Its not done until the Dancing Queen says so.

I posted a list of the things that needed to be accomplished over the Thanksgiving Holiday's.

The list included:

Frames for the light fixtures in the shop. As you can see I also enclosed the vintage 1974 Ultraliner speakers.

Wood racks above the miter and radial arm saws.

A plane knob for the NO. 4 Bailey plane being restored. I was especially proud of it, since it was my first turning.

No I haven't talked Marlys into buying a lathe.

I used the POS drill press and a Stanley FatMax chisel as a gouge.

It is turned from a scrap piece of curly redwood.

I even got around to cutting some of the pieces for the next project; the bedroom side tables.

And started the milling on the old cedar that will become the office work surfaces.

But when I brought Marlys down to show her everything, she asked where the old chandelier was going to be installed. After some high altitude ladder gymnastics it is now right in the middle of the shop.

Zero Waste Reverse Osmosis Installation

I thought this was going to be an epic install. The only space to put the ZRO unit was above the washer/dryer in the laundry room and the water was suppose to be plumbed into the refrigerator in the kitchen. There was of course a wall in between and only a wall where the unit would go.

I figured a whole day may be needed to get this done. The cabinet had been finished up earlier in the week (still needs a top coat of gloss lacquer) and it was installed on Thanksgiving morning. So that much was out of the way.

The cabinet was built to reflect the Shaker style in the rest of the kitchen/laundry room. The only "goofy" thing about the cabinet is that the door is one piece and opens up. That was to provide as much room as possible for the install.

The equipment in the cabinet included a pressure tank, pump and various filters along with the actual ZRO unit on the top. There were hook ups for the cold water intake and hot water return (this is the zero waste part of the unit), pressure tank, water outlet and power for the pump.

For those keeping score at home that is 4 water lines and one electric cord.

Routing the water lines to the utility sink was no problem and all of the hardware included with the ZRO unit worked as advertised. So no problems so far.

Next the line to the refrigerator needed to put through the wall. It needed to go into the lower corner cabinet in the kitchen, then out the side into the space behind the refrigerator.

To keep it from interfering with storage in the cabinet it would need to stay high and out of the way. The lines to the sink are also visible. The white line going into the wall on the left is the one going to the refrigerator.

As you can see a couple of exploratory holes were drilled before the right spot was found, but no one will see them, especially the LOML.

The final hook up to the refrig was pretty anti-climactic. Plugged the ZRO in and by Sunday we had done the start up fill/drain routine and had water. Won't need to buy the bottled stuff anymore as Marlys has given it the thumbs up.

BTW it took about 2 hours to complete, so the rest of the day was devoted to burning slash piles.

A Stand in for Afghanistan

On Friday evening a couple of military helicopters flew over the house...low. Fly overs aren't unusual in this area with Fort Carson being about 40 miles east of here. Also the Buena Vista Airport is located 25 miles to the NW. This is important because the BV airport is a British RAF high altitude helicopter training center, along with a few other countries. Normally though we see the flights during the day time.

We found out from a neighbor that the "nap of the earth" flights during the evening hours has been going on for about a week and according to a local news source is because the area is similar to what pilots would see in Afghanistan, e.g. altitude, temperature and terrain.

Pat

A Green Truck Camper

I think Marlys is going to have a hard time on hills. But if fuel prices spike again.....

From the Weird RV Blog: http://weirdrvs.rvtravel.com/2009/08/rv-runs-on-food-and-water.html

Weekend in town

We had a commitment this weekend that kept us in Denver. This was probably OK since there was a two phase snowstorm, e.g. Friday and Saturday night that would have made the drive up and down a challenge.

We seem to be able to keep ourselves busy for a day in town with errants and things, but after that it gets pretty boring. I know my Dad would find that amazing as he can't figure out what we do up at PR even for a weekend.

Here is my prioritized list of items for Thanksgiving Week, I hope we can get to them all.

1. Reverse osmosis cabinet completion in shop
2. Reverse osmosis installation in laundry room
3. Truck servicing in Canon
4. Camper title transfer in Canon
5. Lighting fixture frames build and install for shop (13 left todo)
6. Wood rack for miter saw station in shop
7. Build/install plier rack in shop
8. Make a front knob for the #5 Bailey plane in shop
9. Build refrigerator/filing station in shop
10. Cut pipe clamp cauls in shop for home office work surface glue up
11. Move slash piles for area below house to burn pile behind shop, maybe burn (weather dependent).

My to do list (including trips) is up to 60+ items and lengthening, I don't have time to work anymore ;>

My Review of Voyageur Mid

Originally submitted at Onlineshoes.com

The Voyageur Mid trail shoe from Keen takes on any challenge. Breathable and flexible, the leather webbing and mesh upper with ventilation windows and a woven textile lining offer built-in climate control for hot or cool days. The mid-level height protects your ankle from debris and rocks, while th...

Voyageur Mid

Great Boot, if the outer sole stayed on

By Pat Caulfield from Canon City, CO on 11/10/2009

 

3out of 5

Pros: Comfortable/No Break-In, Ankle Support

Cons: Not Durable/ Wears Easily

Best Uses: Everyday, Day Hiking

Describe Yourself: Casual/Recreational

Sizing: Feels too large, Feels half size too big

This is one of the best boots I have worn.

I use them for hiking.

Keen should have included a tube of Shoe Goo based on the number of times I have had to stick the outer sole back on.

A day of four summits.

Tags: Using Product, Made with Product, Picture of Product

(legalese)

Walken meets Lady GaGa

If you are a Christopher Walken fan you will appreciate this, if you are a Lady GaGa fan you have to wonder about her choice of lyrcists.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xy5JwYOlgvY

What your beer selection says about you.

http://adage.com/article?article_id=140106

Interesting article on beer selection and personality types.

Lately my selections have been:

• Bud Light
• Coors Light
• Corona
• Fat Tire
• Steam Engine Lager

If I read this article right I guess that makes me pretty ... confused.

The Girls are back in Town

We went through 50lbs of bird feed between Friday and Sunday evening. Although there were a few dark headed male Stellar's Jays, the real culprits were the ladies...if you could call them that. At one time I believe we had 30 female Stellar's either on the feeding tray or eating the feed kicked off on to the ground around it. They were slobs.

A few little Finches tried to get in, but they were relegated to the ground spillage.

The males would show up, but they don't get along well with one another so they pretty much eat alone.

The other snowbird was just gathering...well snow.