Front Courtyard Landscaping

I got tired of the messy vines and overly bushy Japanese maple, so I got busy.

After cleaning up the mess:

Finished product above.

I've decided to spend some time this fall improving things around the yard.  Next project is a revamp of the backyard.

Golden Bitter II

A bit of home brew this morning, my Golden Bitter II recipe. Maris Otter base with caramel 20 and victory, and fuggle hops. Using my house yeast, which is half S04 and half S23, fermenting at 65 degrees.

Side Shot

Went for a quick ride yesterday on Goldie.  The motor is breaking in nicely. 

A little progress

I haven't done much in the garage this past week, but I have fiddled with tanks a bit. The Yamaha tank fit well, but I just wanted something different. I have two Honda S90 tanks as spares, and I really like how it fits. It is very snug, sitting much lower, which is the look I'm going for. I also test fit the Yamaha GT80 engine in the chassis, which will be powering this beast. A nice buzzy two-stroke with a fat expansion chamber.

Starting Mockup

I got both upper rear shock mounts and the swingarm pivot built today.  So naturally I had to throw on the front and rear wheel to see how it sits.

Framed Up

I got phase 1 of the motorcycle frame designed and built.  Lots of measuring, cutting, grinding, welding, grinding, etc.  Next up will be engine mounts, swingarm pivot, and rear upper shock mounts.  Plus a few brackets and braces.

Jig

I cobbled up a jig for making the new project bike's frame. I even made the headstock adjustable, so I could set the trail and rake.

Headstock Built

I used a set of bearing cups from a junk frame, welded to a piece of 1.5" x 0.125" thick tubing to build a headstock. Now I can get busy building a frame.

An evening in Santa Cruz

Spending a couple days in the South Bay this week.

Front end disassembly

Tearing down a set of Honda S90 front forks for the new project. Just grimy, seals look good, and no pitting.

Clean sheet design

Nice clean sheet to start sketching ideas on.

New project sketch

Just an idea for my next project. I think I'm going to try and build a frame from scratch.

Nearly Done

Just needs a bit of fine tuning.

Goldie Rides

Took my first trip around the block on Goldie. I still need to finish the exhaust, but it runs, shifts, brakes, and sounds pretty bitchin. Way too loud, but that's ok for a hot rod like this.

Homebrew Belgian Dark Strong

My neighbor Doug was a judge for the Belgian table at our homebrew contest, and commented that he really liked a Belgian Dark Strong Ale.  I had never had one before, so I started researching the style and decided to brew my own.  I also purchased two commercial versions of the style, including the Brothers Thelonious shown in my previous post.

Belgians in general aren't my favorite style, as I don't care for the Belgian yeast flavors sometimes.  But in these dark strong versions, he yeast flavor can be balanced with the complex flavors of darker grains, giving some prune and malty flavors.  

My version is on the light side of the style, as shown below.  Dark only refers to the fact it is "more deeply colored than golden."  

This is the first taste of mine, and it is very young at only two weeks in the bottle.  But I really like it.  If anything, I like it better than the Brothers Thelonious.  It has a bit of alcohol warmth that should mellow out with age, but it more complex and rich in flavor, so some of the belgian yeast flavors are muted.  I also nailed the carbonation level.

I'm looking forward to trying some bottles in three months.

Brother Thelonious

I brewed up a Belgian dark strong ale last month, and I picked up a couple commercial versions for sampling. This is the first. Very tasty so far.

Berliner Weisse Krausen

A nice foamy Krausen after just a few hours.

Berliner Weisse

I started my Berliner Weisse at lunch, by getting the 24 hour full wort souring underway. I also picked up some lactic acid to use later, if it needs more bite. This is a very simple recipe of pilsener malt and white wheat malt.

Fish kabobs

We enjoyed a little bbq fish skewers for dinner, complete with eggplant, cherry tomatoes and artichoke hearts. Then we settled in for a screening of "Salmon Fishing on the Yemen" which was excellent little movie. Desert was a medium length walk around the block to continue my foot rehab, while Mother Nature blessed us with sprinkles and 66 degree temps.

Grub

We walked up to burger hut for some yummy burgers this evening. The second walk I've been able to go on since wrecking my foot. Little by little the limp is going away.