Cedar Point

I went to Cedar Point yesterday with my friend, S. We had an incredible time! We rode all the cool rides that have come along since the last time I was there, 20 years ago, and a few of them twice. We jogged from ride to ride and only stopped long enough to eat a sandwich and for me to get a season pass. She already has one. I can't wait to go again!

Alpaca shearing time again!

Last Sunday was time for the annual haircut for the alpacas. This is a story that is best told in pictures. Let's start with a few from a month ago, when I was out cruising on my bike and stopped by Rick's farm.

Here are the ladies. Maggie and Lily are the two white ones. Don't ask me which is which. Felicia is the brown one.


And the gentlemen: Auggie and Dragster.


Auggie and Lily are Maggie's babies. Right now, Maggie is pregnant, I think by Dragster, but Lily is too young still. Look at those thick, heavy coats! You know that as summer comes and the temperatures rise, those animals are gonna cook. It kinda makes them look heavy too, doesn't it? From the picture, I'd put Auggie at 150 lbs, and Dragster close to 200 lbs....


Here, Lily is stretched out for her haircut. The ropes keep her from kicking, and it makes it easier to roll her as the shearer takes off the "fleece", which is the swath of fur around her torso. Oh, alpaca fur is referred to as "fiber".


My job was to get the animals ready for shearing. We had two mats set up. We wanted to have one ready to go when the shearer was ready, but didn't want them to be tied down for too long, especially the pregnant ones. I like this job because I don't have to worry about knowing which fiber is important and which is trash. The women decide that.

At first, I was trying to lay the animal down with a wrestling move. I'd grab the far front leg and pull it to me while leaning into it's shoulder, which would roll the animal over. I was depending on the guy behind me to do the same with the back feet. Once the animal was laying down, it became docile and it was easy to put the ropes on it's feet. Sometimes, the animal would spread it's hind legs when I went to roll it, which became a pain in the ass. So they told me how the Australians did it.

The Australians would lean over the top of the alpaca and, with two hands, grab the thick fur just in front of the hind legs and in front of the front legs. Then they'd lift the animal up in the air and set her down on her side.

Well, I tried that too... With the first alpaca I lifted that way, I nearly threw her through the ceiling! I must have lifted her to shoulder height, at least. All that thick fleece is misleading making the animal appear much heavier. Then, because I wasn't really sure of what I was doing, I sorta body-slammed the poor animal down on the mat. She was docile, all right.... That got me nervous looks from the alpaca farmers. Rick suggested that I be a little more gentle next time, and I was. It took a few animals before I was able to judge the weight well, but I didn't injure any of them.

The next one was a big male, and he ended up on top of me. When I went to flip him, I lost my balance and fell underneath. One of the pregnant females wasn't very happy about being on her side, and I ended up with a fat lip when she slammed her shoulder into the side of my face. I got spit on half a dozen times, and I tell you alpaca spit is some nasty smelling stuff. It's mostly grass, but grass that's been in their bellies for an hour, fermenting. Rick got kicked in the shins a number of times too. So, to make a long story short, we had a lot of fun!

So here is the lovely Lily with her new 'do. Isn't she loooovely.... I know she'll be cool at least.


Auggie must have lost 100 lbs! That poor guy. How's he going to impress the ladies without his mane? I guess he'll have to rely on his conversational skills.


You can see why I misjudged the first animal's weight when I flipped her.

Once more, for effect

Before:



After:



Man, does that crack me up!

Today we had a young visitor to the job

A friend's grand-niece joined us on the job this week to check out the type of work an electrician does. It's part of her senior project at a local high school. Next week she'll be watching and helping teachers who work with disabled and handicapped children.


We were able to get her the necessary training needed so she could join us in the manhole while we spliced some high voltage cables together. She looks really happy, doesn't she?



Of course, we put her to work. Nothing dangerous or too complicated. She just had to press the button on the hydraulic crimper. It's an easy job, but she had to pay attention to when I needed her to crimp, and listen to the pump when it had completed the compression so she could let off the button.



We took a minute for some Q & A for her project. She had taken journalism, and was prepared with good questions regarding my personal history and interests in the electrical industry.


The next step was to put the tubes on, and she got right in there, helping out


She only stayed with us on our particular job for a few hours before she moved on with two other men on another facet of our daily grind. This young lady had an excellent attitude, and I know she'll do well at whatever occupation she chooses.

E's first motorcycle ride!

I cruised out on my bike to see some friends yesterday. It was another great day for a ride, a bit cool, but not too bad with the leather jacket on.
My friend's daughter had told me that she wanted to go for a motorcycle ride some day. That day finally came. She got permission from her parents, put on some jeans, and away we went. A whopping 4 miles, but she loved it. She told me later that she was smiling until she fell asleep. When we got back, her mom asked how she liked it and she replied, enthusiastically, "I want to go again!" I promised to take her for a longer ride when the weather warms up a bit more.

New car! (New to me, anyway)

My brother and I had been talking about getting new cars for the last year or so. We both liked the Challenger, he liked the Taurus and Cadillac CTS, while I liked the Mustang. I considered buying a Mustang GT Shelby Cobra, but I couldn't wrap my mind around the idea of buying a car with the sticker price more than half the cost of my house. In any case, I'm not the kind of guy who needs the top of the line, very best to enjoy something. I am the kind of guy who likes to have his cake, and eat it too. For instance, in 2005, I had $25k to spend on a vehicle. I considered buying a nice, full sized truck (F-150, of course) or buying a decked out Harley Low Rider or Fatboy. Instead, I bought a bottom of the line Ford Ranger for $13k AND a Harley Davidson 1200cc Sportster for $10k.


My brother knew I was considering a new car, and his friend decided she wanted to sell her 2007 Mustang Convertible. I've always wanted a convertible, but I always thought of a caddie, or some other older boat. He got us together, she sent me some pictures, and we worked out a deal!


After tax, title, and licensing fees, the total cost of the car was about $19,000. That leaves me ~30,000 (if I had bought the Cobra) that I can spend elsewhere, like on a new garage or a new roof, or some other home improvements.


I'll still get the enjoyment of driving a convertible, having a fairly fast car with a manual transmission (5 speeds of fun!), plus it's a beautiful automobile. I'm feeling rather proud of myself right now! (pats himself on the back)