Final Home Additon Update

April 13th. Finally, here are pictures of the finished addition. The first picture (below right) is a view standing by the garage with a view of the bedroom addition in the foreground and the screened porch at the back. The bay window is the prominent feature from this angle. In the next photo (first photo at left) I'm standing in the middle of the backyard looking directly toward the back of the house. There are steps that lead either up to the porch or down to the basement and a small open-air section of the porch. I've been thinking it would be nice to install a arbor in this recess between the two roof lines (between the bedroom and porch additions). Then let a trumpet vine grow up the arbor and place a small table for two in the little niche of open-air porch space to create an intimate french bistro setting for enjoying wine and cheese lunches in the summer under the shade of a beautiful arbor of flowers and buzzing bees.

The next photo (below left) is the opposite angle of the first photo featuring the screened porch in the foreground and the bedroom addition toward the rear. There is hay covering the ground and some grass has started to sprout. The landscaping will be a long-term project. We've started moving some furniture onto the porch...a futon and a collection of mismatched chairs. It isn't quite developed yet and will take some time to come together. We need to install sunshades and stain the wood, but we'll have all summer to do those chores. We've been able to use the porch on warmer days but it has still been pretty cool.

On the inside I installed a new faucet in the bathroom and have still to make a small decorative back splash behind the sink and a radiator cover--then that room will be done. I've begun working on the front bedroom; so far I've striped the old wallpaper off the walls, patched the walls and ceiling, and painted the walls and trim to match the rest of the house. I also installed a new light fixture and moved or replaced some the electrical outlets to be consistent with the bedroom addition. I'll be painting the doors next and installing carpet at some point to complete the transformation of the front bedroom into a home office/guest room.

Here are few photos of the bedroom which we are enjoying but as far as decorating is still a work-in-progress. First, Jane's closet (at right) followed by two pictures of the room standing in the doorway. The first picture is looking the left and the second is swept to the right.

DNF

So Jane and I ran in the HAT 50K last weekend. I ran this trail ultramarathon last year under an assumed name.....one of our running friends had signed-up for the race but couldn't go so I went in his place......and finished in approximately 6 hours 50 minutes. It's a tough course made even tougher this year with some additional course changes that resulted in more changes in elevation....10K feet in all if you do the entire course. The course consists of three loops; an initial 4-5 mile loop and then two loops of 13.7 miles each. This year Jane also ran, but with a bum IT band was only going to do the first two loops consisting of about 18 miles. As I was nearing the end of the second loop I heard what I thought was Jane yelling for me off in the distance and could just barely see her off a ways and decided to end my race there, go catch up with her, and we finished the second loop together and went home.....tired but not exhausted. About 400 runners assembled at the starting line for the 9:00 AM start of the race (see picture above left); about 325 finished. The rest of us Did Not Finish (DNF).

At right is a picture of me chugging up the first big hill and in the second photo (see below) way at the back I think is Jane. The beginning was really pretty cold (in the 30s) with a stiff wind blowing. The cold wind gave me some asthma problems but I was running pretty slow at the beginning.....well I was running pretty slow throughout but that's beside the point. However, once we were in the woods the weather wasn't too bad and it did warm up some. All in all, it was a very nice day and I'm glad Jane and I got to hook-up at the end to run/walk the final couple of miles......mostly all of which was going down a steeply graded road only to have to trudge back-up a equally steeply graded hiking trail. Making our way up the hiking trail the first couple of male finishers went swooshing by but they seemed very nice. One of them said Jane and I were doing a good job. Yeah, we're all winners.......just like on the Uncle Al show (that's for you Mike).

Waiting For George

March 18th. I went out for a run this morning without Jane because her knee has been bothering her. When I returned home I went into the back yard to go in through the basement and there were these two guys, one sitting on the porch steps and the other dude just standing in the backyard. Other than the fact that there were two strangers I've never seen before hanging out in my backyard, I didn't feel threatened but we sorta just eyed each other for a fraction of a second before I said hello and enquired what they were doing.

"We're supposed to do something here today," the dude who was standing said.

Okay, so they were probably here to work on the house or the yard... or something. Of course, maybe the something they had to do was break-in and loot the house.

So the dude who was standing said. "Is this your house?"

I said, yeah.

Then the dude said, "What's your name?"

I said, what? (because the dude spoke with a strong Hispanic accent)

"What's your name," he asked again.

XXXXX, I said (thinking to myself, why am I telling this dude my name)

I was starting to feel a little uncomfortable about where this conversation was going and feared the next question would be something like "can you squeal like a pig?" so I moved so that my back was to the basement steps and I could either defend myself or run inside quickly if the situation turned ugly.

Then the dude said (pointing to his friend sitting on the steps), "We're waiting for George. He said he'd be here by 7:30."

AAhhh, I thought to myself, waiting for George (the foreman for our renovation). I looked at my watch which read approximately 7:20 and told them that they had another 10 minutes until 7:30.

So then the dude asked me, "Did George do the porch."

I explained to them that George had built the porch and also the bedroom addition as they both nodded approvingly. Of course, they could have equally been sizing-up how best to come back tonight and break-in, I wasn't quite sure, so I told them that I'm sure George would be here any minute and quickly went into the basement and locked the door. It would have been nice for George to alert us to expect some day laborers this morning. As I left to go to work, I did see George's car and Jason's pick-up, so I suppose the backyard is getting graded and seeded today.

Grand Canyon Adventure Day 1.5

Once we cross the black bridge and enter Phantom Ranch we'll have traveled approximately 1/3 of the out journey, 7 miles, with another 14 miles to go. Here's a detailed description of the North Kaibab Trail that stretches from the Phantom Ranch all the way up the aspen-shaded flanks of the North Rim. Starting from Phantom Ranch (see map at left), the 14-mile trail follows Bright Angel Creek as it burbles through open desert through a narrow gorge of nealy 2 billion year old rock, passses the Cottonwood Camp, and skirts the wall of the precipitous Roaring Springs Canyon (see map below). Starting from Phantom Ranch, we'll climb more than a mile (5,770 feet) of elevation on the way up.

The first few miles north of Phantom Ranch are relatively flat and deceptively easy. Shortly after leaving Phantom Ranch, you pass the side trail to Clear Creek (a terrific hike for another day). About six miles north of Phantom Ranch there's another well-signed side trail to Ribbon Falls. The quarter-mile trek to the falls is a great trip if you have an extra hour or so. Cottonwood Camp, developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, is about a mile north of Ribbon Falls. Its shady, vibrant green cottonwood trees are a welcome sight during a hot summer hike. Cottonwood Camp is about halfway between Phantom Ranch and the rim and along the way we'll have gained about 1,600 feet of elevation, but have nearly 4,200 more to go.

A little more than two miles north of Cottonwood Camp we'll pass Roaring Springs, a gorgeous cascade of water spilling out of a high canyon wall. Water from the springs, aided by a couple of pump houses, supplies both the North and South rims. There's a small picnic area about a quarter-mile down a side trail near Roaring Springs, but we'll still be five miles from the trailhead. The most scenic section lies ahead.

As we trudge up from the springs, the rugged, ever deepening gorge of Roaring Springs Canyon will lie at our feet. The Redwall Bridge, about two miles beyond Roaring Springs, sits atop the Redwall formation, a 500-foot-high layer of 330-million-year-old limestone. Its name to the contrary, the Redwall formation is actually gray; its outer surface has been stained by iron oxide in the layers above it. Several steep switchbacks take you from the bridge up to the Supai Tunnel, just beyond which you'll find water and restrooms. The Coconino Overlook, about a mile beyond, is a fine area in which to prepare for the final assault. While we're resting there we'll be able to look across the Canyon for the low silhouette of Humphreys Peak, some 60 miles to the south-southeast. The trail from the overlook to the rim, about three-quarters of a mile, is a pleasant, not-so-steep walk through ponderosa pine, white fir and quaking aspen. Allow at least eight hours for the strenuous 14-mile hike from Phantom Ranch to the North Rim. Add an hour or two for the side trip to Ribbon Falls. Of course here we're still two miles until the North Rim Lodge.

Trail heading out of the Cottonwood Campground.

Roaring Springs.

The Redwall Bridge

Suppai Tunnel.

The view from Suppai Tunnel.

The North Kaibab Trailhead.

The North Rim Lodge.

Grand Canyon Adventure Day 1

Getting There
From Phoenix, it is ~250 miles or about 4-5 hours driving time to the South Rim. Take I-17 North to Flagstaff, Arizona (where we will stay one night on the return trip) and then either of three routes to the Grand Canyon Village. (1) Take I-40 west to Highway 64. Take Highway 64 north directly to the South Rim. (2) Take Highway 180 west to Highway 64. Take Highway 64 north directly to the South Rim. (3) Take Highway 89 north to Highway 64. Take Highway 64 west to the East Entrance on the South Rim - known as Desert View.

The official Park Service newspaper called The Guide posts the shuttle bus timetables. The South Kaibab Trailhead is only accesible by bus. We'll park the rental car at one of five lots and take a free shuttle bus. It will probably be a good idea to park in lot E near the Backcountry Information Center and walking the short distance over to the front entrance of the Maswik Lodge. A special Hikers' Express bus leaves here at 5:05, 6:05 and 7:05 am May through September. Also Lot E is just 5 minutes walk from the Bright Angel trailhead - our return destination. Alternatively, lot D is closer to the Bright Angel Lodge and we could take the same bus from there 5 mins earlier. (The Guide has a map of all the facilities.)

The South Kaibab Trailhead

By the time the trail reaches the Colorado River about 4750ft (1450m) below, it will be a lot warmer. There is no water on this trail but there are two toilet facilities on the way down. It's a total of 7 miles to Phantom Ranch, across the bridge, a bit beyond the other side of the River. Here are photos of the terrain and highlighted landmarks along the South Kaibab Trail as noted on the topo map at left. A more detailed description with ample photos can be found here.

Stepping off into the Grand Canyon.

View of the South Rim to the left.

Looking down on O'Neill Butte.

Crossing the Tonto Trail about 4.4 miles.

Looking back up at the Tonto Plateau.

The TipOff and view of the Colorado River.

The Black Bridge crossing the Coloarado River.

It's approximately 7 miles to the Phantom Ranch and another 14 miles to the North Kaibab trailhead on the North Rim.

Grand Canyon Adventure

In early May, Jane and I will be traveling back to the Desert Southwest (where we vacationed last year) to experience up-close and personal the Grand Canyon. We plan to run/hike rim-to-rim-to-rim (R2R2R) over two days. We'll fly into Phoenix and stay overnight on the South Rim, then early the next morning run to the North Rim. The following day we retrace our steps. The trail distances are approximately 21 miles on the first day and 23 the next. After our overnight on the South Rim we'll take the earliest hiker shuttle to the South Kaibab trail head. The bus stop is a 15 min walk to the trailhead where we enter the canyon and the adventure begins. Click on topographical map at left for an expanded view of the trails marked in red. The plan is to run down the South Kaibab Trail to the Phantom Ranch, then continue north along the Bright Angel Creek on the North Kaibab Trail toward Roaring Springs (not shown on the topo map above but is diagramed below although not to scale), and then make the final assault to the North Rim. Once at the top, we'll stay overnight at the North Rim Lodge. The following day we'll retrace our steps as far as the Phantom Ranch and then return to the South Rim via the Bright Angel Trail. While the Bright Angel Trail adds a mile and a half, it also provides several water sources and nice rests stops—critical in this country, and the South Kaibab has none.

Since this probably isn't the smartest activity to undertake, in fact the park rangers evidently frown on it, we plan to go with several running buddies who have been making this run a yearly activity and one of the guys going with us is an emergency room physician--so that's good. Also, I will obsessively plan so we know what to expect and try to anticipate all potential emergencies and needs. There are ample warnings not to attempt what we plan to do (see picture below) but most people say that the ordinary visitor who is reasonably well prepared has no reason to heed the warning signs. Of course, there is always the possibility one could run into trouble.

Home Addition Update

March 6th. The home renovation is largely complete. We've moved into our new bedroom which is much more spacious than I had expected. The original master bedroom in our home, which was built in 1933, was cramped---10 x 12 with a large hot water radiator making it feel even smaller. Even though our new bedroom isn't large by today's standards, stepping into it feels a little odd in that there's much more space than I'm accustomed to. We'll probably have to buy larger bedside tables or bureaus at some point. The original floor plan also didn't include much closet space, something we've added to over the 3 renovations/additions we've gone through with the pièce de résistance being Jane's new walk-in closet. Jane's new closet (that I've outfitted with closetmaid shelves and rods) is 99% complete and has a ton of storage capacity--although still not enough for all of Jane's clothes and accessories (seriously). A couple of days back we were both standing in the closet and Jane says, "this is probably enough space for my Fall/Winter wardrobe.........and she was being serious! But this is Jane's one indulgence and I can't blame her after hearing heart-wrenching stories about her childhood as the youngest of three siblings having only hand-me-downs from her older sister and brother to wear. Jane's Glass Castle was this walk-in closet and now it's done. We haven't yet been able to enjoy the screened porch since it is still chilly but am looking forward to the warmer weather when we'll be able to spend more time outside. It took a long time to arrange with the builder to get this last renovation completed but we're happy we did and that it's now mostly over. Now, we've turned our attention to the old bedroom which we'll turn into a study. First, we need to strip off the old wallpaper and do a few small repairs to the walls and ceilings, install new electrical outlets, and then repaint. I don't think this will take too long, but I said that about the bathroom and that took 7 years. Which reminds me I still have to pull the old broken faucet in the bathroom sink and install a new one and while I''m at it add a back splash to the sink, paint the radiator in the kitchen, paint the front porch railings, re-paint the doors, put in a backyard vegetable garden, build an arbor entryway and stone path in the backyard, finish the rest of the basement, and then work on the garage.....Oy Vey!

Earlham Schmerlham

.......As previously announced Elroy was accepted into Earlham College. This week we received a letter from Earlham informing us that our financial aid application materials had been reviewed. Earlham was "pleased" to inform us, in this letter, that Elroy could receive a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan in the amount of $1,750 dollars....for both Fall and Spring semesters to attend Earlham. That's $3,500 dollars in low interest loans..........Whoopee!!!! Tuition at Earlham stands at $34,030 for tuition and fees and $6,814 for Room & Board. To that you can also throw in approximately $500 per semester for miscellaneous personal expenses like an Earlham hoodie sweatshirt and of course travel to and fro...........I'm no math wiz like my brother-in-law (no not you Mike, the other one who doesn't read my blog) but that's like $43,000 dollars a year. The only good news would be that when Elroy graduates he wouldn't have too much debt. Ha Ha, cough. Anyway, unless my Earlham alum/brother-in-law has some major pull with the Earlham bean-counters this ain't looking good.

The Last Home Addition Update

February 25th. I can't believe it!! I talked to Jason this morning and short of the grading of the backyard (which can't be done until the yard dries out) and fixing the damage to the driveway (which will also be repaired once the weather warms) Jason thinks that by tomorrow he'll be finished. We're still waiting for the bedroom carpet to arrive and be installed so we can move into the new bedroom and start our own renovations to the the front bedroom/study. I'm also working on Jane's closet. Jane and I went out and bought more closetmaid materials to finish-off her closet....Jane has moved in but it's still a work in progress. The immeidate next step will be to clean-up, then over the summer we'll probably stain the exposed pressure-treated wood on the porch. Whether we just use a clear sealant (like Thompson's waterseal) or a colored stain or both is a decision we'll just put off until the summer.

February 28th. Tomorrow the final closeout inspection between the county and our builder is set to happen. Other than little odds and ends the construction phase is finished. Jason does not plan to be at our house tomorrow morning, but George will meet the inspector and hopefully everything will pass inspection and that's it. The carpet is scheduled to be installed Monday and then Jane and I will move into the new bedroom. We won't be using the porch yet, it being too cold but we may move some furniture out there. I'll post the finished pictures soon.

The Summer Job Search

Now that wrestling season is just about over, and Judy won't be doing spring track, they both will be looking for summer jobs. Both have interviews with the County Recreation Department next week for positions as camp counselors. Jane and I want to prepare them for the interview and I've tried to come up with some questions to ask them, and would appreciate any other suggested questions to ask them.

1. The generic tell me about yourself.....

1a: what school do you attend?

1b: what is your favorite subject?

1c: what after school activities do you participate in?

1d: do you have any hobbies?

1e: what summer camps have you attended?

1f: what summer camps (or camp activities) did you most enjoy?

1g: what summer camps (0r camp activites) did you not like?

1h: where do you live, how would you get to camp?

2. The how would you handle this situation question......

2a: 2 campers start a fight, what would you do?

2b: a parent complains about their son's/daughter's treatment, what do you do?

2c: a camper appears upset after being left by their parents at camp, what do you do?

3. What past work experiences have you had?

4. What are your strengths?

5. What are your weaknesses?

Greenway UltraMarathon March 1st

The Seneca Creek Greenway Trail 50K and Marathon (we just call it Ed's race) is on March 1st. Jane and I have been training pretty hard for this race, at least I've been feeling tired on most of our runs the past couple of weeks. We have one more long training run this weekend and then we'll probably....hopefully back-off on the mileage. I'm not sure whether I'll go for the 28-ish mile marathon or just bite the bullet and do the 50 K ultra. I just visited the site this morning and was amused by this cautionary note in the"New and Notes" update about the race.

Snow, ice, rain, cold, sleet, wind and high water do not bother us. However, if the weather is really severe.......the race may have to be cancelled.

Read my account of last year's race to get a flavor of what is consider acceptable weather conditions.

Here's the last admonition: No complaining.

I'm really looking forward to this race!

March 4, 2008. Well, my race was largely forgetable.....bad leg cramps and nausea developed during the 4 mile loop (miles 15-19) around Lake Clopper and by mile 21-22 (after the section of trail after Riffleford Rd.) I was toast and out of the race. I'm not sure what went wrong. I don't think I went out too fast, I was with a running buddy (Jim C.) at Lake Clopper (who finished the 50K in 6:45) and I had run the HAT 50K in around 6:50 last year so I don't think I was going too fast. Perhaps I should have been taking in more salt, using the Succeed supplements I used last year during the Marine Corps Marathon. I don't know, anyway Jane went on to finish in 6:24.55 (finishing 23 out of 36 women runners) and received a nice finishers hat. I'm just kidding about the hat, she got one but it wasn't reward enough for the effort Jane expended. She is still little sore but intends to do some light running tonight. I didn't have as much muscle strain and have been able to run the past few days. Hopefully, we'll get back on track for our morning runs soon and now that it's gettng warmer and both Elroy and Judy don't have any spring sports commitments maybey we'll be able to get them out with us as well.

Home Addition Update

February 13th. Our home remodeling project was started the day after the Thanksgiving holiday and we were told it would take approximately 11 weeks. By my calculation we're now in our 12th week, and although I believe Jason is mostly finished inside there is still work to do outside. On the inside we still need to have the bedroom carpet installed; it's been orderd but we're still waiting. Other than that, most of the carpentry, electrical and plumbing on the inside is finished; Jane and I still need to work on Jane's walk-in closet but that won't take long once we get started. I think they still have a week outside to finish the porch. Maybe it'll all come together really fast but our past experience is that the final little bit of work takes a long time to complete. Anyway, it's nearly done

February 15th. I talked with Jason this morning and he seems to think they'll be done by the middle of next week. That would be great. Today, he planned to grade the back yard to ensure rain water flows from the house to the storm drain. Supposedly, one of those small CAT earth movers was going to be delivered and it sounded like he was going to do an extensive amount of grading in the back and side yards. This is something that probably would have to be done at some point. Because our yard is at the bottom of the street (and a creek used to run through the side yard) I'm sure this area flooded regularly so we need to pay close attention to water runoff issues.

February 19th. Well, Jason was unable to grade last week....the ground was too wet on top and frozen underneath; the tracks on the CAT earth mover just spun in the muck. So, they'll have to revisit the grading once the weather clears up long enough for the backyard to dry out. Every since the project began, it has rained nearly every week and right now the back yard is only suitable for pig wallowing or mud wrestling......or pig wrestling. Anyway, they do plan on being 99% finished by the end of the week. The cedar shakes are going up on the inside wall of the porch and the screen doors and sceen and lattice panels are being installed over the next couple of days. On the inside, I've started installing shelves and clothes rods in Jane's closet and that should go pretty fast; the only hard part is determining how to best utilize the space. It's a work in progress.

February 20th. I'm hoping by the time I get home tonight the porch will be substantially done. It didn't appear that there was much progress yesterday, but maybe I just anxious for them to be done. After the porch is completed, Jason still has a number of little odds and ends to take care of. I still think that they'll be here some next week.....but I hope I'm wrong.

February 21: The cedar shakes are up and they look great. The lattice panels are nearly complete and probably will be done by later today. The screen doors are up and all that's left are the screen panels around the porch. By tomorrow they'll surely be finished, except for the fact that a weather front is supposed to be coming through later tonight and tommorrow. Snow followed by sleet, freezing rain, and rain, but I'm not sure what the exact order is. This will likely cancel school tomorrow and make work conditions untenable. Maybe they'll push to get the screen panels done today, but there are still some details that will need to be completed next week.

February22: Early this morning snow, sleet and now rain is falling. Schools are canceled and Judy and Elroy are home. The porch is still unfinished and will need at least one concerted day of work to be completed. So like I said, Jason will be here next week. The grading will be put off until some future date when the backyard is dry enough for scaping.

Woof....UMBC accepts Elroy

Elroy was accepted at UMBC...one of the University of Maryland's Honors Universities. We're still hoping he gets accetped at St. Mary's College, but UMBC would be fine. Congrats to Elroy!

Woof!

ROSSSS!!!

Physics Unit 7 Lab: Spring Waves
Data Table- Spring B					13-Feb-08
		n	L (m)	x	t (s)	v (m/s)	FT(N)
Wave Pulse		2	7.24	1	1.34	10.81	8
		A	w	x	t	v
Standing Wave 1		1	14.48	10	16.71	8.67
	2	2	7.24	10	9.2	7.87
	3	3	4.83	10	5.47	8.83
	4	4	3.62	10	3.73	9.71	VAvg= 9.178
							Mass= .69 kg
		n	L(m)	x	t (s)	v (m/s)	FT (N)
Wave Pulse		2	8.59	1	1.51	11.38	11.5
		A	w	x	t	v
Standing Wave 1		1	17.18	10	13.45	12.77
	2	2	8.59	10	7.51	11.44
	3	3	5.73	10	4.66	12.3
	4	4	4.295	10	3.53	12.17	VAvg= 12.012
							Mass= .68 kg
		n	L (m)	x	t (s)	v (m/s)	FT (N)
Wave Pulse		2	9.985	1	1.31	15.24	17
		A	w	x	t	v
Standing Wave 1		1	19.97	10	12.59	15.86
	2	2	9.985	10	6.35	15.72
	3	3	6.66	10	4.28	15.56
	4	4	4.9925	10	3.47	14.39	VAvg= 15.354
							Mass= .72 kg
		The mass of the spring is .7 kg

Will Judy be a Terp?

Judy received a letter over the weekend acknowledging that she was accepted in the Univeristy of Maryland.....but not until Spring, 2009. It seems the UM fills up early, and you need to apply early for Fall admission.....which Judy missed. Anyway, if she attends UM, she can always take Fall courses at Montgomery College that will transfer or, as the acceptance letter indicated, she can travel. Travel?

Home Addition Update

February 11th. We installed the shades in the bedroom over the weekend. They look very nice....a little darker than the blinds in the family room that nicely complement the rich mahogony color of the doors. We did some thinking and planning how to tackle Jane's walk-in closet over the weekend but with two long trail runs and Elroy's wrestling match, we did not have the time to purchased any closetmaid yet. The bathroom is just about finished. The tilework was done last week and on Friday Jason installed the shower curtain rod. But...the curtain rod he installed was white.....while all the other fixtures in the bathroom are chrome.....what's up with that? I had to ask Jason this morning whether we could change out the white curtain rod for a chrome curtain rod. I hated to ask him to undo his work but chrome matches the other fixtures in the bathroom and we should have been asked our preference since BONI ordered the accessory. So, I don't feel too bad. Anyway, I think he kinda expected the question and said he would speak with George (who does all the ordering for BONI). I think we'll wind up getting the chrome shower rod. Anyway, Jane spent a lot of time cleaning up all the dust that had settled in the bathroom and reorganizing the bathroom closet......it looks great. Both Jane and Judy used the new bathroom shower over the weekend. The curtain rod has a nice featue...it's bowed---that's the way its made---to provide more elbow room when your using the shower. This morning was really cold, in the teens cold. Jason planned to finish up some inside work in the morning like installing the shoe molding but would be outside later working on the porch. I thought they'd be nearly finished this week, but they may still be here next some week. We'll see.

February 12th. When I got home last, the shoe molding was installed in the hallway and closet amd Jason had begun working on the porch railings but there isn't too much to add. The locks to the two new outside doors (from the bedroom and basement) were being changed-out this morning to locks that have been re-keyed to use our regular house keys. It will be nice to be able to exit and enter through the basement door when Jane and I go running in the mornings. We should use the basement entrance as much a possible to reduce the amount of dirt and dust we track through the house. Today is primary voting day. Since I'm registered as an independent, I'll be on the sidelines waiting to see whether Obama or Cilnton gets the most votes.

Wisdom is Wasted on the Young

Judy's wisdom teeth have been bothering her and we're going to have them removed on Thursday. The bottom set have come through her gums, but at wierd angles, and the top pair are impacted. She'll be under general anethesia for the approximately 1 1/2 hour procedure. Judy was concerned that as her wisdom teeth come in they'll unalign her other teeth.....which look perfect. What I don't understand if why these teeth, that emerge in the late teens, are considered "wisdom" teeth. Teenagers are neither mature nor wise. In fact, this is the age when one is most likely to make some really regrettable mistakes in one's life. Maybe I'm just speaking form personal experience, but I think they should be called something like....."whoops" or "OMG" teeth.

Anyway, here are Judy's wisdom teeth the day they were pluck out......yuk!

Home Addition Update

January 31st. Well the home renovation project is quickly winding down. The painters have been busy the past three work days. We're keeping the same painting scheme used throughout much of the house....Benjamin Moore paint; ceiling white for the ceiling, dove white (eggshell finish) on the walls and beige (966) for the trim. It is a nice look. We're switching the door color to Mahogony (SW2838), and the doors look spectacular with this color (see picture at right). Wow, I was really happy with the color change on the doors and I will definitely be re-painting our other existing doors once BONI leaves.

Here are updated photos of the outside:
From the same angle as usual.

From the street, also looking at the bedroom addition.

February 6th. Today the electrician came and will be installing the lights and ceiling fans we chose earlier. Even though heavy thunderstorms are predicted for later this afternoon, these should be installed when I get home tonight and it will be nice to have extra illumination as I inspect Jason's work every night. Jason was busy yesterday installing steps up to the porch and he may finish that today. I think by next week BONI will be gone and Jane and I can work on her closet, intall window treatments and wait for the carpet to be installed and then move in to our new bedroom. The carpet is from the Liz Claiborne collection, I think the style is called cirque and the color is stone.

February 7th. The shades for the bedroom windows came yesterday and maybe we'll be able to get them hung in the windows this weekend. Jane likes the natural woven shades from Smith & Noble rather than blinds or curtains. In fact, we haven't had much success in the past using curtains. There's a funny story about Jane's attempt to make curtains once when we lived in Connecticut, but I'lll save the story for another time. Jason delayed pouring the concrete footers for the steps off the porch, think it was going to rain.....it didn't rain. So I suppose he'll finish that task today as well as build the railings. The electrician is mostly done installing the light fixtures and fans. He'll be back on Friday and should finish then. There was one slight problem yesterday.....when I renovated the basement last year I patially enclosed the electrical panel such that the electrician couldn't get into the panel to install new circuit breakers. Doh! Jason will have to undue some of my handywork so that when the electrician returns Friday he'll be able to access the electrical panel. I had to sheepisly hang my head when Jason told me this news last night. I never said I was good at remodeling......or even that I know what I'm doing most of the time....only that I work cheap. If you remember this sequence from the movie Mr. Mom.....you have a good idea of my handyman skills.

Ron Richardson: Yeah? Are you gonna make it all 220?

Jack Butler: Yeah. 220... 221, whatever it takes.

"Earlham Can Use a Guy Like Elroy"

This is has to be one of my favorite opening moments from a movie.....Of course, the movie was Risky Business starring Tom Cruise.

The dream is always the same.

Instead of going home,I go to the neighbors'.

I ring, but nobody answers.

The door is open, so I go inside.

I look around, but no one seems to be there.

Then I hear the shower running.

So, I go upstairs to see what's what.

Then I see her.

This... girl!

This incredible girl!

I don't know why she's there because she doesn't live there...

...but it's a dream, so I go with it.

"Who's there?" she says.

"Joel," I say.

"What are you doing here?"

"I don't know. "

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm taking a shower," she says.

Then I give her...

..."Do you want me to go?"

"No," she says.

"I want you to wash my back."

I'm getting enthusiastic about this dream.

So, I go to her, but she's hard to find through all the steam.

I keep losing her.

Finally, I get to the door...

...and I find myself in a room full of kids taking their College Boards.

I'm over three hours late!

I've got two minutes to take the whole test.

I've just made a terrible mistake.

I'll never get to college.

My life is ruined.



Now, I have a similar dream only my dream is about my kids not getting into college or not being able to afford going to the colleges they've been accepted to. Why am I worrying about this now? Even though we've spent so much effort the past year thinking about where Elroy and Judy would be going to college I thought I still had a few months to chill before having to deal with college acceptance (or rejection) letters. Anyway, we got our first acceptance letter yesterday. Elroy was accepted to Earlham College. This happened only a couple weeks after he sent in his application, what's up with that? Shouldn't the admissions office at least offer the pretense of being selective. This is not to suggest that Elroy doesn't have a pretty good academic record and will likely be accepted by all his choices but still, if the college is going to ask us to pony up 30+ thousand dollars a year to attend I want to feel that there was a rigorous selection process going on. Maybe Elroy mentioned that his uncle went to Earlham and that sealed the deal......anyway, Earlham probably could use a guy like Elroy.

Gulp.....

The last couple of weeks have been very busy, Elroy and Judy completing their final college applications (see what colleges Elroy and Judy have applied to here) and Jane and I applying for financial aid. The principle financial aid document is the FREE Application For Student Aid (FAFSA). Normally, I like anything that is free. I think every family with kids entering college, save for the independently wealthy, submit a FAFSA application in which you detail all the financial aspects of your life from yearly salary and assests down to how much change is currently in your pockets and underneath the sofa seat cushions. We finally completed the FAFSA after days and days of figuring out how much $$$ is coming-in and how much $$$ is going-out and, I note with emphasis, providing any "special circumstances" the good folks at FAFSA should consider before providing us an estimate of what our family is expected to come up with for Elroy's and Judy's college fund. Well, the Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) I received was generated immediately upon submitting the electronic FAFSA application. So obviously this is a computer-generated cold calculation that has no intention of feeling my pain over our special circumstances (like having twins entering college!!). Anyway, this is the message I received nanoseconds after hitting the FAFSA submit button. The comments in bold parentheses are mine.

Based on the information we have on record for you, your EFC is 49235 (That's $49,235.00 dollars....Gulp! For some reason FAFSA doesn't like to use financial punctuation like the dollar sign, comma, or period. I wonder if that is supposed to make the EFC more palatable?). You are not eligible for a Federal Pell Grant (Doh!) but you may be eligible for other aid (yeah, like first aid to keep me alive for the next four years). Your school will use your EFC to determine your financial aid eligibility for other federal grants, loans, and work study, and possible funding from your state and school. (Somehow....I don't feel overly optimistic).