I recently try both Echo Power Blend and Mobil Racing 2T. I ran both in my new Shindaiwa C4 blower. I have been talking about this on other post here already. I mix about 32:1 on all. 1) When I first bought the blower, the dealer put a tank of gas mix and I finish it. I check the plug only. It was covered with black corbon. I did not clean the plug, just put it back. 2) I use Echo Power Blend at 32:1 and ran 3 to 4 tankful ( 1.5 hrs. ) I pull plug, the plug became mid brownish color. Much better looking. The black carbon was gone. Nice and Dry. I took the muffler off, inside muffler looked ok. There was corbon cover the heat shield, I wiped it up and put them all back. 3) I ran one tankful of Mobil 2T at about 35:1. I pull the plug and notice the plug get very dark, almost black and a little oily. I pull the muffler and looked like more carbon. The heat shield cover with carbon. Not thick but noticable. I open the valve cover ( it is a 4 cycle engine) and see a lot of oil, dripping amount. 4) I use Q-tips, clean the inside of the muffler as much as possible. It was black. I clean the inside the exhause port best I can. Clean the heat shield and put everything back. This time I go back to Echo Power Blend and 44:1. I'll update you when the next time I open up. From the little time I have with the two oil. I feel Echo is much better than Mobil 2T at 32:1 ratio. Maybe Shindaiwa C4 is very different than the two you were using. Maybe 32:1 give very different result. But the plug look so nice after using the echo the first time. I cannot see the piston through the exhaust port because it is a 4 cycle. I didn't have a procedure down, that's why you see I could have done better. But this time, The muffler, exhaust port and the heat shield were all clean using either gas or alcohol. When I pull them out and inspect them again, it will be more conclusive. Stay tune!!!

I am, of all things, a construction defect atty, usually representing homeowners suing developers. (Before you ask, I don't often do remodel cases because homeowners are usually better off working things out unless they have a truly unscrupulous contractor -- but a lot of contractors just won't work with me for that reason alone.) I am thus a terrible snob about concrete and floors :) I recently settled a large case, realized that every single appliance in my kitchen was non-functional to a degree, and decided that I deserved a new kitchen. I fell in love with azul macaubas granite, obsessed about finding the right stone without blowing my budget, scoured the internet for pix of azul macaubas in kitchens, and thus found this site (thank you, theresab, cloudswift, and others). As my tastes evolved I realized that even though I've always lived in the suburbs, I'm a country chick inside. Thus, my dream kitchen has a farmhouse sink, beadboard touches, and schoolhouse lighting, along with that drop dead gorgeous azul macaubas. I want my kitchen to have a lot of blue without putting that color on every single cabinet, floor, ceiling, walls, etc. The first thing I did in starting the remodel project was to find a Thermador stove with blue knobs on ebay for half price. I'm making decisions, with the help of this site, on faucets, lighting, and floor tile while waiting for cabinets to arrive. In my spare time, I trail run and hike, quilt, and raise teenage boys.

Looks like a female red--wing to me. This is a bird that takes sexual dimorphism very seriously (what is that big sparrow doing with the male red-winged blackbird?) So we're only allowed 210,000 characters? And what does that mean for a photo? I have my imagebrowser settings set at 640x480 pixels for export and so far that's been fine, but who knows what will happen next. I'm hoping that someone from the GW crew (maybe Tamara?) will be able to negotiate with the Houzz people and get back some of the GW functionality. Claire

Claire, It was lovely here today as well, up into the mid-50's. I went for a walk near one of the oxbow ponds and although the water still had ice on about half of the surface, the birds were enjoying the entire area. Ravens and gulls walking on the ice, geese, ducks, and 2 kinds of mergansers in the water, and chickadees and a mockingbird in the shrubs on the margins. There was also an eagle overhead, but I didn't have a camera with me. Do you put the lawn dragon in the same spot each season or does he migrate around a bit? Jane, your chipmunk looks about set to pop with all that seed in his cheeks. I love the kestrel photos. Kestrels are another favorite bird of mine; they are quite common in Ohio, and their rarity here was one disappointment when I moved to New England. I love the feather patterns for both sexes, and also like watching them fly - they can hover to look for potential prey.