TBT: In pictures

TWENTY ØNE PILØTS

The girl wanted to see TWENTY ØNE PILØTS like no ones business.

I bought the tickets back in March.

It was a sold out show.  I'm glad I didn't wait any longer.

I've included some pictures from Alli's magical night.

And, of course, I had to include a playlist of some TWENTY ØNE PILØTS

songs.  They aren't a bad band.  I enjoy them and the

show was amazing.

derbies: cleaning the bearings

This was my first time ever cleaning my bearings.

I felt like I was skating through mud and it was difficult and I couldn't go fast even when I tried super hard.

And I could hear them.  That's not a good sign.

I borrowed a skate tool from the lovely Mimi and also a bearing puller.

I am so grateful for that bearing puller.  It's hard work getting those suckers out.

Those bearings above are dirty.

If they make a whirling sound, then they are probably dirty.

So, here is I cleaned my bearings.

First thing you have to do is obvious.  Remove the wheel from the skate.

Do that using your skate tool.  I didn't manage to get a picture of the one I used, it was a multi-tool.

Here are some examples of skate tools and a bearing puller.

I put the skate nuts in a dish of soapy water.

After the wheels are off, you had to get the bearings out of the wheel.

This is quite a chore.

I had to put the wheels on the ground, step on them and use the bearing puller and yank them out.

I have a lovely bruise on one of my arms to show for it.

After you remove the bearing, you have to remove the covers.

Mine are the clear plastic kind.

I used a needle and a small nail to remove them.

Some people use a small eyeglass screwdriver.

The first one I tried took me a long time.

An annoying long amount of time.

Once all those are removed, you can put the covers in soapy water and scrub them down with a toothbrush.  Then place on a towel and let them dry.

You can use many things to clean the bearings:  70% isopropyl alcohol, denatured isopropyl alcohol, paint thinner or kerosene (I'll skip those) or bearing specific cleaner.

I used 91% isopropyl alcohol. 

The higher the percentage the better.

I soaked my bearings in those.

After soaking I used a toothbrush to clean them out using the alcohol.

After that was all done, I put them on the towel to dry.

Once they were dry, I used 3 in one automotive oil to lube them up.

Others use bearing specific oil.  Some use other lubricants.

Once they are all lubed up, it's time to put the bearing covers on.

This is much easier than taking them off.

You can use a needle to line up the bearings and snap the cover right on.

Make sure they spin.

Then put your bearings back in your wheel.

Put your wheels back on your skates and you are ready to go.

This worked really well for me.

I am not an expert, so consult your local skate shop for more detailed information.

Bored

Bored.

I don’t use that word very often.

I have been bored lately though.

I’m not sure why.

It’s not like I have nothing to do, places to be, people to shuttle around.

This summer has been boring.

It wasn’t what I expected but I am trying to make the most out of it.

Maybe July will turn the summer around and the things will be better.

We already did exciting things on the first weekend of the month.  (I’ll eventually get those posts up, they are sitting there, all sad in draft status)

I think it was because last summer was so magical, I’m being punished for that.

You would think I would talk about how bored the kids are.  They aren’t bored though.  It’s me.

The Weekend - The Fourth

I might really have no idea what I'm doing.  It doesn't mean I didn't have fun doing it though.

Happy Fourth of July!

I invited family over.

I made food.

We ate.

We set off fire works.

It was fun.

My lighting in my front room kinda sucked for the picture.
The little lights were pretty awesome.
Target $3

Our fire works haul.

My sister said she would pick up a pack.
They definitely picked up a pack.

I was putting food on my baking stone and it shattered.
Has this ever happened to anyone before?
I love this thing.  It was perfect.  Does Pampered Chef replace them?

Peyton roasting some hot dogs.
He started the fire all by himself.

Our menu included:
Regular Hot Dogs
Pigs in a Blanket (my fav)
Mac and Cheese
Potatoes with bacon, garlic, ranch and cheddar baked.
Corn with parm cheese, ranch, garlic and butter.
Chips and Dip
and S'more for dessert!

Watching Jaws.
I need to talk about my fear of sharks sometime.

Chasing parachutes

Throwing poppers at me.

Funniest firework ever!

I fixed the fence neighbor.  Fixed it.
So...yeah!

Alli's friends family owns a couple of fireworks tents.
This is where we obtained our fireworks and they
asked Alli to come out with them after they closed.
They shoot off all the fireworks they didn't sell
and some they have saved for themselves.
Alli had a blast.

travels: Ha Ha Tonka State Park

Just another typical July day in Missouri.. <insert sarcasm>

On Sunday, we had planned on going to a cave close to Rolla, but decided to forgo that plan and head for Ha Ha Tonka.

Ha Ha Tonka is the ruins of a castle like house.

It is on the Niangua Arm of the Lake of the Ozarks and is absolutely beautiful and haunting.

Ha Ha Tonka is supposed to mean "laughing waters"

It was built as a family summer and weekend home in 1905.  In the 1930s it was a hotel and in 1942 it burned down.

Missouri purchased the land in 1978.

Now, it's a state park and it's amazing.

If it hadn't been raining, we would have hiked a little longer.  This is a place we will definitely need to return to.





Carriage House





Welcome to my house!

It was a fourth of a mile hike each way and yes, it was totally raining.