The view east. You can see the clouds returning in the first photo. By the time I zoomed in to take the second photo the clouds were back.
Saturday, October 21, 2006
First snow on mountains
Here are a few photos from Friday morning as the clouds came and went showing the recent snow on the mountains. The first two photos are towards the Jewel Basin (right side, and zoomed photo).
The view east. You can see the clouds returning in the first photo. By the time I zoomed in to take the second photo the clouds were back.
The view east. You can see the clouds returning in the first photo. By the time I zoomed in to take the second photo the clouds were back.
Bought a water heater
My old water heater is still draining as I write this late at night.
Why is it taking so long to drain? Several reasons.
First I didn't get the water heater from Sears until around 11:30 am. Earlier this morning I checked the unmarked 30 and 50 amp circuit breakers. The 50 amp breaker powers the stove and oven. One 30 amp breaker powers the dryer. The final 30 amp breaker didn't affect anything, though I thought - maybe - the slight hum in the water heater disappeared when I turned the breaker off.
It was better to buy the heater today rather than last night as it was raining last night and today was sunny and clear. A wet cardboard box wouldn't be so good.
Oh yeah, as you may have guessed by now, I bought a 55 gallon Sears Power Miser 12 water heater.
Today there were a few more customers than sales people at Sears. A young woman handled my order as the older guy who helped me last night was busy. Using a cart she even brought the water heater out to my pickup. Together we lifted it into the pickup. She told me to let the heater sit upright 12 hours before using it. Huh? I think she got her large appliances mixed up. A refrigerator with coolant, yes. But a water heater? Nothing inside a water heater I know of that is affected by its laying down.
I stopped at Home Depot to talk with one of their electrician salesman about my wiring and to see if I needed an electrical tester to check for current in the wire. Home Depot is growing on me as their sales people are very helpful. He felt - based on my description - the 30 amp was for the water heater. I didn't buy a tester to double check the wiring.
After stopping by Bob & Jan's house to see how they are doing, and to collect planter pots they no longer wanted, I came home and unloaded the water heater. It was a little tricky to get the heater out of the box without destroying the box as I had unloaded the heater under the roof of my entryway. I was able to tip and hold everything while getting the large box off the top without dropping the heater. It wasn't easy though!
Now to remove the old water heater. First I unhooked the wiring. No shocks so I guess I turned off the correct circuit breaker.
The next step was to drain the water heater. The heater does not have a drain valve. My initial plan was to run a hose from the hot water pipe in the crawl space that goes to the washing machine.
After hooking up the hose, and opening the valve in the crawl space, I discovered the hot water pipe that went to the sink needed to be plugged. I spent forever trying to find some pipe, plug, or hose that would screw into the sink's water pipe. Nothing.
It turns out that time spent looking was wasted as I found unless water goes into the water heater, no water goes out the hot water pipe. The only water I got earlier was the water already in the hot water pipe and outside the water heater.
I then found that the hot and cold water pipes to the water heater had been assembled in such a way that my only option was to cut the pipes. I believe everything was screwed together and then the copper fitting that connects to the galvanized pipe was soldered after being screwed onto the galvanized pipe. For both the hot and cold pipes.
With no drain valve, how does one now remove the pipes without releasing a flood of water?
Let me think.
The cold water pipe enters from the bottom of the tank, and the hot water pipe exits from the top of the tank. I guess I need to cut the hot water pipe first and hope the water pressure isn't such that the water shoots out.
The hot water pipe actually exited the tank at the top, but inside the tin container that surrounded the tank. The pipe crossed the top of the tank, then curved down a foot before exiting the side of the tin container. *sigh* I removed the top part of the container. Of course the pipe exited out of a hole and not a slot. I had to hacksaw the container so I could get the pipe through the bottom part of the tin and up and over the top of the water tank.
Success.
The space between the tin container and the tank was filled with yellow insulation. Hmm... wonder if there is a drain value under all that? I hacksawed through the bottom part of the tin container and pulled it off.
No drain valve. The tank looks great. It looks brand new. Everyone told me to replace the tank because it would be corroded. If it is corroded it is only on the inside. My well tank had signs of rust on the outside so it was no surprise that it corroded through from the inside. It seems to be a waste to toss my water heater tank away, but it is too late to do anything different now.
I hacksawed through the hot water pipe at the top. A little water in the pipe leaked out as I cut but no spray from water under pressure. At least something is going my way.
To get the pipe out of the top of the tank I had to beat it with a hammer to turn it around.
Finally success as I got it off. The next step was to use a hose to siphon the water from the tank. Hours - many hours - later that is where I am. The opening is small so I had to find and use a small hose. Initially the hose I found was short and after filling several 5 gallon pails with water I had to find a longer hose.
The second hose reached to the new open drain pipe for the cabinet sink so that made draining easier. With one end in the drain the other end didn't reach the bottom of the tank, and after supper I had to go back to filling 5 gallon buckets in order to make the hose reach further down into the tank. Even so, I don't think the hose reaches the final few inches of the bottom of the tank. I'll see tomorrow.
I hope I can get most of the water as when I cut the cold water pipe whatever water is left in the tank will come out over the floor.
Also making it difficult to work is the space between the tank and wall is small - especially before I removed the outer tin shell. And the pipes are on the right side of the tank and I am a lefty. That made working harder and slower. I know... excuses, excuses!
While waiting for the tank to drain I prepared my new tank. As I have 10 gauge wire I converted the bottom element of my new tank from 3800 to 5500 watts. Reading the new water heater's instruction booklet I found that 4500 and 5500 watt elements need a 10 gauge wire, while 3800 watts need only a 12 gauge wire. Another confirmation I have 10 gauge wire as my old tank was 4500 watts.
I hope to be done tomorrow and have hot water. I can't wait till I can take a hot shower again.
Why is it taking so long to drain? Several reasons.
First I didn't get the water heater from Sears until around 11:30 am. Earlier this morning I checked the unmarked 30 and 50 amp circuit breakers. The 50 amp breaker powers the stove and oven. One 30 amp breaker powers the dryer. The final 30 amp breaker didn't affect anything, though I thought - maybe - the slight hum in the water heater disappeared when I turned the breaker off.
It was better to buy the heater today rather than last night as it was raining last night and today was sunny and clear. A wet cardboard box wouldn't be so good.
Oh yeah, as you may have guessed by now, I bought a 55 gallon Sears Power Miser 12 water heater.Today there were a few more customers than sales people at Sears. A young woman handled my order as the older guy who helped me last night was busy. Using a cart she even brought the water heater out to my pickup. Together we lifted it into the pickup. She told me to let the heater sit upright 12 hours before using it. Huh? I think she got her large appliances mixed up. A refrigerator with coolant, yes. But a water heater? Nothing inside a water heater I know of that is affected by its laying down.
I stopped at Home Depot to talk with one of their electrician salesman about my wiring and to see if I needed an electrical tester to check for current in the wire. Home Depot is growing on me as their sales people are very helpful. He felt - based on my description - the 30 amp was for the water heater. I didn't buy a tester to double check the wiring.
After stopping by Bob & Jan's house to see how they are doing, and to collect planter pots they no longer wanted, I came home and unloaded the water heater. It was a little tricky to get the heater out of the box without destroying the box as I had unloaded the heater under the roof of my entryway. I was able to tip and hold everything while getting the large box off the top without dropping the heater. It wasn't easy though!
Now to remove the old water heater. First I unhooked the wiring. No shocks so I guess I turned off the correct circuit breaker.
The next step was to drain the water heater. The heater does not have a drain valve. My initial plan was to run a hose from the hot water pipe in the crawl space that goes to the washing machine.
After hooking up the hose, and opening the valve in the crawl space, I discovered the hot water pipe that went to the sink needed to be plugged. I spent forever trying to find some pipe, plug, or hose that would screw into the sink's water pipe. Nothing.
It turns out that time spent looking was wasted as I found unless water goes into the water heater, no water goes out the hot water pipe. The only water I got earlier was the water already in the hot water pipe and outside the water heater.
I then found that the hot and cold water pipes to the water heater had been assembled in such a way that my only option was to cut the pipes. I believe everything was screwed together and then the copper fitting that connects to the galvanized pipe was soldered after being screwed onto the galvanized pipe. For both the hot and cold pipes.
With no drain valve, how does one now remove the pipes without releasing a flood of water?
Let me think.
The cold water pipe enters from the bottom of the tank, and the hot water pipe exits from the top of the tank. I guess I need to cut the hot water pipe first and hope the water pressure isn't such that the water shoots out.
The hot water pipe actually exited the tank at the top, but inside the tin container that surrounded the tank. The pipe crossed the top of the tank, then curved down a foot before exiting the side of the tin container. *sigh* I removed the top part of the container. Of course the pipe exited out of a hole and not a slot. I had to hacksaw the container so I could get the pipe through the bottom part of the tin and up and over the top of the water tank.
Success.
The space between the tin container and the tank was filled with yellow insulation. Hmm... wonder if there is a drain value under all that? I hacksawed through the bottom part of the tin container and pulled it off.
No drain valve. The tank looks great. It looks brand new. Everyone told me to replace the tank because it would be corroded. If it is corroded it is only on the inside. My well tank had signs of rust on the outside so it was no surprise that it corroded through from the inside. It seems to be a waste to toss my water heater tank away, but it is too late to do anything different now.
I hacksawed through the hot water pipe at the top. A little water in the pipe leaked out as I cut but no spray from water under pressure. At least something is going my way.
To get the pipe out of the top of the tank I had to beat it with a hammer to turn it around.
Finally success as I got it off. The next step was to use a hose to siphon the water from the tank. Hours - many hours - later that is where I am. The opening is small so I had to find and use a small hose. Initially the hose I found was short and after filling several 5 gallon pails with water I had to find a longer hose.
The second hose reached to the new open drain pipe for the cabinet sink so that made draining easier. With one end in the drain the other end didn't reach the bottom of the tank, and after supper I had to go back to filling 5 gallon buckets in order to make the hose reach further down into the tank. Even so, I don't think the hose reaches the final few inches of the bottom of the tank. I'll see tomorrow.
I hope I can get most of the water as when I cut the cold water pipe whatever water is left in the tank will come out over the floor.
Also making it difficult to work is the space between the tank and wall is small - especially before I removed the outer tin shell. And the pipes are on the right side of the tank and I am a lefty. That made working harder and slower. I know... excuses, excuses!
While waiting for the tank to drain I prepared my new tank. As I have 10 gauge wire I converted the bottom element of my new tank from 3800 to 5500 watts. Reading the new water heater's instruction booklet I found that 4500 and 5500 watt elements need a 10 gauge wire, while 3800 watts need only a 12 gauge wire. Another confirmation I have 10 gauge wire as my old tank was 4500 watts.
I hope to be done tomorrow and have hot water. I can't wait till I can take a hot shower again.
Friday, October 20, 2006
More water heater searching
Good thing I am part Ukrainian, grew up in North Dakota, lived in Minnesota, and can swim in glacial lakes. Otherwise I couldn't survive taking cold shower after cold shower this week.
Have I got a new hot water heater? Noooo....
Why not? Because.
I spent this afternoon researching on the internet more on hot water heaters. I realized the Energy Guide on the water heaters have annual heating costs are based on a family size and not a single person. How else can the estimated water heater annual cost be more than my total electric bill. Or, at least I hope that is the case.
Also, I found the electric rate used was higher than what I pay per kilowatt hour. The gas rate used is lower than what I paid last winter. So the cost differential between the two types of heaters are not as great as shown on the labels.
After my research I unhooked the cabinet's water pipes and removed the cabinet from the entryway. Dust, dirt and cobwebs were behind the cabinet. I found a previous color for the walls (light green) and a receipt dated back to September 10, 1969 for 3 quarts of oil at .65 each. The receipt had a name of the house's owner at the time.
I also could see more around the back of my water heater and found two ice cube trays and a winter hat. The hat I burnt in my wood stove. The trays are interesting as they are copper colored. We see how they look once I clean decades of dust off them. What the ice cube trays were doing behind the water heater, who knows!
With the way open to replace my water heater I went uptown to buy a new one.
I had two more stores to check on water heaters. The first, Ace Hardware, had more employees than customers and I couldn't get past the front cash register without several people all over me trying to help. The "winner" showed me the water heaters. Ace sold Reliance, the same as the True Value store, so I already had seen this brand of water heaters.
I am more knowledgeable about water heaters and a few questions from me had the salesman checking their computer for the answer, especially the stats I doubted him on. (I was right).
At a store near Ace I ran into two people I know. First I saw Stacie. We talked about how her new house building is going. Far, far, better than when I talked with her last month. It is going so smooth - that if it was me - I'd be worried about what could go wrong.
Almost right after talking with Stacie I saw Don. We chatted about real estate and different irrigation districts in Montana as he has property near Malta.
Actually I am surprised I recognized these people - though I had to do a double take both times today. I guess after these years here I am building a network of acquaintances. Usually I don't notice people as it is only 1 out 100 times that I meet someone I know.
My second stop was at Sears. This stop was more of a 'check all places' stop as I planned on buying a heater from Home Depot. To my surprise they had a water heater that fit my requirements and was priced right as it is on sale this week.
Again this small locally owned store had more employees than customers (3 vs 2) and I had help immediately. Again I knew more than the salesmen as he thought the electric rebate was over, and then didn't know the energy factor of the heater had to be .93 or greater for the heater to qualify for the rebate.
The owner/manager (I believe) had to get involved to determine the energy factor for the water heater I wanted as it wasn't anywhere on the heater itself.
I also learned something. This heater has a wattage of 3800 or 5500. I learned than the wattage used depends on the wiring at my house. 3800 watts has a minimum wire size of 12 gauge and a maximum fuse of 20 amps. 5500 watts has a minimum wire size of 10 gauge and a maximum fuse of 30 amps. The lower the wire gage the larger the diameter of the wire and the more current it can carry. Apparently 5500 watts on a 12 gauge wire can burn out the heater prematurely.
What is my wiring? *shrug* My current water heater is rated at 4500 watts. It was late when I got home so I didn't want to start flipping circuit breakers to find out which breaker was for the water heater. I did notice that I have three 30 amp breakers with two of them unlabeled. The third is for the stove. I believe one set of 30 amp breakers are for the dryer, and the other may be for the water heater. What else would require so much power? The refrigerator? I wish all my circuit breakers were labeled.
The Sears store, as it is a small store, doesn't carry much in stock and has to order most large appliance items. However I was in luck as they had one 55 gallon water heater in stock.
I wanted to recheck the Home Depot water heaters, and check my wiring at home, before buying the Sear's heater. At Home Depot I found the heater I was interested in, the tall 50 gallon model, was out of stock and they would not have more until the 24th (next Tuesday and today is Thursday the 19th).
Also this heater is rated at 5500 watts. The water heater salesman and I looked for the Home Depot electrical salesman for more answers to my wiring questions, but he was away on his supper break. That's a problem with my off-kilter hours. Yesterday people were taking their lunch breaks when I needed answers, and today they are on their supper breaks.
Home Depot had a 4500 watt model that also met the rebate requirements, but that model only has a 6 year warranty and not the 12 year warranty of the models I want. Everyone is surprised when I tell them my heater's age. They all say water heaters don't last near as long now-a-days.
I believe I determined my water heater's age. I found a web site that decodes the manufacture date based on the serial number. If true, my water heater was built the 7th week of 1964.
So. I am ready both physically and mentally for a new water heater. Mentally I had to overcome my reluctance to throw out what appears to be a perfectly good tank when all I may need is a new thermostat or heating element. Everyone - and I mean everyone - had told me to get a new water heater. I just have to determine my wiring, then buy a new heater. I think I will get the Sears brand. It is slightly larger, has a higher energy factor of .95 (versus Home Depot's .94), and is $20 cheaper as it is on sale this week.
One last thing I learned today from the older Sears salesman was that newspaper was put between the layers of a floor to prevent it from creaking when stepped on. That is why my bathroom floor had the newspaper between the layers. Other than one spot in my entryway, none of my floor creaks and the house is old.
Here is the area with and without the cabinet:
Have I got a new hot water heater? Noooo....
Why not? Because.
I spent this afternoon researching on the internet more on hot water heaters. I realized the Energy Guide on the water heaters have annual heating costs are based on a family size and not a single person. How else can the estimated water heater annual cost be more than my total electric bill. Or, at least I hope that is the case.
Also, I found the electric rate used was higher than what I pay per kilowatt hour. The gas rate used is lower than what I paid last winter. So the cost differential between the two types of heaters are not as great as shown on the labels.
After my research I unhooked the cabinet's water pipes and removed the cabinet from the entryway. Dust, dirt and cobwebs were behind the cabinet. I found a previous color for the walls (light green) and a receipt dated back to September 10, 1969 for 3 quarts of oil at .65 each. The receipt had a name of the house's owner at the time.
I also could see more around the back of my water heater and found two ice cube trays and a winter hat. The hat I burnt in my wood stove. The trays are interesting as they are copper colored. We see how they look once I clean decades of dust off them. What the ice cube trays were doing behind the water heater, who knows!
With the way open to replace my water heater I went uptown to buy a new one.
I had two more stores to check on water heaters. The first, Ace Hardware, had more employees than customers and I couldn't get past the front cash register without several people all over me trying to help. The "winner" showed me the water heaters. Ace sold Reliance, the same as the True Value store, so I already had seen this brand of water heaters.
I am more knowledgeable about water heaters and a few questions from me had the salesman checking their computer for the answer, especially the stats I doubted him on. (I was right).
At a store near Ace I ran into two people I know. First I saw Stacie. We talked about how her new house building is going. Far, far, better than when I talked with her last month. It is going so smooth - that if it was me - I'd be worried about what could go wrong.
Almost right after talking with Stacie I saw Don. We chatted about real estate and different irrigation districts in Montana as he has property near Malta.
Actually I am surprised I recognized these people - though I had to do a double take both times today. I guess after these years here I am building a network of acquaintances. Usually I don't notice people as it is only 1 out 100 times that I meet someone I know.
My second stop was at Sears. This stop was more of a 'check all places' stop as I planned on buying a heater from Home Depot. To my surprise they had a water heater that fit my requirements and was priced right as it is on sale this week.
Again this small locally owned store had more employees than customers (3 vs 2) and I had help immediately. Again I knew more than the salesmen as he thought the electric rebate was over, and then didn't know the energy factor of the heater had to be .93 or greater for the heater to qualify for the rebate.
The owner/manager (I believe) had to get involved to determine the energy factor for the water heater I wanted as it wasn't anywhere on the heater itself.
I also learned something. This heater has a wattage of 3800 or 5500. I learned than the wattage used depends on the wiring at my house. 3800 watts has a minimum wire size of 12 gauge and a maximum fuse of 20 amps. 5500 watts has a minimum wire size of 10 gauge and a maximum fuse of 30 amps. The lower the wire gage the larger the diameter of the wire and the more current it can carry. Apparently 5500 watts on a 12 gauge wire can burn out the heater prematurely.
What is my wiring? *shrug* My current water heater is rated at 4500 watts. It was late when I got home so I didn't want to start flipping circuit breakers to find out which breaker was for the water heater. I did notice that I have three 30 amp breakers with two of them unlabeled. The third is for the stove. I believe one set of 30 amp breakers are for the dryer, and the other may be for the water heater. What else would require so much power? The refrigerator? I wish all my circuit breakers were labeled.
The Sears store, as it is a small store, doesn't carry much in stock and has to order most large appliance items. However I was in luck as they had one 55 gallon water heater in stock.
I wanted to recheck the Home Depot water heaters, and check my wiring at home, before buying the Sear's heater. At Home Depot I found the heater I was interested in, the tall 50 gallon model, was out of stock and they would not have more until the 24th (next Tuesday and today is Thursday the 19th).
Also this heater is rated at 5500 watts. The water heater salesman and I looked for the Home Depot electrical salesman for more answers to my wiring questions, but he was away on his supper break. That's a problem with my off-kilter hours. Yesterday people were taking their lunch breaks when I needed answers, and today they are on their supper breaks.
Home Depot had a 4500 watt model that also met the rebate requirements, but that model only has a 6 year warranty and not the 12 year warranty of the models I want. Everyone is surprised when I tell them my heater's age. They all say water heaters don't last near as long now-a-days.
I believe I determined my water heater's age. I found a web site that decodes the manufacture date based on the serial number. If true, my water heater was built the 7th week of 1964.
So. I am ready both physically and mentally for a new water heater. Mentally I had to overcome my reluctance to throw out what appears to be a perfectly good tank when all I may need is a new thermostat or heating element. Everyone - and I mean everyone - had told me to get a new water heater. I just have to determine my wiring, then buy a new heater. I think I will get the Sears brand. It is slightly larger, has a higher energy factor of .95 (versus Home Depot's .94), and is $20 cheaper as it is on sale this week.
One last thing I learned today from the older Sears salesman was that newspaper was put between the layers of a floor to prevent it from creaking when stepped on. That is why my bathroom floor had the newspaper between the layers. Other than one spot in my entryway, none of my floor creaks and the house is old.
Here is the area with and without the cabinet:
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Map with photos
I found this web site where people can attach their photos to a map. So if you want to see what an area looks like from the ground, click on the indicator on the map. You can view the world or zoom into locations.
Apparently people adding the photos can enter the GPS co-ordinates for their photo to attach it to a specific location. If no GPS co-ordinates, then some sort of location I guess (I haven't joined this site and haven't gone through the process).
I checked out the Glacier Nat'l Park photos and found a number of the photos to be close, but not exact. (Then again I didn't zoom all the way in to see if the map further separates the photo locations). Then again, many people just use the camera's default name for the photo and do not give the photo a meaningful name, so I guess I can't expect complete accuracy from all the photos. In the future I imagine all cameras and cell phones will come with GPS to mark the photos' locations.
http://flickr.com/map
Apparently people adding the photos can enter the GPS co-ordinates for their photo to attach it to a specific location. If no GPS co-ordinates, then some sort of location I guess (I haven't joined this site and haven't gone through the process).
I checked out the Glacier Nat'l Park photos and found a number of the photos to be close, but not exact. (Then again I didn't zoom all the way in to see if the map further separates the photo locations). Then again, many people just use the camera's default name for the photo and do not give the photo a meaningful name, so I guess I can't expect complete accuracy from all the photos. In the future I imagine all cameras and cell phones will come with GPS to mark the photos' locations.
http://flickr.com/map
Cattle wind chimes
Since I am a rancher I like cattle related items. Bob and Jan have a number of wind chimes, and I commented in the past how I like their cattle wind chimes, and where did they get them? Jan got the only one the thrift store had so I wasn't able to go buy one for me. After some wires broke they gave the chimes to me. I fixed the wires and now have the chimes hanging by my door.
The chimes actually look different in the photos as the bright sunlight made them either light or dark depending on the shadow. All cows are the same color, which is closer to the lighter color.
The chimes actually look different in the photos as the bright sunlight made them either light or dark depending on the shadow. All cows are the same color, which is closer to the lighter color.
Errands, cabinet, birds, garden, desserts
After checking my pocket gopher traps today I went to OfficeMax with the competitors' ads and OfficeMax matched Walmart. Therefore I got $50 off my camera's price. With that money I bought a 2 GB flash drive. I know the importance of backing up data from one's computer, but hadn't done so yet. The flash drive makes it easy as copying the data from one drive to another. And the flash drive is so small! The manufacturer (SanDisk) even includes an optional strap so you can hang the drive around your neck so as not to lose it.
It is amazing how much data is stored on such a small device. I remember worrying about every byte of a computer program's size when starting to program as 16 K was a large size. ...the old days!
After OfficeMax I stopped at the CHS store to buy some suet for the birds. It is Fall and I like to help the birds out (though I shouldn't! More on that later). I noticed CHS didn't have many herbicides on the shelf and asked about it. They put them in the back till next Spring as there isn't much call for them now. Makes sense.
I had bicycled to OfficeMax and the CHS stores and it started to sprinkle as I started home. The rain was very light and I was happy to be out and about on a bicycle so I took the long way home even if it meant getting a little damp. Before I rode uptown I had to replace a broken spoke on my bicycle wheel. Naturally the broken spoke was on the cassette side of the rear wheel necessitating extra work to replace it.
I stopped to see how Bob and Jan were doing. Bob had out-patient surgery today to put in a patch inside his ear near the ear drum to correct his ear/hearing problem from when the tree branch hit him this summer as he mowed his lawn. A side effect of the surgery is that his balance is screwed up today. Jan had dental work done yesterday.
Oh, what about my water heater?
I worked on removing the cabinet today. I got everything done except unhooking the two water pipes. I cut holes in the back of the cabinet to allow me to remove the cabinet from the wall without having to cut the water pipes from where they enter the cabinet. I found scorched marks inside the cabinet from a flame when someone used a torch to solder the joints and connections of the pipes inside the cabinet. A little below the sink are pipe connectors that I think I can unscrew. I'll see tomorrow.
Regarding my birds comment earlier... a few days ago I brought part of my garden produce in and cleared the dead plants. I brought in my pumpkins and sunflowers, and dug a few hills of potatoes. I discovered some animal (birds!) had gotten to a half dozen of my sunflower plants and ate all the seeds from their heads. *argh!* Opened shells lay at the foot of the plants. Oh well... I still have over a dozen heads left. I did notice the birds ate the seeds from the oldest and most mature plants. I hope the remaining seeds are far enough along to be edible once they are dried. I flicked the seeds out of a couple heads this morning and they seem a little chewy.
While I tossed most of the dead plants out in the hayfield, I did attempt to burn the corn stalks. The leaves burned but the stalks only partially burned. At least that will keep the leaves from blowing around when it gets windy.
I have the carrots, beets, onions, and potatoes left to bring in. But no hurry as the ground isn't near freezing for some time yet. (Famous last words as you may remember how the snow came before I got all my carrots dug last year!)
I have also been baking on Monday as I made an apple pie (lots of apples to use up!) and zucchini muffins (lots of zucchini too!). Not that I need desserts as I gained three pounds during my Washington vacation. With all the food my relatives baked and all the times we ate out I thought I had gained more weight than three pounds. Especially after the supper Curt, Cathy and I had. Curt and I each had the Triple Berry dessert and each dessert could have fed four people. Even I couldn't finish all of the dessert, and people who know me probably have never witnessed me not eating everything. I can't remember when I last could not finish a meal.
It is amazing how much data is stored on such a small device. I remember worrying about every byte of a computer program's size when starting to program as 16 K was a large size. ...the old days!
After OfficeMax I stopped at the CHS store to buy some suet for the birds. It is Fall and I like to help the birds out (though I shouldn't! More on that later). I noticed CHS didn't have many herbicides on the shelf and asked about it. They put them in the back till next Spring as there isn't much call for them now. Makes sense.
I had bicycled to OfficeMax and the CHS stores and it started to sprinkle as I started home. The rain was very light and I was happy to be out and about on a bicycle so I took the long way home even if it meant getting a little damp. Before I rode uptown I had to replace a broken spoke on my bicycle wheel. Naturally the broken spoke was on the cassette side of the rear wheel necessitating extra work to replace it.
I stopped to see how Bob and Jan were doing. Bob had out-patient surgery today to put in a patch inside his ear near the ear drum to correct his ear/hearing problem from when the tree branch hit him this summer as he mowed his lawn. A side effect of the surgery is that his balance is screwed up today. Jan had dental work done yesterday.
Oh, what about my water heater?
I worked on removing the cabinet today. I got everything done except unhooking the two water pipes. I cut holes in the back of the cabinet to allow me to remove the cabinet from the wall without having to cut the water pipes from where they enter the cabinet. I found scorched marks inside the cabinet from a flame when someone used a torch to solder the joints and connections of the pipes inside the cabinet. A little below the sink are pipe connectors that I think I can unscrew. I'll see tomorrow.Regarding my birds comment earlier... a few days ago I brought part of my garden produce in and cleared the dead plants. I brought in my pumpkins and sunflowers, and dug a few hills of potatoes. I discovered some animal (birds!) had gotten to a half dozen of my sunflower plants and ate all the seeds from their heads. *argh!* Opened shells lay at the foot of the plants. Oh well... I still have over a dozen heads left. I did notice the birds ate the seeds from the oldest and most mature plants. I hope the remaining seeds are far enough along to be edible once they are dried. I flicked the seeds out of a couple heads this morning and they seem a little chewy.
While I tossed most of the dead plants out in the hayfield, I did attempt to burn the corn stalks. The leaves burned but the stalks only partially burned. At least that will keep the leaves from blowing around when it gets windy.
I have the carrots, beets, onions, and potatoes left to bring in. But no hurry as the ground isn't near freezing for some time yet. (Famous last words as you may remember how the snow came before I got all my carrots dug last year!)
I have also been baking on Monday as I made an apple pie (lots of apples to use up!) and zucchini muffins (lots of zucchini too!). Not that I need desserts as I gained three pounds during my Washington vacation. With all the food my relatives baked and all the times we ate out I thought I had gained more weight than three pounds. Especially after the supper Curt, Cathy and I had. Curt and I each had the Triple Berry dessert and each dessert could have fed four people. Even I couldn't finish all of the dessert, and people who know me probably have never witnessed me not eating everything. I can't remember when I last could not finish a meal.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Running around -town
What a busy day! I'm tired.
I started my day with a cool shower. Ok... it was cold. The shower seems to be getting colder each day.
Stopped at the electric company to set my auto-pay for my new credit card. I asked about electric water heaters and learned the electric co-op has a $60 rebate for energy efficient water heaters.
Stopped at the True Value hardware store to see what they sold for water heaters. The salesman told me since my water heater is old I should not try to replace the thermostat or heating element and I should buy a new water heater. He said gas heaters are cheaper to operate than electric heaters and that it would be worth the extra effort to convert from an electric to a gas heater.
Stopped at a grocery store.
West of town is the MT Dept of Revenue. They had sent me an application form asking me to re-apply for an agricultural designation for my property. Since the last time dad filled out the application the form has changed. So questions from me about the new fields to fill out. I need to fill out an extra form listing machinery and livestock. I also need to list my AUM (Animal Unit Month) carrying capacity for my property.
"What is that?!"
The Revenue appraiser said I need to go to local NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) office to have them determine my AUM value and then have them list it in a letter for me to attach to my Dept of Revenue application.
Now one would think an active ag designation for one's property would have the lowest property tax. I guess not as the appraiser said a productive ag property could result in a higher tax value than an inactive ag designation. The wild card is the house as an ag usually lowers the buildings valuations on the property. So, I don't know how my tax will change. *sigh*
Then over to the local phone company to have their auto-pay be updated to my new credit card.
I stopped by the local gas company but they were closed for lunch.
Then it was over to an eye clinic. I found out that my insurance company will not treat the eye clinic and doctor in North Dakota as "in-network" anymore. They had relented earlier because their web site was confusing. They said they fixed their web site now. While I think it would be cheaper for them for me to visit my previous eye doctor and clinic, they won't consider them as "in-network". The good news about this is that a local eye clinic had joined the insurance network as of a month ago so don't have to travel over 100 miles to Missoula to be "in-network".
I wanted to verify with the clinic that my insurance company was correct, and that the Kalispell eye clinic was indeed part of their network. Based on the insurance company's past history, could you blame me? While it was near 1 pm, the clinic's worker who handles the insurance claims - like the gas company - took a late lunch and was not there.
Off to Home Depot and Lowes to look at their water heaters. The Home Depot sales lady told me to stick with an electric water heater and also clued me in that the heater's energy factor had to be .93 or greater to qualify for the rebate. That means I am limited to the higher end models.
The Lowes salesman didn't seem as knowledgeable, or certain. He didn't have a strong preference though initially he favored a gas heater. Lowes had a discounted last year model of an "on demand" gas heater that didn't cost too much more than the heaters I am looking at. But after some confusion I found there is no energy rebate from the gas company. Lowes didn't carry an electric version of an "on demand" heater. An electric version probably doesn't work as well as the gas version as electric heaters take longer to heat things.
Home Depot would install a new water heater and haul off the old one for $268 and up - depending on how long it took them to do the work. Lowes charged over $300 for the same service. I can't believe their prices - as much, if not more, than the water heater itself. Guess I'll be installing my new water heater myself.
Back to the eye clinic and I was told they were part of my insurance network. So I made an appointment. I realized this was the same clinic as what my dad used for his cataract surgery. I had no preference among the four eye doctors so I asked for the one dad had used. It was so long ago the receptionist didn't have dad in their computer and had to go look at his paper file to determine which doctor dad saw. While there I also filled out the new patient forms.
The gas company was now open. I am not sure the woman who answered my questions really knew the correct answers, but she thought I would have to pay a $40 fee to have the gas company turn the gas back on and inspect the new pipe to the water heater. I would have to install the pipe extension to the water heater myself or pay someone to do it. A gas water heater is looking less and less likely.
Then over to the NRCS office way south of town where the appraiser said they are located. They had moved. At least their new location is on my side of town.
Stopped at my bank as I almost forgot to do so and had to backtrack.
Then I stopped at OfficeMax to return my new Canon digital camera. Over the weekend the lens would not open all the way when I turned the camera on. If you notice a black shadow in the corners of a few photos, that happened when I didn't see the lens wasn't all the way open.
I am in the 30 day window for a price match but outside the 14 day window for a "no questions" return. But as I was on vacation, and the lens problem should be covered by the manufacturer's warranty, she replaced my camera. I mentioned that the day after I had bought the camera Walmart dropped the price by $50. She told me I had 30 days for an ad match. I had to bring the ad in to get the lower price. That is tomorrow's errand as it took me a while tonight to find the Walmart sale paper.
A stop at Walmart to get a mop. With all the water heater choices making my head swim, why does there have to be a half dozen mop choices?! I don't know which one to get! Even with the helpful Walmart sales lady explaining the mop choices to me, I still had to make a decision. I need a girlfiend to take over for things like this when my brain is fried.
Another grocery store stop.
At the NRCS office I found Angel is out of the office until Friday. I left my name and number and request and we'll see. I found that Angel's name is pronounced "On-hill". Try remembering that when you see "Angel".
Another stop at the True Value store on the way home to recheck their water heaters and prices as by now my head was swimming and confused about heaters. A different salesman and a different sales pitch. Not sure it helped.
At home, on my answering machine, the Revenue appraiser had left a message that he had done some internet checking and felt I probably would meet the ag conditions (I would hope so as this ranch has existed since 1940!). But he still wanted a letter from the NRCS.
Fired up the wood stove to heat the house and made supper. A long day. Today I drove the four ends of Kalispell from before 11 am till after 5 pm without stopping to eat lunch. Tired, confused, and hungry - three words that describe this day.
Tomorrow morning another cold shower - just what I need to clear my head.
I started my day with a cool shower. Ok... it was cold. The shower seems to be getting colder each day.
Stopped at the electric company to set my auto-pay for my new credit card. I asked about electric water heaters and learned the electric co-op has a $60 rebate for energy efficient water heaters.
Stopped at the True Value hardware store to see what they sold for water heaters. The salesman told me since my water heater is old I should not try to replace the thermostat or heating element and I should buy a new water heater. He said gas heaters are cheaper to operate than electric heaters and that it would be worth the extra effort to convert from an electric to a gas heater.
Stopped at a grocery store.
West of town is the MT Dept of Revenue. They had sent me an application form asking me to re-apply for an agricultural designation for my property. Since the last time dad filled out the application the form has changed. So questions from me about the new fields to fill out. I need to fill out an extra form listing machinery and livestock. I also need to list my AUM (Animal Unit Month) carrying capacity for my property.
"What is that?!"
The Revenue appraiser said I need to go to local NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) office to have them determine my AUM value and then have them list it in a letter for me to attach to my Dept of Revenue application.
Now one would think an active ag designation for one's property would have the lowest property tax. I guess not as the appraiser said a productive ag property could result in a higher tax value than an inactive ag designation. The wild card is the house as an ag usually lowers the buildings valuations on the property. So, I don't know how my tax will change. *sigh*
Then over to the local phone company to have their auto-pay be updated to my new credit card.
I stopped by the local gas company but they were closed for lunch.
Then it was over to an eye clinic. I found out that my insurance company will not treat the eye clinic and doctor in North Dakota as "in-network" anymore. They had relented earlier because their web site was confusing. They said they fixed their web site now. While I think it would be cheaper for them for me to visit my previous eye doctor and clinic, they won't consider them as "in-network". The good news about this is that a local eye clinic had joined the insurance network as of a month ago so don't have to travel over 100 miles to Missoula to be "in-network".
I wanted to verify with the clinic that my insurance company was correct, and that the Kalispell eye clinic was indeed part of their network. Based on the insurance company's past history, could you blame me? While it was near 1 pm, the clinic's worker who handles the insurance claims - like the gas company - took a late lunch and was not there.
Off to Home Depot and Lowes to look at their water heaters. The Home Depot sales lady told me to stick with an electric water heater and also clued me in that the heater's energy factor had to be .93 or greater to qualify for the rebate. That means I am limited to the higher end models.
The Lowes salesman didn't seem as knowledgeable, or certain. He didn't have a strong preference though initially he favored a gas heater. Lowes had a discounted last year model of an "on demand" gas heater that didn't cost too much more than the heaters I am looking at. But after some confusion I found there is no energy rebate from the gas company. Lowes didn't carry an electric version of an "on demand" heater. An electric version probably doesn't work as well as the gas version as electric heaters take longer to heat things.
Home Depot would install a new water heater and haul off the old one for $268 and up - depending on how long it took them to do the work. Lowes charged over $300 for the same service. I can't believe their prices - as much, if not more, than the water heater itself. Guess I'll be installing my new water heater myself.
Back to the eye clinic and I was told they were part of my insurance network. So I made an appointment. I realized this was the same clinic as what my dad used for his cataract surgery. I had no preference among the four eye doctors so I asked for the one dad had used. It was so long ago the receptionist didn't have dad in their computer and had to go look at his paper file to determine which doctor dad saw. While there I also filled out the new patient forms.
The gas company was now open. I am not sure the woman who answered my questions really knew the correct answers, but she thought I would have to pay a $40 fee to have the gas company turn the gas back on and inspect the new pipe to the water heater. I would have to install the pipe extension to the water heater myself or pay someone to do it. A gas water heater is looking less and less likely.
Then over to the NRCS office way south of town where the appraiser said they are located. They had moved. At least their new location is on my side of town.
Stopped at my bank as I almost forgot to do so and had to backtrack.
Then I stopped at OfficeMax to return my new Canon digital camera. Over the weekend the lens would not open all the way when I turned the camera on. If you notice a black shadow in the corners of a few photos, that happened when I didn't see the lens wasn't all the way open.
I am in the 30 day window for a price match but outside the 14 day window for a "no questions" return. But as I was on vacation, and the lens problem should be covered by the manufacturer's warranty, she replaced my camera. I mentioned that the day after I had bought the camera Walmart dropped the price by $50. She told me I had 30 days for an ad match. I had to bring the ad in to get the lower price. That is tomorrow's errand as it took me a while tonight to find the Walmart sale paper.
A stop at Walmart to get a mop. With all the water heater choices making my head swim, why does there have to be a half dozen mop choices?! I don't know which one to get! Even with the helpful Walmart sales lady explaining the mop choices to me, I still had to make a decision. I need a girlfiend to take over for things like this when my brain is fried.
Another grocery store stop.
At the NRCS office I found Angel is out of the office until Friday. I left my name and number and request and we'll see. I found that Angel's name is pronounced "On-hill". Try remembering that when you see "Angel".
Another stop at the True Value store on the way home to recheck their water heaters and prices as by now my head was swimming and confused about heaters. A different salesman and a different sales pitch. Not sure it helped.
At home, on my answering machine, the Revenue appraiser had left a message that he had done some internet checking and felt I probably would meet the ag conditions (I would hope so as this ranch has existed since 1940!). But he still wanted a letter from the NRCS.
Fired up the wood stove to heat the house and made supper. A long day. Today I drove the four ends of Kalispell from before 11 am till after 5 pm without stopping to eat lunch. Tired, confused, and hungry - three words that describe this day.
Tomorrow morning another cold shower - just what I need to clear my head.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Guitar cat
Here is my latest profile photo. I got this "cat" this past Spring to welcome people to my house.
Water heater woes
My water heater isn't working. 
I have an electric water heater and it appears the upper heating element or upper thermostat isn't working. Therefore I have cool water which feels cold when I take a shower. Which means my showers these days are really quick! Cold showers, and I don't even need to take any. 
I am in a quandary what to do about my hot water heater. I think the heater is old - very old. I wouldn't be surprised the heater is 40 years old, put in when the house was last remodeled.
The heater's age would make it a candidate for buying a new heater, especially as new water heaters are more energy efficient. And now that the house has natural gas I could switch over to a natural gas heater if I extend the gas line to that side of the house. Apparently gas heaters are cheaper to operate than electric ones.
But... the water heater is in the entry way and a cabinet was added later blocking part of the access to the water heater. What is worse is that the cabinet has a sink in it, and that means pipes for plumbing. I checked the pipes and they seem to have been put in the cabinet via holes with no intention of ever removing them easily. I may have to cut some of the pipes as they are soldered.
Therefore I may try to see if I can just replace the bad heating element and/or thermostat.
I don't know. I'm still trying to decide if I need to call an electrician or a plumber. I do know whatever is done it will be a hassle as even replacing the heating element means draining the water heater. My heater is so old it doesn't have a drain valve. I looked and could not find one. *sigh*
Here are views of the location and of the non-working thermostat and heating element.
I have an electric water heater and it appears the upper heating element or upper thermostat isn't working. Therefore I have cool water which feels cold when I take a shower. Which means my showers these days are really quick! Cold showers, and I don't even need to take any. 
I am in a quandary what to do about my hot water heater. I think the heater is old - very old. I wouldn't be surprised the heater is 40 years old, put in when the house was last remodeled.
The heater's age would make it a candidate for buying a new heater, especially as new water heaters are more energy efficient. And now that the house has natural gas I could switch over to a natural gas heater if I extend the gas line to that side of the house. Apparently gas heaters are cheaper to operate than electric ones.
But... the water heater is in the entry way and a cabinet was added later blocking part of the access to the water heater. What is worse is that the cabinet has a sink in it, and that means pipes for plumbing. I checked the pipes and they seem to have been put in the cabinet via holes with no intention of ever removing them easily. I may have to cut some of the pipes as they are soldered.
Therefore I may try to see if I can just replace the bad heating element and/or thermostat.
I don't know. I'm still trying to decide if I need to call an electrician or a plumber. I do know whatever is done it will be a hassle as even replacing the heating element means draining the water heater. My heater is so old it doesn't have a drain valve. I looked and could not find one. *sigh*
Here are views of the location and of the non-working thermostat and heating element.
Friday, October 13, 2006
Birds, gophers, cantaloupe
Another beautiful Fall day on Thursday. I better enjoy them now as the weatherman has cold temperatures forecast for next week.
This afternoon I seen my Hungarian partridges. They scooted under the fence to the corral before I could count them to see if they all are still around.
I walked the property boundary and found the wings of a bird next to the river. It looked to have been a goose or large duck. I don't know what killed and ate it as only the outstretched wings were left.
The river level is the lowest since late winter. I don't know the exact CFS flow as the USGS has turned off the automated river monitor for the season. I forgot to bring the camera along so I missed out on some nice photos of the sunlight on the water and Fall colors.
I'm back to catching pocket gophers. I trapped four of them today. I would have caught a fifth one but that trap is one where earlier a part of the trigger broke, then a heifer stepped on the trap. I reworked my fix to the trigger and hope that fixed the trap.
I added insulation to my well shed's door. I had insulated everything else in the shed last month but waited to do the door until it was colder. With overnight lows of 22 F - now is the time.
I ate one of my smallest garden cantaloupes today. It was good. I expect the larger ones to taste even better.
Tomorrow (Friday) is our group hike. A member heard the trail to the Granite Park Chalet has ice on the trail in a few spots so we plan to hike to Fish Lake instead. It is getting harder to do higher elevation hikes this late in the season.
Happy Friday the 13th, and Happy Birthday to Tina and Pete!
This afternoon I seen my Hungarian partridges. They scooted under the fence to the corral before I could count them to see if they all are still around.
I walked the property boundary and found the wings of a bird next to the river. It looked to have been a goose or large duck. I don't know what killed and ate it as only the outstretched wings were left.
The river level is the lowest since late winter. I don't know the exact CFS flow as the USGS has turned off the automated river monitor for the season. I forgot to bring the camera along so I missed out on some nice photos of the sunlight on the water and Fall colors.
I'm back to catching pocket gophers. I trapped four of them today. I would have caught a fifth one but that trap is one where earlier a part of the trigger broke, then a heifer stepped on the trap. I reworked my fix to the trigger and hope that fixed the trap.
I added insulation to my well shed's door. I had insulated everything else in the shed last month but waited to do the door until it was colder. With overnight lows of 22 F - now is the time.
I ate one of my smallest garden cantaloupes today. It was good. I expect the larger ones to taste even better.
Tomorrow (Friday) is our group hike. A member heard the trail to the Granite Park Chalet has ice on the trail in a few spots so we plan to hike to Fish Lake instead. It is getting harder to do higher elevation hikes this late in the season.
Happy Friday the 13th, and Happy Birthday to Tina and Pete!
Thursday, October 12, 2006
First day home
Remember when I said the house was cold when I got home, and I'd be getting into a cold bed? The bed didn't warm up. I woke up in the middle of the night freezing. I found a heavy blanket to add to the bed and went back to sleep. I woke up toasty warm in the morning. It was hard to get out of the warm bed as the house was still on the cool side.
I had stuff to do so I didn't fire up the wood stove in the morning. I figured the sunlight and warming temperature outside would be enough to warm things up. I got in the shower. I forgot I had turned the hot water heater's thermostat down before I left for Washington. A cold shower was not what I needed this morning!
The overnight low temperature was 24 F. Combined with Monday night's low in the mid 20s F and my garden was done for the season. While my carrots, beets, parsnips and onions look okay, the remaining plants were withered and dead or near death.
The apples are all gone from the apple trees. No apples were on the ground as the yellowjackets and deer ate them. Certainly the deer as I noticed their handiwork on some of the garden plants.
Most of the leaves have fallen from the box elder trees and covered the ground.
I found that some of my garden produce - tomatoes, cantaloupe, and cabbage - had started to grow fuzz when I was away. While stored in the 45 F basement (in a cool house), the basement was apparently too moist. I tossed out a third of my produce. *argh!*
I rode uptown to get the mail that the post office held for me. It was nice to ride my bicycle after all this time away. I didn't have a sharp snap to my riding, but I was still able to maneuver quickly through the downtown traffic and even beat a few cars slowed by the traffic and stop lights.
When I got my mail at the post office I was surprised to find the nursery had sent me my replacement order. When I had asked them to not send the replacement items till Fall, they had sent me a card saying they would wait till Spring. Why the change... why now... don't know, I haven't opened the packages yet.
Now is not a good time to plant as the bareroot plants may try to start up. The growing season is not over, no matter that the overnight lows are below freezing. I'm not sure what I will do with the plants. Bob and Jan have extra pots - and want me to take them off their hands - and Bob recommends I put my plants in pots until next Spring and store the pots in my basement. Great. More stuff in the basement, and more work tending to the plants occasionally over Winter.
Today was a perfect Fall day: calm, sunny, warm with a dry, crisp edge to it.
I had stuff to do so I didn't fire up the wood stove in the morning. I figured the sunlight and warming temperature outside would be enough to warm things up. I got in the shower. I forgot I had turned the hot water heater's thermostat down before I left for Washington. A cold shower was not what I needed this morning!
The overnight low temperature was 24 F. Combined with Monday night's low in the mid 20s F and my garden was done for the season. While my carrots, beets, parsnips and onions look okay, the remaining plants were withered and dead or near death.
The apples are all gone from the apple trees. No apples were on the ground as the yellowjackets and deer ate them. Certainly the deer as I noticed their handiwork on some of the garden plants.
Most of the leaves have fallen from the box elder trees and covered the ground.
I found that some of my garden produce - tomatoes, cantaloupe, and cabbage - had started to grow fuzz when I was away. While stored in the 45 F basement (in a cool house), the basement was apparently too moist. I tossed out a third of my produce. *argh!*
I rode uptown to get the mail that the post office held for me. It was nice to ride my bicycle after all this time away. I didn't have a sharp snap to my riding, but I was still able to maneuver quickly through the downtown traffic and even beat a few cars slowed by the traffic and stop lights.
When I got my mail at the post office I was surprised to find the nursery had sent me my replacement order. When I had asked them to not send the replacement items till Fall, they had sent me a card saying they would wait till Spring. Why the change... why now... don't know, I haven't opened the packages yet.
Now is not a good time to plant as the bareroot plants may try to start up. The growing season is not over, no matter that the overnight lows are below freezing. I'm not sure what I will do with the plants. Bob and Jan have extra pots - and want me to take them off their hands - and Bob recommends I put my plants in pots until next Spring and store the pots in my basement. Great. More stuff in the basement, and more work tending to the plants occasionally over Winter.
Today was a perfect Fall day: calm, sunny, warm with a dry, crisp edge to it.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
More about my trip back to Montana
I thought of a few more comments about my trip back to Montana...
Aunt Diane made me a lunch so I only had to stop once and that was to put gas in my car (and use the restroom!) Diane makes excellent sandwiches.
More trees were turning yellow in the Cascade Mountains this time than when I initially drove to Puyallup. It was dark when I drove through the Montana mountains so I couldn't see how the colors had changed.
Speaking of the dark... I kept my eyes open for deer on the roads in Montana. With all the trees, and with little traffic, I imagine there were plenty of deer out and about after dark. I certainly saw lots of red spots on the road where deer had been hit in the past.
The interstate exit on the Idaho/Montana border is 0. So I couldn't tell exactly how far it was across Idaho. Apparently it is 75 miles. Exit 0 is at the top of Lookout Pass. A long way up, then immediately a long way down.
After I arrived in Kalispell I could smell fresh lumber as I passed near the mill close to Hwy 2. It takes being away from the valley for a while for me to be able to re-smell the smell. I stop noticing the smell when I smell it each day. Today as I rode my bicycle on the same section of Hwy 2 I didn't notice the smell. My awareness is gone again. Too bad, as I like the smell.
In Washington state, after leaving the Cascade Mountains, I came across smoke and fire from a burning field near the interstate. A short way down the road I saw a helicopter lifting a bucket out a large river and then head towards the fire. I didn't get a photo of the helicopter and bucket.
Across the interstate - to the north - was another fire.
Lastly, a few photos of my drive through the Cascade Mountains.
Aunt Diane made me a lunch so I only had to stop once and that was to put gas in my car (and use the restroom!
) Diane makes excellent sandwiches.More trees were turning yellow in the Cascade Mountains this time than when I initially drove to Puyallup. It was dark when I drove through the Montana mountains so I couldn't see how the colors had changed.
Speaking of the dark... I kept my eyes open for deer on the roads in Montana. With all the trees, and with little traffic, I imagine there were plenty of deer out and about after dark. I certainly saw lots of red spots on the road where deer had been hit in the past.
The interstate exit on the Idaho/Montana border is 0. So I couldn't tell exactly how far it was across Idaho. Apparently it is 75 miles. Exit 0 is at the top of Lookout Pass. A long way up, then immediately a long way down.
After I arrived in Kalispell I could smell fresh lumber as I passed near the mill close to Hwy 2. It takes being away from the valley for a while for me to be able to re-smell the smell. I stop noticing the smell when I smell it each day. Today as I rode my bicycle on the same section of Hwy 2 I didn't notice the smell. My awareness is gone again. Too bad, as I like the smell.
In Washington state, after leaving the Cascade Mountains, I came across smoke and fire from a burning field near the interstate. A short way down the road I saw a helicopter lifting a bucket out a large river and then head towards the fire. I didn't get a photo of the helicopter and bucket.
Across the interstate - to the north - was another fire.
Lastly, a few photos of my drive through the Cascade Mountains.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Back in Montana
Well... I am back home. What a busy vacation! I had a great time and everyone was wonderful to me. I think everyone spoiled me.
I need to get out to Washington more often than every 8 years or so. ...and I will. I think of changing my annual goal from "visit the ocean" to "visit the ocean and my relatives in Washington state".
I figured I wouldn't get an early start for my drive back to Montana, and I didn't. I spent the previous evening with my Uncle Rick and his girlfriend and we were up past 2 am this morning. As they had furnished almost two bottles of wine during our conversation, I spent the night on their couch next to their pellet stove. Rick drank beer; April drank non-or-low alcoholic drinks; and other than Rick's adult daughter drinking a glass or so of wine, I had the rest.
Still, I woke up around 7:30 am. I woke Rick up before 8 am to say 'good-bye', and after a "*snort!* Huh?! What?! Umm.. what? You're leaving?", he got up out of bed and we ended up talking until almost 10:30 am. We never did finish the previous evening's chess game. I hadn't seen Rick since the early 90s as I didn't see him when Tina and I visited the area and some of the relatives back in '98. We had lots to catch up on.
I left Puyallup around 1 pm, Pacific time. Yes... later than even I expected.
The drive went well and I made good time as I covered the 537 miles in 8 hours and arrived home just after 10 pm, Montana time.
As I slowed down to enter Paradise, MT I saw a brief flash of flashing blue lights. Guess the local sherriff was warning me the speed limit was lower through town. How low, I don't know as his brief flash of lights distracted me from the speed limit sign. So I drove 25 mph until I saw a 45 mph speed limit sign.
Once I got into the mountains of Montana the sun had set and it was dark. With the mountains all around - really dark! Sometimes I could see lighter gray night sky above the mountain tops; other times the mountains rose higher than my front windshield view.
When there were no trees near the road, and the road was a narrow two-lane road - so narrow the state couldn't paint white border lines - all I saw was the yellow center dashed lines and the dark pavement in my car's headlights. Other than when I came down the one mountain into the extinct volcano and saw property lights scattered below, I rarely even saw lights from nearby buildings or ranches. Yup, it was dark out.
Once I reached Flathead Lake there were more lights along the shoreline. The moon tried to make an appearance but it was brief as there was only a small gap between the Swan Mountain range and some clouds.
While I really enjoyed my time in Washington, I don't miss the traffic out there. After I turned off I-90, and drove the final 120 miles or so, I only saw a few dozen cars until I reached Kalispell. Even then I didn't see much traffic as I probably only seen a few dozen more cars on the drive through the center of town. Kalispell seems so quiet - and nice - after the hussle and bustle of Washington. I think my relatives would be bored out of their mind driving through Kalispell. It turned 10 pm before I drove past the final few stoplights and some of them were now flashing their nightly red & yellow instead of operating.
Naturally it was dark when I got home so I haven't a clue what-is-what outside. A little chilly outside the house at 37 F, and 52 F in the house. Too late to light the wood stove so I guess I'll jump into a cold bed and hopefully warm up in the morning.
'night.
I need to get out to Washington more often than every 8 years or so. ...and I will. I think of changing my annual goal from "visit the ocean" to "visit the ocean and my relatives in Washington state".
I figured I wouldn't get an early start for my drive back to Montana, and I didn't. I spent the previous evening with my Uncle Rick and his girlfriend and we were up past 2 am this morning. As they had furnished almost two bottles of wine during our conversation, I spent the night on their couch next to their pellet stove. Rick drank beer; April drank non-or-low alcoholic drinks; and other than Rick's adult daughter drinking a glass or so of wine, I had the rest.
Still, I woke up around 7:30 am. I woke Rick up before 8 am to say 'good-bye', and after a "*snort!* Huh?! What?! Umm.. what? You're leaving?", he got up out of bed and we ended up talking until almost 10:30 am. We never did finish the previous evening's chess game. I hadn't seen Rick since the early 90s as I didn't see him when Tina and I visited the area and some of the relatives back in '98. We had lots to catch up on.
I left Puyallup around 1 pm, Pacific time. Yes... later than even I expected.
The drive went well and I made good time as I covered the 537 miles in 8 hours and arrived home just after 10 pm, Montana time.
As I slowed down to enter Paradise, MT I saw a brief flash of flashing blue lights. Guess the local sherriff was warning me the speed limit was lower through town. How low, I don't know as his brief flash of lights distracted me from the speed limit sign. So I drove 25 mph until I saw a 45 mph speed limit sign.
Once I got into the mountains of Montana the sun had set and it was dark. With the mountains all around - really dark! Sometimes I could see lighter gray night sky above the mountain tops; other times the mountains rose higher than my front windshield view.
When there were no trees near the road, and the road was a narrow two-lane road - so narrow the state couldn't paint white border lines - all I saw was the yellow center dashed lines and the dark pavement in my car's headlights. Other than when I came down the one mountain into the extinct volcano and saw property lights scattered below, I rarely even saw lights from nearby buildings or ranches. Yup, it was dark out.
Once I reached Flathead Lake there were more lights along the shoreline. The moon tried to make an appearance but it was brief as there was only a small gap between the Swan Mountain range and some clouds.
While I really enjoyed my time in Washington, I don't miss the traffic out there. After I turned off I-90, and drove the final 120 miles or so, I only saw a few dozen cars until I reached Kalispell. Even then I didn't see much traffic as I probably only seen a few dozen more cars on the drive through the center of town. Kalispell seems so quiet - and nice - after the hussle and bustle of Washington. I think my relatives would be bored out of their mind driving through Kalispell. It turned 10 pm before I drove past the final few stoplights and some of them were now flashing their nightly red & yellow instead of operating.
Naturally it was dark when I got home so I haven't a clue what-is-what outside. A little chilly outside the house at 37 F, and 52 F in the house. Too late to light the wood stove so I guess I'll jump into a cold bed and hopefully warm up in the morning.
'night.
Friday, September 29, 2006
In Washington
I made it to Washington safely. It was a beautiful day for a drive. I didn't see a cloud all day and the temperature was in the upper 70s F.
I never left Kalispell until 9:45 am - later than I expected. It was a hassle driving through Kalispell on the way out of town. Since everyone was at work the little old ladies were now out doing their errands. Slow and confused drivers!
I stopped near Paradise, MT and took a few photos of the Clark Fork River. The morning light on the water and the mountains in haze against the morning light was beautiful. I guess the town's name isn't far off the mark!
The highway to the interstate followed the river much of the way. While mainly pine tree forests, there were a number of quaking Aspens along the road and intermingled with the pines. The Aspens are turning color and they were a yellow or yellow/orange intermingled with the green pines. When I reached the east side of the Cascade Mountains, the non-pine trees intermingled were a red to red/orange color. All were very pretty.
Central Washington was brown as the irrigation season is over.
In central Washington on the radio I got a few Spanish language music stations. It was a welcome change from the classic rock or Top 40 stations. I got words here or there, but mainly I enjoyed the different music. It was amusing to hear English words mixed in the rapid and excited Spanish.
One commercial: "Spanish.. rapid Spanish... 'Trip of a lifetime'... Spanish.." You would think 'trip of a lifetime' could have been translated into Spanish! Words like 'vcr', 'dvd', etc.. I understand using the English Words.
Another commercial from the 'Washington Public safety Council' (only English words) was a conversation between a young boy and a young woman that ended in a police siren. Hmmm.. wonder what that commercial was about?
I enjoyed the Spanish music which was mainly was Mexican Polka music.
When nearing and entering the Cascade Mountains I started to lose my Spanish language stations. I did a scan and usually was able to find another one. There are lots of fruit orchards in central Washington. :)
Earlier had I listened to a public radio station that had an hour of what seems to be Spanish guitar (Spain, not Mexico) mixed with classical music. Pretty good.
I stopped at the Columbia River overlook to see the view. Back in 1998 (?) when Tina and I drove this way I thought there were metal horse statues on top of the hills east of the Columbia River and the overlook. I didn't see them this time. I did like the looks of the rocks at the scenic overlook. And no... I did not take any with me.
Washington state has a law that drivers must drive in the left lane except when passing. Minnesota needs a similar law. The drivers there drove slowly in the left lane and that drove me crazy when I lived there. The drivers in Washington state seem to be better and more considerate than Minnesota drivers. I wasn't cursing out the Washington drivers like I did in Minnesota.
The only hitch came when I left the interstate on highway 18. The state was repaving the highway and I drove the highway during rush hour. What should be a 6 lane highway - and is a 4 lane highway - was now a 2 lane highway due to the paving. The line of cars stretched for miles!
Unlike Minnesota where drivers switched lanes constantly to whichever lane was moving faster, the drivers here didn't do so. I was surprised. They also would let in the cars merging onto the highway. That slowed the traffic down. In this case I would have preferred a little of the "Minnesota Nice" where the drivers seldom did that. Maybe I would have gotten through the bottleneck sooner. It took 45 minutes to drive a half mile. Then another 15 minutes to do 5 miles before I got through the bottleneck.
What made the waiting worse were there were no good radio stations to listen to. The Top 40 announcers were idiots and I think my intelligence declined listening to them. I was tired of classic rock. I found one country music station and found the announcer had a pronouced Southern accent which seemed so out of place. In Montana the country music announcers speak normally. They don't play up a hick accent. I liked the music but couldn't stand the announcer.
I was later slowed down by more rush hour traffic. At that time I had a great view of Mt. Rainier. I tried to take photos from my car window but the traffic would start up as I was about to take the photo. That explains my tilted photo (I wasn't trying to be artsy-fartsy.)
Larry said you can see a deer's head on MT. Rainer as to how the rock and snow are located. I can't quite see it in the photos so he will show it to me outside tomorrow from his front yard.
All-in-all a successful drive. At a little over 500 miles, certainly easier than my 700 mile Montana/North Dakota trips and my 600 mile Minnesota/North Dakota trips in the past. The Washington state interstate roads are the best of the states as the road was smooth and without cracks or bumps. That made the drive easier.
I never left Kalispell until 9:45 am - later than I expected. It was a hassle driving through Kalispell on the way out of town. Since everyone was at work the little old ladies were now out doing their errands. Slow and confused drivers!
I stopped near Paradise, MT and took a few photos of the Clark Fork River. The morning light on the water and the mountains in haze against the morning light was beautiful. I guess the town's name isn't far off the mark!
The highway to the interstate followed the river much of the way. While mainly pine tree forests, there were a number of quaking Aspens along the road and intermingled with the pines. The Aspens are turning color and they were a yellow or yellow/orange intermingled with the green pines. When I reached the east side of the Cascade Mountains, the non-pine trees intermingled were a red to red/orange color. All were very pretty.
Central Washington was brown as the irrigation season is over.
In central Washington on the radio I got a few Spanish language music stations. It was a welcome change from the classic rock or Top 40 stations. I got words here or there, but mainly I enjoyed the different music. It was amusing to hear English words mixed in the rapid and excited Spanish.
One commercial: "Spanish.. rapid Spanish... 'Trip of a lifetime'... Spanish.." You would think 'trip of a lifetime' could have been translated into Spanish! Words like 'vcr', 'dvd', etc.. I understand using the English Words.
Another commercial from the 'Washington Public safety Council' (only English words) was a conversation between a young boy and a young woman that ended in a police siren. Hmmm.. wonder what that commercial was about?
I enjoyed the Spanish music which was mainly was Mexican Polka music.
When nearing and entering the Cascade Mountains I started to lose my Spanish language stations. I did a scan and usually was able to find another one. There are lots of fruit orchards in central Washington. :)
Earlier had I listened to a public radio station that had an hour of what seems to be Spanish guitar (Spain, not Mexico) mixed with classical music. Pretty good.
I stopped at the Columbia River overlook to see the view. Back in 1998 (?) when Tina and I drove this way I thought there were metal horse statues on top of the hills east of the Columbia River and the overlook. I didn't see them this time. I did like the looks of the rocks at the scenic overlook. And no... I did not take any with me.
Washington state has a law that drivers must drive in the left lane except when passing. Minnesota needs a similar law. The drivers there drove slowly in the left lane and that drove me crazy when I lived there. The drivers in Washington state seem to be better and more considerate than Minnesota drivers. I wasn't cursing out the Washington drivers like I did in Minnesota.
The only hitch came when I left the interstate on highway 18. The state was repaving the highway and I drove the highway during rush hour. What should be a 6 lane highway - and is a 4 lane highway - was now a 2 lane highway due to the paving. The line of cars stretched for miles!
Unlike Minnesota where drivers switched lanes constantly to whichever lane was moving faster, the drivers here didn't do so. I was surprised. They also would let in the cars merging onto the highway. That slowed the traffic down. In this case I would have preferred a little of the "Minnesota Nice" where the drivers seldom did that. Maybe I would have gotten through the bottleneck sooner. It took 45 minutes to drive a half mile. Then another 15 minutes to do 5 miles before I got through the bottleneck.
What made the waiting worse were there were no good radio stations to listen to. The Top 40 announcers were idiots and I think my intelligence declined listening to them. I was tired of classic rock. I found one country music station and found the announcer had a pronouced Southern accent which seemed so out of place. In Montana the country music announcers speak normally. They don't play up a hick accent. I liked the music but couldn't stand the announcer.
I was later slowed down by more rush hour traffic. At that time I had a great view of Mt. Rainier. I tried to take photos from my car window but the traffic would start up as I was about to take the photo. That explains my tilted photo (I wasn't trying to be artsy-fartsy.)
Larry said you can see a deer's head on MT. Rainer as to how the rock and snow are located. I can't quite see it in the photos so he will show it to me outside tomorrow from his front yard.
All-in-all a successful drive. At a little over 500 miles, certainly easier than my 700 mile Montana/North Dakota trips and my 600 mile Minnesota/North Dakota trips in the past. The Washington state interstate roads are the best of the states as the road was smooth and without cracks or bumps. That made the drive easier.
Thursday, September 28, 2006
I'm going
Of coursen I'm going, no brainer. Although later than I planned (but not expected ). Well.. one goes to bed at 1:45 am and doesn't use an alarm clock, I shouldn't complain that I woke up at 6:45 am after only 5 hours sleep. Guess I didn't get my beauty sleep last night.
I woke out of a crazy dream that mixed MT, ND, and MN. In N. Dakota I was raising cattle with Jeff, my Minnesota friend. The cattle wandered where they shouldn't be and we got them back in the corral and were closing one gate when a new neighbor's young boys opened another gate. As I ran over to close that gate the boy ran in front of me and I knocked him over into the dirt whereby the mother got mad at me even though the boy wasn't hurt. What happened to having pleasant dreams?
As I hadn't gotten all my packing (and making lunch to eat along the way) done yesterday, that is why it is after 9 am now. Mapquest estimates the drive to be around 9 hours, so I better get going.
Talk with you later.
Oh yeah, I still found time to check the pocket gopher traps this morning and caught one.
). Well.. one goes to bed at 1:45 am and doesn't use an alarm clock, I shouldn't complain that I woke up at 6:45 am after only 5 hours sleep. Guess I didn't get my beauty sleep last night.I woke out of a crazy dream that mixed MT, ND, and MN. In N. Dakota I was raising cattle with Jeff, my Minnesota friend. The cattle wandered where they shouldn't be and we got them back in the corral and were closing one gate when a new neighbor's young boys opened another gate. As I ran over to close that gate the boy ran in front of me and I knocked him over into the dirt whereby the mother got mad at me even though the boy wasn't hurt. What happened to having pleasant dreams?
As I hadn't gotten all my packing (and making lunch to eat along the way) done yesterday, that is why it is after 9 am now. Mapquest estimates the drive to be around 9 hours, so I better get going.
Talk with you later.
Oh yeah, I still found time to check the pocket gopher traps this morning and caught one.
Should I stay or should I go?
The sunset photos took longer to upload than I planned. My internet connection was slow and would reset. Man, it's already after 1 am. I was gonna get up at 6 am to leave on vacation. For the life of me, why is it so hard to go to bed early?!
I leave in the morning for my vacation to Tacoma, Washington to visit relatives. I am torn about going. I haven't seen them in over a decade and want to see them. I am not sure I am ready to go. I have a few partial lists here and there of things to do and take, but I'm not sure I am prepared as I haven't actually spent time preparing to go on vacation. What happened to the ol' days where I planned and prepared, and prepared, and ... - sometimes too much? Laid back is nice but am I too laid back now? I packed stuff this morning - clothes at least - but wonder if I am forgetting something? Or forgetting to do something before I go?
Another drag on my leaving... the weather here in Montana is perfect right now. 70s, sun, no wind, clear blue skies. The forecast is for this to continue and get better (warmer) through Sunday. The forecast for Tacoma: beautiful weather until the weekend, then clouds and a chance of rain Sunday and next week. I could be getting stuff done here in Montana. Only so many nice days left before the snow flies.
I am sure my hiking group will go hiking in Glacier Park now that the weather has improved. Jan went hiking with my old hiking group yesterday. First time in over a year. They hiked to a lake out in the boonies - not in the Park - and way NW of here. This is the group I had hiked with a few years ago where we looked for one lake and found another near the top of the mountain - miles away. The same thing almost happened to the ladies yesterday. They did find their lake and it was beautiful and the fish were jumping. They did have to walk along a narrow ledge that scared the bejesus out of a few of the ladies. Sound's like an interesting time.
Once I get going to Washington I will feel better. I do want to visit my relatives in Washington. Lots to catch up on, and to see and do. I just have this feeling I am forgetting something here in Montana.
Today I picked garden stuff: all the corn, cantaloupes, watermelons, bell and jalapeno peppers, and the tomatoes that are turning red, or have the hint they will soon turn red. I have tons of green tomatoes left. I told Bob and Jan to pick what they want as they continue ripening in the coming days as no frost is predicted in the week ahead.
This afternoon I attended a education session for chief election judges for the upcoming election. I am not a chief judge, but my chief judge, Carmen, wanted another member of the team to attend as a backup knowledgeable person and I offered to do so.
It was worthwhile to attend. They had snacks to eat.
And the county's elected official, the Clerk and Recorder, in charge of voting looked quite attractive and stylish in her outfit. Her skirt was several inches about her knees and she has nice legs. 
Paula is not some old and dowdy lady near retirement (like most of the chief election judge volunteers at the meeting). Too bad she is married.
Seriously, we learned stuff and got clued into the changes made since the primary as the county elections department learned from the primary and made some changes to the procedures. With so many new election judges during the primary we also learned from one another in the questions asked of the officials.
We also got to play with the voting machines. Hands on experience is always better than just sitting and listening. Most people concentrated on the M100 voting machine. Carmen and I decided to setup the Automark voting marker for the disabled people. As we did a group of people gathered around to watch and give hints and advice as Carmen and I "went for it" not really knowing what we were doing. I was trying not to be a typical male and would listen to Carmen as she read the instructions. We found a missing step in the instructions and informed one of the election officials. In the primary, among our location's three precincts, we only had one machine and only a few voters used the machine, none from our precinct. For the election each precinct will have an automark machine. State law. And the state will have a number of auditors roaming the state auditing and checking how the process is going.
The automark machines are pretty neat and ones doesn't have to be disabled to use it. It is like using a computer to enter your choices and then the machine marks your ballot. It has large print options, Braille and headphones for the blind, and a connection for "sip and puff" cords the paralyzed use.
Time to end for the night! Hmmm... how early will I get up and get on the road? Not as early as I planned. An 9 hour (estimated by mapquest) drive. Why is it so easy for me to stay up late?
I leave in the morning for my vacation to Tacoma, Washington to visit relatives. I am torn about going. I haven't seen them in over a decade and want to see them. I am not sure I am ready to go. I have a few partial lists here and there of things to do and take, but I'm not sure I am prepared as I haven't actually spent time preparing to go on vacation. What happened to the ol' days where I planned and prepared, and prepared, and ... - sometimes too much? Laid back is nice but am I too laid back now? I packed stuff this morning - clothes at least - but wonder if I am forgetting something? Or forgetting to do something before I go?
Another drag on my leaving... the weather here in Montana is perfect right now. 70s, sun, no wind, clear blue skies. The forecast is for this to continue and get better (warmer) through Sunday. The forecast for Tacoma: beautiful weather until the weekend, then clouds and a chance of rain Sunday and next week. I could be getting stuff done here in Montana. Only so many nice days left before the snow flies.
I am sure my hiking group will go hiking in Glacier Park now that the weather has improved. Jan went hiking with my old hiking group yesterday. First time in over a year. They hiked to a lake out in the boonies - not in the Park - and way NW of here. This is the group I had hiked with a few years ago where we looked for one lake and found another near the top of the mountain - miles away. The same thing almost happened to the ladies yesterday. They did find their lake and it was beautiful and the fish were jumping. They did have to walk along a narrow ledge that scared the bejesus out of a few of the ladies. Sound's like an interesting time.
Once I get going to Washington I will feel better. I do want to visit my relatives in Washington. Lots to catch up on, and to see and do. I just have this feeling I am forgetting something here in Montana.
Today I picked garden stuff: all the corn, cantaloupes, watermelons, bell and jalapeno peppers, and the tomatoes that are turning red, or have the hint they will soon turn red. I have tons of green tomatoes left. I told Bob and Jan to pick what they want as they continue ripening in the coming days as no frost is predicted in the week ahead.
This afternoon I attended a education session for chief election judges for the upcoming election. I am not a chief judge, but my chief judge, Carmen, wanted another member of the team to attend as a backup knowledgeable person and I offered to do so.
It was worthwhile to attend. They had snacks to eat.
And the county's elected official, the Clerk and Recorder, in charge of voting looked quite attractive and stylish in her outfit. Her skirt was several inches about her knees and she has nice legs. 
Paula is not some old and dowdy lady near retirement (like most of the chief election judge volunteers at the meeting). Too bad she is married. Seriously, we learned stuff and got clued into the changes made since the primary as the county elections department learned from the primary and made some changes to the procedures. With so many new election judges during the primary we also learned from one another in the questions asked of the officials.
We also got to play with the voting machines. Hands on experience is always better than just sitting and listening. Most people concentrated on the M100 voting machine. Carmen and I decided to setup the Automark voting marker for the disabled people. As we did a group of people gathered around to watch and give hints and advice as Carmen and I "went for it" not really knowing what we were doing. I was trying not to be a typical male and would listen to Carmen as she read the instructions. We found a missing step in the instructions and informed one of the election officials. In the primary, among our location's three precincts, we only had one machine and only a few voters used the machine, none from our precinct. For the election each precinct will have an automark machine. State law. And the state will have a number of auditors roaming the state auditing and checking how the process is going.
The automark machines are pretty neat and ones doesn't have to be disabled to use it. It is like using a computer to enter your choices and then the machine marks your ballot. It has large print options, Braille and headphones for the blind, and a connection for "sip and puff" cords the paralyzed use.
Time to end for the night! Hmmm... how early will I get up and get on the road? Not as early as I planned. An 9 hour (estimated by mapquest) drive. Why is it so easy for me to stay up late?
Sunset over the back 40
A few photos from last night. They were taken from the back of the house looking over the "back 40". They were taken about ten minutes apart.
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Garden and raspberries
Pumpkins in foreground with cantaloupes in mid section. Sunflowers and corn on the right. Tomatoes, bell peppers and carrots in background.
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