The Summer Solstice

Disambiguation is Here

Longest day of the year eve…?

The sun is scheduled (as if we arranged it) to be at its northernmost transit in the sky at 05:45 Greenwich mean time on June 21. Here in south central Illinois, local time is 5 hours earlier than Greenwich time so the disambiguation occurs at 12:45 AM here in Illinois or 45 minutes after midnight. I am curious; was today the longest day or will tomorrow be the longest day?

I returned from Missoula, Montana this past Thursday.

Missoula Montana is at 3,200 feet elevation, and is flat as a pancake...not one hill in the town. However snow capped mountains surround it and you can be up on a mountain overlooking the city (population 83,000) within 20 minutes. It is an old, well laid out town that is bisected throughout with bike trails. It has a nice river walk and kayaking on the river is a favorite past time, as is all the outdoors stuff.
The downtown is clean and the architecture is, well, eclectic. The University of Monatana is located in Missoula. There are not nearly as many dogs as I saw in Edmonds, WA.

My host, Jennifer Keith of First Student, was an excellent host who loves to show off her town. She is also well traveled including many post Katrina trips to New Orleans.

Jennifer and her husnband, Dean, treated me and another traveler to an excellent steak dinner at the Lolo Creek Steakhouse on Lewis and Clark Rd in Lolo , Montana. The cooking was done on a large open pit, wood-burning grill. We were surrounded by stuffed wildlife including grizzlies (University of Montana mascot), badgers, elk, and moutain lions.

After the meal, Jennifer and Dean introduced me to geo-caching. They led me to the first hidden object ( which I found with the first clue under a metal sign for the steakhouse) , and then I was on my own. They were impressed about how quickly I figured out the clues for four sections of walking.

At home, the temperature at Lambert was 20 degrees higher than in Missoula. The house interior temp wa 87 due to an air conditioner being on the fritz. I did not sleep well that night. The following day, I got a tech out to diagnose the problem. Not a cheap fix; needs a new a/c unit.

Knowing this will take a while, I bought and installed a small a/c in the bedroom window. It was comfortable except for another passing storm that dumped a ½ inch of rain on an alresdy soggy back yard. We received 4 ½ inches of rain over the last week. Not adding the two inches the previous week. It has been a very wet Spring. Which, as I mentioned earlier, will end in abour four hours.

I mowed the lawns early, but it was still a chore being hotter by the minute. Can't use the riding mower since it would tear up mud.

That’s about it from Home Alone

Love to family and friends and you Dads, have a great day.
Papa

Sure Didn't Look Like Kansas

Well, here we are, Home Alone again.

We felt so sad as the plane sped away from our middle child and her small family. Savannah made the trip back to Seattle with us. She had visited here for about three weeks. We will miss her

The week was full of things to do. The house the Millers live in is situated on a hillside with a grand view of Puget Sound. The air cleared enough at times that we could see some of the snow capped Olympic Mountains. We mad a trip to Hurricane Ridge on Mt. Olympus. Unfortunately, as Traci drove through clouds, the clouds were rising. When we topped the ridge, we got a glimpse of the snow-capped peaks, and then the clouds closed them off.

There were several snow fields remaining from the winter and as we tramped through them. We couldn’t resist having snow ball fights…in June! Lots of deer wandering around munching the new spring buds. Some came as close as 20 feet.

We should have gone up the ridge before we had lunch, but that too turned out good. We happened on a burger joint (with the help of Carmen, the English speaking GPS device) that was clean with great burgers and hotdogs. The grandma loved the hotdog. Said it was to die for.

All the day trips tend to be a little long. Several involved the use of the ferry from Edmonds to Kingston. The ride is smooth and just a half hour long. As we were hurrying back to the car, a boat hitch left in the bumper of a pickup truck snagged me. I went down, taking Sophie with me. She was unhurt, but I took a large piece pf skin off the side of my hand. It was bloody and painful. I couldn’t believe how people can leave those things, unused, on the hitch.

We visited the Seattle Aquarium, a nice place along the waterfront.

After the visit, we took a two and a half hour tour of Puget Sound. The tour included locking through the locks separating the lake and the Sound. The lake is fresh water; the Sound is salt and is affected by the tides, thus the purpose of the locks.

An interesting feature along the Lake was the number of houses actually built and floating on the lake. We saw the house where Tom Hanks lived as the character in Sleepless in Seattle.

On Sunday, Jim, Shane and I went to a Seattle Mariners game. Nice stadium and Jim had gotten very good seats in the second deck.

The weather was good, so we spent an afternoon on the beach at low tide. The kids love to explore what the departing water leaves behind. We saw many jellyfish, starfish, sea anemones, and buried crabs. The kids love it and we also enjoyed the experience.

Another side Trip was touring a Navy destroyer, USS Turner Joy, which is on permanent display in Bremerton Washington. It is maintained in excellent condition and most areas of the ship are accessible to visitors.

The mothball fleet used to be there in Bremerton but all that is left are three decommissioned attack carriers, They have outlived their service time and will be eventually be disposed of by the wreckers and salvage people or, perhaps as was done with USS Oriskany, be sunk for artificial reefs and scuba touring.

This was a wonderful trip but too short.

I leave for Missoula, Montana tomorrow for some training. Unfortunately, my sister Kathy and some family got into St. Louis tonight. They will leave next Wednesday so I won’t get to visit with them.

Darn.

That’s all from Home Alone

Flat Tire

It is a quiet, rainy Memorial Day morning. We have no big plans for the day except containing to finish the re-model job.

I installed the new toilet yesterday. The job went very smoothly for which I was appreciative, my back is bothering me again so lifting and guiding the toilet was a trial.

I had to set the toilet twice since the wax ring shipped with the toilet (all the way from Foshan City in China) was not high enough so a trip to Home depot was in order.
After that, all went smoothly. I checked this morning and saw no leaks so that project goes into the finished pile.

I am not going to attempt installing the pedestal sink. All that I have heard makes it out of my league.

We bought a new stove and dishwasher, both of which I will install. We are going to gas after 40 years of all electric stoves. I have to run a gas line, but that is easy work; shouldn’t take more than the standard three trips to Home Depot.

I worked at the bus lot on Saturday. We have lost three drivers, one due to involving her self in a rear end collision with the bus, and two ladies who failed the physicals. All of them had more than 35 years school bus experience. So the load shifts even farther to me. And this is at a time of budget crunches so there is no “paid” overtime. First Student, an English owned company, is the worst managed company in this country. It’s amazing it can stay in business.

Jason came up for overnight on Wednesday. It was 9:00 PM when he called and said he was on the side of I-64 with a flat tire. He had no flashlight and had never changed attire before. I, knowing how dangerous this can b alongside an interstate in the dark and tiring to change the tire, it made me shudder with fear. Jason was on the shoulder just past mile marker 45 (as it turned out) so I headed that way. I had to go past him for five miles then loop back. A state trooper had pulled up behind him at that time with all lights flashing. Unfortunately he did not remain since I was on the way. Those lights would have mad me feel a lot safer.

Anyway, Jason had the doughnut tire out and the jack and was ready to go. Thank god the flat was on the passenger side, the other side would have been scary as all get out. We were safely back at home at 10:45.

Jason had bought the tires at Sears with road hazard protection so he got that changed the next day and was able to take Savannah out for pizza in St. Louis.

Savannah is camped out at Laura’s; I plan on taking the two to City Museum sometime next week, after Laura is out of school. We may take Savannah up to spend time with Brook and company at some point in this visit. Plans are still tentative.

We understand the need for allowing Savannah as much social time with girls her age. We will let her have as much of that time as we can.

That is all from Home Alone ( Jim, you are such a good Dad)

Dad

Poles

Things are coming to a head here at Home Alone:
The flooring will be installed on Wednesday. I have to pull the dishwasher. Also need to make sure all the stapes are pounded down (from the old flooring)

I dug holes for three new posts ..

Hole #2 (center) was the record holder for the hardest clay I have ever encountered. I thought I had hit bedrock.

I'll let them set up in the mortar then start adding the boards. I made one span an even 8’ so I can take it down to pass a pickup through.

I borrowed Mike Melanovich's truck to bring the new sink and toilet home. He is really nice about letting me borrow it. Lee always sez I should ask him, but then I have to work on his schedule; not something I am willing to do.

Took your Mom to the casino today, then I left and walked around downtown for an hour and a half. Cloudy here and cool so it was pleasant

Yesterday I did all the mowing of our yard and the schoolyard.
The backyard here is still wet from all the rain, but it was getting out of control (grass wise).

Randy, the guy next door, came to tell me the house next to him had been repossessed. He went on to say that the backyard at the house was a mess. Randy said he had called the realtor to complain. We went over to see, and it was a jungle. So to protect the neigborhood, we decided to mow. I unhitched the riding mower (that is one good mower!) and went over and knocked the weeds and grass down. Randy did the edging with his weed eater. Randy and I had just finished when a truck pulled up from Bosslers Landscaping (Andy Bossler was the former husband and owner(?) of the house so the realtor called him and he sent his crew over. Too late!

Anyhow, we did no harm.

Thats all from Home Alone

Love you all

Dad

The Loo

Sunday night and I am weary. I mowed the lawns yesterday after painting the kitchen and pantry area. Today, I finished tearing out some of the old floor and painted the bathroom and the hallway.

I pulled the toilet and sink/vanity out. The plumbing is stubbed into the wall and I was afraid of breaking a pipe in the wall so called a plumber to cut the pipes and seal them until I can get the new fixtures in. I asked him to give me a quote on installing the new toilet and pedestal sink. It floored me when the quote was $700.

Your mom said “SEVEN HUNDRED DOLLARS?!?! YOU can do it”. So I went on line to check it out. How hard can it be?

Well, the toilet would not be a problem; I have done that before. But, the pedestal sink is not as easy as I thought. Or your mom thought. The sink has to be rigidly mounted INTO the wall, the pedestal has to be attached or cemented to the new flooring, and the old faucet (the brown one we got a couple of years ago for $150 will be reused. The info I found on the web says it is a moderately difficult job for TWO people and can USUALLY be done in a day. I think I can understand why the plumber’s quote was $700.

The old toilet I moved, with the help of gravity and friction, to the basement. That is one heavy piece of work. Then using the same two helpers, I took the vanity sink to the basement. No way can I ever take it back up the stairs by myself. We are giving them to Bill and Dawn for their basement.

The old flooring in the kitchen was under the dishwasher. I wasn’t satisfied with what remained so I pulled the dishwasher out. I write the date of purchase on most things and I was surprised to see that I installed the dishwasher in 1996. Is been a good one. I had to clean out under the sink to get the feed hose loose. I noticed that the garbage disposal was marked that I installed it in 2000. Warranty expired two years ago.

I found a bonanza of stuff under the sink. Traci really loaded up things when you left. Some interesting items have surfaced in the freezers. Who eats turkey salami?

We went to Outback’s Steak House last night with Dick and Jeannie to celebrate her birthday. I tried lamb chops for the first time. They were quite good. We then went to their house. We will not have people over until I get the loo up and running.

I planted flowers for your mom today (did I mention that I am tired?) and am now thinking of bed, since it is almost 10:00. I have been taking two Tylenol PM tablets hoping that thepain in my shoulder will not awaken me. It is a a major nuisance and doesn’t make any sense since I have really tested it the past two weeks with all the work I have done in the house. None of that bothers me, not even the painting. Yet I sleep on the right side and the pain comes back.

X-rays were negative and nothing changes. Any ideas, Jim?

Thats about it from Home Alone.

Dad

We have experienced some beautiful sunsets this spring. Then we were treated with a breathtakingly beautiful sunrise on Friday Morning.
The weather today was quite warm (85) with a steady wind. I mowed the lawn this morning and joined another guy at the church to mow the lawn over there.

I continued tearing things out at the house. Pulled the toilet and sink in the downstairs bathroom and that completed the easy parts…tearing things out.
I took the floors down to the sub floor in the kitchen, old laundry area and pantry, the hallway, bathroom and closet. I created a big pile of discarded material.

I did the first hamburgers of the season on the grill this evening. Your mom fixed a nice salad and we used a tomato we bought in Louisville during our visit there.

Rebecca and Jason have a nice, comfortable home in a very nice area.

We discovered an excellent Irish pub/restaurant for dinner on Saturday night. We all had something different, and shared a taste of everything. I had lamb in a spicy roll, creamy mashed potatoes ( they called them ‘champ’) and enjoyed the meal on a veranda overlooking the street. There was a steady stream of people walking by on their way to a big fireworks display, Derby week was being kicked off in anticipation of the Kentucky Derby.

It rained all the night and day but it was nice during our Saturday visit. Jason wanted to show us a lot of things, but time and weather kind of intervened.

The picture of the stone building is at a location called Reservoir Park, one of the main water supply locations in Louisville. The walk around the reservoir is one mile and I guess a number of people like to walk there.

I hope all is well in my band of gypsies.

We really enjoy the frequent letters and pictures.

Love you all,
Dad (………………………………………………………………………… x )

Glad You Arrived Safely

It is 8:00 on a Sunday morning. We will be getting ready to go to church in a little while.

It is raining this morning. We are in an unsettled period; weather doesn’t know if it wants to go ahead and Spring or go back to winter. In any case, the redbuds have bloomed, everything is sporting its bright green colors and the air smells fresh and clean. Of course the air is full of pollen and makes some people miserable.

The Edmonds area has a lot of webcams trained on ferry landings on the net. I recognized two of them from our trip up there. Really looking forwrd to visiting up there.

I cleaned the yard yesterday of old growth and broken branches. We are still getting fall out from the ice storm of two years ago.

We are going down to Louisville for our first visit in a couple of weeks. We will go down early on a Saturday and be back on Sunday night.

We received an invite to Rebecca’s brothers wedding occurring in June. That will be in the Pittsburgh area. We would go to it but we will be in Edmonds, WA at that time. It is not uncommon in the summertime for conflicts to arrive.

The Stolles have invited us to visit them at their summer palace on the lake. We will likely do that. Aunt Kathy and Uncle Hank will be in St Louis in late June for their annual convention (Telephone Association) so we will get to see them at that time.

Hank’s brother in-law, Bill, died last week in South Carolina at his retirement home.. Burial will be in Arkansas. Kathy and Hank were in Nashville since Tammy was scheduled for additional surgery. They were planning on going on east to see brother Jim and family, but not now. I bet Jim is very disappointed.

That’s about it from Home Alone. By the way I mailed a box of stuff that was in the way here and your mom has sent some B’Day gifts to the boy to the 821 addresses. I hope that is right.

Love to all,
Dad