75% Done!

Had some help with the deck chores this weekend. Brody donated his time and expertise, which consisted mainly of demanding Rhino rides and guzzling Juicy Juice. His mom & dad went to the Nascar race in Dover & they left Brody take care of us. He did a good job!

I have one more section of the deck to finish, then I can start on the rails. Estimated completion time: Two more weeks!

National Museum of the American Indian

The American Indian museum is in Washington, DC at the intersection of Fourth St. & Independence Ave SW.

T & I are headed there today, our first visit. We'll meet Eric at his house and he'll guide us from there.

At this point we don't know if we'll ride the Metro or drive into the city.

The excitement and suspense are exhilarating.

I'll take pictures an upload them later. Posterity will be able to discover how we resolved the situtation.

Deck work will begin again tomorrow.

Lindsay's Home!

For the whole week!

She had a pleasant and quiet ride on the bus from Pittsburgh. She told me it was full of convicts but they were well behaved.

She is happy to be home and we are happy to have her. She says it's not the same without Rat Dog, though.

Not Playing With A Full Deck

Three consecutive days of deck construction and I've turned the corner. The framing is 80% done and more than half the decking is down.

Another couple of weeks and I should be done and headed for the river.

Anniversary Adventure

T & I took a day off on Saturday to celebrate 11 years of marital bliss.

We visited Adams County Pennsylvania. First we bushwhacked (with GPS assitance) to the Round Barn near Biglerville. We missed it the first time because I turned left instead of right, but in the process we found Boyer Nurseries. They had lots of unususal plants and T fell in love with a tree.

I predict that it will be in her flower garden soon.

We found the Round Barn and walked around in it. It was round. We bought some strawberries.

Lunch was in Gettysburg, at the Appalachian Brewing Company. Nice.

Next we toured the new Gettysburg Visitor Center. We saw the movie, stood in the cyclorama and roamed the museum for a while.

It was OK but there were 'way too many kids running around, with no visable adult supervision and no proper respect for history.

Then, on to Cathy's Country place. I stayed in the car, too frightened to enter. I listened to some podcasts on my Zune while T browsed.

On the way back we popped into Home Depot and picked up some charcoal. I was running low.

We had an anniversary dinner at a steak place on the Carlisle pike. I forget the name of it already.

Tomorrow, back to deck work.

All Hands On Deck

I hope to make some progress on the deck this weekend. I put some more decking on last night and did some work on the framing this morning.

Have to entertain Alex for a few hours this afternoon since all of the ladies are at the gala Mother's Day church luncheon. I probably won't get started again till about 4:oo pm.

The house will be full of women tonight so I'll hide down at the barbecue patio and try to keep a low profile.

Tall Tales

I've kept the same batch of sourdough starter going for over a month now. I think I will tell my grandchildren that it came over on the boat from Ireland with great-grand pappy Carroll in 1895.

Last night it was Cheesy Chicken Italian-o and sourdough biscuits. I did the chicken in the 12 inch oven and the biscuits in the 14 inch. Everything was ready at the same time, and T was happy since the food was on the table only 10 minutes later than I had projected.

I have 1/4 of the deck framing done. The weather is slowing me down a bit, but that's OK. I can stay occupied in the workshop organizing my cooking tools and cutting rail posts.

T's landscaping projects are moving faster than the deck. She is younger and has more energy.

R. I. P. Rat Dog

Well, the Ranch is in mourning. Rat Dog cashed in her chips. She is now permanently boarded in that great kennel in the sky, where the doggie dish is always full.

Rat had an uncomfortable night Tuesday. T was worried. I was optimistic. I thought she was just "pining for the fjords".

Not so. Around 8:00 am she ran down the final curtain and joined the "choir invisible".

I found a link to a Web site that outlined the seven stages of grief, with helpful tips for moving through the process quickly. I bookmarked it on my cell phone for handy reference. I was able to work through to Grief Stage #7 (acceptance) by around 10:30 am.

T was stuck on #4 for a while but has now moved to #5. She'll be OK by the weekend.

The good news is that we'll be able to walk barefoot in the front yard without fear of stepping in Rat doo doo.