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local picks

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May 31, 2008 Sat

Look out! The month is ending! See you in June~~

Hiway of life --

May 29, 2008 Thu

What a lazy few days. We did manage a trip to Seattle for Saab convertible maintenance:
The Saab - top was hanging up, during the raise and lower sequence - we hate that, especially after having it in the shop only last fall. (Which was a 'my fault' problem - failed to note the warning signs.)
They fixed it, no charge - good 'ol Saab, working right, again.
Still cost a hundred bucks - oil change, safety check and fix a burned out light - which turned out to need a total replacement, fixture and all. Plus an hour service charge - which ain't bad. I was outa' there a little after 9:30 in the AM. (arrived at 6:45) (which meant getting up at 5 AM - haven't done that since RR days)(or, the last time I took Saab in.)
They said that the switches (one on each side) that tell the tonneau cover when to move, are showing wear and may need to be replaced if it gets out of whack, again. But, it's working ok for now, and the price was right. Said that the whole top mechanism is designed to go up and down twice a day for over ten years - so, since it hasn't been going up n down anything like twice a day, it's still well within its design lifetime, and should continue to work just great with only minor maintainence, like today. The sensor switches that MIGHT have to eventually be swapped out are not expensive.
Also, my service guy (John, now that we are buddies) noted that my model/year was made into a convertible from the hardtop configuration, and later convertibles were totally designed anew, and are much sturdier, framewise. Yeah, maybe I'll step up, someday... to a Jaguar. The 12 cyl convert - yah.

I am a happy driver, again. You gotta' be able to pop the top any ol' time.

My first convertibles (I'm remembering about 7 or eight), you moved the top yourself, by hand - they always worked. That ol' 53' Chev, was also a manual up n down - no problem. The Big (54) Olds - an electric top - never failed. Did rot out, and the fabric blew away - still drove it through the next winter - BRRRR!

Oh my goodness - what dogs are these?
Yes, Leo and Lily - getting so big!

Wouldn't you hate this?

Tara stops buy, with four month old Lucas (Matt will be home soon) - and year 'n a half Corbin, for whom she is babysitting this day. Boy, did the pups love having someone their size to play with!

Thanks to Jerone~~
The Television

May 25, 2008 Sun

It was a very lucky day... for some~

After scootering about here and there, enjoying the weekend and the weather - Ann puts in some time with the herbs. She notes that the cats are particularly fond of several, acting positively catnippish... over anything in the mint family, and also Yarrow.

As we spend more and more time on the patio, I must make good on an earlier promise to route the dryer vent away from the seating area. I was rewarded with homemade lemonade!

Your next domestic assistant, perhaps~

May 24, 2008 Sat

We are graced with a lovely spring weekend -- sunny and warm. Last weekend, with its record heat in the 90s, was a bit much - causing both Ann and I to sunburn ourselves at the waterfront Festival.

Some sort of extreme sports climbing? No, just cleaning our local landmark, the Space Needle, for the first time in 40 years. The domestic robot turned the job down as too dangerous...

Guess what it takes to play this course?

Signage, of sorts...

Yes, but is it art?

We were advised that a local water main broke -- with some local flooding.

Umm! Thanks to Ann -

Not knowing when to stop tinkering, we decided that the rain barrel/hose arrangement needed one more piece: a 'wye', so that two hoses (city pressure and rain barrel) could be merged into the re-tractable hose reel. Oddly enough, the only wyes available here in town went the other way -- splitting one hose into two. Being too impatient to order one or travel off the island, we reversed the one you see here and used some adapters.

Of course, anyone familiar with the price of brass fittings will realize that I've managed to double the cost of this project in one fell swoop.

The second day of the Waterfront Festival featured 'Old Cars', instead of all Corvettes, only. This is a forty plus year old GM Corvair, for you Ralph Nader fans... a rear engined compact that was ahead of its time, and sold well - until Mr. Nader effectively killed it with his (later to be proved erroneous) book, Unsafe at Any Speed - which bad mouthed the way the Corvair handled. I drove several - they were great cars.

May 21, 2008 Wed

Happy Birthday to Ambie!

We managed to stroll around the Waterfront Fest for part of Day Two - at least long enough to check out the vintage automobiles, and get a cheeseburger. Heard some good music, too. Seen below - a Corvair convertible...

Amazing wonderful HOT weather for the entire weekend. (Back in the Fifties, today, we might note...)

Remit continues to post pictures from afar -
see them HERE

The Mayor has posted a few, too - scenes in the Windy City -
see them HERE

The rain barrel project is a success - meaning, it's finished. These parts accomplished the final steps: tying/coupling the two barrels together, and installing the faucet.

A half inch pipe thread 'tap' into each barrel, and the two are connected. This allows for over a hundred gallons of rain water storage, as the water seeks its own level and fills both barrels.

A similar tap into the bottom of one of the barrels and attach to the faucet. A two gallon bucket filled in about the same time (less than a minute) as it would using the faucet in the mud sink, and will hang from the faucet while filling. Also, the trusty Weber has a new home, out of the weather!

Late edit, still the 21st -

Added a hose storage retractor thing, thanks to Dick. In the process, happened to look IN the barrels - and was amazed to note that they are FULL! It rained last night, not hard and not long - and I wouldn't have thought more than a few gallons would actually go into the barrels. I was actually going to ADD water to stabilize them in place, when I realized that wouldn't be necessary. Now - to use thirty or forty gallons of nice clean rain water... out of my 100 plus stored supply.

The Dance Studio has decided to use the picture of Evelyn in costume on its poster for this year's Ballet Recital.

Tradition -- another generation is manning the paint booth for Anacortes Youth Arts -
Laura and Ann have both worked the booth in years past, with Barb~~

May 18, 2008 Sun

This is the weekend of the Waterfront Festival. Everything comes to a halt (nearly) while we enjoy the 90 degree weather and all the attractions -- mostly fair food, i.e. cheeseburgers.

Anna was primary at the paint booth, with Evelyn and Jordan pitching in~ photos by Ann

Ann is standing by a Corvette that is one year younger than she is...

Great bargains are to be found at the waterfront Festival -- in this case, delicately weaved baskets from Thailand

Dick and Laura are off on another adventure~~

Ann has been very good about documenting the progress on our rain barrel watering system. She located and procured these barrels almost a year ago, but finishing the inside remodeling took precedence, until now.

Converting leftover 4x4s into the legs of our rain barrel stand.

Here we are with the input under control -- this just leaves hooking up an output method, yet to be devised...

Thanks to Ambie -- a quiz. I won't comment further, except to note that I was most like: Sleeping Beauty...
Take the quiz

May 16, 2008 Fri

The weatherman makes good on the prediction for major heat this day. Somehow, they knew this over a week ago? Thus, when we awoke to 45° temperatures this morning, we were skeptical. In the course of the next few hours, the temperature rose over 40° -- pretty amazing. All in all, a lovely day, well into the 80s and feeling every bit like summer. Amongst other things, we were inspired to finally put together a stand for the rain barrels Ann purchased last fall. It remains to get the water from the downspout going into the barrels, as well as some way to get it back out again~~ A good project for the next sunny day. Except tomorrow -- as the Waterfront Festival will be in full swing! Traditionally, it has rained the weekend of the waterfront Festival. Another beautiful day is forecast for tomorrow -- we'll just have to wait and see...

We cut/chiseled a groove in the top side rails for the slats that Lily is standing upon.

Which must hold the combined weight of two 55 gallon drums of rain water.

Sitting with Leo~~ and tanning my scalp

They've poured the cement into these oddly strong interlocking foam block walls. We are anxious to see what happens next -- stay tuned...

Interesting article, HERE

May 14, 2008 Wed

Two photos show up today that hark back to a favorite rant - light pollution.
This first one shows how just one improperly aimed/displayed light can ruin a night view.

And this just shows wasted light escaping towards the sky -

Two from son Jacob - of Sylvia, and the Buckaroonie, hisownself... thank you!

Remit continues from beyond the big pond -
recent pix are HERE

Tizzy, 'reading' with Ann~~ those monsters on her lap? The 'puppies', now nearly full grown.

Thanks to Paul, for contributing this computer. The hard drive had failed, but a new one got it going again, minus an operating system. For this we decided to install Ubuntu, a recent Linux distribution - making this the first Microsoft free computer in the house. So far, we find it - AMAZING!

edit:
Also amazing, is that from looking at this entry the next day (the fifteenth) I noticed that I'd nearly dragged my Grandmother's antique clock off the speaker, while pulling things around yesterday. I pushed it back, just now. Whew.

Another, in the 'It had to happen' series...
The Ikea Bee
Thanks to Bill for the Ikea idea

May 13, 2008 Tue

The following pictures are with thanks to Paul -

A recent boat trip with Dick and Laura...

Also thanks to Paul, these pictures taken on Mother's Day~~
Barbara with her dad, in the backyard~

two daughters, with Laura -
Note Tizzy, trying to get someone to throw her toy...
Note: the author was not urinating in the raised bed...

Heidi with 'the pack'

Heritage - battery testers - thanks to TJ~~

After mentioning battery testers a few days ago, TJ sent us this view of one he is still using today - thus:
Battery tester, I am your father~~

Interesting stuff with strings - make your own~~

May 11, 2008 Sun

Happy mother's Day, to yours and mine - and all the Moms out there! ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Heritage: Laptop, I am your Father...

"Preparing Camas bulbs, a staple food of traditional Native tribes of the Northwest."

May 10, 2008 Sat

Yesterday Ann completed another set of raised beds - good things come out of these, a bit later in the season.

Remit is on the loose in the world - see his pictures HERE

New way to form up concrete - pour it in these foam blocks! No 'forms' to remove later...

Heritage - super computer, I am your father...

Today's Cray super computer is still larger than a desktop - but no longer takes up two rooms by itself.

More heritage - Digital Camera - I am your father~~

Not what they intended, perhaps?

Hard phone call...

May 08, 2008 Thu

Thanks to Kurt - apparently the Great Lakes have recovered...

This Sturgeon was caught at TWO CREEKS CONSERVATION AREA, Wheatley, ON (Lake Erie) 11/19/2007
It weighed out at over 1,000 lbs and measured 11'1". It was 56" around the girth and took over 6 and a half hours, and 4 dozen beers, for the 4 guys taking turns reeling it in.
Any Sturgeon OVER five feet has to be released unharmed and cannot be removed from the water. They are brood/breeding stock and probably older than most of us.

Speaking of matters aquatic, this area had an unusual low tide yesterday. The sunken boat near the marina breakwater that we've observed before during low tide was actually high and dry to where I could walk out past it.

Here lies: a six-cylinder marine inboard engine, slightly encrusted

Rocker arm assembly... for you motorheads

Every now and then something seems to remind us about the fragile condition of life itself.

May 06, 2008 Tue

Yes.

When my stepdad, Irwin, passed away suddenly -- I inherited his camera bag. This was some years ago -- 1997. Amongst the many useful things that were in said bag was this battery tester --
I use it several times a week to test 1 1/2 volt batteries. Of course, a multi-tester is used for everything else. No batteries are discarded without some sort of test. This particular tester is so handy because one merely inserts a battery and pushes the button to see the relative strength remaining! This device has to be at least 40 years old.

Sometimes, signage is developed with feeling -- that might be a good thing~~

Sometimes, there's a confusing nature to signage -- as adults, we see this as a challenge...
or, another example of the fun of every day living...

Signage for the students...

This would be Hillary, a presidential candidate, and a victim of circumstance, or something like it...
No disrespect intended -- we wore some pretty odd clothing ourselves, during that period. It's just good fortune that no photos remain...

Mr. Orwell predicted things of this nature...

Adam has posted some pictures - see them HERE
My stepmom, Sue, with Talia

May 05, 2008 Mon

A new week begins. The weekend went by in a blur of nice weather. Plenty of time for yard work etc. Also loafing in the backyard soaking up vitamin Sun. Ann cut up some of the left over two by sixes that used to hold up the drop ceiling in the living room/dining room -- and made them into a raised bed. Something good will grow there, no doubt.

Perhaps due to something she learned about, from this group:

They have been studying all the good things that grow. Ann was already fairly knowledgeable about plants, flowers and the like, and now it's amazing what she can identify and use. I have been enjoying some healthful, tasty and medicinal teas, amongst other things - as a result of this education and knowledge.

This lady is one of the teachers. I'm sure she won't mind...

Flowers aren't only things Ann has been learning about... another feather in her cap!

A one-day belated happy birthday to Ivey. They celebrated out of town, and Niomi was kind enough to send a picture~
pretty studious looking celebrants, one might say~

Tizzy has a game: I throw, she fetches. This time, the ball became wedged between the boards of our 'backstop' - (later to become the raised beds)- Ann was there to record her efforts, and final success, in freeing the ball.

May 02, 2008 Fri

This picture of Evelyn performing (in color against a black and white background) is Ann's desktop.

Here is a very cool piece of software.  It allows one to operate another computer remotely, whether that computer is in the same house or anywhere in the world. Here is my desktop with the remote software running - showing Ann's desktop. I can move her cursor and operate her machine - from mine. This is proving handy for troubleshooting other computers without having to actually go there.

Thanks to Jarvis ~ who alerts us to a new 411 information service that is free, from the folks at Google.

Last week we mentioned inheriting this stove - shown here painted and generally spiffed up, with chimney added. The evenings are still cool enough so that making a fire in the stove adds a higher lever of comfort to patio sitting.

Last weekend Ann took a picture of me standing in front of one of this ladie's pieces of Yard Art, created from reclaimed scraps of this and that. Her name is Debbi Rhodes, and her website is HERE. Yesterday she was featured in the Applause section of the Skagit Valley Herald! Congratulations - it is good to see real talent appreciated.

Striped ice - thanks to Ni

May 01, 2008 Thu

Welcome to the merry month of May, the traditional month of blooming flowers. Also, soaring temperatures, we hope.

How's everything by you? Jump in here, and let us know if the sun's shining at your house?

Your basic exercise in pointless safety - is that helmet really going to do you any good, come the fall?

A major train oops -- thanks to Jack

Category: it had to happen sooner or later ~~ thanks to Bill

Got the Post Office rant off my chest...

A few months ago our local post office had a very handy machine in the lobby - a package mail drop box, where one might weigh a package, buy the postage, and drop it in the box - thereby avoiding the inevitable long wait in line. Is there any time the line isn't long? It seems that if the line gets too short, somebody goes on break...

Well, that handy machine went away a few months ago, and no one could tell me why? I suspect it was a threat to someone's job security. So, back to standing in line to mail a package.

Also in the lobby was a coin operated stamp dispenser - don't all P.O.'s have this? Maybe not. Ours certainly doesn't, anymore. It disappeared last week, so that the more profitable post office BOXES could expand into the lobby area. Now one must wait in the interminable line to merely buy a stamp. And, this is for MY convenience? I seriously doubt that. Customer Satisfaction - riighhht...