December 10, 2023 - December 15, 2023 - Christmas Show, Plumbing Fix; New Golf Cart Tires; Christmas Golf Cart Parade

Sunday Evening:

In my last post I neglected to mention that we were attending the Christmas program here at the park on Sunday evening. The program was put on by the Theater Club here in the park. The event had been suspended for a couple of years due to Covid. There was a great crowd to enjoy all the park talent.

Here are some pictures of various groups singing various Christmas songs. In the first picture the lady on the right sang "The 12 Days of Christmas" while the other two acted it out. It was hilarious watching them trying to keep up with the song.

These three folks sang "The Christmas Letter".

This lady sang "Santa Baby". She has a really good voice.

The Golden Gate Dancers, complete with their grass skirts, danced and sang "Mele Kalikimaka", a Hawaiian Merry Christmas song. It was well-choreographed.

Our neighbor, Donna, recited a Christmas poem she had written. It was quite good and thoughtful.

These two folks led the audience in several verses of "Silent Night". The audience was "all in". It put the crowd in the Christmas spirit.

Due to Covid, the Golden Gate Choir had not performed in several years. The lady conductor obviously had a musical background as she deftly led them through "Beautiful Star of Bethlehem", "Mary Did You Know", and "Little Drummer Boy".  They sounded great.

These fellows did their rendition of "Feliz Navidad". They weren't Jose Feliciano, but they did a good job.

Of course, Santa made an appearance at the end and led everyone in "Jingle Bells". (The picture quality is poor due to the camera zoom with the low lighting in the audience area.)

We enjoyed the evening. I was impressed with the whole production complete with sound, lights, and clockwork timing of all acts.  Cookies and punch were available afterwards, but we passed. The Theater Club is doing a 1940s radio show in March. Kelly thinks I should participate. I don't know. You know how shy I am.

Monday:

The shower in the master bath has been dripping. I'm sure from the looks of them that the faucets are the originals form the 1980s.  Here is a picture.

Once I figured out how to get the chrome covers off the valves came out easily. Once the valves were out it was easy to see that the washers were worn badly and could no longer seal.  The black washer should be flat. It should not have a deep indented ring around the bolt holding it in.

I purchased new washers at Home Depot and installed them. The handles still have to be turned pretty tight to stop a drip. I may need to investigate to see is it should have a tapered washer or if there is some other issue that needs to be addressed. I'll give it a couple of days.

Tuesday:

Ralph, who was our neighbor last year at Adelaide Shores RV Resort in Avon Park, Florida, drove over for a visit. It is about a two-hour drive from Avon Park to Pinellas Park. Ralph is a widower from Ontario, Canada, and has been coming down to Adelaide Shores for a number of years, both before and after his wife died. He has a fifth wheel that he puts in storage at the park for the summer. After visiting for a while we had a great lunch at "The Crab Shack" and then ice cream at the house. I wish our two places were closer so we could visit more often.

Wednesday:

After Kelly's eye doctor visit I decided to install the new rear tires and wheels on the golf cart. Here is a picture of one of the old tires and wheel and one of the new tires and wheels. One of the tires had been leaking off in just a couple of days.

One old tire had a manufacture date of 2012 and the other one was 2008. Definitely time for some new tires.

After installing them we went for a ride and immediately noted a loud grinding noise. Upon examination I found that the new rims were rubbing on the bracket that held the cable for the brakes. I need to grind it off about an 1/8 of an inch to solve this problem. Not today. I needed tools. 

Another project to finish up was new wheels for the outdoor grill. The original wheels were gone when I bought it off Facebook last year. I need wheels on it to be able to roll it into the shed when we leave for the season. Last year we had a roll out trash can that needed to be thrown away. I took the plastic wheels off of it for the grill.  I bought a 5/16 threaded for for an axle and mounted it to a 2 x 4 on the bottom of the grill. These wheels didn't work. The grill was too heavy and the plastic wheels just buckled. I had good lawnmower wheels at home which I took off an old mower a couple of years ago before discarding it. I brought two of them down for this project. (I save a lot of stuff.) The lawnmower wheels are for a half inch acle shaft. My plan was to buy bushings to go from the 5/16 threaded rod to the 1/2 inch shaft opening in the lawnmower wheels. 

The landscapers cut the grass and there, laying in the grass next to the house, was a six foot tall metal plant hanger. I measured it and it was 1/2 inch in diameter.  I cut off a piece for a new axle. Here is the piece that is left of the hanger. I will save it for a possible future project. (I save a lot of stuff.)

The wheels still needed a small bushing. I bought the last two Home Depot had that were close. I had to sand themn down to fit properly over the rod. Here is a picture of the lawnmower wheels on the grill. They work perfectly. Looks like I need to spray a little of the Rustoleum Rust Locker on a few spots on the old grill.

Thursday:

The day was spent at St. Luke's Eye Center for the operation on Kelly's second eye. The procedure only takes ten to twenty minutes but it is an all day wait. We got there at 11:00 a.m. and left at 4:15 p.m. While waiting I ran to Lowes and bought a couple of tools needed for the golf cart repair. I purchased a grinding disk and grinding wheel I could put in my drill.

Friday:

I had to make the gold cart repair on Friday because major storms were moving in on Saturday. I pulled off the wheel and began grinding the bracket. Neither tool would do the job. This meant a trip to Harbor Freight to buy a cheap angle grinder and metal grinding wheel. Now, if you are willing to buy corded power tools, you can get them pretty cheaply. I didn't need a great tool and got his one for $14.99. I I think I paid over a $100.00 for the one I have at home well over ten years ago. I once again used the Gift Certicate Annie gave me for Father's Day. Here is a picture of the grinder ready to go to work.

This tool made quick work of grinding enough of the bracket away for it to not touch the wheel or tire. While completing this project I saw that one rear shock absorber was not attached, the nut holding it on was gone. I pushed on it and it is shot. A future project will be new shock absorbers, probably maybe front and back.

I'll report on the coming storm. Last storm we lucked out and only got some really heavy rain.