Celbrating Rocky @ 10

 

 

 

Better Late than Never - Happy 10th Rocky

Awake and out of bed near 745am. I wasn’t downstairs long at all before I was joined by Landon.
Coffee was brewing. Landon asked if he could play Wii with the volume down. Not a good idea.
He also asked for coffee. I made him a cup with 3/4s chocolate milk. Got him set-up with the kids laptop.
Olivia was up about a half hour later. Landon, Olivia and I walked the pug together. Always a good time.
It was partly cloudy and chilly – early autumn like. Supposed to be sunny with only a high of 71. Definitely not late July weather.
Mindy was up near 10am. I soon headed out for run. Ran three miles.
All the kids were up by 11am.
Landon & Olivia asked me to push them on the tree swing.
Spent an hour or so with them out back. Felt a twinge in my right knee when pulling Landon on the tree swing. Scary!
Suggested we throw the Frisbee instead. Had fun with the two wee ones. Both throw it surprisingly well.
I decided to trim the ivy away from the burning bushes along the eastside of the garage and house. Landon and Olivia wanted to help.
Landon was more help than I expected. He was happy to pick-up the slipping loading them into the collapsible trash can. I also let him trim with the large scissor clippers.
He and I carried the full can to the compost pile. Once Olivia and Rocky heard that I was giving Landon cash for the help, they wanted in on the chores too. 
Lindsey showed up to do laundry around 1pm.
Bella, Rocky, Olivia and Landon fished from the bridge mid-afternoon.
I soon headed up for a shower.
Expecting my dad and Ashley to show up around 3 for Rocky’s 10th b-day celebration.
Even though it was near time for them to show, I was eager to give the BM’er a bath. I assured Mindy that it wouldn’t take too long at all.
I moved the Altima (rental) to the curb.
Ashley and dad showed up just as I was getting started with washing the BMer.
Took no more than 30 minutes total to wash and detail – the beauty of a small car.
Stephen showed up just as I was wrapping up. We headed inside to eat near 5pm.
Mindy put a beef roast in the crock-pot shortly after she woke that morning. The plan was to have roast beef, mashed potatoes, and green beans. It’s Rocky’s favorite meal.
I decided to enjoy a beer – Founder’s Session All Day IPA. Yum!
The roast Mindy cooked was big, but went quickly considering we were feeding 10. Often times we’ll cook two. Not this time.
I let everybody else get dinner before having any for myself. I did enjoy a salad. I wasn’t that hungry anyway.
I had just a tiny piece of roast.
Rocky opened his birthday presents – One from Ashley and one from us.
Ashley/Olivia gave him a McD’s gift card.
We got him a science kit(microscope kit). We also ordered him a personalized lab coat but it hadn’t yet arrived. It’s what he asked for.
Did the b-day cake thing after dinner and clean-up. Mess #2. 
Lindsey and Rocky left earlier than the others. Somewhat surprisingly, Landon asked to stay for a while. Ashley agreed to run him home.
Dad stayed longer than all the others, but that’s normal.
We talked for a while. Dad shared that he won another large jackpot at the casino.
Also offered to help me with ash tree removal. Has ideas on how to cut em down without falling on the shed.
Dad hung out until 730pm or so.
After dad left, Mindy & I did some reading from the livingroom. Mindy finished up Anita’s book. I continued reading Philosophy before Socrates.
Bella asked if Makayla could stay the night. They haven’t seen much of each other for the past 10-11 days. Mindy agreed. In fact, Mindy talked about going to the fair on Monday but eventually decided against it. Perhaps another day during the week. Jacob’s set to leave for Michigan on Thursday. He’ll be staying with a school friend for 12 days.
Headed up to be bed near 940pm. We watched two episodes of Naked & Afraid. The last episode was a couple dropped off in the swamps of Louisiana. Yikes!
We were sleeping with the windows opened. Expecting a low of 54 degrees. Despite the cooler daytime temps, it was still warm in our room. Tough falling asleep.

GKids Smores & Jack

Slept late – wasn’t up until just after 8am.
It was cloudy and raining lightly. Blah!
Started some coffee then played on the internet. Checked work email too. Thankfully there was nothing needing my attention.
Mindy asked not to be woken. Let her sleep.
Still raining, but the forecast was calling for clearing skies late afternoon. Checked the radar. Heavier rain was nearing. Stretched for my run around 915am. Started raining fairly hard. Decided to wait it out. Once it slowed I headed out.
I wasn’t out the door but 3 minutes when it started raining harder than it had all morning. Great! I got soaked. Oh well! No lightning. Ran the usual weekend route - three miles.
Mindy up by the time I was back. Asked Mindy if we had any sausage. Haven’t cooked any in eons.
We had some but it was frozen. Put it on the microwave for 8 minutes.
Ended up making a sausage, onion, pepper, and cheese omelet for the two of us. Prepared a plain egg for Eiknarf.
Near noon, the kids still weren’t up.
Mindy and I made plans for Rocky Sunday’s birthday celebration. She still needed to run to the store to pick-up a cake as well as a few other items.
Olivia called before the kids were up to ask if she could have a sleepover at our house. Heck yeah! She sounded very excited.
10 minutes didn’t pass before we got another call from Landon and Rocky asking if they could stay too. Made sure it was OK with Mindy. It was. We agreed to have all three. Expected them to arrive between 2-3pm.
Jacob & Bella weren’t up until sometime after the noon hour. Neither of them were too thrilled with the news about the gkids spending the night.
The rain ended around 2pm. Ashley brought Olivia over around 215pm.
Soon after Ashley left, Mindy headed off to the store.
At the same time, I headed out to power wash the front stoop, something I’ve been wanting to do for several weeks now. With all the cloudy/rainy day this spring and summer the shady north facing concrete was green and mossy.
Spent at least an hour power washing, probably longer. Several times, the sky transitioned back and forth from sunny to cloudy, though it seemed to be getting less cloudy with each passing hour.
Checked work email and unfortunately had to get involved in an ugly issue. Dedicated!
Instead of stopping, as soon as the power washing was completed, I went for my mower. Even though I cut the lawn on Tuesday, it badly needed cut again.
Same drill as then, In addition to the usual push mow areas, I had to use the Toro on the entire upper half of the back yard again since it was so mushy after so much rain.
I was tuckered but didn’t dare stop. After push mowing I went for the tractor. Once the mowing was completed I trimmed, edged and blew. Had the yard in ship-shape by 5pm.
By then it was completely sunny, but only in the low 70s. Really nice!
After a shower, Mindy asked for my help preparing dinner. We were grilling burgers and dogs.
I did the grilling for the first time in a long while.
Burgers and dogs were done by 6-630pm.
I promised the kids that we would have a fire and make smores later that evening.
Spent the time between dinner and our camp fire dealing with that same work issue from earlier. Dang it!
By the time 830pm came around both Mindy &I were exhausted. I really didn’t want to do the fire, but also didn’t want to disappoint the kids. I headed out to try and start a fire despite wet wood and a depleted supply of charcoal lighter fluid. I used some really old kerosene. But even that took a while with the wet/damp wood. We managed. Mindy helped.
Soon we had a rip roaring fire going in the patio fire ring.
The kids ran around the yard catching lightning bugs while we waited for the fire to burn down some.
As usual, the kids were a little wild around the fire. Yikes!
They each made two or three smores. We probably didn’t spend more than an hour total. Even with Deep Woods Off, we were getting eaten alive by mosquitoes.
Kids headed in satisfied and happy.
Inside, I poured a 2nd Jack & Coke.
All the kids were in bed by 10pm watching movies. The boys were watching Grown-Ups. Olivia and Bella watching something else.
Mindy & I stayed up until 11pm or so. Headed to bed around 1115pm bent on catching at least some of SNL. Don’t think I saw even a minute.  Out!

Barley's with the Schultz Family

 

 

 

Planned to work from home. Slept in until 615am.
Decided to skip calisthenics.
Started working while enjoying coffee.
Mindy asked to be up by 8am. In actuality, woke her with coffee at 805am.
Headed out for a run at 815am. Ran just 3 miles.
Back home at 845am. Mindy was preparing to leave to meet her friend Teri for breakfast.
Said she walked, fed and watered the pug.
Poured more coffee then got back to work. Stayed busy until 11am or so.
Headed out to the yard to assess the work I hoped to complete come lunch time. My plan was to cut back the English Ivy in all the front flower beds, which has grown out of control with the wet & warm July weather.
Headed back inside for more work until about noon. Headed out to get choppin’ on the ivy.
Used electric hedge trimmers, which worked really well. Gave a haircut to all the Ivy beds out front, trimming back both the depth about half of what it was, and then the edge for a nice, uniform appearance. While I was at it, neighbor Carl stopped over to chat about the recent car window busting crime spree. Back at the ivy, I trimmed the neighboring shurbs, too. Raked all the loose clippings into 5 or 6 piles then Outside for about an hour, headed inside and back to work.
Mindy was home from her lunch date near 1 or 2pm. After a quick greeting, she went upstairs and readied for some yard work. She headed out to pick-up where I left off with the front flower beds. I had the collapsible trash can already other there to stuff all the clippings into.
I joined on & off while still keeping up with my afternoon’s work. If at all possible, I planned to knock off around 3 or 4 to prevent claiming any OT.
Got all the clippings picked up and carried back to the compost pile.
Flower beds look at lot nicer/better, though still very disappointed with the condition of our Wave petunias – tattered from rabbit damage.
Poured a mixture of Pine-Sol and water down the hole/tunnel that aground hog made near our foundation. Urrrrr!
Wrapped up my work day near 4pm. Didn’t claim any OT.
Expected the kids home around 4-5pm. Mindy and I planned dinner at Barley’s. I asked her to contact the kids to see if they planned to have dinner with us or Jimaken. They both wanted to go with us to Barley’s. 
Mindy & I spent a little time on the deck in the lovely sunshine. She took care of watering all the flowers out back. Later, I took care of those out front. I also took about 30 minutes to take a look at our grill. The entire back of the grill box is rusting away to nothing. Frustrating! A $400 grill lasting only 5 years.
Noticed that because of the rust, the flame/flavor trays had fallen onto burners. I stared at the grill for a while until I came up with a solution. Drove three sheet metal screws just above the rust line to support the flame/flavor shield bar. Not perfect, but should help extend the life perhaps another year. I plan to take a look at what else I might be able to do inexpensively to help prolong its life.
Kids were home around 5-530pm.
We headed to Barley’s around 630-7pm.
Gotten a little further with the planned remodel – more painting completed. Looks OK.
Ordered a Pale ale. Mindy ordered a ZIPA. The kids Dr. Pepper. Enjoyed two baskets of hot fries, dipping them in buffalo sauce. Yum!
Shortly after we placed our dinner orders, Lisa Shultz celled Mindy. They were on their way to Barley’s too. Cool! We planned to make room at our booth.
Pat, Lisa and Alena showed up 20 minutes later.
Had a great time yucking it up, having dinner and drinks with our friends and neighbors.
Invited them to join us on our deck later at home.
I had just two beers. Mindy had two as well. I agreed to drive home. I was fine. Think we left Barley’s near 9pm.
Pat & Alena joined us on our deck shortly after we arrived home. Lisa joined us a few minutes after that.
Talked about the controversial Zimmerman trial. Definitely a polarizing case.
We hung out for about an hour before Josh walked down to say hello. He and Rachel were house sitting for Kenny & Chrissy, though Rachel was at work.
Josh visited by his lonesome. As usual, he had everybody in stitches. Referred to Pat as ‘Kenny Rogers’.
Pat, Lisa and Alena headed home near 11pm, or about the same time that Mindy headed inside for bed.
Josh, Jacob, Bella and I hung out for almost another hour, or until just before midnight.
Good night moon!

Pilot Man

Up near 6am.
Sit-ups, windmills, and curls
Coffee & Internet
Heading to customer location again, but didn’t need to be there until about 930am.
Meditation and stretching.
Left for a run near 730am. Ran 4.1 miles.
Sunny, chilly morning – only 56 degrees at run time.
Made my own breakfast.
Driving Pilot to work again. Mindy agreed to take the Accord for an estimate at insurance company sanctioned dealership (Keim Ford) at 2pm.
Left for work near 910am. Easy drive to New Albany.
10am meeting went well. Left customer campus near noon destined for my Hilliard office.
Felt good to be back in my own office after two+ days at customer location.
Called Mindy to make sure she was on track to head to Keim Ford for Accord estimate. I contacted Honda dealership to ask about bringing Accord in for repairs. Said I could bring it in anytime. Contacted insurer to arrange rental. They use Enterprise, who agreed to have a car waiting for Mindy at the Honda dealership by 3pm. Mindy agreed to drop Accord at Germain on Sawmill and pick-up the rental. Stayed busy all afternoon. Left for home near 515pm.
Jimaken took the kids for an overnight. Don’t think he has had them for an overnight since returning from their Outer Banks trip. The kids were excited.
Mindy had plans to meet teacher pals at CBC. Said she felt bad that it was a kidless night and I wasn’t going with. Invited me to join she and her pals. No thanks.
Used the alone time to catch-up on a few things, pay bills, play guitar, read, etc.
Mindy left near 6pm. I enjoyed my alone time.
Headed for bed near 930pm where I watched TV from bed. Mindy got home around 1030pm and soon joined me in bed.

More Safelite, More Damage ... Big Bang

Up at 545am
Sit-ups, windmills, push-ups
Coffee & internet
Working at customer location. Planned to leave the house no later than 845am.
Meditation and stretching near 630am. Head out for run near 645am.
Nice weather – 67 sunny. Ran 4.1 miles
Mindy helped by having breakfast and lunch ready and waiting.
Showered and ready to go by 830am. Taking the Pilot again. Mindy taking Accord to Safelite Worthington office for window/door issues.
Left for New Albany near 840am
Very busy day at customer location. No lunch.
Mindy called/texted. Spent upwards of 5 hours at Safelite. Sadly, problems remain with the door even after Mindy spending her entire day there. Safelite apologized but suggested we take it to a Honda dealer.
Contacted auto insurer to report additional damage (leather seats cut, door panel, dash etc). Ugh!
Left for home near 445pm.
Mindy suggested we have pizza for dinner. She hadn’t had an opportunity to do much of anything after dealing with the car all day. What a pain!
Mindy ordered pizza once I was home. Minelli’s – extra-large double pepperoni/double cheese
Pizza delicious.
After dinner, Josh & Rachel stopped over for a visit (watching Kenny & Chrissy’s house)
To bed near 930pm. Watched Big Bang from bed.

City Imparts a Little Goodwill

Couldn't sleep. Woke at 207am. Up for good at 315am. Started working. Immediately prompted for a required reboot. Dammit! Joined bridge at 355am. Soon realized the work wasn't set to begin until 5am. Took care of other less important tasks until then.
Completed the work by 530am. I wrapped up a few other tasks then headed back to bed. Slept hard until 710am.
Got up, exercised, enjoyed coffee and internet. Did a little work too.
Planned to work at a customer location most of the day, but didn't plan to leave the house until 10am or so.
Headed out for a run around 800am. Ran 4.1 miles. Foggy and warm. Expecting sunny skies later.
Home near 840am. Enjoyed eggs, toast and fruit.
Safelite left a VM letting us know that they'd be at the house near 10am.
Meanwhile, our grass was lush, green but growing out of control. I knew that if I didn't get to the grass that morning that I might not get another chance until Friday. By then it would be way too long.
Decided to take an hour and cut as much of the lawn as I could before showering and heading off to work.
The top of the backyard was very swampy from too much rain too fast. I used the push mower where I might
otherwise use the tractor.
Got almost all of the push mowing done when Safelite showed up. Had maybe five minutes of mowing out front remaining.
Greet and helped Kyle get started. By then, Mindy was out of the shower. She took over while I finished mowing.
Kyle was still working on the window when I left for work.
Arrived in New Albany near 11am.
Got settled into my work day by 1120am. Headed for our recurring 1pm meeting a few minutes early.
Stayed busy all afternoon.
Talked with Mindy mid afternoon. Trouble with door operation after glass replacement. Dammit. Had to have the Safelite return to our home. Door wouldn't open after unlocking with key fab. Great! Still wasn't working even after return. Kyle suggested Mindy take it to their shop in Worthington on Wednesday. Said it would take about an hour to blow glass particles out of locking mechanism.
Mindy also shared that we received a response from city tax division regarding our request to have the penalty and interest removed from city tax liability. They agreed to remove the penalty but not the interest. That'll save us about $200. Hey, sounded like good news to me. Need to send them their money by Aug 9.
Spent rest of my work day in New Albany.
Left for home around 445pm. Arrived home around 515pm.
Jimaken was coming by to pick-up the kids after work since he hasn't seen them for a couple of weeks. Mindy and I didn't have firm plans but later would decide to visit Barley's.
Mindy & I left for Barley's shortly after the kids and Jimaken departed.
Barley's preparing for moderate remodel. Doing some work during the early mornings. Will close for two days in late July for the rest. Celebrating 15 year anniversary first full week of August.
I drank a Barley's Pale ale. I think Mindy had a Zipa.
For dinner, I ordered a Cuban while Mindy ordered muscles.
Mindy recognized a father and son sitting next to us at the bar. It was the husband of a former school teacher pal of hers from way back. He seemed as excited as Mindy to run into one another. We talked for a while.
I had a 2nd beer, this time a Centennial.
Barley's served its purpose, dinner as well as a diversion from the treachery of work. We left for home around 815pm. The kids and Jimaken were already at the house by the time we got there.
Spent a few minutes inspecting the Accord more thoroughly. Noticed damage to the leather seat, door panel and door column. Planned to call insurance company n the morning to pursue additional repairs.
Fairly early to bed - 930pm.

Came In Thru the Window, Last Night ... Sleepin With My Clothes On ...

Happy 52nd Tommy!

Back to work. Ugh! Tough, tough, tough!!!
Up at 545am
sit-ups, push-ups, windmills - first time since Wed., July 3
coffee, internet until 630am then meditate and stretch. Ahh! Felt terrific.
Weather not so nice. Cloudy and just starting to sprinkle.
Head out for run near 7am
Find passenger window smashed out of Accord, rummaged through glove box and center console. Shit!
Head inside and alert Mindy. Fetch large trash bag and place around door frame to prevent rain from entering
Can't do much more at the time. Head off for run.
Ran 4.1 miles. First 4.1 mile run since Wednesday, July 3rd. Did 3 miles every day through vacation
During run, encounter three other cars/folks hit by smashed windows bandit. One couple left car unlocked. Lost GPS.
In a sad sort of way, I felt better ... misery loves company.
Back home, Mindy up and has my breakfast ready. Offers to let me take Pilot. Has no plans to go anywhere.
Mind racing about how I will address/fix window issue.
So much going on with city tax issue, mortgage escrow amiss, and now this. STRESS!
Shower, leave for work near 825am. Raining really hard, of course.
Work seems almost insurmountable. After two weeks away, hard to get back in the swing.
Forgot all my critical passwords. Had to contact HD for assistance. Had to pick-up where I left off with laptop operational issues. Had about 2000 emails to go through.
Boss briefs me on everything that went wrong in my absence. Seems the bottom fell out of things while I was out.
I wanted to scream, quit, retire.
Forced some time to call auto insurer to report window glass claim. Goes directly to Safelite. Set up appointment for them to fix at our home Tuesday AM. Very convenient. $250 comprehensive claim deductible. Why not? We have money flying out the window of late. What's another $250?
Played catch-up all day.
Mid day a peer asks if I can assist with completing a technical project at 4am Tuesday. I didn't really want to but agreed.
Home near 615pm. Weather clearing out. Sun finally out.
Mindy made dinner. Seems like forever since we had a home cooked meal. grilled chicken breast, macaroni & cheese, pasta salad, crescent rolls. Yum!
Bella or Jacob asks how my day was. Couldn't resist. I do a rant, much like Chevy Chase in 1st Vacation movie!
Actually felt good to holler and scream. Ahhhhhhh! Quiet then laughter around the dinner table.
Mindy heads to grocery after dinner. Out of most daily staples (coffee creamer, veggies, fruit, etc).
While she's away, I play on internet and guitar. Download vacation photos, too.
Tired, head for bed near 915pm. Mindy tired too. She joins me shortly thereafter.

Carolina / Columbus

sofas and a fireplace @ Wendy's

 

Already time to head for home...

Up at 7am. David and Anita already up. Enjoyed a quick cup of coffee ahead of my run. Took my time enjoying coffee, David and I watching some of the British Open, the last round already underway.
Headed out for my run near 730-745am.
Decided to run the opposite direction on Rockbridge, out towards Bird Island. Ran about 1.25 miles before turning around and then diverting out to Bird Island. Ran down to the back entrance to Mindy's purple lake house. Not nearly as attractive from the road. Ran the other direction, too, though not all the way. Back out to Rockbridge.
Took another off-shoot, Little Point. Ran down about 3/4 of the way until two dogs came out seemingly interested in a one way relationship. :)
Headed back to the lake house. Glad I finally went the other way.
David was making breakfast again, a breakfast sandwich. Before enjoying one, I took Mindy coffee then got a shower.
Afterwards, I packed all my stuff for the trip home.
Enjoyed breakfast with the others. Mindy wasn't hungry.
Watched golf for about an hour or so, relaxing and chatting.
David made us a picture CD to take home. Lots of great action photos with his Canon Rebel and 100mm-400mm zoom lens.
Mindy showered then packed her stuff. Didn't take long to get our stuff organized. It was the kids stuff that took the longest. Glad Mindy dealt with all that.
While she did that I put the water skis and wakeboard back in the Thule. Didn't use either.
Mindy finally woke the kids, who were slow to motivate.
Didn't take long at all to load the Pilot for home.
Before leaving, we did the ceremonial picture pose on David & Anita's front stoop using a tripod and self-timer feature.
Hugs goodbye. I hate goodbyes.
Pulled out of the lake house at 1112am.
Somehow we missed our preferred route to I-77. Ended up finding it after going 18 miles but entered on exit #41 instead of #48 like we've done all other times coming and going. Oh well. No biggie.
I talked about filling up at the gas station at the entrance ramp at exit #48. There weren't any at exit #41. We still had just under half a tank. Figured we could make it north of Charlotte where we could refuel, have lunch, and possibly avoid a 2nd stop for gas for the entire drive home.
First 100 miles went super fast. Generally the slowest part of any trip, this time the first 100 miles went super fast. Hit a significant slow down around 120 miles. Took 20 minutes to go just 3 miles. Jam was due to single lane merge at an overpass.
Exited for lunch and fuel at exit 82 in Jonesville, North Carolina. I believe it's the same exit where Mindy and I stopped for lunch on our way home last trip (June).
Lunched at the newly remodeled Wendy's complete with sofas and a fireplace. How about that! I tried the new pretzel bun burger. Good.
All totaled, our break for gas and food lasted about an hour. No biggie. We'd drive about 155 miles of the 505 mile trip.
I asked Mindy to drive from there. I was tired and needed to relax before heading back to work on Monday, which was already causing me to stress. Very depressing thinking about heading back to the grind, though we had one heck of a two week adventure.
I dosed two or three times but only briefly. Still, the drive goes even faster from the passenger seat, which is a perspective or opportunity I don't often get.
Mindy managed to scare me shitless more than once as we wound through the mountains of Virginia and W.V. Asked more than once for her to dial back away from the truck in front of us.
Crossed the state line into Ohio near 645pm.
Once near Jackson Ohio, Mindy called Gloria to let her know that we were about an hour out. We planned a stop there to pick-up the pug.
The last two legs across I-35 and then US 23 N went quick. Arrived at Gloria's near 815pm.
Visited for just a handful of minutes before loading up the pug, her toys, bed and food.
Mindy promised the kids a quick stop at the Taco Bell drive-thru on Wilson Rd. I didn't want anything. For me, it 's time to get back to eating healthy. Can feel the vacation bulge.
Home by 9pm.
The first thing I noticed was our ridiculously long grass. It was lush and green though.
I also noticed how tattered our pentunias are. Caught a baby rabbit eating last Tuesday when we got home from boating. They've managed to eat even more over the last 4 days. Pisses me off!
Mindy reviewed the plan before we pulled in the driveway. Everybody needed to help carry in all of our gear before they could eat their Taco Bell.
Took not even five minutes.
While they all ate, I feverishly unpacked and put away all of my stuff. Didn't waste a minute.
I was completely unpacked and organized for Monday morning's return to work by 940pm.
Without discussing it, I filled a glass with ice water then slipped off to bed. Tuned into the tail end of an episode of Family Guy and then one of Big Bang.
Mindy joined me just as Big Bang began.

Less Miserable Than You

Last full day at the lake house
Up near 7am and soon out to the family room for a quick cup of coffee.
David and Anita were once again already up and at their respective computer desks.
Anita finished her 3 mile walk well before I was even up.
Warm and mostly cloudy start to the day.
Ran regular route to River Rd and back - 3 miles
For some reason the run was easier than the two prior.
Spotted two white tail deer scampering off into the woods as I neared.
Home for breakfast and more coffee.
David made eggs over easy along with more bacon and bagels. Very good!
Watched plenty of the British Open. Tiger was -3 under par when we finally headed out to the dock to play.
Sky soon cleared and we hit the lake.
Jacob & Bella asked to tub on Big Mable
Cruised the lake for a couple hours pulling the kids behind for quite a while.
Back to the house for lunch. David & Anita pulled out all the leftovers. I had beef stroganoff.
Back out to the dock while David and Anita hung inside. I figured David would soon be napping.
A few minutes later Anita then David joined us on the dock. Said there would be plenty of time to nap after we're gone come Sunday.
Headed back out on the lake. Eventually turned Big Mable around so the chair rest faced forward. The kids enjoyed that ride too.
Back to the dock around 4pm. We spend the rest of the afternoon swimming, playing just off the dock. Used our feet to find muscles. Bella had quite a collection once it was all said and done.
David and I hung out at the dock long after the others headed inside. Had quite the beer buzz going, that along with Jello shots. Even Jacob had a few earlier. The blue raspberry with Vodka was the bomb!
Dinner was fajita's using the leftover steak from Friday evening's dinner. Fajita's were good. Jacob ate 4!
David baked a Digiorno's pizza after Bella asked.
After dinner and very near 930pm, David put in a DVD movie - Les Miserables. Only he and I watched, though Anita was nearby, at least at the start. The others had already peeled off for bed.
With a belly full of food and drink, it wasn't too long before both David and I started to dose, David heavier than I.
I watched the movie until almost 11pm. Left David sleeping. He looked at peace.

Fore & Fireworks

Up near 630am. Thought I might be first up. Nope. David/Anita already up. Anita out on her daily walk.
Sunny & warm.
After a quick cup of coffee I was off on my run. Same as others past – to River Rd and back.
Took Mindy coffee as I headed for a shower. David had breakfast on again. Scrambled eggs, I think.
David & I left for golf near 830am. We planned only to play nine holes. David shared that it was close.
I learned that close is a relative term. It was about 18-20 miles out, and all on two lane rolling country roads.
Golf course called Creek. Warned of storm damaged course. Tree down and severe flooding after Wednesday’s heavy thunderstorm. Had hole #9 closed. Used driving range as hole #1, then 1-8.
Greens and fairways cut extremely long, or actually uncut for the day. Putting was a joke, but then again, I didn’t mind. The price was more than fair and I was happy just to be out golfing for the first time all year.
As usual, hit a decent drive off the first tee. Bogeyed the first hole. Unfortunately, my best holes were probably 1-3. From there my game went south. Again, though, my expectations weren’t very high this being my first time out all year. No driving range time either. And that doesn’t even mention the next to impossible greens.
I should also be noted that David was smashing his drives down the middle of the fairway all morning.
We finished golf by 11am. By then hot and humid.
Left the course then headed into town – Camden – to get fireworks.
About a ten mile drive.
Firework store also off US Rt 1, doubles as used car dealership and repair facility.
Had to turn the lights on for us. 
David and I were obviously out of synch. I came back with roman candles and sparklers. When I found David, he had three enormous boxes – one with 24 large ‘real’ fireworks. The other two contained 16 shot fireworks. Holy smoke!
We agreed to go halfsies.
Back to the lake house. Think we arrived around noon. After stashing fireworks, we took trash to the local recycling center. Had a place for everything (cooking oils, cans, bottles, regular household trash, paper/cardboard). I was impressed. Gone only about 10 minutes.
Back to the lake house.
Soon into swim suits and preparing for another afternoon on the lake. This time the kids did David’s knee board. Both mastered it quickly, Jacob on his 2nd try. Bella on her first. Impressive.
After an hour of that we headed back to the house for the jet skis. Fun times.
Spent the afternoon on the lake. Back to the house for dinner around 6-7pm. Grilled brats and dogs. David made homemade slaw southern style. Delicious!
At some point, out of the blue, David presented me with an old Vikings Tarkenton jersey he picked up many years ago at a thrift store. SWEET! It's one I've always wanted.
After dinner and just before darkness overtook the lake, David & I carried the fireworks from his basement out to the dock. The kids didn't even know we had them.
Had to coax them away from the basement pool table to come outside to join us. In fact, we Mindy & Anita came out before the kids after we set off one of the large fireworks.
And folks, these weren't your ordinary back yard fireworks. No sir! These were the real McCoy!
Loud whistling launch high above the tree tops, a thunderous explosion, and then an explosion of color. Very nice! That brought out the kids.
While David toiled with the firework launch from the boat dock, we gave Bella sparklers then Jacob a few roman candles.
The fireworks were so thunderous that I worried neighbors might call the authorities, though as I understand it, they're legal is SC. We let off something like 15 of the 24 large boomers.
Next up, David launch the two large boxed fireworks that contained something like 16 successive fireworks. Those weren't quite as verbose or colorful as the individual fireworks, but still pretty awesome.
At some point Bella snuck out the onto the dock and then onto David's boat to get a better view.
At the same time, David had to fiddle around with one of the large boxed fireworks, repeatedly lighting the wick. I worried about a dockside explosion. I stopped the action and called Bella back to shore. She wasn't pleased, but then again, who cares? It's my job to protect her.
David finally got it working after some jerry rigging.
Not long after, Jacob was launching roman candles and had one explode near his ear. Needless to say it freaked him out, not to mention causing ringing in his ear. Still, after the ringing subsided, he came back for more. The next one did the same thing, or so he said. In a panic, he simply tossed it to the ground and ran away from it. We all scattered as the roman candles were launching every which way, and one very near Mindy & Anita. Scary moment. Jacob headed inside.
After the firework display was over, we headed inside. Must've been around 1030pm.
Mindy declared herself tired. I followed her to bed where we watched a little TV.

Sunny Day on Wateree

 

 

 

 

 Up near 715am
David & Anita were already up, and more often than not they rise near 6am. Not used to finding others already up.
Anita already completed her 3 mile walk.
After some chit-chat, off on my run.
Light fog, warm, humid
Ran 3.1 miles up &down rolling hills toward River Rd and back. Nice!
Couldn’t wait for coffee. Yum! Delivered a cup to Mindy.
David had breakfast cooking – scrambled eggs, bacon, etc,
David and I headed out to prep boat and jet skis for day on the lake.
Opted for a jet ski ride. Flew around the local lake going up to 55 mph – fast!
Cruised in &out of three or four coves.
Returned to prep coolers, ready for day on the lake. Sunny and warm!
On the lake by 1045am. David gave Jacob quick course/ride on jet skis
Jacob did well.
Played on the lake all day. Fun!
Collectively decided to do dinner at the Retreat despite having lots of goodies to grill at the lake house.
I was the last to shower. Via boat, left for dinner near 730pm (I think).
Lovely evening cruise to restaurant. Not quite sunset but nearing.
Started dinner with drinks and appetizers – Jack & Coke for me. David suggest spicy shrimp. Yum!
Everybody ordered dinner entrees (Mindy & I opted share the beef tips and grits). We all shared two 2lb orders of crab legs.
Dinner was delicious! Perfect!
David picked up the entire check.
Thanks David!
Cruise back was in the total dark. Used navigation lights.
Back to the lake house near 10pm.
David and I planned to golf the following morning. Headed to be by 1030pm.

Warm & Sunny in CMH / Raining cats & dogs in the Carolinas

Up at 615am
Warm & sunny start
Prep coffee then look over pack list
Enjoyed coffee for 20 minutes ahead of a run
Woke Mindy with cup of coffee near 7am
Ran 3 miles
Home near 730am
Set irrigation system to water every other day
Finish tax letter to City of CMH – prepare to mail.
Organized final pack list items
Showered ready by 810am
Others about ready too
Loaded Pilot with gear (food, clothes, toys, drink)
Departed 850am (20 minutes later than projected)
Stopped @ Tim Horton’s in Bloomfield (btwn CMH & Circleville) for breakfast.
Kids Tim-Bits / Mindy & I breakfast sandwiches
Lovely drive / hot & sunny
Didn’t stop again until WV turnpike for pee break
Clouded up as we entered NC
Severe thunder storm forming over top us as we approach Charlotte, NC.
Traffic comes to a crawl. Storm pummels us. Torrential rains, severe lightning and strong winds.
Storm follows our path drifting SW down I-77. Scary!
Rained so hard that we were hydroplaning on freeway fast lane. Scary!
Mindy/David texting. David shares rain already past them at the Lake.
Thankfully, skies brighten some once into SC
Arrived at David & Anita’s lake escape 620pm after 9.5 drive. Last 80 miles took 2+ hours.
Felt good to arrive at our destination. David welcomed me with a home brewed ale.
Mindy wasted little time settling in. Anita had a welcome package waiting for her in our suite. 
Happy to stand after riding in the car all day.
Immediately stepped onto the deck to sniff the lake air, take in the lovely lake view.
David shared stories of the recent flood and its recession.
David had dinner already preparing – oven roasted turkey breast & beef stroganoff – Yum!
Before or after dinner, David/Anita suggested a quick boat ride.
Peaceful – lovely – short boat ride – maybe 20-30 minutes.
Spent evening enjoying each other’s company.
Others to bed ahead of David & I – by 10pm. He & I stayed up until 1145pm.

Boating We Will Go II

Boated Alum Creek ... again

On our drive up, Mindy asked yet again if we might be able to head down to SC to visit David and Anita. Said he posted in Facebook that the flood waters have finally receded and that they still wanted us to come.

I agreed pending David & Anita giving us a verbal thumbs up. No sense sitting around at home for the next five days. Mindy called David to make sure we were still welcome. He gave the thumbs up.
sounds like we'll be heading south early Wednesday AM. Yippie!

Sunny, hot & humid - 92 degrees - on Alum Creek. Boat performed well.

Me, Mindy, Jacob, Bella, Makayla, Lane.

Tubing & Coving

Thunder storm over home minutes after our arrival - 620pm

Took boat back to the storage - water up into ski cubby - drained for 10-15 minutes. Hmmm?

Jacob & I mounted the Thule atop the Pilot then loaded water skis and wake board. Really wanted to put my golf clubs up there too, but couldn't fit 'em in. Put them in the back of the Pilot instead.

Packed for the go. Mindy left to deliver Eiknarf to Gloria's place.

Boating We Will Go

Boated at Alum Creek first time this season.

Me, Mindy, Tommy & Wally, Jacob, Bella, Makayla & Jaeger (Jacob's friend).

Sunny 90 - nice!

Jacob's new wake board.

Pond Skimming Two - Psycho Pug

 

 

So happy to report that it was sunny, warm & steamy.

 

After my sweaty run, Mindy & I did a 2nd round of pond clean-up, this time working our way from the mid-backyard patio north towards the bridge. I brought my telescoping tree pruner this time, too. Cleaned up about 30' feet of shoreline.. Still a small section to clean-up between the two areas and then we'll work our way back to the end of our property, but another day. As it was, we had lots of tree/brush to chop up and haul to the compost pile.

 

The kids were up shortly after we finished the water part. Jacob reluctantly helped carry debris to the pile. Mindy had to threaten his freedom to garner his help. :)

 

Afterwards, I was exhausted, but didn't dare stop. Instead, I got out my chain saw and cut the 6-8" diameter branch that fell out of the ash tree the Wednesday prior during a storm. And as soon as that was finished, I cut the lawn again even though I cut it only three day prior. Growing like crazy now that we have the summery weather on hand.

 

For dinner, we planned on grilling the Chilean sea bass Mindy bought for our canceled SC trip. Mindy invited my dad over too. During the mid afternoon, Mindy went grocery shopping for the first time in about 3 weeks. While she was away, I went after the boat with the Pilot so we'd have it home for Monday & Tuesday's Alum Creek outings.

 

More to come ....



Breaking the Edge @ Yellow Springs

Sunny 85

Yellow Springs - John Bryan State Park

Yellow Springs Brewery - Breaking Edge IPA

Lazy evening on the sofa

The Zimmerman verdict

First Sunny Day in Weeks - Pond Skimming One

Mucky, muddy, mess!

First sunny, summery day in weeks!

But my reward ... Yes, CBC!!!!

Clouds Moving Out

Headin Home via The Brew Kettle

VIagara Falls ... Room with a View

Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah

Hoped to wake to sunny skies, but unfortunately that simply wasn't the case. Instead, it was cloudy and appeared to have recently rained. It was near 715am when I slipped out of bed and into my running clothes. Noticed that Jacob had taken refuge in the bathtub. I assumed my snoring the culprit. I left the room no more than ten minutes later stopping first at the Inn lobby for a cup of Starbucks coffee.

There were a few families already gathered there for the free continental breakfast. I stood near the empty lobby bar watching the weather channel on the TV. More rain forecasted for the area, with most of the rain hitting mid morning. Not expecting clear, sunny weather until Thursday. Ugh!

Did my run into the town of Ellicottville passing by EBC as well as several other establishments. Stopped briefly at EBC checking out their new addition and patio, which was opened even at 730am. Very nice! Was much looking forward to having dinner there later. Finished my run heading back to the Inn. Stopped in the lobby again for more coffee and a muffin. Spent about 5 minutes before pouring Mindy a cup of Starbucks and heading back to our room.
By then it was raining just as the weather channel had predicted.

Soon Mindy was up. Our plan was to have breakfast at the Inn ahead of our 1pm High Adventure Park experience. Weren't really sure what we would do leading up to 1pm. It was just me, Mindy & Bella at breakfast. Jacob wanted to stay back in the room. Bella promised to bring him back some goodies.

The three of us carbed it up, enjoying giant waffles smothered in syrup, muffins, and bagels lathered in cream cheese. Of course Mindy and I enjoyed more coffee and juice too. While we were in the lobby having breakfast it poured rain outside. Once we were done eating, Mindy headed to the lobby desk to redeem our two free Adventure Park vouchers and purchase two more at a discounted rate. At the same time, Bella and I headed back to the room. Over the next 1.5 hours, we all got showers, and by then the rain had finally stopped. It was still cloudy but thankfully the sky brightened some.

We decided to head to the Tannenbaum lodge around 11am to scope of the Adventure Park setting. It's just a little over a mile up HV road. Jacob was grumbling again, not really eager to follow our lead and check out the Adventure Park process. In fact, he was speaking quite rudely to Mindy, something he does frequently when he's tired, hungry, and/or in unfamiliar surroundings. He was really pushing the limits when the staffers invited us to walk out and check out the course by following the mulched trail. He even tried sucking Bella into his misery. We largely ignored his rude comments.

After checking out a little bit of the park we headed into the Tannenbaum lodge to use the restroom and then checkout the cafeteria. Mindy was eager to get some real food in Jacob. After a couple slices of pizza he was much more pleasant. Around noon, Mindy headed into the main ticket office of the Adventure Park to buy bug spray. At the same time, the staff invited us to start an hour or so early since they weren't very busy.

Just as we were being outfitted for our harnesses a few peaks of sunshine poked through the otherwise cloudy veil, and then a few minutes later there were blue skies above the area. Hoorah! Much like ski slopes, the 11 courses were labeled by color (yellow, green, blue, black, double-black) to indicate their difficulty.

Having no experience to draw from, we opted to begin on a green. That turned out being a good choice. The course was challenging enough as well as an opportunity to familiarize ourselves with the operation of the harness, safety strap, and zip line handle. Bella and I were paired while Mindy and Jacob took another green trail. Bella did great despite her 52-53" inch height, which made it harder to cross or climb many of the ladders/bridges.

We met up with Mindy & Jacob and then did a blue course next. In hindsight, we probably should've done another green. Not only was the blue up higher in the trees, but the bridges/ladders were longer and more difficult. Even the spacing between the 'steps' were wider making it extremely challenging for Bella's small frame. A couple of times she had to have Mindy's assistance. I wasn't happy that Jacob was giving her a hard way to go, which only served to frustrate her even more. In the end, she did great.

Realizing it was far better to separate the two kids, Bella and I once again paired off for our third course, which was another green. With just 10 minutes or so left on our passes (3 hour pass), Bella and I opted to finish on Grand Rapids, an all zip line course. That proved daunting but fun! I heard one of the guides tell a father son combo going just in front of us that it made more sense for the father to go first so that he might be able to catch his young son at the end of each zip line. We followed those same instructions and I am glad we did. In fact, on one occasion, Bella's chest slammed into the receiving tree trunk fairly hard.

We finished just ahead of Mindy & Jacob. Took us a few minutes to find them. We left Adventure Park more than satisfied with the challenge. I give it a big thumbs up, and well almost certainly come back to do it again. Next, we rode the mountain coaster, which was my first time and also included with the passes we purchased. Mindy & Bella have rode it a few times during our winter visits. Not sure about Jacob. It was more fun than it looks.

It was about 430pm by the time we got back to our room. With little fanfare we changed into swimming attire and headed to the pool. Jacob stayed in the room with instructions to be showered and ready for dinner by the time we were back. The sun was out in full force for the first time in several days. Felt good to soak up its rays. Aside from an older woman reading poolside, we were its only visitors. Bella & I swam in the outdoor pool while Mindy relaxed poolside. She eventually got in too. Mindy & I got in the hot tub briefly, too. We probably spent about 40 minutes in total at the pool.

Back in the room we quickly showered and left for dinner at EBC. Curious from my many Ellicottville runs, we stopped briefly to walk about the Ellicottville cemetery on Jefferson St. Jacob stayed in the car. me, Mindy &Bella walked pretty much the entire cemetery. We found tombstones commemorating folks that were born even before Washington served as our first official US president. Several war of 1812 casualties buried there too. Very interesting.

Given that it was a Monday, we didn't expect there to be too much trouble finding a parking spot. We found one right out front of the new section of EBC. More to come ...

T

Giving Credence to Play Time in the Valley

Playing in the Valley, Drinking @ the Tier, Swimming in the Falls ...

With a planned departure of 830am, I was up and out of bed near 615am. That was 15 minutes later than I planned for, but I always build some pad in there just in case. I was comfortable with my decision. It was Sunday, so I didn't plan calisthenics. Instead, after starting coffee I went to the internet. Enjoyed coffee and internet for about 15 minutes before heading off on my run. I woke Mindy before heading out the door. My hope was that she would be showered upon my return. I was out the door before 7am. Decent run - another cloudy start with warm temps - about 68 degrees.

Mindy was just finishing her shower upon my return. I spent a few minutes looking over my pack list, making sure I had everything set to go. This would be the first trip where we've opted to leave the laptop behind, taking only my Kindle Fire. Felt unchained. Upstairs I showered then tossed all of the running and street clothes I'd need over the next 3 or 4 days along with my overnight kit into my large Nike duffle. Downstairs again, I put my Kindle, a book, and charging cords in my travel backpack. I then loaded my golf clubs into the Pilot, even though I doubted I would actually golf at Holiday Valley. Don't get me wrong, I want to, but don't like golfing with strangers or alone. And since Jacob gave me a resounding no when I offered to pack his clubs, it most likely wouldn't happen. Still, I wanted to have them just in case.

By then Mindy and the kids were downstairs. Mindy was busy packing sandwiches for the drive as well as whipping up a quick breakfast. Barring a stop for a potty break, our plan was to drive straight through to Southern Tier Brewery which is just west of Jamestown, NY, where we planned to have lunch. With little ado, we hit the road at 840am - about 10 minutes later than desired. Not bad, and we didn't have to be anywhere at any specific time.
We didn't get a quarter mile down the road before Jacob uttered that he forgot his iPhone charger. Really? No one said a word. I finally asked if we should return for it, already knowing the answer. But just the same, I was deeply annoyed given that it was perhaps the one thing he was responsible for. After all, Mindy packed all of his clothes and toiletries. Ugh! I bellyached about making the u-turn to which Mindy curtly ripped into me. That, unfortunately, set he somber tone for the initial drive.

We were back on the road 10 minutes later. It was an especially quiet drive around 270 and then north on 71 for approximately 120 miles. Both kids were asleep. Jacob woke, I think, somewhere between Cleveland and the state line. Bella slept pretty much the entire drive to Southern Tier. As usual, it goes really fast once you're on I-90 & I-86.

We relied on GPS to guide us to the Southern Tier Brewery, which is about 6 miles off I-86 in Lakewood, NY, and very near Lake Chautauqua. Seems out in the middle of nowhere, really. Very much impressed with the enormity and beauty of the Brewery and tap house. To my eyes, both facilities looks brand new and tastefully done in stone and timbers.

Inside, we were a little surprised that their food offerings were limited to pulled pork sandwiches and chips. My guess is that it's catered, as they ran out while we were eating ours. I didn't mind so much. I was there primarily for the beer. While Mindy and I enjoyed a pint of beer, the kids enjoyed soda pop. We bought a growler of Compass and a rocket of Plum Noir for the road, neither are available in our area. I was going to buy a shirt but they didn't have any I liked in my size. I'm estimating that we were there for about an hour. We took a few family photos by their large entry signage then headed back to the highway, or I-86 and onto HV.

The drive into HV was relatively quick, only another 50-60 minutes. I'm thinking it was near 330pm when we wheeled into the Inn @ HV. By then the skies were a mixed bag of clouds and sun. Didn't look like rain anytime soon, which was very refreshing to see. Check in was a snap - room #212, which is the corner room that despite being on the 2nd floor, has ski up access to the lift view patio given that the building is built into the ski slope. We were all excited about that.

We didn't spend much time in the room before wandering out for a walk. After a 6+ hour drive, all of us were eager to be on our feet and moving about. We wandered from the Inn across the base of Sunrise lift, which in the summer hosts a green for one of the golf courses holes, not sure which. We followed the cart path over to the Tamarack and the newly built HV day lodge. Looks quite different in the summer. There are something like three pools in an around the new lodge, most of which were packed while a live band played under a portable canopy Just beyond the railing was a large concert stage with maybe a 1000 seats for a special event slated for later that night. We learned that Credence Clearwater Revisited would be playing at dark.

For whatever the reason, the music coming from the lie band around the pool was too loud for my liking. Mindy felt the same. She, the kids and I, continued our exploration of the park in summer mode. Soon, both kids, especially Jacob, bellyached about being there and even threw out some rude remarks directed at Mindy. I wandered off on my own but still within earshot. Both kids wanted to head back to the Inn and our room. I was thinking about having a beer at John Harvard's brewpub located on site at the Tamarack. Soon separated from Mindy and the kids, I sent Mindy a text indicating as much. She responded favorably but said they were already back at the Inn. Said she'd meet me at John Harvard's. With the pub nearly empty, I opted to wait in the lobby, reading the local paper checking out the available real estate adds.

Mindy soon joined for a beer in the pub. I went with Harvard's own Pale Ale. It was just OK. I really wanted to try the EBC Nitrous Hopicide, but they were all out. :( We opted for just the one drink then headed back to the room. By then it was after 5pm. Back at the room, we quickly readied for the pool and hot tub. There we met a guy who claimed to be the drummer for KC & the Sunshine Band, though later that story along with a couple others didn't quite seem to add up. Still, he was interesting to converse with. He and his girlfriend were staying in one of the suites at the Inn. Said they dined at the Barn the evening before and hated it. Felt ripped off and said they'd never go back. We laughed because we said the same thing after our visit there last December.

After some time at the pool and hot tub we headed back to the room where we quickly readied for dinner at the Depot. Of course we walked over. Not only is right across the street, but the evening weather was ideal, partly sunny and warm. Not too big a crowd at the Depot. In fact, most of the crowd looked headed for the Credence show at the HV lodge. We got a table right away. I ordered a pint of Southern Tier IPA. It was just OK. Honestly, though, it tasted a little old. No worries. The kids wanted deep fried pickles as an appetizer. Bella ordered a cheese burger. Can't remember what Jacob ordered. Mindy ordered fish & chips. I ordered wings hot with a side of onion rings. My wings and rings were very tasty.

Walked back just as the sun was setting and darkness moving in. I poured a S.T. Compass then headed out on the patio where I could easily hear the warm-up for Credence. Could see a few starts popping out for the first time in seemingly days and days. Once Credence started ,Bella and I ventured out onto the golf course crossing the Sunrise slope and taking seat somewhere in the fairway still a few hundred yards from the stage but easily within earshot of the concert. Sounded decent. Bella didn't hang long once the mosquitoes started biting. I hung out for another song and then headed back to the room, too. I fell asleep watching TV with the family.

Johnny Quest & Bandit

Out of bed near 8am, it was yet another cloudy, rainy start. It was warm and very humid, already in the low 70s. And even though I cut the lawn on Thursday, it was already looking like it needed cut again. I played around online while enjoying coffee for quite some time. Didn't leave for a run until almost 10am. Ran the usual weekend 3 miles.

Mindy was up soon after my return. She reminded me that Lindsey and the boys were coming over to do laundry. She told her to come over around 1pm. There were a few quick breaks of sunshine but by and large the rain and clouds prevailed. It was noon before we knew it, but both kids were still in bed. Yikes! I decided it was as good a time as any to get cracking on toilet repair. Not only was I replacing the 1st floor guest bath faulty toilet valve, but also the wax seal. Easy enough. After all, I watched two YouTube videos on replacing the wax seal. "Even a girl can do it".

I consider myself a pro with toilet valve replacement. I've rebuilt all the home's toilets more than once. Never done a wax seal, though. Once the water supply was off and the bad valve removed, I opted to do the wax seal before installing the new valve. I asked for Mindy's help moving the toilet out of the way of the toilet flange. Easy enough. A snap, really. Oops! One faux pas. Didn't consider there would be additional water in the toilet's trap. As we tipped it forward and back, the excess water ran onto the hallway tile floor. No biggie. A couple old bath towels later the simple mess was addressed.

Now to the flange and the old wax seal. Oddly enough, the old wax seal didn't appear to be smashed as much as it probably should've been, which is likely why on occasion I would get a minute whiff of a urine smell, hence the reason I wanted to replace the seal in the first place. Before one can install a new wax seal the old must be scraped away. Comes up easy enough, though it's sticky/gummy. Surprisingly, the open toilet drain really didn't smell and appeared clean. I certainly expected much worse.

Once the old wax seal was scraped away it should've been an easy job to mount the new seal on the toilet and then simply move it back into place. However, there was a problem, a BIG problem. The flange was incorrectly installed around the toilet drain. So much so that it would be impossible to install the T bolts parallel to one another. And on closer inspection, I could see why. The builders - M/I homes - cut the hole for the toilet drain too big. In fact, almost as big around as the flange itself rather than the 3" drain pipe, which for all intents and purposes made it nearly impossible to mount the flange to the sub flooring. What they did was rig it to where there was just enough wood under one edge to drive a screw as a serious angle into wood, and then used a round headed nail for another as the same wide angle. I was furious! This explained a lot, one, why the toilet was never snug to the floor and why the wax seal never really sealed. Making matters worse, there really wasn't an easy solution. I began swearing like a drunken sailor.

It would've been so easy for the builder/plumber to fix their mistake during construction, but now that tile was down it was next to impossible to correct, at least easily. Again, I was agitated beyond belief, so much so that unbeknownst to me, Mindy texted Lindsey asking her not to come over to start laundry until 230pm. Mindy was a big help. We eyeballed the problem and discussed potential fixes. But again, there was no obvious, easy fix. Mindy pointed out that while it was definitely a case of shitty craftsmanship, it had worked fairly well for nearly 20 years. But I couldn't bear to half ass the job.

I removed the screw holding the flange at the incorrect angle, but couldn't pry up the round headed nail no matter what I tried. Mindy suggested our oscillating tool, which I considered getting too. However, I was finally able to knock the head off with a large screwdriver and hammer. The loud pounding and swearing apparently woke Jacob. He quickly dressed and headed out to play, not interested at all in hanging around inside for the comedy.
With the flange finally loose, we now had to figure out how to best remount it so that the T bolts would be square to the toilet holes. Happily, we made the best of a bad situation, and were able to move the drain pipe and flange enough to overlap the sub flooring enough to drive the screw straight. It's by no means ideal, but would simply have to do.

Together, we moved the toilet back into place. But that proved a bit trickier than it should've been, too. Since there was effectively no wood under the sides of the flange, the T bolts wanted to move as we tightened down the nuts. I had Mindy hold one of the T bolt heads from the basement. Once the toilet was remounted to the floor it was time to install the new valve and flexible water line. That phase was simple. Had the toilet up and fully operational by 130pm. Just ahead of that, Mindy and the kids headed off to deliver the pug to Gloria, who agreed to keep her while we were away in New York. They were gone for about an hour. Lindsey and the boys were over near 230pm. No sooner had they arrived when Lindsey left again to fetch laundry detergent and fabric softener. Ashley texted that she was bringing Olivia and Avery over around 4pm. If so, it would be our first encounter with GD, Avery. ON her own, Courtney hasn't yet seen fit to meld us into her web. :)

It was one of those dreary cloudy summer days where there was little motivation to do anything outdoors. As a result, I spent most of my day inside where I did my share of reading, moping, and playing guitar. As promised, Ashley, Olivia and Avery came by for a visit late afternoon. Avery was fussy from jump. Sounded like a cry of gas to my ears - painful! She was like that for the first 20 minutes or so. Mindy eventually calmed her, helping her expel some gas and then feeding and burping her. As with most babies, she garnered most of the attention both from Mindy and I as well as the kids. Even neighbor Chrissy got in on the fun. By the time everybody departed it was near 630pm.

Even though we planned on leaving for NY near 830am Sunday, Mindy & I wanted to head out to CBC for a beer and some food. Most of our light packing was completed. All we needed to do was load it in the car. Once again, Bella pleaded her case to stay down at the neighbors. We easily agreed given that we'd be spending the next four days together. Jacob didn't want to join us either. In addition, Chrissy already agreed to let Rocky spend the night with Jake. I'm pretty sure he invited himself.

We left for CBC near 715pm. The bar wasn't too crowded at all. In fact, it was probably as sparse as I've seen it in a long while. Much to my delight, they have a new, lighter IPA on tap along with the two others. The new one is called Bandit. I decided to try one. Decent. Without specifically ordering any food, Vince served us some bread and risotto balls. A chubby fella named Cornelius was sitting across the bar nosed into our conversation with Vince. Initially, I welcomed his input. Vince later indicated that he had a reputation for butting in and is often quite annoying. He was relentless with his story telling. I joked that Mindy can do the same thing. She wasn't flattered. I meant no harm.

We eventually decided to order dinner, the special, which was a blackened trout served over rice. As we often do, we shared one entree. I had a 2nd beer, only this time a Bodhi. Mindy picked up the tab. At home, we walked down to the neighbors to fetch Bella and Jacob, who were there playing and having pizza. Of course Rocky was there too, but the plan wasn't for him to come home with us. Our visit was short. I wanted to get a good night's sleep ahead of our 330 mile drive on Sunday. Home and in bed by 1030pm.

Summer Vacation Officailly Begins

Up at 615am. Once again, a cloudy start. Exercise as usual, including push-ups. I planned to work from home and got busy well before my run. Ran 4.1 miles. Mindy slept extra late. Don't think she was up until sometime after 10am.

Mindy left for a Honda oil change appointment around 11am and planned to pick-up Jacob from his overnight immediately after. I stayed very busy with work through mid-morning and the early afternoon. I was a tad anxious with all I still needed to complete work-wise before officially being on vacation, and at the same time preparing for our New York trip. As usual, it helped after I completed HV/Niagara Falls vacation checklist.

The afternoon moved swiftly, and soon the work day was behind me, though it wasn't official until I set my out of office and forwarded both my BB and desk phone to recorded vacation message. Come 530pm I declared myself on vacation for two weeks.

Mindy and I decided to do dinner at Barley's, but Bella wanted badly to stay and play with Makayla even after spending most of the day with her and the other island girls boating at Deer Creek. Mindy agreed to let her stay home under Chrissy's supervision. Jacob asked if neighbor Jake could go along. Yes. Mindy, me, and the two boys wearing their fashionable snap backs headed off to Barleys.

Parked in the back lot. Not much of a bar crowd. Steve Wonn was in. Chatted with him briefly before heading to a table in Justin' area. Mindy & I enjoyed beers while the two boys had Dr Pepper's. Their food orders were identical: chicken tenders tossed in buffalo and gates on the side. Mindy had a pasta dish while I had a Cuban. I ate only half. Took the rest home. I drank two beers, Mindy just one. During dinner, I reminded anybody that would listen that I was on VACATION!

Home near 830pm, we spent the rest of the evening on the deck streaming Pandora while the kids lit off small fireworks: bottle rockets, sparklers, and a few roman candles. The boys were more interested in the more dangerous variety while the girls were content with the sparklers. Called it a night near 10pm.

Wet 4th ... Wet Everything!

Cloudy, cool 4th. Rained about half an inch. Ugh!

Up around 8am. Ran in the light rain. I started lawn chores soon after my run despite a wet lawn. Because of that, I cut most of the upper back with the push mower, not wanting to tear up the soggy ground with my tractor. The Grandkids left around 230pm

Mindy the kids and I headed to a 4th of July party at Lori & Bill's (neighbor Pat & Lisa's family). Lori lives in The Glen and has large lot at the back of a cul-de-sac. She has a lovely in ground pool and surrounding patio. Granted, I don't know a lot of folks with in ground pools, but hers is one of the finest I've seen anywhere. Unfortunately, because of rain, we, at least temporarily, had to move the party to the garage until it stopped. The rain soon stopped but the clouds remained.

Food was served buffet style, and there was plenty of it. Yum! During the 3 or 4 hours we were there, I drank 3 beers. However, I stopped drinking a couple hours before we left. Mindy, on the other hand, kept drinking beer, and powerful beers at that - Bodhi and Southern Tier XXIPAs. She was feeling no pain and far and away more buzzed than any of the others on hand.

Jacob asked if he could spend the night with Tyler. Mindy, Lori agreed. Mindy, Bella and I left for home around 830-9pm. I had to work Friday, so there wasn't much party left in me. At home we were soon to bed and watching TV. However, rather than going right to sleep, Mindy repeatedly asked me to tell her why I loved her. And even after I provided answers, she asked again and again. It's fair to say, she had a buzz. I think we finally fell asleep around 1030pm.