Tonight I finally completed the garage siding. My father Doug gave up two of his weekends helping me and we had all the walls done. This weekend my dad was out of town, but I rented some scaffolding and hired Bernardo from the Home Depot parking lot and we got the gables all sided.
The scaffolding was definitely the right way to go. Hefting those heavy pieces of siding up and down on ladders would have been exhausting as well as pretty dangerous. The angle cuts are harder than they seem like they should be, even with a template. So most boards in the gables require at least a couple of trips up and and down the ladder/scaffolding to get the fit just right.
Carol bought quart cans of five different paint colors today. We've put off the decision as long as we can. We've been thinking barn red with white trim (for both the garage and the house), but recently Carol saw a house nearby that is navy blue with white trim. We both like it. Today Carol bought three reds and two blues and painted patches on the garage and the house so we can see them in different lighting. We're both liking the darker, duskier blue she chose. An advantage of blue is that it is closer to the existing house color. We can already tell that red is going to take several coats to cover the existing turquoise.
Carol, artist that she is, has a very finely tuned eye for color. We've been trying to identify exactly the right red. Many reds are too orange, too pink, or too blue.
I'm switching jobs after this week. Currently my plan is to take the first week of October off and get the garage painted. The weather is looking amenable right now, but long range forecasts are pretty likely to change. If the weather holds and I'm feeling energetic, I'll paint the house at the same time.
I'm very excited to have the siding complete. Now the garage really looks like a completed building.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Charlotte Goes Mobile
Labels:
family
Sorry that it has been almost two months since I've posted any photos of the girls! I guess I've been kinda busy. The garage is keeping me occupied (see below), as well as just helping Carol and all the other stuff of life.
Charlotte is nine months old today. She's been standing holding onto furniture for about a month now. This week she started letting go for a few seconds. She has already developed fairly good balance. And when she falls, at least she sits down rather than just toppling over like a tree. She can also "cruise" a little now from one object to another (e.g. from hanging on to my knee to holding on to the ottoman). And then today she crawled 10 feet for the first time! So long to the days when we could just put her somewhere and trust that she'll stay there.
Audrey continues to develop language with amazing speed. I keep commenting on it because I find it so fascinating. We also moved Audrey to a twin bed a month or so ago, which she loves. She looks tiny in it! Her crib is still in her room. When we have time we'll move it to the other upstairs bedroom and put Charlotte in it, but for now Audrey is enjoying having two beds in her room. The crib is now her trampoline.
Carol signed up for the Danskin Triathlon back in March with a goal of training a lot for it. That didn't quite work out, but she did make it to the gym twice almost every week. Although she had last minute doubts about whether she was up to it, she ended up competing and did just fine. Her times were about what she was expecting. I'm proud of her for completing it.
I'm about to change jobs. The contract I'm working on ended mid-August but I've extended through September. They want me to stay another year, but I need to get back to a "real job". I'm used to working in software companies, not in IT, and I prefer the benefits of a full time permanent position. Previously I would have said I prefer the security of such a job, too, but there is no such thing anymore. Getting laid off every once in a while is just part of the deal in my profession. I haven't started looking in earnest yet, but I expect to find and start a new job by early October.
Charlotte is nine months old today. She's been standing holding onto furniture for about a month now. This week she started letting go for a few seconds. She has already developed fairly good balance. And when she falls, at least she sits down rather than just toppling over like a tree. She can also "cruise" a little now from one object to another (e.g. from hanging on to my knee to holding on to the ottoman). And then today she crawled 10 feet for the first time! So long to the days when we could just put her somewhere and trust that she'll stay there.
Audrey continues to develop language with amazing speed. I keep commenting on it because I find it so fascinating. We also moved Audrey to a twin bed a month or so ago, which she loves. She looks tiny in it! Her crib is still in her room. When we have time we'll move it to the other upstairs bedroom and put Charlotte in it, but for now Audrey is enjoying having two beds in her room. The crib is now her trampoline.
Carol signed up for the Danskin Triathlon back in March with a goal of training a lot for it. That didn't quite work out, but she did make it to the gym twice almost every week. Although she had last minute doubts about whether she was up to it, she ended up competing and did just fine. Her times were about what she was expecting. I'm proud of her for completing it.
I'm about to change jobs. The contract I'm working on ended mid-August but I've extended through September. They want me to stay another year, but I need to get back to a "real job". I'm used to working in software companies, not in IT, and I prefer the benefits of a full time permanent position. Previously I would have said I prefer the security of such a job, too, but there is no such thing anymore. Getting laid off every once in a while is just part of the deal in my profession. I haven't started looking in earnest yet, but I expect to find and start a new job by early October.
Garage has Roof, Windows and Siding (almost)
Labels:
house
The garage project was kind of on hold from mid-July through mid-August. Summer activities got in the way. But two weeks ago we got the roofing done, last week we got the doors all in and this weekend my dad helped me get started on the siding. I think we're about half done with that. 5 of 8 walls are mostly done, but the hard parts are left to do: the door and window tops with more cuts and the difficult high parts.
We're looking forward to getting the siding all on and trimmed out. Then we just have to paint the whole thing. If we're still feeling ambitous, we'll paint the house at the same time, in the same colors (it's looking like we'll go with brick red with white trim).
I wish I had kept track of my time for the project. It entails lots of fun little things like getting home from work and moving 1.5 tons of siding out of the alley and into the yard by hand (delivery trucks can't get into the yard). But it's going to be very satisfying when it is all done.
Of course, once we get the exterior all painted, then we have to finish the interior: electrical and plumbing and drywall and paint and trim, etc.
We're looking forward to getting the siding all on and trimmed out. Then we just have to paint the whole thing. If we're still feeling ambitous, we'll paint the house at the same time, in the same colors (it's looking like we'll go with brick red with white trim).
I wish I had kept track of my time for the project. It entails lots of fun little things like getting home from work and moving 1.5 tons of siding out of the alley and into the yard by hand (delivery trucks can't get into the yard). But it's going to be very satisfying when it is all done.
Of course, once we get the exterior all painted, then we have to finish the interior: electrical and plumbing and drywall and paint and trim, etc.
Monday, July 17, 2006
STP 2006: Seattle to Portland in One Day
Labels:
cycling
Warning: long article ahead!
Somehow even with a garage-building project going on and with a 7-month-old baby at home, I've managed to get in a lot of long bike rides and get in the best shape I've seen in several years. "Somehow" means via the immense generosity of my wonderful wife Carol. Even though she works her full-time job as a mom all week long (a job for which I have tremendous respect) she's still willing to let me take off for a six-hour bike ride every couple of weekends.
I've commuted to work by bike almost every day since Christmas. That has also helped my conditioning, even though it's a short ride (6 miles to work, about 10 coming home if I go the "long" way). The ride home has a steep hill no matter which way I go, so that has helped my strength.
Given the good form I've been able to achieve this year, I was ready to repeat last year's longest ride by completing the Seattle to Portland (STP) 200-mile ride in one day. This year I even knew what I was getting in to. Everyone has a different range of experiences during a ride this long. Steve W says everybody suffers at some point on the ride. So this story only relates my own personal experience. Your mileage may vary.
The "team" I rode with was composed of people who come from the loose "club" I ride with often on Saturdays. Several are former racers. This year the crew included Steve Schock, Steve Wyands, and Darby Lippincott all of whom I did the ride with last year. We were joined this year by Peter Kellogg-Smith, Steve Clark and friend of friend Anna Jurgens. Anna is a former racer, but it took a brave woman to jump into a group of strangers at the last minute before a 200-mile ride.
Anyway, on to the ride. We left the start line at 5:40am. We managed to survive the 24 miles of carnage to the first food stop. It's amazing how many people one passes at the start of this ride who seem to have spontaneously fallen off their bicycles. In the first 100 miles we saw about half dozen people laid out on their backs on the road side waiting for an ambulance. Perhaps they try riding in a paceline for the first time but they don't know the primary rule of paceline riding: never let your front tire overlap the rear wheel of the rider in front of you. You will crash. The second rule is never hit your brakes.
Once past the first food stop the route enters the Kent Valley and transitions from urban to a mix of farms and industrial parks. It opens up enough that we could start getting a paceline going. We were able to cruise along at 23-25mph. I took a couple of good strong pulls at the front of the paceline, feeling a lot stronger than last year.
I pulled into the first few food stops with a very full bladder, which meant I was adequately hydrated. Steve W and I decided to stop at the bottom of the only big hill of the ride (at 43 miles) because we didn't want to climb the hill having to pee that badly. Then we chased back, managing to catch the group just as they reached the second food stop at 54 miles.
The next 20 miles cruise down the "back" (east) side of Fort Lewis. This year the route was changed a little and miles 72 to 86 were on a relatively new bike path from Yelm to Tenino. This was an immensely enjoyable part of the ride. The bike path was shaded by trees and passed by a lake and we were flying along so smoothly. Near the end of it, one member of our group forgot the aforementioned primary rule of paceline riding. Anna was leading, the unnamed rider was second and I was third. He touched her wheel and hit his brakes and veered right. His braking brought his wheel back, overlapping mine, and his veer to the right almost took my wheel out from under me. Somehow, purely by instinct, I got my left foot unclipped and skidded it along the asphalt like an outrigger and pushed down on my handlebars which stabilized my front wheel and next thing you know I was still rolling along instead of sprawled on the trail with a broken collarbone and a bunch of road rash. That would have had a negative effect my mood.
I expected a big adrenaline rush, but I didn't feel one immediately. Although when we rolled into the Tenino food stop at mile 86 I noticed my legs were shaking a little. That was close.
The Tenino food stop, by the way, is where I was seriously bonked last year. This year, the adrenaline rush notwithstanding, I was feeling fantastic.
As we were leaving that stop, Darby noticed that a tandem crew she knew had left just ahead of us. I didn't realize it, but we were on a mission to catch them. Next thing you know we were sustaining 27mph on flat ground - that's very fast. We pretty much maintained a pace above 25mph for the remaining 14 miles to the halfway point at Centralia at 100 miles. Our time was 4:53 (fastest century I've ever done) and our average speed was at about 20.2.
In Tenino we ran into friends of Peter named Chris and Adam. They were a couple of strong young bucks who stayed with us the rest of the ride and did a huge amount of pulling.
Anna decided in Centralia that she had had enough of a 25mph pace in the flats. She told us she would separate from the group if she needed to. Steve Clark bonked at the same place I did last year, and like I did last year, caught up to us in Centralia and departed with the group.
Once the route leaves the city streets of Centralia and Chehalis it turns back into rural roads through farms. Just before Napavine, at mile 112 is the second hardest hill of the ride but it isn't too bad; only 1/2 mile long. At mile 122 is a food stop at Winlock. To my teammates' amazement, I ate a hot dog and a Mountain Dew. Most sports foods (Power Bars, etc.) focus on carbohydrates. My body doesn't tolerate a pure carb diet very well during long events. I have to have some significant protein occasionally. Hot dogs seem to work just fine.
Then back in the saddle and powering on. Various members were now starting to suffer a little. When we pulled into the Lexington food stop at mile 145 we all sprawled out on the grass. Then we tried to choke down the ham & cheese sandwiches, nectarines, grapes, fig newtons and oreos provided at the stop. Anna was still with us at this point, but she left the stop before us with the intention of keeping her own comfortable pace the rest of the way.
When we left the stop everybody was feeling a little sluggish. I was in the front and felt like I couldn't go faster than 17. But fairly soon my legs were spinning more freely and soon I was leading out at about 21-22mph. Not too fast for tired riders, but keeping our average above 20 as we'd hoped. Soon I was feeling quite good again and I led for most of the 6 miles into Kelso.
Kelso and Longview feel pretty urban, but traffic was pretty light. At mile 153 the route crosses the Lewis and Clark Bridge over the Columbia River and enters Oregon. The bridge is a fairly significant hill, both up and down. Steve W hit his high speed of the ride at 47mph going down the other side. I didn't check my max speed but I don't think I went that fast. The friendly locals in their oversized pickup trucks threatened to run me down as I was passing slower riders.
The group got split up approaching the bridge because there was a lot of rider traffic. On the other side we each kept our own pace for a while. Peter bonked a little at the bridge and Steve W and myself shortly thereafter. My bonkage was relatively minor. I slowed down to about 16 for a few minutes but soon I was back up at 21. Steve W found a tandem to tag onto and caught back up to me. Steve S and Darby had left us in the dust by now. At mile 166 we pulled into a convenience store for drinks. As we were coming out, Peter pulled in. The three of us felt better after that and we were able to get up a good pace again into the last food stop at mile 175 in the town of St. Helens.
Since Steve W and Peter and I had just stopped recently and the others had been at the St. Helens stop longer, we took off soon. We were all feeling pretty good again at this point. Then, at mile 190, a fast tandem passed us. Whoever was leading our group (I was at the back at the time) decided to chase the tandem and get a free ride into Portland. I got gapped by about 50 yards by the acceleration. I hammered as hard as I could and just about caught up to the group when I blew up and had to back off. I was doing 29mph, which is a record-setting speed for me. The group was riding away from me at 30mph. Amazing. I watched them disappear into the distance knowing I wouldn't see them again until the finish line.
I took a few minutes to recover at about 17mph and then got back up to 21 pretty comfortably. I was starting to get tired, though. I ate a banana I had been carrying, but my body was done eating and moving at the same time. Then at mile 199 the route turns hard right and goes up a steep little hill for a block or two. I bonked completely at that point, climbing the hill at 6mph. Fortunately I was well into Portland now with only a couple of miles to go to the finish. I plodded along and came rolling into the finish about 15 minutes behind the group. I found them all lying on the grass relaxing.
Ironically, Anna had beat us all to Portland. She had already met up with her friend and left the finish area by the time I got there. I guess slow and steady (well, actually just '“not-so-damn-fast" and steady' Anna was by no means slow) wins the race.
My ride time was 10:04 with an average speed of 20.2mph on my computer. The rest of the team did 20.4mph
Overall I was pretty happy with my ride and how I felt during it. The very most important aspect of long endurance events like this is good management of food and liquid. I did really well for the first 140 miles. I think I got overconfident about my hydration and subconsciously started drinking less. That caused me to bonk after the effort of the Longview bridge. I'll have to focus even more on that next year. I was very pleased that I felt quite good until about mile 155. I also had a little breakthrough in that I felt confident enough to eat and drink on the bike while traveling at high speed in a paceline. I used to find that pretty terrifying so I wouldn't eat or drink enough between stops. When the stops are 30 miles apart, one must eat on the bike. Of course, the main thing that contributed to my ability to do that this year was the confidence I had in my teammates and their paceline skills.
Hopefully I'll get enough miles in next spring to do it again next year. Especially with this great group.
Somehow even with a garage-building project going on and with a 7-month-old baby at home, I've managed to get in a lot of long bike rides and get in the best shape I've seen in several years. "Somehow" means via the immense generosity of my wonderful wife Carol. Even though she works her full-time job as a mom all week long (a job for which I have tremendous respect) she's still willing to let me take off for a six-hour bike ride every couple of weekends.
I've commuted to work by bike almost every day since Christmas. That has also helped my conditioning, even though it's a short ride (6 miles to work, about 10 coming home if I go the "long" way). The ride home has a steep hill no matter which way I go, so that has helped my strength.
Given the good form I've been able to achieve this year, I was ready to repeat last year's longest ride by completing the Seattle to Portland (STP) 200-mile ride in one day. This year I even knew what I was getting in to. Everyone has a different range of experiences during a ride this long. Steve W says everybody suffers at some point on the ride. So this story only relates my own personal experience. Your mileage may vary.
The "team" I rode with was composed of people who come from the loose "club" I ride with often on Saturdays. Several are former racers. This year the crew included Steve Schock, Steve Wyands, and Darby Lippincott all of whom I did the ride with last year. We were joined this year by Peter Kellogg-Smith, Steve Clark and friend of friend Anna Jurgens. Anna is a former racer, but it took a brave woman to jump into a group of strangers at the last minute before a 200-mile ride.
Anyway, on to the ride. We left the start line at 5:40am. We managed to survive the 24 miles of carnage to the first food stop. It's amazing how many people one passes at the start of this ride who seem to have spontaneously fallen off their bicycles. In the first 100 miles we saw about half dozen people laid out on their backs on the road side waiting for an ambulance. Perhaps they try riding in a paceline for the first time but they don't know the primary rule of paceline riding: never let your front tire overlap the rear wheel of the rider in front of you. You will crash. The second rule is never hit your brakes.
Once past the first food stop the route enters the Kent Valley and transitions from urban to a mix of farms and industrial parks. It opens up enough that we could start getting a paceline going. We were able to cruise along at 23-25mph. I took a couple of good strong pulls at the front of the paceline, feeling a lot stronger than last year.
I pulled into the first few food stops with a very full bladder, which meant I was adequately hydrated. Steve W and I decided to stop at the bottom of the only big hill of the ride (at 43 miles) because we didn't want to climb the hill having to pee that badly. Then we chased back, managing to catch the group just as they reached the second food stop at 54 miles.
The next 20 miles cruise down the "back" (east) side of Fort Lewis. This year the route was changed a little and miles 72 to 86 were on a relatively new bike path from Yelm to Tenino. This was an immensely enjoyable part of the ride. The bike path was shaded by trees and passed by a lake and we were flying along so smoothly. Near the end of it, one member of our group forgot the aforementioned primary rule of paceline riding. Anna was leading, the unnamed rider was second and I was third. He touched her wheel and hit his brakes and veered right. His braking brought his wheel back, overlapping mine, and his veer to the right almost took my wheel out from under me. Somehow, purely by instinct, I got my left foot unclipped and skidded it along the asphalt like an outrigger and pushed down on my handlebars which stabilized my front wheel and next thing you know I was still rolling along instead of sprawled on the trail with a broken collarbone and a bunch of road rash. That would have had a negative effect my mood.
I expected a big adrenaline rush, but I didn't feel one immediately. Although when we rolled into the Tenino food stop at mile 86 I noticed my legs were shaking a little. That was close.
The Tenino food stop, by the way, is where I was seriously bonked last year. This year, the adrenaline rush notwithstanding, I was feeling fantastic.
As we were leaving that stop, Darby noticed that a tandem crew she knew had left just ahead of us. I didn't realize it, but we were on a mission to catch them. Next thing you know we were sustaining 27mph on flat ground - that's very fast. We pretty much maintained a pace above 25mph for the remaining 14 miles to the halfway point at Centralia at 100 miles. Our time was 4:53 (fastest century I've ever done) and our average speed was at about 20.2.
In Tenino we ran into friends of Peter named Chris and Adam. They were a couple of strong young bucks who stayed with us the rest of the ride and did a huge amount of pulling.
Anna decided in Centralia that she had had enough of a 25mph pace in the flats. She told us she would separate from the group if she needed to. Steve Clark bonked at the same place I did last year, and like I did last year, caught up to us in Centralia and departed with the group.
Once the route leaves the city streets of Centralia and Chehalis it turns back into rural roads through farms. Just before Napavine, at mile 112 is the second hardest hill of the ride but it isn't too bad; only 1/2 mile long. At mile 122 is a food stop at Winlock. To my teammates' amazement, I ate a hot dog and a Mountain Dew. Most sports foods (Power Bars, etc.) focus on carbohydrates. My body doesn't tolerate a pure carb diet very well during long events. I have to have some significant protein occasionally. Hot dogs seem to work just fine.
Then back in the saddle and powering on. Various members were now starting to suffer a little. When we pulled into the Lexington food stop at mile 145 we all sprawled out on the grass. Then we tried to choke down the ham & cheese sandwiches, nectarines, grapes, fig newtons and oreos provided at the stop. Anna was still with us at this point, but she left the stop before us with the intention of keeping her own comfortable pace the rest of the way.
When we left the stop everybody was feeling a little sluggish. I was in the front and felt like I couldn't go faster than 17. But fairly soon my legs were spinning more freely and soon I was leading out at about 21-22mph. Not too fast for tired riders, but keeping our average above 20 as we'd hoped. Soon I was feeling quite good again and I led for most of the 6 miles into Kelso.
Kelso and Longview feel pretty urban, but traffic was pretty light. At mile 153 the route crosses the Lewis and Clark Bridge over the Columbia River and enters Oregon. The bridge is a fairly significant hill, both up and down. Steve W hit his high speed of the ride at 47mph going down the other side. I didn't check my max speed but I don't think I went that fast. The friendly locals in their oversized pickup trucks threatened to run me down as I was passing slower riders.
The group got split up approaching the bridge because there was a lot of rider traffic. On the other side we each kept our own pace for a while. Peter bonked a little at the bridge and Steve W and myself shortly thereafter. My bonkage was relatively minor. I slowed down to about 16 for a few minutes but soon I was back up at 21. Steve W found a tandem to tag onto and caught back up to me. Steve S and Darby had left us in the dust by now. At mile 166 we pulled into a convenience store for drinks. As we were coming out, Peter pulled in. The three of us felt better after that and we were able to get up a good pace again into the last food stop at mile 175 in the town of St. Helens.
Since Steve W and Peter and I had just stopped recently and the others had been at the St. Helens stop longer, we took off soon. We were all feeling pretty good again at this point. Then, at mile 190, a fast tandem passed us. Whoever was leading our group (I was at the back at the time) decided to chase the tandem and get a free ride into Portland. I got gapped by about 50 yards by the acceleration. I hammered as hard as I could and just about caught up to the group when I blew up and had to back off. I was doing 29mph, which is a record-setting speed for me. The group was riding away from me at 30mph. Amazing. I watched them disappear into the distance knowing I wouldn't see them again until the finish line.
I took a few minutes to recover at about 17mph and then got back up to 21 pretty comfortably. I was starting to get tired, though. I ate a banana I had been carrying, but my body was done eating and moving at the same time. Then at mile 199 the route turns hard right and goes up a steep little hill for a block or two. I bonked completely at that point, climbing the hill at 6mph. Fortunately I was well into Portland now with only a couple of miles to go to the finish. I plodded along and came rolling into the finish about 15 minutes behind the group. I found them all lying on the grass relaxing.
Ironically, Anna had beat us all to Portland. She had already met up with her friend and left the finish area by the time I got there. I guess slow and steady (well, actually just '“not-so-damn-fast" and steady' Anna was by no means slow) wins the race.
My ride time was 10:04 with an average speed of 20.2mph on my computer. The rest of the team did 20.4mph
Overall I was pretty happy with my ride and how I felt during it. The very most important aspect of long endurance events like this is good management of food and liquid. I did really well for the first 140 miles. I think I got overconfident about my hydration and subconsciously started drinking less. That caused me to bonk after the effort of the Longview bridge. I'll have to focus even more on that next year. I was very pleased that I felt quite good until about mile 155. I also had a little breakthrough in that I felt confident enough to eat and drink on the bike while traveling at high speed in a paceline. I used to find that pretty terrifying so I wouldn't eat or drink enough between stops. When the stops are 30 miles apart, one must eat on the bike. Of course, the main thing that contributed to my ability to do that this year was the confidence I had in my teammates and their paceline skills.
Hopefully I'll get enough miles in next spring to do it again next year. Especially with this great group.
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Garage Framing Complete
Labels:
house
My hugely generous family - brother-in-law Frank, sister Tricia and father Douglas - gave up another day of their lives to come over July 7 and finish the framing of the garage. We had to build the overhangs on the gables, install the barge boards, sheath the remaining walls and then sheath the roof. I should say that Frank did the bulk of the work and we helped him and tried not frustrate him too much.
I now have only a few small tasks to do before we can call for the framing inspection (one of about seven inspections total - we've already done pre-construction, foundation and setback inspections). Once we pass the framing inspection, we can install the roofing and siding and get the garage "dried in". Hopefully I'll get to where I can request the inspection this week.
Last week I had crushed rock delivered and we re-surfaced the alley and blended in the "ramp" to the garage slab. At that point we could park the cars in the garage. Our street is a little busy and we no longer have to load the kids in the car with rude drivers passing going too fast.
By the way, Frank prepared the lumber list for me from the drawing. When the garage was all framed we had about four studs, six 2x4s and six sheets of plywood left. That's a pretty damn good estimate!
I now have only a few small tasks to do before we can call for the framing inspection (one of about seven inspections total - we've already done pre-construction, foundation and setback inspections). Once we pass the framing inspection, we can install the roofing and siding and get the garage "dried in". Hopefully I'll get to where I can request the inspection this week.
Last week I had crushed rock delivered and we re-surfaced the alley and blended in the "ramp" to the garage slab. At that point we could park the cars in the garage. Our street is a little busy and we no longer have to load the kids in the car with rude drivers passing going too fast.
By the way, Frank prepared the lumber list for me from the drawing. When the garage was all framed we had about four studs, six 2x4s and six sheets of plywood left. That's a pretty damn good estimate!
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