No Studebakers were harmed in the production of this post. <G>

Got woke up at 0830 by machinery entering the yard. The contractor had
arrived to lay out and dig the holes for the foundation piers for my
new shop. They pushed some tired old snow out of the way, and set up
their batter boards, and ran lines out to locate the holes, then set
old tires on the ground, and filled them with straw and coal to burn
and thaw the ground. This made a heap of smoke and stench, but didn't
much thaw the ground. But there isn't much frost there anyway, and
when they got the augur going, it got down 7 feet with little
problems, other than getting stuck in clay a few times.

Now all the holes are dug, and they will fit the rebar and pour
concrete tomorrow. It was nice and warm today, and will be warmer
tomorrow. The snow has dropped visibly today, and there is essentially
none left except in shaded areas, or where it was drifted deep. Mud,
though, I got.

While all this uproar was going on, I was getting the brakes and
lights working on my newly-purchased car hauler trailer; which I
bought out of a pawn shop on Monday. It's only a year old, and appears
to be in excellent condition. I had to cut the welds which held a big
Greenlee tool box on the front of the deck, and then I ground and
painted the areas where the welds had been. I took the 7-pin connector
off the trailer, and replaced it with a 6-pin to match the Suburban.
Once I got the wiring figured out, I was pleased to find that ALL the
lights work, as do all 4 wheel brakes and the breakaway switch.

I crimped a dogleash snap on the cable for the breakaway switch to
facilitate hitching up, and bought some padlocks for the ramp covers.

Then I got out the buzzbox, and welded up some scrap steel to make a
bracket for the little 2000# made-in China winch I bought for $90. The
bracket simply hooks over the rail at the front of the deck. For the
upcoming (tomorrow) trip to Portland, I'm simply toting along a spare
battery to run the winch. Later, I plan to run a heavy gage wire from
the Suburban's battery to the rear bumper area, and provide a power
point for the winch.

So the trailer is ready to roll. Now I have to pack all my needs, my
shopping list, and get on the road tomorrow.

Looking forward to dinner with with Dick Steinkamp et al at the
Mongolian Grill Friday evening.

Gord (tired puppy) Richmond