Tail Gate - Game 2

We had such a great time last Saturday, tail gating and watching Stanford there was no question in our mind that we would do it again for the Stanford vs Washington game. Of course we invited Tim to the festivities and what a great decision that was.

Tim accepted the grill-master challenge. That was a daunting task following the great Eric and his Mongo burgers. However, Tim was a strong competitor. His specialty? Pork ribs. And let's just say he did not disappoint.

Here's a few pictures just to make you wish you could barbecue with Tim. It was that good. Rachel - eat your heart out! You've got competition in the Logan fam!
















































































Julie and Karen joined us. With four of us it was only natural that we would strike up a Euchre game.















I love this picture with the 10 flying onto the board. A slick photo.



















Now, along with the awesome ribs Julie made a gorgeous strawberry short cake. And, she found this delicious chocolate topping sauce. It was a perfect end to a great cookout.





































After dinner it was time to enter the stadium and watch the game. The game got off to a an exciting, but disappointing start for Washington. Here's the Stanford player (#81) who received the kickoff - and who ran it back for a touchdown. Notice the sign that reads 'How Are We Doing? just in front of the player as he approaches the end zone. I'd say you're doing pretty good... if you were rooting for Stanford.
















Stanford got a chance to celebrate early! And.. unfortunately often. They were able to overcome Washington. But, it was still a great game to watch and enjoy.















Washington had a huge number of fans at the game - along with their pep band and cheerleaders. They represented well - along with Tim and the rest of the alumni and fans sprinkled throughout the stadium.















The Stanford band is a bit unconventional to say the least. You've all heard of 'the tree' - Stanford's mascot. Here's the tree enjoying itself during halftime.



















Now having come from Michigan, you're used to a more conventional marching band and drum major. Check this photo out. If you blow it up you'll notice the 'individual' dressed up in the Marilyn Monroe costume in the middle of the field. That's Stanford's - male - drum major. Different strokes for different folks!



















And finally, the only real reason Tim loves to attend the Washington game is to have his picture taken with the cheerleaders. So, without further ado. Here you go Tim! Enjoy.

Thursday Tweets

Okay people... you know what to do.

Please feel free to tweet away - and tell us a little about your day today!

Tod: UC's protesting increased fees today. Actual text from Hannah: "i'm looking nice today in case i make the news".

Tod: A week without visualizing body damage. Very relaxing. Thank you.

Tod: Everyone say hi to John Griffioen.. who is recovering from back surgery and probably reading the blog - bored stiff. Get well soon, John!

The Washlet

Holy cow! How in the world did I submit a blog post for Tubz without mentioning the Washlet! Thanks to Julie for triggering my Alzheimer's racked brain. Here's the deal.

Recall that I mentioned that Tubz is a 'customer participation' showroom. Well, when you go into their public restroom they 'kick in up a notch'. BAM!

Our customer service rep said we 'must visit the bathroom'! Certainly, a public restroom isn't normally a destination spot. At Tubz it is. Why? Because they (mens and womens) feature the Toto Washlet. Check out this beauty.











Immediately as you recline onto the seat you enjoy a soothing warmth from its heated seat.

Then, once you've done your business the Toto Washlet gets to business. And it's business is cleansing your.. well, you get it.

A multi-feature remote control provides any number of 'services'. You can wash the back. Wash up front. Pulsate. Steady Stream. Reposition the jet stream to just the right spot. Blow dry.

How civilized!

How did I forget this? My, oh my, oh my.

Tubz

You haven't heard much about the bathroom project the last couple weeks because Jules has been in tub-hunting mode. As it turns out, you pretty much have to nail down your tub and tub fixtures before you can do much of anything in a bathroom remodel.

One of the issues Jules was facing however is .. 'how do you pick out a tub without laying in one and seeing how it feels?'. Well, that is where Tubz comes in.

Jules found Tubz while perusing web sites trying to find anywhere to look at times in person. Tubz is located in Fremont (in the east bay) in an industrial warehouse type building. And what a jewel it is. There are over 200 bathtubs of all ilks (soaking, whirlpool, bubble, two person, .. and on an on) within their showroom. And, you can take off your shoes and lay down in any of them you want! What a great idea. I dare say if you can't find your tub there.. you just aren't trying.

I didn't think to bring my camera.. bummer.. because it would have been hilarious to show you pictures of Julie laying around in all sorts of tubs to find just the right one to soak in after a long, hard day. I was cracking up.

And the good news! Jules chose a tub! Yay!

Oh.. Tubz also has a host of toilets on display. How funny to have a bunch of people walking down the line sitting on toilet after toilet trying to find just the right throne. This is definitely the most entertaining place to shop I've been to in quite awhile.

The way Tubz works is that you grab a customer service number right when you enter and then you do your own perusing until your number is called. When it was our turn to speak with a customer service person we got the owner. That man definitely has a passion for tubs and toilets. I learned more about the history of the whirlpool tub (he invented the recessed and rotating spray nozzles!) and toilet technology that day than I ever wanted to; especially toilets. Let me cut to the chase for you; buy a Toto. Trust me to have thoroughly evaluated the dirty details and skip the tour yourself.

Once we had the tub selected, pieces just started falling into place. We now have ordered the tub, toilet, fan/light and vanity sink! We already had the vanity picked out, the floor tiles and wood trim selected. So.. we are getting sooo close to ramping up for more action in the bathroom.

Way to go Julie!

Mongos

The onset of Fall means it's football time. At least for now, all seems well in the football world. Michigan is undefeated. Berkeley is chewing up the competition. The University of Washington just beat #3 USC after having lost every game they played last year. It's looking good.

Add to that we got a chance to see Stanford at home for the first time this year last night. So, I set up a guy night out that included a tail gate before the game (which Stanford won handily over San Jose State). Sometimes a plan just comes together. I assigned the meat portion of the tail gate to my friend Eric. Check out just how amazingly he came through.

These are the four 'patties' or 'mounds' or whatever technical term that applies. If you're thinking those things look pretty big you'd be right! These burgers are what Eric has named 'mongo burgers' - a special family creation. In fact, Eric shared that he used 3 & 3/4 pounds of beautiful ground beef to make - exactly 4 patties.















Here's a picture of a tub of butter sitting on top of one of the burgers to give you some sense of proportion.















Now, I must share with you that all that beef is just a shell; encasing a variety of additional taste sensations such as portobello mushrooms, red peppers and caramelized onions. They combine to make the taste experience simply sensational! Check it out.





























Here's Eric and Dean hanging and enjoying the early evening as the mongos were cooked to perfection. Oh, and to go along with the burgers we had delicious twice-baked potatoes that Julie made and Diane's award winning Chocolate Chip cookies. Yeah, football season rocks!















Next week: Stanford vs Washington! Round two! Yum!

Smokey and the Bandit - Part II

The saga of jurisprudence gone bad was just beginning when the story ended last time. Here's a bit more for you to chew on as you offer your advice :D

As far as I can tell, the entire legal process is exceedingly coercive: using force or authority to make a person do something against his or her will. In this case, San Mateo County wants me to pay a fine for going 90 MPH. Here's my evidence.

I mentioned that I went down to the Superior Court last Thursday. What I didn't mention at that time was that I was 10 minutes late. Why? Well, of course the Man would say there are no good reasons. However, there were some interesting circumstances. First, Highway 101 is a complete NIGHTMARE in the morning. However, I had factored that in when I left for the court. Then, the exit that Google and Yahoo suggest taking to make it to the court building is under construction. You cannot take that exit - meaning you have to go about 5 miles out of your way. Then, the court house has precious little parking. So, you have to park approximately 1/3rd to 1/2 a mile away from the court house.

Interestingly, none of these facts are mentioned on the court web site. Wouldn't that be nice?

So, I was 1o minutes late.. or as the Court likes to say it.. i had "failed to appear". No grace. No exceptions. Sweet. What really hurts is that they tell you you're late with such happiness.

Now, failure to appear is another way of saying 'you disrespected our authority' - which, if you follow the Barry Bonds case or Martha Stewart.. you find the government really, really dislikes. In fact, while my speeding ticket is a simple 'infraction' under the law, failure to appear is a MISDEMEANOR. That's right, my blatant disrespect for the court, as demonstrated by being 10 minutes late, was a big deal.

Remember that whole coercive thing I mentioned? Well, here's one evidence of it. When I got to the window I was informed that 'if I paid my fine right now - we'll minimize the impact of the failure to appear'. Get it; pay up without any more trouble and we'll let you off easy.

Well, as it turns out I had the good fortune of having signed up for a one month extension just the night before. So, I technically was EARLY. Bums. No $750 fine for failure to appear for the State of California.

Having established I wasn't a Misdemeanor-level criminal we had that little discussion about traffic school I told you about last time. As you will recall - that was the one where they try to get me to plead guilty so I can beg the judge for a right I absolutely have; coercive.

After recovering my right to traffic school I asked my next question; 'I noticed on your web site that if I were to actually contest my ticket I will lose my right to traffic school. Is that right?'

Clerk: yep.

Tod: hmm.. why is that?

Clerk: because we offer traffic school to people that don't understand the rules. if you contest your ticket we figure you understand the law - so we take traffic school off the table.

Tod: did I hear you right? you think that people that plead guilty are just stupid and they don't know the rules of the road?

Clerk: i didn't use the word 'stupid' - but you got the gist.

Tod: so, that sign that says 'Stop'. You figure they don't understand that? Or those signs on the road that say 'Speed Limit' - you figure they don't know what that means? You think that's why you offer traffic school? Seriously?

Clerk: seriously.

Tod: so, can you tell me what statute gives you the right to deny me traffic school just because I contest my ticket; because this whole deals sounds kind of coercive.

Clerk: in what way?

Tod: well, when you force me to face thousands of dollars of increased insurance costs just because i had the audacity to contest my ticket. well, that pretty much is coercive.

Clerk: well, you can just plead guilty and pay the fine and avoid that possibility.

Tod: ... wouldn't that pretty much be coercion right there? pay up or we'll use our full authority to make you wish you did?

Clerk: perhaps you should consult a lawyer if you have other questions.


Now, I've spent some time trying to find anything in the Vehicle Code, Penal Code and the Rules of the Court - and I still can't find anything that would indicate I lose rights just because I challenge a ticket. But, I gotta assume it's in there somewhere. Wow, this process sure is fair.


Okay - here's another thing I learned along the way on this whole ticket thing. Here's what the Vehicle Code says about the maximum fine I can be charged:

42001. (a) Except as provided in this code , a person convicted of an infraction for a violation of this code or of a local ordinance adopted pursuant to this code shall be punished as follows:

(1) By a fine not exceeding one hundred dollars ($100).

The way I read this.. the fine should be.. $100 or less. Mine was $321. So, now I'm more curious. How in the world did they figure the fine was $321? If you are anything like me, this answer will just piss you off.

First, you have to DOUBLE the fine because Penal Code 1464 says.. more or less.. that whenever a criminal pays a fine they owe the same amount to the State of California. This is referred to as the 'State Penalty'. Note that they call it a 'Penalty' (not a 'Fine') apparently to avoid violating their own law above (42001).

Then, you pay 20% more extra under Penal Code 1465.7 which says a 'state surcharge' - in additional to the 'state penalty' shall be imposed. Not much more explanation than that. Just, give us 20% more.

Then, there's the California Government Code Section 70372 which collects another 50% - or the 'state court construction penalty'. I guess that means I have to help build the buildings they steal my money from. That's sweet.

Then, there's Calfiornia Government Code Section 76000 which collects 70% minus the 70372 fee (50%) = 20% more.

If you're still with me that's: $100 + $100 + $20 + $50 + $20 = $290!!

At this point I pretty much gave up trying to understand how to account for the remainder of the $321. I know there are like three other laws that allow them to charge me for sending me the citation ($10), blah blah blah.

So, in summary: the Legislature sets the maximum FINE at $100 - then just starts tacking on PENALTIES and SURCHARGES to the tune of 221%. So, how is THAT legal? Huh???

It just gets depressing when you start to understand just how much more they can 'surcharge and penalize me' should I exercise my constitutional right to a trial. Trial costs, paperwork fees, and on and on and on and on. But, the court doesn't understand how a citizen could possibly believe that they are coercive: using their authority to force me to pay a ticket for going 90 when I didn't.

Your thoughts?

Smokey and the Bandit - Part I

While my sister was in town and I was acting as her tour guide, we made a trip to San Francisco for some exploring / picture taking. Much like Gilligan and the Skipper (I was and remain a Mary-Ann-ite).. this was a three hour tour gone bad. Much to the excitement of my children I was ticketed for speeding.

I am going to rely on my sister's sense of propriety in securing the comments I made in the moments just after i realized i was bound for trouble from public disclosure. But, let's just say in broad, general terms that there's a story out there my kids love to tell... (for which they will likely suffer the wrath of the almighty).. and this would be considered a 'companion piece' to that story. But, i'll never tell.

Anyways - this whole drama stems from what happened next.. which was that the police wrote my ticket for 90 MPH. 90! I was speeding. Let me be completely clear on that. This is not a tale about innocence.. but justice. Because, there is no way I was traveling 90 miles per hour that morning (or any morning). I hope Lurinda will back me up on that (or at least not contradict me in writing.. before the trial!).

Of course I was in a foul mood after receiving the ticket.. but allowing my family and friends to laugh at me for a few days took some of the edge off of it. Life goes on; even when you've been egregiously abused by the man.

But then I received a double whammy in the mail. When the actual citation appeared from the court I found out that my offense made me ineligible for traffic school. That means I get to help California reduce it's massive debt by paying a crazy fine.. as well as having the bonus gift of my insurance going up. All for something i didn't do (drive excessively fast). I was just driving too fast :)

Well, i've never had a speeding ticket before that my Alzheimer's riddled mind can remember. So, i've never dealt with this crap before and it can be annoying to say the least. You see, I have this slight mental defect that i cramp up a bit emotionally when i think i've been wronged. Let's just say i have a mostly 'black and white' view of things and i was feeling very black about being accused of doing something i didn't do (go 90!) with the accompanying consequences (higher fines and impacts on insurance rates). I was becoming very indignant.

So, being the engineer i am .. i started digging. And here's what i found out: the whole court process is structured to coerce you to paying the fine and not defending yourself! Shocking! Government wants you to simply take it and give them whatever they want.. when they want it.

Well... then there's the actual law of the State of California.

So.. having done some reading of the California Traffic Code I headed for the court yesterday for some fact finding. First and foremost - I needed to get the option for traffic school put back on the table.. here's what I did.

Tod: hey, i have a question. can you please explain why i was not offered traffic school for this offense.

Clerk: you don't qualify.

Tod: well, actually I do unless I've missed something. could you please explain exactly why you believe i do not qualify.

Clerk: you were going more than 20 miles over the speed limit - so you don't qualify.

Tod: what's 20 miles over the speed limit have to do with it? i was ticketed for a 22349.. and there is no further distinction between how fast i was going in the law.

Clerk: that's not how it works.

Tod: what? it works that you read the law and you enforce it. there is no distinction in the law between 66 and 99.999 (there is one when you go 100+).

Clerk: let me check.

Tod: please do.

Clerk: what you need to do is to talk to the judge; traffic school is at their discretion.

Tod: well, that's not exactly true. as it turns out the Legislature makes the laws in California and the police and courts simply enforce them. so - you really need to follow the laws. i have a right to traffic school. would you please indicate that on my citation so that I can consider that when deciding how to proceed?

Clerk: let me check. (at this point she walks to the lead clerk of the court and they have a several minute discussion .. she returns..). Yeah, sure. We can do that.

Tod: so tell me.. now that you actually figured out what the law is.. are you going to stop jerking people around and denying them their legal right to traffic school?

Clerk: the judges here set their own rules.

Tod: unbelievable!!! The judges here are supposed to simply FOLLOW the law.

Clerk: they have a lot of latitude.

Tod: well.. that sucks.. because they shouldn't.


I was pleased that they agreed with me and corrected my citation to allow me to attend traffic school to keep the infraction off my official record. That is.. unless I fight the ticket.

This is just the beginning. More later.

We Interrupt this Blog for an Important Announcement

Short attention span readers: read every word of this post.

Last Sunday was 25th Joel's birthday. A quarter of a century! Now, mind you - Julie and I aren't old enough to have a 25 yr old. Nope. But, somehow it happened. We are pleased that Joel lives in Oregon and loves it up there... but not being able to be there with him and celebrate together definitely bums us out just a bit.

So, we were excited because Jon and Rachel had invited themselves over to our house earlier in the week to make us lunch on Sunday. How sweet, we thought. They definitely are very generous people and love to cook.. so we thought nothing of it. The Little Co-conspirators.

First off let me just say those two can cook! It was a very delightful feast - as far as I can remember. So, we're just minding our own business - pounding down some grub when they get up from the table and say 'hey, wait a second - there's something in the car that was delivered to our house that was for you two. why don't we go get it out of the car'. Hmmm.. still just stuffing my face with delightful tastes and not thinking too much of it.

When they returned they were carrying two gift bags. One for Julie and one for me. Hmmm.. what's up? Oh, and did I mention co-conspirator Jon is now running a camera and filming us opening the gifts. Yeah, okay - I do defense work - so I was all over that. Something was definitely up.

Well, Julie opens her bag and it is a framed picture that has a little picture in it that reads "Coming soon... to be filled May 8, 2010". At the bottom of the frame it reads "grandma and me". And for me? A t-shirt printed with "New Grandpas University - Freshman Class - 2010".

Hyperventilation. Shock. Hyperventilation. Confusion. Did I mention hyperventilation? Oh yeah. Cool.

Now.. it's pretty clear at this point that someone's got a bit of a bun in the oven. That's right... Berkeley might be rated just above Michigan as the best public university in the nation.. but I'm still relatively bright.. so I figured that one out - pronto! So - now of course we have Jon and Rachel making us lunch and then delivering these presents.... and we happen to have a married son who's made waves about starting a fam. So - EXACTLY what is up?

Julie's sitting next to me asking Rachel... "you?" "you?" "who?".. and the reality of the situation sets in. Joel and Carissa have set us up!

Joel and Carissa are expecting their first baby next May!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was so cool of them too.. because as soon as we heard.. of course we IMMEDIATELY called Joel. I had just talked with him like half an hour earlier at his home and I knew that Carissa was at work. So - I just expected to speak with him. However, they had set this whole lunch up and as soon as Joel finished talking with me he high-tailed it over to the hospital so that he could be with Carissa when the inevitable call came in. How great is that? So, we got to enjoy congratulating them and just sharing our joy, shock, amazement and every other imaginable emotion with them.

However... Joel and Carissa then put us into the dreaded 'cone of silence'. They hadn't yet told all the friends and family that they wanted too.. and they were simply having too much from notifying people in 'creative' ways... so we couldn't share this amazing news with you.

Every day I call Joel - 'is the cone of silence lifted"'. 'is the cone of silence lifted'. Well, it just was.. and now you all know the blessed news.

Congratulations to Team Henderson II (now three strong!!). We love you and are extremely excited for you. Of course we want to strangle you as well for shocking and confusing us last Sunday.. but we're letting that go :)

So.. now you know. I hope you'll take a moment to congratulate these two little kids of ours... that are about to have their own precious baby. Where did the time go?????
































** Interesting followup. When Joel calls to lift the cone of silence tonight.. he immediately follows up with.. 'and hey, where's the blog entry for my birthday???'. Well Joel - that's what you get when you tell me I'm a grandpa and then don't let me tell the world. So there :)

Thursday Tweets

Okay people... you know what to do.

Please feel free to tweet away - and tell us a little about your day today!

Tod: Tod vs. The Law this morning. I remain free... so far. Long Story. More later.

Tod: I was set up last weekend by people that I love. Whom can you trust?

Tod: Have we seen all the inappropriate body parts we need too for the year? Are we done now???

Shameless Plug!

I could slow role this... but instead I'm just putting it out there hard and heavy.

If you don't regularly visit Rachel's Blog (odetogoodness) you should... nay, shall I say you must. Rachel is an inquisitive and skilled epicurean (she loves food, people). In fact, she is of the highest order... which in my book means she shares her delights with me (and you).

I think I am safe in divulging to you that Rach spends a tremendous amount of time searching for and procuring delicious and healthy recipes which she then she tweaks in her kitchen to perfection. Having done all the heavy lifting, she shares them with us; including easy to follow, blow-by-blow instructions accompanied by jaw-dropping photography.

For a case in point - check out that loaf of wheat bread she just posted about. Perfection!

Consider this advertisement for her blog my heartfelt encouragement for you to visit and bookmark odetogoodness. You won't regret it! Get R Done!

Don't look Tod!

On Thursday Indy was spayed. She did great and has been a great patient. I love my job and I thought it would be fun to show a few surgery pictures.















Dr. Ansorge preformed the surgery and I assisted.

I was hoping to show better surgery pictures but Indy's "parts" were so small!!

Post-op she had to wear a cone to keep her from licking her incision. How sad is that.

Beat LA! Beat LA (We didn't)

The Giants and Dodgers have an intense rivalry in the National League West Division. Simply put, we hate the Dodgers. Well, not really - because we love people.. but you understand. Kinda like Michigan hates Notre Dame! The Dodgers came into town last night for the first of three games that will help decide who makes it to the playoffs. The Giants are desperately trying to make it into the playoffs as a wild card. The Dodgers are trying to hang on the the NL West lead.

A good friend of mine invited Julie and I to go to the game with him - and it was with excitement that we accepted the invitation. Patrick, we love you and appreciate your generosity!

We arrived early so that we could do some walking and enjoy SF on a gorgeous Friday afternoon. AT&T Park resides on the edge of San Francisco Bay. There is a major street called The Embarcadero that runs for miles along the bay; more or less between the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge (connecting SF and Oakland). That's part of the Bay Bridge below.















Just past the stadium is a Marina with a number of sailboats biding time until they get a chance to sail the Bay!















Further down The Embarcadero is this interesting sculpture. I'm not sure exactly what the artist is trying to 'say'. Perhaps this is the perfect spot?















Sadly, San Francisco is also home to many homeless people. Homelessness is a difficult problem and it breaks your heart to see so many people that lack a stable home to live in. But, it is a reality in our beautiful city. At least this gentleman seems to have a well crafted way of maintaining his stuff.



















As our walk concluded we were back at AT&T Park. One of the interesting features of the park are it's 'arches' in the right field wall. These arches provide a place where passer-byes can stop and watch the happenings at field level. Here's a picture I took during the pre-game warm-ups. However, the arches are open throughout the entire game. A cool feature when you aren't able to get a ticket.















Then, we met up with Patrick and went into the stadium. We were excited when we entered the stadium through the 'Club Level' entrance. It's not a place we had ever been before. You should know that the food at AT&T Park is consistently rated among the very best in baseball. Well, the food at the club level is even more amazing. I had a delicious brisket sandwich while Julie had a beef and broccoli rice bowl. It was delicious and we'll miss it!

Once we grabbed the food we were off to our seats. And they were simply impressive. The netting behind us is actually the net right behind the home plate! Yes, our seats were in the second row behind home plate! How good is that? Way to go Patrick!















Check out the TV camera that captures the images of the batters in the box right in front of our seats!



















There's a couple of things you realize when you sit in these seats. First, you realize there is no chance that you won't be on TV. So, you need to tend to personal grooming and such between innings. And, you've got to try to eat in a half way civilized manner ;D

You also get a very up close view of the players while they are batting. It's interesting to watch the pitches come and understand how little time the batter has to decide if the pitch is worth swinging at and to do so. It's just a tiny fraction of a second! But, I will say that when you are that close to the play - you feel totally justified in yelling at the umpire when they make a bad call! Here's Manny Ramirez who was soundly BOO'ed every time he came to bat! (Dodgers SUCK).



















The other thing you realize is that the players can probably hear you - since you are so close to the field. So, OF COURSE, Julie just had to stand up and scream 'Bengie, I love you!', when Bengie Molina (our catcher) came into the on-deck circle. Bengie is the player we named our tortoise after!










































Okay - so it's time to fess up that the actual game SUCKED. Yeah, the Dodgers had our number early and often. They whooped us 10-3. However, that did afford us the opportunity to witness a special event. The Giants have a prospect by the name of Buster Posey. He is viewed as a n0-brainer for massive success at the major league level. Buster was called up a couple weeks ago and had yet to enter a game for the Giants. So, it was a nice moment when late in the game he entered the game and got a chance for his very first major league at bat. Here he is in the on-deck circle and coming to the plate for the first time in his career. Alas, in accordance with the mood of the night - he struck out. But, if some time 30 years from now he enters the Hall of Fame.. we can say we were there at the beginning!

Thursday Tweets

Back by request... it's Thursday Tweets. Do you know what a tweet is? If not.. check out this earlier post for more information! What is a Tweet?

Please feel free to tweet away - and tell us a little about your day today!

Tod: Looking forward to a three day weekend. Maybe we'll work on the bathroom a bit more.

Tod: Oh.. and I hear some really nice couple is making lunch for us on Sunday.. how sweet is that?

Get Well Soon Trent!

We got news on Friday that my little nephew Trent suffered a difficult fracture of his leg while on vacation in the UP (that's the upper peninsula of Michigan). It was a significant enough break that it required surgery to correct. We understand from what we've heard so far that he's got a plate and 7 screws in his lower leg as a result.

































I can't wait to speak with him and hear his voice and that everything is going to be okay. But, as you enjoy your holiday weekend.. perhaps you could throw up a prayer or two for Trent's recovery.. and for his parents who will have to content with a fireball on crutches.

We just want you to know we are thinking about you Trent!

Love,
Uncle Tod and Aunt Julie

First Blows

As Joel and Carissa were finishing their visit and getting ready to return to Oregon - I noticed Joel took one final blow at his childhood home. He knew that we would be starting our guest bathroom remodel shortly after they left. So, he took the liberty to ensure the project would kick off - by putting his hand through the shower's back wall. Yep, he punched out our house.





























The long weekend afforded me an opportunity to further the destruction. Most of my efforts have focused on removing the tiles, wallboard and insulation surrounding the tub. So far, so good. I have more work to do later today and tomorrow - but the destruction is coming along ;D I found it surprising that an entire tub tile job could be reduced to a single bucket of pieces. Easy come.. easy go.





























Julie's almost completed figuring out what parts are going back in once the destruction is complete. Hopefully over the next month or two we'll be able to share more about this project. We think this will make our B&B even a bit more attractive to visit.

More later!