Tuesday: (09/16) Lou left early for San Jose before I even awoke. She's the morning person, I'm not. When I did get up I still didn't get moving too soon. No need to strain ones self! I tinkered on the computer all morning.
After my dose of Perry Mason at noon, I finally went outside and started some work. I started by recovering some rock from the driveway. The rock was placed between our two driveways in front to widen then to allow three cars. It looks rather bare after removal, above right. It was left over from a project years ago putting in the French drain around the house. This drain is actually the final part of that system. I've been replacing that rock with concrete recently. I screened the rock to get rid of the dirt and placed it into the trench I dug yesterday inside some geo-textile fabric. The perforated drain pipe goes inside as well and is wearing a sock of similar fabric. The sock keeps the roots out. The fabric in the trench keeps the dirt out of the rock so it remains effective in providing a path for the water.
On top of that I back fill with sand. I then started installing the bricks as the top patch for the trench. Sometime in the future I'll probably replace the concrete to correct the level. It has become broken and un-level over the years but I don't want to fix everything at once.
I did make two trips to the hardware store to get some pipe pieces to complete the installation and to get more sand. The car can only carry 12 bags at a time.
I wanted to get the trench somewhat covered since they will be working on the window by it tomorrow, above left. I don't want to loose one of the workers in the trench.
I fixed some steak hash for dinner and then made brownies for desert.
Wednesday: (09/17) Up early to get ready to meet the contractor who is "supposed" to be here at 9am to install the last window and replace the front door. I enjoyed breakfast out front watching the neighborhood get going. It's very cool, almost cold this morning, a little overcast.
The contractor arrived about 11am having called at 10am to say he would be late. The front door was replaced (above left) and almost complete by 2pm. The door handle for the inside was wrong and they had to go off to find the correct lever type for the lock set. They finished with the garage window (above right) and departed about 5:30. Everything looks good but i was surprised that the front door arrived primed only, not painted but that's what the order says. Missed that so now I get to paint the front door. I'll wait to do that until I get the security screen door is installed.
The contractor is all done now. Now I can work without interruption. When they're here, I do nothing but watch.
Lou met the ATT tech in San Jose to have Dawn's Internet fixed. She replaced the modem and messed up the rest of the network but left with Dawn's PC connected to a working Internet connection. I have to fix the network later.
Thursday: (09/18) I had my usual slow start to the day and then laid the rest of the bricks on the trench and dry grouted them then prepared the ends for some concrete caps. Lou and Dawn returned late after attending a dinner show put on by the preservation society in San Jose.
Friday: (09/19) Poured a little concrete for the trench cap. I received a call from San Jose that their phnes and DSL no longer worked since ATT was out yesterday to fix Dawn's. I had to go down anyway to restore Dawn's network back to working order as well So I gathered some stuff and caught the bus down to San Jose. The ATT tech replaced Dawn's DSL modem and said they fixed a problem with the wiring. There wasn't any problem with the wiring before they arrived, just the bad modem. When they left, Dawn's desktop PC was connnected directly to the DSL modem but there was no network so no printer and no wireless. The tecj couldn't get the router to work and wanted to sell us another, at an inflated price. No thanks.
I looked in to the problem with the tenants phone and internet. Phone either OK to begin with or by the time I tested it. Their DSL wasn't. Evidently another bad modem. Odd. Must have had a timed life or been hit by some electrical spike? I then rstored Dawn's network. Nothing needed replacement, just needed to be properly or improperly connected as it had been.
A nice trip on the bus down and back. i kind of like the bus.
Saturday: (09/20) Lou and Dawn had a busy morning going to all the rummage and garage sales. They do pretty well at finding bargains, some of which we actually need.I started the day by starting dinner, pork, sauerkraut and potatoes in the slow cooker.
I tinkered around the yard mostly laying some of the brick paving that I previously removed to level and install the drain pipe. About hald done, just the easier half.
Sunday: (09/21) Play day. Lou fixed a nice breakfast of leftover sauerkraut potatoes and bacon for breakfast. No eggs because we were out.
We then went out to Shoreline park in Mountain View for a walk. There are several parks along the Southern San Francisco Bay and this is one of the best. We stopped by a cafe at the lake in the park for tea and shared a slice of apple pie. I haven't been here in a long time and it's really been inproved from visits several years ago. We're going to have to bring our canoe over for a little paddle sometime.
After the walk we did a little shopping getting essentials like eggs and orange juice at Trader Joes. That's about it for the day.
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