Work ended early today. My flight doesn’t leave until 7pm. I have 5 hours to try to avoid boredom. Netflix on the phone is helping, but it’s getting old.
May
14
Posted by : | On : May 14, 2012
Work has called me to DC for a week. I arrived this afternoon. I forgot a few things, like hairspray, toothpaste, and bubble bath. So I did a little shopping. Whole Foods was my only option within walking distance.
Seven items. Over forty dollars. What a deal.
May
01
Posted by : | On : May 1, 2012
We have busy schedules. When we get home we’re generally exhausted. But we have two dogs and with that comes the responsibility to ensure they’re getting adequate exercise. Fortunately, we’ve been training Scout over the last few months to run on the treadmill. He’s now at the point where he can run endlessly independently.
Apr
22
Posted by : | On : April 22, 2012
We haven’t had a whole lot of rest so far on this trip. We got home rather late last night from a little fiesta at Alejandro’s house. This morning we woke early as we were invited for breakfast at Tio Fernando’s home. Good times. We had goat tacos for breakfast. I don’t think I’ve ever had goat meat before. It was pretty good. Not a whole lot different than beef roast, though the salsas and other accompaniment make it hard to discern the actual taste of just the meat.
I would eat these again.
Apr
20
Posted by : | On : April 20, 2012
We are having dinner at a restaurant called Lu. I ordered salmon. While we were ordering , this student came by asking if he could test our blood pressure. Apparently I have the best blood pressure. Not exactly sure what accounts for that.
Apr
20
Posted by : | On : April 20, 2012
Yun and I arrived at Gaby’s house in Hermosillo late last night. I was insanely hungry, so we went out for tacos. I had four. They were great. Dr. Vargas had tripe tacos. Disgusting.
We woke early this morning. Painfully early. Our flight to Guadalajara departed at 7am. We flew Volaris instead of Viva Aerobus this time. I think I like this airline a lot more. It’s more expensive, but a far better and more comfortable experience.
When we arrived in Guadalajara, we spent some time trying to figure out how we were going to get to Morelia. It’s a three hour trip. The best deal we could find for rental cars were $70/daily, PER CAR (and we would have needed two). Plus gas, plus parking. Renting a car here is never ideal.
There are seven of us on this trip. Yunuen and I, her parents, Abe, Gabriel, and Martha. We contemplated taking a bus, but later determined it would be a bit less if we just hired a cab to drive us.
As it turned out, the van was extremely comfortable. Added to that, we didn’t have to drive. I’ve driven in Guadalajara a few times and it is mostly a nightmare (even just to leave the city). Also, we won’t have to worry about parking.
We arrived in Morelia around 2pm. Warm and sunny.
Apr
07
Posted by : | On : April 7, 2012
Alex was back at the house today. This time for the truck. We are in no short supply of mechanical needs it seems.
The truck has been running rough for months, ever since a return trip from Mexico late last year. Before departing San Carlos, I added some Slick40. I’ve used this product before with success, so I assumed I’d experience the same. That was not quite the case.
Since that return trip. The idle has been running high and it sounds a bit like a lawn mower.
It didn’t take too much work to determine the problem. There are little bronze valves in the intake manifold that regulate air flow. I was missing five of those valves. Not good. Apparently the Slick40 (or something else) had contributed to the screws loosening and the valves dropping out. Fortunately, they didn’t fall far and were found (including all ten screws).
Here are some of the valves. They were totally black by being covered in carbon deposits. I spent some time cleaning them to bring them to beautiful luster seen below.
Once cleaned, I re-installed them (I was Alix’s helper today). The intake manifold also was saturated with thick carbon. I took the power sprayer to it which proved highly effective.
Sadly, I ordered the wrong gasket last week, so we were not able to put everything back together today. I just ordered the proper parts online and Alex will return when I receive them.
I also had him change the spark plugs. Some of them literally fell apart when they were being removed. Awesome. Alex wondered how the truck even ran. Historically, we don’t use this vehicle for much, other than trips to Mexico. Still, it’s incredible that we haven’t ended up on the side of the road on one of those trips.
So he will return next week. I’ll have him finish this job. I also need him to change the fuel tank sending unit as well, along with the fuel filter.
He spent the entire day here and it only cost me $70. That’s what I’d pay for one hour at a shop.