The Time Sink

The post mortem on the pump and motor went well; things came apart like they were supposed to, right down to the point where I should have been able to pull the diffuser from the impeller:

Yep, there appears to have been some damage accrued over the years. It took about twenty pounds of torque (yes, that was the wrench that was handy) to break things loose and rotate the shaft. ...and since that bearing accepts a teflon-variant mating surface, the problem appeared to be from debris stuck between the two surfaces. I'm loath to trash the entire assembly, but I'm thinking this is a bit more damage than some emery cloth will handle. I'm thinking if the cost of the replacement parts is low enough I just may put together a spare pump...

No post--see below...

When you're bedtime matches the day's high (101), you know it's been a long one. Sheesh...

...and since I was probably a little obtuse on the rollover today:

Yep, the rollover shows the pool reflection of the agapanthus growing above the pool itself. The shot here is also an indication that the new pump is working okay: the pool sweep is resting at the bottom of the pool in about four feet of water.

...and yes, that sunlight reflection to the right is similar to the one I used for "Seeing things" a while back.

No post, busy times...

"Red skies at night"? How about redskies on and off all day long? That would be the fires located in SoCal and the West side of the valley sending smoke over the valley at the 8000 foot level and giving us orange sidewalks from time to time. ...but the air quality up the hill is actually worse than down here in the valley. Cool, maybe I can blade this weekend, knee and all...

Dinner is pizzas on the grill... Tomorrow's chicken is marinating for the smoker in sauces of garlic and herbs, garlic and spices, beer and poultry grill seasoning, and Jalepeño Ranch dressing with Chulula hot sauce. That should keep things interesting...

Darn, I forgot to post the 'answer key' to Thursday's photo rollovers for Jenn and Cass! Here you go:

That is one of the pair of small lamps I use to light up a scene or a lightbox as I did for the bearing shot here this Monday. The first pair are shots through the vents on the side of the lamp while it is lit up; the second set is a pair of head-on shots with the sun illuminating the map through the vents in the top and back of the lamp.

...and yesterday's chicken spread turned out pretty well; I smoked the chicken most of the afternoon in The Beast, and there seemed to be a little something for everyone (yes, the hot one turned out okay; I'll beef it up next time). ...and I did manage to blade twice and also finished clearing the dirt around both sets of pipes I need to rework to get the plumbing portion of the front porch project finished.

I do have to say, if I ever run across the guy who put that mess in, I may have to hurt him. What a pain it's going to be to deal with fittings with all that stuff stacked like that. Sheesh.

Click image for larger version

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is
indistinguishable from magic."
Arthur C. Clarke, "Technology and the Future"

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