After sitting out all winter Finster is dead. I set the oven timer to 4 hours. Time to try and turn him over and see if he's done.
Update
Got some more work done on my tattoo today. As we were talking, my artist told me he was leaving the shop. At least he's not quitting tattooing like my last guy. He's just opening his own place across the river. Two minor drawbacks to this move from my point of view. First, I'm gonna have to pay to park, and second, I'm gonna have to climb the stairs. Oh well, it's worth it.
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BREAKING NEWS
I no longer live in Michele Bachmann's district. The map is out and we have been assigned to Betty McCollum (D) (St Paul).
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BREAKING NEWS
I no longer live in Michele Bachmann's district. The map is out and we have been assigned to Betty McCollum (D) (St Paul).
I guess I'm long overdue for a new blog...
The weather finally flipped to winter, cold, blustery, but still without snow. And on that happy note, we're dropping everything and heading south for a couple of weeks.
Because we own real estate in Texas and Louisiana, and have never actually been to the properties, this seemed like a great time to go and call it business. Of course we'll do a bunch of fun stuff along the way. First stop, visit Amberetta in KC, then on to Dallas and San Antonio. Then on to Houston where we have tickets to see the Aeros. New Orleans next with reservations at Emeril Lagasse's NOLA restaurant among other things. Then Shreveport, Memphis, St Louis, Madison and home.
We're excited.
The weather finally flipped to winter, cold, blustery, but still without snow. And on that happy note, we're dropping everything and heading south for a couple of weeks.
Because we own real estate in Texas and Louisiana, and have never actually been to the properties, this seemed like a great time to go and call it business. Of course we'll do a bunch of fun stuff along the way. First stop, visit Amberetta in KC, then on to Dallas and San Antonio. Then on to Houston where we have tickets to see the Aeros. New Orleans next with reservations at Emeril Lagasse's NOLA restaurant among other things. Then Shreveport, Memphis, St Louis, Madison and home.
We're excited.
It's been a running joke at our house. We'll have everyone over for Thanksgiving when I finish the dining room. The punchline is, what year?.
Guess what, I finished. I built the corner cabinets, painted and repainted everything, and had someone install the carpet which had been sitting in a roll for 7 years. I also had never finished the floor in the entryway. So I rented a sander, then oiled the entry, the hall, and the bathroom.
We had 1-800-GOT-JUNK haul off a truckload of shit, and we moved a ton of other crap around the house.
Today we had Merry Maids come in and clean. They were amazing! I had considered throwing away the toilet because of the lime scale. That woman got in there with a pumice stone and made it look like new. She scrubbed the kitchen floor and made that look like new too.
With all of the house clean, it's time to start working on dinner for 22 people. A 19 pound turkey, a turkey breast, a ham and a beef tenderloin are all thawing in the fridge. Most of the fixings are gathered, but there are some last minute items that need to be picked up in the morning.
This is the most work I've ever done for one dinner
Guess what, I finished. I built the corner cabinets, painted and repainted everything, and had someone install the carpet which had been sitting in a roll for 7 years. I also had never finished the floor in the entryway. So I rented a sander, then oiled the entry, the hall, and the bathroom.
We had 1-800-GOT-JUNK haul off a truckload of shit, and we moved a ton of other crap around the house.
Today we had Merry Maids come in and clean. They were amazing! I had considered throwing away the toilet because of the lime scale. That woman got in there with a pumice stone and made it look like new. She scrubbed the kitchen floor and made that look like new too.
With all of the house clean, it's time to start working on dinner for 22 people. A 19 pound turkey, a turkey breast, a ham and a beef tenderloin are all thawing in the fridge. Most of the fixings are gathered, but there are some last minute items that need to be picked up in the morning.
This is the most work I've ever done for one dinner
I made a conscious decision not to vote today. Very rare for me.
The only questions on my ballot were the local school levy. I was absolutely torn. On the one hand I want to support the public schools, and I can afford the higher taxes. On the other hand I have no kids in school here, so why vote to have everyone pay higher taxes?
I'm content to let my neighbors decide this one.
The only questions on my ballot were the local school levy. I was absolutely torn. On the one hand I want to support the public schools, and I can afford the higher taxes. On the other hand I have no kids in school here, so why vote to have everyone pay higher taxes?
I'm content to let my neighbors decide this one.
Little mutherfuckers!!! Do you know how hard it is to get dried egg off a door? After an hour of scrubbing, I finally gave up and repainted it. On the bright side, I found the original can of paint and it was still good after 10 years. Of course the can was rusted shut. The door looks better than ever. Now all I have to do is keep them from doing it again.
The trip is half over and the circle of the Bay of Fundy is nearly complete.
Yesterday:
The ride across the bay of fundy was interesting to say the least. Apparently the very outer edges of hurricane Maria were whipping up the bay. The ferry, at times, bobbed around like a cork. My wife decided to stand out on the deck and take pictures and videos. All of a sudden there was a big thud as the boat was momentarily airborne on the rough water. A huge splash hit the cabin windows. I looked over and she was soaked. If the camera hadn't got soaked too she probably would have stayed out there. There were only two big waves and she caught the biggest. I am curious to see what the camera caught. Nobody got sea sick but I had to close my eyes for awhile.
We are now safely back ashore with a great harbor view from the hotel room. The circle of the bay of fundy is complete. We saw the tidal bore twice. If you don't know what that is, it is a small wall of water that begins the inflow of the tide. Again, very curious to see what the cameras caught.
Today:
We checked out the reversing falls here in St John. At low tide the St John river is like any other, flowing out to the bay. But at high tide, the water gets so high, that the flow reverses and the rapids flow backward. So the first time we stopped, the water was gushing out.
Then we went for a drive down the coast exploring all the local back roads. I think we got some great pics including some cool fishing villages. At one point, we went down a gravel road, at the end there was a gate which was locked. Through the trees we could just see a large round concrete structure that looked kind of like a giant pressure cooker. I pegged it for what it was right away. Care to guess?
Yesterday:
The ride across the bay of fundy was interesting to say the least. Apparently the very outer edges of hurricane Maria were whipping up the bay. The ferry, at times, bobbed around like a cork. My wife decided to stand out on the deck and take pictures and videos. All of a sudden there was a big thud as the boat was momentarily airborne on the rough water. A huge splash hit the cabin windows. I looked over and she was soaked. If the camera hadn't got soaked too she probably would have stayed out there. There were only two big waves and she caught the biggest. I am curious to see what the camera caught. Nobody got sea sick but I had to close my eyes for awhile.
We are now safely back ashore with a great harbor view from the hotel room. The circle of the bay of fundy is complete. We saw the tidal bore twice. If you don't know what that is, it is a small wall of water that begins the inflow of the tide. Again, very curious to see what the cameras caught.
Today:
We checked out the reversing falls here in St John. At low tide the St John river is like any other, flowing out to the bay. But at high tide, the water gets so high, that the flow reverses and the rapids flow backward. So the first time we stopped, the water was gushing out.
Then we went for a drive down the coast exploring all the local back roads. I think we got some great pics including some cool fishing villages. At one point, we went down a gravel road, at the end there was a gate which was locked. Through the trees we could just see a large round concrete structure that looked kind of like a giant pressure cooker. I pegged it for what it was right away. Care to guess?
After another platter of seafood, we headed back to the falls. The tide was late, but we could still clearly see the effect.
Tomorrow it's back to the US, and Bar Harbor, Maine.
Day 6 of 22 Bangor, Maine. Great train ride up Mt Washington in New Hampshire. One small problem, when we got to the top, visibility was about 40 feet. Nice view!!! The lady in the gift shop said there are only about 60 days per year that are clear, and frankly I didn't really expect to see much. With the wind chill it felt like 34F. I knew enough to bring a warm coat.
Tonight is the last night in the US for almost a week. Crossing into Canada in the morning. Time to break out the funny money. Hockey game in Moncton, New Brunswick tomorrow night. Anxious to see what junior hockey is like in Canada. A bunch of first round NHL picks came out of this league this year. I'm guessing it's similar to college here, only the players may start a little younger. Curious to see what they offer foodwise at the arena. Maybe we can score some poutine.
Pics are downloading as I type this. Look for an update soon. I just have to remember how to resize them to SG standards.
Tonight is the last night in the US for almost a week. Crossing into Canada in the morning. Time to break out the funny money. Hockey game in Moncton, New Brunswick tomorrow night. Anxious to see what junior hockey is like in Canada. A bunch of first round NHL picks came out of this league this year. I'm guessing it's similar to college here, only the players may start a little younger. Curious to see what they offer foodwise at the arena. Maybe we can score some poutine.
Pics are downloading as I type this. Look for an update soon. I just have to remember how to resize them to SG standards.
I have discovered a universal truth about halls of fame after visiting my fourth one in just over a year. They are overwhelming!!! There is so much information and memorabilia to take in, it boggles the mind. Rock and roll, hockey, football and now baseball were daunting but excellent.
Before I go on, I have to give a shoutout to my buddy StrongBhoy for a wonderful evening back on day 2. Great tour, dinner and conversation. Thanks dude!!! Oh, and my hand is just fine. The only defense against a handshake of that magnitude is to squeeze back as hard as you can.
Day 4 has been very long but also very fun. Departed Erie, PA at 4am in the rain, arrived in Cooperstown, NY about 10:30. At one point we had to pull off at a service plaza and take an hour long nap. I'm definately gettin old. I've never had to do that before. I used to drive 16 hours straight through form Denver to Minneapolis, but that was half a lifetime ago.
Day 5 takes through the path of hurricane Irene and tropical storm Lee and into Vermont. We've already seen some minor evidence of flooding. I expect more tomorrow.
Before I go on, I have to give a shoutout to my buddy StrongBhoy for a wonderful evening back on day 2. Great tour, dinner and conversation. Thanks dude!!! Oh, and my hand is just fine. The only defense against a handshake of that magnitude is to squeeze back as hard as you can.
Day 4 has been very long but also very fun. Departed Erie, PA at 4am in the rain, arrived in Cooperstown, NY about 10:30. At one point we had to pull off at a service plaza and take an hour long nap. I'm definately gettin old. I've never had to do that before. I used to drive 16 hours straight through form Denver to Minneapolis, but that was half a lifetime ago.
Day 5 takes through the path of hurricane Irene and tropical storm Lee and into Vermont. We've already seen some minor evidence of flooding. I expect more tomorrow.
