Day 120, Monday......

When I woke up and I could tell it was really cold outside and I did not want to get up.  The two cats were sleeping on me, and the house a "cold around the edges" kind of feel.  I turn the heat down to 65 at night and it seemed even colder than that (but it wasn't).



Snowy streets in Bend

 I had to drive to Bend to pick up our newsletter from the printer and their elevation is about 650' higher than Redmond, so I figured I would run into a little snow.  Sure enough, the roads Bulletin building were covered in snow and I put the truck into 4 wheel drive to gut the steep driveway.  I kind of get a kick out of driving on snow and with my truck I feel very confident in it's ability to navigate most conditions.

I spent the day getting caught up from being gone a week and the day flew by.

Mondays are my workout day, so I made another trip back to Bend and after the workout I ran some errands in Bend.  I also need to do some shopping back in Redmond and run back out to my folks house.  I got home around 7pm and the chickens were back in their coop.  I had let them out noon and they seem to be handling the cold no problems.

Not a very eventful day, but it was productive and tonight I wanted to get at least another day and half read out of the bible.

Day 119, Sunday and time to put up lights

It was time for me to start putting up my own Christmas lights and the lights on my folks house.  I spent the morning digging out the lights from there storage places and getting everything ready.  I planned on diving into the project as soon I was done with church.

Church was great and or those of us who took the "Read the Bible in 90 Days" we are getting close.  There are just 10 days left.  I have gotten a head a couple days after reading on the airplane, so I'm down to 6 days.

In past years I have out-lined every line on the house, barn, potting shed, rock wall, tree and shrub, but ovet the last few years I have toned things way back.  This year I think I will cut back a little more and go for a more tasteful look, rather than the Griswolds look.



Starting to put the lights on the potting shed.

 First thing I wanted to do was remove the corn stalks and pumpkins from the drive way and hang up the a wreath and "Let it Snow" snowman.

Next I figured I could start on the potting shed in the garden.  The potting shed has been a real fun part of living hear.  Measure at just 6' by 12", it houses 2 wing-back chairs, a potbellied stove, a radio, vintage skies, sled and more. I built it after finding finding vintage windows from a Grange Hall that was built in 1920.  The window are 33" wide by 7' tall and they were perfect for creating a unique and useful feature in the garden.   I've spent several evening out there with friends, playing cards, reading or just chatting, with the potbellied stove a glow, lots of hot chocolate and a howling snow storm outside. 



The potting shed lit up at night.

 I got the potting shed done and then I decided to head over to my folks house and get their front door decorated with live garland and lights, as well as hang a wreath with more lights.  Once those two things were done I had just enough time to put lights on the back railing witch wraps around the entire back side of the house.

Once the sun goes down it gets cold and on my drive home the truck was reading 29, so it was cold and so was I.

The chickens had been out for most of the day, so when I got home I closed the pen door and they were in for the night.

I couldn't help but wonder if I should hangs some lights in the trailer.  Hmmm that might be something for next year.

Day 118, Parade Day and Snow

I woke up to huge, heavy, snow flakes falling from the sky and it was beautiful.  I couldn't help but admire the beauty and take in the peace and tranquility it inspires.  I then wondered how it would impact our parade if it snows all day!?

I got up and went about unpacking and did a few light chores.  I then ran some errands and I thought I would check in at the office and see how everything was going for the parade that we were hosting at 5pm.  I drive Santa Clause at the end of the parade and with the wet streets I figured I should probably wash up the truck and not take the Packard. 

With my errands ran, I needed to wash the truck and get everything that I would need for Santa's visit.  I had my own list that needed to be checked once and twice - candy canes for Santa, check; Santa's chair, check; Santa's chair decorations, check; red rug for Santa's chair to sit on, check; Santa's elves hats, gloves, extra mittens, hat and scarves, check; wash the truck, check; music (Holly Jolly Christmas), check; decorations for Santa's vehicle check and so on.  After I finsihed washing the truck I couldn't help but think the weather wasn't that bad and Santa would look much better in the Packard.  I shifted gears quickly and moved everything in the Packard, including the large oversize wing-back chair that Santa sit in at the tree lighting.



The Packard decked out waiting for Santa to arrive.

Check-in for the parade was at 3:30pm with entry judging at 4pm and the parade starting at 5pm.  We had over 67 entries and everyone went all out this year.  The theme was "The Polar Express" and first prize went to the School District who took school buses and covered them in cardboard and recreated the Polar Express, including a hobo on the roof and camp fire.  Of course I feel in love with a 1949 Cadillac convertible that was all original in soft yellow, with burgundy leather.  It was awesome!

The parade lasted an hour and half and with Santa loaded in the Packard we made the parade route and dropped Santa off at the Plaza where he lit the City Christmas Tree.  Children of all ages waited in line to sit on Santa's lap and helped hand Santa his candy canes to hand to each child.  It was an event that will make lasting memories in the minds of the children that were there.

By 8pm it was time to go home and the cold air took a toll on the Packard's battery and I had to have it jump started.  Luckily the guys behind the office heard it not turn over and came running to jump start it.  Driving with the top down and a wing-back chair sticking out the back was a bit brisk in the 32 degree weather, but with Christmas music playing, I was home in no time.

Day 117, Flying home

Today was going to be a big day for Robin.  She had never been baptized and we were all going to go and witness her baptism.  Robin was a little nervous about it and I said it was no big deal to be baptized into the Methodist Church.  I told her the pastor would just hold her head under water until she saw Jesus and then she had to make a casserole and she would be a Methodist.  I thought it was hilarious, but I'm not sure Robin did.  She told the pastor what I said and he said or Jello salad.....

How is this for a small private residence?!



After the ceremony, Brad took us out to lunch at the Gaillardia Country Club, which was fantastic, and then we drove around looking at the homes.  We do this every time I go to OKC and I never get tired of it.  The homes are spectacular.  I'm not sure what surprises me more, the size of the homes or the architecture.  I just never expect to see French chateau's in Oklahoma.  The small homes are 5,000 sq ft and the large are closer to 20,000 sq ft.  To say they are impressive is an understatement.

Just cozy cottage for 2, at over 10,000 sq ft.

Now that Thanksgiving was officially over, it was time for Robin to break out her Christmas decoration and she wanted her brother-in-law and me to put her enormous wreath on the front of the house and the garland around her front door.  It was the first time for the wreath to be hung up, so we had to drill into the brick exterior and secure it pretty good in order to withstand Oklahoma notorious winds.  With Mark perched on top of a 10' ladder we had it secured in no time.



Before I knew it was time for Robin to take me to the airport so I could catch my 5pm flight.  I said my goodbyes and before I knew I was removing my shoes for the security check point.  I had been hearing all this controversy over "full body screenings", but couldn't tell anything different.  I was through security in no time.  My flight would take me to Denver, CO and then after a brief 40 minute layover straight into Redmond. 

Denver airport at dusk

My flight was very smooth and I was able to read 12 pages of my daily bible challenge.  I was hoping that I could read two more days worth on my flight from Denver to Redmond and actually get ahead.

The Redmond flight was smooth and uneventful and I finished my two days worth of bible reading just as the captain announced that he would be making our decent into Redmond.  It was perfect timing and I had, had enough.

It was good to be home, but I had a very nice time and missed my friends.

Tomorrow is Parade day and I was going to be busy, so I went to bed at 10pm.

Day 116, Thanksgiving Day



Carving the turkey



What can be a better way to start the day than fresh cinnamon rolls.  Robin heated them in the oven and along with some fresh fruit we had an awesome breakfast.



The morning was spent with good friends and each of us prepared something for the days big dinner.  we decided that dinner would be at 3pm and we all went about our tasks.  Robins mother made her famous rolls from scratch and let them rise 3 times before they were ready to bake.

Robin and her sister set the table and before we knew it was time eat.  The table looked amazing and the food was even better.  It's always amazing how long it takes to prepare and how fast it is consumed and then gone.

The lights at Chesapeake Energy

After dinner we all seven of us piled into Brad's Tahoe and we drove downtown OKC to see the lights at the Chesapeake Energy buildings.  They wrap each and very tree from trunk to the tip of the branches with lights.  They are using the LED lights,  so it is a new vibrant look.  When you see just how many trees they have done it becomes very impressive.  The trees are all 20' to 30' tall, so this is no small task.  I tend to be more traditional in lighting, but the LED's were impressive.

Once done with our light tour, it was back home for some pie!  It was the perfect way to end the day.

Day 115, Wednesday before Thanksgiving



Vintage gullwing Benz

Wednesday started off warm and muggy. Robin and I had a long list of errands to run and we were out the door by 9am. 

Robin's car was done at the Mercedes dealer and when we got there, the two items she dropped the car off to have fixed were not done.  It was very disappointing, but we needed the car, so we could run to the airport to pick up Robin's sister, brother-in-law and mother at the airport.  This did however give me the opportunity to look at the cars on the show room floor, including a vintage Mercedes gull-wing and the new 2011 gull-wing and SLR.



OK Thunder vs Dallas Mavericks

Once we had the family picked up we were back to the house to get everyone settled.  This also gave me a chance to make three pies, 2 pumpkin and one pecan.

At 6pm we were all out the door to go to the Oklahoma Thunder game, with the Thunder verses the Dallas Mavericks.  Brad had a suite, so we were going to be spoiled with good food and lots of beverages.  The game started off great, but they lost game in the last 7 minutes of the 4th quarter after leading most of the game.

Despite the loss it was a great time and we all had a lot of fun.

Back at home the temperature had dropped to -5 the night before and the high for today was 27.  My friend Bruce changed out the bulb in the chicken coop to a 65 what flood, and they were doing great.

Winter is here and I'm enjoying the warmth of OKC which is supposed to change tomorrow.

Day 114, Tuesday in Oklahoma

It was nice to wake up with no agenda, but my friends Robin and Ann had my day booked solid.  At 10am Ann wanted to go buy some chickens.  The guy she gets chickens from, lives in Okarchie, OK. about 30 miles west of Oklahoma City.  This guy really knows his chickens, but Ann's chickens were not big enough for her to take home.  He did have some Easter eggers that she could buy, but he would not have them until sunset when they came home for the night.  This wasn't a problem, because we planned to come back to Okarchie to eat at Eishens, for fried chicken and okra.



One big bird

 This guy also had a huge turkey, and he is safe from being eaten this Thanksgiving, as he is a prized possesion.

Robin had a bunch of errands for us to run including dropping her car off for service.  This gave me the opportunity to look at the new 2011 Mercedes, one of my favorite things to do.

The day was filled with all kinds of shopping and errands and it was just nice to spend time with my friend Robin.

Dinner at Eishens was awesome, with some best fried chicken in the south and if you haven't had fried okra you are really missing out.

As for the temperature the morning started off in in the 30's, but warmed to the lows 70's.

Day 113, I'm leaving on a jet a plane

This is my kind of Monday, instead of going to work, I'm going to Oklahoma City, to visit my friends Robin and Brad, Dr. Nick and Ann for Thanksgiving.  My flight departs Redmond at 1:05pm and takes me to Portland, Denver and then OKC.    

Waiting for my flight to Portland at RDM



Having the morning free, I was able to get a few projects done and the house cleaned up, so that I will come to a clean house, minus whatever the cats drag in and my friends leave for me. 

I did actually run to the office to drop off a few things and then ran some errands downtown including going to the bank to get some money out of the ATM machine.  I never like to travel with an empty wallet.

It was nice to have a late departure and not to feel rushed.  I got to the airport in plenty of time and found out that the flight to Portland was delayed 30 minutes.  I have plenty of time in Porland so I'm not too concerned at the moment.  Holiday travel is never the easiest, so it will be interesting to see how the day unfolds.

That's it from Redmond for now, I hope to update the days progress throughout the day.

Well the resto of the day can only be discribed as flat out run.  I arrived in Portland 10 minutes after my flight was to leave for Denever.  I had to run across the airport and when I arrived they were calling my name and I immediately boarded the flight.  I figured there was no way my lugage would make it. 

With this flight being late I was concerned about my flight in Denver, since I only had 35 minutes between flights.  Again, when we landed in Denver, I was 10 minutes past the time my flight to OKC was scheduled to depart, but this flight too was behind schedule.  The best part was the departure gate was one gate over so I didn't have to run.  I made it to Oklahoma City and even more surprising so did my luggage.  It was now 10:15pm.

It was great to see Robin and Brad and I was really tired.  The best part about the flying today, was I was able to ready 3 days worth of my "Read the Bible in 90 Days". 

It was time for bed.

Day 112, Sunday and cold



Harris sleeping in, or is this a cat nap?

 It was another beautiful, cold, snowy morning and I couldn't help but lay in bed a while.  I'm not sure why on weekends I'm awake at 6:30am and on week days I can sleep until 8am..?  It was so cold out, that even the cats were happy to stay in and catch a few extra winks.

I got up about 7:15am and started doing chores.  Church was at 11am and I wanted to be ready, instead of my usual rush in at the last minute.  I let the chickens out to run free as I went to church.

After church it was a beautiful winter afternoon and I raked up some more leaves and pine needles.  The chickens loved to see what I was uncovering and stayed close by to gobble up any uncovered bugs.  Today they layed two eggs, so I'm starting to wonder if the light on the coop might boost their production back up to 5 and 6 a day, like it was in late summer.

By 4pm the clouds started to come in and a light snow started falling.  I couldn't help but feel amazed by the tranquility of the snow and activity of the yard.  The horses were running in the pasture, the chickens were scurring everywhere and Harris the cat was all wound up running everywhere.  Life on the farm was looking pretty good.

Day 111, Let it Snow

I woke up at 6:45am to a light snow fall and I couldn't help but hope that it would snow a bunch.  There is something so incredible about snow and the first accumulation of any amount is always fun to see. 

Incoming snow storm

I probably laid in bed for 10 minutes before I decided I bet get up and go open the door to the chicken coop.  I figured the hens were probably getting a little restless.  I opened the coop door and sure enough they bolted for the pen.  I cleaned out the coop, changing the paper, putting in fresh hay, refilled the feeder and put in clean water.  Today on list of things to buy, is buy more layer feed, chicken scratch and medication for the sneezing chicken (tetracycline).

When I came back inside I realized I had missed a call from parents.  I called them back and found out my Mom's oldest brother, Joe, had passed away in Iowa this morning.  We were all very sad.



The Church kiosk, made by my brother and me
3 years ago.  The windows swing up and out
creating an awening for the buyer and window
for the seller.

At 10am I was going to meet Bob and Brenda down at the plaza to decorate the village and at 9:30am it was still snowing, so I called to see what their thoughts were.  As it turned out, Brenda had caught a cold, so it would just be Bob helping me out.  According to the weather forecast it was supposed to get nice around 11am, so we decided to wait until then.  When 11am rolled around the snow had stopped, so I called Bob and told him I would meet him downtown.

The task for the day was to hang live garland and lights on the kiosks in the village, 6  kiosks in total.  Bob and I got right to it and we hoped to beat any bad incoming weather.  It took us about 3 hours to get all the building decorated and the weather held out for us.  At one point I think I might have actually even gotten a warm. 

When we done, the village looked pretty good and now I really hoped it would snow.

I ran my errands on my way home, picking up chicken feed, scratch, tetracycline and cat food for the cats.  I also, made a run into Costco in Bend and picked up more garland, but this time it was for parents home and mine.


Happy free chickens

When I got home, I let the chickens out to run around for about an hour, before it started getting dark.  I did a few more chores outside, including moving my brother broken down Quad, which has been next to my shop for a month.  I just knew I was going to have this "thing" stuck in my yard for the winter, but I wasn't about to look at all winter.  I put in nutral and rolled back behind the shop and wedged in next to the Traveleze.  I desided, out of sight, out of mind. Once that was done, I went back to working on the chickens and I put in an electric bird bath, that I figured would work for keeping their water from freezing.  I also, filled the feeder and put out some scratch.  Then I made a plastic curtin to cover the doorway to keep some of the cold air out and heat in.  I just stapled it above the door and it worked great; the chickens didn't mind it all.

The nearly full moon coming up over the garden house.

It was now getting dark and really cold with a light snow fall.  I was ready to go in and call it night.  I am on day 71 of the "Read the Bible in 90 days" and I wanted to get started before I was too tired.

On my way in I had to stop and look up at the moon, it was beautiful.  There is something about a cold, crisp winter night, with a full moon that just humbles me.  It was a very special moment and I couldn't help but think of my Uncle Joe.   I knew that he was ok and that everything was as it should be.

Day 110, Decorating the Tree

Yea, another Friday.  The day started off very cold with the thermometer reading 28 on the back porch.  The first thing I did when I got was go and open the door to the Chicken coop and let the chickens out into the pen.  They were very excited to be let out and I think a bit shocked by the temperature.  I did notice that one of the chickens was sneezing, so need to go to the feed store and get some medication for them all.

Today at work we needed to decorate the City Tree and have it ready for the Saturday after Thanksgiving and the big tree lighting ceremony.  I had help coming with Bob and Brenda, but also help with Vergil who owns a sign company and has a truck with bucket lift.  He's awesome at putting on the star and decorating the top 2/3rds of the tree.  While Virgil was here, I wanted to get his help lifting the steeple on the church kiosk and the clock tower on top of the clock shop.  With his truck and heavy straps he easily lifted each piece in place.

The temperature all day remained very cold close to the high 30's or low 40's.  At one point it even started spitting snow on us as we were hoisting the steeple up.  We we finished it was close to 3:30pm and it was really cold.  Tomorrow on Saturday, I am going to meet Bob and Brenda to put hang the live garland on the kiosk and get them all lit up with lights.  This should be the last thing we need to do before next weekend and if it snows this next week we will be all done.  It's a lot of work but when it's all done, it really does look pretty amazing.

I got home around 5:45pm and went out the chickens, to check on them and to move the lamp inside the coop.  They laid only one egg and the light from the lamp will actually help boost egg production and get them laying again, or so I am told.  Tomorrow I absolutely have to clean out the coop it is a mess!

Tonight I plan on getting some weekend cleaning chores done, read and crash.

Day 109, Leadership

Thursday, is our second Leadership day and I facilitate this day long program.  I was out the door by 7:15am to run some last minute errands and to pick up fresh donuts for the day.

The program is a one day a month, for nine month program and we expose the  participants to the leaders of the community and show them what it takes to make the community run.  It's a great program, but it makes for a very long day for me. 

The program wrapped up by 4pm and by the time I got back to the office it was 4:30pm.  I was able to check my emails, return some phone calls and then I was ready to head home. 

On a sad note I found out one of my best friend's mother had passed away this morning.  Her parents had bought my home in town when I moved out the country.  Her father had passed away this last February and now her mother.  It was a sad way to end the day.

I ran several errands on my way home and got home about 7:00pm.  I was really hungry and tired, so I ate dinner and read my 12 pages in the bible, for the "Read the Bible in 90 Days" challenge at my church.  I figured I would want to turn in early so did my reading first thing.  Today I started the New Testament, so that should make the reading a little easier.  I was pooped and ready for bed.

As for the Chickens they laid one egg, and I closed the door to coop tonight because the temp was expected to drop in the teens.

Day 108, The Christmas tree arrives

After a full of day of putting up lights on Tuesday, the first half of Wednesday was more of the same.  This time however it was putting up lights in the trees in front of the office and the large 22' spruce tree in the side yard.  It took three of us, about 3 and half hours to put lights in approximately 10 trees and around the building. 

22' Sequoya and kiosk's 

At 12:30pm out special ordered 30' Christmas tree arrived for the City and to my dissapointment it was approximately 22' with 3' of trunk.  It's a beautiful tree, but substantially smaller than the last two years and not what I was hoping for.  None the less, the vounteers from Knife River with a crane were there and my brother with his chainsaw.   With in minutes the trunk was cut to fit and with precision placement the tree was dropped perfectly in the stand.  With the tightening of four large screews, the placing of some 2x4's, the tree was in place.  Decorating of the tree will have to wait until Friday and the official tree lighting will be the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

Immediately following the tree, 6 small kiosks started to arrive; again, with the awesome help of Knife River.  The kiosk are designed to look like small buildings (church, clock tower, candy store, etc) and they flank the Christmas tree and transfrom the space into a small village like atmosphere.  We will hang more lights and real evergreen garland on the builds, hopefully by Friday.  The garland comes from Costco and their shipment has not arrived yet.

At 3pm a winter storm warning was issued for the region lasting until 10:30am tomorrow morning.  Wind gust are expected to be as high as 60 mph and it made be think that perhaps the shorter tree might be ok after all.

I had my 4:30pm hour workout in Bend today, so I left at 4pm to get there.  I had work all day and did not have time to eat lunch, so I was wondering how the workout would go on an empty stomach.  When I got there I realized I didn't have my gym bag!  I was so bummed, but my trainer had no problem with me working out in my t-shirt and jeans.  So despite my winter shoes and jeans I actually got a pretty good workout in.  We focused a lot on stretching, since I had been climbing up and down ladders for 3 days.  At the end of the hour I was ready to collapse and I was starving.

I couldn't wait to get home and to eat.  I also had to check on the chickens.  This was another day of them being kept in the pen all day and I felt bad.  They have plenty of room to run around, but I know how they like to roam the yard.  There was only 1 egg - again.  They are really going out on strike and egg production is at rock bottom.  Their next move will be to completely stop production and then I will have to have to open negotiations or have myself a barbecue!

Day 107, Tuesday and more Christmas lights

My entire day was pretty much spent putting up Christmas light in downtown.  This year we actually had two teams and loaded with ladder and a big tub of Christmas light each we were able to wrap every light vintage light pole with lights.  We also wrapped all the trees on 6th street in a 6 block section.  What normally takes us 2 days we did in 1.  By 3:45pm we were pretty much done for the day and had to get ready for a Business After Hours for work.



Sleepy chicken

 The After Hours was very well attended and I was exhausted and ready to head  home.  It's surprising  how tiring climbing up and down a ladder is.  When I got back to the office (the After Hours was in walking distance from the office) I was ready to drive  home, but I figured I should go see how the lights look and see if there are any that are not working.  Of course there were several strings that were part lit and some out all together.  Many of the problem lights were tripped GFI protectors, so I climbed up the ladder and reset the pole that were out.  On the partial lit strings I found the problems and got most of them working.

I got home by 6:30pm.  The chickens were in the coop and there was only one egg.  I think they are bit unhappy when they don't get to run free.  I'll have to see if I can get home tomorrow and let them out at noon.

I was ready for dinner, to do my reading and to watch some TV.

Day 106, Time for the Holidays

Today at work we begin the process of putting up the Christmas lights on downtown, wrapping all the light poles and trees on 6th street, plus the light poles on Evergreen, 7th and Highland.  In all we put up about 500 boxes of lights and it takes about 3 days to do it.

Julia and Brenda and one really BIG Truck

I have 3 awesome volunteers this year, Bob, Brenda and Julia.  We started about 1:30pm and we were able to get a block and half done in 2 hours.  Tuesday we hope to start around 9:30am and get all of 6th street and Highland done.  Wednesday will be Evergreen and 7th street, if the weather permits.  There is a big storm heading our way and next week is looking like 20 for the high and snow all week.

During our outing a large truck pulled up and we thought we should barrow it.  It would be so easy to stand in the back and put the lights on the trees.

At 3:45pm we finished for the day and I had to get ready to drive to Bend for workout.  My back is so much stronger and the annoying shooting nerve down my leg is gone as long as I keep my core strong.

After the workout I stopped off at Costco to see if they have their garland and wreaths in yet, but they didn't.  I did however manage to find several things I needed and walked with a cart full.  It's a dangerous store to go too.

The chickens spent the day in the pen as I didn't take a lunch and go home to let them out.  When I check for eggs there was only 1.  Man, they are temperamental and moody.

Day 105, Sunday, November 14 and it's warm!



Chickens running wild

I  had another awesome night sleep and again woke up feeling great - I love that feeling.  Again, this was the perfect time to get a jump start on my reading, so I read 6 pages. 

I stepped outside to feed Harris the cat on the back deck and I was shocked how warm it was.  It rained  hard during the night and the temperature was a lot warmer compared to yesterday at the same time.  I figured the chickens would like to start their day early too, so I let them out and there was already one egg waiting for me.

This is an example of Graham Paige
Model 108 "Sharknose"

Today after church my chores would include blowing out the sprinkler system and raking up leaves in the front yard.  I also wanted to drive to Prineville to see a 1940 Graham Paige Sharknose that a friend of mine has been restoring for the owner.  There is a small possibility that the car might be for sale and I wanted to show it to my father.  He had never heard of one, so he was interested in seeing it.

My father and I drove to Prineville around 1pm and I showed him the car.  It is maroon and is 95% complete with it's restoration.  The car is finished to perfection, but still needs some more $$$ to be totally finished.  It's my understanding that the owner is done putting money into the car and my friend is just finishing it up, so he can give it back to her.  It's definitely an unusual car.



Blowing out the sprinkler system, zone 1, with 10 to go.

When I got home it was time to blow out the sprinkler system.  It's amazing that I haven't done this yearly chore already, but the relitively mild temperatures have let me keep the system on.  However, winter is coming and it is time to blow the water out of the lines, so the pipes don't freeze and break during the long cold winter ahead.   The process is very easy and all I have to do is, shut the water off, hook up the compressor to the water lines and then run the system threw a two minute test for each zone.  In total there are 11 zones.  I run the test twice and it has kept my system from freezing for over 10 years.

Tonight it is dinner at my brother's house with my Dad and then home to read, watch TV and go to bed.  This is going to be a busy week as we start decorating the city for holidays.

Day 104, Time for some yard work.

I put fresh sheets on the bed Friday evening, so waking up Saturday morning after a great night sleep with crisp clean fresh smelling sheets was awesome.  I woke up feeling refreshed and I had no intention of getting up until I was good and ready.  I also figured it was a great time and place to get a jump start on my reading for the day.

The last of t he leaves



After about 30 minutes I was ready to get up and even more prompting was the constant meowing from Scrappy wanting his morning feeding. This is one large, annoying, loud cat when he wants to be.  I was ready to get up and get a jump start on my morning chores and before I knew I had laundry going, clocks wound, plants watered and was ready to vacuum.

Outside most of the leaves had fallen so I need to do some raking.  I have found it works really slick to take a blower and blow the leaves into the back pastures.  I had used the blower last weekend after just having it serviced and it started the first pull.  This time however I could not get the blower to fire.  There was no spark so need to pull the spark plug and see if got fowled.  I didn't feel like dealing with now so got out the electric blower and raked and made dew.  The gas blower  has 10 times the power and works a lot better but I managed with what I had. 

The chickens had been enjoying their freedom all morning and they spent the entire day outside running free and pretty much making a mess of the landscaping.

At 7:30pm Tracy and I were going to go see the movie Megamind, a new cartoon film in 3D with Will Ferrel.  I picked her up at 6:45pm and out timing was perfect I even got a front row parking spot, there was no line and the theater was practically empty. We were shocked that our luck was so good, but we should have realized there was probably a reason why the theater was empty.  After watching the movie were both like, "wow, that's it, bummer."  The movie just wasn't funny and even the 3D was lack luster.  All in all it was just a let now.

I was home by 10pm and I finished up on my reading for the day and I was ready for bed.  It had been a very nice day.

Day 103, Not much new to report but TGIF

Not much new to report.  I'm always glad to see Friday roll around and I am certainly ready for the weekend. 

At 1pm I was able to take a lunch and came home to let the chickens out.  They have pretty much spent the week in the coop and they are not happy about it.  I figured they would enjoy the sunny afternoon in freedom and perhaps forgive me for keeping them cooped up.  They flew the coop in a hurry and were soon happy out in the yard.  This weekend I am going to have to work on the plastic covering the pen, Snip the horse has really done a number on it and it needs to be put back.

Across the street my father and brother were meeting with the irrigation guy to see what needed to be done to service the irrigation equipment on the property.  After I ate a bite of lunch I went down the driveway to see what the report was.  The irrigation guy will be back next week to service the equipment and we should be set to go. 


The force of impact from the horse to the wheel should have
caused a signifant injury to the horse.  After checking every-
one out, no injuries could be found  and all horses are well.



My father pointed out my wheel line and one of the wheels was completely smashed.  One of the horses must have hit it at full speed and smashed it in.  I figured for sure I would have an injured horse somewhere, but I couldn't see any horses looking banged up.  The damaged wheel is 6' tall and was pushed in probably 14".  The wheel will have to be taken apart and straightened and it will be just one  of those things to fix in the spring.

Back at work the work day dragged on and I even joked to the staff that perhaps we should close early, they loved the idea, but we hung out until 5pm.

Tonight was dinner with dad and then home to read.

Day 102, Thursday the second best day of the work week.

Ok, so it's probably a strange reason, but I feel Thursday is the second best day of the work week, because it's the day before FRIDAY!.

A frosty pasture and fresh snow on the mountains.

The morning started off beautiful, with a nice sunrise and fresh snow on the mountains.  I did however a little difficulty waking up immediately and laid in bed for a while and watched the sun light come up and shine across the back yard.  It was about then I noticed one of the horses chewing on the plastic covering the chicken pen and pulling off.  I couldn't help but think dumb, horse.  This weekend I'll have to go out and nail a board across the end of the plastic to secure it better and to keep the horse from getting a hold of the end.  I think a good strain of barbed wire to keep him away from the coop might be in order too.  I think he was actually wanting to see the chickens.  I had noticed that he had spent a lot of time just looking at them in past.  Perhaps he is as amused as I have been to just watch these funny feathered creatures.

The work day went very quickly and I dinner plans with my Father and my brother and his family.  I had just enough time to run home check on the chickens, collect their two eggs and toss them some for feed.  I'm still not used to this dark by 5 schedule and to think that the day are still getting shorter is almost depressing.

Tonight, I plan on reading day 61 on the bible and then going to bed early.  It has been a long week and I'm tired.

 

Day 101, Photo shoot day.

Photo shoot 2008 at Todd Lake, photo by Timothy Park.

Each year at the office we do a unique Christmas card, that involves the entire office (5 of us) dressed up in costume to fit a theme.  Today, is the day we are doing the photo shoot and we had hoped for snow, but we didn't get any.  It was snowing, but not sticking, so the ground was not white.  We started this, now highly anticipated, tradition 3 years ago and coming up with a photo as unique as our first is a challenge. 

Our Christmas card for 2008 was a Sound of Music inspired theme and the photos were taken at Todd Lake.  The out come was nothing short of hilarious.  I still chuckle to this day when I see it.

Part of the un-cropped photo used in 2009 - Timothy Park

The Christmas card for 2009 was inspired by Norman Rockwell's August 30, 1947's cover of the Saturday Evening Post titled "Going and Coming", we took one shot each direction, one all loaded up and happy, the second showing a less enthusiastic "after Christmas blues".

This year we are pulling our inspiration from a 1983 MGM/UA holiday classic, but I can't release the topic or show the picture yet.  I feel it will up hold our high standards for hilariousness and should be a hit with our members.

The photo shoot was early in the morning and we were back in the office by 9:30.

Tim Heintz, 1950 Spartanette in Louisville, KY, July 2010.

At 1pm I had a meeting with the Affinity Group who will be bringing a large event to Redmond in July.  This was the event, where I flew to Louisville, KY to attend the rally and I got hooked on vintage trailers.  This is where I first saw a Spartanette Tandem and got bit by the vintage trailer bug bad.  I shared my story about loving the vintage trailer at the Louisville show and the event coordinator loved it.  I told her about Flyte Camp Vintage Trailer Restoration and the large following of vintage trailer enthusiasts in the area and they thought they might want to incorporate them with the rally.  Humm, maybe my 1950 Traveleze will be ready to show by then.

The rest of the day was busy and I had a 4:30pm workout session scheduled, so would not get home until 6pm.  The chickens were long asleep and they had spend the day cooped up, but they produced 3 eggs.

It was time for dinner, a little reading and perhaps watch a bit of the CMA Awards.

Day 100, Wow 100 days with the Traveleze

It's hard to believe that I have owned the Traveleze for 100 days.  I have been able to clean it up a quite a bit, but it needs major help to get it back to a functioning trailer.  I feel pretty confident that I could pull it apart, but not so confident I could get it back together.  I want to see the trailer back on the road and parked in a camp sight again, so I will see to it that it gets restored.  I feel very confident in Justin and his company, to get it back in shape.


1950 Chrysler Traveler

In the mean time I'm looking on line to see what kind of car I need to buy to pull a1950 canned ham.  Looking on Craigs List, Classic Car Trader and Hemming's, is one of my favorite things to do.  My only problem is that I want one of everything and there are so many cars out there that I would love to own.  There is a 1950 Chrysler Traveler, in Prairie City, that I went and looked at in July that would look great pulling the trailer.  It's not a hot rod with a hemi, it's not a 2 door and the top does not go down, but this car is a piece of rolling Americana with wholesome charm.  It would however need some restoration work, but i could be a fun car.

Today was mixed with off and on snow showers.  The high temperature was around 43 and it was a very wintery looking day.  I got home about 5:15pm and it was already dark.  The chickens spent the entire day in their enclosed pen and there were two eggs in the nesting box.  Perhaps tomorrow I can come home at lunch and let them out for the afternoon.  However the forecast is for 3 to 4 inches of snow tonight, so perhaps staying in their pen would be a good thing.

Tonight it's dinner, reading and a little TV time and then its off to bed.

Day 99, Another Monday

It was great to wake up to the sun and day light.  The one hour clock turn-back, makes a big difference in the morning and it was nice to not wake up when it's pitch dark outside.

The temperature had dropped dramatically during the night and the high for the day was expected to be in the low 40's.  By 3pm the temp was at 44 and there was a definite crispness in the air that can only be described as winter.

My work day was a typical Monday and it actually went pretty fast.  I had a workout appointment at 4:30pm, so I took my lunch at the end of the day.  On my way to the gym I swung by home to let the chickens out, so they could enjoy an hour of freedom.   By the time I got home is was completely dark and they were all happily sleeping in the coop.


Reading the Bible in 90 Days with the cat.


The temperature at 7pm had dropped to 35 and it was the perfect night to stay in read.  My two cats have become pretty accustom to me reading on the couch and they seem to enjoy the time together. 

I did manage to go online and check my emails and I had received an email from Justin at Flyte Camp.  He is in the middle of moving his business and is in the middle of the Spartanette project, but he is excite to work on the Traveleze and will be in touch.  For now the Traveleze is safe under roof and will wait it's turn.

Tomorrow the forecast is for snow, so we shall see if we get any, I sure hope we do.

Day 98, Sunday and another beautiful day.

Any day you can go outside in November and freeze to death is a good day.  Today was a little cooler than Saturday, but still a beautiful day.  I got some more chores done inside including ironing, which is not my favorite thing to do. 

Church was at 11am and I was ready, out the door and on time for a change.  Of course I took the 1990 Cadillac Brougham D'elegane, because it truly is a  Sunday church car.  I think everyone had grandparents who had one and would drive it to church, at least my grandparents did.  The service today was one that could only be described as amazing.  One of the members of the church is a retired Pastor and he was going to speak.  He has amazing knowledge (Dr. of Theology), has a great since of  humor and always delivers a great message.  Today I learned he also plays the violin.  After talking for about 15 minutes his story lead to his violin that was resting on the piano.  His violin was made in the 1700's and was valued near $500,000.  He shared, "a violin is a violin, unless you can play" and then he pick it up and started to play.  It was breathtaking and the congregational was silent in awe.  Our Pastor got up and read words to the music as he played and the story was so powerful, everyone was glued to the music and the message. The service was something very inspiring it was a really a special moment.


The chicken pen covered in plastic to keep
 the wind, rain and snow out.


Back home, there was more work in the yard to be done.  I also wanted to remove the dark tarp from the chicken coop and cover the entire thing with transparent heavy gauge plastic.  I had stopped off at Lowe's on my way home from church, so I was ready to get to work. 

Again, the chickens were interested in what I was doing, but since I wasn't uncovering bugs they quickly went about their day.  I think it took me about and hour and half to get the pen all covered in plastic and enough wood strips screwed down to keep the plastic in place, even during the winters harshest of winds. 

Once that project was done, I had enough time to get some more leaves raked.  This time I was going to rake in and around the fruit trees and pull up the old pumpkin vines.  With the rake in hand the chickens came running and as I raked they ate up any exposed bug.  It seemed to be a great time for them and I had about an hour of raking before the sun started set.

It was dark by 5:15pm!  Adjusting to the time shift is always a challenge, but I would much rather it be light in the morning and dark earlier in the evening.  Still being dark at 5pm is just a harsh adjustment none the less.

Another great weekend was coming to a close.

Day 97, Awesome Saturday!

Without a doubt Saturday has got to be the best day of the week.  I woke up feeling rested and with nothing on the agenda the day was mine to enjoy.  I think I  must have laid in bed an extra half hour before I decided to let my feet hit the floor. 


Garden and potting shed



With the stereo playing, I got busy doing my Saturday morning chores, which I actually enjoy doing.  The laundry was going, I dusted the house, watered plants, wound the clocks, put fresh sheets on the bed and vacuumed the house.  Once that was done it was onto the outside and down with the Halloween decoration.  The witch, black cats, skeleton and pumpkins were all gone for another year.

It was a beautiful day and actually hot.  I was able to do my yard work in just a t-shirt.  It was time to clean out the small garden by the potting shed and to rake up the first batch of leaves.  The chickens were particular interested in what I was doing, I just might uncover a bug, so they were by my side the entire time.  The apples still were holding onto their leaves, as well as, the maple at the corner of the garden.  By next weekend the leaves should all be on the ground.  The garden looked kind of empty, but it was ready for winter.

The afternoon flew by and I was invited to a party at 5:00pm, so I needed to get cleaned up and ready to go.

I had a great time at the party and was home pretty early.  Still excited about my visit with Justin from Flyte Camp Vintage Trailer Restorations on Friday.  I couldn't help but think about his 1952 Spartanette.  I know I want one someday, so I thought I would go on line and see if I could find one.  It didn't take me long before I did and it's not too far away. It is a 1950 Spartanette Tandem, with a remarkable well preserved exterior.  The interior is in need of some serious work, but it's a beautiful trailer, or at least it could be.  I am going to have to a talk with Justin about him restoring one for me.  Trailers are as addicting as classic cars and I've been bitten by both bugs.

It had been a truly spectacular day and I enjoyed my time in the yard, at my friends party and trailer shopping on line.

Day 96, IT'S FRIDAY!

I sure do love Fridays!  We had our normal coffee event this morning and I was back in the office by 10am.  At 11:30 I met up with Justin from Flyte Camp, Vintage Trailer Restoration.  I have been talking with Justin, on and off again, since I got the trailer bug and bought the Traveleze in August.  Justin had restored a beautiful 54 Anderson that was beyond impressive.

I was very eager to show him the trailer and get his thoughts.  He had a partner along with him who helps work on the trailers and I wanted to know what they thought.  They both liked the shape and the over all condition of the trailer and we discussed the modification that had been made to the trailer and they had great knowledge of the trailer and it's original floor plan.  We agreed that it should be returned to as close to original as possible, including stove, bed, tail lights, removing the bumper, finding a heater, replacing the windows etc.  In all, we spent about an hour talking about the trailer and Justin was going to do some research and then get back to me with some prices to bring the trailer back to life.  I will be very interested to see what he comes up with.  We talked about three prices, getting it presentable, a good restoration and then a restoration done to perfection.


We also talked about Justin's most recent project, a 1952 Spartanette Tandem.  He is three weeks into the project and it sounds like it is coming along very nicely.  They are doing a complete restoration and have removed the interior and have replaced all the wiring and are starting to reassemble.  I am sure when it is all done it will be a real show piece. 

I could have talked trailers all day bur I had to head back to the office.  It was very excited to have finially been able to show Justin my trailer.  I was also encourage that he thought the trailer was worth restoring and I hadn't wasted my time or money.

Porsche Panamera 4, $94,000



At 3:30pm I had a meeting in Bend and once again I was back on the road.  The meeting lasted until 4:45pm and I was ready to start the weekend.  As I was pulling out of the parking lot, I happened to see one of the new Porsche Panamera's and I thought while I was in town, I should go take a look.  Car shopping is one of my all time favorite things to do and what a great way to start the weekend.



2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe, $52,000



The Porsche Panamera 4, was beautiful and surprisingly, had lots of leg room in both the front and back seats.  The interior was plush, with lots of bling and tons of buttons to push.   At $94,000 it would make anyone feel like a race car driver and it would look good in any driveway.

 On my way back to reality, I had to pass the Cadillac dealer and they had the new CTS Coupe, so once I again I found myself pulling into the lot.  They had a beautiful Ruby Red 2011, with black leather interior.  At $52,000 it seemed like a bargain compared to the Panamera, but you got two more doors with the Panamera for that $42,000 extra.  Again, this car was beautiful, but it wouldn't look right pulling the 1950 canned ham styling of the Traveleze. 

My next car will have to be vintage and be able to compliment the canned ham.


It was time to head home and tuck the chickens in for the night.  I had no other plans for the evening, so it was going to be a nice quiet night at home. 

The sun had set when I pulled into the driveway and the mountains looked beautiful with a fresh covering of snow.  It had been a spectacular day.

Day 95, No trailer update



Fall color and the Traveleze undercover.

 It was another typical day at work and I pushed my lunch to the end of the day, so I could squeeze in a workout at 4:30pm to 5:30pm.  When I got the gym I received a phone call from the trailer restoration shop.  I had hoped to meet up with the guy to look over my trailer, but we were not able to make our two schedules work.  It is now scheduled for tomorrow (Friday) at 11:30am. 

I got home about 6pm and the chickens were in the pen all day and had already settled in for the night.  I tossed in some extra feed and opened the door to check for eggs.  I was surprised to see that there were three eggs and one was very small, so I think one of the younger Rhode Island Reds has started laying.

I washed out the chickens water containers and closed them in for the night.  The large maple by the shop is in full color and looks amazing.  This weekend I will be spending some serious time in the yard getting ready for winter.  The weather reports are calling for snow on Monday and Tuesday, so will need to get the yard all buttoned up.  It will be interesting to see the beautiful fall colors covered in a coat of white.

It was now time to go in, eat dinner and read my 12 pages and it's hard to believe that I'm on day 55 which means there are only 35 more days to go.

Day 94, Just another day

Well, it's just another day, nothing to great to report.  I had to up early for a 7:30am meeting and getting up in the dark is never one of my favorite things to do.

My Wednesday workout was moved to Thursday, so I didn't have any afternoon plans other than work.  I went home for a late lunch and let the Chickens out.  I only have two chickens laying eggs, so the egg production is way down.  I need to get the sign made that says "An egg a day or heads will stray" and nail it up in the coop.

I was home by 5:30pm and the chickens seemed more than friendly and gave me a huge welcome home.  I got out some bread and fed them on the back deck.  If you haven't seen a chicken run it's hilarious.  By 6pm the chickens were in their coop and closed door to the pen for the night.

Come this weekend I should be able to clean up the last of the leaves and blow out the sprinkler system and I'll be done with the yard for the winter.

Tonight it's dinner, reading, TV and bed.

Day 93, Election day.

This was about as routine a day as they come.  I was at work by 8, worked through lunch with a meeting and left for home at 4:30pm. 

I ran several errands on the way home including going to the bank and stopping off at the store to buy cat food.  My sick cat Scrappy has been getting better and is gaining back some of the 11 lbs that he has lost.  He is eating 4 cans of food a day and seems to be constantly hungry.  Hopefully at some point his appetite will return to normal.

I arrived home at 5:25pm and immediately let the chickens out.  With the sun setting so early around 5:40pm they only had about 40 minutes of free time.

Tonight it will be rather low key watching the election results and reading.

Day 92, Trailer update



Christmas already!



Today I was actually able to make a call about the trailer and I have an appointment on Thursday to show it to a restoration shop.  I am going to be really interested to see what they have to say.  He indicated that he is moving into a larger 5,000 sq ft shop and will have plenty of room of it to work on it over the winter.

 

I was able to come home at 2:30pm today for a late lunch and some much needed time off.  I let the chickens out and the egg count for the day was at 2.  I was headed to my workout at 3:30pm and by the time I got back at 5:30pm they had gone to bed for the night. 



On my way home from my workout I stopped off at Costco.  They are already in full swing for Christmas and have been for a few weeks now.  It's a little hard to get in the mood with pumpkins and Halloween decorations still up, but I guess it will hit me soon enough.  The next holiday is Thanksgiving and no Christmas stuff goes up until after the 25th.  I can say, however that I have most of my Christmas shopping done already.
 

Horses in the front pasture and Harris the cat by the pond.


One of the things I look forward to each year is when we move the wheel line over to the age of the driveway and fence off the front pasture so the horses can graze in the front.  The horses love the extra room to run and there is enough grass hay to last them all winter.  They are very inquisitive so they keep an eye on me and when I am in the front yard they come running.

Tonight I'm going to get my reading done (Read the Bible in 90 Days) and watch a little TV in between all the political commercials.  It will be so nice for tomorrow to get here and all the election bunk to be over.  Talk about a good time to be reading the bible!  We need a little prayer for some of these politicians.

I am so looking forward to Thursday and seeing what happens with the Traveleze.