Welcome to the   February 2006 BLOG. Didn't see the end of last month?
Click here: January 06 BLOG

Mar 06, 2006 Mon

Thank you to all. Especially those who made this last week a success. Good to see you.

Mar 03, 2006 Fri

Bearing up rather well, really. . .

Mar 01, 2006 Wed

Feb 26, 2006 Sun

Added a picture or two.

Feb 25, 2006 Sat

In 1976 Dad was on a sabbatical in New Mexico. He was in a cabin in the mountains near Cloudcroft writing his Human Ecology textbook. I took the train (using my railroad pass, at almost exactly this time of year) out for a visit. Dad bought each of us a silver belt buckle from a trader with whom he had become friends. As a token of our father/son relationship I wore my buckle everyday for the next thirty years. And as a token of my loss and love, I'm now putting it in a safe place.

Feb 24, 2006 Fri

Had the ladder out to climb in the rented dumpster in our front yard and jump up and down on the trash in order to fit in the last of the carpet out of this room. Puts dumpster diving in a whole new light. The cats were their usual big help.


Carpet, pad and tackless strips all gone. In fact, this desk is the only thing left.

We took advantage of the fact that the computer was unplugged to get the huge rat's nest of wires off the floor.

Now there's a huge rat's nest of wires hanging off the back of the desk.

Feb 22, 2006 Wed

Took advantage of the sunshine/decent temps and rode to the top of Mt. Erie. About a 12 mile round trip, the last mile on the switchbacks to the summit. Only to discover that although I'd brought the camera, the media card was home in the card reader. Took a couple phone pix, but the sun had gone away.

The idea was; there is a cell phone tower right by the tall pine tree. The tallest thing on the island, is that tower. Needless to say, reception was pretty good.

Feb 21, 2006 Tue

Strange US Navy boat at the end of the street. The YTT 10 Battle Point. A torpedo trials craft - fetches spent torpedoes so no one else can inspect them, amongst other things.

There isn't much info out there about this boat. No rudder. Steers by outside mounted propellers.

Seems oddly quiet around here with no pounding going on upstairs. The fellows get a reprieve while the insulation and drywall get installed. Estimates coming in. The big chill seems to be over, though it was grey and only forty, today. A good lazy day. Ann had to work, Evie is home from school - last day of spring break.

Feb 19, 2006 Sun

Ann and Evie last evening at Barb's, dinner with the family. The rest of my shots were 'candid', and didn't come out so hot.

A 'stitch' photo, trying to get an idea of the front dormer. Nowhere to stand back far enough to really get it all in the lens. The stairs come up at the left, and one makes a 'U' turn to head into the bedroom.

A similar attempt to get the side dormer.

Another of Linda's India pictures - the Snake Charmer.

Fae is in town. She and her Mom off to shop, so I hit the bricks - down to the water, out Fidalgo Bay Road, etc. This interesting long necked Tug usually pushes a very large barge, and the extended pilot house allows the Captain some overall visibility.

Temps did creep into the mid forties -

Feb 18, 2006 Sat

Whoa! Another year - This is our anniversary. Happy Anniversary to my darling wife. You've made this a wonderful year, Ann. I am a very lucky man. You might take a gander at a wedding picture  here.

Linda sends along pictures from their recent trip (with Dick and Laura) to India.
\
Three wise Sikhs sipping.

Herself, by John

Thanks to Jarvis, we've had our thinking caps on. He sent along this website.

And Evelyn saved our sanity by finding a
Website with the Answers! 

Feb 17, 2006 Fri

So much stuff from the bedroom and the office is simply shoved in the dining room, (and shed) and has been for weeks. A strange way to live. But, better (and cheaper) than living somewhere else during the construction, is what we figure. With the electrical inspection finally out of the way, we are OK to insulate, and drywall. THAT will stop some of the cold air from coming in and heat from going out. The soffit helped alot in that regard, too.

Enough siding came in to do the east wall of the south (larger) dormer.


The front dormer goes all the way to the rear, and the side dormer sticks out of it.

Seen from the backyard.

Feb 16, 2006 Thu

Evelyn's class put on an hour and a half play last night - and were they ever good! Certainly better than the photographer, who managed to take this picture when Evelyn wasn't visible. The play was '1776'.

The same guy managed to scan this crooked. . .

The City gave us the go ahead to insulate - this is good. It means that the framing and plumbing are OK'd. The soffit work is done, and the trim. Tomorrow the siding and electrical inspection. Tom let me help with some of the wiring. Yeah, I was a big help.

Feb 15, 2006 Wed

The windows are trimmed out, and the soffiting started. The electric and plumbing and framing are ready for inspection, hopefully tomorrow. The siding might go on tomorrow, too.

The homeowner is allowed to test the plumbing for leaks by turning on the water. But the drains and vents must be pressure tested. That's what this device does.

The area above the stairs will be storage (just as the area under the stairs). Evelyn asked to have a light - just in case she wanted to hang out in there.

Sister Mardi sends along a picture of her ride to work this morning, back there in the north country of Michigan.

Also another view of the new cabinets that Jim made -

Feb 14, 2006 Tue

Happy Valentines Day!

Here's Fidalgo Island, and Anacortes - and why it's an island.

Mardi's beautiful kitchen! Jim has done his usual excellent work.

Happy Anniversary to Dick and Laura - married 59 years this day. Pictures taken at dinner - How neat to have one's anniversary on Valentines Day!

Anna and Evie


Ann and her Dad


Cass and Heidi

Dick and Heidi

Paul, Barbara and Laura

Feb 13, 2006 Mon

Here's a
Seattle cruise ship  visiting the Dakota Docks. The floating drydock was in the down and empty position, so we'd imagine The Spirit98 is going in there later today.

Here's the floating drydock in the submerged and empty position.

When we went by later, the Spirit98 was in the drydock, and it had been raised. The drydock is bigger than it appears - that ship is nearly 200 feet long and over fifty wide.

This is the ship that nearly sank  in Alaskan waters in 1999.

Feb 12, 2006 Sun

What a nice sunny weekend. We rode the scooter to Mt. Vernon yesterday to see a movie - fifty plus mile round trip. This was big fun. Ann wore layers and chaps and was fine. It was right around fifty degrees for the return leg, about four thirty, and we zipped on the big road. Sixty five (mph) isn't really any chillier than fifty five, which we must do on some of the roads even taking the back way.

Ann spent part of yesterday and today changing her shelf over the stove, so as to accommodate the toaster, and get said item off the kitchen counter.
It was only in May of 2004   that she made the old shelf out of left over counter tiles.

Completed - May 2004

The reason for the change was that the toaster was toasting the bottom of the cabinet door, and generally taking up too much valuable counter space. Here, Ann has removed the old shelf, patched and painted the wall, sanded the offending bubbled paint, and is Handy Vacuuming the mess.

This was also an opportunity to repair cracks in the wall that appeared when the house was raised a tad  and then lowered onto the new foundation.

Dick and Laura stopped by this day to observe the progress upstairs. We still can't get used to saying: 'upstairs'. Tizzy was ready for a nap. . .

Evelyn's new bathtub fixtures were admired.

Feb 10, 2006 Fri

Rode over to Dick and Laura's - Dick took these for us -

The side dormer windows came in and got installed - so, we had to take some pictures of the view. A tanker was in the Bay - progressively zoomed through the window. Now we want a telescope, or spotting scope. Or maybe I should just hunt up the binoculars?

Later, the moon was over Mt. Baker, also out the newly installed window.

Feb 09, 2006 Thu

A view of Anacortes from Cap Sante - second highest elevation on the Island, after Mt. Erie. The small yellow dot above and to the right of the two wooden (new) buildings by the water is about our house. To the right is north, and downtown.

This was taken from next to those two wooden buildings and looking back to where I was earlier atop Cap Sante. The water is Fidalgo Bay, and salty.

While up there I zoomed on our house. It's on the far left, and the new front dormer is visible. The white van belongs to one of the contractors.

Here's a more complete view of the City. From the north tip of the island, (on the right) which is the end of downtown, or First street, or 'OLD' Anacortes, to about the end of the numbered streets on the left - about 38th. From our house to downtown 1st street is about a mile. And it's about a mile the other way, (south) to the end of town.

Want to know what your
house is worth? 
Thanks to Paul, for steering us to Zillow.com

Feb 07, 2006 Tue

Happy Birthday Jacob - born this day in 1978!

Late additions from Ann: Evelyn at Fae's last weekend - getting her hair done.

Wild turkeys sauntering through downtown La Conner. The townfolk are used to them, even set out feed, etc.

Evie's new bathroom is getting some plumbing.

The upstairs will have its own hot water heater.

Feb 06, 2006 Mon

We're not talking about the BIG GAME.

Here are the pictures we got spiffed up for a couple weeks ago -

Ann and Evelyn checking out the progress upstairs this day.

My cat wanted to be in another picture.

Feb 05, 2006 Sun

Well. Along about seven last night, after we had all the candles lit (power out), flashlights located, cold snacks set out, batteries in the boombox and reading light - the electricity came back on.

Hard not to be relieved. Everyone slept much better last night - no wind. The offending, as in noisy and flapping, plastic covered windows had been boarded (on the inside) and battened and re stapled.

from the backyard~

Not enough cat pictures? Here's my 'aloof' cat, Jasper - the cross eyed one. Ten seconds later she was in my lap in order to better spread cat hair everywhere. Small price to pay, I think.

Feb 04, 2006 Sat

Whoa! Big windstorm. Nearly ripped the plastic off the dormer windows. Made LOUD noises. Knocked out the power early, and it stayed out all day. Just came back on, at 7 PM. A relief for those counting on some TV time tomorrow - the BIG GAME!

Knocked the scaffold off the 'white wrapped' old hotel that's getting revamped into housing.
What used to look like THIS:

Now looks like this:

The girls missed the fun - they went to Seattle to see Fae. I entertained my self taking pictures of the dogs.

Feb 03, 2006 Fri

The roofers finished in one day. Framing should be done in another few days. Then insulation and drywall. Then Ann and I can do the finish work.

Perhaps you'll recall the comments last month about; Why Ferries capsize? Well. This was in today's news:

Tipped in the wee hours of the morning - 1 AM. Most passengers asleep. No rescue arrived for many hours. 1300 aboard, great loss of life. What happened? Rough water, bad weather suspected. Hey, come on - it's a boat! Funny, no word about 'bad design'? I know, there's a ferry design engineer somewhere going - 'Dang; that wasn't supposed to happen?! They must have loaded it wrong.'

Tell the truth, I'm not too certain about some of the 'luxury liners', either. Too many decks. I think they've been lucky so far.

Feb 02, 2006 Thu

Some game scores (see below) are coming in, and they are awesome. Evie went nearly thirty seconds, and held the top slot until TJ registered a 49! He kept the red block out of trouble for 49 seconds! I am totally blown away by this, since I can't get over 13.

My daughter Ambie is back online! She sends a recent picture of Malcom (her youngest - after Maxwell), and a 'new' used truck.

Trying without much luck to find an angle for a picture that will show the size of the larger new upstairs room. This is about as close as we could come. Taken From approximately the area of what will be the doorway to Evie's room.

View from the front (smaller) room into the (larger, Ev's) side room.

The roofers come tomorrow. Shingles instead of tarps! Actually, the tarps are history as of tonight, for the first time since construction began.

Got out on two wheels today. Rode to Mt. Vernon to get the electric permit. Round trip of fifty miles. Felt good.

Feb 01, 2006 Wed

Whoa! Here we go - another month. The house addition is coming along. We never really realized how windy it sometimes can get, overnight. We do, now. Sleeping under tarps will do that. Hopefully, the need for tarping is nearly at an end.

Jerry is trying to make us NUTS. Here are his words:

Something to do to relieve the pressures of a hard day! Be careful, it will drive you crazy - but you can do it. The object of the game is to move the red block around without getting hit by the blue blocks or touching the black walls.

If you can go longer than 18 seconds you are phenomenal.
It's been said that the US Air Force uses this for fighter pilots. They are expected to go for at least 2 minutes.

My best is a bit over eleven seconds. . . out of maybe 10 tries, so far.
Give it a try!! click here