A Very Busy Week! A Very Busy DAY! Cheryl Runs For Watermelons!

The remains of the crankshalf Pulley.

  Whoa!  A lot has happened over the last few days.  And now I have to catch everything up in a single blog post?   How can I possibly fit it all in?  

Well,  I could skip a lot of details.   Leave parts of the story for later blog postings. ( But that usually ends up on the cutting room floor...) Or I can do my best to simply keep the story brief, interesting, and actively paced....  Let us begin!

 First,  Subie has been in Hospital for the last two weeks getting his timing belt, water pump, and Camshaft Pulley replaced.  Only the Cam shaft needed to be worked on.  All other tasks were scheduled as "preventative maintenance."  The only reason it was taking so long was becuase they had been booked up for two weeks, and are the only real mechanics in town.  The mechanic has done many of timing belts water pump replacements   before and actually has two Subies of his own!  So we figured we were in good hands.

Rubber has been destroyed!

But then... the Crankshaft pulley slipped.   Causing the piston timing to be thrown off in a Boxer Engine. Something I feared would happen to me if I had attempted it, had happened to the pros!  So what does this mean? 

It means it will be another week before we get our car back.   It means we are getting a new head gasket for the left side of our engine... for free! ( So far, anyway...)  AND it means Subies Engine will be pulled out and inspected thoroughly for any signs of wear, leaks or hidden damage.   So... good things!  Right?  

Subie's current condition in "Hospital"

We shall let you know about that on Thursday, when the task is projected to be completed.   The guys were really cool about letting us know what happened and walking us through the process.  The even upgraded our Loaner car to an 1999  Delta 88 Oldsmobile sedan!  (Same car my Dad LOVED back in the 80's.)  It is a Boat, but has a soft ride and luxurious feel...  Like gliding on a cushion of air! I see why my Dad loved that  Delta 88 so much.  

 "Good Sportsmanship" ribbons.

All that to say that today's festivities have been up in the air since we brought Subie in over a Week ago.  TODAY!   Cheryl ran the Watermelon Stampede 10K in Muscatine. 

We have been planning this for a while now.   Last year they cancelled the vent, and Cheryl was keeping an eye on whether they would have it this year.  When she found out they were,  she signed up!  

Early Morning rain

Thus creating the Subie "disaster" that was inevitably going to jeopardize the possibility of attending it.  I secretly believe Cheryl self-sabotages certain events with her mind... by manipulating the universe into throwing a wrench in our plans when there seems to be nothing that could go wrong.  (How else would you explain a Reliable Subaru suddenly having a minor mishap?)  But I digress...

At the Start.

There was a slight possibility of rain in the morning!  But it never really happened.  (Despite Cheryl's mind powers!)  Only a small sprinkle in the beginning.  Perhaps MY mind powers were preventing hers from creating bad weather. Well, I can hope at least...

 

Sexy Cheryl Still...

A Barbershop quartet sang the National Anthem. (Again,  MY mind powers at work....)   And shortly after, the runners were lining up!   I joined a few Farmer's Market acquaintances to cheer Cheryl on as she ran by.  ( James "the Honey guy" and the The Baker who did RAGBRAI.) 

Cheryl's Sexy runner legs.

Crossing the Finish

At least the overcast skies and cool-ish breeze kept the even from being a "Suffer-fest." The 10K route was a giant loop, so I had to wait for her at the finish line to run in.   She came in ahead of my mental pace, just over 48 minutes!   We walked over to the print out and got her official time. 

Over 40 overall finisher!

The Real trophies!

We were unsure of what the placement meant.  It looked like she had placed # 2 in her age group!  IF that was true, she would not win a coveted Watermelon!

 "Good Sportsmanship" ribbons.

As it was,  she did not win a medal.  Instead, she won a "participation ribbon" for her efforts.   That would be depressing if it were not so funny.     But shortly afterwards,  the director called Cheryl up by name.  Turns out she won the Master's Award for Female over 40.  

Here's your Prizes!

Melon and Glass drop.

 

 

A lovely award and a fresh watermelon!  What could be better than a Watermelon as an award for winning in a Watermelon Stampede?  Well,  The glass teardrop looks pretty good too.   It is going on Cheryl's Trophy wall, along with all her other life achievements.  Unfortunately, there is not enough room for the watermelon, so it looks like we are going to have to eat it. ( This will be the first time we will be eating one of her trophies. Until she wins a Pie  from the Apple race 10K  someday... ) 

The champions line up!

Say "Cheese!"

So Cheryl was a Champion today.  Despite the spotty training, shaky weather, car trouble, the lack of self esteem and total uncertainty of the future.   I would like to think MY mind powers helped bring that about.   Well,  I can hope at least...

After the Ceremony, Pictures, and  bananas,  we headed to the Farmer's market to chat up our peers.  Turns out we did not miss much of Thursday, after skipping Thursday night's Farmer's Market in Washington.  I guess the heat and music kept people from buying much.  

On our  way home, we stopped by the Lone Tree Fall Festival.   We pass by Lone tree every time we head to Muscatine, but have never stopped in to check it out.   Today, we decided to give it a shot.  

Like many small towns, the crowds were small.  The festivities were even smaller!   But unlike Wellman's  Tri-County Pork Festival,  there was stuff there that I actually enjoyed!  

Old cars on display!

Wild Willy Jeep!

Like Old Cars!   I love checking out Cars that have been restored to their former glory.  Or seeing cars that are unfamiliar.   Chatting up the old men who restore them is always fun too.   There was even a Wild Willy Jeep!  However,  Cheryl does not geek out on cars very much...So mostly that is something only I enjoy. 

Radio controlled Airshow!

And then there is the Radio Controlled Airplanes.   Even though I have never flown one, I still find them fascinating!  And would love to probably spend hours watching them dart around in the sky.   However,  Cheryl does not like radio controlled anything... So mostly that is something that only I would enjoy.  

And finally there were these instruments of WAR! Come on!  Who has not played Army as a little kid?  Or continued that role play and joined the REAL Army to continue the fantasy?   I may not like war all that much, but I do like playing with all those toys.   And what caught my eye was the 4.2 Mortar!

4.2 Heavy Mortar.

I was an 80 mm Mortar Man when I was in the Army back in '93-'96.  And I got to play around with the 120mm Mortar just before I left!  ( The 4.2 replacement.)  The 4.2 has a rifled tube, unlike the smooth bore of the 120mm mortar.  Both are big, heavy, and explosive!  At least you could carry the 80 mm.   No one wanted to carry it, but you could.  The heavy mortars were restricted to mobile artillery tracks or permanent fixtures.    This one was found in Rock Island, collecting dust when a VFW guy acquired it from the quartermaster.  Some old man gave me the entire story.  

M1A1 Tank!

Along with the M1A1 Abrams tank!   This one was acquired after the Abrams was declassified and decommisioned.   They have removed all of the "guts," and the outer shell ( or husk)  of the tank  sits on top of a slab of concrete 4 feet deep to support its weight.  The same Old Man told me the entire story about all the steps it took to acquire this piece of equipment after the Army had decommissioned it. 

Unfortunately,  Cheryl does not like Tanks, Mortars or anything that has to deal with War.  So mostly that was something that only I would enjoy.  

So now we are back home,  celebrating our big win over Life's little tragedies.   Our plans consist of relaxing, petting the cats, and possibly eating watermelon.   Mostly because we have no room for a giant melon!   And the glass trophy would not taste as good.   

Sidewalk Chalk cats...  maybe tomorrow.

There!  Finished!  Was this long?  It certainly looks like it.   I will have to drone on about my chalk drawings another time.   Hopefully they will not end up on the cutting room floor.   And it appears that the rain did not wash them away as had been predicted.   I guess that leaves tomorrow wide open.    Thanks for stopping in!