Saturday son-in-law Caleb, Barron, Ry and I did some more prep for Boomershoot 2012.
Ry has pictures and an overview. Barron has a bit more.
I was tempted to make Ry’s comment just before we left Mecca my QOTD, “I’m doing you a favor.” Barron said he agreed with that sentiment then Ry threw my 8″ crescent wrench over the hill. Sunday morning Ry gave me three new crescent wrenches in various sizes and told me they had lifetime warranties and to take them back if I ever had problems with them.
There is still a lot of work to be done. I had hoped to get the solar panel operational but we didn’t quite get there. There is still more wiring to do but most importantly the pole it mounts on needs to be secured to the shipping container with something more than zip-ties.
Honestly Joe that was the worst Mexican speed wrench I’d ever used. I swear all three parts were made of exactly the same material so it was just galling together like mad. Ry and I kept fighting to open the mouth after using it. Once it broke free it was fine for about one turn and get stuck again.
Let me know when you’re headed out there again and I’ll grab my RJ-45 ends and crimping tool.
A side note, the guy who raised me was of the sentiment, buy the best tools you can afford. The reason being is that breakage and a lack of quality cost you time instead of saving it. Overall they will be a better investment since they will most likely out last you. I’ve had people hand me cheap tools and I understand the view of “disposable” lest they get lost or misplaced*, in the end though I’ve found spending the extra couple bucks usually worth it in the long run. My dad was raised by a carpenter and was an ET Aviation Maintenance technician in the Navy before he went “Mustang”, both instilled the good tools philosophy. I don’t buy a cheap optic for an expensive rifle. So why would I buy a cheap tool for this highly educated knuckle-dragging neanderthal? If you find yourself fighting a tool, chuck it, and get the best replacement you can reasonably afford.
*The one obsessive compulsive tendency I have is relative to tools. My shop and garage may look like a disaster area, but you open up any of the tool boxes or look at my workbench and everything is where it belongs. My sockets are all laid out in organizers, wrenches are laid out side by side in order, same with screw drivers, and when I’m done all the tools go back in their proper location immediately. Loosing tools or misplacing them is not “acceptable” to me. Except when it is of such a quality as to be tossed over the hill. Even the tools in my tool box in my truck are ChannelLock. The other side of this is I’m not as willing to just loan out my tools with reckless abandon less I know the person shares my OCD. Ask Ry, I went through all your sockets and put them in their proper location while hunting for one in particular. Ends up the one we wanted is one that was missing.
I probably will go out again on Saturday or maybe Sunday. It depends on the weather–both over the pass on Friday night and at the Boomershoot site over the weekend.
I’ll tell you the story on those “tools” the next time we see each other.