Generac 6596 pressure washer

The neighbor's pressure washer would not start, and it seemed like an interesting challenge. Mr. Warren said that it ran for a bit and died. When we sprayed ether in the carburetor it ran for a few seconds and died.

Diagnosis: clogged fuel line.

After disconnecting where the fuel line went into the carburetor, fuel leaked everywhere. Humm. Diagnosis 1 wrong. Patient still not alive. Next I opened up the carburetor and did a superficial cleaning. After doing this, the washer sputtered and ran with the choke half open.

Diagnosis 2: clogged carburetor.

$19.95 later, Walmart was shipping a new carb. Replacing a carburetor was super easy ... about a 10 minute job. This may have been the first thing that was easier than I predicted that it would be. Afterwards the thing cranked and ran great. Now everything in the yard looks like something that needs to be pressure washed.

Power Washer in Action - July 14 update

Mr. Warren let us borrow the working pressure washer ... and we made quick work of removing dirt, algae, grime from the front walk and driveway.

Wildlife in the neighborhood

Springtime! Animals are coming out for the summer. We spotted a couple lizards (one below and one not pictured was 4-5 times bigger with a large orange area), a turtle, a 5' black snake, and the usual contingent of deer/rabbits/squirrels/hawks/birds.

 

But, the most fearsome wildlife in our neighborhood are the 3-8 year old homo-sapiens.

Strawberry picking

The gang decided to go strawberry picking. Dad made a trip to the dump and got some 'free' mulch. The penalty for not going strawberry picking was the same as the penalty for not going apple picking ... enough fruit for a household of 10.

After picking, beach plans were moved to our house because the beach parking lots were full.

Julia Graduates Preschool

Last Day of Preschool

Julia loved preschool at Redeemer, but all good things must come to an end.

  

Graduation Day

A final hurrah involved a walk on the red carpet, songs, a prayer, and a certificate.

 

Julia poses with her teacher Ms. Engel. Unfortunately Ms. du Chateau was not able to make it because a car jumped a sidewalk and hit her during spring break. All of the teachers (including those in the Racoon class) did a great job!

McLean Day 2019

No rain at the 2019 McLean Day. RJ and Dad biked which was fun on the way there, but a bit tiring on the way back. While at the event, Julia found her friend Noelle who hung out with us for a while.

RJ was tall enough to go on most rides, but several of the big kid rides were a bit scary looking. The bumper cars had only 2 working cars that didn't go straight, so they were out. The car ride had an 18 car (Kyle Busch), so it seemed like a good option.

Julia tried the climbing wall.

Other activities:

• RJ learned that you could use a magnifying glass to start a fire - thanks to Noelle's brother.
• RJ played two rounds of laser-tag. Sara joined in for the second round and fought it out with a boy in a striped shirt.
• We arrived at 11am and collected way too much stuff. Note to self: arrive next year at 3pm.

Bike to Friends Night and Work Day

Bike from work Night

The night before bike to work day, Scott Hall and I biked from Reston, VA to Purcellville, VA along the WO&D trail. Scott was ready to go at 4pm. I was ready to go at 5:45pm. Other than that it was a terrific ride. While at dinner, we discussed what time we needed to be ready to go in the morning.

Rise and Shine

We had 8 people riding from Purcellville, VA to Reston, VA. Great crowd, lot's of fun. Somehow it was decided that we would start riding (not wake up ... actually start riding) at 5:50am. So, I had to get up even earlier than when RJ gets up for video games on the weekend (6am).

Gathering Steam and Riding

We rode around Purcellville picking up people as we went along. Here I am with Scott and Bob.

We were quite a crew by the time we got to the first rest stop in Leesburg, VA. The guy looking over his sunglasses was an apologetic photo-bomber.

Total Ride

Total riding time was about 1 hour 45 minutes for 36 miiles including a detour to get a t-shirt.

Julia at Preschool

Julia at school pointing out the stage their caterpillars on the chart. According to Julia, this took place during "Circle Time."

Each week (and twice a week if laundry is done mid-week) the witch outfit gets worn!