End of October 2018 update on AZ Shells

I learned a very good lesson on Thursday... you never turn your back on a piece of metal, ladder, big rock, or anything heavy, and you have just leaned it up against something. While I was cleaning my shop floor and wanted to sweep under some tools, I leaned my two creepers against a car in my shop. As I turned around to reach for the broom, the steel frame creeper fell on the back of my left leg. Of course I cussed (just a little) and turn back around to see what damage it did to me and anything else. This what I found. And this is what it looks like today, two days later. 24 stitches and bunch of steri-strips..

That is a flap of skin almost down to my ankle. It was a good anatomy lesson too. The doc and the nurse laugh when they saw me taking a picture of it. I said, "This is suitable for posting." Their eyebrow wrinkled but shook their heads with laughter. Anyway, I am fine and healing. Wine helps. I had a Water Harvesting System installed and with the first good rain, we now have over 5,000 gallons of water for plants. It's even plumbed into our drip system so all we have to do is turn a couple valves and start watering those thirsty plants. November 21, we leave on another overseas trip to EGYPT.Yes a big check-mark for this bucket list location. We have been wanting to go there for years, but with the conflicts going on in the region, tours where pretty much shutdown. Finally, after 8 years, they are open again. I will post pics and videos. I only thing wrong with these trips is the in-transit time. 10 hours to London, a 5 hour layover and then 3 hours to Cairo. Oh yeah, then another hour to the hotel. Coming back is longer by 2 hours. At least we have upgraded seats, lots of first run movies and plenty of wine. We'll sleep most of the way. We get back on December 7th. Watch out mummies.

I have another car in the shop, but one is not mine. I am restoring it for a client. A 70 Buick Gran Sport 2 door hardtop. Nothing fancy on this one. Totally stock. Should be fun. Well that's about it for now. Happy Halloween and Happy Thanksgiving. Fall is finally here in AZ. 70s in the day and 50s at night. Everyone take care. Harrold and Nancy

Life's little pleasures

Sometimes you wake up and wonder what the day will hold for you. As you may know, Arizona is very hot until after Halloween, when the temps drop into double digits, and hopefully into the 80's and 70's. This morning I woke up to RAIN! But that has it's consequences. When the ground is baked, and packed hard, water does not seep in easily, thus the rain flows into dry creeks and dry river beds and floods result. Years ago, Phoenix built a many of its streets and freeways below ground level which acts as drainage ditches and they flood. Roads dip into the dry creeks and then people try to drive across the rushing waters and some die in their cars. Unfortunately they don't understand how danger Mother Nature can be so unforgiving when a wall of water hits your car board side, washing your car/truck (with you in it) downstream. So, here's some advice from a retired firefighter who has rescued several people out of flooded creeks when they thought they could simply drive through a flooded road. DON'T DO IT. Turn around and find a dry alternative route. Leave early to avoid traffic problems. We typically have beautiful mountain views 360 degrees around us, but not today. They have all disappeared covered with clouds along with the sun. Have a lovely cloudy day. We are. Take care.