out the winter wheels for the summer wheels on the RS and Flo.  Hopefully the snow from earlier the week was the last we’ll see until next winter. 

When we were finished the garage looked fantastic and was mostly how we wanted it to be.  Susan and I spent some time gathering up our used motor oil from the previous year and loaded it into Flo.  Most auto parts stores will accept a certain amount of used oil so we set out to get rid of ours.  The limit that stores will take is five gallons so we had to make a total of four stops.  I do change a lot of oil. 

On Sunday we cleaned up the inside of the house a bit and I prepped some food stuffs for our upcoming BBQ.  Ken, Randy, Kari, and Alvin came by after 1:00 but before 2:00 to hang out and eat some lightly charred meat with us.  Of course there was much discussion about auto-related stuffs and I had just about everyone sit in Scrappy to see how they fit.  Even our tall friends Ken and Randy were able to fit alright. 

After we had eaten our fill Susan unleashed Oliver upon our guests.  That kitten is hilarious in that he always seems to be in attack-mode.  Having Oliver out was a highlight of the BBQ and much laughter and general delight was had. 

It was in the late afternoon that Ken and Randy made their exodus and a few hours later for Kari and Alvin.  They stuck around to hang out more and, eventually, to pack up the old fencing we’d taken down last summer when we’d cleaned up the big chicken coop.  Susan and I were happy to have rid of it and they were happy to take it off our hands.  We all had a really nice time. 

Monday Susan and I celebrated Memorial Day with a trip to a couple of junk yards.  The hope was that we’d find specific coil-on-plugs for Scrappy but we were unsuccessful.  Such is.  On the way home we swung by Walmart and then Home Depot to look at and eventually buy a small refrigerator for the enclosed trailer.  We settled on a decent-sized model that we hope will keep our food stuffs fresh on race weekend. 

Once home we plugged in the new fridge and then set about installing LED light strips in the trailer.  This was a relatively straightforward process and we were soon amazed by our own handy work.  The clouds were looking mean and the forecast called for potential hail so I pulled the evo into the garage and the RS into the enclosed trailer.  That left Flo outside to take any hail damage.  Thankfully the clouds decided to keep any hail to themselves. 

At 6:30 we found ourselves driving to Alamo Drafthouse to watch The Three Amigos.  The Three Amigos originally came out in 1986 and was Susan’s favorite movie growing up.  Alamo Drafthouse periodically plays old movies and we just had to get tickets to this showing when we saw a preview for it back when we watched the last Avengers movie. 

These showings are different than the normal theater experience as they gave us “props” and moviegoer participation is encouraged.  The props were maracas and pull-string fire crackers and much singing along and laughter was had by all.  It was a silly experience and I think we’ll attend more of these special showings in the future.  It made for an excellent finish to an excellent weekend. 

Friday the 31^st had us at the track again.  This time we brought Pebbles who slept on Susan’s lap as she in turn slept on the drive.  We arrived at 8:00 and both drove during the morning.  Around 11:00 Alvin made his arrival and got a stint behind the wheel of Scrappy before the track broke for lunch.  The plan was for our fourth Lemons driver, Brad Ames, to come out and drive but he experienced some bad tire-luck and couldn’t make it. 

Alvin and I drove Scrappy in the afternoon with Susan staying in the trailer to hang with Pebbles.  We had a good time and the car was great and had no issues with us putting in another 100+ lap day.  I even let Chris take Scrappy out for a few laps.  Chris was on the Lemons team who let me drive their Audi at the October Lemons event.  Chris brought a turbo charged VW that blew an oil line as soon as he drove it on the track. 

Susan and I left the track after 5:30 and experienced a bit of rain on the way home.  We left Scrappy in the trailer for the night and plopped down on the couch with the pups to finish out the day.

May was a busy month for us.  We now have a kitty named Oliver who likes to attack everything and everyone.  We drove many hours at the track and make many upgrades to our trailer.  Susan brought the pups to the vet to get heartworm shots and two of the three were at healthy weights.  Mel is now less than 20lbs, Bella a hair over 10lbs, and Pebbles a little over 6lbs (she could stand to lose a pound). 

Our first Lemons race is coming up and we’re very excited!