Real Time View

There are conversions and then there are conversions! Barely a day passes when I don’t see a car or motorcycle that has been extensively modified. Perhaps the most extreme cross-over, or “hybrid”, motorcycle I had ever read about was the Chrysler Tomahawk where the V10 engine of a Dodge Viper was mounted in a futuristic motorcycle frame. Conversions on this scale were never meant for use on the public road, however, that didn’t stop the adventurous from pushing the limits. The picture above is of a pair of road-going motorcycles converted for a Midwest customer and clearly sporting the very same Dodge Viper V10 engines! The existence of such extreme machines was brought to my attention by my good friend Aldo Adriaan who, being somewhat more conservative, owns a Boss Hoss motorcycle, another manufactured custom but this time, sporting only a V8 as its power-plant. Aldo manages education and training for the NonStop Enterprise Division, and is well known to many of us. A quick check...

In my posting of last week I depicted a fuse box that had been reworked to bypass those pesky fuses that kept popping. In that last post I observed how frustrating it can be when services fail and we can no longer do what we had planned on doing. However, while I could sympathize with whoever it was that eliminated the need for fuses, I also suggested that this was not one of the finest examples of thinking outside the box. Unfortunately, there are other times where we just need a temporary fix, and the photo above is of just one example – the collapsing awning held in place by two appropriately positioned crutches! This picture was taken by the same contractor who came across the fuse box and was kept as a reminder of poor decision making. The symbolism of propping up something with crutches didn’t escape me either. There has been many times where I would have gladly accepted a pair of crutches to help me rectify a deteriorating circumstance irrespective of the foolishness that it m...

A good friend of mine who runs a construction business received a set of photos from contractors who work with him. The photos, actually taken at the work sites, depict extraordinary examples of poor decision-making. Imagine nailing wood to a perimeter fence with nails 3” too long, so that rows of sharp-pointed nails protruded from the supporting rails surrounding a play-area for children or mounting a light fitting, with a regular light bulb, in a bathroom and placing it six inches above a functioning shower-head! But perhaps the best picture was from someone upset over regular power outages from circuit-breakers that kept tripping. Pulling all out the wires from behind each breaker and bypassing the fuses seems to have done the trick – and the photo above is of the newly re-configured fuse box. There’s definitely a strong case to be made for those who take the initiative and can do things themselves. I am in awe of neighbors who can fix leaking faucets and can wire a house for spea...

I continue to squeeze in quick trips back to Simi Valley as the weather and road conditions allow. At this time of year, it can prove to be challenging with arterial highways frequently closed, blocked by wind-blown snow. These stretches of interstate highways, this far west of the Rockies, are likely to include lengthy dead-zones for travelers carrying mobile phones, so it’s always a little nerve-wracking heading out fully aware that the weather will be bad. The picture above is of an exit I frequently pass and, for one reason or another, I felt compelled this time to click off a shot. At the bottom of the sign, in blue, you can see the words, "No Srvices!" There are two exits to the township of Cisco – and this is the western exit. I have never taken the exit but I understand Cisco lies close to the Colorado River, a little east of its junction with the Green River. To see a sign directing me to Cisco and then informing me that I would find “no services” has always genera...