Starting Roof Fan Install

 Thursday: (06/23) A ham, egg, and cheese sandwich for breakfast. I did a little work in the van before my back and the weather called an end to it. I removed the tie down anchor loops from the floor. I also removed the glued on insulation over the locations where the ceiling fans and windows are to be installed. I worked at the computer later when my back started to bother me. I managed to get a complex formula in the van build spreadsheet to work. It only too a different way of looking at the problem. Salad and some salami and cheese for lunch. Lou and I went to the Grocery Outlet in the afternoon. Lou’s Shepherd’s pie for dinner. First thing this morning I signed up for an interesting hike in Santa Cruz tomorrow. Unfortunately, while trying to make my monthly payments I discovered a problem at my credit union. They upgraded their systems and evidently introduced several problems. I tried to call the bank but their phone answered with a touch tone option menu but it would respond to any input. So I tried their chat but that person was not an employee of the bank but of one of their services and couldn’t help. So, tomorrow, I’ll have to visit the bank in person to talk to another person. All this because their system people evidently don’t check things.

Friday: (06/24) Granola for breakfast. I headed over to the bank to try to get several problem fixed. After an hour of discussion and their insisting I had made some changes myself, enough now appears to be corrected. I’ll see how some test payments work. Salad for lunch. I took a few walks around the neighborhood looking at the construction projects. About 1700, when it got cooler, I did a little work outside. I made a wooden platform to place on the vans roof rails for me to work on the fan installation. I’m heavy and the roof is weak. Leftover Shepherd’s pie with green beans from the garden for dinner.

Saturday: (06/25) I removed all but one of the artichoke plants in the front yard. They have run their course so I cut them off at the ground level and added some mulch over them. I didn’t have room for the big productive one so it still stands until next week's compost bins. They are supposed to regrow and produce again late this fall or spring. I prepared a scrambled egg with salami and cheese sandwich for breakfast. Then, I placed the wooden platform on the van roof rack bars and also washed the roof so It will be clean and ready to install the fans on. We had leftover pork roast and chili rellenos with artichokes and green beans from the garden. After dinner, I got the table saw out and cut some boards to make frames for the roof fan installation.

Sunday: (06/26) Granola for breakfast. I cut the hole in the roof of the van for the front fan. Painted the cut edge of the sheet metal and painted the wood framing. Salad for lunch. Biscuits and gravy for dinner. In the evening we went to pick up an inverter that Dawn found on Freecycle.

Monday: (06/27) I finished the installation of the front roof fan in the van, all but the caulking. I started to prepare to install the rear fan but decided it was too hot to continue. I relaxed the rest of the day. Granola for breakfast. Some of Meili’s miso soup for brunch. Salad for lunch. Chili baked potatoes for dinner.

Tuesday: (06/28) Granola for breakfast. I cut the hole in the van roof for the rear fan. I had to make a trip to, my most hated business, Home Depot to get a Ryobi cordless variable speed jigsaw. My electric metal shears couldn’t do the corrugated roof that the rear fan location is at. The jigsaw made quick work of the hole. I painted the bare metal and prepared and painted spacers for the fan insulation. I had to call it quits after I had everything painted mostly because my back told me to. I had a salami cheese and hummus sandwich for lunch. I relaxed the rest of the day. Tuna salad and cheese sandwich for dinner.

Wednesday: (06/29) I installed the rear fan in the van. I needed longer screws so I went out shopping. I Visited the Credit Union and Lowe’s, then shopped at Walmart Neighborhood Market in Santa Clara, Smart and Final and Nob Hill on the way home. Back home I installed the longer screws and caulked both fans. I also test that both fans work. Granola for breakfast. Lunch from Lucky Chinese Bistro. BBQ ribs with tater tots and green beans for dinner.

Thursday: (06/30) I prepared a Denver omelet for breakfast. I plucked four small bell peppers from the garden for the omelet. My back was a bother all day so I relaxed most of the day. I did take a couple of walks around the neighborhood to check on the construction projects. Leftover Chinese food for lunch. Tomato soup for dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Burst Water Main

 Wednesday: (06/22) I was awakened about 0030 last night by a big truck going down our street. I thought, how unusual. Moments Later it’s backup alarm was sounding. I got up and watched it back down our street. It had lights on on all sides. I thought it was a fire truck but hadn’t heard any sirens. A while later I was again awakened by the sound of a jackhammer. So, I had to get up to see what was going on. I found a city crew backhoe, dump truck and pipeline truck and a vacuum truck busy digging a hole. The water main had burst and the gutter was full with a four foot wide flow. Over time, they exposed the crack in the pipe, found the proper part from their shop. I left them to their work about 0430 after they had plugged the leak and were reconnecting a lateral line that was right next to the break. Needless to say, I was done in for the rest of the day. I did pick most of the plums from our tree. Lou and Dawn were off to Filoli Historic House and Gardens to attend the Antiques Roadshow event for PBS. I napped and watched the second City crew refill the hole from last night and clean up the mud all around in the gutter. I also watched the City sewer contractor permanently paving some of the holes they had made replacing our sewer line. Leftover salmon rice for breakfast. Leftover broccoli salad with a salami and cheese sandwich for lunch. Roast chicken, artichokes from our plants and leftover chili for dinner.

 

 

June Two

 Friday: (06/17) I slept in. No breakfast. Salad with some bologna and cheese for lunch. More relaxing today. Tuna rice with green beans from our garden for dinner. I received a bunch of electrical items for the van today.

Saturday: (06/18) I started with a run to the hazardous waste event at the dump. I had two buckets of batteries and ink cartridges. On the way home, I made a run to Lowe’s in Sunnyvale to get a couple of circuit breakers I had ordered. I also picked up some more begonias. Back home, I planted the begonia in my succulent garden. I added a stake to hold up some new sunflower plants. I also removed the old ladder in Dawn's garden and installed a couple of my garden screens for Dawn's beans and peas like I installed in my garden for the scarlet runner beans. We all went to look at an open house down the street. I helped our neighbor install a front basket on her bike that needed longer support arms. I just used some hose clamps to tie the arms to the forks rather than the axle. Ham and cheese sandwich for breakfast. Lunch from Harry’s Hofbrau in Redwood City. I got my usual veggie lasagna and Lou and Dawn their prime rib dinner. I had a pork sloppy joe sandwich with some salad for dinner. I received some bolts and a DC circuit breaker.

Sunday: (06/19) I rode the bike over to Grocery Outlet for some milk and eggs and the usual too much other stuff. I can’t be trusted there. I received some bolts and T-nuts today. Leftover lasagna for breakfast. Salads for lunch. Smoked sausage and veggies with corn on the cob for dinner.

Monday: (06/20) We were off early to the San Jose house to look in the attic for things. Lou and Dawn will be attending the Antiques Roadshow tomorrow at Filoli Historic House & Garden in Woodside and were looking for something to take to the show for appraisal. No luck finding what Lou was looking for. We stopped at La Victoria for breakfast. Next, I stopped at Harbor Freight for a knockout punch set and a Torx driver set. Lou and Dawn examined the Marshall’s across the street. Next stop was Lowe’s. Lou and Dawn got some planter mix and some clay pots. Unfortunately, my order that is due 6/21 didn’t magically come in early. Back home, it was nap time and time to check on the sewer construction project. They were doing some repaving on pour street and pulled in a section of pipe a couple of streets over. We headed off at 1500 for Lou’s dental appointment. Dawn and I did some shopping for a couple of hours while Lou was worked on. When Lou was through, we headed off to visit a couple of thrift stores in Sunnyvale and Mountain View. After the second visit, we visited Nob Hill Market for a couple of things. We then headed back to Lowe’s. I had received notification that my order for the two sub panels for the van were in. Not good timing but halfway good timing since we were only halfway home. I had a salami and cheese burrito for my dinner. I received more puck lights, dimmers and the 30 amp service inlet connecter and a short adapter for it to connect to a 20 amp outlet.

Tuesday: (06/21) The city’s sewer replacement crew was busy working on repaving our street. I picked most of the apricots from our tree this morning. I received the third solar panel but boy did it go through the mill getting here. Footprints all over on both sides of the box. Rips and punctures of the box all over. And most worrisome, a screw fully penetrated the box on the active side of the panel. It was a ½” sheet metal screw. Fortunately, the panel, somehow, doesn't seem to have any damage. I need to test them soon. I also received the wye adapters and home run cable for the solar panels as well. Biscuits and gravy for breakfast. Pork roast and cheese burrito for lunch. More roast pork and some salad for dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

Jenny And The Mexicats Show

 Thursday: (06/16) I received my reflectix insulation this morning. Otherwise I studied some of the equipment manuals in preparation for installations. About 1400 I showered and at 1500 drive up to San Bruno and caught the BART train to San Francisco. BART doesn’t come to our area and it is most convenient for my late return tonight. I got off at the 24th street station and walk over to La Torta Gorda for my dinner. I had a poblano, onion, avocado and cheese torta. They make the absolute best tortas. I then wasted some time walking around the area. I was there to attend an 8pm concert at The Chapel by Jenny and The Mexicats. The doors were supposed to open at 7pm and I arrived some time after that and waited. The doors finally opened at 8:10pm. The concert didn’t start until 9pm. The warmup band was Suenatron, OK. Very energetic but a muddy sound. Fortunately Jenny and her Mexicats were just as expected from their Youtube videos. They did all their favorites and provided an excellent show. The Chapel provides an intimate venue. Their show ended at 1130 and I had to dash off to catch my train. I got home very late at 2am. Scrambled eggs, ham and cheese sandwich for brunch. Dinner at La Torta Gorda on 24th Street in San Francisco. Here is a sample.

 

 

 

Removed Meili's Trees

 Saturday: (06/11) Another hot day. Early in the morning, I got my chainsaw out and removed the two tree shafts that remain after having removed all the dead limbs of two of the trees over the shop. I relaxed inside and planned the van’s electrical system most of the day. I received my shower pan about 2045. Chicken and rice stew for breakfast. Salad with some bologna and cheese for lunch. Mushroom rice soup with egg for dinner. At 2045, my shower pan arrived.

Sunday: (06/12) I brought the table saw out of the shop and ripped some pieces of hardboard to use as templates for the van floor installation. Then I got distracted and worked on the two electric saws that needed repair. My 48 year old saw was rather noisy when you stopped it. It sounded like it would fall apart but worked well otherwise. I cleaned it up and also removed and replaced the grease in the gearbox. Works well now. The other saw was an expensive Milwaukee saw that I’ve used for years as my concrete cutting saw. It lost power and also the blade safety protection was frozen. I cleaned it up and changed its grease as well. I also tightened up the depth mechanism. It worked well in all ways after my repairs, except it still had no power. Must be a bad motor winding so I tossed it. In the afternoon I received my two Arctic Tern windows for the van. Now I really need to get to work. Only the compost toilet hasn’t arrived yet. Leftover rice mushroom soup for breakfast. Nachos for lunch from Tacos El Grullense down the street. Artichokes with waffle potatoes and baked fish for dinner.

Monday: (06/13) Leftover sauerkrauted hash browns with ham and eggs for breakfast. I installed the roof rails on the van. I needed to get some M6 hex bolts to install the rail couplers so I rode the bike over to ACE hardware then stopped at the Grocery Outlet for eggs and milk. Of course I left with a lot more and had lots of fun securing the load on the bike. Back home, I had some of Dawn’s congee for lunch. Evidently, what I’ve been calling rice soup is congee. A relaxing afternoon. I received the spacers for the rear roof fan so I’ll be installing the fans soon. Lou made ribs with green beans and tater tots for dinner.

Tuesday: (06/14) I had a PT appointment at Kaiser to learn how to reduce my back pain. There is always hope. Lou had a dental appointment. We did some grocery shopping at the Walmart Neighborhood Market on the way home. Back home, I relaxed the rest of the day. Granola with banana for breakfast. Chili over leftover breakfast hash browns for lunch. Sauerbraten over baked potato for dinner.

Wednesday: (06/15) I received two of my three solar panels today. I also pruned the maple tree by the driveway to clear my new van. I installed a couple of bricks to let Lou slip by the front porch in her wheelchair. And I worked on my van construction spreadsheet. Granola and banana for breakfast. Leftover chili and rice for lunch. Leftover sauerbraten over baked potato for dinner. I ordered more materials for the van.

 

 

  

 

 

 

Bonny Doon Hike

Friday: (06/10) Breakfast from Happy Donut, a sausage egg and cheese English muffin and a donut. I met Alex at his house and we picked up Bianca and headed up to Bonny Doon Ecological Preserve for our hike. The area suffered fires in 2008 and 2020 but was still nice. Lots of plants and animals only exist on these sand islands in the area. This was the hottest recent day in the high 90’s but the hiking group of 13 didn’t complain and all seemed to enjoy the hike. On the way home I picked up lunch at Los Altos Taqueria then relaxed the rest of the day. No dinner needed due to the late lunch.