Molly, Frank, Loren, and David

I don't know exactly when I became aware of Frank Frazetta's artwork. I suppose it could have been from the Molly Hatchet album covers.

More likely, it was the posters they sold at Spencer Gifts and Coach House Gifts in the early 80's.
At some point, I bought this book in a secondhand store.

In it, Frazetta's painting of "Spider Man" (1966) is the stuff of nightmares. The paralyzing fear I felt when Sam fought Shelob in Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, and when the children of Aragog chased Harry and Ron in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets stems from this:

I found this calendar a few years ago at a Salvation Army store. I didn't know what I was going to do with a calendar from 1980, but it was too cool to pass up. 

I think "Circle of Terror" would be better suited for October, but maybe it's a take on "March in like a lion, out like a lamb"? I don't think that guy is going to meet any lambs anytime soon.

I think I've seen this on TV...

Yep, I've seen it. It's too bad they changed the cast and put Lorne Green in there.

Charlie's Angels was popular, but this show looks like it would have been better.

Okay, this made me jealous. Check out October 16.

That was the night when the Van Halen World Invasion Tour rocked Des Moines at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium. That would have been such a good time. I didn't get to see David Lee Roth as Van Halen's front man, and I lost interest when Sammy took the mic. Sadly, I missed the show because I was only ten years old and living in Rock Valley.

But I like the calendar's previous owner; they had great taste in art and music.

I was organizing the basement last December when I came across the calendar on a book shelf. I opened it to January. I remembered that the first of that month is my mom's birthday. I checked the current calendar to see when I needed to give her a call, and the days matched. Both 1980 and 2019 began on a Tuesday. I could actually use this calendar!

(I hope that dentist appointment went okay.)

It was fun for January and February. No, I don't stare at a calendar all of the time, but when I would notice it, I'd think, Hmmm. Is 1980 or 2019? Have I time traveled? 

Then I noticed something else about February.

February has 29 days! That means 1980 was a leap year, and 2019 isn't.  Dang it, my "new" calendar was broken!

The next time it will be accurate is in 2036 when Charlotte is 26.

I wonder who will be Van Halen's front man then?

Anyway, Happy New Year! 

PS. 2020 is also going to be a leap year.

M is for Manger

We were plenty busy last weekend. We had the Cookie Walk at our church on Saturday morning. Both Grandmas came along.

Daphne and Charlotte had the Christmas Program rehearsal at church at noon, and in the afternoon the ladies made kringla. Grandma Betty is on the left, and Grandma Maureen is on the right.

On Sunday it was program time. I try to capture as much of the action as I can for Daphne. She teaches Sunday School, and she knows the program backwards and forwards, but she never gets to see it from her spot at the piano.

Charlotte played a piano piece before the church service began. She stumbled, but recovered nicely. I'm proud of that.

No one looked too nervous back stage.

The program opened with Charlotte as the first narrator.

That wasn't her only part.

I thought the kids did a great job with the boomwhackers. Actually, the teachers did a great job of getting them to practice for this performance.

Char asked me later, "How long was that whacker part, Dad?"

"About 30 seconds," I replied.

"Thirty seconds? We worked on that for six weeks! I can't believe we worked that long for 30 seconds."

They played bells, too.

I even got a couple of smiles this year.

Daphne loves these hats.

I'll finish this post with a song.

This year's Christmas program at church certainly wasn't like 2013. This year it went well.

We've come a long ways since then. --> link 

The Rollfast Project: The Persuader/ Pedal Edition

Here's a fun slang term:

Some rider in the past must have had at least two yard sales on the Rollfast. I don't know how else both crank arms (where the pedals attach) could have gotten so bent. I was able to straighten the removed, left side crank with some taps with a sledgehammer, but that won't work on the right side crank. The sprocket is in the way.

For this fix, I needed a Persuader.

I went to the Habitat ReStore and bought a used pipe for $3.75. The pipe's interior diameter had to be an inch wide to fit over my crank arm. 

This isn't sophisticated. I slid the pipe in position and lightly pulled on the end. Then I removed the pipe and checked my progress. Lather, rinse, repeat. I had to go easy with this much leverage. It would not be hard to persuade the crank arm to bend too far. I had the best results when I placed the pipe about halfway down the crank.

That looks a lot better. Thanks, Persuader.

Now both cranks are much more parallel to each other. That should make the bike more comfortable to pedal.

On the topic of pedals, I took another look at what arrived with the Rollfast.

I though they were a grungy, mismatched pair. When I cut the zip tie, I discovered that they are both stamped "Made in England." The pedals are still grungy, but they do match.

According to the late Sheldon Brown's website, "Older [bicycle] models had rubber block pedals made in the Raleigh factory in Nottingham. Raleigh was the last bicycle maker to make its own pedals. They were very high quality, and were completely rebuildable... In the late 1960s, as a cost-cutting move, Raleigh fitted horrible cheap pedals that had no ball bearings."

Hmmm... maybe these pedals are better than I thought? They are rebuildable, so I think they'll be worth saving. I installed them, and I have to admit that they look at home on the bike.

One pedal is missing a dust cap and there was quite bit of muck inside of it. A paper towel and a bit of oil smoothed out its crusty movement. The metal should clean up nicely, but those beat, rubber blocks have seen better days. I will keep an eye out for replacements.

I haven't dismantled pedals before, and that seems like a good basement project. It will be something to do when it gets too cold to work in the garage.

Now I'm on the lookout for another dust cap.

I was 14 when I started working on the car my dad had parked behind our garage. I vacuumed it out and covered the vinyl interior with Armor All. Then I cleaned every inch of the engine bay with a toothbrush and a jar of solvent. My dad joked, "I bet that old Ford doesn't what hit it." I think it was a compliment.

I wonder if all my projects feel that way?

I hope they do.

The Rollfast Project: A Test Ride

It's not done, but the Rollfast is mobile. 

I took the bike out for a shakedown just before sundown. I remembered to wear my helmet. When I took the Aragon out for its first spin, the handlebars came loose, I almost wiped out, and my noggin was unprotected...

The Rollfast went forward when I pedaled, shifted gears when I moved the shifter, and stopped when I applied the brakes. I returned safely to the driveway, and I didn't embarrass myself. 

I'll call that a success. 

I bought the Brooks grips a couple of years ago for the Voyager 11.8, but I think they suit an English bicycle better.  When I installed the grips, I noticed the right side of the handlebars was bent. I straightened the bar the best I could, and a replacement from Amazon should be here soon.

I had to ditch the vintage brake levers because they didn't allow enough room for the grips. The new handlebar might correct that, but I like the Tektrol levers, so I think they'll stay. 

These brake cable clips are not the original Raleigh clips, but I like how they look.

I had to make some adjustments to the shifter cable after the shakedown. The rear hub was slipping into neutral when I was in second gear. I believe that means the cable was slightly loose.

I'm not sure if I'll keep using this Brooks saddle. It looks okay, but a leather Brooks would be better. I'm also on the fence about the pedals. Era-correct block pedals might be better. 

The front wheel bearings still need grease, and I could put a new tire on that rim when I need something to do. The temp is suppose to hit 56 today, so I hope to cruise around this afternoon and see how the Rollfast shifts.

Maybe I'll wear a tweed jacket.

No, That's NOT a Litter Box

Mr Kirby, Charlotte's 4th grade teacher, let her take his empty snack box home. She told him her cats would love to play in it.

It only took a few minutes for Char to be right.

I'm glad to report that Earl only left cat hair in there.

Pony Up Part 2: Cliché Edition

This post is from Feburary 20, 2015. The 2019 update is at the bottom.

Last week the Des Moines Register ran a few photos of Char's preschool class.

I thought it was pretty neat to see her in the paper, but I felt guilty that her hair was all over the place. 

That's because most weekday mornings Daphne's off to work before 6:30, so I'm the one that does Char's hair. And I'm not very good at it. 

I kinda hate brushing her hair; it's stressful. After rolling around the bed all night, her hair is full of tangles, and Char yells and cries when I have to pull the brush through them. After the fifth scream I used to threaten her with a pixie cut. But that just makes the screaming turn into crying, and that really doesn't accomplish anything does it? 

Hair detangler spray is much more useful. 

I don't hate the brushing anymore, but by the time I get her hair smooth and straight I'm ready to get her coat on and take her to daycare.

But because of that photo, I've stepped up my game and moved onto making pony tails.

I didn't tell her the first time I put her hair in a pony tail. And she didn't notice it until we were in the bathroom brushing her teeth. Char caught a glimpse in the mirror, turned her head, and flipped it up with the back of her hand, "Nice pony tail, Dad. You did a good job!"

It's cool when your efforts are recognized.

Update:

Daphne does Char's hair most of the time, but I pitch in on jazz band mornings. I've been putting a "pony" in Charlotte's hair for almost five years.   

This morning she came downstairs with a pony that she had put in all by herself.

Both Daphne and I brightly praised Charlotte, but I know I frowned slightly as I took this picture. I used to get anxious when I had to comb her hair, and now my first thought was, I don't get to put in ponies anymore?

I know it's a parental cliché. We've all heard people say how quickly their kids grow up. And even if their children are grown, they say that about other kids, so then they can talk about theirs. I bet parents have been saying this for centuries.

Still, I didn't think a simple hair style would make me tear up a little when I wrote about it.

One Daddy/Daughter Tradition

Over the years, Daphne and Charlotte have spent many hours decorating the house for the Christmas season. It is their favorite holiday, and Char has been telling me for years, "I'm a Christmas girl, Dad."

I sometimes help carry boxes of ornaments up and down the basement stairs, but for the most part I stay out of their way. The decorations are their thing.

Here's Char in 2013. It was our first Christmas in our new house.

I really only share one Christmas tradition with Charlotte. She and I have been watching the same Christmas program together since she was born.

It was playing in the background when she was four months old.

She was two years old before she could sit still and watch most of its 27 minutes.

Disney's "Sing Along Songs: Very Merry Christmas Songs" is one of the few reasons I still have a VCR.

It is 13 Christmas songs set to vintage Disney animation. This is a VHS tape from 1988, and "Here Comes Santa Claus" takes place at the Disneyland Christmas Parade. The 80's fashions are also fun. 

Sure, this program might be on DVD in an "improved" version, but that one has new songs, new narration, and different song transitions. It doesn't have the VHS tape's charm. 

Here's a YouTube link to see what we will be watching in the basement together: Very Merry Christmas Songs. I like reading the comments below the video. There's a lot of people out there who enjoy watching this program. 

I know one Christmas girl who is going to watch it with me this month.