Wednesday, October 31, 2012

And the paint goes on

The painter has posted some more pictures of the progress on the plane.  It's a bit of a tease because the real pazzaz shows up after the clear coat goes on.  In any case here are some progress pictures.  If you are not interested in airplane pictures, this will probably bore you.

This is a wing tip.  You can see that there are actually three colors; Pearl White, red and gold.
These are the wings.
This is the starboard (right) side of the fuselage looking aft.













This is the lower half of the cowl and it is upside down.  The next thing is the clear coat which I'm told really makes the colors "pop".  Then a few days to let it all cure before we load it up and drag it all home for final assembly.

It might help to understand the plan.  Below is what we want it to look like when it's done.  If you click on the image it should show you the full size picture.

The company that is painting the plane had done a lot of interesting work with motorcycle painting.  Here is their website  http://www.cuttingedgeillusions.com  We have also seen some of the other planes they have painted.  We were impressed with their creativity and the attention to detail.  We are very excited and anxious to see the finished product.







Tuesday, October 30, 2012

These are the times that try mens' souls

Halloween is tomorrow and so I snapped a few pictures of the decorations at Big Tom's.  The pictures are kinda creepy, but then...what would one expect?

We arrived back in Olympia Sunday evening after a solid four day drive from Fort Myers Florida.  It's nice to not be driving for a change.  The house  that we're buying has been inspected for pests, and except for a minor fixable bug infestation, is looking ship shape.

The paint job on the plane is coming to an end.  So in a week or so, we will be making a trip to Eugene to retrieve all the parts.  Then we will (with the help of our EAA friends) begin the final assembly in Puyallup.  Here is a sneak peek at the painting process.  The blue lines mark where the red paint will go.

My pickup must have been feeling neglected, because when I took it for a drive (after a month of inactivity) it decided to quit on me.  Now it's getting some expensive attention.  The picture below reflects my state of mind upon hearing the cost of repairs.  I'm hoping the skin condition will clear up.
I'll have more pictures of the house to share as time goes by.  Here is the kitchen for now.

Anh has been making her lists and refining them ever since our offer was accepted.  We were advised not to plant anything new until March, and then  only if we have adequate irrigation to the plants.  So this should give me a few months to do all the clearing and irrigation work.  Also she wants a greenhouse and hydroponic setup like our friend Michael's.  She also wants an outdoor cooking station.  This may take some planning to do a good job.  So much for a life of leisure.

This next month will no doubt fly by with all the work on the plane and preparation for a move of our stuff to Florida.

Our drive West was mostly blue skies until we approached Boise.  Here is a shot taken in Oregon.  We had nothing but rain from Boise to Olympia.  It makes me homesick for Florida.