Welding Generator Mast, Talking To Vera and Collecting More Hardware.

Our Location today is at the La Posa South, LTVA, Quartzsite, Arizona.

Click on the pictures to Enlarge

After waking feeling refreshed I was surprised that there was no daylight seeping in along our Window Shades. As I opened the Window Shades downstairs I had to look at my watch thinking that possibly I’d just woke in the middle of the night. Even the clock on our wall confirmed I had actually slept in but the Sun was a No-Show.

Waves of Clouds all day.

I only managed to get part of my reading completed when Kathy came downstairs. It shocked me that she didn’t even try to lower the Window Shades as she has done since her Cataract Surgery this past summer because it is normally too bright. She even asked “Where the heck is the Sun?”

We cut our reading short this morning and did our morning chores so that we could head out the door by 10:30 heading for Quartzsite. When designing things (Wind Generator Mount) it’s not uncommon to not see the Big Picture the first or second time out.

Our first stop was to Herb’s Hardware to get additional fittings. I had allowed in my design for the wires to have a place to exit the Mast but there was nothing to stop the wire from getting caught by the Wind Generator Feathers (Blades). I managed to find a Close-El. and the Cinch to hold the Wires but suffering a moment that I couldn’t see the Pipe Reducer for looking at it so one of the associates pointed the Bin to me. Embarrassed I simply reached in and left because I was trying to beat the forecasted Rain headed our way this afternoon.

Our next stop shortly after 11:00 was the Coyote Fresh Food parking lot. While shopping yesterday we learned they were having a Pre-Valentine Barbecue at a price that made it worth attending. For $7.00 each we each had a Barbecued Steak on a Bun, a bag of Chips and a Soft Drink. They also gave you a Raffle Ticket that entitled you to an Hourly Draw.

We were Home minutes after noon and after turning the Truck around to block the Wind I started working on our project. First I had to dig the containers with my Electric Tools out of the Basement. I had planned on accomplishing so many things before we left McGregor last fall that the basement is still full. Using those Tools I was able to modify a couple of the Mast Fittings.

When it came time to Weld I started our Honda Generator. If you recall we were having issues with it because I had used Low Test Gasoline that I didn’t realize had Ethanol in it. John from John and Brenda’s Incredible Journey had suggested only using High Test to clear the problem because it does not contain Ethanol which attracts moisture in the gas. That Generator ran like it was meant to do today and it will never see Low Test Gas again.

Hard life as a navigator.

Wayne walked over to see how I was doing before doing some chores of his own. Like I have mentioned he is considering copying what we do on his Trailer.

I was in the process of closing up when Les a former Electrician stopped for a chat before going to visit our neighbour Ken. They are both VietNam Veterans. He’s also curious to see how this works out.

Stopping for a drink of water Kathy told me she had been on the phone for nearly an Hour with our dear friend Vera. Now that Bill’s Funeral is behind her she is trying to get her life back in order. All our children attended the wake on our behalf.

The brightest the Sun was all day.

I had planned on using the Antenna Mast we had for the Wind Generator so I started mounting the Brackets to the Trailer Ladder. Wayne came over and was helping to stabilize things while I fastened them. Using the Mast one way it was Too Short and the other way it was Too Long. Kathy had come outside to check on my progress when we started getting hit by a few large Raindrops. Time to work on something else.

I started assembling the Mast with the Wire when I looked at the Pipe Reducer and saw it was the wrong size. Someone had put it in the wrong Bin at Herb’s and I hadn’t examined it before buying it.

It was only minutes after 4:00 and there were still Raindrops falling so we headed back to Herb’s. While driving towards Quartzsite It occurred to me the Single Mast Pole might not be strong enough to support our Wind Generator if the Winds really started to blow.

Hard to see how dark the sky actually is.

Since the Pipe Reducers were the same price we spent less then Five Minutes exchanging it at Herb’s before heading to K&B Tools at the Vendors Area on Kuhen. Instead of getting a single piece of Conduit at an In-Between Size I purchase more Fittings and Conduit so that I can create a Knockdown Tower.

Our Truck had started its Regeneration Mode just as we had arrived at K&B and since it was then 5:00 as we were leaving we drove up Dome Rock Road before returning back to Quartzsite on I-10. We were getting hungry since it was over Six Hours since we had eaten lunch so we drove to McDonald’s for supper.

As mentioned before I am using Extension Cord Wire
since it is heavier then the wires on the Wind Generator.

We never did see the Sun but I was able to work on the Mast outside a while longer. The forecast is for Rain tomorrow but I’ll see what can be done to get our Wind Generator up and working. Thank you for following along and feel free to leave a comment.

Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

Joke of the Day

I like kids, I just don't think I could eat a whole one.