this and that - oregon may 2015

This post is mostly just a bunch of photos I wanted to upload.

still waiting for the Apple WATCH i ordered

when i go grocery shopping for Asian ingredients i typically avoid most products that are from China; however even when they are labeled from other Asian countries the ingredients may still be from China; this bag of bamboo shoot is one such example; in Japanese it says added process in Japan 國內加工 which is a red flag

at the back of the package it says product of Japan; i am very sure this is a product in which added process was done in Japan which is the adding of favoring, and may be dilute the chemicals that was used in preserving the bamboo shoots that was shipped from China to Japan

this brand is most expensive and without any seasoning and MSG - i trust it is harvested and processed in Japan; you can certainly tell the color difference

on the day that i went to shop of this they were all out, which is the reason that I brought the other brand that is "added process in Japan 國內加工"

my 4-foot carp streamer for the children's day - i would prefer a larger one but this is the biggest one i could readily get

next year i want a really big one - may be not as big as the jumbo ones here

i binge-watched 2 years worth of John Oliver's "Last Week Today with John Oliver"; for a lot of people what he says may seem so over the top, but not me; truths hurt

it is very hard to find duck or geese in this country unless you run a restaurant

i missed out on these blood clams

 live Pacific spotted shrimps

 i ate the meat and made a broth out of the heads and shells for soup noodles

i hauled home a few tons of these big river rocks from a neighbor's yard a block away in a wheel barrel

 i picked through the ones that are nice looking

repairing my Sonicare toothbrush

over time the moisture worked into the electronics and causing corrosion which leads to circuit shorts and opens

the green particles is the deteriorated solder mask for electrical insulation and some corroded copper circuit board traces

this time around after cleaning the corrosion i apply a few coats of conformal coating - something i should have done last time i service/repair these toothbrushes

i bought this 3M headlight restoring kit to restore Brunnhilde's headlight lens; i examined closely the clouded lens and observe it is full of microscopic cracks on the surface, which i infer is some sort of protective coating (some believe them to be UV coating); seeing how widespread this problem is on all the automobiles built around this era i cannot help but to wonder if this is just bad design by the lens manufacturer; there is no such problem with all other external light lens such as the brake light and turn signal

a very nice kit for just $10 including shipping

 a small whole brisket that I preparing to smoke

i have robin nest again this year and this time they chose my plum tree with dense foliage

started with just one egg

a few days later there are three

brunnhilde and isolde - i have all but one or two of Westfalia campers that were ever imported into this country

taking isolde out for a drive always bring smile on my face - love those wing windows

wild salmon at $19.99 a pound!

i bought a box of this king crab legs

it is cheaper evidently due to Russia origin, and processed in USA

whenever visiting the Tap Plastic I always take stock of what they have in case I need them in a project; you can fabricate something custom with this RTV silicone compound

these filament wound fiberglass rods can be candidate for repairing the fresh water level sensors used by Westfalia

 i want to try this kimchi flavor tuna from Korea; common canned tuna is just too boring

recently i am really into exploring sour cream and buttermilk

made this fluffy french omelet with sour cream and buttermilk - with just a bit of butter, this copper pan makes the best omelet with the best texture; i truely learnt how with the technique of using a fork and this pan

eaten with my smoked brisket

 3 reed switches inside the fresh water level sensor in Isolde failed after 26 years

i am debating if i should try to rebuilding it or buy a replacement - all boils down to the relative costs and labor, risks, and longevity

i made this storyboard to document the dimension as the plastic tubing will be destroyed in the rebuilding process

To rebuild the level sensor, I will need 2 or 3 of this bistable reed switches. The consideration is by the time you get all the material and pay shipping, you are approaching at least 1/2 the cost of buying a replacement for circa $65 plus shipping. That was the main reason I didn't rebuild the one in Brunnhilde when it failed.

bistable (latching) reed switch

 dimensions, electrical, and magnetic characteristics

king crab leg, smoked brisket with sour cream

no going back now - i cut out the ambient temperature sensor mount with a minature metal cutting wheel

one of many bullshit "health and fitness" reality shows on US network TV

John Oliver's satires really resonate with me about the madness - love his show on Dr. Oz last year

i made this new avatar for use in the James Cook forum - it is a play off my blog name