Spring tasks...

Now that spring has begun, it's time to come out of hibernation and start getting ready for the year ahead. The wood stove has been going 24/7 since November 20th, with only short temporary outages in order to clean out the ashes, &/or run a brush up the chimney. In 5 months, I've burned less than 5 cords. That's not bad considering it was going day and night. The new stove is a perfect fit.
Anyway, now I must begin to accumulate some wood for next year. Here comes that first load now.
Interestingly, the price of firewood has not changed in the last 3 seasons or so. I find great comfort in supporting such an industry. Oil on the other hand, seems to be dominated by shall we say "opportunistic" types with oft-questionable morals and values. I despise all of the marketing, speculation, and uncertainty that accompanies the petroleum circus. I get more than my fill of that at the gas pumps :)

Unique Toyota camper

This showed up on Kijiji recently. A '91 diesel camper built on the older Toyota Van...knowing the ad would vanish, I kept the picture for posterity...whatever that is :)

14" Truck Tires

My Camper Van has 14 inch wheels, and calls for a reinforced truck tire in order to handle the weight, wind, and other qualities associated with sliding a brick down the highway. Twenty years ago, many trucks and vans had 14" wheels, but as time passed, most vehicles began to climb up to 15, 16, 17, 18 inches and beyond. While the VW can be "upgraded", it's not a cheap undertaking. The bolt pattern (5x112) is not too common, and many modern rims with that pattern have a different offset triggering the need for spacers and longer bolts. Additionally, in many cases the center hole is too small and requires enlarging. All of this helped me to decide to seek out a 14 inch truck tire. Canadian Tire recently discontinued the only model that came close to meeting the load requirements. Kijiji to the rescue. Boss Tire in Moncton has a "Westy-Aware" staff member, and accordingly carries an affordable and appropriately rated tire. It's a Hercules G4000LT in a 185R14 flavor with a "D" Load Rating (102/100). Compared to special ordering one of the rare and expensive alternatives, $89 a tire is hard to beat...now to get them on...

I pilfered this picture from a for sale ad, same tires though.

New $44 Backpack

I've been wanting a new backpack since last fall, but since it was not really a "need", I wisely procrastinated. However, The Sierra Trading Post won me over with an unbelievable deal; $44 for a 65 litre High Sierra Sentinel Pack. I read several detailed reviews (another one here) before buying it sight unseen, but I think it will fit the bill. I actually ordered two. Last night I filled one with my sleeping bag, tent, cookware, food etc, just to see if it can "swallow the load". It seems to have most of the popular features: separate sleeping bag compartment, hydration bladder ready, nice padded hip-belt, lots of compression straps, adjustable torso etc.  It's supposed retail price is $220 but STP's regular price was $99. At a $44 "steal" they are now of course sold out.
I Did have to pay $25 shipping, $10 duty (textiles), and GST. So the price was more like $60 each...still a good steal. Now all that's left is to get off my fat "rusty dusty" and actually use it :)

Switching to Glide...

My Volkswagen Camper has been hibernating for much of the winter, but it has been anything but "idle". At the hands of Jeff's Old Volks Home it now has a new Rad, new front shocks, new gas tank vent hoses, undercoating, brakes, exhaust, AND for the biggest change of all: It went in a 4-speed standard, and came out a 3-speed automatic ! Yes it's true, no more clutch. The reasons behind this are many, but the biggest was said mechanic wanted my standard and made me an offer I could not refuse. I've had it for a couple of weeks and I'm so glad. Perhaps I'm getting old, but in the city a standard is a real pain, especially in such an anemic brick as the Van. Of course swapping my "almost 300,000km" standard for a fresh rebuilt automatic is wise on many fronts. It's the same transmission found on 80's Audi's, and is said to be quite robust. One flaw in the Vanagon implementation, however, is the transmission cooler; A unit prone to age failure (aren't we all) and expensive to replace. On the advice of my mechanic, I had a somewhat passive "heat sink" cooler installed. In the original VW design, failure meant transmission fluid and coolant mixing, with catastrophic results. I still have lots to do to get ready for the season, but I'm off to a good start.

Transmission Cooler (blue hoses)

Not bad for 25 years old...

Smoothies...m-m-m-m-m...

I've been overdosing on these lately, mostly thanks to my wife, who wisely froze and stored away lots of nice fruity strawberries, blueberries etc.

Take a banana, strawberries, blueberries, add orange juice...

screw on the magic bullet blade, and whamo! Smoothie

If the berries are frozen, it provides just the right amount of insane brain-freeze !!

Ice Cube

...saw this at the recent Halifax Boat Show. Had to have it :) Fill both halves with water and freeze. Use inside a conventional cooler or by itself. See video below...