I waited all evening for my supercharger to be delivered since it required a signature.  Well, it finally showed up at 8:35pm.  While I waited, I did do some updates on my Insane Audio head unit.  The GoPro app works perfectly now. 

After work tomorrow, I'm going to help a friend install his Rock Hard sport cage and then we are going to meet up with our club and drop off some donations for those impacted by the tornadoes. 

We found up yesterday that SMORR is actually closed June 8th weekend for the Jeep Jamboree being held there so we are going to Kansas Rocks instead. 

It had been a little while since Jodi and I went to the range for some practice and with yesterday being ladies night at Frontier Justice, it was a perfect day to go since it was free to shoot.  I took two of my new 1911's, my Ruger GP100 .357 Magnum and my Walther PPQ M3 9mm while Jodi took her Ruger 22/45 Lite Mark IV.  I shot about 100 rounds of .45 and 30 9mm while Jodi ran off about 150 rounds of .22. 

After leaving the range, we went to Nebraska Furniture Mart to look for some seat cushions for our outdoor furniture but struck out in our quest.  We did find a new wood floor that we liked that may replace our current one.  We are still waiting on NFM to settle things with their vendor, which I told them was a crock as we didn't buy the floor from the vendor, we bought it from them.  I had the manager on his heels for 30 minutes the other day and it will be settled to our satisfaction.  I'm not George Zimmer but "I guarantee it". 

After our shopping trip, we went to dinner at Gino's, my new fave restaurant for Italian.  We had a great conversation with the owner as we waited for our dinner.  He's a really nice guy and he loves people and interacting with them.  I had posted to Facebook that we were there enjoying dinner so our good friends who were eating at another establishment nearby showed up and met us as we were leaving.  They asked us if we wanted to grab some dessert so we all headed to Dairy Queen for ice cream and enjoyed that out on the patio.

Today I have lots of goodies coming via the big brown truck and yesterday I ordered my Scosche mirrors that will mount to my roll cage.  I think I will like them more than the trail mirrors I'm currently running. 

We dodged the tornadoes last night but some areas got hit pretty hard.  A huge tornado created a lot of destruction on the Kansas side, not far from the powder coater I use.  The tornado lifted prior to getting to  The Legends and Kansas Speedway and then touched down again in Missouri before breaking up.   As the storm passed us, another tornado formed and touched down about 9 miles to our north.  It was a crazy evening filled with tornado warnings, sirens going off, etc...   We got about a 10 minute downpour of rain and some high winds but that was it.

It's hard to believe it is almost June already.  I have booked three more sessions in the last few days and our schedule for the year is about half full.  Pretty impressive considering that school isn't out yet.  It seems we book up quicker each year which is a very good thing.

Today I need to put my Spiderwebshade on, cut off a skid plate that was put in place for the King shock reservoirs and update my stereo head unit.  That will keep me busy for a bit after work.  It's hard waiting for all of my parts to come back from powder coating as I'd like to get them installed right away. 

Jodi and I really enjoyed our weekend trip to St. Louis to hang out with family.  We enjoyed barbecue both days and the food was great at both events we attended.  We made it back home about 8pm on Sunday. 

After going to bed early Sunday night, we both woke up early on Monday morning.  I had a bowl of cereal and was then out the door to head to Harbor Freight to use my 25% off coupon.  They didn't have the item I wanted in stock but I did pick up a few things while there.  After returning home, I cleaned up the garage a bit, organized some tools and then Jodi and I took my old Craftsman tool boxes over to JD's house.  We hung out for awhile, visiting with him, Megan and Jayson before heading to the grocery store to get some food in the house. 

I grilled up pork steaks for us for dinner and then we went to Home Depot and Lowes looking for some new cushions for our patio loveseat.  We didn't find any in the right size so the search is still on.

We don't have a lot going on this week, just a consultation with a client and a photo shoot with a model.  I wish I had my parts to install on my Jeep but they won't be back for awhile.  I guess I'll work around the house some instead.  I have some painting that needs finishing and I need to get some mulch down. 

My Jeep is loaded with all of the parts I'm taking to HMC for powdercoating today.  I'm waiting on one package to arrive today with the final piece going with me.  Hopefully I will have all of the pieces back the first week of June and get them installed.  While at HMC, I will be hauling home a friends Rock Hard sport cage since I will already be there and save him the hour and a half round trip. 

I booked two more summer sessions yesterday and have several more inquiries to get back to today.  It looks like another great year for our business and I'm looking forward to it being the only work I have to do on a daily basis.  January 1st is my target retirement date unless I'm required to go sooner to get a buyout payment. 

I felt it was time for a new tool box so I picked up a pretty big one.   Plenty of room now and room for more tools too.  It was fun trying to get this unloaded.  Thanks to JD and a friend, we were able to get it in place.  The bottom box weighs over 450 lbs and the top somewhere around 250lbs.  JD will get my old Craftsman box so he can start building a tool collection.

Last night Jodi and I went to an Italian restaurant that I am slightly addicted to.  Their lasagna is awesome and I've had it three times in the last 8 days.  After dinner, we returned home and watched the Blues punch their ticket to the Stanley Cup finals.  What an awesome year this has been for Blues fans.

It's been awhile since I shared some photographic work so here are some favorite images of late.

This past weekend was National Topless Day and both our off road club and the social group we participate in had events planned.  Due to the nasty weather forecast for the afternoon on Saturday, our social group decided to reschedule for the following day.  Our off road club decided to proceed with the plans and cut it short if need be. 

We all gathered at Worth Harley Davidson where an event to honor veterans was taking place.  Several WWII veterans were on hand and they joined a motorcycle ride to Leavenworth National Cemetery where a ceremony would take place.  After they rolled out, we lined up and ran a 30 minute route to a nearby lake where we had a shelter rented.  We had a couple hours before the rain would hit so we grilled up food and enjoyed some conversation with friends.  As the storm approached, we quickly held our raffle and then we packed up and got away from the lake as the rain began.  The storm hit quickly and we later learned that a lady fishing nearby was struck by lightning.  She survived with some burns it sounds like.

Later that evening, we joined two other couples for dinner before heading over to a local bar to watch a band play.  We enjoyed the music and time with friends.

The next day we joined our off road club for their Topless Day event and once again gathered at Worth Harley Davidson before we embarked on a 1 1/2 hour ride through the countryside.  It was cool and windy but we didn't have any rain.  The forecast called for the clouds to clear off and sunshine in the afternoon.   We had 35 Jeeps for the convoy and for safety purposes, we designated some group leaders.  While me friend Darren would lead, I would be the tailgunner and ensure that the group stayed together and if anyone had vehicle trouble, no one would get left behind.  We enjoyed a nice cruise with no incidents and we arrived at private property owned by one of our Jeepers for an after party featuring food and music.  I had to leave a bit early to do a photo shoot with our models but Jodi stayed and hung out until the evening and then got a ride home from a friend who lives nearby.  All in all, it was a fun weekend of Jeepin'.

 
Yesterday, I decided I needed a new tool chest for the garage so I bought myself and early Father's Day present.  After looking at a lot of options, I chose the U.S. General boxes from Harbor Freight.  They are well constructed, and of heavier sheet metal than the Craftsman, Kobalt and Milwaukee boxes I also considered.  The lower box weighs 450+ lbs and the upper is well over 250.  I rented a U-Haul to get therm home and it was a chore to off load them.  I managed to get the top box down the ramp by sliding it on the cardboard skid it resided on but the lower box was going to be far to heavy to man handle.  I called JD and he came over and we got it down the truck's ramp and in position to where I wanted it.  When we went to lift the top box, there was no way we were going to get it up on top of the lower box due to the positioning of the side handles making it an awkward lift.  I called a friend in the neighborhood and with his help, we managed to get the top box mounted.  This thing is a beast and I have accepted my own personal challenge to fill it with tools.  :)  JD gets my triple stack Craftsman tool boxes to begin his tool collection.

My tailgate vent cover (tramp stamp) arrives on Friday so I guess it will be next Tuesday before I take all of my items to powder coat.  Yesterday I received word from Vortech that after an inspection of the supercharger, they determined it did not need any repair and that the refresh I sent it in for will be adequate.  They will replace the bearings and seals and have it on its way back to me in just a few days.  Diablo should be in possession of my tuner and PCM now and I hope to have that back in a week or so as well.  Once the intercooler returns from powder, we can proceed with the supercharger installation which will be sometime after our SMORR trip on June 8th. 

My tire carrier arrived yesterday and I got it unpacked and the items needing powder coat identified and ready to go.  I still need to receive my tail gate vent cover and license plate bracket and they told me it would ship in the next day or two.  So, I guess I'll wait until it arrived before making my way to the powdercoating shop.

I grilled up pork steaks for dinner last night and they were especially good, maybe because it has been some time since I have grilled.  We had smashed potatoes, green beans and butter noodles along with them and I was stuffed afterward. 

Earlier in the day, I had created a pop up event for an ice cream run in the evening and we had about 13 Jeeps show up at Baskin Robbins to have some dessert and conversation.  The guy I bought my supercharger from came and gave me the RIPP badges that were on his Jeep.  His 392 Hemi sounds pretty awesome in his 2017 Rubicon.  As big as an investment that is, I think I'll stick to the supercharger. 

It looks like the weather may cooperate with us for National Topless Day on Saturday, at least the rain holding off until later in the day or evening.  I have my Jeep ready to go and we plan on hanging out with both of our groups that day.  The ride starts at Worth Harley Davidson and we will cruise the countryside for an hour or two before stopping for food, entertainment, etc... at the lake as well as on some private property of some Jeepers.

After work yesterday, I picked up a new Dremel to tackle a couple projects on my Jeep.  Since installing the JL hood latched last year, my hood has sat a bit high so I elongated the hood latch mounting holes a bit to lower it.  Now it looks much better. 

The next project was to make the 10A hood vents functional which will allow heat to dissipate better, which will be more important once the supercharger is installed.  I  removed the vents and used the Dremel to open up the bottom of the vent.  Jodi then masked the vents off so I could add a bit of custom color to them.  She does a great job at masking. 

While working on mine, my friend Chris came by and we looked at the popping noise he was getting from the rear of his Jeep.  We discovered that his lower drivers side control arm was loose.  I tightened that up and then I found a loose fender bolt that may have been causing him a little squeak as well.  He is now much happier with his Jeep. 

My tire carrier is scheduled to arrive today and I'm excited to get it powdercoated and installed.  One thing I did not consider when ordering it was clearance with the roll cage C pillar support.  I don't think it will work with the support so it may have to come out.  Luckily it bolts in and won;t be a problem to remove but I wasted $200 if that is the case.  Maybe someone else will be able to use them and I can recoup some of my money.  Live and learn. 

After our sales session yesterday, Jodi and I grabbed a quick meal at KFC before meeting up with 12 other Jeeps at the ice cream stand about 20 minutes north of us.  It's a frequent location for our group pop up runs as there is plenty of parking.  We enjoyed visiting with friends and meeting some new people to our group as well.  

Today after work, I will be helping a friend diagnose a popping sound coming from his rear end.  We are thinking it could be a loose track bar.  It's a 2017 that hasn't seen any of road action to speak of so hopefully it's something minor like that. 

 National Topless day is Saturday and the weather isn't looking all that great for it.  We plan to do the ride with our off road club and then meet up with our other group for live music and food at another location.  We'll see how the weather plays out.

We had a fun evening on Saturday as we attended a car cruise fund raiser that was followed by local band entertainment.  There were some pretty nice cars at the cruise including a '69 428 Cobra Jet Torino GT, an AAR Cuda, a Pro Street 65 Nova and a 69 Mustang Mach 1.  After the cruise, we watched the band for a couple hours before calling it an evening.

Yesterday, we got in a short Jeep ride in between rain showers and then our former neighbor arrived around dinner time and she will be staying with us for a few days while she is in town from Georgia.  She has her daschund puppy with her so we get to have a furry critter around for a bit. 

We have our final sales session for the Class of 2019 this afternoon with our next class starting June 5th so we have a few weeks of relaxation ahead before things get crazy again.  We're looking at booking 60 sessions this summer and fall to match what we did last year.  We are about half way there right now. 

We have plans this evening to meet up with friends and watch a band that will play after a car show/cruise.  The rain is suppose to move out early this afternoon so it looks like it will be dry for us.  We are looking forward to a fun evening out.  

I went over to JD and Megan's yesterday to look at their garage door opener that suddenly quit working.  It looks like it was original to the home and the motor seems to have locked up.  Time for a new one.   

I received a ship notice on my tire carrier and it is scheduled to arrive next Wednesday.  Once here, it will need to go to powdercoat along with my new Poison Spyder vented inner fenders, my supercharger intercooler and some other parts related to it.  I sent in the supercharger yesterday to have it looked over and new seals and bearings put in it just for my own peace of mind.  Next to ship out will be the PCM and tuner to get unlocked but I will wait until after our SMORR trip to do that.  I expect to have the supercharger installed sometime in late June.

It's my Saturday to work this weekend but afterward we are going to a car show and cruise with some of our Jeep friends.  No plans as of yet for Sunday, which looks like rain and in the mid-60's so not much Jeepin' this weekend.  Next week looks like great riding weather though.

We spent yesterday evening at our off road club's monthly meeting.  It's always a great time to get together with like minded people and good friends.  Our club now has 424 paid members and still growing.  We are the largest and most active off road club in Kansas City. 

We are planning a trip to SMORR the weekend of June 8th.  We will be going with a small group and are looking forward to dry conditions and a great time.

I did a mod to my Jeep that allows the rear doors to open further, making access to the passenger area easier.  The extended brackets to attached the door strap to lets the rear door open considerably further.  Fast and relatively cheap mod. 

BEFORE

AFTER

 

We had a great weekend weather wise and that meant it was time to get the top and doors off my Jeep. I got that accomplished before we did a Jeep meetup Saturday afternoon for ice cream. We followed that up with a run to the winery where we spent a couple hours lounging on the patio while the daughter of one of our friends entertained the crowd with her singing.  It was a great evening.

On Sunday, Jodi and I ran a couple things over to JD and Megan and took a little drive before coming home and working on some business things.  We went back out in the evening and then met up with friends for ice cream and pie before calling it a day.  While we were enjoying our dessert, we planned a trip to SMORR the weekend of June 8th. 

I went all winter without getting sick but it finally got me.  The last few days have been not very fun but it seems I'm getting better now.  

We have one more photo session this Spring on Friday and then we will get a month long break.  I need to get some things done around the house with that time off.  

We got JD and Megan moved into their new home last Friday.  You can tell they are very happy to own it and they have already done some painting as they work to make it their own.