Easter long weekend plus

Well, we just finished a 4 day Easter Weekend and I also took Tues and Wed off. Gave me time to catch up on some chores around the house and further some projects.
The wife was gone to visit our son, daughter and her family in Canada so I was enjoying some freedom as a part-time bachelor (with one kid).
The first thing was to finish the chicken tractor off. This was completed by Sunday along with a chicken trap.
Sarah partially painted the tractor and will be finishing it this week as she is off school.
The first view is with the top open. You can see the steps going to the "loft" and roost. There is another loft hidden towards the viewer. It will be a few months until the top is opened like this.
The lofts are for laying eggs and roosting. Straw and shredded paper will be used for bedding. It has the capacity to comfortably hold 8 chickens but I will probably stop at 5 or 6.
We have small doors on the top and bottom to allow access to the eggs and to feed them without opening the top. Sarah had caught a wild chicken a little while ago and put it in there as a test. When she opened the top to feed it, it flew away. Lesson learned.
The little stairway is to allow the smaller birds to get up to the roost - especially if they are young ones. On Tuesday afternoon, we set the trap with some food, not trying to catch anything but to get the chickens used to it.
Today, as I was taking the pictures of the tractor, I saw some activity at the trap. Sure enough, there was a mother and 7 young chicks eating. I pulled the trip cord and the support came down. This was great as the young ones would get used to the tractor very easily and make life a lot nicer for us. Dorothy, Sarah and I went there and viewed our catch. The mother was trying to fly away but was confined by the mesh. The chicks were running around trying to find a way out. The only way to get them out was to lift one side and catch them individually. No problem with the mother and the first two chicks. In trying to catch the third, two of them slipped out at once. I got one but the other ran away. Down to six chicks. When transporting a chick from the trap to the tractor, Sarah dropped one and it flew away. Down to 5. When the rest were safe in the new home, two managed to slip out under the edge of the tractor. The ground is rough and while the fit is generally close, the small guys can squeeze through any hole while the mother cannot. Final count is 3 chicks and 1 hen. But the trap is baited and ready for the other small ones. They will come around when the mother calls and we will try to reunite the family.
Here is the trap and a small meter long iguana who was snooping around it.


















The next item on my list was preparation for hurricanes. While we are still a couple months from the official start in June, it was time to check communications. My wife and I as well as my parents are all licensed to use 2m radio equipment (144 - 148 MHz). During Hurricane Ivan, we were able to talk to each other when both land lines and cell phones were down. I got the equipment out and began operational and well as physical checks.

All was well with the exception of the coax between the radio and antenna. this was replaced as water had gotten in and shorted it out. This coming weekend, I will do scheduled maintenance on the battery pack that powers the whole thing. It is showing some signs of corrosion on the terminals. With the radio, I can reach across the whole island directly on high power or via the repeater on both high and low power. A repeater is an amplified re transmitter that receives the signal on one frequency and transmits on another at higher output - allowing greater coverage. The ham club repeater is based in Northward and transmits high up on the 250' Government tower.



Finally, the request for pictures of people camping over the Easter holiday. I hope you like this one Richard! No snow down here!

Back to work

I was told to get some pictures in here. Soon come!

Well, it's Monday and after a day's work, it's back to the garage. It's a 4-day work week due to both Good Friday and Easter Monday being public holidays. The only other time this happens is at Christmas and Boxing day!

For Caymanians, Easter is the time to return to the beach. Staking out of "your spot on the beach" begins the weekend before and the choice areas are quickly roped off and labeled. Most people camp out on the beach over the holiday and have BBQ or other parties and invite friends to come and have a drink or a meal. Some of the camp sites will have fans, TVs, stereos and other comforts from home. Generators run the whole thing.
For those who either don't go or were not quick enough to get a spot, you are always welcome to visit someone's site.
Another favorite pastime over the weekend is shopping or touring another country. Many head off to Miami or Tampa. Others do 5 day tours of Costa Rica, Columbia, Panama or Honduras. Still others go to Jamaica to see their families.

I had a problem with the bike yesterday. When trying to remove the right pedal arm, the tool stripped and just would not do the job. I tried other pullers but no luck. Today at lunch, I quick trip to the store and I have a new remover. The job was completed in 30 seconds.
Tried to make a decision on tires today. I am swaying between 700x28 and 700x35. What is the difference? The 700x28 are a harsher riding because they require more pressure to support a give weight when compared to the 700x35s. This means that a lot of vibration from riding over the rough road is transmitted through the tires, frame and eventually to the rider. This can result in various problems for the rider over a long ride (24hrs or more on the bike)
The 35s will take less pressure and ride softer. The problem is that the 35's available here are junk - cost about $20. I get between 300-600 miles out of them before the casing begins to split and separate due to riding over gravel in the road. I thought the first time it was a fluke but the same problem has happened to me for 4 times now. Enough testing.
Last year, I bought a pair of 700x28 Schwable Marathon Plus to test their resistance to flats and I have had none to date after 1700 miles on them. The ride is rougher than the 35s as expected. Guess I will have to order some good ones and test them. Another item on the shopping list for the US of A!

Living on Grand Cayman

What is it like in Grand Cayman?
First of all, we are small - 6 miles (10km N/S) and 20 miles (32km E/W) with a population of about 60K. Last time I heard, there was around 135 nationalities represented here. We have a nice climates (low of 70F in "winter" and highs around 90F in summer) with daytime variations of around 10F. Of course, when you are in the sun, it feels lots hotter. We are 500 miles south of Miami, 300 miles west of Jamaica and around 100 miles south of Cuba.
The place is fairly friendly with people still greeting you with good morning/afternoon when they pass. If they have seen you a couple times, they will stop and have a chat. A single woman in a car with a flat will have guys stopping to help her change the tire. Break down and someone will offer you a ride home. Need to borrow phone because yours died, no problem. The basic goodness of people is visible everywhere.
This is not to say that we don't have our share of crimes. Murders are usually drug or other illicit activity related or from relationship problems (caught the guy with my wife/girlfriend sort of thing). There are fights at bars and some car racing but overall, you are safe in the daylight and most nights. You will see single women walking along Seven Mile Beach in their bikinis at night and no one bothers them. Of course, I am not too sure what happens there around midnight or later!
The largest part of the population lives on the western part of Grand Cayman - Bodden Town, Savannah, New Lands, Prospect, George Town and West Bay. The eastern (Frank Sound and East End) and northern districts (Old Man Bay and North Side) have small populations and still retain the quiet tropical island feel.
Most people work in George Town and commute both ways each day. This produces predictable traffic problems that can be dealt with by leaving work a bit early or later in the day. In the mornings, you come in earlier (before 7:30) or after 8:30am.
Socializing take place at bars, restaurants or at home with family. Sundays are big church days with many choices available according to your beliefs.
The pace of life here is a lot slower than more "civilized" places. Things just don't get done in a hurry and you learn to live with it.
Depending on your lifestyle, you can easily end up with a lot of free time on your hands to explore your various interests. Many take up fishing or spending time on the beach. Some do gardening, participate in sports (soccer/football, racquetball, rugby, baseball, golf, tennis to name a few). Others exercise (going to the gym, running, cycling, walking), take up photography, astronomy, bird watching or volunteering at a non-profit organization. You decide what you want to do!
Most people are fairly well off - in a middle to middle upper class kind of way. These will usually take shopping visits to Miami, Tampa or other places in the US and take a break from the island at the same time. Life is good down here for most residents.
The Sister Islands of Cayman Brac (pop. 1200) and Little Cayman (pop. 100) are both around 10 miles long and 1 mile wide. Life is even more relaxed on them and when they visit Cayman, they want to get back to their peace and solitude as fast as possible.
Around 95% of items in Cayman are exported from the US. This ranges from food to cars, clothes and entertainment. You can receive satellite TV and US newspapers on a daily basis. The health system is good and facilities are the same as the US. If in trouble that cannot be handled by the local hospitals, Miami is 1 hour's flight away.

Weekend endeavours

The thought came to me that while I might post a lot at the start, things should be winding down as I get caught up with things.
Today's items are a chicken tractor and a Univega Gran Turismo bike that I am building up.
First the tractor. There are a lot of feral chickens in Cayman. Around the house, on the streets and even at the cruise ship landings. They are searching for food and scratching anywhere they can. every now and then, you will see a mother with 6,8 or even 10 baby chicks following her - newborns. But over a week or two, that number will drop to just a couple. Whether the young'uns are killed by cats and dogs or die from starvation, I do not know.
In doing some research on the web, I can across something called a chicken tractor. It is a movable "chicken coop" that houses chickens and allows then a place to eat, sleep and lay their eggs. Of course, you can now get the eggs as you know where they are! The benefits are free range eggs and even a chicken or two for meat if wanted. It gives you someplace to dispose of you kitchen scraps and you get to play chicken farmer. Almost a win / win situation. The downside is you have to take care of them (they are no longer wandering about) and the tractor should be moved every day - a 30 second job as it is on wheels. Many different plans are available on the net and the building cost was about $100 Cayman for the materials. The hard part is catching the chickens as they run away when you get withing 20 or 30' of them. I'll need to build a trap.

The second item is the bike - it is a buildup I will be modifying over time. The bike is of 1985 vintage and not the oldest one in my collection. It will be built for comfortable and hopefully effortless riding. You see, I have this dream to ride in the Paris-Brest-Paris 1200km randonneur in 2011 in less than the maximum allotted time of 90 hours (occurs every 4 years). So I need a nice bike to get riding mileage in. I have read that the finishers usually ride about 10K miles the year before they undertake the challenge. The requirements are to successfully complete 200km in under 13hrs, 300km in 27hrs, 400km in 27hrs, 600km in 40hrs and an optional 1,000 in 75 hrs. The shorter ones are sanctioned rides put on by various clubs around the world. Successful completion of the shorter distances qualifies on try the longer ones and finally to undertake PBP. There are other 1200km rides held in various places in the USA like Colorado and Washington and overseas in Bulgaria and Australia to name a few. So, I will build the bike and then plan on some form of training schedule.

Philosophical Side

This will be a dynamic entry, full of thoughts and questions that come to me. Most I have not answered but who knows what can happen as you spread ideas. I will not get into religion.

The biggest question I have is why do you fall in love with someone you meet. Over your lifetime, you will meet hundreds if not thousands of people - depending on how gregarious one is. Yet, some stay as passing ships, fewer become acquaintances, even less friends and the very few (maybe only one or two), close friends. You might not share the same ideas or goals but the attraction is there. What is it that sets that "got to be together" thing off?
I have spoken to friends, psychologists, doctors, younger and older people but no one has yet given me a reasonable answer.

Second view is that you can have a good friend, but at the same time have to keep away from that friend in order to protect them. Friendship seems to be a give and take thing. Sometimes one has to do things completely contrary to a normal friendship to keep it. Someone will know what I mean!

Humans are capable of absolutely horrendous atrocities on people they know and yet be the willing to sacrifice their life for a stranger.

Love is the most powerful thing in the world. It can make you protect someone with your life but later on, take that life because you care. Think about protecting someone who is in danger of losing their life and later the same person who is suffering from a devastating illness.

One can be surrounded by people, but still lonely!

You can be in love with more than one person at the same time.

Something I hear a lot - I have invested too much time in this to leave/change. Yet, they will waste even more time in it! Hmmm....

A man can never have enough tools - those that know me will say otherwise! :-)

A good friend is worth more than anything!

Do the things you want to while you can. Opportunities are lost that never present themselves again. Of course, be careful and know the consequences of your actions.

The weekend at last

I'm at work late (after hours) typing this out. I managed to run across this site while reading a cycling blog and decided why not. Who knows what this can lead to!
The weekend is here and it's time to forget about work and do a bit of relaxing with the family, afternoon naps and regenerate one's self for the new week to come.
I usually spend a lot of time on Sat catching up on the goings on around the world - looking for good news about the human race, reading newspapers and looking at editorial as well as newspaper comics. I think I will have to make a dynamic entry about my philosophical side of life - what I have learned over these years. Should make for some short reading, eh!
My transportation to and from work is on a bike - and it takes about 30 minutes each way without stops. This is an unusual thing in Cayman where one's status usually revolves around the type of car you drive. I started riding shortly after hurricane Ivan in 2004. Traffic was a mess for about 4 months, with everyone driving to work, to stores than back home again. It would take from 1h 15min to 1hr 30min to go the 6.5 miles from home to work - each way - 5 days a week. There was a girl I knew who rode her bike and she would pass me within a mile of my house and I would not see her again on the road. I asked her one morning where she worked and it was further into town that I did. I asked how long it took her and she said about 1/2 hr. A quick bit of math told me that if I rode, I could have an extra 2 hrs a day to do things I liked. Hmmmm.....
I dug up an old Ompax bike that I had bought in Canada back in 1978 - when I was courting my wife - and had a look at it. It only had 660 miles on the odometer. New tires and tubes, new brake pads and cables, some oil and grease and it was rideable. I did a 7 mile ride around the neighbourhood and I felt fine. The next Monday, I started riding and have been doing it ever since.
I started recording the mileage in 2006. From Mar to Dec, I rode 1117 miles. In 2007, it had increased to 2386. 2008, up to 2860 miles. My aim for 2009 is over 3000. This is mainly home-work-home rides, but last year, I did a 853km ride in southern Ontario and absolutely love it. Details are at http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=3Tzut&doc_id=3878&v=EM. I also did a small tour of Grand Cayman and it can be found at http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=3Tzut&doc_id=3705&v=3r. I hope to do a 2-3 week tour every year but have not finalised anything for this year (yet)!
That's it for now and check back for more stuff......

Welcome to my blog

Hello Everyone;


This is my little piece of the web where I will chat about various items of interest to me - and hopefully to you too. It will vary a bit and hopefully have moments of brilliance


My interests vary from astronomy, wood working, model engineering, ham radio and electronics, bicycling, photography, renewable energy, gardening and other such DIY items. I just like doing things - however strange they might seem to others. I do find that I wander between interests, so the ham radio will become the main topic when hurricane season is approaching or when I decide to put a portable radio on the bicycle. This leads to something else - modifying things. A bigger engine in the truck, different gearing on the bicycle, improving my emergency power supply, the list goes on and on.

My formal training is in Land Surveying and I work for the Cayman Islands Government as the Senior Geomatician of the Survey Section. Other details are married, 3 kids, pets and a wandering inclination to see what is over the next hill or around the bend.


But enough chatter, lets get on with it.