This is the final post in a series of posts regaling all the details of our just concluded trip to Iowa for Christmas.
I suggest you stop reading here and start with the first post back on December 20th. So...stop reading! Hey!!! Are you one of those people who always goes to the end of the mystery novel to find out whodunit? You're going to ruin the ending! Oh well..fine, do it your way.
After spending a great night in Bozeman, we hit the road a bit after 8 and made it to Spokane without incident. Susan drove the first three hours to Missoula and I finished up the last three hours. We made the trip in five hour and forty-five minutes.
It is great to be home. The cats seems happy to see us and we are happy to see everything...especially the house...and to see that it is still standing.
We owe a great THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to our neighbor Tammy for looking after the cats and the house.
I am shockingly surprised by the lack of pictures I took on this trip. I think that is generally due to the crap condition of my camera. It is a very cheapo Canon and shortly after getting it last year, it slipped out of my hand or pocket or somewhere and hit the ground, knocking out the view screen. So I've never been able to look at my pictures. I take them and then check them out on the computer. It's like how it used to be with film.
I think we're seeing a movie tonight with some friends and then an early evening. At least, that's what I'm hoping for.
See you next year!
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Monday, December 30, 2013
Christmas in Des Moines, Almost Home
$571.00! Add that to our total for the trip. That's what it cost today to replace six spark plugs and the plug wires.
The good news is that they finished early and the car ran great. We got on the road about 10:30 and made it as far as Bozeman.
We got to the Firestone right after 7 and were their first customer. They got it into the garage and on the computer. After a spell, the guy came out and gave us the bad news. The number two cylinder was misfiring and they suspected the plugs. I told them I can't remember the last time I had it tuned. He also suggested we replace a cable because they were notorious for going bad. The main problem was that it involved 3 hours of work to replace the plugs because they had to remove so much stuff just to get to the plugs.
We went to a nice place down the street for breakfast and read the paper and wasted as much time as we could.
We drove for seven hours and seventeen minutes and covered 520 miles. That means we traveled at 71.72 miles per hour over the whole trip. We decided that since we weren't going to make Spokane today, it didn't really matter if we drove 3, 4 or 6 hours tomorrow.
We might as well enjoy the trip and drive while the sun is out and party in a nice town while the dark is out. We lost the light today about 5 and drove the last hour and a half in the dark.
That kind of precipitated the decision to spend the night in the Boze.
9:45PM: We have returned from a night on the town. We had a fabulous dinner at Ferraro's, a great little Italian restaurant we discovered several years ago when we passed through the Boze.
And now...to bed!
The good news is that they finished early and the car ran great. We got on the road about 10:30 and made it as far as Bozeman.
We got to the Firestone right after 7 and were their first customer. They got it into the garage and on the computer. After a spell, the guy came out and gave us the bad news. The number two cylinder was misfiring and they suspected the plugs. I told them I can't remember the last time I had it tuned. He also suggested we replace a cable because they were notorious for going bad. The main problem was that it involved 3 hours of work to replace the plugs because they had to remove so much stuff just to get to the plugs.
We went to a nice place down the street for breakfast and read the paper and wasted as much time as we could.
We drove for seven hours and seventeen minutes and covered 520 miles. That means we traveled at 71.72 miles per hour over the whole trip. We decided that since we weren't going to make Spokane today, it didn't really matter if we drove 3, 4 or 6 hours tomorrow.
We might as well enjoy the trip and drive while the sun is out and party in a nice town while the dark is out. We lost the light today about 5 and drove the last hour and a half in the dark.
That kind of precipitated the decision to spend the night in the Boze.
9:45PM: We have returned from a night on the town. We had a fabulous dinner at Ferraro's, a great little Italian restaurant we discovered several years ago when we passed through the Boze.
And now...to bed!
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Christmas in Des Moines, Day Deca
We managed a nice early start, getting on the road by 7 AM and all looked well.
Susan drove the first five hours and got us beyond Sioux Falls. I noticed on our first stop for gas that we were getting terrible mileage. I can usually get 300 miles out of a tank and we barely covered 200 and needed gas.
I took over and had been driving for an hour of so when the car suddenly shuddered and began to run really rough. We exited at Murdo, SD and were able to call a mechanic to look at the car.
The "Check Engine" light had not come on and there was really nothing he could do. We had gotten him off his couch to come out in the 20 degree temps to look us over. There were no parts available and so nothing he could do until the next day.
He thought we were okay to keep going and make it to Rapid City, about 90 miles away.
We made it okay and rolled in to Rapid City about 3:30.
That's the bugger of this whole thing. We were making great time and looking to make it past our goal of Gillette...maybe all the way to Billings. That would have made for an easy second days' drive.
We've located a Firestone place and they open at 7 in the morning.
So, we had a nice dinner at the Firehouse Brewery and watched TV in our spacious Super 8 Motel room.
Hopefully, I'll be writing next from Spokane but I suspect it will be from Butte or Missoula, even if all goes well with the repair.
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Christmas in Des Moines, Day 9ine
So here we are on the day of our departure. As I write we are already an hour and a half behind schedule. My phone is at my side and I am ready to answer it at the slightest chirp. Susan and I have determined that if we can get on the road by 1:00PM, we will go. Otherwise, we will stay until tomorrow and start bright and early.
10:16AM: And so...we wait!
But not for long. I got a call from the guy at 10:25 and he said they were unable to get the old alternator out. There wasn't enough clearance and they were running out of time. He suggested we take it to a Firestone Auto Center where they are open longer.
So we drove over and got the car. They did not charge us for the two hours of labor to not get the part out. I thought they deserved something but they wouldn't take it.
The car is presently at the Firestone store and it has been there for about two and a half hours. Their manual said it was a three hour job. We did not tell them about the trouble that the other guys had for fear of scaring them away from the job and sending us to the dealer on Monday.
And so...we wait!
In the meantime, we went to lunch at Tacopocolypse, a local tacorarium.
We followed that with a visit to the Iowa State Historical Center were we viewed many historical things about Iowa. For example, today is the 146th anniversary of Iowa Statehood. Today! What are the odds?!
They also had a nice exhibit on the Civil War and the part Iowans played in it.
It goes without saying that we are spending another night here at Casa de Stoffregen. Since it goes without saying, I shall simply write it...as I already have.
And so...we wait!
3:51PM: The wait is over! I just got the call from the Firestone store. Susan and Margaret are still out but I have notified them and now, well...I guess I am still waiting.
6:10PM: Okay, now are done waiting. I have the car, it cost what they promised ($571.83) and it is running fine.
We are planning to get up at six tomorrow and hit the road hard.
But tonight, we party...until about 9:00.
10:16AM: And so...we wait!
But not for long. I got a call from the guy at 10:25 and he said they were unable to get the old alternator out. There wasn't enough clearance and they were running out of time. He suggested we take it to a Firestone Auto Center where they are open longer.
So we drove over and got the car. They did not charge us for the two hours of labor to not get the part out. I thought they deserved something but they wouldn't take it.
The car is presently at the Firestone store and it has been there for about two and a half hours. Their manual said it was a three hour job. We did not tell them about the trouble that the other guys had for fear of scaring them away from the job and sending us to the dealer on Monday.
And so...we wait!
In the meantime, we went to lunch at Tacopocolypse, a local tacorarium.
We followed that with a visit to the Iowa State Historical Center were we viewed many historical things about Iowa. For example, today is the 146th anniversary of Iowa Statehood. Today! What are the odds?!
They also had a nice exhibit on the Civil War and the part Iowans played in it.
It goes without saying that we are spending another night here at Casa de Stoffregen. Since it goes without saying, I shall simply write it...as I already have.
And so...we wait!
3:51PM: The wait is over! I just got the call from the Firestone store. Susan and Margaret are still out but I have notified them and now, well...I guess I am still waiting.
6:10PM: Okay, now are done waiting. I have the car, it cost what they promised ($571.83) and it is running fine.
We are planning to get up at six tomorrow and hit the road hard.
But tonight, we party...until about 9:00.
Friday, December 27, 2013
Christmas in Des Moines, Day 8ight
Today is our last full day in Iowa. Tomorrow, we take off for the great unknown of western America. We will be rolling through the flatness of South Dak, hoping to make it to Gillette or perhaps even Buffalo, Wyoming. It all depends on our start time and of course, the car operating properly.
To that end, my goal this morning is to get the car ready for the trip. The temperature is approaching the 40's and the sun is out. I need to check the fluids and vacuum a bit as well.
Tonight is another DM tradition at the Latin King, a great place to stock up on matches. Then Neil has another gig at the Gas Lamp Tavern, which will undoubtedly keep us up after midnight.
10:29PM: The day is now winding down and the reality of everything I wrote earlier has set in...and changed it all. Although the last sentence of the first paragraph turned out to be prophetic.
We all went out for a late breakfast at the Waveland, another DM landmark. Afterwards, I followed Susan and Margaret in my car to some Antique Mall, which I didn't stay at very long. I wanted to get the car ready for our drive back home. Added to my list of items was getting a small crack in the wind shield repaired.
Neil found me a place that was not far from the Antique Mall and I followed the instructions to a place that wasn't there.
So I abandoned plans to fix the chip and went to get gas and check all my fluids.
It turned out I needed a quart of oil so I went to the Advanced Auto Parts store and bought oil and washer fluid.
Upon the completion of adding those items, I started up the car to discover the battery was dead. All of the sudden! Just like that!! Spit spot!!!
After a time of trying to figure stuff out, I concluded that I have a bad alternator and $600.00 will fix that...but not until tomorrow morning.
We left the car at the repair shop that I was able to drive to and they will start on it at 8AM.
By now, it was about 4:30 and that's the time Neil plays at the Gas Lamp. So we headed down there and listened to Neil play with the Bob Pace band until 7:30.
Then we went to the Latin King and had an Italian dinner that couldn't be beat. We also got a bunch of their matches, which should last us for another couple of years.
Now I'm here at 11:58 writing all this down and then I'm going to bed before the clock says it's tomorrow.
To that end, my goal this morning is to get the car ready for the trip. The temperature is approaching the 40's and the sun is out. I need to check the fluids and vacuum a bit as well.
Tonight is another DM tradition at the Latin King, a great place to stock up on matches. Then Neil has another gig at the Gas Lamp Tavern, which will undoubtedly keep us up after midnight.
10:29PM: The day is now winding down and the reality of everything I wrote earlier has set in...and changed it all. Although the last sentence of the first paragraph turned out to be prophetic.
We all went out for a late breakfast at the Waveland, another DM landmark. Afterwards, I followed Susan and Margaret in my car to some Antique Mall, which I didn't stay at very long. I wanted to get the car ready for our drive back home. Added to my list of items was getting a small crack in the wind shield repaired.
Neil found me a place that was not far from the Antique Mall and I followed the instructions to a place that wasn't there.
So I abandoned plans to fix the chip and went to get gas and check all my fluids.
It turned out I needed a quart of oil so I went to the Advanced Auto Parts store and bought oil and washer fluid.
Upon the completion of adding those items, I started up the car to discover the battery was dead. All of the sudden! Just like that!! Spit spot!!!
After a time of trying to figure stuff out, I concluded that I have a bad alternator and $600.00 will fix that...but not until tomorrow morning.
We left the car at the repair shop that I was able to drive to and they will start on it at 8AM.
By now, it was about 4:30 and that's the time Neil plays at the Gas Lamp. So we headed down there and listened to Neil play with the Bob Pace band until 7:30.
Then we went to the Latin King and had an Italian dinner that couldn't be beat. We also got a bunch of their matches, which should last us for another couple of years.
Now I'm here at 11:58 writing all this down and then I'm going to bed before the clock says it's tomorrow.
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Christmas in Des Moines, Day Se7en
Today we had lunch with the cousins.
Susan and Margaret's cousins are Louise and Irene of the Kipping family. Susan and Margaret's dad and their mother were siblings.
So we drove about a half hour to Ankeny, a burg north of Des Moines and had a nice festive soup lunch at Irene's house. The girls all chatted and had a nice reunion while I kind of dozed in a big leather chair and offered occasional unwelcome comments.
We returned to Des Moines and checked out an Architectural Salvage place that has a show on DIY Network. I haven't seen it yet and I can't remember the name of the place.
It was four floors in an old warehouse of stuff...mostly crap...although some of it could be used by someone, I suppose.
We went to dinner at Noah's Ark, a local Des Moines institution that we always go to when in town.
After that, Neil had a gig at a tiny little bar called the Greenwood. We arrived prior to their nine o'clock start and stayed until almost midnight.
Whew! Another day packed full o' stuff in the heartland.
Susan and Margaret's cousins are Louise and Irene of the Kipping family. Susan and Margaret's dad and their mother were siblings.
So we drove about a half hour to Ankeny, a burg north of Des Moines and had a nice festive soup lunch at Irene's house. The girls all chatted and had a nice reunion while I kind of dozed in a big leather chair and offered occasional unwelcome comments.
We returned to Des Moines and checked out an Architectural Salvage place that has a show on DIY Network. I haven't seen it yet and I can't remember the name of the place.
It was four floors in an old warehouse of stuff...mostly crap...although some of it could be used by someone, I suppose.
We went to dinner at Noah's Ark, a local Des Moines institution that we always go to when in town.
After that, Neil had a gig at a tiny little bar called the Greenwood. We arrived prior to their nine o'clock start and stayed until almost midnight.
Whew! Another day packed full o' stuff in the heartland.
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Christmas in Des Moines, Christmas Day
It is noonish as I write this and there is still a lot of the day to come. In fact, there's most of the day to come. We haven't started opening presents yet. Frankly, I don't know what the schedule is. I'm just happy to be in one place with my lovely wife and not have to do anything.
I'll update and have pictures as poop occurs.
3:24PM: Okay, we had our Christmas meal about one o'clock. Spiral cut ham, twice baked potatoes, green bean casserole, and assorted appetizers.
Afterwards, we began opening the myriad of presents that Santy Claus brought. I got a sawzall and a new lawn tractor sprinkler. Susan got a Bluetooth ear piece for her phone and a memory foam pillow. In a bit we are going for a walk.
8:43:54PM CST: I missed the walk and opted to recline in the Lazyboy in front of a John Wayne movie on AMC.
We had some nice ham sandwiches for dinner and then sat down to another rousing game of Baseball. Susan started out doing great and was really kicking ass when she had a couple of bad hands and finished last. I finished second while maintaining a strong position and third and fourth place.
Merry Christmas to all!
I'll update and have pictures as poop occurs.
3:24PM: Okay, we had our Christmas meal about one o'clock. Spiral cut ham, twice baked potatoes, green bean casserole, and assorted appetizers.
Afterwards, we began opening the myriad of presents that Santy Claus brought. I got a sawzall and a new lawn tractor sprinkler. Susan got a Bluetooth ear piece for her phone and a memory foam pillow. In a bit we are going for a walk.
8:43:54PM CST: I missed the walk and opted to recline in the Lazyboy in front of a John Wayne movie on AMC.
We had some nice ham sandwiches for dinner and then sat down to another rousing game of Baseball. Susan started out doing great and was really kicking ass when she had a couple of bad hands and finished last. I finished second while maintaining a strong position and third and fourth place.
Merry Christmas to all!
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Christmas in Des Moines, Day 5ive
It was minus two degrees this morning and right now, it's not much better. The AccuStan Eye Witness Weather I-Pod says it's 12 degrees at the moment. It is threatening to snow as well. Good thing we don't really have anywhere to go or be rather than right here.
We have returned from a jaunt downtown where we had lunch at the Noodle Zoo and then went to a bunch of local shops.
among them, a restaurant called Zombie Burger.
We would walk as far as we could until our faces started top freeze and then we would duck in to a shop, mostly to get warm.
It is much later in the evening now and amazingly, the temperature is 24. We went to a Christmas Eve service that Neil plays at. It was in one of those mega church places where they really put on a show but it doesn't feel terribly holy. I am not complaining or putting the church down. It is simply not my kind of service.
After that, we returned home and went to a party at one of the neighbors house. We stayed for the appropriate amount of food and drink to comsume and then returned here for a loooong winters nap.
We played a card game called baseball and then it was off to bed in anticipation of a visit from the Jolly Old Elf.
We have returned from a jaunt downtown where we had lunch at the Noodle Zoo and then went to a bunch of local shops.
among them, a restaurant called Zombie Burger.
It is much later in the evening now and amazingly, the temperature is 24. We went to a Christmas Eve service that Neil plays at. It was in one of those mega church places where they really put on a show but it doesn't feel terribly holy. I am not complaining or putting the church down. It is simply not my kind of service.
After that, we returned home and went to a party at one of the neighbors house. We stayed for the appropriate amount of food and drink to comsume and then returned here for a loooong winters nap.
We played a card game called baseball and then it was off to bed in anticipation of a visit from the Jolly Old Elf.
Monday, December 23, 2013
Christmas in Des Moines, Day Quattro
My Christmas shopping is complete. I might come across an idea or two over the activities of the next day but I doubt it.
I got out bright and early and completed a bunch o' shopping. It was hell!
I met Susan and Margaret and Neil at a Mexican restaurant called LaBamba. After that I made my last stop at the dreaded WalMart. I hate shopping there but got a gift card from work so I'm forced to shop at Spandex Central.
Finally, I went out in the single digit temperatures and had the car washed. It really needed it and I think I'm free of any freezing hazard.
I got out bright and early and completed a bunch o' shopping. It was hell!
I met Susan and Margaret and Neil at a Mexican restaurant called LaBamba. After that I made my last stop at the dreaded WalMart. I hate shopping there but got a gift card from work so I'm forced to shop at Spandex Central.
Finally, I went out in the single digit temperatures and had the car washed. It really needed it and I think I'm free of any freezing hazard.
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Christmas in Des Moines, Day III
It is currently 9:40AM in Iowa but our bodies are still kind of set at 7:40. Susan is still sleeping and I am letting her. She did the bulk of the driving yesterday and deserves some alone time with her snoozing.
I had to get up early to move my car out of the driveway. Our hosts, Margaret and Phil (Susan's sister and brother-in-law) needed to get out. Phil had some stuff to do and Margaret wanted to break out the snow blower and take care of the 6 inches of snow that had fallen.
I don't want to tempt the fates or anything, but we have always had incredibly great luck on this drive to Iowa. We've never had any problem with weather. It looks like we did it just right again this year.
I should not get cocky because we still have to drive back!
I have two and a half days to complete my Christmas shopping so that is where my head is. What I am talking about?! I have two and a half days to START my Christmas shopping.
7:55PM: We went out to lunch at a place called the Waterfront. Do you get the irony in that? We're in Iowa. And they have a restaurant called the Waterfront. To be fair, there is a man made pond out the back. In spite of the location, they have really good sea food. I had scallops. Tastey!
Afterwards, we bounced around to a few places so Margaret could do some errands. We ended up at Dahl's grocery store and purchased assorted items for dinner...and beer.
I think I'll be buying some select bottles of booze prior to our return to Washington. It's much less expensive here.
We ended the evening watching the latest James Bond film, "Skyfall".
The plows are already cleaning up the streets but it is going to be cold for the next few days. It is currently about no degrees,
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Christmas in Des Moines, Day B
It was cold as we hit the road at 8AM. The destination today is Des Moines. They have snow scheduled to start falling after 9PM so we wanted to get there before that happens.
Fortunarely, a good deal of our drive today involves traversing the width of South Dakota, a state with about two or three turns on the entire interstate.
Susan started out driving and got us to Wall Drug in about three hours. We spent about half an hour there looking at the tourist crap they offer. We bought a shirt for our friend Mark, who had never heard of Wall Drug.
I took over the wheel from there and set the cruise control at 80. It was good driving but after about an hour and a half (or 200 miles) I was having a tough time staying awake.
We stopped in Chamberlan, which was about half way across the state. The gas station we stopped at was also an Arby's. I had been wanting an Arby's when we were in Gillette, but we settled for Wendy's cuz that's what we found.
We bought a couple of Mt Dew's, the highest caffeine pop, and went to the Arby's line. The guy told us they were out of roast beef. "But this is Arby's!" we exclaimed. Roast Beef is what you do. It's your raison d'etre. The guy said, "Wha?"
We had to settle for chicken sandwiches and then we hit the road. I snoozed while Susan drove and we listened to a Steven King book, 11-22-63.
She drove another three hours and got us as far as Sioux City, just over the Iowa line. From there, it was an easy drive for me in the dark, with no moon, to get us to Des Moines.
About 45 minutes after we arrived, the snow started falling.
Good Timing!
Fortunarely, a good deal of our drive today involves traversing the width of South Dakota, a state with about two or three turns on the entire interstate.
Susan started out driving and got us to Wall Drug in about three hours. We spent about half an hour there looking at the tourist crap they offer. We bought a shirt for our friend Mark, who had never heard of Wall Drug.
I took over the wheel from there and set the cruise control at 80. It was good driving but after about an hour and a half (or 200 miles) I was having a tough time staying awake.
We stopped in Chamberlan, which was about half way across the state. The gas station we stopped at was also an Arby's. I had been wanting an Arby's when we were in Gillette, but we settled for Wendy's cuz that's what we found.
We bought a couple of Mt Dew's, the highest caffeine pop, and went to the Arby's line. The guy told us they were out of roast beef. "But this is Arby's!" we exclaimed. Roast Beef is what you do. It's your raison d'etre. The guy said, "Wha?"
We had to settle for chicken sandwiches and then we hit the road. I snoozed while Susan drove and we listened to a Steven King book, 11-22-63.
She drove another three hours and got us as far as Sioux City, just over the Iowa line. From there, it was an easy drive for me in the dark, with no moon, to get us to Des Moines.
About 45 minutes after we arrived, the snow started falling.
Good Timing!
Friday, December 20, 2013
Christmas in Des Moines, Day One
This post is going to be the first in a series of posts that I'm not going to publish right away due to the fact that we are not home. I don't want to tip off the scumbags among my readers (most of you) that we are out of town over the holidays. The unshoveled snow in the driveway should do that.
I am writing from the comfort of the Budget Inn Express in Gillette, Wyoming. We drove for about 12 hours today. That is a bit over 700 miles. The drive went smoothly and the only hairy part of the drive was east of Bozeman, Montana. We hit a 30 mile stretch of high winds and blowing snow.
The other hairy part was after sundown. You have to keep an eye out for deer on the highway. It was dark for Susan's turn at the wheel but when I took over after entering Wyoming, the waning moon came up and lit everything up quite nicely.
We're going out soon to get some dinner. I have a hankering for an Arby's but I'll take whatever we can find.
I am writing from the comfort of the Budget Inn Express in Gillette, Wyoming. We drove for about 12 hours today. That is a bit over 700 miles. The drive went smoothly and the only hairy part of the drive was east of Bozeman, Montana. We hit a 30 mile stretch of high winds and blowing snow.
The other hairy part was after sundown. You have to keep an eye out for deer on the highway. It was dark for Susan's turn at the wheel but when I took over after entering Wyoming, the waning moon came up and lit everything up quite nicely.
We're going out soon to get some dinner. I have a hankering for an Arby's but I'll take whatever we can find.
Monday, December 16, 2013
www.wheresgeorge.com
I take part in this "Where's George" website that tracks bills. I got a hit on a bill today, my first hit in more than a year.
I thought it was kind of interesting.
Ode to a Morning Commuter
I came up behind you on my drive in to work.
If you died, I'm sure it would free us.
I know that you suck by the way that you drive,
as you sit in your smug little Prius.
You could have moved over, you had plenty of room.
But you decided to drive me insane.
So you stayed where you were 'til your time ran out,
Then you stopped.....in the middle of my lane!
You're an inconsiderate bastard, you're a narcissistic shit.
I wish you nothing but horrible luck.
I hope that you die in a fiery crash,
You horrible, miserable....Prius Driver!
If you died, I'm sure it would free us.
I know that you suck by the way that you drive,
as you sit in your smug little Prius.
You could have moved over, you had plenty of room.
But you decided to drive me insane.
So you stayed where you were 'til your time ran out,
Then you stopped.....in the middle of my lane!
You're an inconsiderate bastard, you're a narcissistic shit.
I wish you nothing but horrible luck.
I hope that you die in a fiery crash,
You horrible, miserable....Prius Driver!
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Corbin Park Carriage Ride
I would like to call it a Sleigh Ride, but that's just not accurate.
So, we have 7 to 15 people coming over around 6PM to enjoy the annual festivities of the Carriage Ride. The house is clean (ish) and food and drink are ready.
I made good use of the cold temperatures we experienced last week and made lots of Ice Candles. Today it is in the high 40's and I think the Ice Candles will survive the the Carriage Ride.
It's a good thing it was sooooo coooold, which allowed me to make really thick-walled Ice Candles.
I have to get ready to go get some pizzas and get all my ignitables ignitalated.
10:19PM: The evening is over and I had too many Peppermint Patty's. More to follow! hic
So, we have 7 to 15 people coming over around 6PM to enjoy the annual festivities of the Carriage Ride. The house is clean (ish) and food and drink are ready.
I made good use of the cold temperatures we experienced last week and made lots of Ice Candles. Today it is in the high 40's and I think the Ice Candles will survive the the Carriage Ride.
It's a good thing it was sooooo coooold, which allowed me to make really thick-walled Ice Candles.
I have to get ready to go get some pizzas and get all my ignitables ignitalated.
10:19PM: The evening is over and I had too many Peppermint Patty's. More to follow! hic
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Carefree Weekend
Today shall be our final day of Holiday Painting. That is of course, unless someone else hires us...or we just do more.
The temperature is finally tolerable for outside painting. I think it is about 38 degrees right now and it's not even 10:00 yet.
We will be heading out shortly but I have a few little jobs to do around the house. The first and most important is to see about removing the cook top we have in the kitchen. It appears to be a dead soldier.
Crap! Everything is dying around here this week.
4:40PM: We are victorious! NOW...we are finished with the Holiday Painting. Susan has to work the Hockey game tonight but it is her favorite game of the year; the annual Teddy Bear Toss. When the Chiefs score their first goal, the crowd throws Teddy Bears (and assorted other stuffed animals) onto the ice. The bears are collected and they become Christmas presents distributed by a local charity.
I did work on pulling the cook top but we determined that since we are having people over tomorrow for the Corbin Park Carriage Ride, it would be best to leave it in place. It looks like it will come out easily enough once I can get all the duct tape off from around the fan vent to the outside.
The temperature is finally tolerable for outside painting. I think it is about 38 degrees right now and it's not even 10:00 yet.
We will be heading out shortly but I have a few little jobs to do around the house. The first and most important is to see about removing the cook top we have in the kitchen. It appears to be a dead soldier.
Crap! Everything is dying around here this week.
4:40PM: We are victorious! NOW...we are finished with the Holiday Painting. Susan has to work the Hockey game tonight but it is her favorite game of the year; the annual Teddy Bear Toss. When the Chiefs score their first goal, the crowd throws Teddy Bears (and assorted other stuffed animals) onto the ice. The bears are collected and they become Christmas presents distributed by a local charity.
I did work on pulling the cook top but we determined that since we are having people over tomorrow for the Corbin Park Carriage Ride, it would be best to leave it in place. It looks like it will come out easily enough once I can get all the duct tape off from around the fan vent to the outside.
Thursday, December 12, 2013
God Needed a Goldfish
Susan and I came home and discovered him stuck and had to kind of force him through the hole in the castle.
He was never quite the same after that. He developed a palsy in his tail and he eventually went blind.
Susan gave me Norman when we first started dating and he was a tiny little thang. He was about 13 years old.
I know he looks dead here but that's just him trying to make us look like bad fish owners. This picture was taken back in February.
Rest in Peace, Norman!
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Back to the Blog
We have been busy painting so I have had no time for Blogging. That is unfortunate for you, my eager mob of Blogging Minions...measuring almost into the double digits.
Another thing that has kept me away from the Blog is access to the Interweb, which I currently have none of at home. Our phone has been off for a week now. The Phone company, CenturyLink, said that there was a broken cable in our area causing outages to some customers and they estimated it would be fixed by today.
I called to check on it yesterday and they said the line had been repaired. The phone was dial toneless when I got home. Then I spent the next aggravating hour trying to talk to a human from America. I finally arranged for a technician to come to the house the following day (Today). I left instructions that the tech was to call me on my cell phone 30 minutes before he expected to be at the house. The call never came but I had a note from the technician saying he was sorry he missed me.
I'm now set up to the guy tomorrow at 4. We'll see what happens.
We have finished all our skywalk sites and all we have left to do are two buildings we paint the entrances of, on the outside. It has been way too cold to paint outside. Things are finally starting to warm up a bit. I'm hoping we can get them painted on Saturday.
Have I talked about Thanksgiving? Well, I will here! We had 14 people at our table for the feast. We never intended for it to get so big, but it just kind of happened.
There was a little stress in the air, especially when the upstairs toilet overflowed two hours before everyone arrived. I was removing the plastic seat covers when I thought I heard a cat throwing up. It turned out to be water dripping from the ceiling onto the table. Panic ensued and a few expletives were vocalized. I got the water cleaned up in the bathroom and that slowed the flow in the dining room.
We were able to get it under control and by the time guests started arriving, things was coo'.
Another thing that has kept me away from the Blog is access to the Interweb, which I currently have none of at home. Our phone has been off for a week now. The Phone company, CenturyLink, said that there was a broken cable in our area causing outages to some customers and they estimated it would be fixed by today.
I called to check on it yesterday and they said the line had been repaired. The phone was dial toneless when I got home. Then I spent the next aggravating hour trying to talk to a human from America. I finally arranged for a technician to come to the house the following day (Today). I left instructions that the tech was to call me on my cell phone 30 minutes before he expected to be at the house. The call never came but I had a note from the technician saying he was sorry he missed me.
I'm now set up to the guy tomorrow at 4. We'll see what happens.
We have finished all our skywalk sites and all we have left to do are two buildings we paint the entrances of, on the outside. It has been way too cold to paint outside. Things are finally starting to warm up a bit. I'm hoping we can get them painted on Saturday.
Have I talked about Thanksgiving? Well, I will here! We had 14 people at our table for the feast. We never intended for it to get so big, but it just kind of happened.
We were able to get it under control and by the time guests started arriving, things was coo'.
Friday, November 22, 2013
The Bad Memory of a Holiday Sell Out
We started our Holiday Window Painting Season last night. Yup, I've broken my tradition of not painting before Thanksgiving. I've sold out and I'm no better than WalMart. I suck!
I could console myself by saying that the customer wanted it done now while the venue is closed for annual repairs. I could make myself feel better by pointing out that images we painted are not really "Holiday" fare, but more of a winter theme. But the truth is I wanted the job (I wanted the money) and I would have lost the job (the money) if I had held off a week. And so...WalStan!
I am very dis-satisfied with my memories relating to this day fifty years ago. I was six, so I guess I can be forgiven for my lack of political awareness. I can only remember not being able to watch Sky King or Roy Rogers because a casket was rolling down the street for what seemed like three weeks.
I read through the paper this morning and they featured a reprint of the front page from fifty years ago. The main thing that struck me about it was the size. After shrinking the old front page to fit the width of the contemporary format, they still had about a third of a page to fill the bottom with a current article. It reminded me again of how much smaller newspapers are today and to me, that smallness translates to quality.
No wonder the industry is in trouble!
I am very dis-satisfied with my memories relating to this day fifty years ago. I was six, so I guess I can be forgiven for my lack of political awareness. I can only remember not being able to watch Sky King or Roy Rogers because a casket was rolling down the street for what seemed like three weeks.
I read through the paper this morning and they featured a reprint of the front page from fifty years ago. The main thing that struck me about it was the size. After shrinking the old front page to fit the width of the contemporary format, they still had about a third of a page to fill the bottom with a current article. It reminded me again of how much smaller newspapers are today and to me, that smallness translates to quality.
No wonder the industry is in trouble!
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Down Time
A quiet day here at the Club House as we start to begin to get ready to commence the kick off for embarking on a plan to prepare for the upcoming Holiday Window Painting Season. We have several jobs lined up but are still waiting to hear about the majority of sky walks downtown. It looks like we are going to do okay though.
So we went to church this morning and then goofed around after getting home...playing the piano, drinking beer and planning what we are going to do for Thanksgiving. It seems we are going to have a few friends over (about eight of us) and have a nice early Thanksgiving gathering.
I went back out to where I got all the firewood and dropped off our pumpkin remains for the deer out there. Then I grabbed a large stump that I will use as a chopping block for the turkey I plan to raise from a puppy (in the next two weeks) and the copious amounts of kindling I will be creating.
It's a rainy day and we should be doing some work around the house...but sometimes you have to give yourself some down time. Since we were parading around the state last week and had no time for down time, it occurred today. It is, in fact, occurring as I write.
So we went to church this morning and then goofed around after getting home...playing the piano, drinking beer and planning what we are going to do for Thanksgiving. It seems we are going to have a few friends over (about eight of us) and have a nice early Thanksgiving gathering.
I went back out to where I got all the firewood and dropped off our pumpkin remains for the deer out there. Then I grabbed a large stump that I will use as a chopping block for the turkey I plan to raise from a puppy (in the next two weeks) and the copious amounts of kindling I will be creating.
It's a rainy day and we should be doing some work around the house...but sometimes you have to give yourself some down time. Since we were parading around the state last week and had no time for down time, it occurred today. It is, in fact, occurring as I write.
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Wood Gathering and Leaf Replacement
They keep telling me that the snow is coming. They are often wrong but everyone feels some sort of fealty to the predictions that They make. So today was really my only day to get the rest of the leaves up off the ground.
As it turned out, I only got the leaves from one part of the ground to another part of the ground. It didn't feel like I accomplished a lot but the front yard looks largely leaf free and is ready to accept snow...whenever "They" deem it is coming.
My big accomplishment of the day was to reload my wood pile. You can see above that I was getting low.
I have been given access to a friends wood pile that has sat unused behind his house for a couple of whiles.
It took two loads in my car, stacked three rows deep and up to the roof, to get it all, but I should be good for a couple of months or so, depending on how much we burn. I'm burning right now!
So now I have this large pile by the back door and more in the Play House out back. I have a feeling I'm going to be chasing spiders out of my car for the next several days.
As it turned out, I only got the leaves from one part of the ground to another part of the ground. It didn't feel like I accomplished a lot but the front yard looks largely leaf free and is ready to accept snow...whenever "They" deem it is coming.
I have been given access to a friends wood pile that has sat unused behind his house for a couple of whiles.
Monday, November 11, 2013
Touring the Great Pac NW
Susan's sister Margaret, along with Margaret's son, Neil have been visiting us from Iowa for the last week. They jet out early tomorrow morning. I'm not sure of the time exactly. All I know is that I have to get up at four to take them to the airport.
Susan worked half days last week. She took them on a tour of all the exciting Spokane landmarks as they ventured around town and went to things like the museum, a few local wineries, and the suction goat.
We also had the annual pumpkin toss which was great fun.
Last Thursday, we packed up the car and set out for Seattle for a couple of days. We toured all the exciting Seattle landmarks as we ventured around town and went to things like the Space Needle, Pike Street Public Market, the Seattle Aquarium and any establishment that sells alcohol.
On Saturday, our plan was to leave town by ferry and tour Bainbridge Island, return by ferry from Kingston to Edmonds where the antique stores are voluminous and then drive to Leavenworth for a day of walking from shop to shop full of crap.
A small monkey wrench was thrown into our plans as I went to retrieve the car from the Parking Garage only to discover I had a dead battery.
I'm usually pretty well prepared for such emergencies. However, while loading up the car prior to our departure from Spokaloo, I removed the box that contains my jumper cables and a bunch of tools in order to make more room for luggage.
That fatal mistake cost us about three hours on Saturday as I roamed the streets of Seattle on foot trying to find a place that would sell me a car battery.
If you want coffee in Seattle, you needn't walk any further than the guy sleeping on a bus bench. But if you want a car battery...in the immediate Seattle downtown area...good luck!
Fortunately, I found a Jiffy Lube that was not too far of a walk that was able to accommodate my battery needs.
One hundred and fifty dollars later, we were on the road again.
Sure! A new set of jumper cables would have cost much less, but then I would be required to search out someone willing to give me a jump...in a parking garage. The battery I had was old and probably due for replacement so it just made more sense to get the battery and move on.
So we boarded the Ferry Wenatchee for the 30 minutes crossing to Bainbridge. There was a charming little seaside hamlet where we found a little 50's styled diner for lunch. After the girls spent some more time shopping, we headed north towards Kingston.
Susan and I spent an evening in Kingston a while back with our friends, Mike and Steven. We cruised over on their ChrisCraft floating home and spent the night.
Another 20 minute ferry ride got us to Edmonds where I went to a bar while everyone cruised the town in search of booty.
The drive to Leavenworth was a bit hairy as the rain was coming down which of course turned to snow on Stevens Pass. I'm coming to find that I don't enjoy driving at night as much as I used to. Not being able to see has something to do with that, I think.
All in all, it has been a nice visit with Neil and Margaret but I am sure I have gained ten pounds over the last few days. Also, I am sure I spent about $70.00 in two days just on parking in Seattle.
Here is a small selection of the many pictures I took over the last four days.
Space Needle from below.
Space Needle from Inside
Shadow of Space Needle
No Space Needle in this Picture
Can you tell they are sisters?
The whole city of Levenworth was Christmassy and out of focus.
Hooray for JeigerSchnitzel!
Susan worked half days last week. She took them on a tour of all the exciting Spokane landmarks as they ventured around town and went to things like the museum, a few local wineries, and the suction goat.
We also had the annual pumpkin toss which was great fun.
On Saturday, our plan was to leave town by ferry and tour Bainbridge Island, return by ferry from Kingston to Edmonds where the antique stores are voluminous and then drive to Leavenworth for a day of walking from shop to shop full of crap.
A small monkey wrench was thrown into our plans as I went to retrieve the car from the Parking Garage only to discover I had a dead battery.
I'm usually pretty well prepared for such emergencies. However, while loading up the car prior to our departure from Spokaloo, I removed the box that contains my jumper cables and a bunch of tools in order to make more room for luggage.
That fatal mistake cost us about three hours on Saturday as I roamed the streets of Seattle on foot trying to find a place that would sell me a car battery.
If you want coffee in Seattle, you needn't walk any further than the guy sleeping on a bus bench. But if you want a car battery...in the immediate Seattle downtown area...good luck!
Fortunately, I found a Jiffy Lube that was not too far of a walk that was able to accommodate my battery needs.
One hundred and fifty dollars later, we were on the road again.
Sure! A new set of jumper cables would have cost much less, but then I would be required to search out someone willing to give me a jump...in a parking garage. The battery I had was old and probably due for replacement so it just made more sense to get the battery and move on.
So we boarded the Ferry Wenatchee for the 30 minutes crossing to Bainbridge. There was a charming little seaside hamlet where we found a little 50's styled diner for lunch. After the girls spent some more time shopping, we headed north towards Kingston.
Susan and I spent an evening in Kingston a while back with our friends, Mike and Steven. We cruised over on their ChrisCraft floating home and spent the night.
Another 20 minute ferry ride got us to Edmonds where I went to a bar while everyone cruised the town in search of booty.
The drive to Leavenworth was a bit hairy as the rain was coming down which of course turned to snow on Stevens Pass. I'm coming to find that I don't enjoy driving at night as much as I used to. Not being able to see has something to do with that, I think.
All in all, it has been a nice visit with Neil and Margaret but I am sure I have gained ten pounds over the last few days. Also, I am sure I spent about $70.00 in two days just on parking in Seattle.
Here is a small selection of the many pictures I took over the last four days.
Tuesday, November 05, 2013
Winter Shows Up
After getting dressed this morning, I walked downstairs and let the cat out. It was a normal chilly Autumn morning, like every other morning in recent memory. Susan came down about three minutes later and said, "It's snowing!".
I looked out and it was really coming down. It had only just started and the ground was already turning white.
By the time I got out to the car to drive to work, it had a nice coat of heavy white on it.
Since this was going to be my first snow drive of the season, I was cognizant of the fact that it was possibly going to be a hairy commute. I never really worry about myself. I worry about the other drivers. All you other people! So I give everyone lots of room.
At the same time, I do not drive like a slow moving snow covered turtle. I'm deliberate and aggressive while giving everyone else lots o' room.
The conditions were damp and there was snow piling up between the lanes but it wasn't slick.
So I'm driving along on Interstate 90 in the fast lane and approaching the overpass at Evergreen Road. There was an SUV about 100 yards in front of me with one car between us.
I suddenly saw the rear end of this SUV swerve to the left and then to the other left, commonly referred to as right. It fishtailed dramatically a couple of times and then it rammed into the center divider. I was already slowing and I could feel the anti-lock brakes working. The SUV bounced off the divider and spun around a couple of times and stopped facing the wrong way straddling the center and outside lanes.
No other collisions occurred and the SUV didn't really look that bad. I drove past and could see the woman at the helm. I'm sure she was shaken up but it didn't appear that the air bag had gone off. It looked as though she could have turned around and driven off. I ended up driving on past the SUV and continued my journey.
As I rolled on, I thought I should have stopped to offer help or something...but I'm not sure what I could have done other than block traffic.
I talked to a co-worker who drove through the scene after the event and she said the SUV was off on the shoulder of the freeway, still facing the wrong way but traffic wasn't backed up.
So that was my first snow drive of Winter 2013-14.
I looked out and it was really coming down. It had only just started and the ground was already turning white.
Since this was going to be my first snow drive of the season, I was cognizant of the fact that it was possibly going to be a hairy commute. I never really worry about myself. I worry about the other drivers. All you other people! So I give everyone lots of room.
At the same time, I do not drive like a slow moving snow covered turtle. I'm deliberate and aggressive while giving everyone else lots o' room.
The conditions were damp and there was snow piling up between the lanes but it wasn't slick.
So I'm driving along on Interstate 90 in the fast lane and approaching the overpass at Evergreen Road. There was an SUV about 100 yards in front of me with one car between us.
I suddenly saw the rear end of this SUV swerve to the left and then to the other left, commonly referred to as right. It fishtailed dramatically a couple of times and then it rammed into the center divider. I was already slowing and I could feel the anti-lock brakes working. The SUV bounced off the divider and spun around a couple of times and stopped facing the wrong way straddling the center and outside lanes.
No other collisions occurred and the SUV didn't really look that bad. I drove past and could see the woman at the helm. I'm sure she was shaken up but it didn't appear that the air bag had gone off. It looked as though she could have turned around and driven off. I ended up driving on past the SUV and continued my journey.
As I rolled on, I thought I should have stopped to offer help or something...but I'm not sure what I could have done other than block traffic.
I talked to a co-worker who drove through the scene after the event and she said the SUV was off on the shoulder of the freeway, still facing the wrong way but traffic wasn't backed up.
So that was my first snow drive of Winter 2013-14.
Friday, November 01, 2013
Picking Up After the Storm
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Mo' Autumn Leafses
Sunday involved more work with leaves. We have managed to bag up 5 large trash bags packed tight with leaves. As I looked out on the yard this morning, it looks as though we don't even own a rake.
Yesterday was extremely windy and the first really cold day of the season. The leaves are piled everywhere. I was going to take my bags of leaves to the dump this week, but I have decided to wait until the weekend when I will clearly have more bags to take with me.
We got the rest of the Halloween stuff down from the Carriage House and the special hideaway where we keep the fake pumpkins.
All this crap will be sitting around the house for the next few days and until it is placed out in the yard on Thursday.
I still haven't achieved Flying Ghost yet. I'm still messing with the posts and getting the post anchors securely pounded into the ground. I think I have discovered something important as far as pounding these post anchors into the ground.
I have been using short lengths of 4x4 posts to place in the sleeve of the post anchor and then pound with my sledge hammer. The short length really takes a beating and is generally destroyed and splintered apart before I get the thing completely pounded to the ground.
If I use a longer length of the 4x4, it doesn't seem to get destroyed like the shorter length. Hence, it is easier to remove the 4x4 post when I am finished.
I have yet to complete all my experimentation with this theory and will report back when my findings are more conclusively definitive.
Yesterday was extremely windy and the first really cold day of the season. The leaves are piled everywhere. I was going to take my bags of leaves to the dump this week, but I have decided to wait until the weekend when I will clearly have more bags to take with me.
We got the rest of the Halloween stuff down from the Carriage House and the special hideaway where we keep the fake pumpkins.
All this crap will be sitting around the house for the next few days and until it is placed out in the yard on Thursday.
I still haven't achieved Flying Ghost yet. I'm still messing with the posts and getting the post anchors securely pounded into the ground. I think I have discovered something important as far as pounding these post anchors into the ground.
I have been using short lengths of 4x4 posts to place in the sleeve of the post anchor and then pound with my sledge hammer. The short length really takes a beating and is generally destroyed and splintered apart before I get the thing completely pounded to the ground.
If I use a longer length of the 4x4, it doesn't seem to get destroyed like the shorter length. Hence, it is easier to remove the 4x4 post when I am finished.
I have yet to complete all my experimentation with this theory and will report back when my findings are more conclusively definitive.
Saturday, October 26, 2013
The Autumn Leaves
There was a ton to do today and very high on the list was to get the leaves in the front yard raked up. But there was also the installation of a new cover lift for the hot tub, getting more Halloween decor into position and doing something with our Cabernet wine. The must has been sitting in pulp for nearly two weeks now and it's time to get the rest of the juice out of the pulp.
But first, let's stop and take note of the birthday of my sister, Sherry. She would have been 51 today. Oh well, I guess forever 50 is better...except for the part where you are dead!
The first job we tackled was the wine. Yes, that is the way our priorities go.
I took the wine that was sitting in a se7en gallon bucket and poured it into a clean ice chest. As I poured it, Susan held a large mesh bag and collected the pulp. There was still a lot of juice in that pulp and we aim to get it.
Then we let the juice in the ice chest drain into a six gallon carboy. It looks like we got about three gallons.
Next I tied the mesh bag to my camera tripod to allow the juice to run out.
I squeezed the bag throughout the day but this is a very inefficient way of getting that juice. We really need a fruit press.
We next had to do some maneuvering of furniture and carpets in the Dining and Living spaces. We still have the piano up on casters so we can move it around as we need to when we get back in there to really finish the project.
With that accomplished, I moved to the backyard and the hot tub.
There is an earlier post that shows the old lift and how it has pulled its screws right out of the side of the tub.
We purchased a side mounted lift, which is what we really should have had from the start.
It was clearly made in China because the directions were really bad. I had to figure most of it out myself. The directions provided lots of useful information but it left out giant parts, like how to install the hydraulic struts onto the brace arm.
In the end, I won.
My next task was to get the Flying Ghost display set up. I had pounded the post keepers into the ground earlier in the week so all I had to do was drop the post into the sleeves and tighten them up.
At that point, I could no longer ignore the leaves. I got out my Power Vac and my Leaf Blower and went to work.
I'll have to pick them up tomorrow. Today I was only able to get them in piles.
Susan had to work the Hockey game so I had the evening to myself.
I had gone over to Jim's Home Brew to price a fruit press. They had one there in stock but it was much larger than I would ever need and it cost $700. I came to find out that even a smaller one was going to run about $300. That's too much for something I would use once, maybe twice a year.
I decided later in the evening to cover that mesh bag containing the pulp. I untied it from the tripod and was going to move it to a different bucket and pour off the juice we had when it slipped from my hand and plopped down hard in the bucket of juice.
A giant funnel of juice was unleashed upwards. My face and body took the brunt of the impact and then the remaining juice distributed unevenly all about the adjacent area. I'm certain I'll be cleaning up sticky dried juice for weeks to come.
Another typical Saturday on Corbin Park!
But first, let's stop and take note of the birthday of my sister, Sherry. She would have been 51 today. Oh well, I guess forever 50 is better...except for the part where you are dead!
The first job we tackled was the wine. Yes, that is the way our priorities go.
Then we let the juice in the ice chest drain into a six gallon carboy. It looks like we got about three gallons.
I squeezed the bag throughout the day but this is a very inefficient way of getting that juice. We really need a fruit press.
We next had to do some maneuvering of furniture and carpets in the Dining and Living spaces. We still have the piano up on casters so we can move it around as we need to when we get back in there to really finish the project.
With that accomplished, I moved to the backyard and the hot tub.
There is an earlier post that shows the old lift and how it has pulled its screws right out of the side of the tub.
We purchased a side mounted lift, which is what we really should have had from the start.
It was clearly made in China because the directions were really bad. I had to figure most of it out myself. The directions provided lots of useful information but it left out giant parts, like how to install the hydraulic struts onto the brace arm.
At that point, I could no longer ignore the leaves. I got out my Power Vac and my Leaf Blower and went to work.
Susan had to work the Hockey game so I had the evening to myself.
I had gone over to Jim's Home Brew to price a fruit press. They had one there in stock but it was much larger than I would ever need and it cost $700. I came to find out that even a smaller one was going to run about $300. That's too much for something I would use once, maybe twice a year.
I decided later in the evening to cover that mesh bag containing the pulp. I untied it from the tripod and was going to move it to a different bucket and pour off the juice we had when it slipped from my hand and plopped down hard in the bucket of juice.
Another typical Saturday on Corbin Park!
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