Thursday, October 28, 2021

Russian Ridge, Mindego Hill Hike

Thursday: (10/28) Up early. I prepared one of my ham, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwiches for breakfast. I headed off to Russian Ridge OSP for a hike. I only had two other hikers on the list to join me but one mixed up the date so only two of us hiked. We hiked out to Council Circle and Mindego Hill. There was an option to do a short hike and a long hike. My fellow hiker opted for the short and I did the longer, only 8 miles for me, 5.6 for him. I was through by 1300 and headed home. After a shower, I headed off to return my white hiking shoes. They were not described as white nor described as white. I went to our local REI to return my online ordered shoes but found their store closed and relocated from Mountain View to Sunnyvale. They took them back, no problem, and I picked up some electrolyte tablets for my hikes. I also picked up lunch at the China Wok restaurant. I nibbled it and saved most of it for this weekend. I also got some chicken at Safeway and a super burrito for Super Taqueria on my way home. I’ll be off this weekend, by myself to Dave’s Ranch. Dawn does feel well and Lou will be staying home with her. Lou made un-breaded chili rellenos with rice for dinner. I managed to toss my plate. I saved the chilis, 5 second rule, but the rice went everywhere. I spent over an hour cleaning it up.

Friday: (10/29) Lou made an omelet for breakfast. I check the construction project down the street. They are finishing the third floor framing and grading to pour the basement ramp. I made the final preparations to leave with the RV today. Lou was visiting Costco. I departed just before noon heading across the Dumbarton Bridge and through Pleasanton then up Mines Road to the ranch. It was an eventful drive. The pantry door flew open a couple of times. Even without going to fast on the second time it emptied the pantry contents onto the floor and broke a bottle of vinegar and spilled brown sugar around. A proper mess. I put things back in place and cleaned up a little then tied the door shut. At the ranch, I washed off the carpet sections and mopped the floor. All became well, again, at least until the drive home. Evidently the road is worse and the RV not having the extra weight of the toad changed the drive. I had picked up Chinese food in Fremont on my way for a bit of lunch and it also served as my dinner. Nice campfire in the evening.

Saturday: (10/30) I took a morning walk out the road alongside the runway. I noticed a motorhome parked by the road before the second gate into the ranch. I guessed it might be someone looking for us so I walked out and found Silvia and Peter outside the gate. They were having breakfast. I gave them directions and continued my walk around the ranch stopping by the Homesteaders Cabin. I prepared corned beef hash and eggs for breakfast. Later in the morning Dave gave his history tour of the ranch including a stop at the cabin. Tessa and Allen arrived while we were on the tour. I met other visiting friends of Dave and Collier. Frank and Darlene, motorcycle friends. Marilyn and Tim, and Ilene and Frank, Collier’s friends. Judy and Gerard (SJMWH) were here when I arrived. Gerard let us see Jupiter, Saturn and Venus with his telescope. We enjoyed a nice campfire in the evening and had a nice pot like dinner. Nice sausage and tri-tip samples and potato salads and all sorts of delicious things. We were at the campfire until 10 PM. My lunch burrito was still working at dinnertime so I moderated my sampling dinner.

Sunday: (10/31) I woke at 7 o'clock and got out fairly early in the morning fog and hiked up the ridge trail and observed the mountain top islands in the fog. It was a nice walk. Unfortunately most of the ridge area is burnt but it was still a beautiful walk and I made it back about 9 o'clock and enjoyed my leftover corned beef hash breakfast while I waited for the hot water to heat up and then took a nice shower. Sunday morning is time to pack to leave. I secured the RV to roll and helped pack up Collier, who hurt his back yesterday, and tidy the ranch house. I departed about 12 o'clock and drove down the road. I discovered a good way to keep my doors from popping open was to tie them shut so I got some cord out and tied those shut before I departed. I was able to keep my belt that way. I took no freeway's home just the back roads all the way but I didn't find a convenient place to stop for lunch until Mountain View. I pulled over and ate my chicken tenders and a slice of Apple pie for my lunch. Back home around 2:30. I walked down and checked the building construction. They got by without me and did pretty good. I enjoyed the remainder of the car beef hash for dinner. I posted photos online on both Meetup and Facebook for my visit at the ranch.

Monday: (11/01) Granola and banana for breakfast. I checked the construction first thing until it started to rain. Dawn’s dragon fruit plant in the front yard was vandalized. Someone cut off the top, likely for a start for themselves. We all went to lunch and a walk at IKEA. Good rainy day thing. Tomato soup with toast for dinner.

Tuesday: (11/02) Dawn’s tomato pie for breakfast. I worked in my shop cleaning and putting things away. I also made some shelf pieces for Lou’s trash sorter stand for the RV. Lou and Dawn were out to an appointment and shopping in the morning. Ham and cheese for lunch. Lou needed a driver in the afternoon to take her and Dawn to an appointment and shopping. Pork with sauerkraut potatoes for dinner.

Wednesday: (11/03) I made a ham egg and cheese sandwich for breakfast. I did a little project inspection down the street to start. I attended my usual Wednesday webinar. My major project today was removing the leaves and debris from behind the cottage. That filled our two dumpsters. We all went to the Corner Bakery Cafe for lunch. Lou made spare ribs in a veggie stew over rice for dinner.

Thursday: (11/04) Granola for breakfast. Lou and Dawn were off to the dentist. They did some grocery shopping on the way home. Then I made a run to Lowe’s in the morning to get the roofing panels for Ernie’s patio cover. On the way home, I picked up lunch at Lucky Chinese Bistro. I got an extra hot and sour soup. I've been feeling a cold come on and the soup is the best preventative. Leftover Chinese for dinner.

Friday: (11/05) Granola and banana or breakfast. Lou and Dawn were off to get the windshield replaced in the Jeep. They checked out the nearby thrift store, library and a yard sale while they waited. Conveniently, El Gruellense was also nearby. Lou picked up lunch from El Grullense in Redwood City. In the afternoon I made a run to the City Hazardous Waste Disposal site to get rid of our bucket of stuff. Dawn made a vegetable stew with a couple of zucchini squash we picked from the arbor. It was served over rice. Pretty good. Not the usual squash-like texture, more like potatoes.

Saturday: (11/06) Lou made eggs and bacon with sauerkraut potatoes for breakfast. Salads from our nearby Corner Bakery Cafe for lunch. Shepherd’s Pie for dinner. I world in the shop cleaning up, salvaging, and putting things away.

Sunday: (11/07) Cranberry pear pie for breakfast. I spent the day tinkering with and learning how to tinker with our washer. It doesn't spin dry but is working well otherwise. I finally found some information on our 30 year old washer. I also finally found a good YouTube video on our specific model to repair not spinning. I now suspect the clutch is bad. I ordered a parts kit for it to arrive Tuesday. It was worth taking it apart just to clean out the leaves and spider webs. For sitting outside for much of its life it still looks good. Ham and cheese sandwich for lunch. Pork with sauerkraut and potatoes for dinner.

Monday: (11/08) Lou made eggs and bacon with sauerkraut potatoes for breakfast again. I supervised the construction project down the street much of the morning. After lunch, I decided to head out for a hike. A nice afternoon hike up from the Rhus Ridge Trailhead to the top of Black Mountain. Rain and winds were forecast but, fortunately, were not a problem. Just a few sprinkles as I finished the hike. Starting at 1245 I returned after dark, about 1720. Back home, I enjoyed a shower. It was my turn to cook so I went to Lucky Chinese Bistro and picked up our dinner.

Tuesday: (11/09) Some rain last night and drizzle this morning. Granola and banana for breakfast. I made a run to the Grocery Outlet for a few things before making lunch. I made spaghetti for lunch. Leftover Chinese food for dinner. My washer parts arrived about 1930, too late to do anything today.

Wednesday: (11/10) I made a breakfast sandwich for myself. Lou and Dawn were off early to Costco. I met my fellow SJMWH hikers at Skyline Preserve for nice hike led by Tara. It was a 9.3 mile loop hike through Monte Bello, Long Ridge and Skyline Preserves. The highlight of the hike was a Ladybug filled meadow with thousands of ladybugs which paper there each year. On the way home I did some shopping at Walmart Neighborhood Market and Smart and Final market before picking up lunch at the China Wok which has wonderful coconut shrimp. Back home, I got to work installing the new clutch band in the washer and reassembling it. It works great now. Then it was shower time. Today, they poured the concrete in the basement ramp of the building down the street. It is truly magic that I can cause the major events to finally happen by simply scheduling one of my hikes. Dinner as leftover Chinese food.

Thursday: (11/11) Granola for breakfast. I went out to the container store to get a replacement plastic bin for our pantry. With all that carnage going to Dave’s Ranch, luckily only one needed replacement. I also went to the locksmith to get a compartment key for the RV. I had a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch. When I recovered later in the afternoon, I swapped out the tool drawer chest in my shop for the replacement Lou found. I also plucked some of the growth in the cracks on the patio and blew the debris from the new garden and the succulent garden. Later I programmed the two new cameras I received today, one for the doorbell and another that uses AI to classify objects which may help false notifications on the front yard. Leftovers for dinner.

Friday: (11/12) Granola for breakfast. Leftover spaghetti for lunch. Lou and Dawn were out doing errands and had a late lunch at Dave’s BBQ. I had a super nacho for dinner. I raked and blew out the leaf debris from the swing garden. I also installed a new doorbell camera and another camera with a front yard view.

Saturday: (11/13) I made fried eggs with vegetable Italian sausage and sauerkraut potatoes. No lunch. Dinner from Lucky Chinese Bistro. We were all busy packing and preparing to leave in the RV. I did the pleasurable tank duty. I also made a run to REI for some underwear.

Sunday: (11/14) We had breakfast at the Longhouse Restaurant in Gilroy. It was so crowded, we got it to go. Cowboy pork chops with eggs and potatoes for all. We had the leftovers for dinner after settling in at our campsite then relaxed.

Monday: (11/15) I cooked breakfast sandwiches for all and prepared for the hike. I met my fellow hikers at the Visitor Center and we carpooled to the Manzanita parking area. Me and 16 fellow hikers headed out through the Balconies Caves then up Juniper trail. I managed to locate the Juniper cave on the way up. We took the Tunnel Trail up to the High Peaks Trail, then through the rocks. We had lunch on top. Then we headed down to the Rim Trail and a photo session at the reservoir. Then down through Bear Gulch Cave. I brought my knee pads for this cave. Much nicer. Finally on down Bear Gulch Trail to our cars. Lou made stuffed peppers over rice for dinner. Yum!

Tuesday: (11/16) Lou cooked some bacon and I made our breakfast sandwiches with it. I met my fellow hikers at 0900. Only 6 of 11 signed up had arrived, all mentioned long traffic delays in Hollister so we waited for the late comers. No shows. We headed off at 0930. I really preferred if we hiked the opposite direction than the posted direction for this hike so we could go the opposite direction through the High Peaks rocks. The hikers agreed so off we went. Nice day for the hike and we saw two condors. Ham and cheese sandwich on the trail for lunch at the High Peaks Cafe, a flat area up in the rocks. Just past the rocks we met two of the missing hikers who had misread the meeting location. We finished our hike about 1330. Lou made chicken with peas and mashed potatoes for dinner.

Wednesday: (11/17) I cooked a breakfast sandwich. I met my fellow 11 fellow hikers at 0830 for our 0900 hike of the North Wilderness Trail. Another passage through the Balconies Caves then on round the North Wilderness Trail. We finished up by 1430. Lou and Dawn returned about 1745 and brought dinner from Super Taqueria in Hollister where they had been shopping all day.

Thursday: (11/18) Lou made bacon, eggs, and hash browns for breakfast. No lunch. Tomato soup and toast for dinner. Dawn recorded her Telebration story for this Saturday and uploaded it to YouTube. I made a run to the dump to get rid of our gray water then filled the water tank. Ready for our next showers. Otherwise a relaxing day.

Friday: (11/19) I made my usual ham, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich to start. At 0800, I headed over to the store to meet my fellow hikers. 12 hikers joined me on the South Wilderness Pig Fence Hike. It is a strenuous hike both because of the 13+ mile distance and mostly because of a two mile 45 degree descent on a non-existent trail. We had good weather and a good group and made it down the hill early and back to our cars just as it was getting dark. Fastest and largest group I’ve led on this hike. We enjoyed our lunch on top of North Chalone peak at the old fire lookout tower. I ate too much lunch what with my unusually full sized ham and cheese sandwich as well as lots of shared goodies from the hikers. Lou and Dawn had eaten a late lunch so she gave me some steak and baked potato with sliced peppers.

Saturday: (11/20) I took a walk around the campground looking at turkeys, deer, and campers. It was foggy. Lou made waffles with sausage for breakfast. We prepared to roll and left the campground about 0930. We stopped in Hollister for a look around the hardware store and to get some Thrifty ice cream. Back home around noon. We got re-established in the driveway. I dumped the tanks. Lou and Dawn headed off to Redwood City to get our dinner from Harry’s Hofbrau. At 4pm we attended the Telebration that included Dawn’s video story.

Sunday: (11/21) I had granola and a banana for breakfast. We had lunch from our local Corner Bakery cafe. Lou was busy doing the laundry all day. I did a little settling into the Man Cave (RV). Otherwise I relaxed all day. Dawn's sweet potato beef stew over curry rice for dinner.

Monday: (11/22) I made breakfast egg, ham and cheese sandwiches. Later in the morning, I made a run to Smart and Final Market for some things. I picked up lunch from the China Wok restaurant on Mary Ave in Sunnyvale. I had to spend some time inspecting the construction of the building that occurred while I was gone. Leftover hot and sour soup with toast for dinner.

Tuesday: (11/23) Lou’s birthday. Leftover Chinese food for breakfast. Lunch at Bajis Cafe. More leftovers for dinner. Leftover nachos and Chinese noodles. I pulled weeds from the garden spot getting the three gardens in the backyard done.

Wednesday: (11/24) Up at 0530, fixed a couple of ham and cheese rolls for breakfast. I wiped the windshield and windows on the car in preparation to drive Ernie to his doctor appointment this morning at 0630. I dropped Ernie off at the VA hospital and returned home. I moved some plants into the greenhouse because I found ice on the windshield this morning. At 0930 I returned to the hospital but did get Ernie back until noon. Back home, Lou Dawn and I headed off to lunch at the Lucky Chinese Bistro, then it was time for a nap. Lou and Dawn headed off about 1600 to get Lou’s replacement hearing aids and for Dawn to see a doctor. Leftover Chinese for dinner.

Thursday: (11/25) Granola and banana for breakfast. About 1400 was Thanksgiving diner time. We had roast chicken with mashed potatoes with gravy, stuffing, fruit salad, fresh cranberry orange sauce, and deviled eggs. There was supposed to be green peas as well, but they missed the boat. I tinkered al the rest of the day resetting my computer and reinstalling some needed programs. I also setup Google Drive on my laptop and desktop. My laptop kept freezing and using too much power. The reset seems to have corrected it.

Friday: (11/26) Granola and banana for breakfast. I charged a couple of camera batteries that don’t have solar or wall warts. I also pulled weeds from the artichoke garden and front beds. A chicken and cheese sandwich for lunch with a cranberry pie chaser. Lou made a Thai dish with rice, chicken, and pineapple for dinner.

Saturday: (11/27) I made a breakfast ham, egg and cheese sandwich for breakfast. I decided to get out of the house today. I took a drive to look at used car lots for used vans. Not greet pickings. I found a few and confirmed most are asking new van prices for used up vehicles. I explored along San Carlos Street to San Jose. Along the way, I stopped at the Walmart store for a couple of things. I also stopped by the San Jose house and dropped off a few things that have been riding around in the car for too long. I picked up lunch of a breakfast burrito at La Victoria Taqueria. I then drove South on Monterey Highway all the way to Gilroy. In Gilroy I stopped at the Best Buy and, while I was only looking, I ended up with a new ChromeBook laptop. It was only $149. I’ve been thinking it might be nice to have a laptop that isn’t ruined by Windows, susceptible to viruses, and could just get quick access to the internet and the browser. Back home we had Dawn’s stew for dinner. In the evening I setup the new Chromebook. Couldn’t be simpler.

Sunday: (11/28) I made corned beef hash and eggs for breakfast. After the Sunday morning TV shows and some tea in the front yard, I got to work on Ernie’s projects. I needed to replace his kitchen sink drain tailstocks. To do that I had to go to ACE hardware to get a tool that allows you to unscrew the drains. The new ones went in easily and all went well. Next project was removing and replacing his bathroom sink. He bought a porcelain sink to replace the damaged plastic one that came with the trailer. The old one came out without too much trouble but, before the new one can be installed the counter top needs to be capped. The old sink was a different shape and a bit larger than the new sink. I located a piece of used plastic counter top and spent some time cleaning the old adhesive off of it. I still need to use some goo gone to remove the sticky and clean the top surface but it is otherwise ready to install.

Monday: (11/29) Granola with a banana for breakfast. The contractors were back to work today. The concrete contractor was busy doing all sorts of little pours like curbs and one narrow wall. Busy until 1400. I had a late lunch of ham and cheese with a slice of pie a la mode. I was much in need of a nap after a busy morning inspecting. About 1600, I headed outside and brought my table saw out, after moving all the other stuff in front of it in my shop. I cut the Corian plastic sheet that will be used to cap the sink counter. Lou and Dawn had been out running errands most of the day. We had chili for dinner.

Tuesday: (11/30) Leftover corned beef hash and eggs for breakfast. More inspection of the project down the street. This morning was an early delivery of the wall panels for the fourth floor and the beginning of some masonry work. I made a quick shopping run for some caulk. While going through the return items in the car, I found the other item I needed, construction adhesive. I also stopped by Smart and Final Market for a couple of things. Back home I sanded the new counter surface and glued it down onto Ernie’s bathroom counter. Lou made a pineapple chicken and rice dinner.

Wednesday, October 6, 2021

Golden Gate Park Arboretum

Wednesday: (10/06) I was off to San Francisco early to Golden Gate Park for a walk. I parked on the West Side of the park a mile or so away from the Arboretum. I made it to the Arboretum at 0850 so I could enter for free. I checked many of the trails and when my stomach started to growl, I left to go get breakfast about 1030. I wanted something interesting and cheap and happened upon the Peasant Pie Shop. I got a sausage, egg and cheese pie which was excellent. I then continued my walk around the park. On my walk I explored Stow Lake. Upon my return to the car about 1430, I had hiked 10 miles. I needed to get gas and then I returned to the pie shop for lunch, a nice beef and potato pie. I took the slow way home via Junipero Serra and El Camino Real. We picked up dinner from my usual Lucky Chinese Bistro.

Thursday: (10/07) Granola and a banana for breakfast. Leftover Chinese food for lunch. Dinner at Appleby’s. Other than a little project supervision today, I only drove Dawn to an afternoon appointment in San Jose. Lou was busy with own appointment to pick up her hearing aids. We met for dinner at Appleby's..

Friday: (10/08) Granola and banana for breakfast. After a little watching of the construction down the street we headed off to San Jose. Dawn had a prescription to pick up. It took a while but we finally headed on to our destination, Gilroy. We stopped on the way at camping world to use a credit I had that would expire in a couple of weeks. We then stopped at the Longhorn Restaurant for lunch. Cowboy garlic pork chops with eggs. Outstanding!. Then we dropped Dawn off at the bookstore and Lou and I explored other places. I want a Promaster van, preferably low mileage and cheap. For some reason, that is hard to find, especially in our current times. No luck. Then a couple of stops at thrift stores before heading home. Back home ham, crackers and cheese for dinner.

Saturday: (10/09) Lou made pancakes for breakfast. Mashed potatoes with cheese and diced ham for lunch. Chinese food from Lucky Chinese Bistro for dinner as Ernie’s treat. I tinkered today. I dug out a little more trying to find my leaky pipe. I exposed the two places I thought it might be and neither leaked when I turned on the water. I also replaced the shower nozzle and the kitchen water filter cartridge.

Sunday: (10/10) Leftover Chinese food for breakfast. I turned on the water in the garden again and watched for a leak. Nothing showed up all day. Must have fixed itself? I also started the energy monitor installation. I took a bike ride to Ace Hardware and bought some parts for the energy monitor installation. I finished most of the Energy Monitor installation. Only 8 of 16 probes installed but may not be room for more. Tuna and crackers for lunch while I rode back via the Baylands trails. Stuffed squash for dinner.

Monday: (10/11) Granola and banana for breakfast. I delivered the Hyundai to Say Ray Garage to have the air conditioning fixed. Also an oil change. At home, I tinkered with the power monitor. It really works well. Nice to monitor the wattage consumption of each circuit. Bacon and cheese sandwich for lunch. Macaroni and cheese for dinner.

Tuesday: (10/12) Soft boiled eggs for breakfast. The Wilton Court project was very busy today. Two trucks delivering wall panels and lumber and a concrete pumper truck. They poured concrete footings in the basement ramp area, the steps for the courtyard emergency exit, a ramp connecting the second level parking and the street entrance, and some footings in a mechanical room. I also went to Kaiser to get my flu shot. Ham and cheese sandwich for lunch. Tuna cheese toast for dinner.

Wednesday: (10/13) Granola and banana for breakfast. Ham and cheese sandwich for lunch. Soup for dinner from Panera Bread. I gave myself a hair and beard cut this afternoon. I also supervised the construction project down the street.

Thursday: (10/14) Lou made squash with sausage for breakfast. Trail snacks for lunch. Chili for dinner. A little construction inspection to start the day. We all went to Hidden Villa around noon. Lou and Dawn visited the animals and garden. I took a 4 mile hike around the farm. It would have been 6 miles but one of the trails into San Antonio Preserve was closed.

Friday: (10/15) Ham and cheese sandwich for lunch. Pot roast for dinner. A little construction inspection. I installed a new GFCI device for the outside washer and gray water pump. I had to replace one extension cord and modify the cords so they were just the right length, no excess coils. This completes the separation of Ernie’s trailer loads from the house loads like the washer. No energy monitoring will be better.

Saturday: (10/16) I made it outside about 0840 and walked down to see what was going on with the Wilton Court project. Nothing happening except I noticed one guy opening up the construction yard across the street. Back home, I prepared one of my ham, egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches for my breakfast. Then I got outside and started backfilling the holes I dug to expose the water pipe under the new garden. I had dug it up trying to find a leak that was saturating the garden soil. I never found anything and everything dried out so possibly it was just being way over watered by the drip system. I was interrupted shortly after i got started by Lou who said they was activity down the street. A crew was at Wilton Court loading a truck with some of the form bracing from the second floor pour. After they filled the 40 foot trailer with a huge load of 4x4, they got busy removing the last of the form materials and stacking it up for another load. Since they worked on Saturday, I suspect they will be pouring some more concrete Monday. The ramp walls, the second level courtyard walls, and other concrete and shotcrete are still to be done. I had a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch. I finished backfilling the garden but need to get some more soil to bring it to the proper level. This may be the first hole I ever dug that didn’t generate more dirt than I could stuff back in the hole. Later, I welded up a bunch of EMT tubing to make a support for Dawn’s Dragon Fruit plant. Later Leftover pot roast for dinner.

Sunday: (10/17) I made corned beef hash and eggs for breakfast. A little tinkering in the yard this morning. I set the large pot with the welded support in the front yard and added back the rock and soil and then Dawn and Lou planted the plant. I was busy on the computer much of the day determining our calendar, making reservations for a pinnacle visit next month and setting up hike descriptions for my hiking group for when we are at Pinnacles. About 1400, I went to Lowe’s and bought some garden soil. I stopped at the Wok On Chinese Restaurant in Sunnyvale to get lunch. I finished up the hiking plans. In the evening we had some rain showers. Lou made green three bean salads for dinner.

Monday: (10/18) Leftover corned beef hash and eggs for breakfast. Lou’s green salad for lunch. In the late afternoon I worked on Lou’s walking scooter modifications. I got the new front wheels replaced temporarily to check for size. Looks good. Leftover Chinese food for dinner

Tuesday: (10/19) We tried out Lou’s walker scooter for size and to see what I need to modify for it to work for her. The end result is I need to widen the front axle by 2 inches on each side and move the rear wheels back a foot. After checking my project down the street, we all headed off to the Westfield Valley Fair for a look. They finished remodeling and expanding the mall recently so we looked around. We needed to see it before all malls disappear. In the evening I responded to a request to lead a hike on Thursday. The hike leader was unable to do it so I accepted it. Granola and banana for breakfast. Lunch from Panda Express. Chili for dinner.

Wednesday: (10/20) I made a breakfast ham egg and cheese sandwich to start the day. I attended my usual Wednesday webinar about AlphaAnywhere. After some office tinkering, I was off to Ace hardware to get some nuts and bolts for Lou's scooter. I also went to Lowe’s to get tubing for Ernie’s smokers shelter. That took some time determining how best to build it. My original thoughts went away upon seeing the cost of EMT and fence tubing. The cost has increased 2.5 times in the past year. Covid price gouging. I bought the tubing for the revised design. Next, I needed brazing rods and acetylene gas. Since Harbor Freight usually has good prices on many supplies, I stopped by there to see their price. They don’t even stock brazing rods, just TIG rods. After a stop for lunch at Panda Express about 1530, i headed off to welding supply.

Thursday: (10/21) I got my usual hikers breakfast from Happy Donut, a sausage, egg, and cheese English muffin. I headed up the mountain at 0830 to Monte Bello OSP to lead a hike for the San Jose Mid-week Hikers. The original hike leader, Fred, had to bow out so I took over the hike. It was only 5.6 miles through Los Trancos and Monte Bello OSPs. The weather forecast said to expect a 70% chance of rain at 0900 but only 30% thereafter. It proved correct. There was heavy rain starting about 0900 on the last of the drive up and it lasted until about 0925. It was sprinkling as we did the check-in and introductions. But shortly after we started out on the trail, it was perfect hiking but with a little extra mud. The rain settled the dust and brightened the colors of the fall leaves and trees. Of the 19 hikers signed up for the hike, only 7 of us started out and an 8th caught up with us later. A half dozen decided not to continue due to the rain but did arrive, the rest just didn't show up. I decided to be lenient because of the rain but normally not canceling or contacting the leader would earn a no-show and other hike leaders put hikers like that lower on the list. We finished about 1200 and I headed down the mountain.

After a shower, I picked up a super veggie burrito from Tacos El Grullense. I ate half for lunch and later, the other half for dinner.

Friday: (10/22) We had heavy rain earlier this morning and until about 0830. Lou even saw our sump pump discharge to the street. Granola and a banana for breakfast. About 1030 I headed off to Welder’s Heaven in Santa Clara to get a full acetylene tank. My local supplier didn't have any small tanks. My how the Covid shortage has affected prices. The cost for the gas was probably about 4x what my last tank was. The shortage is why my local supplier had none. I stopped by a Walmart Neighborhood market for a couple of things then picked up lunch at Lucky Chinese Bistro. Back home I put things away but then relaxed the rest of the day. I received my new trail runner shoes from REI so I put them on for a test walk. Perfect. Lou made split pea soup with toast for dinner.

Saturday: (10/23) I made ham and eggs with pan toast for breakfast. Later, I made a run to Harbor Freight for a few things. I needed more gloves for my fellow hikers on the Pinnacles Pig Fence Hike, knee pads for the caves, and, of course, a few other tools. Otherwise a relaxing day. I had leftover Chinese food for lunch. Ham and cheese sandwich for dinner.

Sunday: (10/24) I made ham and eggs with some home fried potatoes for breakfast. Another good rainy day. With our long lasting drought, it’s nice to have gotten 1 inch of rain in the past week or so. Lou made chili beans and cornbread for dinner.

Monday: (10/25) Granola and a banana for breakfast. Lunch from a new place, the China Wok on Mary Ave in Sunnyvale. Not the most inspiring chow mein but they have coconut shrimp, one of my favorites. I watched the chaos at the construction project down the street. Our weekend rains amounted to over 3 inches with super high gusty winds. The construction site was saturated and the security fence blown away, However, the project must go on and it was as if nothing was different. Delivery trucks arrived, Erection of the third floor wall panel began, even the concrete contractor was setting up for some shotcrete. It was all slowed a bit with a transit bus broke down blocking access to their storage yard, trapping the forklift when it was needed for all those deliveries. They continued as if nothing had happened. I headed off to the San Jose house to see how it had weathered the storm. No problems, the pumps worked. Salton gave me a succulent plant start that I had been admiring as well as some pomegranates. I stopped at Walmart and Nob Hill Markets on the way home for a few things. Leftover Chinese food for dinner.
 
Tuesday: (10/26) No rain. The project down the street looks like it will be busy with welders doing the stairways, shotcrete being sprayed and poured, and framing the third floor. Too bad I’ll be gone this morning. I picked up my hiker's breakfast at Happy Donut. I headed off at 0840 and picked up a passenger at the Page Mill P&R on the way up to Monte bello OSP. I had 17 hikers join me on today’s hike up to the top of Black Mountain. It was a fairly quick hike finishing about 1230. Hack home I picked up a super nachos at Tacos El Grullense for lunch. Then a nice shower. Later, I went to Lowe’s to get some chicken wire for an anti-slip surface for Ernie’s ramp. Leftover chili for dinner.

Wednesday: (10/27) Granola and banana for breakfast. I, of course, spent some time watching the construction down the street. They did get the upper courtyard wells poured (Sprayed) so they were removing the forms today. Also cleaning up the ramp area so they can backfill it to be ready to pour the ramp. I also attended my Wednesday webinar. Ham and cheese sandwich for lunch. In the afternoon, I installed the chicken wire anti slip protection on Ernie’s ramp. Seems like it might work well and better than the sandpaper like strips often used. Leftover BBQ ribs with baked potatoes and a carrot raisin salad for dinner.