The journey continues...

Brian Bilbrey July 21, 2019

21 July 2019

There really isn't much to report since a couple of days ago when I got around to posting (late). I got a bit of cleanup done in the garage, and put up all the tools in the woodshop. After all the assorted work, I'm only missing my socket wrench and one socket! They're here, somewhere... It's been properly hot around here, but this is supposed to be another summer where it doesn't actually reach 100F on the thermometer. Is it supposed to be scary and sell more advertising that they've been reporting on "feels like" rather than "is" for a…

Brian Bilbrey July 18, 2019

18 July 2019

Well, I came to my senses, realizing that leaving y'all with the impression that I was going to be doing something seen as dangerous (fixing garage door springs), then going dark-ish. Thanks for the kind thoughts, y'all! First the good news - I'm fine, the garage door is working fine, and I had few issues with the DIY repair. Therein lies a tale. I previously wrote, "I’ve ordered a pair that individually match the spec for balancing out my door. I’ll install both, and wind them with about half the turns that the single spring had, then adjust to the…

Brian Bilbrey July 7, 2019

7 July 2019

As holidays go, this one was less than stellar. We started by trying to get out fishing early. Sadly, our local favorite hole had a "Gate is not operating" sign up. Perhaps they just didn't want to deal with holiday crowds while on holiday staffing (it's a pond on a local preserve, requires special permits, etc). Meantime, right after breakfast, we'd found out that the flush mechanism on the main floor toilet was busticated, so a new flush handle was on our list. So we left the failed fishing hole, and dropped by the poor second choice hole. Once there,…

Brian Bilbrey June 30, 2019

30 June 2019

That's half a year gone already. But, thankfully, it's been a relatively quiet time for us. Not much upheaval in life, which is a good thing. It was also a quiet week at work, and with a major holiday, I expect much the same for the next few days. Yesterday was catch-up-on-yardwork day for me, so I did. Tiring, but effective. Tonight we had first fruits of the garden - a zucchini and a jalapeño. Marcia sautéed the sliced zucchini in olive oil and herbs, and I topped a grilled burger with the sliced jalapeño and some sharp cheddar. Yum.

Brian Bilbrey June 23, 2019

23 June 2019

Well, away, but with leave. We spent the last week enjoying company with family, lovely weather, and intermittently successful fishing in Maine. The camp is on Cobbosseecontee Lake, near Augusta. Here's a view from next to the lake-side of the camp: We drove up Saturday a week ago. Per my usual routine, I threw a line in the water within about half an hour of arrival, from that very dock. A couple of dozen casts got one solid bite from a bass that squirmed off the hook, then a few minutes later, another bass that stayed on the line for…