USMB Coffee Shop IV

[Foxfyre]

Carmel, California? It is one of the world's really picturesque and quaint places and I loved it. Had lunch at Clint Eastwood's Hogsbreath Inn and enjoyed walking on the shoreline. They have a lot of quirky little laws that are interesting. Such as the one making it illegal to eat an icecream cone outside on the public walks or streets--keeps the place tidy and neat it was explained to me.

And if you mean a different Carmel oh well. Still brought back a flood of pleasant memories.

Yes, Carmel By The Sea. I finished my last semester of CA University there. I was way too poor for Clint's restaurant. I actually lived in 17 Mile Drive, (Pebble Beach). The sunsets were awesome, the golf courses immaculate, the residents filthy rich. One of them had me mow down his yard of weeds with a Huskyvarna commercial weedeater with a saw blade. Turns out his "weeds" were poison oak. And he knew it.

Ewww. I hope you sent him the bill for your Calamine lotion.

 

[Iceweasel]

Carmel, California? It is one of the world's really picturesque and quaint places and I loved it. Had lunch at Clint Eastwood's Hogsbreath Inn and enjoyed walking on the shoreline. They have a lot of quirky little laws that are interesting. Such as the one making it illegal to eat an icecream cone outside on the public walks or streets--keeps the place tidy and neat it was explained to me.

And if you mean a different Carmel oh well. Still brought back a flood of pleasant memories.

Yes, Carmel By The Sea. I finished my last semester of CA University there. I was way too poor for Clint's restaurant. I actually lived in 17 Mile Drive, (Pebble Beach). The sunsets were awesome, the golf courses immaculate, the residents filthy rich. One of them had me mow down his yard of weeds with a Huskyvarna commercial weedeater with a saw blade. Turns out his "weeds" were poison oak. And he knew it.

Ewww. I hope you sent him the bill for your Calamine lotion.

I had to go to the ER clinic the next day, I was all swollen and rashed out. I showed up at his door with the bill and he paid it, knew right away what the deal was.

 

[Foxfyre]

Carmel, California? It is one of the world's really picturesque and quaint places and I loved it. Had lunch at Clint Eastwood's Hogsbreath Inn and enjoyed walking on the shoreline. They have a lot of quirky little laws that are interesting. Such as the one making it illegal to eat an icecream cone outside on the public walks or streets--keeps the place tidy and neat it was explained to me.

And if you mean a different Carmel oh well. Still brought back a flood of pleasant memories.

Yes, Carmel By The Sea. I finished my last semester of CA University there. I was way too poor for Clint's restaurant. I actually lived in 17 Mile Drive, (Pebble Beach). The sunsets were awesome, the golf courses immaculate, the residents filthy rich. One of them had me mow down his yard of weeds with a Huskyvarna commercial weedeater with a saw blade. Turns out his "weeds" were poison oak. And he knew it.

Ewww. I hope you sent him the bill for your Calamine lotion.

I had to go to the ER clinic the next day, I was all swollen and rashed out. I showed up at his door with the bill and he paid it, knew right away what the deal was.

Well at least he did the right thing there. Doesn't excuse him putting you at risk without warning though.

 

[Nosmo King]

Saturday I found myself in my basement doing battle with a monster made of cardboard. One of my many bad habits is merely tossing boxes from Amazon or Upton Tea or TCM Video into the basement without regard to disposal. Saturday I got my comeuppance. I waded into the cardboard tsunami, utility knife in hand. I cut every box into pieces no bigger than 8 1/2 x11 inches and layered them in one of the bigger boxes. Once that was full, I grabbed the biggest box and repeated the cut and layer procedure until all the errant cardboard, packing peanuts, Christmas junk and other flotsam and jetsam was cleared. Two trips to the recycling dumpsters later and I had cut through enough detritus to have enough room to fit the four poster bed that was delivered Sunday.

The bed, shown here:

is unfinished Poplar. It looks like a pile of bones in my basement. I thought of finishing it in a black stain, but then I thought of how the dust would show on the top section that supports a canopy (that piece is known as a 'tester'). So now I'm thinking of a rich red wild cherry stain.

Next up, my cabinet maker is building two of these night stands:

Meanwhile, I still have one closet to demolish, I have to frame up the new closets, install the safe, the cedar closet lining, the LED lighting and door switches, drywall the outside, install the dresser (which has the final color on it), install the bead board wainscoting, trim out the ceiling with the race track detail, wallpaper and paint.

As it turned out, I picked the worst time of year and the worst winter ever to do this infernal project. Here it is nearly St. Patrick's Day and I thought I'd be finished a week ago.

It all looks great Nosmo, and so happy you reported back in. I had wondered how your project was going. I know you opted to not have the canopy and there's the aesthetic part of me that thinks that is too bad, but I do understand why the choice was made both from the expense and the logistics angle.

Pondering the nightstands. They really do go well with the rest of the project. I prefer the kind that have bigger drawers and no space underneath, but whatever works.

The tester helps stabilize the top of the posts. Who knows! Maybe I'll find some unbleached linen and throw it up there as a kind of half canopy.

The nightstands were designed to go with the bed. My cabinet maker did not like the idea of the drawer glides being made of wood (he put full extension ball bearing glides on the dresser), but the drawers will hold eye glasses and a book or two, nothing more. So weight and accessibility should not be a problem.

And don't go under the impression that I am anywhere near close to finishing this mess! But once the new closets are framed in, the heavy lifting will be done.

 

[Nosmo King]

Saturday I found myself in my basement doing battle with a monster made of cardboard. One of my many bad habits is merely tossing boxes from Amazon or Upton Tea or TCM Video into the basement without regard to disposal. Saturday I got my comeuppance. I waded into the cardboard tsunami, utility knife in hand. I cut every box into pieces no bigger than 8 1/2 x11 inches and layered them in one of the bigger boxes. Once that was full, I grabbed the biggest box and repeated the cut and layer procedure until all the errant cardboard, packing peanuts, Christmas junk and other flotsam and jetsam was cleared. Two trips to the recycling dumpsters later and I had cut through enough detritus to have enough room to fit the four poster bed that was delivered Sunday.

The bed, shown here:

is unfinished Poplar. It looks like a pile of bones in my basement. I thought of finishing it in a black stain, but then I thought of how the dust would show on the top section that supports a canopy (that piece is known as a 'tester'). So now I'm thinking of a rich red wild cherry stain.

Next up, my cabinet maker is building two of these night stands:

Meanwhile, I still have one closet to demolish, I have to frame up the new closets, install the safe, the cedar closet lining, the LED lighting and door switches, drywall the outside, install the dresser (which has the final color on it), install the bead board wainscoting, trim out the ceiling with the race track detail, wallpaper and paint.

As it turned out, I picked the worst time of year and the worst winter ever to do this infernal project. Here it is nearly St. Patrick's Day and I thought I'd be finished a week ago.

Very, very nice. Keep at it, hopefully you'll be done before the spring weather arrives and then you can relax and enjoy yourself.

As Pop used to say, "from your mouth to God's ear!" Once this project is finished, the house, for the most part, will be the home I wanted to buy 25 years ago.

Next up...new attic access. But that can certainly wait.

 

[ChrisL]

Got the RV out and drove it around for a bit so the fluids could circulate after being shut down all winter. Noticed a small section of outside molding was just hanging near the driver's door. Checked it out and it appears that when it was put onto the RV body the screws weren't long enough. A simple fix. Haven't decided yet if I will drive the RV to NC next month when my brother gets married or drive the Avalanche and stay in hotels. Anyway, regardless of what I decide, it's time to begin to get the RV ready to hit the road to someplace.

Do you really enjoy traveling with the RV? We have a LOT of relatives who have them and thoroughly enjoy using them--one nephew and wife belong to an RV club that travels together all over the USA and Canada.

But me? If I'm gonna vacation, it loses some of its allure if I have to buy and stock groceries, take out the trash, clean up, make beds, vacuum, and al that stuff. That's what I take a vacation to get away from. Give me a nice hotel with pool and other amenities, good food in a restaurant, and at least a bit of pampering.

Geez, I used to go camping in just a tent! An RV is pretty luxurious to me. Lol. I've been a couple of times with my grandparents when I was a kid and then another time, a few years ago, I went camping in an RV with a friend of mine who owns one. I love them! I would like to travel all around America in one. That would be pretty awesome, I think.

 

[ChrisL]

Carmel, California? It is one of the world's really picturesque and quaint places and I loved it. Had lunch at Clint Eastwood's Hogsbreath Inn and enjoyed walking on the shoreline. They have a lot of quirky little laws that are interesting. Such as the one making it illegal to eat an icecream cone outside on the public walks or streets--keeps the place tidy and neat it was explained to me.

And if you mean a different Carmel oh well. Still brought back a flood of pleasant memories.

Yes, Carmel By The Sea. I finished my last semester of CA University there. I was way too poor for Clint's restaurant. I actually lived in 17 Mile Drive, (Pebble Beach). The sunsets were awesome, the golf courses immaculate, the residents filthy rich. One of them had me mow down his yard of weeds with a Huskyvarna commercial weedeater with a saw blade. Turns out his "weeds" were poison oak. And he knew it.

Ewww. I hope you sent him the bill for your Calamine lotion.

I had to go to the ER clinic the next day, I was all swollen and rashed out. I showed up at his door with the bill and he paid it, knew right away what the deal was.

That's terrible. I'm not allergic to any of that. I can roll in it and only get a couple little bumps that go away in a couple days.

 

[Foxfyre]

Got the RV out and drove it around for a bit so the fluids could circulate after being shut down all winter. Noticed a small section of outside molding was just hanging near the driver's door. Checked it out and it appears that when it was put onto the RV body the screws weren't long enough. A simple fix. Haven't decided yet if I will drive the RV to NC next month when my brother gets married or drive the Avalanche and stay in hotels. Anyway, regardless of what I decide, it's time to begin to get the RV ready to hit the road to someplace.

Do you really enjoy traveling with the RV? We have a LOT of relatives who have them and thoroughly enjoy using them--one nephew and wife belong to an RV club that travels together all over the USA and Canada.

But me? If I'm gonna vacation, it loses some of its allure if I have to buy and stock groceries, take out the trash, clean up, make beds, vacuum, and al that stuff. That's what I take a vacation to get away from. Give me a nice hotel with pool and other amenities, good food in a restaurant, and at least a bit of pampering.

Geez, I used to go camping in just a tent! An RV is pretty luxurious to me. Lol. I've been a couple of times with my grandparents when I was a kid and then another time, a few years ago, I went camping in an RV with a friend of mine who owns one. I love them! I would like to travel all around America in one. That would be pretty awesome, I think.

Actually when I was your age, that would appeal to me too. I remember one time a large group of Hombre's family all met at a place called Devil's Den, Arkansas. Everybody else pulled their big fancy popup travel trailers and RVs into the designated spaces at the campground. Hombre and I had a little tent--it did have a canvas floor--just big enough for a couple of sleeping bags and a wee bit of space around the edges to stash our stuff. So we didn't take up a whole camping spot but pitched our little tent in between two of our kinfolk's camping trailers.

When the park ranger came around to collect fees from everybody that night, he only paused at our little tent and announced he wouldn't charge for the tent. We were highly insulted.

 

[ChrisL]

Got the RV out and drove it around for a bit so the fluids could circulate after being shut down all winter. Noticed a small section of outside molding was just hanging near the driver's door. Checked it out and it appears that when it was put onto the RV body the screws weren't long enough. A simple fix. Haven't decided yet if I will drive the RV to NC next month when my brother gets married or drive the Avalanche and stay in hotels. Anyway, regardless of what I decide, it's time to begin to get the RV ready to hit the road to someplace.

Do you really enjoy traveling with the RV? We have a LOT of relatives who have them and thoroughly enjoy using them--one nephew and wife belong to an RV club that travels together all over the USA and Canada.

But me? If I'm gonna vacation, it loses some of its allure if I have to buy and stock groceries, take out the trash, clean up, make beds, vacuum, and al that stuff. That's what I take a vacation to get away from. Give me a nice hotel with pool and other amenities, good food in a restaurant, and at least a bit of pampering.

Geez, I used to go camping in just a tent! An RV is pretty luxurious to me. Lol. I've been a couple of times with my grandparents when I was a kid and then another time, a few years ago, I went camping in an RV with a friend of mine who owns one. I love them! I would like to travel all around America in one. That would be pretty awesome, I think.

Actually when I was your age, that would appeal to me too. I remember one time a large group of Hombre's family all met at a place called Devil's Den, Arkansas. Everybody else pulled their big fancy popup travel trailers and RVs into the designated spaces at the campground. Hombre and I had a little tent--it did have a canvas floor--just big enough for an air mattress for two and a wee bit of space around the edges to stash our stuff. So we didn't take up a whole camping spot but pitched our little tend in between two our our kinfolk's camping trailers.

When the park ranger came around to collect fees from everybody that night, he only paused at our little tent and announced he wouldn't charge for the tent. We were highly insulted.

Ha-ha! I remember going camping in my tent and being surrounded by HUGE RVs. Lol. Not many tent campers at the camp sites anymore.

 

[Montrovant]

I tried to mow the lawn today for the first time post-winter. I filled the tank with gas, pulled the cord....again....again....over and over, nothing. Now, I don't enjoy mowing the lawn, but once I've decided to do it, I'd like the stupid lawn mower to work!

I don't know if the gas is too old (it's been in the gas container in the garage all winter) or what, but it sucks. And I don't actually know what to do with the old gas if it has gone stale (or however old gas that doesn't ignite well is described). Is there a particular way to dispose of it? I don't drive, I only ever deal with this kind of silliness with the lawn mower.

I am not a fan of the combustion engine. Everything should be electric!

 

[Iceweasel]

Carmel, California? It is one of the world's really picturesque and quaint places and I loved it. Had lunch at Clint Eastwood's Hogsbreath Inn and enjoyed walking on the shoreline. They have a lot of quirky little laws that are interesting. Such as the one making it illegal to eat an icecream cone outside on the public walks or streets--keeps the place tidy and neat it was explained to me.

And if you mean a different Carmel oh well. Still brought back a flood of pleasant memories.

Yes, Carmel By The Sea. I finished my last semester of CA University there. I was way too poor for Clint's restaurant. I actually lived in 17 Mile Drive, (Pebble Beach). The sunsets were awesome, the golf courses immaculate, the residents filthy rich. One of them had me mow down his yard of weeds with a Huskyvarna commercial weedeater with a saw blade. Turns out his "weeds" were poison oak. And he knew it.

Ewww. I hope you sent him the bill for your Calamine lotion.

I had to go to the ER clinic the next day, I was all swollen and rashed out. I showed up at his door with the bill and he paid it, knew right away what the deal was.

That's terrible. I'm not allergic to any of that. I can roll in it and only get a couple little bumps that go away in a couple days.

Have you ever spent all day turning it into sawdust? I could barely breathe that night, everything not covered by my short sleeve shirt and pants was red and inflamed. The dude gulped when he saw me.

 

[Iceweasel]

Actually when I was your age, that would appeal to me too. I remember one time a large group of Hombre's family all met at a place called Devil's Den, Arkansas. Everybody else pulled their big fancy popup travel trailers and RVs into the designated spaces at the campground. Hombre and I had a little tent--it did have a canvas floor--just big enough for a couple of sleeping bags and a wee bit of space around the edges to stash our stuff. So we didn't take up a whole camping spot but pitched our little tent in between two of our kinfolk's camping trailers.

When the park ranger came around to collect fees from everybody that night, he only paused at our little tent and announced he wouldn't charge for the tent. We were highly insulted.

Most of my camping was done on a motorcycle. So bare bones. When I got the dogs I took my SUV but it wasn't much more. I hate sitting around so I pick a spot, throw up the tent and leave for the day. I come back to crash and leave before anyone gets up.

 

[Sherry]

Happy Monday

 

[Foxfyre]

I tried to mow the lawn today for the first time post-winter. I filled the tank with gas, pulled the cord....again....again....over and over, nothing. Now, I don't enjoy mowing the lawn, but once I've decided to do it, I'd like the stupid lawn mower to work!

I don't know if the gas is too old (it's been in the gas container in the garage all winter) or what, but it sucks. And I don't actually know what to do with the old gas if it has gone stale (or however old gas that doesn't ignite well is described). Is there a particular way to dispose of it? I don't drive, I only ever deal with this kind of silliness with the lawn mower.

I am not a fan of the combustion engine. Everything should be electric!

No clue Montro. Lots of info here (but no advice on how to get the bad gas out of the mower or what to do with it)
Lawn mower troubleshooting basics - When gas goes bad

 

[Iceweasel]

I tried to mow the lawn today for the first time post-winter. I filled the tank with gas, pulled the cord....again....again....over and over, nothing. Now, I don't enjoy mowing the lawn, but once I've decided to do it, I'd like the stupid lawn mower to work!

I don't know if the gas is too old (it's been in the gas container in the garage all winter) or what, but it sucks. And I don't actually know what to do with the old gas if it has gone stale (or however old gas that doesn't ignite well is described). Is there a particular way to dispose of it? I don't drive, I only ever deal with this kind of silliness with the lawn mower.

I am not a fan of the combustion engine. Everything should be electric!

Gas doesn't go bad that fast. I had some in a motorcycle and it ran after sitting for three years. Pop the air filter off and give it a shot of starting fluid spray.

 

[Big Black Dog]

Got the RV out and drove it around for a bit so the fluids could circulate after being shut down all winter. Noticed a small section of outside molding was just hanging near the driver's door. Checked it out and it appears that when it was put onto the RV body the screws weren't long enough. A simple fix. Haven't decided yet if I will drive the RV to NC next month when my brother gets married or drive the Avalanche and stay in hotels. Anyway, regardless of what I decide, it's time to begin to get the RV ready to hit the road to someplace.

Do you really enjoy traveling with the RV? We have a LOT of relatives who have them and thoroughly enjoy using them--one nephew and wife belong to an RV club that travels together all over the USA and Canada.

But me? If I'm gonna vacation, it loses some of its allure if I have to buy and stock groceries, take out the trash, clean up, make beds, vacuum, and al that stuff. That's what I take a vacation to get away from. Give me a nice hotel with pool and other amenities, good food in a restaurant, and at least a bit of pampering.

Yes, I love the RV! Mrs. BBD likes it because she has her own toilet and shower. Another plus is you can eat the kind of foods that you want to eat and season it to your own taste. Stop just about anywhere for lunch or a nap and then get up and move on down the road. The RV has a microwave, stove and oven, sink, hot water heater, heater and air conditioning. No TV in it though. I wanted one but Mrs. BBD said she didn't want to listen to a TV while we were off somewhere camping. Oh, forgot to mention it has a full-size fridge with a freezer. It's nice and comfortable and no worries about setting up a tent in the rain or being in a tent when it was raining. We like it. Suits our needs and it stimulates the economy with all the gasoline we purchase! That would be the only drawback. On a good day it gets about 9 miles to the gallon and costs around $200.00 to fill the tank. No worries about bedbugs, catching some creepy toe rot from a hotel shower, or wondering what that odd stain is on your hotel bed comforter. It takes about 5 minutes to set up in a RV campground.

 

[Ringel05]

Made it to El Paso in one piece, obviously the cats wont be happy with us being gone for a few days. Was smart this time, I would drive for a couple of hours then the wife would drive for about an hour then we'd switch off again.
Hit El Paso at rush hour so we got to see what that looked like here, not too bad. Gonna head out for dinner, later!

 

[Ringel05]

I tried to mow the lawn today for the first time post-winter. I filled the tank with gas, pulled the cord....again....again....over and over, nothing. Now, I don't enjoy mowing the lawn, but once I've decided to do it, I'd like the stupid lawn mower to work!

I don't know if the gas is too old (it's been in the gas container in the garage all winter) or what, but it sucks. And I don't actually know what to do with the old gas if it has gone stale (or however old gas that doesn't ignite well is described). Is there a particular way to dispose of it? I don't drive, I only ever deal with this kind of silliness with the lawn mower.

I am not a fan of the combustion engine. Everything should be electric!

Lawn mowers have carburetors, there is a small "well" at the bottom of the carb where the gas line feeds, remove the well and the gas line and you will see that the old gas has gelled. Gotta clean out the well and the gas line then it should run correctly.
Or you have a fouled spark plug....... An even easier fix.

 

[Iceweasel]

I tried to mow the lawn today for the first time post-winter. I filled the tank with gas, pulled the cord....again....again....over and over, nothing. Now, I don't enjoy mowing the lawn, but once I've decided to do it, I'd like the stupid lawn mower to work!

I don't know if the gas is too old (it's been in the gas container in the garage all winter) or what, but it sucks. And I don't actually know what to do with the old gas if it has gone stale (or however old gas that doesn't ignite well is described). Is there a particular way to dispose of it? I don't drive, I only ever deal with this kind of silliness with the lawn mower.

I am not a fan of the combustion engine. Everything should be electric!

Lawn mowers have carburetors, there is a small "well" at the bottom of the carb where the gas line feeds, remove the well and the gas line and you will see that the old gas has gelled. Gotta clean out the well and the gas line then it should run correctly.
Or you have a fouled spark plug....... An even easier fix.

That's more work than needs be. Starting fluid will make it run unless something is seriously wrong and any water or gunk in the lines will get burned up.

 

[alan1]

Rock Your Socks for World Down Syndrome Day

The date for World Down Syndrome Day, being the 21st day of the 3rd month, was selected to signify the uniqueness of the triplication (trisomy) of the 21st chromosome which leads to Down syndrome.

On March 21, wear bold, brightly colored, mismatched socks.
You will probably get asked,“What’s with the socks?” That question will give you the perfect opportunity to explain that 3/21 is World Down Syndrome Day, and that you are celebrating all the wonderful things about people with Down syndrome while helping to advocate for individual rights, inclusion, and respect.
Down Syndrome children frequently choose mismatched socks because the concept of matching clothing colors is foreign to them.

Everyday, I wear wild, bold and fun socks (all the cool kids are doing it) because they are one of the few things not covered by the office dress code. Since 3/21 occurs on a Saturday this year, many of us at the office will be 'rocking our socks' on Friday the 20th. I will definately have wild and mismatched socks. I'm thinking one bacon sock and one dinosaur/taco sock.