I played with the mix and dropped it to 1/2 turn and it worked much better; without the staining of the pavement and rich flooding. I then dropped the idle down and she ran smooth.
I am wondering how much the up and down weather might be playing with things too. If the choke is sticking, like your suggesting, and I will check, and if the weather is spotting at 20 F one day and 70F the next, maybe I'll be adjusting the carb for cold/warm weather daily, till a stable temp results on the coast?