Wednesday, July 28, 2021

Front Yard Garden prep

Wednesday: (07/28) Morning tea in the yard and some gardening before breakfast. Soft boiled eggs with bologna for breakfast. It was a little hot today so I didn't work on the front yard garden, I relaxed inside in the morning. Squash and sausage for lunch. Tomato soup and toast for dinner. I installed the new battery monitor in Dawn’s trike. Now I need to calibrate it. When I test drove it it worked fine for a while then went blank for SOC, voltage and current OK. Probably the low battery value I set. For it to be accurate I need to discharge it and charge it a set low and full charge values. I also spent some time inspecting the construction project down the street.

Thursday: (07/29) Granola with banana for breakfast. I got out early to beat some heat. It was forecast to be 86 degrees today. I turned the remainder of the new front yard garden and removed a lot of clay clods and took a load to the dump. I stopped for lunch from Super Taqueria on the way home. Back home it was time for a shower the time to relax. I picked up dinner from Harry’s Hofbrau in Redwood City for dinner.

Friday: (07/30) Granola with banana for breakfast. I hauled a load of dirt clods to the dump then returned home and filled the buckets again and made a second trip to the dump. Bologna and cheese sliders for lunch. Lou’s green ham and tomato salad for dinner.

Saturday: (07/31) I prepared ham and eggs with home fried potatoes for breakfast. After morning tea in the garden and breakfast, I got to work in the from garden. I screened 18 buckets of clay clods and hauled them to the dump. Cottage cheese and fruit for lunch. Dawn’s soup for dinner.

Sunday: (08/01) Ham and eggs with leftover home fried potatoes. I took Dawn’s trike out for a spine to kill the battery. I cruised the old Fry’s Electronics parking lot until I knew it like family. I relaxed the rest of the day. A chili size for dinner.

Monday: (08/02) Lou made a Denver omelet for breakfast. We all headed out for the day. I drove and Lou and Dawn looked around a bunch of thrift stores. Later Lou had an appointment and Dan explored a bookstore. We had lunch at Marie Calender's. Dan made zucchini soup for dinner. I took Dawn’s trike on a long ride downtown and to the Stanford Cactus Garden then around the neighborhood until the battery was depleted. The State Of Charge Meter worked well.

Tuesday, July 27, 2021

Shingle/Tarwater Creek Loop Hike

Tuesday: (07/27) Breakfast from Happy Donut in the backyard. I headed off for my hike at about 0800. I led a hike at Pescadero County Park doing the Tarwater Trail Loop. 11 of the 16 people that signed up joined me and we enjoyed one of my favorite hikes, only 5.9 miles and 700’ elevation change. After the hike Stephanie, her husband Les, Jim and Jay joined me in Redwood City at the Freewheel Brew Pub for lunch and a brew. While I was relaxing after my shower, I got a call from our tenant in San Jose that there was no hot water. We all drove down. The pilot light was out on the new water heater. I relit it and waited to be sure it heated up the water and remained lit. It did and we headed off toward home with a stop at Grocery Outlet in Sunnyvale where we bought too much stuff before heading home. Leftovers for dinner.

Wednesday, July 21, 2021

Dawn's New Trike Battery Test

Wednesday: (07/21) Today was the big pour. I spent several long periods watching the concrete placement and finishing for the first floor floor. PBJ Waffles and sausage for breakfast. Ham and cheese sandwich for lunch. Super nachos from Tacos El Grullense for dinner.

Thursday: (07/22) Leftover nachos for breakfast. I had to do some inspection of the project down the street. They stripped the forms from the first floor pour today and worked on installing forms for the front floor and first floor walls. We had kabobs with McDonald’s fries for lunch. After lunch I decided to take Dawn’s trike out to try to run down the new battery. It’s a LiFePo4 battery so the charge indicator in the trike won’t work correctly. I had predicted that it would show a full charge until just before it was dead. I wanted to find out how long it lasted. I took off like a dog chasing a rabbit. I continued away from the house all the way to Highway 85 then out to the baylands. When I crossed highway 101 it changed from 100% to 75% indicated. According to my prediction it was about at it’s limit. I had become confident with the 100% showing so I stayed too far from home. I turned toward home and it was dead within a ¼ mile as I crossed one of the Google parking lots. I started pushing it toward home and then decided to attach the cable lock as a leash to pull it home. Much easier but still I had over 6 miles to walk home. I made it home at dinner time. After a shower, we had dinner. Lou made tacos for dinner.

Friday: (07/23) Granola and a banana for breakfast. I checked out the construction site several times during the day. I worked all day, intermittently, rototilling the front garden and removing 16 buckets of hard clay clods. The car is full for a trip tomorrow. Lou made a ham, pineapple green salad for lunch. For dinner, Dawn made rice with a chicken stew topping.

Saturday: (07/24) I made fried bologna with toast and scrambled eggs for breakfast. I took the load of dirt clods to the dump in Sunnyvale. I then filled the buckets with compost for the return trip. I did the grocery shopping on the way home. I visited Walmart, Smart and Final and Nob Hill markets. I also did some construction inspection down the street. They were installing the shot-crete forms for the first floor. I picked up lunch from the Lucky Chinese Bistro. Leftovers for dinner.

Sunday: (07/25) I prepared fried toast with ham and eggs for breakfast. After a lazy morning I finally got outside to work. I rototilled and screened a small section of the new front garden. I was able to empty the compost and refill all the buckets with the screening debris and now ready for another dump trip Monday. Dawn’s squash and chicken soup for lunch. BBQ ribs with baked potato and carrot salad for dinner.

Monday: (07/26) Dawn’s raisin bread toast for breakfast. I made a run to the dump to get rid of my 16 buckets of dirt clods. Back home, I screened more dirt filling 15 buckets. A nice steak and Wensleydale cheese green salad for lunch. I headed off to the dump again at 1530. I had to get rid of the dirt so had to sacrifice the 16th bucket due to the time it would have taken to collect the dirt clods. The dump closes at 1700 and I need the car empty due to driving up the mountain for a hike tomorrow. Back home I took a shower and gave myself a haircut and beard trim. Leftover BBQ ribs with baked potato and squash for dinner.

Tuesday, July 20, 2021

San Francisco Walk-About

Tuesday: (07/20) Granola for breakfast. Lou saw activity down the street on the construction project. A pumper truck was setting up and they poured the front foundation. I had planned to go take a walk in San Francisco so Lou dropped me off at the train station about 1015. I walked up to Coit Tower then down to Columbus Street. I picked up lunch at Golden Boy Pizza, the best pizza around. I then walked over to AA Bakery in Chinatown for a piece of cheesecake. I continued on up Columbus to the Maritime Museum and along the Fort Mason bluff. I continued up Chestnut Street to the Palace Of Fine Arts and through Crissy Field to the Golden Gate Bridge. Then along the Batteries To Bluffs Trail through the Presidio to 15 Avenue, up Clement Street then I caught a bus on Geary Street and a transfer to a bus on Divisadero/Castro Street. When I got off at 24th Street at 1755 I decided to check on the hours of La Torta Gorda where I had intended to have dinner. They closed 17 1800 so I didn't bother getting another bus but just walked the street looking for a new place for dinner. I didn’t find anything along the way. As I passed La Torta Gora I confirmed they were actually closed so I had dinner at their neighbor Rosevelt Tamale. Trying to eat at Roosevelt Tamale was how I found La Torta Gorda. Both are outstanding destination dining, for me anyway. I then walked on to the 22nd Street Caltrain Station and on to home.

Friday, July 16, 2021

RV Windshield Repair And Smog Test

Friday: (07/16) I tried to clean the windshield around noon and the glue wasn’t dry yet. When I tried to clean it in the evening it was so hard it was impossible to get off. In fact, I think it actually etched the glass so it may be a permanent scar but hopefully, at least, the crack should be stopped. I also worked in the office. Lou made steak and eggs with home fried potatoes for breakfast. Chopped salads from our Corner Bakery Cafe for lunch. Baked potatoes for dinner.

Saturday: (07/17) Granola and banana for breakfast. I was off at 0830 with the RV to get the smog test completed. The RV has the cleanest engine of any vehicle I’ve ever had tested. It barely meets the minimum emission both this test and the last test. After the test I stopped and filled the LPG since I was out. It only took 2.7 gallons. Impressive since it’s been months since we last filled it. We received a package from Fedex. It was an early delivery of the new lithium battery for Dawn's scooter. I started the conversion but lunchtime interrupted the job. We all went to lunch at the Country Inn restaurant in Cupertino then Lou and Dawn visited a couple of thrift stores as I caught up on a couple of YouTube videos. Back home I needed a nap and that was it for the day. Ramen noodles with sausage for dinner.

Sunday: (07/18) Dawn made some kind of steamed cheese cake for breakfast. I installed the new LiFePo4 battery and charger in Dawn’s Zappy scooter. The old batteries were charged by an external charger. There was plenty of room for the charger to be onboard now and bringing the AC plug pigtail outside the battery compartment was easier than mounting the DC connector on the housing. It was too big to fit easily. I left it on charge so we can take the first ride this afternoon. For lunch I had a ham and cheese sandwich with avocado dip spread. I worked on the new front yard garden spot. I removed the roots and turned the dirt with the shovel. Then I added some water. I should be able to use the rototiller in a couple of days, then start the removal of bad dirt and debris and add the compost. Dawn made some squash soup for dinner.

Monday: (07/19) I managed to relax all day. I did take a run around the neighborhood on Dawn’s trike to add more use of the battery. Fried toast with PBJ and soft boiled eggs for breakfast. Dawn made some squash soup for lunch. Lou made pasta with peppers and squash and some sausage for dinner.

Thursday, July 15, 2021

Tarwater/Shingle Creek Loop

Thursday: (07/15) Lou made scrambled eggs with the pepper from my plant and some onions and ham for breakfast. I headed off to Pescadero County Park to hike the Tarwater Shingle Creek loop trail. The trails there were closed for a year or more due to the CZU fire that burned most of the Western side of the mountain North of Santa Cruz. Parts of the San Mateo Park reopened a couple of weeks ago. I didn’t see any reason for the long closure. No trees burnt nor erosion near my trails today. A tree did fall on the bridge across Pescadero Creek. It’s an old Army Butler bridge about 100 feet long high over the creek. The tree wasn’t all that big, about 30” in diameter where it hit the lactic bridge structure. The bridge collapsed due to the damage. I also explored the Tarwater Campground. It looks like a nice spot for an overnighter sometime. Weather was nice and the trail was almost all shaded until the last ¼ mile of my return. I finished around noon and returned toward home via Alpine Road and Highway 84 rather than the way I came up Page Mill Road. I stopped at Chuck’s Donut shop. They have the best donuts in our area now. Then I picked up lunch from USA Chinese as well. Back home I took a shower then I glued the RV window cracked windshield. It missed the direct sun today but will have tomorrow's sun to cure it before we move the RV Saturday. Lou made Steak with baked potato and green beans for dinner.

Friday, July 9, 2021

Hot Weather

Friday: (07/09) A hot day mostly spent inside. I did try out my new spray washer by washing all the rubber rugs from the RV and washing the Jeep and Hyundai. It works well. In the late afternoon I worked on the drip system adding some emitters for the potted plants in the arbor and the two potted plants I moved to the new front patio. Waffles and sausage for breakfast. A chicken hummus and cheese sandwich for lunch. Leftover stuffed squash for dinner.

Saturday: (07/10) PBJ toast and sausage for breakfast. I mounted the new Wifi AP on the garage eve and ran the outdoor cable I had across the roof. It was 10’ short so a longer one is on the way. I also installed the POE for the outdoor AP and ran a flat window cable through the window. Ready for hookup when the new cable arrives. I relaxed most of the rest of the day inside because it was another hot day. A chili size for lunch. In the late afternoon I made a run to Grocery Outlet for a few things. Lou cooked up some zucchini with sausage for dinner.

Sunday: (07/11) I made fried bologna with eggs and toast for breakfast. Another relaxing day. I moved some plants around in the backyard and some other gardening. I also made a grocery run to Smart and Final, Sprout’s and Grocery outlet for a few things. Chips, Guacamole and bologna for lunch. We had dinner delivered from Panera Bread Restaurant.

Monday: (07/12) Zucchini with sausage for breakfast. I took a run out to check on where to get the RV smog check done. My usual place doesn’t do it any more but provided a reference. I checked with them and will likely get it checked this Saturday. I was also looking for a replacement chair for the one I ripped a couple of days ago. Couldn't find any good/cheap chairs. I did pick up some more begonias. I planned some in a pot and placed it by the front table. I also planted a few more in the raised bed in the backyard. Bologna, cheese and hummus sandwich on baguette bread. Amazon delivered my new WIFI cable and replaced the too short one on the roof. Unfortunately, when I connected it, I knocked out the existing repeater and the new one didn’t work. It turns out that I evidently damaged the cable to the original repeater and one of the jumper cables for the new one was bad. I tested both repeaters without the long caves and they worked, however the new one using the new long cable mounted in its intended location does not work. More work for another time. Oatmeal for dinner.

Tuesday: (07/13) Brother Ernie's birthday. We all went to breakfast at the Good Morning Restaurant as a celebration. I attacked yesterday’s failure of adding the second WIFI repeater to serve the RV. Eventually I got both working. I had bought flat jumper cables to pass the cables through the window and, evidently, the new one was bad and the original one failed or they just provide enough signal loss such the with the long cables, it wouldn’t work. That along with the two bad cables yesterday were tending to try my patience. All OK in the end. Nice 50MB downloads to the RV and to Ernie as well as 25MB anywhere in the backyard. A nice bologna, cheese and hummus sandwich for breakfast again. I took Dawn’s Zap Pro scooter apart to see about replacing the batteries. The easy fix would be to just replace the four sealed AGM 12v batteries at $37 each amounting to a cost of around $148+. I wanted to replace them with lithium batteries but the 48v 10ah equivalent batteries were 1.5 inches too long. I’d have to rework the compartment to make it fit. Eventually I found one vendor had one small enough to fit with room to spare at $218. The advantage is that lithium batteries provide full use of the charge so the actual range should be doubled. In addition, this vendor uses LiFePo4 rather than the less safe Lion batteries. If all goes well, Down should be running less empty in about a week. Ramen noodles with sausage for dinner.

Wednesday: (07/14) Leftover zucchini with sausage for breakfast. I started with my usual Wednesday webinar. I washed the RV windows then I got out my Webster broom and cleaned the spider webs from the RV and house. I then got carried away and cleaned all the leaves and debris off the room of the house. That, of course, is a major project involving moving a lot of plants from the sidewalk at the back of the house. The flat room of our sun room usually has a thick layer of leaves and twigs and this time was no exception. It’s also made more difficult because the sunroom can't support my weight so I have to clean from afar with my 10’ long rake. I finished up a little after 1600. Now, the reason I started with washing the windows was because I have to glue up a crack in the windshield. Using the Webster was a diversion to allow time for the windshield to thoroughly dry before I glued it. Unfortunately, the diversion took all day and the gluing will have to wait for tomorrow. Cottage cheese and fruit for lunch.

Thursday, July 8, 2021

San Francisco Walk-about

 Thursday: (07/08) Granola and banana for breakfast. I worked in the yard in the morning. I cleaned and put some of the tools and materials away from the front patio project. About 1100 I headed off to San Francisco for a hike. I headed to El Torta Gorda for lunch to start. I had a really nice poblano pepper torta. I also cruised around the Mission, Noe valley and Twin Peaks areas finally stopping to park below Twin Peaks. I took a short 2.5 mile hike up to the peaks and around Sutro Tower. The trail around the tower was very muddy. After the hike I did some more cruising before heading home. I enjoyed seeing some areas of San Francisco I hadn’t seen previously. I stopped at the San Carlos Home Depot. I have sworn off buying anything from HD because the CEO/founder is a Trump supporter. Unfortunately there are two things I usually need to get there because of a commitment to specific products. One is the bricks we used for the walkways around the yard. The other is Ryobi tools. All my battery power tools are Ryobi so I need to use them when adding or replacing tools. Sometimes I can get the tools from Amazon which is not an affiliate of HD but they don’t have all the tools available. I decided I wanted a battery spray washer so I had to visit HD. I wanted the spray washer because it is portable and uses less water to clean sidewalks and cars. Roast chicken with peas and baked potatoes for dinner.

Thursday, July 1, 2021

Front Yard Patio Construction Begins

Thursday: (07/01) I set the edge bricks for the front yard patio. Otherwise i relaxed all day. Apricot cobbler for breakfast. Apricot season waits for no one. Leftover pork ribs, as a sandwich, for lunch. Zucchini spaghetti with meatballs for dinner.

Friday: (07/02) Apricot cobbler for breakfast. After doing tank duty on the RV, I was off for a bike ride. I stopped at ACE Hardware to look for a few things. Then I rode out to the baylands and on to the Arizona Cactus Garden at Stanford before returning home. Ribs for lunch at Chili’s Restaurant. I relaxed all afternoon until the front yard was shaded. Then I backfilled the edge of the new patio and planted a couple of jade plants. Leftovers for dinner.

Saturday: (07/03) Later in the morning I brought out some more baserock and tamped the front patio base at the proper level for about ½” of sand. I moved some bricks out for the patio. I cleaned a few and then my grinder died. In the afternoon, I bought a new grinder. Apricot cobbler for breakfast. Lou’s chopped ham and pineapple green salad for lunch. Lou’s pizza for dinner.

Sunday: (07/04) I made corned beef hash and eggs for breakfast. I considered cleaning up some bricks for the patio but never got to any real work today. I did strip the remaining apricots off the tree and pruned off some lower branches that are in the way of the path by the tree. Lou and Dawn went shopping. We had roast chicken with potato salad for lunch. Corn on the cob for dinner.

Monday: (07/05) I cleaned bricks in the morning. Before lunch I made a trip to Lowe’s for more sand and picked up lunch on the way home. I required a nap in the afternoon. Later I had to go rescue Dawn who had been out with her scooter and her battery died. Her scooter can’t be loaded into either car and I didn’t want to pull out the hitch rack that we usually carry it on so I met her and we used the inverter in the Jeep to charge the battery. We had to do it twice to make it home but I just watched Youtube videos while I waited. Leftover corned beef hash for breakfast. Lunch and dinner from Lucky Chinese Bistro. In the late afternoon, I cleaned and cut more bricks.

Tuesday: (07/06) I finished cleaning, cutting and laying the bricks for the front yard patio. I then swept mortar into the cracks and voids. Then I cleaned up the area and started putting things away. This was the last of the big jobs undertaken during the pandemic period. I wasn’t allowed to continue the painting project in San Jose so I started the new gardens, patios and dirt pile disposal. I do still need to finish the old garden patio but can’t do much on it until Lou and Dawn finish using the tent that sits there. Granola and banana for breakfast. Ham and cheese with hummus and red peppers for lunch. Chili beans for dinner.

Wednesday: (07/07) A relaxing day except for having to tinker on Dawn’s computer and phone. She needs to make sure her computer has a good backup, which it doesn't seem to have. Google drive sync isn’t working. Also her Google Photos on her iPhone hasn’t backed up photos since last December. Both simply will not work. Quite odd. Ham, eggs and toast for breakfast. Chili rellenos for lunch. Dawn made a stuffed squash for dinner.