Monday, August 25, 2014

Trixd out tofu bucket panniers for CLIMATE JUSTICE RIDE

I just finished pimping my ride for my upcoming bike tour vacation. I followed the ideas from a couple of Instructables (search "Kitty litter/Plastic bucket Panniers). I got 2 tofu buckets from the White Tiger BBQ joint, 4 J shaped hooks, 2 S hooks,  7 bolts with nuts+washers from the hardware store and 3 belts from the thrift store.  I used heat shrink tubing to cover the J hooks so they don't scratch up my rack, the nylon belt became the handles, the stretchy belt became the bungee that holds the buckets to the bike and I cut up the  the canvas belt with the grommets and sewed it to the stretchy belt, using the grommets to put the bolts through. I used some scraps of 1/4" plywood left over from my house inside the provide some support for the bolts and caulked the edges of the plywood. I cut off the ends of the bolts and covered them with caulk too. I added that little luggage rack on the front, and it still folds up to the the size of a suitcase. Not pictured.. new lights!!!!!


BOOM SHACK-A-LACKA!

I have been riding them around town for the past few days. I will take extra electrical tape just in case I need to re-wrap the hooks, but so far they can off-road ;-).

Here are links to the stages of my route. Since I am making this ride in order to get to the People's Climate March ( see 350.org ) I am calling this CLIMATE JUSTICE RIDE











Friday, August 22, 2014

X-Ray view of John Fortuna's geo-dome in progress. Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang!!!!

Emily and I took a ride out into the boonies the other day to visit John Fortuna's geo-dome in progress. It is a kit project he ordered from CA, but he has been making some custom mods as he has been assembling it. He is stoked to have the framing done! I know the feeling!
As it so happens Emily and myself have been there before... just a few days earlier I was working a plumbing job, renovating a gas station bathroom just down the road. The job went horribly wrong and I called Emily to come and rescue me!!! I was so shaken up she suggested that we take a walk in the woods, and so we found a turn off into the wood with out a NO TRESPASSING sign posted and started following the access road which turned into a trail, which petered out into forest. It started raining. We got naked. It was excellent. Standing in the forest in the rain with my dear friend.. all the bad vibes just slide off my body into the soil. We came up on the back of the property, saw the pond, but not the dome, and decided that we should turn around and go back before we got shot! When we followed John directions out to the property we were so grateful to be returning to a place that seemed to call us as a refuge from the insanity of the world, and of course were over whelmed that we had been there not but a few days before!


Seeing that it is in x-ray stage of completion it seemed fitting to use the nagative feature on my new camera. Nice spot on the pond to build.

Jaguar

Climbing on top, climbing into the sun.
diamond
custom welded mod





Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Focus Face

Check her expression of focus and strength while she screws the ceiling paneling into the tool room. She commented how I curse when I work, sometimes. That expression of focus and intent; I have been making this face for years working alone, no wonder I curse! I am so grateful that the climate of progress is changing!

Emily, you and Ken Ogletree know this jam is real! You come and live with me in my secret garden! AMAZING FRIENDS!!!! Thank you Thank you Thank you! XOXOXO


My friend EMILY Montesinos has been making my dreams come true. Staying with me in my home, building, cooking, biking, entertaining, orbiting, sleeping in trees, bringing new people into my life.