Helpers & Progress

We have really cut into the pile and crap in the past few days.  Thanks, in large, to some dam fine workers which we don't have on payroll....  Nevertheless Joel and Cohen were out for 70 mins loading a hay rack with me.  We can put so many more tires on one of them, as compared to a hay wagon.  The rack would hold well over 300, if not 400, whilst the wagon about 120.  We even crushed a few tires for the hell-of-it!  Why not...  Thanks buddy!

My mom, her husband John, and their dog Copper made it out for a great 90 minute clean up session too.  We filled a second hay rack with tires, and scraped up a great load of odd and end scrap steel lying about.  Their help was fantastic.  Charlie, our neighbour popped over as well and touched a few tires - just because perhaps....  It obviously seems like the in-vogue thing to do out there.  Hell, we crunched a few more rims - just because again.  They all got a kick out of the machine and its massive destruction abilities.

The biggest help, biggest by far has been Shelly's dad Barry.  He has wrestled and fought with plenty of tires over the past 96 hours.  He hasn't once cursed the gods of volcanized rubber yet.  He has a steadfast work ethic which no amount of bugs, heat, dirt or circumstance has tarnished his spirit.  If it wasn't for him, progress would barely be, but in fact we are truly getting somewhere...  Atta boy Barry!

So for now, we are going to hang onto the tires for a week or so and look into getting an 80 cent bounty on each tire that is offered from the Ontario Gov't through a recycling program.  Dumps and other various places get it as a holding fee until the tires can be properly recycled and used for something else.  So we figured why not us?  We looked into it, but a slimeball owner of one such depot refused to give up the goods on the contact number we need to call to look into this venture.  We tried to work a deal with him in that he'd give us 25 cents or so per tire, but he was a bit hesitant....  So we'll look into it ourselves and go for the full eighty!  Why not?

Anyhow - anyone know how to put an old, piece of crap Massey 2705 into reverse?  That is our problem right now.  I can't reverse the tractor into the pile to start crushing again! 

Getting To It & At It

Finally some video of the crusher in action!  It is working pretty good.  Although we are wrestling a bit with some tires to finish them off of the rim with some prying....  It may be a bit under powered?  The wedges aren't serrated, which I think if they were it would be better too.  Sometimes the tire kicks up a bit on us too which doesn't help.  It is a dirty, nasty job....  But somebody has to do it.  I'll tell you - there are a few people I know I wouldn't mind seeing their heads or nuts in this for a bit of a squeeze.

I guess we've put about 500 tires through it and it scarcley looks any different out there yet.  The pile - the main pile that is, is still gi-normous.  But we are picking away.  We have about $2700 or so into the crusher.  So bring on that scrap steel!

Trust me....  for every tire you see in this picture, there are about 20 times more buried beneath, or behind, or in another pile.  Hopefully less then 5,000 to go!

Don't Wait 2 Weeks B/W Posting

Yes, don't wait, like I have, two weeks inbetween posts....  There hasn't been anything too epic, but lots of pictures and friends over to visit and places gone too.  I will try my best to remember everything.

Joel, Trista, and the kids were over for a great lunch scoff last week.  The last time we met up for food and pictures it was in Rossland and it was minus 10 degrees.  This time it was in the winter, in Goderich, and about 30 centigrade.  Trista and I posing...

Shelly and I were at the U2 concert on Monday July 11th.  It was a fun trip as we took the train to Toronto, watched the concert, met up with a bunch of friends, had some great eats and drinks, went shopping, and then saw Jesus Christ Superstar in Stratford on the way home.  To top it off, the Stratford Concert Band, which Shelly is in, played a gig on this trip, as well as her brass quartet....  Lots of art and culture for us.

 A few pictures of Shelly's lillies in the backyard garden which are growing quite large....

Shelly also wanted me to show some pictures of Mango's new favourite place to sleep.  It is in a closet 6 feet off of the ground were we keep the bath towels.  It siddles up somehow or other.

We've been beaching it sooo much in the last few weeks while we are around.  We pretty much have it down to a science as we have a great open faced tent to set up and lay in, music to play, books to read, and the like.  The water has been cool, despite it being so hot.  But refreshing!  Julie, Joe, and their kids are usually down there when we are.  Here's to them.

The rim crusher is made!  We have cycled 25 tires or so through it without too many problems.  On Tuesday we hope to put a few hundred through it.  That will test it out.  Abraham Martin did a fine job welding it up if I must say.....  Let's get at those tires.

So a lot has been happening.  Shelly and I had our first anniversary on the 10th.  One year!  The night before she said to me, "We aren't getting each other gifts are we....."  Classic.  That meant, you're not getting a gift Drew, but did you happen to get me one?  Of course I got Shelly a gift though.....

But the news here is Shelly is nineteen weeks pregnant and holding strong!  So I guess I got a gift after all.  Way to go Shelly!

Canadian Master's 1500m Record Holder

It was all Richy Tremain on Thursday night in London.  June 30th was his 40th.  He was 20 hours into officially being a masters athlete when he rounded the track 3 and 3/4 times to run 3:54.80.  (Splits 62, 2:07, 3:09)  There would be no other time he'd be as close to 40, thus maximizing his chance at the record.  He gets nothing but older from this moment on.

The record was 4:01 about one month ago.  It had been this mark for a number of years.  Then two weeks ago a guy out in Moncton, NB ran 3:57 and change.  So there was a bit of pressure on my good buddy.  Rich had run 3:57 a few weeks ago, but as a 39 year old.  But after a few more weeks of training, and some added pressure with the lower benchmark, he really wanted to blow out his pipes on this attempt.  He assured me he was as nervous as ever prior to the start of the race.  Low and behold there really was never an issue.  At-a-boy Richy!  Congratulations and happy birthday you old dog!

I went to work for the first time in a year on Thursday.  I joined the great folks out at Brookside for some meetings and discussion about next year and what it is going to look like.  There weren't any kids at school.  So there were no arithmetic or composition lessons for the pupils!  I actually crossed paths with a few students who seemed to think they are going to be in my split three four grade next year.  I asked them if one and one still equalled two and if we  still end sentences with punctuation marks.  They said yes.  I said good.  I think I will be ready then for September then.

I threw my first 500 bails of hay for 2011 today - and have another 800 waiting for me this weekend.  I helped out Shelly's dad today.  Andrew and I were down on the wagon and the two high school students were sweat'n up in the mow = the benefits of being the favourite son-in-law, and older!  Mowing is the worse.  I'll go help my uncle Larry for the rest of the weekend.  I don't mind so much.  Although I'll probably have to mow out at his place.

So there is a lot going on this summer...  U2 concert on July 11.  Shelly and I are taking the train into the big smoke and staying for a few extra days.  We also have tickets to Jesus Christ Superstar in Stratford.  I am taking the third part of this computer/technology course and it only lasts for 1 month so I am going to be hammering away on that.  There is also the tires to plug away at....  Getting a wheel crusher made to blast away at them.  I am really running well and have found some new energy and enthusiasm in this topic area, so I am working away with that.  There is a 50% chance, maybe a bit more, of getting out to Cape Breton to have some fun.  I think I am just scratching the surface - Lots going on.