Went to see kids.  Not far - an hour and forty five minutes there and the same on the return leg.  My son picked up a Ruger SP101 in .357 magnum and wanted to do a range trip to check the function on his new toy and the new Wolff springs he installed.  It runs fine, shoots where it looks and functions 100% so far with all ammo tried - factory and reloads.      

Took them out to dinner last night and decided we can cook way better than the restaurant we went to.      Still, it was good to see them and get to hug the grandbeebins.   Cool and breezy today when we left the high country but summer is coming - you can already feel it when the sun pops out from behind a cloud.   Oh well, I knew it was the Sonoran desert when I moved here. 

Finally, got (most) of the halfbath exhaust fan squared away.  It's wired, it's connected to the floor joist, but it is not currently connected to the ductworks (the 8' flex I asked for was juuuust too short). I'll fix that this coming weekend.

Also, Saturday, mowed the yard, and blew all the leaves, grass, and pollen off the deck and driveway, just in time for the tornado watch storms we had Sunday (while I was working in the attic) to blow debris allll over the deck and the driveway.

Yayyyyyy.

I'm in northwest Arkansas for work this week.  Hoping it doesn't get crazy tomorrow.

Finally, after something like a year and a half, watched Solo. Was running errands, stopped by the local library on a lark since I was driving by, and lo and behold, the DVD was on the shelf. Last time I'd checked their catalog, there were I think 60+ holds on it.

Anyway, it was... fun. Not a good movie, but a fun movie.

Also tried a new recipe for cider roast pork tenderloin. It was... interesting. Very apple-y (the loin marinates in a mix of hard cider, maple syrup, and seasonings for eight hours), and I've used the same roast pork tenderloin recipe for the longest time, so this was very different. But very good. I'm probably gonna try it again.

Finally, after something like a year and a half, watched Solo. Was running errands, stopped by the local library on a lark since I was driving by, and lo and behold, the DVD was on the shelf. Last time I'd checked their catalog, there were I think 60+ holds on it.

Anyway, it was... fun. Not a good movie, but a fun movie.

We saw it right before leaving for vacation - I agree with the assessment... felt it could have been a lot better, but still worth seeing. Glover did a great job as Calrissian.

I was on vacation this week, in the marshes of the Big Bend in Florida.  Had great weather, introduced my son to fishing - caught a few catfish (8-9" - they fought well, and earned their return to the canal (mostly because I didn't feel like skinning 'em)), a pinfish (the saltwater equivalent to crappie), and the traps yielded two good sized blueclaw crabs. Didn't have a low enough daylight low tide to go crabbing in the most personal fashion - with a net and a cooler.  Unfortunately, couldn't take a boat out (the boat at the house didn't have a current registration, and my car doesn't have a trailerhook, anyway).

We've been talking about adding a patio cover almost since we bought the house 22 years ago.

Could never decide on how to build it.

Finally had a revelation to simply extend the existing roofing (back half of the garage on the left, along with a simple relatively useless stub of a roof way up over the patio door).

So, I took a couple days off and we proceeded to remove fascia boards and fake support boards.

The patio has a slope, so we had to determine the difference in drop from one outside corner to the next (laser levels are wonderful), in order to to figure out how high to make each of the posts, such that the header and the rafters end up in the right place relative to the current roofing.

I think we got most of the math worked out, and we have the posts built (2x4s glued and screwed together).  Those will get primed this week, then next week we hope to get the header built and installed and the house-side ledger board and the rafters up.  Maybe even the sheathing done.

We'll see.  We're not fast, but we do pretty good work.

My wife's calling it her Mother's Day project.  Yeah, I can live with that.   

Just got back from a double-troop day (did two events on the same day back-to-back) with the 501st. I'm exhausted, my feet hurt, and I have a pounding headache.

It was an awesome day. I can't wait for my next troop.

Good onya'.   

Wait, what?!    How the heck was that dude eligible to run for office if he was (I'm assuming) a convicted felon?

 

It was a primary election, so both candidates were Republican. 

Register of Wills being such a partisan job, I imagine that many county Republicans will vote for the perfectly qualified - and well funded - Democrat alternative in November.

Roman baths, Bath City




Home of the crowne jewels.