Blizzard of '09

Virginia got a decent batch of snow last week. About 23" of the fluffy white stuff. Jack went out for a few minutes to play in the snow. Jack gives the snow two thumbs up!The Target bags over the shoes are the latest craze in the fashion world.This is the snow angel that Jack created. (I'm pretty sure he was pushed into the snow by Mommy) Jack climbs Everest to get to the mailbox.

Rehabilitation

This post is not so much about Jackson, rather it is an update on a truck. Several people have asked about the Jeep pickup we recently acquired and this will let those who are not able to follow the build post located at Novajeepers.com keep up!

The truck is a 1972 Jeep J2000. Yes, Jack and Daddy are now the proud owners of a thirty-seven year old truck! The truck comes to us by way of trade - one slightly used Warn winch was traded for one very used old truck. (As you will read later, we came out ahead!)

The truck was in Front Royal, Virginia and since the condition of important things like brakes and steering were unknown, the truck came home on a trailer. JLR Trailer Rentals in Manassas set us up with a great deal on a car hauler rental, so one beautiful morning I set off to pick up the pickup. The seller mentioned that the truck would run if the carburetor was primed with fuel. What he didn't mention was that the truck had not moved since he rolled it off the trailer he used to bring it to his home. After about three thousand cranking attempts (ok, maybe it was closer to fourteen) the 258 engine roared to life and maintained an idle. After gingerly driving the truck onto the trailer, discovering that the tires were hanging off the right hand side of the trailer, backing the truck off the trailer and repeating the process again, this time a bit more to the left, the truck was ready to be hauled to it's new home.

Some specs on the truck. The engine is a fairly clean, original 258 cubic inch inline six cylinder. The transmission is a T150 three speed, with a Dana 20 transfer case. The front axle is a closed knuckle Dana 44, and the rear axle appears to also be a Dana 44.

The truck arrived home safely, and has been named "Crusher" by Jackson. I tried to tell him that the truck had to run first before it could be called something tough like 'Crusher', but Jack insisted - so Crusher it is.

The truck has been inching it's way towards legality. I've concentrated on getting it ready to pass a Virginia State Safety inspection, so things like body paint and interior rework have been put on the back burner. So far I have determined that the truck is in great condition despite what the photos show!

Here I have replaced the front tires with the wheels and tires from the now dead CJ project. I'm not sure which look I like better but the tires on the 'new' wheels will pass inspection while the tires on the wagon wheels would not.

I have installed the driver's window, cleaned up the interior a bit, and removed some wood panelling from the passenger door. I also removed the custom door handle that a previous owner had installed - with very large lag bolts that prevented the window from rolling down more than three inches...thankfully the PO did this when the glass was rolled up and didn't shatter the window! The original paint color is revealed on the door panel. The interior is ugly, but functional. A PO (probably the genius that bolted on the door handle) also painted the complete dash with in a lovely shade of crimson. Why bother to mask anything off when with a few quick sprays from the rattlecan you can have a wonderful, newly painted interior?!

I've driven the truck around the neighborhood (don't tell Mommy!) and the truck drives like, well, a thirty-seven year old truck. The steering is old truck slow and requires many revolutions to affect the front wheels. The brakes are strong but not power boosted - fine on the road, but will require some interesting tricks to make them effective off road. Second gear is somewhere waaayyy over there near the passenger door. Engine and transmission are in good shape.

I removed the teardrop style cab lights and patched the holes. I didn't like how the lights looked, and the less stuff to go wrong the better. Keeping it simple!

Before...

After...

After closer inspection I have found that this horrible looking truck has many new parts. The water pump looks new, the starter is brand new, the brake hardware is new, the emergency brake cables are new, and the parts that aren't new are in decent shape. The kingpins on the front axle don't have any play in them, the cooling system is leak-free, and the lights and wipers work! A little work on the defroster - I hope it's just a fuse - and a little patching on the exhaust and it'll be time for inspection. The front hubs don't engage and the transfer case lever is disconnected so there may be something bad hiding in the front axle, but overall the truck is solid.

Stay tuned for more adventures with Jackson and his truck "Crusher"!

It's been awhile....

Quite some time has passed since the last update. During that time Jack celebrated his FOURTH birthday! Time has gone by so fast...our little angel is getting more independent every day (read that statement as "Jack uses the word 'NO' more and more every day).

Mommy made a Jeep birthday cake per Jackson's request. I think it turned out pretty cool.

Mommy and Daddy took a short vacation to celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary. Jack got to spend some time with both Grandmas over the weekend, and had his first 'sleepover'. These were also Mommy's first nights away from Jackson - I'm happy to report that both survived the separation. By the way, this picture was taken during the nicest weather of the weekend. Still, any day at the beach is better than working!

Virginia Beach without the crowds is a very nice place! We'll have to head back before the summer vacationers take over the town. I'm curious to see if Jack likes the surf!

Adventures in Playgroundland

Apples, Apples, and More Apples!

Hangin' Out

Jack helped with a few heavy duty grinding chores on the Jeep!

After all of that hard work, it was time to relax in the easy chair with a cold beverage. Pop in the latest edition of Bob the Builder and chill....


Does this kid have it made or what?!

"10 Adventures"

Daddy told Jack early in the week that we would have an 'adventure' on Saturday when Mommy was at work and it was just the guys' day to do what we wanted. Well, somewhere along the way to the weekend, Jax decided we were going to have "ten adventures".

Our first adventure was a high level conference call to the top brass at Fisher Price....

Actually we did have a video call scheduled for Saturday morning - we went to Grandma and Grandpa's house to chat with the family in Montgomery via Skype. We got to talk to (and see!) Great Grandmother, Aunt Diane, Caroline, Nikki, Darrell, David, and a few other folks. There was a lot of blue and orange on the screen in support of Auburn's football game today.

After our video call, and some breakfast, (Grandma was horrified that Daddy would feed Jackson a frozen waffle, frozen. I still don't think she believes that he likes them that way!) Daddy and Jack rolled into Manassas, Va. for the car show being presented by the Bull Run Antique Auto Club.

This is one of the first sport-utility vehicles, a Cheverolet Suburban. Originally two wheel drive, converted to four wheel drive in a partnership between the factory and a company named NAPCO. A very nice example, and Daddy's favorite vehicle of the show!

[I'm not certain why Jack has adopted the pose he holds in this photo. Perhaps he was confused as to exactly which member of the paparazzi following him was taking the picture?]

Jack in front of a Landrover.

A 1966 International Ambulance.

A 12 cylinder Jaguar engine. Yowza!

"Daddy, what do these spell?"

"Those letters spell 'Damn Fast', Son"

A cool example of a classy motorcar from back in the day.

Brought over to the show by our friends at Manassas Chrysler/Jeep.

This is not what first comes to mind when somone mentions they drive a station wagon!

A truly beautiful Nomad. Daddy and Jackson would cruise in a wagon like this for sure!

So after the video call and the car show, Daddy and Jack had only completed two of our 'ten' adventures. What to do next? We cruised across town in the Big Blue Buick and picked up chicks...well, just one and it was Mommy! Hit the quick chicken place for lunch and then it was back to work for Mommy.

Jack declared that his next adventure of the day would be to go to Target. So we did. Jack talked his Daddy into two videos and a book of temporary tattoos. Good thing the videos we on the $5 endcap! Jack took a tour of the store and charmed all of Daddy's co-workers. A pass through Food Ave. netted Jack and Daddy a matching pair of red Icee treats.

Next Jack wanted to stroll the mall. We came across a carousel, and Jack did a little recon. After determining that none of the children riding the carousel had fallen off during the round and round trip, Jack proceeded to fleece his Dad of a dollar for a ride. Surprising, since Jack would usually rather climb on a stationary toy instead of spinning around to music. Dollar in, button pressed, music started, roundy round started...sure enough, after about $.34 worth of ride, Jack wants off of this strange contraption. A few slugs of his Icee brings the nerves back in line and we head for the car.

Our (not quite) ten adventures ended with a long nap for Jackson while Daddy mowed the grass. The yard was well over due for a cutting after a lengthy period of rainy weather and laziness. Daddy entertained himself as he wrestled the mower through the deep mess by repeatedly singing the opening howl from Guns and Roses "Welcome to the Jungle".

Not quite ten adventures, but a good day for the boys.

Nothing Like a SunDrop!

A friend brought back some SunDrop soda from her recent trip to North Carolina and she was generous enough to send several cans home for Jack's enjoyment! Thanks Kristie!

He's gonna be a heartbreaker...

Jackson's Wheels

Life is Good when you drive a Jeep!

Like any real Jeeper, Jackson knows that wheelin' is 90% wrenching.

"Ya know Dad, if Jeep put CV joints in the driveline to start with, I wouldn't have to keep replacing these tin can u-joints every trip!"

An Afternoon at the Fair (Alternate title -I Love Goats!)

Jackson visited the Prince William County Fair with Grandma Causey and his mom and dad.

This friendly fellow greeted us on the way into the fairgrounds.

A member of the local 4H painted Jack's face with a red rocket ship.

"Grandma, that sure is a funny looking dog!"

This Farmall Cub was Daddy's favorite! Featuring the offset Culti-vision seating arrangement and an aftermarket attachment system for a belly mower...Nevermind, Jack wasn't near as interested in the tractor - it wasn't a goat!

This poor goat had probably been petted by thousands of toddlers before Jack got there, but the goat settled in and let Jack cautiously touch and pet it for an eternity.

This was Jackson's favorite animal at the fair. More than once Mommy was asked if we "could take home the white goat? Mommy, please?" followed each time with "I love the white goat".

A little bit of ice cream tops of a fun afternoon at the fair!

Catching Up

Wow! Two months have flown by since the last post. I wish I could say the time was filled with exciting adventures and major milestones, but alas, it is not so. Life's everyday stuff mixed with a touch 'o lazy has prevented me from posting. Since I suffer from CRS syndrome I am searching back through the camera for images...

Jackson missed his Daddy (I hope) for several nights while I spent four days in Martinsburg, West Virginia. A new Target is opening there and I was assigned to help 'assemble' the store.

Jackson, Daddy, and Levi hanging out during a trip to Baltimore's Inner Harbor. I missed the memo about wearing an orange shirt!

Warning! Do not leave your french fries unattended near the dark haired child! I repeat, do NOT leave fries unattended near the little one!

"Pssst,Levi...Whaddya say we ditch these squares as soon as the photo is done and we can go find some real fun?!"

"Now this is what I'm talking about! Help me turn the wheel...Let's see if we can knock that guy over there into the water! Just nudge him a bit with the bow!"

"Damn the torpedoes.FULL SPEED AHEAD!"