Porches, Pits and Patios

R was still at the beach this weekend. M and, C and I worked around the house quite a bit. The finish-up work continues. Back in May, I commented that our place should be known as "Zeno's Cottage" in reference to Zeno's Dichotomy Paradox. Really, it's the Pareto Principle that's in play on our house. You know, the one where 80% of the job takes 20% of the effort, then the remaining 20% of the job takes the 80% of the effort? That one.

With the patio completion languishing in the purgatory of a contractor that doesn't arrive as planned, C has been doing the work of two day-laborers, digging out the area alongside the parking area as well as the path into the yard from the parking area. It's tiring, hard physical work that she shouldn't be doing. But she wants the patio crew to have no excuses for not finishing the job. I have some feelings on both sides of this dynamic, but they're going to do what they're going to do. Given that the Saturday temps were in the mid-90s, this was a huge amount of physical exertion for Cate. At least she was working in the shade.

So, at this moment, the pathway has a 2-foot pit dug, ready for drainage gravel and pavers. The edge of the parking area now has a similar pit, ready for gravel all across. These two drainage areas will provide more sure-footed movement, as well as a place to capture rainwater and keep it from puddling on the path. This should close the lid on any wintertime drainage issues going forward.

On Sunday, C also cut in a bunch of flagstones to make a footpath to from the parking area toward the house. It's starting to look well put together.

The patio guy did show up for about an hour on Saturday. He mapped out the wiring for the outdoor lighting, and promised to be back later that day. We didn't seem him hall weekend.

I spent the two days of the weekend doing detailed finish work - primarily on the porch - but throughout:

• New window trim around the porch window sashes. For a couple of these pieces, it took a couple hours of careful, precise, carving-style work.
• Patched in the siding gaps around the porch that Bo and Cody left unfinished. Now the siding comes right up to the door frame - no gap.
• Pegged the holes in the outside window hinge mounts. Ready for new decorative hinges as soon as we can mount the stained glass window.
• Fabricated a baseplate for the porch light. Mounted the baseplate to the house and installed siding all around.
• Painted all the new siding that I had installed.
• Since I had the paint out, I painted touch-up spots all around the house.
• Installed a trim sill plate under the dining room window area. This has been a bunch of raggedy-looking tar paper since the siding project. This sill plate helps the overall transition from the shingle siding to the foundation by presenting a very finished looking trim piece. Originally, there had been a large piece of decorative quarter-round there. That solution will not work now. Instead, I milled a piece of hardwood 1x2 and installed that as the trim piece. I'll match this piece on the living room side, and the front of the house will be consistent and balanced.
• Moved a number of siding shingles that Bo and Cody installed crooked.
• Finally got the decorative piece of quarter-round trim installed under the dining room window sill.
• Installed the porch lamp on the new baseplate. Now the porch lamp looks thought-out, well constructed, and hands properly. It doesn't look like a tossed-up afterthought any more.
• There was a piece of under-eave crown molding that encroached on the front porch entryway. I cut it away and started balancing up the look of the front entryway.
• Selected a door knocker for the front door with C. She had two options: the knocker, or a hand-crank mechanical doorbell. We went with the knocker because the bell mechanism would look funny hanging off our door.
• Re-mounted all the door hardware with new (antique-looking) screw hardware.
• Shaved the stained glass window frame to fix the sticky spots. Now the window closes smoothly.
• Replaced the failed GFI in the kitchen.

For me, I was working in the full sun all weekend. Lots of water and a lovingly caring wife who kept me slathered up in SPF 30 helped me survive. I've got a bit of a tan working now; and a front entry that no longer looks like it belongs on "The Crooked Man's" House.

Late last night, C brought out the can of stain to touch up the spots I shaved off with the planer. All that window needs now is a latch that will fit in the space we have.  She's off to Rejuvenation today to do exactly that.

Other items on the short-term list to complete:

• More grass seed in the front yard. Some was washed away before it took root.
• Finish the outside trim paint on the house and garage.
• Install corner trim flashings on the corners of the house to seal off the new/old siding.
• On the front porch entry:
  • Re-align the gutter so the downspout is no longer the high-spot
  • Re-align the fascia under the gutter to give the appearance that the fascia is square. Right now it sags pretty noticeably to the left.
• Install the second stained glass window.
• Back door hinge hardware swapped out for new.
• UV film on the living room picture window. This is working so well elsewhere, we're considering using it on the big picture window. Heat really isn't he issue here, however. UV protection for the furniture might be the larger concern.

While the rest of the family is gone next week (C and R at Boy Scout camp; M at the beach with Grandma/Grandpa), I'll be holding down the fort with the animals. My plan is to paint the trim on the outside eaves. The rest of the family ought to come home to a completely painted house. It'll feel good to have that project completed, and the house will be all crisp looking as well. I can hardly wait. 

We celebrated a great week with M - she's so low maintenance, overall - by taking her out to see Wall-E during its opening weekend. It was a good story - hardly any dialog, overall. Such a deeply rich visually-told story. 

Hoda's Restaurant

 

 

 

 

 

Then we had Mediterranean food at Hoda's on Belmont after the movie.

The girls enjoyed the night out. So did I.

Tunguska Was a Meteor!

MOSCOW, June 30 (RIA Novosti) - International researchers investigating the Tunguska Event, an explosion exactly 100 years ago in central Siberia, say acid rain traces in the region back up the theory that the blast was caused by a meteorite.

Link to article on Novosti

Look At Eyes!!

 

No, not Chip's eyes -- everyone else's. This photo triggered the realization for me: this is what my lovely wife sees when we're all sitting around the dinner table with her -- six little little blue-hued windows into the souls of her three family members. She must have ice water in her veins not to be instantly melted by an azure onslaught such as this! How is it that she possibly EVER says 'no' to all this dark haired, blue eyed wonderfulness?

Giant Squid Found Off California Coast - BoingBoing

We didn't see anything like THIS on our whale watching trip, but this sort of stuff is out there in Monterey Bay!

Remains of a rare giant squid turned up off the coast of Santa Cruz, California yesterday. According to researchers from the Pelagic Shark Research Foundation, this specimen was probably 25 feet long and weighed hundreds of pounds when alive. Only one giant squid has ever been caught on video alive.

Here's the BoingBoing post  http://www.boingboing.net/2008/06/26/giant-squid-found-of.html

and the link to the article in the Santa Cruz Sentinel: http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/ci_9697779

 

The animal's cause of death was not immediately known, nor were its dimensions. .

Giant squid can grow upward of 50 and 60 feet and weigh up to a ton, according to researchers.

The tentacles of Wednesday's catch, which were as thick as a human leg, were mostly gone and its eyes and several body parts were missing.

Family Resemblance

The general consensus has usually been that M looks like my side of the family. Get her around my mom, and you'd probably say the same thing.

But look at this photo side-by-side with Grandpa Joe, her maternal grandfather... yep. There's a definite resemblance, yeah?

• nose
• smile
• jaw/cheek line
• ears
• gleaming eyes

There is absolutely NO DOUBT about it!

Dispatches From The Beach - R Writes In!

This email just in from R, as he spends a "just me" week with Grandma and Grandpa at the family compound in Pacific City.

 

Dad;

This morning grampa and I went fishing at town lake, and I caught 8 fish. I also saw a newt! It was great! I saw the newt while leaning towards the lake from the top of a tree that leaned out over the water, the newt was cool. by the way, the invitations are corrected,enveloped, and addresed, exept for B's. however, they are not stamped, yet.........

(but they will be......maybe......)                G'night!

                                                                                                        R

He's referring to invitations for his birthday party. We're planning a sleep-over for a handful of friends in mid-July. Maybe a little laser tag...

The catalyst for a "just me" week is M's Girl Scout Day Camp this week. M will get a "just me" week next month, while R goes to Boy Scout summer camp. In the meantime, R's having fun with his friend at the beach, and working on his typing and writing by emailing me regularly. That part's fun!

The Nose Knows, Wherever It Goes

KGW TV posted this news piece on area allergy levels. No news to me... I've been overwhelmed by uncharacteristically strong grass pollen allergies for almost three weeks. Link is here:

http://www.kgw.com/video/video-index.html?nvid=257246&shu=1

Next Year's Science Fair - I Can See It Now

 

I'll be picking this up, most certainly: 

A working Yale type lock to cut out and make. Print out the pages of this model onto thin card, follow the fully illustrated instructions and make your own working model warded lock.

Thanks to Boing Boing for the post. Seems this company has a whole slew of papercraft locks for educational purposes.

http://www.flying-pig.co.uk/pagesv/cylinder.html

Cheaper PV Solar Production from Oregon?

An interesting article from on Oregon, solar, and entrepreneur Jim Schumacher:

Oregon is betting big on all forms of renewable energy, but none has drawn more investment and business interest than the burgeoning solar industry. At the world's largest solar trade show in Munich, Germany, in April there was one U.S. state with its own booth: Oregon.

http://www.redorbit.com/news/business/1445722/sun_sun_sun_here_it_comes/

Slabtown

I entered into the weekend still fighting allergies. Three weeks now. I was getting really, really tired from spending all that energy on fighting off pollen. In fact Friday night I just plopped down and slept. The rest of the family was getting ready to play Carcassonne; I couldn't do it. I slept the clock around. First real good sleep in a week.

But I awoke inundated with allergies still. I did a little around the house, but Saturday was mostly a day to sleep, rest, and to try to stay enthusiastic about breathing.

Saturday night / Sunday morning, though, it rained a bit. Just enough to wash the pollen out of the air. I awoke feeling noticeably better. That sense of being better continued throughout the day, as C and I worked outside.

Our plans were to make the garage usable. That didn't happen. But we did tend to the new grass (it's coming up), and sculpted the pile of dirt in the back yard into a berm. Naturally, that wasn't as straightforward as one would hope. Par for the course in an old house.

See, it turned out that there's a bunch of concrete under the back corner. Looks like an oil pit for car repairs. The previous owners just bark dusted over it. No wonder the winter rains didn't drain well back there. WE scraped all the dirt off the concrete, and have been discussing how to handle the new discovery. Our current thought is to integrate the pads into our back yard decoration in some way. We'll probably fill the pit with gravel to provide drainage and to eliminate the hole altogether. Perhaps, in a while, we might install a garden tool shed over in that area. If we do, then the concrete will make the perfect slab for the foundation. 

Recent Highlights

"Real" Spy Gear

 

As Make: Magazine puts it, "Here's a an easy to make, dollar store DIY spy microphone that lets you listen from afar and bring the sounds up close."  link here

M's Recital - Success!

So Grandma Gin, Grandpa Joe and Grandma Shirley attended M's dance recital last night. It was awesome. M's class had eight or so girls in it, making for the largest group ballet she's danced in to date.

We all rode in the Honda Odyssey, making the short 2.5 mile trip to the Newmark Theater in just a few moments. Much less stess than coming in from the 'burbs! The show started about 6:30 and ran for almost three hours. M's group was twelfth of about 40 acts.

Increasingly, M is being used in a leadership role for dances. That was true this time, too. M was positioned toward the front and center, where other girls could take their cues from M's timing. M, on the other hand, being in front, had almost nobody to take cues from. No matter, she didn't need them. She had her part mastered, to the level that she had enough presence-of-mind left over even while performing that she discreetly (but actively) helped other girls remember their positions.

The costumes were elegant and beautiful: a dusty rose colored velvet-type outfit with a white tutu.

M has come SO FAR from the early days. The stuff she's doing is starting to actually look like ballet. It's enough to make a dad cry. So I did. And why not? I certainly pay enough for the classes to deserve getting a strong emotional reaction back from the show!

We finished the night at Rimsky-Korsakoffee House for dessert. Again, just a couple blocks over the river from the Newmark. The coffees and desserts were excellent (and eccentric) as usual. Then, just two blocks to SE Stark and 27 blocks to home.

The whole night; right in our own neighborhood. Nice. THIS is why we moved here.

Dance Recital Tonight

The family's all abuzz; M's dance recital is tonight. This is her big deal, just as State Championships in gymnastics are R's big deal. I'll post photos once we have them. Grandpa Joe and Grandma Shirley are going to be impressed. I understand that my daughter not only has her part of the performance down cold, but that she's acting as a leader on stage, keeping everyone else on point as well.

Now if I can only keep my allergies in check long enough to survive the theater, I'll be in great shape.

We Like the Patio!

So far, we've had two consecutive dinners on the patio. Last night, we had chicken and marinated shrimp. It was awesome. C and her folks found the perfect Chiminera for the patio as well. It's the perfect compromise for both C and I; it's enclosed, affords a 360 degree view of the fire, metal (not terra cotta) iron/copper colored to match our lawn furniture... I got everything I wanted; she got everything she wanted. We're happy. I also liked the fact that this one was over $100 less expensive than everything else we'd been looking at.

 

So, after dinner, we sat around the fire, talking until the sun went down. That was a nice time. I cut roses from our yard and gave them to C. I think she started feeling the connection to the yard as if it were her's now. It's been so long that we've been waiting for suitable weather. Here it is. Praise to God.

There's a Lot of Revitalization Right On Our Street!

So I've been slowly turning my attention from my own plot of land in Laurelhurst. Picking up my head now that I won't get rain in my eyes, to fully realize just how much neighborhood revitalization is happening right here on our block.

Now, naturally, we're a part of it. A pretty big part, if I can say so about myself. But we're not the largest rehab undertaken on our block in the nine months we've been here.

The house next door sold, and is under a slow-but-steady update. Paint, attention to the landscaping, etc. No kids, but that could change any time./

A house on Oak Street, behind us but sharing the alley, has been gutted. The one-story thatched-roof style bungalow is being turned into a two-story modern-interior home that maintains the same Laurelhurst character on the outside. They gutted the whole inside, stripped the outside to the cladding, demolished the garage and completely obliterated the backyard. It'll be nice when they're done, but its currently  a full-scale construction project. One has to expect that this house is being expanded so as to accomodate a family with children.

Two doors down to the east, a house with the same original floorplan as ours has sold, for the same price we paid for ours last year. Its a good house, but needs about $100-$150 in updates to match ours. It's self-evident that anyone buying that house intends to tackle the rehab. Want to bet the family has children?

One house over to the west, a family has been steadily polishing their bungalow to a high degree of detailed finish for the last five years or so. They're no longer the rehab leaders in the neighborhood, but I sense that they're actually done with their work. Their house is restored; just in time to have other houses all around them go into restoration mode as well. This family has children.

That's really quite a lot of activity, isn't it? People want to be in this place. People want their children to be in this place, too. The new population is more youthful - 40's and younger. The old generation is moving/dying, and being replaced by the next wave, bringing kids back to the neighborhood. We're not alone. In fact, we're helping create the momentum. I'm certain that the people who just bought the fixer-upper looked at us to get a glipmse of what theirs could become. That's a good thing.

Not a major-scale epiphany here, but something that is slowly becoming crystal clear to me as I have the bandwidth to look around me once again.

"I can't BELIEVE how much you've done!"

Yep. That's what Joe and Shirley had to say when they saw our house.

Did it bother them that:

• There's an electrical cord running to our water feature while we wait for the hardscape guy to finish up?
• The house trim isn't finished?
• The garage is a pile of boxes and debris?
• A baseboard trim piece is missing from M's room?
• The lawn has newly seeded parts?

Ummm, No.

Instead, they said:

• "The backyard looks great. This is so beautiful. The grass will be great in about a week, won't it? You'll really like that."
• "Your house color is much better. The place is lovely."
• "You're going to be out on this new patio all the time!"
• "Contractors need a place to work. Your garage is fine. Let me see where you plan for an upstairs office..."
• "This place is such an amazing transformation from back in October/November. You've done an amazing amount of highly-skilled, highly-detailed work in such a short amount of time. Truly amazing."

That's what they said. That's what I said they'd say, all of C's stage-fright pre-visit worries to the contrary, they responded how loving, caring, unconditionally accepting family members will always respond. 

House Update

Okay, so C's dad has been scheduled to visit us in mid June. That time has come. I think I've mentioned this in passing in previous blog entries, in that we initiated a pretty intense six-week push to finish up as much stuff on the house as possible before his arrival. It became a point of personal pride for us to show as much forward progress as we could. Afterall, Joe and Shirley's last visit was just after move-in, when EVERYTHING was at it's worst. Shirley unpacked the kitchen and set up the cupboards/drawers. That's what it was like when they visited last time.

So, with Joe and Shirley arriving today, its time to take stock of our push. How did we do? We did a LOT. This is just the list since my last house related post on June 2:

• Backyard landscaping complete except for spot lighting and fountain electrical wire-up.
  
• We even got the last of the concrete debris hauled away yesterday.
  
• Alley parking area now debris-free, usable, and eye-pleasing  for the first time since move-in day.
  
• Backyard re-seeded with grass to repair construction damage.
  
• Front yard re-seeding partially completed. Right on schedule.
  
• The drywall hole in the basement pony wall (where we had plumbing issues) has been patched, mudded, textured and painted.
  
• Garage has decorative hardware to evoke a carriage door look. Much better alley appeal from that.
  
• Basement has been cleaned, tidied, vacuumed, and - as of last night - the carpet in the laundry are has been shampooed. We've been leaving the windows open to ventilate the basement. It hasn't smelled bad per se, but it's much nicer to have it aired out.
  
• New backdoor threshold installed - this looks better and makes a better seal for the door weatherstrip
  
• UV film on the upstairs windows and skylights mean a more comfortable environment.
  
• One final lamp replacement in the upstairs landing means we no longer bonk our heads on the pendant lamp, and still have an authentic period look.

C cleaned and tidied the living spaces even further. She's sweating the details that make the place look put together like a magazine photo-spread. The sense of spaciousness in the house is starting to come together.

There are a few things that we'd hoped to accomplish that, frankly, are still not completed:

• Outside trim paint is still partial. Mostly, white trim on the low-visibility eaves and gutters is what remains.
  
• Corner pieces for the siding aren't installed on the house yet.
  
• Trim piece at the bottom of the siding isn't installed yet; a strip of tar paper still shows if you have a sharp eye for detail.
  
• The garage is still a rip-roaring mess - the last bastion of construction debris and moving boxes! Needs about three hours of undivided attention to arrange/organize/clean up.
  
• Spice cabinet tuning needs more work.
  
• Stained glass panels not installed in the Front door or porch side windows yet.
  
• The junipers are still in the front yard (yechh!) Which means we haven't spread bark mulch yet to make it as pretty in front as it is in the back.
  
• The burm in the back yard hasn't been shaped out yet. It's still just a dirt pile at this point.
  
• Haven't replaced the Back Door hinges with the decorative ones yet.

But that's not such a bad list, really. Many of these items have been delayed by the long, protracted rainy and cold spring. When we're still getting snow in the mountain passes in mid June, continuing to add to the 20+ foot base that still exists on the mountains, that says a lot for how wet it has been in the valley too. We got a lot done around the rain, but not as much as we'd hoped.

All in all, we've been quite successful. I think it's going to show well. Better than well.

Someone Else Has Similar Thoughts About Guests in Disney Parks

"I wore a golf shirts and long pants. I was waaaay overdressed. Come on, people! At least the ratty t-shirts and torn plaid shorts should fit! You’re going to be taking pictures in those rags."

Link to Ken Levine's Post here

Monterey, Reloaded

Leaving Anaheim, just before 5PM, we drove up I-5 to Lost Hills (NW of Bakersfield), then turned west on Hwy 46 to Paso Robles. From there, we picked up the 101 into Salinas and then Monterey. I think we got to the Blue Lagoon at about 2am.

With a quick unpack (C had packed one carry tote with each persons' clothing for the Sunday whale watch - only one bag needed!), the kids went into bed and we grownups took a quick shower before crashing.

The wake up call came at 7:30. One hour to get ready; departure at 8:30 to make the 9:00 boat departure on time. We were all tired, strung out and underslept. It was difficult, but we did it.

I think I'll let some of the photos do the talking on the whale watching trip. It was a one-of-a-kind Father's Day present, that's for sure. Pleasant enough; lots of marine mammal action all morning. The slow, rolling boat motion, coupled with the relative lack of sleep succeeded in rocking both children to sleep on multiple occasions. They woke up excitedly to see the animals, though.

Off the boat at 1pm, we bought a seafood lunch to fill our stomachs, then took off for the low-altitude flight 12-hour home. We headed up 101 and into San Jose. Then we veered inland on 680 and 880, avoiding the east bay area, through Fremont to Vacaville an onward north on the 505 until connecting with I-5 in Dunnigan (North of Sacramento)

At Dunnigan, I'd put 505 miles on the tank of gas I'd gotten in Lost Hills. Portland is less than 500 miles away from this spot, so I filled up one last time before home. With Subway sandwiches tucked away in the car with us, we ate when hungry and peed only once as we pushed on home, past Mt Shasta in the throes of a beautiful pink-tinged sunset, over the Siskiyous and up the Willamette valley. C slept most of this stretch, getting about 3 hours of car sleep. Finally, I gave the wheel to her about 20 miles south of Roseburg and she saw us all the way to the driveway.

It was good to be home.

As I walked in the door, after a week away, tired and draggy, I took quick look around. The place was clean and tidy - just how we'd left it. The rooms were all organized and finished-looking. I didn't see home improvement projects in my minds' eye when I looked around. Instead, I saw a finished-looking home with a lot of neat detail throughout. It felt much more finished than it felt in-process. This ability to see the place as 'done' is a tipping point for the rehabilitation wrap-up.

Anaheim

It takes a lot of getting used to, this big tank on the Mercedes. We're all the way to Anaheim on 2.5 tanks of gas. Fill up near Chico, then again south of San Luis Obispo. Here in Anaheim, we still have a half-tank. You could almost forget you need gas!

Disneyland Highlights:

• M spent the morning in the Princess Pavillion. She got her hair done, her face painted as Marie (the Disneyland Paris white cat mascot) and wore her Cinderella dress all day in the park (with shorts and a t-shirt discreetly hidden underneath!)

• On another day, M returned to the Princess Pavillion with Mom to take part in the Coronation ceremony.
  
• Both R and M were chosen in the same session of Jedi Training Academy. They wore Jedi robes, learned to use their lightsabers, and each battled either Darth Vader (M) or Darth Maul (R) to ultimate victory. They loved it.
  
• Watched Indiana Jones fight villains in the ramparts above Adventureland.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• We rode ALL the rides. Both sides of the Matterhorn. Space Mountain, everything. EVERYthing.
  
• Tuesday's dinner at the Blue Bayou was nice. They've upgraded the dining experience (and the price) since our 2004 trip. It was worth it. The wait staff was attentive in proportion to the price, so that was a fair trade-off. We rode Pirates, then exited straight into the restaurant. C had salmon, I had jambalaya (a LOT of it!). The kids both had Mac-and-cheese that was exquisite. Drinks came with light-up Tinkerbelle or Captain Hook clip on lapel pins. Neat. Dessert was a boat-shaped chocolate chip cookie with a scoop of ice cream that held up a drinking straw mast onto which was attached a fancy ships sail made from the hard stuff inside a jawbreaker. Clever!
  
• M's new rides (now that she's tall enough) included:
• Indiana Jones
• Space Mountain
• California Screamin' (California Adventure)
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
  
• R's new ride was Indiana Jones. He was lucky enough, on our second ride, to get to sit behind the wheel of the jeep. For him, that was full immersion in the ride experience.
  
•  
  
• Everybody was trading pins with Cast Members this trip. Seems there were fewer traders in the park than we remembered. No matter; we still found lots of good ones. M was the most aggressive trader. She just about turned her pin collection over, weeding out basic and unremarkable pins for a nice collection of Stitch pins.
  
• Cast Member Pat talked to us on our last day, just as we were happily coming off the Matterhorn. She chatted to us about the fun we were having. Then, to our surprise, she wrote us a 'silver bullet' fastpass for ANY ride, gave us each "Year of A Million Dreams" limited edition pins, and explained herself by saying "Just trying to make a little magic happen!" So we used the fastpass to take C one last time on her FAVORITE ride: California Soarin' over in Disney California Adventure.
  
• I kept getting approached as if I were a management Cast Member. Probably because I was dressed in business casual all week. It was surprising how many people thought I was on staff just because I wasn't dressed in shorts and white socks like everybody else. Funny thing is, with those golf pants and warm weather button-style shirts, I was cooler than on the day I wore blue jeans and a t-shirt! You know, it made me kind of wish I DID work there.
  
• Saturday Breakfast at Goofy's Kitchen was delightful. Because this was a repeat engagement, the kids knew when to abandon the table for dancing in the center of the restaurant. We required one serving of protein, and otherwise they could eat their fill of whatever. So there was peanut butter and jelly pizza, and cake. Pie and mac-and-cheese. Photos with Jasmine, Chip n' Dale, Pluto and Goofy ensued.

The hotel room was close. The convention center was a five minute walk; the parks were a ten minute walk if the parking lot tram wasn't running. If it was, then there were only four minutes of walking in the ten minute commute. Not that different than our walk from the Paradise Pier hotel back in 2004.

For all the cachet that comes from staying in a Disney property, we had a nice time using the value motel approach. C, who usually prefers more stars on the hotel rating than the Jolly Roger could dish, even said it was a pleasant enough time. This trip, value weighed more heavily than 'effect.' More days in the park were better than a nicer room experience.

We spent Saturday night driving out of LA and up to Monterey. Back for whale watching, dude!

Monterey

We got in to Monterey after dark, and checked in to our mid-20th-century drive-up single-story motel, the Blue Lagoon. At $65/night, it isn't fancy. But it was clean and functional. We just needed a place to sleep, shower and change. It was that, without doubt.

Monday morning, after rousting the kids, packing the car once again, and loading up, we were off to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. This facility was orginally funded by the Hewlett family (as in Hewlett-Packard), and opened about 25 years ago or so. I first saw it in 1986, and it was mighty impressive then. Now? It's over twice the size and truly spectacular.

The Aquarium sits on the ocean side of historic Cannery Row. The aquarium building itself once was a cannery. In fact, the cannery's original boiler system is preserved in-situ in the lobby of the aquarium.

We spent all day. In fact, we had to hurry through the second half of the facility, because the original building took up six of our scheduled eight hours! There was so much to see. Sharks. Sheephead fish. Touch pools with bat rays. Species upon species of beautiful jellyfish. Diver shows. The works. The one exhibit voted MOST COOL by the entire Johnson family? The lone Cuttlefish, off in the corner of the kids exhibit. R is fascinated with the color-changing capabilities of Cuttlefish. After spending some time with this guy, we all came to share R's enthusiasm for them.

Finally, at 5PM, we started off on the six-hour mostly non-interstate drive to Anaheim. We got there uneventfully. The car, steadfast as it continues to prove, got us there with nary a clunk or clatter.

On the drive to Anaheim, C called for a family consultation. She floated the idea that we change our schedule and spend Father's Day back in Monterey. As she suggested this, she held up a brochure for whale watching in Monterey Bay. Apparently, there were three simultaneous whale populations working through the Monterey area: blues, greys and humpbacks. The vote was to see if the schedule change was do-able. After a few quick phone calls, it turned out it was. We canceled one day in Anaheim at $160/night, booked one day at the Blue Lagoon again at the weekend rate of $100/night, and reserved our space on the 9am whale watching trip.

I guess that pretty much tells us all what the family thought of Monterey and Santa Cruz, eh?

So, How Did It Start?

We needed a getaway. That became clear as we got going on our trip. It seemed that the whole family was ready.

The drive to San Francisco got started a couple hours later than we had planned. C and I needed a bit more sleep before we felt safe to drive. We pulled away from the front of the house at about 6:15 on Saturday morning, and arrived in San Francisco at about 5pm. It was almost that uneventful.

We got some McDonald's breakfast in Cottage Grove, drove straight through almost to Sacramento before needing gas (that's a LONG haul), and made our approach on San Francisco from the north bay, so as to cross the Golden Gate into town. It all went without a hitch. C had built up a bunch of map references for us - Google Maps routes and addresses. We didn't have a AAA trip-tik for this trip and she felt out-of-the-know. What we did have was a new GPS for the car, a Garmin Nuvi 220. C was used to the less-than-helpful guidance our old GPS unit gave us. But slowly, steadily, as I used the Garmin to fill in the details she didn't have (and was stressing over), and used the Garmin's  POI add on feature (which I'd loaded with key points of interest to us) to dynamically keep us on track, she started to realize that this GPS unit  really DID make a difference.

The car managed everything just fine. This is our first official road trip in the '94 S320 Mercedes. It is abundantly clear to me that the initial owner(s) of this car pampered it to no end. That, coupled with the Mercedes tradition to over-engineer the S-class cars means that this scoot does NOT show it's age at all. We motored right along. In fact, at one point, I was doing between 75-80mph on open, straight, traffic-free interstate. C turned to me and said "This is a nice car. Rides really well. Why are you driving it slower than normal? Are you pampering it?" Of course, when I told her we were doing 80, she chuckled. We talked about how this car was designed for the autobahn, and that 80mph is hardly even stressing it. "This is a great road trip car, after all" she concluded.

We got an average mpg between 20mpg and 21mpg for the trip down. Looks like the mpg is creeping upward with every tank. We did better on the second tank than the first.

The San Francisco hotel was nice enough. On Lombard Street close in, it was a well-placed base for giving the kids a taste of the city. The GPS took us right to the driveway; now C was satisfied that we had a reliable electronic alternative. The hotel was a motel style, with room doors opening to the outside. The building was shaped like a courtyard, however, with car parking on the street level underneath the rooms. Nice and secure for inner SF. We unloaded, freshened up, and set off to see San Francisco in the afternoon.

First stop was Ghirardelli Square and Fisherman's Wharf. From there, we rode the cable car to Chinatown and had dinner. By the time we finished dinner, it was around 10 in the evening. Rather than futz with the bus home, we took a cab back to the hotel, and slept a tired, satisfied sleep.

Sunday morning turned out to be sunny and warm. We drove down the crooked part of Lombard, then doubled back to Fort Mason Center to have brunch at Greens restaurant.

The Brunch was just lovely. Greens is just as nice as it was twelve years ago. The view from our table was of the bay, and the Golden Gate bridge in the distance. Magnificent. I was a bit worried. In twelve years, did Greens improve or fall into a tailspin? Restaurants can change a lot in a decade, after all. For us, it was nice to see that they held steady over the long interval. It was like a step back in time for C and I...just as we remembered it. So that's what made it so poignant to be sitting there with our kids. Everything was the same in three dimensions, only the fourth dimension (time) had changed.

We finished with some trinket shopping in Chinatown, a banana split in Ghirardelli Square, then got out of town for Santa Cruz and Monterey.

The whole goal in stopping in Santa Cruz was to ride the Giant Dipper roller coaster. Built in 1924, of wood, on the beachfront boardwalk, it remains essentially unchanged. M was too short to ride, and C was unwilling. But R and I rode it a couple times. He said it was way different from anything else he'd ever ridden. And with that comment, I said to myself  "Well, then. Mission accomplished!"

M was struggling at Santa Cruz. She was too short for many of the rides. at 49 inches tall, she couldn't make the 50-inch cutoff for most of the thrill rides. Amazingly, though, the Double Shot ride - a reverse bungee cannon shot (like on the top of the Stratosphere in Las Vegas) had a 48 inch height requirement. M qualified. Even MORE amazingly , she wanted to go on the ride very much. Her older brother, however, refused to go. Said it was too scary. So M and I took the ride. As I got on, I called out to C "Hey, if I die, remember that the car has about a half-tank of gas. You'll need to fill up by Sacramento." She just laughed at me. As we waited in line, I turned to M and said, "You know what? With this laryngitis, when I scream like a little girl on this ride, nobody's going to know!" She thought that was a funny thing to say.

Well, the ride lived up to the anticipation. We rocketed up about 75 feet in just a couple seconds, then fell 50 feet just as fast. The launch caught M off guard and the acceleration slammed her face into the restraints. banging her nose pretty hard. The rest of the ride, she was calling out "I'm hurt, I'm hurt!" I was worried. At the end, though, she hopped off, announced that was awesome and then told me about banging her nose. R may have ridden all the roller coasters at Santa Cruz, but for the rest of the evening, M had bragging rights over her brother for doing something that he could have done but chose not to.

The drive to Monterey was at sunset. Nice. With the sunroof open and pleasant, we all felt relaxed and in harmony as a family.

More on Monterey in another post.

A Great Bit of Community Spirit

As I write  this, the kids should be getting out of school early. The reason? Rose Festival Junior Parade.

Portland Public Schools lets  kids out early  to attend the parade, which runs down Sandy Blvd from 5Oth to 4Oth.

From our new house, It's a short trip eight block to the parade route. C makes sure to let the kids to participate.

I'm not able to go; I'm at work. It's great that C can make time to go. What a great sense of community this experience  fosters. It was one thing when the trip to the parade involved an eleven mile drive home after; it means something else when its right in our neighborhood, within walking distance.

Thanks for making sure the Kids get to go, C. I appreciate it; I'm sure the kids are thankful, too.

Hypermiling - from CNN Today

 

This guy www.cleanmpg.com claims techniques to get up to 50 mpg out of his unaltered Honda Accord. Also claims his techniques will work on any vehicle, though - as always - your mileage may vary.

CNN did a piece on him, and pointed at the website. I havent' fully investigated, nor tried his techniques, so I can't vouch for the effectiveness. But he claims to have been at this research since 2001.

Check it out for yourself...might want to wait until the CNN crowd has stopped overwhelming his server, though.

Boy Scout Court of Honor

Tonight was the first Boy Scout Court of Honor R has attended with Troop 22. I didn't grab the camera, so I don't have any photos, unfortunately. 

This morning, as we got ready for school, R exhibited strong signs of a sore throat and a very stuffy nose. We discussed the likelihood of missing school. In the context of figuring out how serious it was, I said, kindly, "No school today, no Court of Honor tonight" R responded with "I can definitely go to school." I definitely don't think he's faking a stuffy head or a sore throat. But I think its telling how badly he wants to participate in Scouts.

At the Court of Honor, all first year scouts were assigned to their patrols. R is now a member of the Shark Patrol

R received the following awards and distinctions for his uniform:

• SCOUT rank
• 2007 QUALITY TROOP patch
• 80 year troop bar
• Bulwinkle's Scout Night 2008 patch
• Shark Patrol Badge

I was approached about 'suiting up' as an assistant Scoutmaster for Fall 2008. I'm open to the idea, but haven't consulted with C yet.

STILL Almost there...

The hardscape guy worked on both Saturday AND Sunday this weekend*. We worked in the yard, too. The backyard transformed from a raging mess of rock piles, overgrown flowerbeds and a trash heap the size of a car on Friday evening, into a space with functional patio, completed walkway, lawn furniture, a burbling (if only roughed-in) water feature, well-groomed flowerbeds, a sprinkling of new plants, and a vastly reduced debris pile.

Of course, we responded to the debris reduction by making MORE yard debris as we cleared out the flower beds!

I must say, it was nice to sit in our patio rockers, under a freestanding patio umbrella, eating a sandwich and listening to the burbling of the fountain.

We did some front yard work as well: I sculpted out most of the soil to make the new front yard terrace area. I also hacked experimentally at the god-awful front yard junipers, and made some cool progress there.

As soon as the hardscape guy is done, I'll re-grade the east side of the house and seed throughout. I'm guessing we'll be able to seed the new lawn in mid June. That'll be cool!

Shoot, we even got to the western side-yard behind the fence! This is a cul-de-sac accessible only by wiggling around the corner of the house from the back yard. Aki dog had claimed it as her 'poop spot' but it got overgrown with flowers and weeds this spring. Access was difficult, so she gave up on it, resorting to the less discrete back yard. For an Akita, that just wouldn't do. We cleared the foliage, dug out the two vestigial fence posts, removed the excess dirt (sounds familiar, eh?) created a grade that will keep water draining away from the basement foundation, and put down barkdust. Now she's got a wide-open private space for her 'business'. Perfect for an eleven year old arthritic pooch!

Inside, I made progress on kitchen 'frosting'. There's a flooring ledge that I've had to custom fabricate. This weekend, I glued many of the pieces down. This is a long, slow process. Five minutes to glue and set, then six hours to wait for the glue to dry. It made for a nice break from the dirt-slogging elsewhere.

C painted the second coat on the porch and basement stairs. The new color is an earthy grey that goes very well indeed with the new outside paint.

No pics to post yet, but I will do so shortly.

 

* So, is he done? No. BUT... he's fine-tuning the fountain, cutting a few trim pieces, and installing the outdoor lighting today. That'll be DONE.