Best Brake Job Ever

Many factors made this a good brake job. First, the old rotors came off with a light tap; the "copper" no-seize did its work well. Next, I FILED the notches in the mounting bracket for the pad clips, right down to bright metal. Then the clips seated very nicely, and I inserted the pads with light hand pressure--no hammer work! This is partly because they were premium ceramic pads, and the backing plates were either machined or so well stamped they seemed so. No filing there! Although it was as cold as -25C outside, the garage was between -6C and -8C, so that was reasonably comfortable. The result was dramatic: smooth, progressive braking, even at high speed down Graveyard Hill, and not a hint of a shudder. Oh, and I used the coated rotors. Why not, eh? The culprit appeared to be the outer pad on the driver's side: it was firmly jammed in place. I also made use of my new piston compressor--very nice.

We're in for a few weeks of this. Never mind. We've made it this far and it can't last much longer. 

Midwinter

 It is now the middle of January, and we have burned one stack from the woodshed--about 90 cu.ft. or two-thirds of a cord. Not bad!

Yesterday we went for our first snowshoe, just out to Panama. The snow was crusty and sufficiently deep to justify the footwear. Everything was sheathed in ice and we went on to have freezing rain that lasted all night, as did the howling wind from the East. Winter may come early or late, but it always arrives eventually.

Fire in the Sky

 Bitter cold though it is, the sky is on fire!

 

For once, the ice from a storm is actually visible. Every branch is coated and each twig has its own icicles. 

Bleak

The early winter has been bleak. The solar-powered streetlight at the junction with the highway has been out for days: not enough sun! Just as a long, gray day came to end, a lovely warm gleam of light appeared among the red pines in front of the workshop. 

Winter's Knives

 Winter is trying to stab us--again! Eventually I had to take a shovel to these spikes; they were pressing against the glass rather forcefully.