The fence and the "carpenter"
Gratitude #83 - Sweet Biddies!
13 years ago
Friday, December 4, 2009
ahh Em!
And we keep moving.
From San Francisco to Klamath Falls Oregon and then to Portland.
Now we are with Emily (though she is in school at the moment) while Lia takes a well deserved break.
Klamath Falls temp was 19 when we woke up Thursday evening. Portland is having a cool snap and last night it frosted pretty hard, for here.
Meanwhile back home the highs are barely out of freezing, and next week single digit temps are expected. Our house will start to freeze at about 20 below zero, so we are safe for a while yet.
Lia’s house in Portland is a tall house on a very sloping lot. You go up about 8 or 10 feet to the garage level, then up stairs to the main floor over the garage with the bedrooms over that. It is a fairly small house (1200 feet) with good natural lighting all over the house.
The house was seriously remodeled recently, but the windows are all aluminum framed, but the glass is double. It has a real wood burning fireplace, and it even has a gas jet to help get the wood fire going.
And once again, Lia is away. It is a new kitchen a new house and I am fixing food! There is good food all over the place, but like our kitchen, little of it is “ready to eat.” That is good, btw.
We are going to the book store in a bit. Powells claims to be the biggest independent book store. The main store takes a full block of space. We will go to a branch store, not as big, but PLENTY big.
Tonight we go to a fashion show where two of Lia’s dresses are to be shown. Emily and I will be the “artists reps.”
It would be hard to find more devoted pair of reps!
From San Francisco to Klamath Falls Oregon and then to Portland.
Now we are with Emily (though she is in school at the moment) while Lia takes a well deserved break.
Klamath Falls temp was 19 when we woke up Thursday evening. Portland is having a cool snap and last night it frosted pretty hard, for here.
Meanwhile back home the highs are barely out of freezing, and next week single digit temps are expected. Our house will start to freeze at about 20 below zero, so we are safe for a while yet.
Lia’s house in Portland is a tall house on a very sloping lot. You go up about 8 or 10 feet to the garage level, then up stairs to the main floor over the garage with the bedrooms over that. It is a fairly small house (1200 feet) with good natural lighting all over the house.
The house was seriously remodeled recently, but the windows are all aluminum framed, but the glass is double. It has a real wood burning fireplace, and it even has a gas jet to help get the wood fire going.
And once again, Lia is away. It is a new kitchen a new house and I am fixing food! There is good food all over the place, but like our kitchen, little of it is “ready to eat.” That is good, btw.
We are going to the book store in a bit. Powells claims to be the biggest independent book store. The main store takes a full block of space. We will go to a branch store, not as big, but PLENTY big.
Tonight we go to a fashion show where two of Lia’s dresses are to be shown. Emily and I will be the “artists reps.”
It would be hard to find more devoted pair of reps!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
more travel
Today we continue on our journey.
We have been here for a week, which is a fairly long time for 6 people to be in a very small house.
With Dea’s help I rebuilt a fence, hung a screen door and made a chain link gate. It was a good bit of work, but now it is time to move on.
Originally the trip was down in two days, stay a week and back in two days, but things have changed. Tomorrow we will head north into Oregon and stay with friends from the early 70’s. Then on to Portland.
Our youngest daughter (Lia) is to be out of town for a few days and we will “hang” with Emily, which is not punishment by any means.
Then a few days with each of the other daughters and their “above average” children!
This is winter and there is no real reason for us to stay home, but this is the first time we have ever made a round robin trip and visited every one.
It is very good.
Our trip today will be up the center of northern California on I5. The olive and nut orchards go on and on. Mt. Shasta is breath taking. It should be sunny the whole way!
We have been here for a week, which is a fairly long time for 6 people to be in a very small house.
With Dea’s help I rebuilt a fence, hung a screen door and made a chain link gate. It was a good bit of work, but now it is time to move on.
Originally the trip was down in two days, stay a week and back in two days, but things have changed. Tomorrow we will head north into Oregon and stay with friends from the early 70’s. Then on to Portland.
Our youngest daughter (Lia) is to be out of town for a few days and we will “hang” with Emily, which is not punishment by any means.
Then a few days with each of the other daughters and their “above average” children!
This is winter and there is no real reason for us to stay home, but this is the first time we have ever made a round robin trip and visited every one.
It is very good.
Our trip today will be up the center of northern California on I5. The olive and nut orchards go on and on. Mt. Shasta is breath taking. It should be sunny the whole way!
Monday, November 30, 2009
fences
Fences and edges.
When Dea’s house was built, way back in the pre WWII days, chain link fencing was the new thing.
It was new then and had a substantial look to it, but through the years we have not come to think kindly of chain link as beautiful. Solid structure, but not quite beautiful.
Before the trip Dea decided to upgrade the fence. So this week we tore out the old link fencing, wire, fasteners and such. The posts were solid, and while bent a bit here and there, they are were good for another fence.
The new fencing is wood, with a “picket” design. But, there are two wild eyed artists at work here, so it came out not quite “regular.”
Some have scolded daughters for “taking advantage” of dad for putting me to work when i come to visit.
My life did not involve a lot of the kind of wealth that goes into banks that I can pass on to my daughters, but it does involve a few skills I am glad to share with my family. So, you won't hear me complain.
Fences keep things in and things out. This one changed the entire mood in the smallish yard.
I am pleased.
When Dea’s house was built, way back in the pre WWII days, chain link fencing was the new thing.
It was new then and had a substantial look to it, but through the years we have not come to think kindly of chain link as beautiful. Solid structure, but not quite beautiful.
Before the trip Dea decided to upgrade the fence. So this week we tore out the old link fencing, wire, fasteners and such. The posts were solid, and while bent a bit here and there, they are were good for another fence.
The new fencing is wood, with a “picket” design. But, there are two wild eyed artists at work here, so it came out not quite “regular.”
Some have scolded daughters for “taking advantage” of dad for putting me to work when i come to visit.
My life did not involve a lot of the kind of wealth that goes into banks that I can pass on to my daughters, but it does involve a few skills I am glad to share with my family. So, you won't hear me complain.
Fences keep things in and things out. This one changed the entire mood in the smallish yard.
I am pleased.
cars
I remember when a classic car was any car over 20 years old.
In the mid ’50’s that meant cars from the mid 30’s, which were pretty old even then. When my friends got their first cars they were flat head Plymouths and 6 cylinder Chevys, or old Dodges.
In 1955 Chevy came out with it’s first really modern V8 and the race was on. Hot Rod people had the ideal of a horse power for each cubic inch of displacement. Now factory cars did that well.
My high school friend Roger said “Dave, think about what OUR kids will be driving.”
The engines got bigger and bigger. The first Chevy V8 was 263 cubic inch if I remember right. Soon there were 440s. GM made a few were made as large as 572 cubic inch with 700 hp. I did not ask how much it weighed.
Gas was cheap, we thought it was inexhaustible and fast was good.
The intriguing thing is that those huge engines went into huge cars, and now smaller cars with very highly refined engines of 140 or 150 inches can produce better performance.
My Dodge pickup has a 4.7 Liter engine. That is 287 cubic inches, pretty small by big standards, yet it puts out 235 hp. When I was a kid such an engine was a dream of big time hot rodders.
On our trip last week the little Cavalier got 33 mpg. The sad thing is that there are not that many cars that do much better now. Even some very small 2 seater cars with tiny engines only get 40.
Maybe we have not come as far as we think.
In the mid ’50’s that meant cars from the mid 30’s, which were pretty old even then. When my friends got their first cars they were flat head Plymouths and 6 cylinder Chevys, or old Dodges.
In 1955 Chevy came out with it’s first really modern V8 and the race was on. Hot Rod people had the ideal of a horse power for each cubic inch of displacement. Now factory cars did that well.
My high school friend Roger said “Dave, think about what OUR kids will be driving.”
The engines got bigger and bigger. The first Chevy V8 was 263 cubic inch if I remember right. Soon there were 440s. GM made a few were made as large as 572 cubic inch with 700 hp. I did not ask how much it weighed.
Gas was cheap, we thought it was inexhaustible and fast was good.
The intriguing thing is that those huge engines went into huge cars, and now smaller cars with very highly refined engines of 140 or 150 inches can produce better performance.
My Dodge pickup has a 4.7 Liter engine. That is 287 cubic inches, pretty small by big standards, yet it puts out 235 hp. When I was a kid such an engine was a dream of big time hot rodders.
On our trip last week the little Cavalier got 33 mpg. The sad thing is that there are not that many cars that do much better now. Even some very small 2 seater cars with tiny engines only get 40.
Maybe we have not come as far as we think.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
changes
Having said what I did about the Cathleen Falsani book, I need to say a bit more.
Every once in a while a transformative book comes into my hands. It is not often, maybe only fist full of times in a lifetime.
To make it harder to list, those who seem so important at the moment, may not be the most important over a life time. Still, I have this short list.
At this point for sure, Falsani is on that list. I listened to the book, the author reads it herself, right after I got it. Loaded it on my tiny iPod and listened as I worked in the garden.
Since then I have listened to it another couple of times. There is so much in this book of stories about grace, the big kind.
Last week on our way up to grandparents day, I set up the “new” iPod with a gizmo that ran the sound through the car stereo system. Our car is will be old enough to vote this year and the sound system is not fabulous, but it worked well.
Miriam and I listened to the whole book by the time we got home. It is not a long read, and the iPod plays it in real time (meaning if it took her an hour to read it takes us an hour to listen.”
Our trip to SanFrancisco and back home the long way, will involve about 24 hours of driving. I’ll make sure I have some good books on there, in addition to “tunes.”
Mozart would understand, I think.
Every once in a while a transformative book comes into my hands. It is not often, maybe only fist full of times in a lifetime.
To make it harder to list, those who seem so important at the moment, may not be the most important over a life time. Still, I have this short list.
At this point for sure, Falsani is on that list. I listened to the book, the author reads it herself, right after I got it. Loaded it on my tiny iPod and listened as I worked in the garden.
Since then I have listened to it another couple of times. There is so much in this book of stories about grace, the big kind.
Last week on our way up to grandparents day, I set up the “new” iPod with a gizmo that ran the sound through the car stereo system. Our car is will be old enough to vote this year and the sound system is not fabulous, but it worked well.
Miriam and I listened to the whole book by the time we got home. It is not a long read, and the iPod plays it in real time (meaning if it took her an hour to read it takes us an hour to listen.”
Our trip to SanFrancisco and back home the long way, will involve about 24 hours of driving. I’ll make sure I have some good books on there, in addition to “tunes.”
Mozart would understand, I think.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Thanks
It was a good day to be thankful.
We ate well, had good company, and ate some more. Good cooks. Good food. Five kinds of pie, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, collard greens vegetarian steak, some turkey for Curtis, you know, all of the regular stuff.
There were 8 of us for dinner and all of this in a tiny house.
Afterwards we went for a walk along the shore of the bay. It was cool and the wind was blowing and it was good.
Indeed, it was good.
We ate well, had good company, and ate some more. Good cooks. Good food. Five kinds of pie, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, collard greens vegetarian steak, some turkey for Curtis, you know, all of the regular stuff.
There were 8 of us for dinner and all of this in a tiny house.
Afterwards we went for a walk along the shore of the bay. It was cool and the wind was blowing and it was good.
Indeed, it was good.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
lovelock
Once not long after my mother and my step father were married dad came through this town and sent mom a post card (he was not a romantic person and this was a bit out of character).
The post card had a picture of something in the town and the message: “Lots of the first part to you.”
Lovelock Nevada, population 2006.
This is a little town, but it is the count seat (Nevada has few towns and quite large counties). Lovelock has it’s own hospital, mostly because it is a hundred miles any direction to a larger town. The town was named after George Lovelock who donated the land.
For us, it has almost exactly half way to Deanna’s house. Sometimes we drive from our house to Dea’s in one day, it is only an 11 hour drive, but any more, I try to break it into two sessions. I like to be pretty sharp when go into California.
Reno is a 93 miles west of here. Not far out of Reno is the California state line, and then over the historic Donor Pass. It is a beautiful drive, but the road tends to be a bit narrow, there is a LOT of truck traffic and the road needs to be upgraded. But it is finite! Not really white knuckle driving but time to concentrate.
Once over the pass it is a good road (with increasing traffic) through Sacramento, the state capital on to Oakland and then over the Bay bridge to San Francisco. There is a bit of a trick turn in SF, and if I get in the wrong lane it takes half an hour to get back on the right road!
We should be at Deanna’s by early afternoon, missing the real traffic snarls.
I bring gifts (I know this is not Christmas). Home made pumpkin pies, fresh bread and a whole cooler full of “Grandpa’s Great Grape Juice.” Dea’s boys ask about that one.
We make the trip down every couple of years. It is a long way, but we always enjoy our visit.
The post card had a picture of something in the town and the message: “Lots of the first part to you.”
Lovelock Nevada, population 2006.
This is a little town, but it is the count seat (Nevada has few towns and quite large counties). Lovelock has it’s own hospital, mostly because it is a hundred miles any direction to a larger town. The town was named after George Lovelock who donated the land.
For us, it has almost exactly half way to Deanna’s house. Sometimes we drive from our house to Dea’s in one day, it is only an 11 hour drive, but any more, I try to break it into two sessions. I like to be pretty sharp when go into California.
Reno is a 93 miles west of here. Not far out of Reno is the California state line, and then over the historic Donor Pass. It is a beautiful drive, but the road tends to be a bit narrow, there is a LOT of truck traffic and the road needs to be upgraded. But it is finite! Not really white knuckle driving but time to concentrate.
Once over the pass it is a good road (with increasing traffic) through Sacramento, the state capital on to Oakland and then over the Bay bridge to San Francisco. There is a bit of a trick turn in SF, and if I get in the wrong lane it takes half an hour to get back on the right road!
We should be at Deanna’s by early afternoon, missing the real traffic snarls.
I bring gifts (I know this is not Christmas). Home made pumpkin pies, fresh bread and a whole cooler full of “Grandpa’s Great Grape Juice.” Dea’s boys ask about that one.
We make the trip down every couple of years. It is a long way, but we always enjoy our visit.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
