The Weekender

Josephine is Three Months Old!

2012-01-26T08:40:00.000-08:00

Big changes for this three months old! We celebrated Chinese New Year by crying and fussing at a restaurant thanks to her three month growth spurt. We're starting to meet up with other moms who have children the same age. And best of all we're sleeping at 6 and 7 hour increments making mom and dad really happy and rested. Also setting up to be a world traveler she is getting a passport in March.

Nicknames: Josie, Josie-Bird, Smiley

Likes: She is still loving those walks either in the Moby or the Ergo carrier. Sitting on our laps and looking out when other people are around. She also likes to face out in the moby wrap to watch us cook dinner. She loves her morning massage, baby yoga and music.

Dislikes: Does not like sitting in a wet diaper.

Accomplishments: Spitting sounds, even more smiles, mimic what we say, lots of head control

Nuisances: Hiccups

Starting Weight: 11 lbs. 7 oz.

Current Weight: 12 lbs. 2 oz. (we did this weight check at home so it might not be accurate)

Week 2 – I Dreamed a Dream: Amalfi Coast

2012-01-20T16:26:00.000-08:00

For some reason I have been dreaming a lot about the Amalfi Coast. It's probably my favorite place to visit. We love the little fishing town of Praiano. The town is small but has plenty of really great restaurants and the view are second to none. We've never had or wanted to rent a car there because everything is so accessible by foot or bus. And that's part of the adventure, right?

I have many fond memories of our two trips to Praiano, but one very specific part of these trips is the opportunity to ride the SITA bus. The SITA bus is the public bus that transports people around the Amalfi Coast. The Amalfi Coast drive alone is a really a treat to see, but to take that trip with one of the highly skilled (and usually good looking) SITA bus drive is an opportunity that shouldn't be missed.

I was able to find a short YouTube clip that I wanted to share.

Lots of Snow! And Slush.

2012-01-18T15:13:00.001-08:00

This week brings Snowmageddon 2012 to Seattle. While accumulation has been wide-ranging in various neighborhoods and surrounding cities, I've already shoveled three times this morning. Very wet, heavy snow.

Probably will melt tomorrow, so enjoying today. :)

Shades of Sky Gold... then Purple

2012-01-13T17:23:00.001-08:00

We enjoyed a beautiful and fast changing shade of sky this afternoon, viewed from the living room. Much better in person, but this will do!

Week 2 – Made with love: Josie's Owl Mobile

2012-01-13T14:50:00.001-08:00

I was one of those people who thought mobiles for babies were silly. "I don't want to stick this thing in my kid's face when they should be sleeping." So I made an owl mobile to match the nursery for Josie. I made it mostly for show never intending that she would actually look at it.

Boy was I wrong (I now admit that I was wrong about a lot of my pre-baby judgyness). Josie loved this mobile. We would set her down in the crib after her changing and she would smile at it. We found that she loved it most when it was moving. When it stopped she would cry. Since I made it I never thought about making it move. Instead I would manually make it move by swiping it with my arm. She loved that but as soon as I left the room and it stopped moving, she would start to cry.

Luckily Rob is super smart and attached a motor onto the mobile so now she can watch it for much longer!

Walking on Alki Beach

2012-01-13T14:45:00.000-08:00

Today was a nice clear day so Josie and I went for a 4 mile walk along Alki Beach in West Seattle. The views are always amazing and it's got a great walking path along the water. Today clouds were obstructing the mountain views but the Seattle skyline view with a huge container ship was a good capture.

Thankfully our winter has been really mild so getting out for our daily walks has been really easy.

52 Week Challenge - Week 1

2012-01-07T09:09:00.000-08:00

In an effort to capture our 2012, we are going to take part in the 52 week photo challenge. Every week we'll post a picture that captures the theme for the week.

Here are the themes for the next few weeks.

Week 1 – ending Friday, January 6: Resolution
Week 2 – ending Friday, January 13: Made with love
Week 3 – ending Friday, January 20: I Dreamed A Dream
Week 4 – ending Friday, January 27: Self-portrait
Week 5 – ending Friday, February 3: Shadows
Week 6 – ending Friday, February 10: Drink up!
Week 7 – ending Friday, February 17: True Love
Week 8 – ending Friday, February 24: Cabin Fever

We're already a day late on week one and not following the theme. Not being a fan of sharing new year's resolutions we changed the theme to "Our Life" to capture what 2012 means to us. It's one of our (Allison's) favorite photos from the Holidays (of my two favorite people).

Morning sky view

2012-01-02T08:38:00.001-08:00

Every clear morning, we get a spectacular, sun fire sky view from the upstairs hallway window. Although a camera shot can never equal, here was from this morning.

Happy 2012!

Josephine is Two Months Old!

2011-12-28T19:59:00.000-08:00

Another month down. This past month was a big one for our little girl. She met both sets of grandparents, celebrated Thanksgiving and also got to go to out for lots of diners, walks, and fun times with friends. Lucky for us she sleeps through most loud environments which makes going to dinner fairly easy. Josie does suffer from what we have identified as F.M.O. which is the Fear of Missing Out. Just like mom!

Nicknames: Josie, Josie-Bird, Miss Bird

Likes: She still likes going for walks in the moby wrap the best. She likes to face out in the sling to look around, she LOVES her owl mobile above her bed and likes to have a massage every morning. She also really likes Casper BabyPants.

Dislikes: Being left in a room alone or when mom and dad are not paying attention to her.

Accomplishments: Big Smiles, lots of cooh-ing, looking in the mirror, stronger head control.

Nuisances: Hiccups, gas pains

Starting Weight: 8 lbs. 13 oz.

Current Weight: 11 lbs. 7 oz.

Merry Christmas from the Museum of Flight

2011-12-28T11:40:00.001-08:00

A couple of weeks ago while looking out my office window, I saw what looked like a shrink-wrapped B-29 being towed from the north to south end of KBFI. When it got closer, we noticed it was indeed wrapped, complete with gift wrapping bows on the forward fuselage and propellor spinners! Today, while running errands, I noticed it is now parked outside the Museum of Flight. Must have been a memorable Christmas!

Christmas Eve Walk

2011-12-25T10:09:00.000-08:00

We were blessed with beautiful weather on Christmas Eve this year. It was sunny and in the low 50s. We had to take advantage of the weather by heading out for a nice walk around Mount Baker and Lake Washington. We covered about 4 miles. The walk made us feel a little better about all the cookies we ate later! Merry Christmas!

A Merry Sunny Christmas Eve!

2011-12-24T19:02:00.001-08:00

Today was gorgeous in Seattle. Might have hit the 50s, and it sure felt like it in the sun. A great day for a nice long walk with my girls.

Merry Christmas!

P.S. I won those sweet slippers (pictured in the last posting) from last night's white elephant exchange party.

Merry Christmas from Our Home to Yours!

2011-12-24T12:27:00.000-08:00

New Restaurant in Beacon Hill!

2011-12-12T10:12:00.000-08:00

Newish that is.. Bar del Corso opened in July and has quickly become a really popular restaurant for those of us who live on Beacon Hill. I also believe some recent favorable write ups in the local press has also increased popularity because we need to get to the restaurant right at 5pm in order to get a seat.

We were just there last week for the third time and the pizza is outstanding, they have wonderful seasonal specials and great sides. We love it.

Josephine is One Month Old!

2011-11-22T14:18:00.000-08:00

Wow where did this month go? Seems like just yesterday we were out for dim sum wondering how long labor would last. Josie's birth was a fun an exciting memory for both of us and we will look back at that experience with a big smile. This past month has been nothing short of the same.

Nicknames: Josie, Josie-Bird

Likes: Going for walks in the moby wrap, being held by mom or dad

Dislikes: Nakedness, sunlight, swaddling past 6am

Accomplishments: Sleeping for 4.5 hours straight, learning to suck on own hand

Nuisances: Hiccups, face scratching

Starting Weight: 7 lbs. 2 oz.

Current Weight: 8 lbs. 13 oz.

Disclaimer: We totally stole this super cute idea to track Josie's age from one of our favorite blogs Young House Love. It would be wrong for us to pretend we came up with it ourselves.

Dinner for a Good Cause

2011-11-18T16:47:00.000-08:00

Last night we headed to FareStart for Thursday's Guest Chef Night. FareStart is a culinary job training and placement program for homeless and disadvantaged individuals open for lunch and Thursday dinners. On Thursdays they have a guest chef from a local restaurant come in and cook a three course meal. This past Thursday the Chef was Matt Dillion (James Beard Nominee) from The Corson Building and Sitka and Spruce. One of our favorite chef's so we had to go.

With Josie in tow, we headed to FareStart and enjoyed an incredible meal of smoked trout, braised lamb, and squash. A great dinner for a great cause!

Fall in Beacon Hill

2011-11-10T14:51:00.000-08:00

Josie and I clocked 4 miles today. The weather was beautiful despite the fact that they have been calling for rain. We decided to take advantage of the sunny weather and walk down to Columbia City. Along the way, I took some great shots of the fall colors.

And this is what Josie did the whole time.

Introducing Josephine Rose!

2011-11-06T12:05:00.000-08:00

On the same day as Rob's last post 10/23, I was in early labor and at 10pm on October 23rd, our lives changed forever as Josephine Rose joined our family. It's been two weeks and Rob and I have enjoyed every minute of parenthood so far.

This blog will not become a baby blog but rather just our family blog to journal our lives and have something to look back on one day. We're pretty busy right now so posting may be slow for the next few weeks.

The Beacon Boogie - 29 Oct

2011-10-23T12:24:00.001-07:00

5 venues, 5 bands, $5.

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Perfect Rainy Fireplace Football Saturday

2011-10-22T11:21:00.001-07:00

Pretty rainy today in Seattle, which makes for good college football watchin' anyway. About a week ago we first kicked on the furnace for the season. Today marks the first fireplace use. I'm no math expert, but somehow this works out:

rain + ESPN3 - work + firewood = perfect fall saturday

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Production Value

2011-10-12T23:03:00.000-07:00

I saw this link a while ago. With so many amusing aspects, please enjoy.

Cats are Funny

2011-10-01T14:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Brian made his way into my bowl of chili. If you have never had my chili I usually make it very HOT. Why Brian would find the HOT chili tasty? I have no idea. Regardless, he found his way into my bowl and I had to snap this shot of his hilarious face.

Friends with views

2011-10-01T14:01:00.000-07:00

I meant to post this a while ago, but just realized I hadn't had a chance to yet. A few weeks back we had a seafood boil at one of our friend's new house. He recently purchased a house that sits right along Lake Washington near Seward Park and although he didn't have any furniture moved in we still enjoyed the evening with good friends and great view.

We can't wait for move evenings like this next summer. Sometimes all you need is a friend who has the view instead of having one yourself.

Cutting the Queue

2011-09-18T06:31:00.000-07:00

In recent years, we have enjoyed giving and receiving the rotating gift of Netflix from family at Christmas. So much so that we have kept the membership going on a monthly basis after annual gift expiration. We don't watch much TV, and even less movies, until Netlfix. It has been fun filling up our DVD and instant stream queue and catching up on some of those movies (currently 146 and 62, respectively).

Like other monthly members, we received that email in July.

Your Account

Queue

Help


	Dear Robert, We are separating unlimited DVDs by mail and unlimited streaming into two separate plans to better reflect the costs of each. Now our members have a choice: a streaming only plan, a DVD only plan, or both. Your current $9.99 a month membership for unlimited streaming and unlimited DVDs will be split into 2 distinct plans: Plan 1: Unlimited Streaming (no DVDs) for $7.99 a month Plan 2: Unlimited DVDs, 1 out at-a-time (no streaming) for $7.99 a month Your price for getting both of these plans will be $15.98 a month ($7.99 + $7.99). You don't need to do anything to continue your memberships for both unlimited streaming and unlimited DVDs. These prices will start for charges on or after September 1, 2011. You can easily change or cancel your unlimited streaming plan, unlimited DVD plan, or both, by going to the <Plan Change> page in <Your Account>. We realize you have many choices for home entertainment, and we thank you for your business. As always, if you have questions, please feel free to call us at 1-888-357-1516. –The Netflix Team

Hm. I'm a numbers guy, and seems to me our monthly fees were poised to jump 60%. That's a big number.

Since we moved, we decided to never set up cable/satellite (easier than cutting the cable). Until then, we mostly watched TV at the exclusive service of our satellite DVR, so it was pretty easy. We also have the type of modern TV that is internet-ready, so streaming is a snap when broadcast isn't interesting. Netflix worked well in this approach, offering both the DVD (~3 day turnaround) bridged now by a handful of instant-watch options just as convenient. Although we didn't like $120 a year for an optional service, since our higher double digit monthly costs dropped to $0 after the move, it wasn't a bad deal for a little entertainment.

We have enjoyed both watching the DVDs in the mail and streaming from the Instant Queue, so my pancakes were understandably fried. I'm not going to over-simplify what really drives the operating costs of each, because I can only imagine the lot of ins & outs & what-have-yous behind all those viewing contracts. I do hope Netflix well and also hope this move doesn't backfire and actually result in a net drop in revenue and continued decline. Empowered by the liberty to shop the competition or withdraw from this product or service, we decided it just wasn't worth $192 annually.

But if it does, I will not stand for any drop in Netflix DVD mailings to be majority blamed for what is really killing the USPS (methinks "80%" sounds closer to "majority").

The Dahlias That Keep On Giving

2011-08-31T21:31:00.001-07:00

With so many more blooming every week as the summer moves on, what a beautiful addition to our otherwise bloomin' gardens.

This latest one is HUGE. It makes that pint glass appear tiny!

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Curious case of a sunflower...

2011-08-22T19:52:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, we thought we had an unusually fast-growing weed. We almost pulled it! Glad we didn't. Here are some pictures spaced about a day apart.

Sorry, can't resist a gratuitous publicity photo for Brian :)

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Sage advice!

2011-08-13T20:32:00.001-07:00

Some small town humor captured during recent R&R outa town.

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Amazing!

2011-08-09T21:12:00.000-07:00

No new interesting photos or details to share today.

The base trim and majority primer prep is complete. The main floor bath just needs the simple final touches: new paint, and new shrubs. Well said, Ron White.

Speaking of comedians, the main thrust of this post (and the questionably interwoven parlance above) was so I could share one of my favorite bits from Louis.

Hope this brought you some smiles!

Bringing out the Blues!

2011-08-07T14:31:00.001-07:00

Two great days of aerobatic shows from the US Navy Blue Angels! A certain highlight of Seafair.

Enjoy a few amateur shots from my cell phone, seen from our neighborhood Sunday.

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Dahlia lounging

2011-08-07T08:30:00.001-07:00

All those bulbs Allison planted are really paying off. Here are some early clippings, and a view of more to come.

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Back to bases.

2011-08-06T22:19:00.001-07:00

After much roto-hammering, sawing, and measuring. Base molding is done.

My very sore fingers can easily explain all the custom work behind the panels that was required for these to turn out looking "normal."

Heated floor control panel fit in nicely, too. Unfortunately, plaster never seems to cut cleanly...! Alas, a little more work to finish tomorrow.

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Let's get us a lane.

2011-08-05T21:10:00.001-07:00

Mark it, dude.

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Back from Vacation

2011-08-05T16:53:00.000-07:00

We spent the last week or so in Michigan for my cousin, Tom's, wedding. It was an emotional wedding for me because it was like watching my little brother get married. Rob and I had a great trip and as always we enjoy spending time at the camp. We got to swim in the lake, watch tons of wildlife, and have a lot of fun. Just a few pictures from the trip.

Two steps forward...

2011-08-01T21:34:00.001-07:00

It has been a long week with other activities, but gradually the finish line is 'round the corner with this main floor bathroom. This afternoon I leveled & reinstalled both the toilet and sink.

But not before cracking into the wet wall to inspect the main soil stack and measure clearance for the next big project...

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Almost done, but not "done done"

2011-07-25T12:41:00.001-07:00

Removing the old and building the new subfloor was hard labor. Adding floor heat was fun (not really) and will be a great perk. Tiling was difficult & more careful work. All cleaned up nicely, in the end. So the floor is now done.

Unfortunately the trim & some final paint needed hold this project from the elusive "done done" category.

Now for some shameless horn-tooting. I nailed it (figuratively) pulling off the finished height exactly where planned: flush with the hallway hardwoods at the door threshold. No trip hazard anymore. A great feeling. :)

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Taking shape, lying flat

2011-07-22T23:00:00.001-07:00

After work today, I had just enough time to lay in the new hex tile. Not too bad, and went down better than the heated floor layer!

Looking forward to touchup & grout Sunday, and perhaps a functional bathroom by Sunday.

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Heating & Thinning, Part I

2011-07-21T18:38:00.001-07:00

Recently prepped the hardibacker (tm?) with the tile warmer heating elements, followed by a nice light layer of thinset mortar. Amazing, hard work reaching and spreading that mortar as desired!

The waiting game (24 hrs) holds in effect until the next coat of thinset and hex tile.

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New Neighborhood Pizza

2011-07-20T13:59:00.000-07:00

Lucky for us Bar del Corso opened last week. It's been fun to walk by the old Beacon Pub and to watch the transformation during these past weeks. We were lucky enough to attend the soft opening the week prior where they offered us free pizza to give them some practice. We tried five different pizzas which included Margherita, Salame Piccante, Puttanesca. They were all delish. The following week, during the actual opening, we walked by and were thrilled to see that not only were they packed but they has a line outside of people waiting! I guess Beacon Hill was hungry for a new restaurant.

* Photo from Flickr - by litlnemo

Bar del Corso will never replace Pizzuto's in our hearts but it does offer something within walking distance on those night when we just want something nearby.

Taped & Topped

2011-07-18T22:10:00.001-07:00

Hardibacker (tm?) is taped & tidy. Topped by toilet, temporarily.

Tonight's random alliteration was brought to you by: this bathroom remodel.

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New subfloor a-rising

2011-07-18T12:48:00.001-07:00

Yes! The new bathroom floor is coming together. Included are a few pictures, showing:

- Final sections under roto-hammering

- Extraction of old toilet (trap water -CLEAN!- drained effortlessly into tub)

- Nice & clean 82 year old 1 x 6 T&G

- New hardibacker (tm?) subfloor

- Brian trying to sleep! Picture a thought bubble above his head: "Keep it down, please!!!"

More to come as the heated tile goes in over the next few days.

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Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-04T07:58:00.000-07:00

Hope you are enjoying a nice 235th! Weather is gorgeous in Seattle. We have various activities planned, and hope you are enjoying yourselves too.

In other news, we completed the insulation work previously discussed. Happy to have that done. Lower heating costs next winter sure would be great!

Note the holes plugged.

I'm also in the home stretch (?) of the main bath remodel. Currently demo-ing the old and very sturdy tile floor. Would love to keep it, if it weren't so badly chipped already (revealed after peeling back the old linoleum). After rebuilding the subfloor, the plan is heated hex-tile. Once that is done, the new toilet and sink and a few final coats of paint will finish off this project.

Chisel. Chisel. Chisel.

Finally, it just wouldn't be right for me to close today's posting without including the clip below.

Magic foot

2011-06-11T15:09:00.003-07:00

Today marks day one of operation for my rebuilt left ankle. So far, so good. And I would like to emphasize "so good" here. Hard to describe how much I missed walking independently for 3 months!

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A view from the sidewalk

2011-06-11T09:59:00.000-07:00

I came home from work this week and had to stop and snap a photo of the flowers in the yard as seen from the sidewalk. We have lots of blooming peonies and roses. It's so fun to watch them bloom.

Check it out!

Everything coming up roses!

2011-06-11T08:39:00.001-07:00

Thanks Ethel - I'll take it from here.

Check out the latest rose beauty from the yard!

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See the light!

2011-06-02T22:26:00.001-07:00

A cool old ceramic light fixture was made available by the bathroom remodeling, mostly because it was way too small for the bathroom. Some scraping, rewiring, and a touch of elbow grease really cleaned it up nicely. Now it starts a second, new life fitting in very nicely above the kitchen sink.

I love it when a little care and love transforms old to new!

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Request for Proposals!

2011-06-02T21:38:00.001-07:00

With a particularly chilly winter (in Seattle terms... "chilly" would be "balmy" at our previous residences), home heating was not cheap this year! Ouch.

Despite an infant and comparatively efficient burner on a 3 year old oil furnace installed by our home's previous owner, it doesn't help matters much when your 1929 brick tudor perimeter walls were never insulation filled. While the ceiling & attic has some marginally effective rockwool, the home has some obvious gaps vs. current code standards.

Currently seeking and reviewing professional bids to properly complete this work. Not only to expand the effective insulation, but converting the furnace into a hybrid by adding a heat pump for primary heat and keeping the oil system as backup/secondary. Seems like a good strategy to me.

Turns out none of this work is very cheap. Who knew? :)

Nevertheless, there are some great hungry contractors out there that need work. Will be glad to and hope to find the right people for the job and get this work started soon.

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Required Navigation Performance, again

2011-05-31T11:32:00.001-07:00

An interesting (to me) follow up link below on a previous post :) and a shameless plug to push SeaTac to consider alternatives like profile descent, higher altitude low power descent glide slope, etc.

RNP at midsized airports promises big benefits: GE

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Nice view!

2011-05-24T22:03:00.003-07:00

The nice weather is finally surfacing! Just in time, the yard is really shaping up. Thanks to our snappy new cordless weed whacker. :)

Check out all in bloom in this quick side view!

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First Peonies of the Season

2011-05-23T11:07:00.001-07:00

First Peonies of the Season! I can't wait to see more.

Yard Needs Work!

2011-05-23T11:01:00.000-07:00

After coming home from a week in Indiana visiting my too cute new niece, I had to snap some shots of this atrocious yard. The yard has since been cleaned up and it looks fantastic! We'll post some "after" pictures. In the meantime, this is what the yard looked like when I got home. humph.

Weekend morning craving

2011-05-15T09:56:00.003-07:00

It was just one of those mornings... when a donut is the prescription.

After a productive day of back breaking yardwork, why not?

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Weekend morning craving

2011-05-15T09:56:00.001-07:00

It was just one of those mornings... when a donut is the prescription.

After a productive day of back breaking yardwork, why not?

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Lunch Break

2011-04-23T17:47:00.001-07:00

Today was the best weather day of the year! Upper 60s without a cloud in the sky. Perhaps the most perfect day to work outside. Which is exactly what we did today.

I'm embarrassed by the dandelions in my yard, so I'm only including one picture. On the bright side, also attached is a picture of the Schooner Exact hefeweitzen I enjoyed with my lunch at Smarty Pants in Georgetown. Perhaps one of the best and freshest tasting hefs you will find outside of Heidelberg. Cheers!

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Making The Case: High-Altitude Profile Descent

2011-04-18T20:58:00.001-07:00

Being a neighborhood issue of interest, I stopped by SeaTac recently for the CFR part 150 airport noise study open house. Check out the prompting article in the Beacon Hill Blog, and the comments in which I participated...

http://beaconhill.seattle.wa.us/2011/04/07/airport-noise-study-open-house-on-saturday/

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Lobster Dinner!

2011-04-17T12:20:00.001-07:00

We were supposed to be in Houston this weekend celebrating a good friend's wedding. Due to lack of travel mobility, we decided to make the best of it and host some friends for dinner. The good weather of late makes us excited for summer. Why not pretend like it is and cook a nice lobster dinner?

Attached are some photo highlights, including the cucumber miso sesame salad and onion casserole. A good meal was had by all!

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In Bloom

2011-04-09T16:55:00.001-07:00

The flower crop is in early bloom, with heaps of new clusters. Brian was checking out a recent vase.

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Full Rainbow!

2011-04-06T18:38:00.001-07:00

Seattle has unpredictable weather. It was sunny, and then rain, and then small hail. Then sunny.

For a minute or two, the conditions were perfect and produced a full bright rainbow. On our way home was one end, but sadly the sun departed before we found that pot 'o gold. Odd, because it was so clear that it looked like it was only a few blocks away. Better luck next time!

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Cats. The New Watchdogs.

2011-04-02T17:06:00.001-07:00

We recently moved our nice cedar bird feeder to the front yard. Now just outside the big living room window, the cats have a great view. Today provided some great watchin' time!

Unfortunately, pictures just don't adequately depict Brian's peaking blood pressure.

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Temporary Wheels

2011-03-30T20:11:00.001-07:00

Normally this 1929 single car garage has a lot less wiggle room between the car doors and plaster walls. But for this set of wheels, there is plenty of space.

Long walk for a short dive. Just thought this was an amusing photo.

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Veggie Planter Boxes: Done!

2011-03-26T13:11:00.001-07:00

Being on a handyman-haitus lately, we had to explore other options to get those planter boxes built. With seeds germinating faster than my leg healing, it was time to call in the professionals.

Fortunately we have some great contacts. My talented carpenter buddy Jeff was able to work us in his schedule. He did such a superb job building our deck last summer when I was only partially available to help with my own labor, and we were thankful to have his help again.

Now that very limited strip of grass that was annoying to mow now offers the capacity of 3 large veggie boxes (in the distance, pictured above). Thank you again Jeff, and bring on the warm weather!

Non-shameless plug: need any help on a wide variety of indoor and outdoor projects? Jeff is your man. He is based out of West Seattle, but covers the greater Puget Sound pretty well. He is honest, competitively priced, and will be glad to talk with you about your project. 206-353-1559 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 206-353-1559 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

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Sleepy Cats

2011-03-26T07:55:00.001-07:00

It's the weekend. What better time for a cat nap?

Hope yours is also restful!

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Camellia blooming season!

2011-03-18T09:36:00.001-07:00

Right on queue, the Camellias are starting that early bloom in full force. Doesn't last long, but is always really pretty.

As soon as I can walk again, these bushes need some serious pruning. Years of simply shearing really builds up the dead inner matter... So thankful for all those tips from Mike King, the best pruning guy in Seattle!
http://www.pruningman.com/

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Headed home!

2011-03-10T12:12:00.000-08:00

My surgery, care, and overall experience at the hospital for the last 3 days has been excellent. Nevertheless, with all milestones achieved this morning, I can not tell you how much I am looking forward to going home. What a week it has been!

Remember, three short months on crutches... I'm sure time will fly!

From my hospital bed?

2011-03-09T15:13:00.000-08:00

Yesterday my surgery went well, and my fractured fibula is now all screwed back together. Despite some unusual pain, things are looking positive and on the mend. Not much else to report today, besides being amused that I am able to make a quick post to the weblog from my hospital bed :)

On second thought...

2011-03-03T17:59:00.001-08:00

Quick update. Saw the Orthopedist today. Surgery next week!

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Sticks, Stones, & Ice?

2011-03-02T20:56:00.000-08:00

You've heard the phrase with the first two words... but ice? Well, ice didn't exactly leverage the striking blow. After playing hockey since my early childhood, the game finally got back at me.

Viva Weasels!

Tuesday night, while playing in my weekly league game, I broke my fibula while defending the crease. It happened in an instant. While trying to lunge forward after the puck, then turning around to skate backwards, I caught the front edge with my left skate and hyper-extended it inwards (imagine your left foot rotated 90-deg clockwise, viewed from above. Gross!). I knew immediately it went too far, and the pain brought me to my knees and elbows, unable to leave the ice under my own power. Felt kind of weird to get the sticks-ice-tapping cheers from everybody when I finally stood up with the assistance of my team mates. At first I thought I could rest it up for a couple of shifts and get back in there. By the end of the 2nd period, it was obvious otherwise.

Ouch (please imagine a fracture)

Despite some pretty severe pain, I hobbled off to the locker room. A very nice player in the game after ours gave me a chemical ice pack, which was a life saver once I managed to extract my foot from my boot. It must have been amusing to watch me carry my hockey bag out the parking lot while bouncing on one foot (the bag acted as a wonderful counterweight, and stick upside-down a nice crutch). Fortunately I was able to drive home. At this point I didn't know I had fractured anything, and the pain had gone down a lot thanks to that ice pack, so I decided it wasn't urgent enough for the ER.

The next morning I got right in to urgent care for a quick X-ray scan, which confirmed the fracture. The good news is, it's the smaller bone and initial diagnosis suggests surgery is not required. However, walking around (ahem, hobbling w/ crutches) has neither been amusing nor convenient. Despite this ending my hockey and snowboarding seasons, and dealing with a cast for 4-6 weeks, I'm thankful that it was not worse.

Load Bearing: Crutches.
Non-Load Bearing: Human Leg.
Unfashionable: Rolled-Up Jeans.

But from now on, I'm forever aiming that peripheral vision on the ice. It's just sitting there, waiting, until you least expect it...

It's all tears and smiles for the Raspor Family!

2011-03-02T10:05:00.000-08:00

Lorelei Elizabeth Mefford popped into our lives seven days ahead of schedule. Mom (Angela) and Baby and doing great and Grandma and Grandpa couldn't be happier.

We're so in love with her already and just can't wait to meet her.

4 Nights in San San Francisco

2011-02-20T09:06:00.000-08:00

Just got back from four nights in San Francisco - business trip. Besides the fact that the weather was horrible, there are a few places that I went that were pretty cool.

The Jeans Bar, a really interesting place where you go up to the person working at the bar and explain to them what cut and style you like and your size is. Then gives me tean pairs to go try on and I walk out with new jeans.

One of the guys that I had dinner with on Thursday night is Italian and so when he suggested we have Italian for dinner I was quick to agree. Where does a real Italian go in San Francisco for Italian food? North Beach? He took me to Franchino's in North Beach where we got the red carpet treatment. We started with five different antipasti and then moved into fresh pasta with tomato sauce. Fanchino himself is a riot and it was a good time and great food.

Last but not least I had a chance on Friday night to go to AvenueQ in SF. My friend had an extra ticket that would go unused since one of their friends was sick. It was hilarious and not at all what I expected. Highly recommend it.

Happy to be home now.

Aloha and Mahalo!

2011-01-30T06:07:00.000-08:00

We recently returned from a few relaxing days in Hawaii with Allison's parents. Was our first visit, and we saw the big sights on Oahu, including the Punchbowl National Cemetery, the various surfing beaches on the North Shore, Waikiki, Pearl Harbor and the amazing National Parks visitor enter and USS Arizona memorial, the Pali lookout, the Waimea Park Waterfalls, and lots of scenic roads with our Jeep. We even enjoyed some Matsumoto shave ice and the Paradise Cove Luau in between visits to Costco. Otherwise, we enjoyed our lovely rental apartment blocks from Kailua Beach. A spectacular place to stay for a relaxing trip. Below are some photos.

Pali lookout.

Mighty Mo.

Still bubbling oil.

Paradise Cove Luau.

At the beach.

Underwater plane wreckage.

Sunset pending.

Peacock showing off at Waimea Park.

Cruising. Soft top down.

Wild roosters hitchhiking.

Snorkel gear check.

Waves crashing at Sunset Beach.

Punchbowl Memorial.

Happy back seat riders.

One more lookout.

Bathroom Fixtures

2011-01-23T10:13:00.000-08:00

A few nights ago, Rob and I had to run to Lowe's to pick up all of our fixtures that will be used for our bathroom renovation next week. Here is the happy shopper now.

The fixtures (Faucets, etc) that we bought for the bathroom are the same that we used at the old house. Here they are now. And the happy shopper below.

Jefferson Park Expansion

2011-01-23T09:57:00.000-08:00

The other day I was able to take a walk up to Jefferson Park. The expansion work is finally starting to open up to the public. I was able to check out the new playground and the running path that they have that circles the entire park and has wonderful views of Seattle.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-05T19:23:00.000-08:00

We rang in the new year in Bend, Oregon in 2011. We decided to try out snowboarding at Mt. Bachelor. It was great fun with our friends, Matt and Akiko. We rented a small house for three nights on VRBO downtown Bend right across the street from Nancy P's Bakery, which turned out to be a little gem for breakfast. Bend was great, the company was fun, and VRBO didn't disappoint once again.

We also finally replaced our Nikon D40 (RIP) that was an unfortunate casualty in Costa Rica with a Cannon PowerShot S95. Pictures of the trip can be found on our Flickr page.

Estate Sale Score!

2010-12-04T22:04:00.001-08:00

Today hosted a fantastic estate sale in Mt Baker by Flotsam &k Jetsam. Basically, it was a house much like ours, and a great opportunity for some great living & dining roomv items long desired. Couldn't believe we fit the end tables, mirror, cabinet, and coffee table in one carload!

(Pictures linked below... delayed from posted directly here until I settle the dispute between Blogger and Flickr!)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/56198654@N00/sets/72157625534406234/

And there were 3 Magnolias

2010-12-04T18:30:00.000-08:00

Today was the Earthcorps training for Trees For Neighborhoods on Jefferson Park. As far as I could tell, the driving range was not open, but the clear skies and great views were a good counter to the brisk temperatures.

Peeking at downtown Seattle.

The TFN program distributed trees to the neighborhood, and since we had bare planter strips on S Forest St, why not add some foliage? plus, with hot apple cider, mini donuts, and good weather for the planting training session, to whom am I to complain?

Attached are some pictures, at various time points, from the root-ball softening to the finished planted sight.

Tools and compost.

Still in the cans.

Root-ball softening & hole digging.

New homes in the planting strip.

A closer look.

Random photo of fire-red sunset (sigh... more impressive seen in-person)

First snow meets first fireplace use

2010-11-21T16:49:00.001-08:00

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

2010-11-12T20:47:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-11T19:33:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-11-08T19:30:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-06T13:14:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-11-06T12:58:00.000-07:00

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!

Reupholster Your Own Chairs?

2010-10-19T07:27:00.000-07:00

I've always loved the look of these chairs that you see at Pier 1 or Pottery Barn.

But with everything going on with our house renovations how could I justify spending over $300 on two chairs? So I got crafty and bit more than I can chew and planned to reupholster my own Wingback chairs.

I found sites online that gave a step by step of how to do this yourself. After finding two Wingback Chairs on craigslist for $100 (with an ottoman), I went to the fabric store for 12 yards of fabric. Luckily my mother in law was in town in August and looking for a project so she helped with the cushion sewing and the ottoman. What a great help! Then I took on the rest and finally finished.

Full disclosure: Rob told me we could get a new sofa once these chairs were finished so that was a little additional motivation. Would I do this again? Never in a million years.

New trim paint

2010-10-18T22:04:00.000-07:00

We weren't sure if we had missed the remainder of few decent non-rainy days, but the old wood windows & trim were badly in need of restoration. Luckily, I was thrilled to meet Jeff of Urban Painting Northwest while requesting quotes from neighbor recommendations.

Fortunately, we had just enough sunny & warm days for Jeff and his crew to work their magic. Below are two pictures of the south windows, which were in bad shape. Probably the worst out of the whole house. They did marvelous work sanding and filling. Sanding, and filling. And more sanding, and filling.

Those operable windows have never looked better (as far as we've owned the house, at least!). Below are a few quick shots from my cell phone cam. Apologies if the contrast isn't quite enough to really appreciate the Benjamin Moore Meditation (outside casing) and Frappe (glass frames).

Fantastic job well done, Jeff and the crew at Urban Painting Northwest!! Even Stewie gave her "paw of approval" on the job.