The Year of the Yard?

Shortly after we moved in four years ago, Susan and I (mostly Susan) worked out an ambitious, if not unrealistic remodeling schedule. If we were on schedule today, I believe we would be lounging on the shores of Paraguay. We would have drinks with little umbrellas and our tans would be perfect. (That's in the schedule!)

The short version of what I'm trying to say is we are not on schedule and 2008 is NOT the Year of the Yard. Our yard just sucks! I can't put it any plainer than that. At one time, this house had a sprinkler system. Today, that sprinkler system is the main support structure of the largest Mouse Subway in the World. It don't work!

I pour a ton of water on the grass but it looks horrible. Fortunately, I live next door to Ted & Rhonda, who have a working sprinkler system. Their yard looks great. Especially when compared to Death Valley next door.

Since we are on the park, we have lots of people walking, running and biking by. I don't like to think that we have one of the crappier yards on the park, but that is the reality. I can console myself somewhat by the knowledge that we will not always be in this condition. AND, we do not have the worst yard on the park.

The Perfect Weekend

Susan and I have just completed what we believe to one of the most Perfect Weekends we've ever had together or apart.

To begin with, yesterday was Susan's birthday and we always try to do something different when our birthdays come around. So on Friday, we loaded up her little Honda (38mpg) and headed for Seattle for the weekend. Below is an assortment of pictures.

These pictures are of the Moore Hotel and some of their amenities.

It's really too bad that this picture is out of focus. I have to learn to use my tri-pod when I'm shooting pictures on Manual and at night. Nonetheless, I really liked the way this picture looks.

Here is the obligatory picture of Pike Street Market and a picture of "The Crow", where we ate Susan's Birthday Dinner. It was very nice and reminded me a lot of the Downriver Grill here in Spokane.

While in Seattle, we seemed to have a very full agenda of doing nothing in particular and everything in general. We covered the Public Market from stem to stern. We had a nice dinner at a cafe that overlooks the market. We found a couple of seedy bars with cheap drinks.

On Saturday, we made our way down to Pioneer Square. We found this bar where we had the Traditional Susan Birthday Meal of Cheeseburger and Fries. Ideally, we would have had Potato Chips and her special birthday cake. But we had to deal with what we had available to us.

After lunch, Susan gravitated to an Antique store. We are trying to find a lighted statue suitable for placement on the main post of our stairway. After a quick perusal that yielded no such statue, I wandered out onto the plaza and saw this store that deals exclusively in kilts. Utilikilts! http://www.utilikilts.com/

I like the idea. I want a kilt! However, I have a hard time spending $50.00 for a pair a pants. I cannot see me spending $150.00 to $200.00 for something that I'm really gunna get laughed at.

Then again, it takes a guy completely comfortable with his sexuality to wear a kilt. and that guy is me!

We took a brief afternoon nap because we are old and that's what old people do after they have walked a lot.

Next we looked at a far off future dream of mine. A Sailboat.

I foresee a time in the future (2027) when we will NOT be working on the house. It's a time when we will be so sick of thehouse that we will want to get out of town and commune with our abundance of nature as far away from thehouse as possible. Whether we camp at a campground or a lake, it would be great to do it in a sailboat. One you can sleep on. One with its own self contained facilities. One that is not the house. One with a cup holder.

I have been looking at this one particular boat manufactured by the MacGregor Corporation. http://www.macgregor26.com/ The way gas prices are going, a sailboat makes sense. This boat in particular is perfect for the lakes we have around this area. Plus, it has the ability to power up an engine up to 70 h.p. and motor to your destination at a pretty decent speed when you have the inclination.

Anyway, we went over to Lake Union to check one out. More of an introduction of the boat to Susan, who likes the idea but not the price tag.

We spent Birthday night at a bar an hour away from Seattle. My friend Joe, who lives in Tacoma, has a band that was playing in Graham, WA. We listened to Chicken Joe and the Fabulous Cocks as they weaved their magic spells of classic and popular rock music with which to dance upon. http://www.chickenjoeandthefabulouscocks.com/ We had brief opportunities to visit with Joe between sets. I see him a couple times a year so it's not like we were way out of touch with each other.

After a a rousing weekend, we got ourselves re-loaded into the little Honda and returned to Spokane. It was cloudy, cold and trying to rain when we left Seattle but the sky was clearing and became sunny once we crossed the mountains.

We arrived home around 4:00 and immediately began preparing to go downtown for the Annual Fireworks Concert. We have a friend who plays in the orchestra and we always go down early, enjoy a light picnic snack-fest and a little wine.

But before going, I presented Susan with her main birthday gift. Take a look and see if I don't qualify for Most Romantic Gift Giving Guy of the Year...

...or a divorce!

The concert was a great time and the perfect end to a fabulous weekend. Here are s'mo pix.I do not believe that I have ever written such a long and rambling entry. I apologize. But then again, I write this for me...not you. Apology retracted!

Varnish Day

Susan went to work on the varnishing while I ran wire for a new outlet out on the deck. We decided that as long as the eve is opened up, it's a good opportunity to augment the electrical access out there.

Once I got in there, I realized it was a good thing. I did some sloppy wiring on the last can light. I had cut through the wire when I trimmed it and it was making a connection only because a piece of the insulation was there to keep it in place.

I have since gone back and checked all the can lights. I did not come across any problems but I'm glad I checked. I do not like that outdoor wire. It is very difficult to cut away the insulation, which I'm sure was what caused the problem on the light I described.

I have run my wire out to the end of the arbors on the deck. I'm putting one outlet out there for now and will be able to add more if I so desire. More than likely, I will so desire cuz I loves my lec'trys-tee.

Quality Craftsmanship

My bench is coming along. I'll have it varnished tonight and it will be a done deal. Then, if I can get the hooks installed, the bathroom can be declared COMPLETE.In the picture, it looks like I used a different stain on the bench than I did on the walls. It's a much better match in real life and I suspect the difference is due to the wood I used. I don't care because I'm almost done. That is not the Quality-Driven attitude I like to have, but it is often the attitude I end up with.

Garage Space

With the French doors installed and out of the garage, there is suddenly a whole crap load of space in there. I did a little re-arranging and fit stuff in much better than it was. As long as I'm not driving as much, I figure I ought to garage my car.

I'm doing some final finishing projects in the bathroom. Susan will not consider it complete until I get this shelf built. That project also includes a complimenting set of hooks on which to hang bathrobes and assorted sundry items.

I'll get some pictures of the shelf tonight after I have it stained. Unlike many of my little carpentry projects, this one came out much better than I thought it would.

Another Busy Weekend

I made my appointment to the Steinway Store and played the Pianos. I went with a guy named Kenny who comes into the bar and is a pretty good piano player. He's played in bands all his life and has a very nice touch. Certainly better than I! Pictured above is the 100 year Gershwin Commemoritive Piano. Steinway made about 150 of them and this one is one of two remaining for sale. It could be yours for only $189,000.00.

While bar tending yesterday, we got talking about marinating steaks and one guy sitting at the bar said that Everclear is great for that. So I came home with a steak, took a half cup of Everclear, 3 tablespoons of Worcestershire, and a tablespoon of minced garlic and mixed it all together really well. Then I poured over my steak and let it sit for awhile. I don't know how good a job it did because I over cooked my steak. I'm like them really rare and it got into the medium range. Nonetheless, the picture above shows how well the marinade burns.

Shortly after moving into the house, Susan and I wanted to start working on our idea of a balcony on the second floor landing. Our original idea called for moving the outside wall back about three feet and putting in a set of Frend doors. The Historic Commission would not approve that design. Unfortunately, we had already purchased the door when we found a good deal on one. It's been sitting in the garage for about three and a half years. I found some references to the project back in September of 2006.

We finally decided it was time to replace the ratty old French doors we have in the kitchen with the new set. Phil got the door installed yesterday and is finishing up on it today and probably tomorrow. Already it is a remarkable change. Most notably, I still want to force the door open like I had to on the old one and slam it shut hard, like the old one. It will take us a while to overcome that habit.

Piano Appointment

Tonight I have an appointment at the Steinway Store to play a Legendary Piano. A couple of Legendary Pianos, in fact. Since I'm on my bike today, I'm going to have to buzz home after work and race to get there. I should have plenty of time.

Yes, I'm still riding my bike to work. You can read about my commuting adventures on a separate yet stunningly insightful blog I call http://www.porkymccorpulent.blogspot.com/.

I am gearing up for a busy weekend around the house. I have a wiring project to do as well as some yard work. I'm thinking about renting an aerator and plug the lawn. It needs all the help it can get. Perhaps I should start mowing with golf shoes. I have heard that people do that.

Se7enth Meetiversary

Susan and I went to a Spokane Indians Baseball Game last night to celebrate our Se7enth Meetiversary. Yup! Se7en years ago I met her at an Indians Game. Actually, se7en years ago, I re-met her at an Indians Game. We had met many years earlier when we both worked at the same sign shop. So we donned our ballcaps and went to the stadium to take in some baseball. As it turned out, we watched losing baseball as the Division Leading Indians decided not to show up.

We have another construction project going on. This one is a re-engineering project involving our deck and the new eve extension we added last year. We didn't contemplate the rain water run off issue very well and the poor engineering caused the boards up there to absorb water through very small cracks and damage the soffit from the inside.

The boards we removed in the picture above were badly damaged by the runoff soaking into them. We thought we had painted them well enough to seal them but that apparently was not the case. We are going to extend the shingles just a smidgen so as to allow the water to cascade off the roof and onto the deck rather than wrap around the edge of the soffit.

Stay tuned as more exciting remodeling project are right around the corner.

Stinky Accommodations

I was wondering if I would still have a skunk living under the Carriage House after my weekend excavation party. It appears I still do. Pictured below is her entrance and a peek just inside her foyer. It seems nice, doesn't it?!

The Dingo Ate Your Rubbish

Our project for the day was to clean the area next to the Carriage House that has been a depository for Yard Crap for many years prior to our moving in.

I believe that the former owner would rake up all the leaves and then throw them in this little space. Over the years, the leaves have turned into a wonderfully fine mulch, dirt really, that is laced with decaying chestnuts and all manner of odd things mixed in.

I found re bar, a 20 pound lead weight, plastic, old tent supports and roots, roots and more roots.

We went out this morning to survey our work site and decided it was nuts, stupid really, to hand shovel all that debris out of there.

So off we went to the Rental store to rent a piece of equipment I remembered seeing and coveting, loving, really. It's the Toro Dingo and there you can see me proudly pictured with it.



What would have taken us hours of backbreaking shoveling turned into light duty fun with the ultimate power shovel.

The tough part was unloading the truck. Now there was some backbreaking shoveling, work for Migrants, really.

But we accomplished our goal and got the side of the Carriage house all cleaned out.

It was an expensive day though. About $300.00 when all totaled up.

$450.00 if you include our labor.

State of Emergency

The weather has been beautiful the last week or so. Every day is bright and clear and hot and sunny. It's like it was Summer or something. Today the wind started blowing around three or four o'clock and continued for several hours.

I have been doing stuff around the house. I mowed the lawn. I cut some more tree limbs. I watered the lawn. I just came in a little bit ago and turned on the TV to discover a major fire is occurring in the Spokane Valley. The Authorities are asking people to evacuate a large section of the area around the Dishman Hills. I also learned there was a pretty substantial fire at a local building supply business not far from home.

Here are some pictures I took from the Telly.

This is a a map of the Evacuation Area. I know someone who lives right on the edge of that area. I work with her. I guess I'll find out tomorrow what her evening was like.

The area is not really rural but there are a lot of trees mixed in with some houses. This one looks like a pretty good camp fire is going in the woods.

On the news, they said that this last picture is a house on fire and probably burning to the ground. It's hard to imagine in this day and age that a fire could get so out of control that fire fighters are unable to stop it from totally destroying a house. But then again, something big like this happens and the fire fighters are scattered everywhere and stuff is gonna burn.

I feel bad for those people. That has got to be

devastating.

The Steinway Store

Susan and I went to see three famous pianos last night. Not piano players...just the pianos. One belonged to the Vlad-ster, another to the Van-ster and the third was a Gershwin Commemorative Piano. These "famous" pianos are touring the country via Steinway stores.

There were three local piano players who put on a bit of a concert. For the last piece, the three teamed up to play Rhapsody in Blue.

It was fabulous!

The new Steinway store is pretty nice. They built a little concert hall off the side of the showroom. We got there late so we sat in the overflow area surrounded by pianos. I'm actually thinking of making an appointment to play the pianos. I would like to see how they feel as opposed to our Steinway.

The Vlad-ster is Vladimir Horowitz and the Van-Ster is Van Cliburn. Gershwin is Gershwin.

Three Day Weekend Hangover

I'm really beat today. It didn't seem like we worked that hard over the July Fourth Three Day Weekend but my body feels very languid today.

While it may not seem to me that we worked very hard, we did accomplish a great deal. As is becoming our tradition, we went canoeing on July 4th and saw our Independence Day Moose.

Later in the day, we rode our bike's downtown to watch the fireworks and cavort with the peoples. There were many hundreds of peoples down there all mashed together in the park.

Saturday and Sunday were our work days. Susan cleaned her car while I worked on the window trim in the bathroom. We then cleaned up the yard and hauled all the debris we assembled to the dump. My second load cost 35 cents because after 3:00, the first 100 pounds of yard waste is free.

We finished off the weekend by going up to Arbor Crest Winery and enjoying the weekly $5 concert.

Here is a Collage of Photage to augment what I have Writage.


I cannot explain what is going on with that collage. It has made negatives out of some of the pictures and left the others alone but really washed out. I'm not sure what to do so I'm just going to leave it.

More LumberJackin'

I got home last night from a hot bicycle ride from work and commenced to cutting up all the tree limbs I cut down on Sunday. Hopefully, I will be able to transport everything to the dump during the upcoming Fourth of July Three Day weekend. That of course requires the dump to be open. I'll call and check on that. It also requires the faithful service of Rob and the Farm Truck, which I will use to make the afore mentioned transport.

I am riding my bike to work for the whole month of July. If it goes well, I will continue it through the summer. I am chronicling my adventures in a new blog. Actually, it's an old blog that I started a while back to keep a fitness record. It doesn't have many entires. You can check it out at http://www.porkymccorpulent.blogspot.com/.

As a teaser, I believe you will enjoy the entry for July First.