We returned home to Palo Alto at the end of a real heat wave but found the back yard quite sool in the shade of the big oak tree and wisteria arbor. Nice to be home. Now the fun begins. We need to clean up the place a little because we'll have guests later in the week for Dawn's graduation. If you know us, you realize clean is a relative term.
It looks like the wisteria was in full of bloom. Too bad we missed it. It is nice and lush providing a nice place to relax in the swing chairs that hang from the arbor. I started the attack by pruning back the wild fronds. Lou started by cleaning up the cooler. The high today was only 88, much hotter than normal but 9 degrees less than some recent temps.
Sunday: (05/18) Back to work. Darn. We need to prepare for a barBQ party for Dawn's Graduation so I started a few quick repairs to the wooden deck. It's a bit rotten and termite eaten and a crowd could be a problem for it. I started with a small repair that needed a new support beam. i then got to the bigger problem. The deck was evidently built in three sections, why i can't guess. There is the small 10'x10' that I already fixed. There is a bigger 10"x20" section that apears to be mostly OK. And there is a small 3'x20' section between them and our fountain garden. It is mostly unsupported. I demolished the existing deck saving the deck boards.
Monday: (05/19) I haven't been feeling well the past couple of days. A little flu like symptoms so I take the mornings easy and get to work later in the day. This morning I updated one of the websites. I stopped by Whole Foods for breakfast then I went by the bank. Next stop, WalMart's to pickup a couple of DTV converter boxes. I received my two purchase credits I wanted to use them before they expire, a common problem for me. I got two RCA converters. A final stop by Trader Joe's for some eggs and milk then home.
When I got home I installed both converters. They work very nicely. They only tune in the digital channels but there is pass through so the existing tuners also continue to work for now. I like the guide that shows the current program information and what's on next. The new DTV that we use in the RV doesn't do that. It's interesting to note that there are 50 over the air digital channels that it tuned in. If it received the analog channels there'd be a lot more. More indecision possible at channel change time now.
Then it was time to do some real work. I finished the demolition and installed some new, actually used lumber, support beams. It will be stronger than original. It's nice to have a project to use some of the used lumber that is piled around here. Most of this lumber came from the old wisteria arbor.
I finished the rebuild except for the fact I need a lot more deck screws. My project for tomorrow, just screwing around.
Tuesday: (05/20) I still have my bug so didn't do anything today. Lou and Dawn went by San Jose State and Lou had her doll class.
A follow up to a previous rant. When we returned home from our recent trip one of the letters in the mail was from the City of Santa Cruz which contained a check refunding the parking ticket amount. At last someone who can read, think; and had some idea of California design standards and common sense was found. I've only gotten three tickets, all for "supposed" parking violations. Two I've taken to court and had reversed because they were obviously erroneously issued. The other reversal was for a ticket I received for violation of a temporary sign that was posted after I parked. The third, I paid and decided not to fight it even though it was also in error due to the effort and distances involved. For it I had been in San Diego months previously at the time that the violation supposedly occurred. I never received a ticket just a letter months later. Since I'd been there and didn't take any pictures and because it would have involved appearing there, a couple of hundred miles away, I paid, reluctantly. I hate people who flagrantly violate laws, even parking laws. I make an unusually strong effort to avoid being a scofflaw and take it seriously when an enforcement officer violates their oath and doesn't take the matter as seriously. I should be good for another 15 to 20 years before the next wrongful ticket.
Dawn's friends Dawn and Courtney arrived this evening from Amherst, Massachusetts. Their having a nice visit.
Wednesday: (05/21) I went to a Traffic Signal Association meeting this morning. When I returned i put some more screws in the deck and cleaned things up some in prep of the party.
Lou and Dawn were busy cleaning and preparing and then enjoyed visiting with Dawn and Courtney.
The arbor is a great place to stay cool, the deck is a great place to get warm.
The hanging ferns that we got from Uncle Doug a couple of years ago have never looked better. They must have finally become accustom to our climate.
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