well, the winch doesn't work because the lever that engages it is rusted stuck, so I ripped it out the other night.
I'm just glad that I have a ceiling hoist. this sucker is beefy.
this winch is driven by the engine instead of electricity like contemporary winches. this gives it an amazing amount of torque and strength.
I got a little help lubing it up from my buddy Bryson.

Bryson and I got to spend a lot of time together this weekend because Mom was working. so we decided to go out and work on the yard. I blew all the leaves into a pile and put Bryson into it. He wasn't so sure about the leaves at first.
but he eventually liked being in the pile.
cheese!
cheese!

I finally decided to get the beast looking presentable. I found two canvas tops in the shed after we moved in. one looks like it might be the original. It's torn to shreds. the other one looks like it's in good condition. I had fun trying to figure out how to put it on. as you can see, I also got a Jerry can (gas can). I got it at a military truck junkyard in Idaho that I saw on the way to Washington.
as you can see, it's in decent shape. the only problem is that the rear plastic window has faded and cracked. I plan on just having the plastic replaced and calling it good.
I found the canopy bows in the shop and decided to see how they looked. They are not all straight because the boards on the back rests are warped. this makes it so I can't put the metal posts into their holes all the way.

Bryson just loves the kitchen. when he can find something new, he opens it up and loves to find out what's in it.
this time he found powdered sugar.
like I said, Bryson loves the kitchen. he found a quiet place in the pantry.
can you say cheese?

Bryson loves to dance to the music we listen to when we clean the house.

Bryson dances on the bed

trip to Washington

We went up to Washington to go to my grandmother's funeral. We also got to spend time with Grandma Honey and Grandpa on the boat.

We sailed to Blake Island and spent the night. Mom and bryson swang over a big puddle.
Silly grandma saw that it was raining hard outside and decided it was the perfect time to go scrub down the deck. needless to say, she got soaked.

This is what the rain turned into. major Hail storm.

bryce canyon

Bryson got in a fight with the cement and the cement won. We went up Mill creek canyon with friends and Bryson tripped and landed on his face on the cement. He split his lip open and scraped up the side of his face.

at our campsite in Bryce canyon, Bryson had fun chasing chipmunks, getting into trouble and eating dirt.

Our family on a hike to see a waterfall and a mossy cave.

I found a couple of lizards basking in the sun and I caught one for bryson to see. they're quick little buggers. bryson liked holding it too. it squirmed away quick when bryson was holding it.

Mommy and Brson waiting for the shuttle to take us to the different stops in Bryce canyon. He doesn't normally let us put a hat on him. He apparently doesn't mind it when we are outside.

Dad and Bryson on a hike in Bryce canyon.
Scenic view at Bryce
another great view. Those rock formations are called hoodoos. they are formed from millions of years of water soaking into the rocks, freezing in the winter and breaking off pieces. the reason they form these spires is because they are covered by a harder more durable layer that does not let water penetrate the lower more brittle layers. Bryce canyon has the highest concentration of hoodoos of any part of the world. pretty cool, Huh Joel?

on our hike, Bryson got tired and fell asleep in the backpack. I carried him about two miles while he was sleeping.

Before

After. what do you think?

Uh Oh! I've been caught.
yummy! bark in the park!
three geese in the park with nothing better to do than to pretend to be flamingos.
Yes, I'm sitting in the water.

Derek Zoolander eat your heart out.
I leave for a minute and bryson thinks he should be helping with dishes.

Bryson discovered that leaves and dirt are fun to eat, so we went for a ride.
Bryson loves the horse that he got from his step great grandmother.