I missed posting about my trip to the Bay Area this past week. The Pacific biomass Conference was being held downtown at the Mariott and I was speaking on Tuesday morning. I flew down from Seattle on Monday afternoon, arriving about 4:00. I took BART in from the airport to Powell Street, which was right next to the hotel. Very convenient, and just as fast as a taxi at 1/5th the price.
Also at that station is an Apple Store. I took advantage of this by taking my iPad in. It had spopped charging normally, and they agreed that it was messed up. They offered to replace it with a new iPad just like the one I had, for $99. I took the deal when they would not make an allowance on an iPad 2. So, this posting is being made on my new iPad.
The conference was well attended and I had a good visit wth lots of industry friends. As the news from Seattle continued to predict a bad storm starting at midnight, I chose to take an early flight and hit the ground at 10:40 pm. I made it home at midnight. It was not snowing when I was coming home, and there was no snow south of Woodinville. However, there was lots of snow on the ground on Wednesday morning, and the depth increased during the day. I made the right call by coming home early.
You have seen the images of the snow from the TV. Suffice it to say that there was as much snow here as anywhere in the Seattle area. Judy was steadily shoveling. I broke out the snow blower on Thursday and did the driveway and the courtyard. I took them down to less than an inch, and when the rain started on Friday they cleared first. It was nice to have clear driving at home.
The local roads were terrible on friday. Slush, deep snow, and lots of rain combined to make things difficult. By Saturday it was getting better. The main roads were good, and the highways were fine and clear. In another couple of days there won't be any snow left.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
A bit of home work
Mostly I write about my travels, but I wanted to recount the trevails of a little kitchen repair project that has taken a week to complete.
Last Saturday we decided to finally get around to replacing the not-working hot water tap at the kitchen sink. When we had the grantite counters installed we also had this convenient little tap installed, and loved the occasional cup of tea it provided. The instant-on hot water was nice. Well, after a few years it started acting up with occasional bursts of spontaneous hot water erupting from it, then loud heating noises, then a funny smell in the water. I finally just unplugged it from the outlet under the sink, and turned off the water supply. So, there it sat from then until last Saturday when it "was time" to do somethihg about it. We went to the Home Depot and bought a replacement, cleaned out under the sink, and here I go...
I had put this project off exactly because I knew what would be required. I had to dismantle all the piping under the sink, take out the garbage disposal unit, remove the soap dispenser, and un-hook all the connections to the heater unit. The real trick was to get that large box from behind all the obstructions. Unfortunately the replcement box was even biggger! I managed to get it in, and mounted to the back wall. In fact, after all this Joe Plummer stuff with me lying on my back with my head in the leaked kink drippings (which smelled very bad), I was reminded why I went to university in the first place! Anyway, I had it all but installed when the final act was to be to use the screw in the bottom of the faucet unit to engage a moon-shaped plate under the granite which holds it in place tightly. Damn, the screw was 1/2" too short! Judy ran to the hardware store to get a longer one, but they were closed (Sunday afternoon in the snow storm), etc. We were literally screwed. I got a replacement screw yesterday and the final installation took about 30 minutes.
I didn't mention a slight complication. During the dismantling process I left the main water faucet alone so it could be used. Judy just casually took the portion of the faucet that pulls out, like she had done a 1,000 times, and it snaps off in her hand, spraying water all over her and the kitchen! What are the chances? Anyway, while I had all the parts accessible we were able to replace this part too, so now we have all new hardware. Very nice.
So, in the standard Smith Family fashion, a Molehill to Mountain sort of situation developed when none was planned. We started out to replace the hot water spiggot, and ended up replacing all the sink faucets in the process. Overall cost was about $425.
Last Saturday we decided to finally get around to replacing the not-working hot water tap at the kitchen sink. When we had the grantite counters installed we also had this convenient little tap installed, and loved the occasional cup of tea it provided. The instant-on hot water was nice. Well, after a few years it started acting up with occasional bursts of spontaneous hot water erupting from it, then loud heating noises, then a funny smell in the water. I finally just unplugged it from the outlet under the sink, and turned off the water supply. So, there it sat from then until last Saturday when it "was time" to do somethihg about it. We went to the Home Depot and bought a replacement, cleaned out under the sink, and here I go...
I had put this project off exactly because I knew what would be required. I had to dismantle all the piping under the sink, take out the garbage disposal unit, remove the soap dispenser, and un-hook all the connections to the heater unit. The real trick was to get that large box from behind all the obstructions. Unfortunately the replcement box was even biggger! I managed to get it in, and mounted to the back wall. In fact, after all this Joe Plummer stuff with me lying on my back with my head in the leaked kink drippings (which smelled very bad), I was reminded why I went to university in the first place! Anyway, I had it all but installed when the final act was to be to use the screw in the bottom of the faucet unit to engage a moon-shaped plate under the granite which holds it in place tightly. Damn, the screw was 1/2" too short! Judy ran to the hardware store to get a longer one, but they were closed (Sunday afternoon in the snow storm), etc. We were literally screwed. I got a replacement screw yesterday and the final installation took about 30 minutes.
I didn't mention a slight complication. During the dismantling process I left the main water faucet alone so it could be used. Judy just casually took the portion of the faucet that pulls out, like she had done a 1,000 times, and it snaps off in her hand, spraying water all over her and the kitchen! What are the chances? Anyway, while I had all the parts accessible we were able to replace this part too, so now we have all new hardware. Very nice.
So, in the standard Smith Family fashion, a Molehill to Mountain sort of situation developed when none was planned. We started out to replace the hot water spiggot, and ended up replacing all the sink faucets in the process. Overall cost was about $425.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Holidays in the Rear View Mirror
We had a very happy holiday here at the Smith house. There were family and friends around us, we had lots of good times and no bad ones. We never ran out of food or drink, and the dogs kept us entertained every minute. It was great.
Now as I see the snow on Pilchuck, creepoing down to the bottom of the hill, thoughts turn to skiing and snow activities. I hope things get cold enough to support the snowfall we need for skiing and other activities. The happy start to the season in November seems to have puttered out. It has actually been dry, and we need the snow to kick things into gear. My awesome tires are still awesme, but I don;t have much of a chance to show them off.
We are scheduled to visit Whistler at the end of January, so I suppose that is a sort of guaranteed snow event. Maybe I should not worry?
Now as I see the snow on Pilchuck, creepoing down to the bottom of the hill, thoughts turn to skiing and snow activities. I hope things get cold enough to support the snowfall we need for skiing and other activities. The happy start to the season in November seems to have puttered out. It has actually been dry, and we need the snow to kick things into gear. My awesome tires are still awesme, but I don;t have much of a chance to show them off.
We are scheduled to visit Whistler at the end of January, so I suppose that is a sort of guaranteed snow event. Maybe I should not worry?
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
To and Fro - this is the Fro part!
Note: I wrote this while on the plane back from Atlanta. I have men remiss for not posting it sooner. My apologies.
After spending a week in Alpharetta it will be good to be home again. There is not too much for me to do when I am there except work, go to dinner, and sleep. I don't get to exercise and it gets dark so walking is genially not possible. The group always goes out for a big lunch so I skip breakfast most days to compensate. Exercising again will be great. And golfing a bit.
Last night was the company holiday party. Most of these have been deadly dull but last night was the exception. I had fun, and so did Judy. She wore a slinky dress and looked fantastic. We mixed and mingled. There were several new folks, all of whom I knew, so we spent some time meeting spouses and SO's, some of whom were very interesting. At the conclusion of the evening we went over to the company president's house for another drink before calling it a night. All in all a very positive evening. And I wore the holiday hat I bought in Finland which was a sensation. Lots of fun.
So here we sit on the plane heading home. We are both in economy but are not sitting together. She is on the aisle in row 34 and ditto for me in row 23. We are getting in about an hour early, so that is good. Hopefully we can spend some quality time at home.
No travels planned this week. Lots of paperwork to deal with, and project work.
After spending a week in Alpharetta it will be good to be home again. There is not too much for me to do when I am there except work, go to dinner, and sleep. I don't get to exercise and it gets dark so walking is genially not possible. The group always goes out for a big lunch so I skip breakfast most days to compensate. Exercising again will be great. And golfing a bit.
Last night was the company holiday party. Most of these have been deadly dull but last night was the exception. I had fun, and so did Judy. She wore a slinky dress and looked fantastic. We mixed and mingled. There were several new folks, all of whom I knew, so we spent some time meeting spouses and SO's, some of whom were very interesting. At the conclusion of the evening we went over to the company president's house for another drink before calling it a night. All in all a very positive evening. And I wore the holiday hat I bought in Finland which was a sensation. Lots of fun.
So here we sit on the plane heading home. We are both in economy but are not sitting together. She is on the aisle in row 34 and ditto for me in row 23. We are getting in about an hour early, so that is good. Hopefully we can spend some quality time at home.
No travels planned this week. Lots of paperwork to deal with, and project work.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Finger nail report
In September I smashed my finger. It is the middle finger on my right hand. A heavy lid came suddenly down on just the end of it, smashing the finger nail and turning a large part of it black. It hurt a fair bit, but the processes that have ensued in the past 3 months have been fascinating to watch. The damaged portion is now in the last one third of the nail, with a new nail growing out normally and under the damaged part. I used a nail file to remove the worst of the damaged part several weeks ago, and now use clear nail polish to glue the top and bottom parts together. I trim off the end of the nail normally with clippers and the damaged and disconnected nail gradually grows out. It looks a bit damaged from a distance, but if you just look at it closely you see normal healthy nail growing out from the base, and dark spots that persist on the sides. Did you know that the center of the nail grows lots faster than the sides? It does!
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Holidays and Family
Here it is, the last day of the ho,iday weekend. The house has been filled with teh sights, sounds, and smells of the holiday, with all the kids here most nights for dinner. Turkey on T0-day, of course. Carbonarra last night, a triple double batch (and there are no leftovers!). And today we have a big sausage from Spokane that should feed us all. It has been a no-stress, fun-filled weekend.
Judy has been working like mad to finish at least one of the three countdown calendars she is making for hte kids. Jillian's and Will's was finished last night, and they will take it home with them tomorrow when they return to Chicago. The daily markers are individual tree ornaments made of felt in all sorts of shapes, and they are really cute. This feversh work has kept Judy busy, however, and she is happy that they are now, finally, coming together just in time for the season. They are truly beautiful and are a lasting treasure.
Today it is raining, a lot. Welcome to winter.
Judy has been working like mad to finish at least one of the three countdown calendars she is making for hte kids. Jillian's and Will's was finished last night, and they will take it home with them tomorrow when they return to Chicago. The daily markers are individual tree ornaments made of felt in all sorts of shapes, and they are really cute. This feversh work has kept Judy busy, however, and she is happy that they are now, finally, coming together just in time for the season. They are truly beautiful and are a lasting treasure.
Today it is raining, a lot. Welcome to winter.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
How REI has changed my Life!
My whole life I've been a bit confused about my athleticism.
I've always thought of myself as being rather sporting, at least in terms of being able to do things relatively active. I played racketball in college, and was fairly good. I bicycled at that stage of my life. I played basketball in high school (not well) and I participated in other activities. I have been a life long physical education participant, including running, hiking, biking, golfing and and pretty much any sort of physical activity. Now in my mid 50's, I'm still active and can keep up with folks much younger than I am.
So, if I hold fantasies that I can still hike and camp with men 30 years younger than I, am I fooling myself? Does my experience count for something? I suppose that if I am as smart as I think I am, I'd choose not to do dumb things like snow camping! But I think that snow camping sounds like fun! I remember a camp or two I did when I was a teenager and the memories were good, and maybe I don't remember how cold I was! Anyway, it sounds like fun again, and I like the idea of getting the "right" equipment to make the event possible in a modern sense. Cook stoves, hot tea, thermal socks, micro-fiber t-shirts, and all that high-tech stuff we've come up with that make cold weather camping possible for wussies like me are all enticing. Tents and sleeping bags rated for -10C! Cross-country skis and back packs filled with trail mix, Gore-tex and thermal down. Who could resist the technology?
Now, where to go?
I've always thought of myself as being rather sporting, at least in terms of being able to do things relatively active. I played racketball in college, and was fairly good. I bicycled at that stage of my life. I played basketball in high school (not well) and I participated in other activities. I have been a life long physical education participant, including running, hiking, biking, golfing and and pretty much any sort of physical activity. Now in my mid 50's, I'm still active and can keep up with folks much younger than I am.
So, if I hold fantasies that I can still hike and camp with men 30 years younger than I, am I fooling myself? Does my experience count for something? I suppose that if I am as smart as I think I am, I'd choose not to do dumb things like snow camping! But I think that snow camping sounds like fun! I remember a camp or two I did when I was a teenager and the memories were good, and maybe I don't remember how cold I was! Anyway, it sounds like fun again, and I like the idea of getting the "right" equipment to make the event possible in a modern sense. Cook stoves, hot tea, thermal socks, micro-fiber t-shirts, and all that high-tech stuff we've come up with that make cold weather camping possible for wussies like me are all enticing. Tents and sleeping bags rated for -10C! Cross-country skis and back packs filled with trail mix, Gore-tex and thermal down. Who could resist the technology?
Now, where to go?
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