First snow meets first fireplace use

Not much snowfall today, as it turns out. Nevertheless, was a good time to test out the fireplace. Even Stewie seems to approve.

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A sellers market after all

Ever notice how much stuff you forgot you had? Perhaps things you haven't used in years?

Since we hope to have moved our last time for a long (long) time, it was another opportunity to de-clutter. We always purge in a rush just before/after each time we've moved as adults. We seem to be getting better every time - now that we have the hang of it, hopefully we won't need it anymore! We had about 6 months to prepare for this most recent move, it was also much easier to productively purge. Better yet, not only did we avoid clogging up the garbage, we managed to sell most of that junk. Yes, it's much better to have somebody come to you and exchange green rectangles for something you will never use again. Thanks to Craigslist - finally an exciting sellers market!

Sold!

The biggest ticket items were essentially being stored in the garage. Thule car roof top box, Yakima rack rails, receiver hitch platform rack, old bicycles, commercial mop & bucket, old electronics and computer peripherals, miscellaneous boat supplies (years after selling the boat!), interior & exterior furniture, old unused bed frames, and even a few extra kitchen and household supplies. All of this netted a thousand dollars or perhaps more, which was a great way to pay for the professional movers when it came time to move. We even sold the old kitchen appliances, clothes washer & dryer, and garage door opener (with cracked motor housing) when it was time to replace that stuff in the new house. Like I already said, a much better deal for somebody to pay you and pick them up! Best of all, everything was perfectly fine and functional - we just didn't need it anymore. Glad to know somebody else did.

Office View

I am incredibly lucky because I generally like my job (this is allison, but I am sure we both do). Some days are harder than others, but for the most part, I like to work. Those days when I don't like to work...I just look out the window and I see this. Not only do I remember how lucky I am to have a job, but with this view. Then I think "what a great idea it was to move to Seattle." :)

I see the light!

Lately I've been trying to learn my lessons from our last house, and have been trying to knock out those "95% projects" (that is, projects finished within 5% of completion) before moving on to the next project. 95% project syndrome is also known as HIADD (Home Improvement Attention Deficit Disorder).

For example, say you need to paint the living room, and as part of that project you want to replace two wall lamps. That requires removing the hardware, some minor rewiring, and touching up the paint around the old fixture's footprint not covered by the new fixture.

What a coincidence! That is exactly the scenario from yesterday's "Honey-Do" list.

The old footprint:

Groovy old green paint.

We searched awhile for some cool replacement fixtures, and found these cool salvaged ones at Second Use for $20. The best part is they are old, and they kind of match other original other hall & bedroom ceiling fixtures! All I had to do was clean up the metal, replace the socket hardware & rewire. The price for was right at only $6 for these extra materials.

Bright light.

What a difference made by some improved lighting and hanging a little artwork!

My cell phone camera is not fancy, but it was fun playing with the brightness.

P-3C Museum of Flight fly-in pics

On Saturday 30 October, the Museum of Flight hosted P-3C flight crew from NAS Whidbey Island on Northwest Naval Appreciation Day for a day of activities and panel discussion on maritime patrol. They also gave us enthusiasts a chance to gawk at L/N 763:






Here are some better shots, including arrival, from the Seattle P-I.

Happy Halloween!

Hope everyone had a happy Halloween last weekend! For the first time, we ran out of candy. I guess there are more kids in the neighborhood than we thought!