A Day In The Life - 04/28/2011: Canal

During the hotter parts of the year I usually go riding my bike in the evening. We are about a half mile as the crow flies from the canal so it is a good place to ride. As you can see they have paved most of it so that riding and running are pretty smooth. Gilbert and Tempe have really dressed theirs up with lights for night riding, decorative walk ways, bridges over the canal, access from the neighborhoods, drinking fountains and places to sit and rest. Their schools and parks border the canal to add cool views as you ride along. The sunset was really quite pretty this evening.

A Day In The Life - 04/26/2011: Growing Like Weeds

 The Straw Bale garden is doing very well indeed. A little Miracle Grow helps. The tomatoes are way tall and the squash (in the foreground) has lots of blossoms.

 The Armenian Cucumber is growing and climbing like crazy but no little baby cucumbers yet.

My round Zucchini is also doing well and there may be some little Z-Balls beginning to sprout. Fun, fun, fun.

A Day In The Life - 4/23/2011: Checking Out The Encampment

 Since we needed a better idea of what the facilities were like at the location where our stake encampment was to be held Gaye and I decided to take a trip to Show Low and Snow Flake area to see what was there.
The facility itself is fairly sparse. The eating area is covered with a kitchen in the back that is not all that great but will do.

 The water on the property was not sufficient for a high adventure canoeing activity but OK for doing canoeing and swimming merit badges.
So we headed south of Show Low to Lakeside to Scotts reservoir. It is a fishing, no boating body of water (no motor boating, at least). Since we are going to be out on Memorial Day we want a place that will not be overcrowded if possible.

I climbed a hill above the camp site to get a better view. There are some trees and the stream has been backed up to form a small lake. It will do for what our needs are, I believe.

A Day In The Life - 04/22/2011: New Glass

I think that this must have been the first time in my live that I was glad that a salesman came to my door. About a month ago (or 2 or 3) I was coming back from a trip to Tucson when I picked up several flying rocks and got two new chips and a nice little crack. I knew that I needed to call the insurance people but it kept slipping my mind. And then this guy shows up at the door trying to gather glass replacement work.
I think I probably shocked him when I said I was sure glad to see him. :) And, as you probably expected, he made the calls to the insurance and did all of the work - all I had to do was confirm a couple of things with the insurance people on the phone (which he dialed). So then the replacement guy shows up this morning, got out his tool and cut the piece of glass out and had the new one in and sealed in no time at all. And I believe that he probably did an extra careful job since I was not only standing out watching what he was doing (purely out of curiosity) but I was taking pictures. And it is a great job as well with no leaks, etc. And such a nice clear window to look out of, now that the sand-blasted one has been replaced.

A Day In The Life - 04/22/2011: Shrooms in the Bales

 I guess I might have been watering my straw bales a little too much but I do have a nice crop of lovely mushrooms. Or are the toad stools. I am guessing mushrooms. I am tempted to test the theory but if I live through it Gaye will probably just kill me off any way for having tried it so I guess that I better pass.

I do have some of my round Zucchini starting to grow. But, for some reason I have had trouble getting the regular Black Beauty zucchini to grow. Can you believe that! I thought those things kind of grew themselves. I believe that the birds were snipping them off like noses when they would emerge from their straw hiding places.

A Day In The Life - 04/21/2011: Cheesecake Factory

Does it seem like all I do is eat out? Good, because that is how it is seeming to me about now.
The delectable dish to the left was not only way outstanding but came from the Cheesecake Factory! Who would have guessed that they made more than dessert and that it would be soooo good that you wouldn't have room for cheese cake when you were done. So, if you are looking for a great place to eat, check this place out. (This one happens to be at Chandler Fashion Square.)
By the way, I had the salmon with asparagus spears and some kind of creamy lemon sauce. I am making myself hungary. I think I will have to visit there again.

A Day In The Life - 04/19/2011: Sushi and More

This is the location of lunch with Loren this month. The signs are kind of confusing, though. By the driveway it says Fuji Sushi but on the canopy out front it reads "Imperial Garden". Never the less, it is on Camelback just east of 16th St. The food would only get a B in my book of places to eat but it is "all you can eat" sushi with a Chinese food buffet. I think I had 10 or 12 sushi along with a few other items. Another hole in the wall discovered.

A Day In The Life - 04/18/2011: Straw Bale Garden Going Well

 The experiment of the straw bale garden seems to be going well. The tomatoes are growing tall and I have had to tie them up several times already. I did make one mistake, however . . . maybe two.
First, be sure that you plant those with similar watering needs in the same watering string so that ones that want lots of water don't drown out the those that need less water.
The other thing that I would change would be to line the bales from east to west rather than north to south and plant the tall plants on the southern line so that they can help shade those that are shorter.

But, nevertheless, I seem to be seeing pretty good results and am hopeful for a great harvest. I am seeing the green premonitions of the harvest to come. YUM!

A Day In The Life - 04/15/2011: Indian Cuisine

Another hole-in-the-wall place to eat - Flavors of India. I first went there for lunch with Loren Jepson. It was so enjoyable that Gaye and I went there for dinner. Dinner and lunch are quite different here. Lunch is a buffet and has several dishes that one can try without committing to anything in particular. Dinner, on the other hand, is traditional in that you order a meal or an entree for your meal and then it all comes and there is nothing else to go back for if you don't happen to like what you ordered.
Fortunately, everything here was very tasty and delicious.

A Day In The Life - 04/09/2011: April Birthdays

 The April Birthday Extravaganza in Tucson began at the Children's Museum. Ariel is checking out the belt of velcro that you make ascend by pulling the rope. There are little frogs that also have velcro which you stick to the ascending belt. When the frogs get tot he top of the wall there is a fan up there which bats them off the belt and back into the play area. This entertained the dads (and granddads) for quite some time.

 Gracie enjoyed the rock climbing wall, not to mention having her picture taken. The bent knee was a very important picture feature for her.

Hero had so much fun being the vetranarian in the PET VET area.

 Jase scanned more food than he could hole in his basket and then told us that it was 82-bazillion dollars . . . and 25 cents.

 The Light Rug is pretty cool. A desert area is projected on the floor. Bugs crawl out looking for food. When the food appears you are supposed to guide the food to the area where the bugs will eat it.
That fact is lost on nearly every kid and they spend their time stomping on the bugs, which run away, and on the ants which go berserk and scatter everywhere.

 Ariel was in her dress up element as she tried on all of the fireman gear, the police suit and the TEP outfit.

 Emma and Grace hung out together trying out the different activities, including the Police motorcycle.

 And then they posed for a picture.

We finally headed over to Little Anthony's for lunch and presents. The three birthday kids got the "special" treatment - The staff sang Happy Birthday, they received a free ice cream sundae and they each got their picture taken. When they did Jase's the two waitresses gave him a big kiss on each cheek. He screwed up his face in disgust. Very funny!

It was a very fun day in spite of the rain (since we were indoors). Ann and Bob came, too.

A Day In The Life - 04/08/2011: Guedo's

Gaye and I were looking for someplace to eat, being that it was date night and all and since we were already in Chandler it dawned on us that we had not eaten at Guedo's since the one in Tempe had disappeared. This is not an Italian restaurant so it is not pronounced like Guido, the Don's hit man. It is a very colorful place and, of course, laid back.

As we entered the courtyard I saw myself sitting in the chair taking a siesta . . .

And saw myself again as we were leaving.

And the food was very good, having had the fish burrito. We will be back again soon.

A Day In The Life - 04/07/2011: The Muralist Arrives

 Gaye started working on this bathroom a ways back. A long ways back. She took down all of the decorations and molding that made you feel like you should stand and salute. After some time had passed she chose some colors. Then more of life passed before the walls were changed from red-white-and-blue to a soft green.

More time passed. She wanted a tree. With leaves. Not one that you apply but one that met her expectations of a tree. We looked at many, many trees on the internet and she chose a few that she liked. Then we called and hired the muralist to come and paint this imaginary tree. He finally arrived and started. The tree is mostly in place and now needs some clean up and leaves added.

Oh, did I mention that I am the muralist? And THAT is a story for another day.

A Day In The Life - 04/04/2011: The Staw Bale GardenIs Doing Well

 The experiment is going well so far. The straw bale garden is growing fast. I am just about ready to add the next level of containment strings for the tomatoes. And speaking of tomatoes, if you look closely (or click on the picture to the right to enlarge it) you will notice that there are a couple of small tomatoes already growing with lots of flowers in bloom as well.

Over all, the garden is doing well but the cucumbers have not come up so I replanted them again. This time I saw one coming up and then it disappeared. I don't know if birds or bugs are the culprits but I will plant once more than the watch these like a hawk. I may have to invest in bird netting.

A Day In The Life - 04/02/2011: Long Live The Cat

Today was a sad day at our house. The white cat, known as Great White Brother, woke up dead this morning in the place where he sleeps.
Why he died is still a mystery to us. He did not seem to be sick, was in and out as usual yesterday and begging for water from the sink from Quentin.
I will miss the critter who curled up next to me on the couch while I watched TV. Here, he is sitting in his ring of safety while the dog sprinted around the yard.

A Day In The Life - 04/01/2011: A Sweet Treat

Vicki Nelson also suggested this place called Sweeties. It is a candy store with every kind of candy you have ever seen. From floor to ceiling there are every kind of pops, gummies, chocolates and jaw breakers. There are ones that are only regional (like Idaho Spud) and there are ones that are hard to find (like chocolate NECCOs) and every flavor of Jelly Bellies. You name it and they've got it.
So Gaye and I have been Easter shopping there and it was fun. Somehow a few of our favorite treats ended up in the basket. Hmmmm...

A Day In The Life - 03/31/2011: Tne New Trees

As you may remember, I planted a couple of new Chilean Mesquite trees back a month or two ago. For a long time they did nothing, even when the weather turned warm. So I began checking for instructions for watering, etc. I found that, unlike most other things that you buy from the nursery, they do NOT want you to water every day and keep the soil moist. In fact, it is mostly the opposite. Every 10 days is sufficient, they say.
I had noticed that the few leaves that remained on the sticks after the nursery trimmed them back for winter were turning yellow and that is a sign of too much water.
So I cut them back to about two weeks between watering and all of a sudden leaves started sprouting all over the place. I am pleased as punch and figure that these will probably do all right now that they are getting established. I guess that they just have a dry sense of humor.

A Day In The Life - 03/30/2011: Making Solar Lamps

 Since I wanted to hang my solar lights rather than have them sit on the ground, I decided to give my first set away and make some more.
I went to the local IKEA store and found these cool lights which are designed for candles.

 I bought the cheapest set of solar lights from Home Depot that I could find ($18 for 6) and took the solar portion off (seen on the right) and threw the remaining stand and mount away.

 I discovered early on that the solar section must fit the glass exactly. Using the remains of one of my errors, I draw a circle around the solar unit to see haw far back I will need to trim.

 This gives you a rough idea of how much you have to trim the sides of the solar unit down so that it will fit inside of the glass.
I then take one of the sanding drums on the flex rod of my Dremel and carve away all of the outside shell to the solar unit. It actually comes to just smaller than the outside diameter of the bottom - the piece that houses the battery and light unit.

 Once the sides and top have been trimmed down to fit just inside of the glass housing you need to trim out a groove on each side of the unit. This is where I broke a couple of glass housings. There is no room for flex.

The solar unit must fit perfectly between the metal loop without flexing it at all BUT it must fit it tight enough so that it does not slide down the metal rods. It must also fit snugly inside of the glass sleeve or you get a lot of bugs in the light and then there are shadows running around inside of the lamp.
When it fits snugly and the glass housing fits over it smoothly then you mark where the solar unit fits on the rods and glue it in place using some epoxy.

The finished product looks like this. Notice the cool pattern that the glass leaves on the stones as the light shines through. These solar units are good enough to shine all night if they have gotten a good amount of sun during the day.

A Day In The Life - 03/28/2011: Sub Zero

 I was talking with Vicki Nelson yesterday about this place that they go for ice cream called Sub Zero. They take all of your selected ice cream (yogurt, fat free, premium, etc.) along with your flavors and add-ins and mix them in a bowl. Keep in mind that these are all liquid - not hard, solid stuff like we think of ice cream.

When they get all of the ingredients mixed up then they shoot it with liquid nitrogen and then start stiring and scraping it off of the metal bowls and amazingly they finally end up with a bowl of the flavor combos that you requested. It was very fun and something that we will have to do with the grandkids when they are in the area.

A Day In The Life - 03/26/2011: Mill Avenue Street Fair

 Today was such a busy day. It began with a trip to the church building to help clean.
Then it was off to the Mill Ave Street Fair. We got there early to be sure that we could find parking. The first place we parked was on the street and had meters and they charge for Saturdays! So I was off to find another spot. The next place, a parking lot, they wanted $10 for a spot. NO WAY! So I was off to the parking behind Monti's. Still $10. Then it was over to a spot on Rio Salado. It was closed. Finally I drove over to Ash and found one that was free. Actually, it wasn't free but I managed to get there before the money changers did. When we left they were also taking ten-spots for a place to rest your wheels. Note - get there early before the parking thieves!
Then we walked along some of the regular stores while we waited for things to open. This picture of a person who was buried in books reminded me of Gaye.

 Esteban, the guitarist, and his daughter were there playing and selling their music. She is quite an accomplished fiddle player. and he plays Salsa-style music. Gaye bought a CD of their music.

The primary reason that we were at the fair was that we had an appointment with Judy Lazar, a custom jeweler, to design a replacement wedding ring for Gaye since hers had broken a few weeks back. She did that and then it was off site seeing and shopping.
We got a several gifts for people. I bought a hammock chair for the yard. Gaye got kettle corn and I got chocolate covered strawberries on a stick.
Then it was off to the bike shop. Gaye finally found a bike that had a small frame and that she felt comfortable riding. So we bought it. And now the two of us can go riding together . . . and draging the dog along. I think we will do the dog-drag this evening! What a fun and expensive day!

A Day In The Life - 03/24/2011: Harmony & Kevin's Reception

Kevin and Harmony's Wedding Reception

I attempted to take some photo's of this reception but they all turned out somewhat horrid. So the best that I can do for this one is this short video clip, which is not a whole lot better.