Going through the Memories

 

Ester Proefrock
Chris' Paternal Grandmother
Undated circa 1914

Chris received a box of family images and mementos over the weekend while we were in New York. We spent part of yesterday doing a scan through the box and looking at images, many of which she does not remember seeing when she was a child. 

I decided to try out the image scanning function on my phone to see how well it would be able to capture the images and was very pleasantly surprised. It seemed to do a very good job capturing the images. I may need to find a place where I can minimize the external light because I do note some washed out areas on one of the images. 

Shirley and Roland Meyers
Chris' Aunt and Dad
Undated but prob circa 1938

It was good for her to rummage through the box and find old images of family. She also found birth certificates and, more importantly a death certificate for her great great-grandmother which listed place of birth, in Germany, and parents as well as dates. That is very exciting because we have been unable to get a good ancestral trace on her family because no one remembered the old family names.

I guess I will be on the ancestry trail when I get back to Florida. My family was much easier to trace especially there are published book with the genealogies on both my mother's and father's families. I still need to do work on the maternal sides of both families.

-- Bob Doan, Odenton, MD

Sunday Smatterings

Loxahatchee River Bridge 
Tequesta, FL
August 10, 2024

Chris and I rode bikes yesterday. It was sweltering by the time we got out and we managed less than 10 miles, but we did get out on the streets. It was a very easy ride for me, but the heat really took its toll on Chris. It was a beautiful morning with few clouds, which is why we headed out, even though it was later than normal with higher temperature and humidity approaching 85 percent. 

Later that same day, I installed a new Wifi-enabled door lock. I replaced an older lock that developed too many quirks. It took a couple hours to get it installed as some modification to the doorframe was required. I did manage a new set of wood chisels out of the process.  

Our neighbors moved out of their condo and that made us sad. We have enjoyed our time with them and wish them the best in their new home. 

I am reminded that the only constant is change. 

A week from today we will be hitting the highway headed north to visit family and compete, well we really are not competitive, in the Troy Whittemore Memorial Golf Tournament which is being held in Groton, NY, this year. 

Busy times keep us happy. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

The Closet Upgrade

Left Side View of the Closet
Tequesta, FL
August 8, 2024

 We did something different for our anniversary this year. We had our closet upgraded. 

Yes, Happy 49th Anniversary to my beautiful wife Chris and I hope you enjoy our newly remodeled closet. 

Right Side View of the Closet
Tequesta, FL
August 8, 2024

Closets seem to be the place in our house where stuff is stuffed, literally. Our closet was overflowing because we still had not completely downsized from moving out of our house and into the condo. We had the classic wire system and it just was not getting the job done anymore. So, kinda on the spur of the moment as we were walking out of Costco one afternoon I stopped and talked to the Closet Factory rep. We had a designer visit and we put together a closet plan. Three weeks later--it was installed--that was yesterday.

I remembered to take some pictures of the new installation just after we began the process of repatriating the displaced belongings. 

Why not Ikea? I prefer solid wood and this is a custom installation which uses all of the space. 

OK, was the closet upgrade better than a cruise? I don't know, but they cost the same. I guess the closet will last longer.

As a follow-up to the Yeedi vacuum battery issue, I located a new battery. It arrived a month earlier than promised and I installed it into the vacuum and with a little modification, it works great. And so for a $40 battery and a little troubleshooting, the robot vacuum is fully alive!

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Fixing the Fridge

 

Electronic Control Board and Panel Removed
Tequesta, FL
May 7, 2024

What to do?

The door panel on our Whirlpool refrigerator had been turning off intermittently. It was a pain. The fridge continued to cool, but we could not get water or ice when the panel was resetting. 

I decided to do some research and discovered, via YouTube, that replacing the dispenser electronic control board was not a very difficult process. I ordered a new board which came with a panel and it arrived yesterday. 

The whole process took about an hour between watching the video and installing the new board. The biggest problem that I encountered was that the ribbon connector was not long enough to insert a connector beneath it. It took a bit of doing, but I was able to finally get it all installed without breaking the cable. 

It all worked now and I am happy. And it was a lot less expensive than buying a new refrigerator.

Another project complete. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Can You Believe It?

 It is Friday, again!

My Electrical Panel
Tequesta, FL
March 18, 2024

The end of the week just kind of sneaked up on me and suddenly everything I had been putting off is suddenly due. 

I know, what could I possibly have to get done by the weekend? Well, I have to completely reconfigure my garage to support the installation of the car charger, for one. At least there is space in my electrical box and apparently sufficient service to the condo to support the 40 amp car charger. 

And, I am behind in getting reservations for the sights we want to see on our upcoming European cruise and vacation. The cruise is locked in, but I need to get other sights reserved in both Rome and Venice since we are doing additional days there. I hope we can get our clothes cleaned somewhere. 

The electricians will be here about 5:30 pm so I have some time. But, Jeremy, Julie (later arriving at PBI), Luke and two dogs should also be arriving about that time as well. It might be a real circus around here. 

Happy Friday to all and may your end of week Happy Hour be especially enjoyable.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Dreary Day Project

 Some days are just, dreary. 

Ender-3 V2 3D Printer
Tequesta, FL
January 18, 2024

That was yesterday--well, until the end of the day. As evening fell the skies cleared and the stars came out. Sadly, it cleared too late for us to see the space launch. That would have been exciting. 

I didn't ride my bike yesterday because it always looked as if it were going to rain. 

I spent most of the day trying to resurrect a 3D printer I was given. I made a lot of progress, but the inability to level to level the table was a show-stopper. I will be going to Ace Hardware today to get a couple items that will enable me to level the table and then, hopefully, fire up the printer and make things. I spent a lot of time cleaning and adjusting the printer. At one point I thought I had leveled the table, but with one of the adjusting wheels missing I was only deluding myself.

By the end of today, however, I hopefully will have a fully functional battle station, err printer. 

Chris is not amused that the printer is on the kitchen counter. I probably can only keep it there through today and then I need to find a more permanent place to set it up. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Back in the Storage Facility

Headed to the Storage Room
Tequesta, FL
January 10, 2024

 One of the problems we discovered with downsizing and moving into a condo is storage or, more correctly, lack of storage. 

We rent a storage room because we cannot not fit all of our treasures into the condo. Included in those treasures are 12 containers, plus one artificial tree, of Christmas decorations. With some creative packing, I can get Christmas into the truck for a single trip. But, I have to be a bit careful that none of the containers have loose covers.

Train Infused Traffic Snarl on a Rainy Day
Jupiter, FL
January 11, 2024

Chris and I successfully returned all of the Christmas decorations to the storage facility and we were lucky that we chose to do it on a day when the weather was good, because the next day it was rainy and cold. The increase in train traffic in the area, because of the Brightline, snarls traffic throughout the day making the short trip even tougher at times. But, we missed the rain and most of the traffic snarl by getting right on the project of taking down Christmas and not waiting. 

Yesterday was rainy and cold. Today will be warmer, but just as rainy as yesterday. Fortunately, our projects are complete and we can enjoy the day. I still have not had the opportunity to ride my bike this year--and it does not look as if today will be the day due to the less than optimal weather. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

The TV

 

TV on the Deck
Tequesta, FL
November 4, 2023

We have a small, older (720p) TV that has been gathering dust under a bed since we arrived permanently in Florida. It is just hard to say goodbye to objects which still work and have a unique feature. This small TV has a CD/DVD player built into it. It is the only DVD player we have, although we almost never play DVDs anymore when we can watch or rent from the many streaming channels. 

Originally, we didn't to do anything with it because we do not have an available cable connection. That is not longer a problem. We have a Roku connection and that means we have flexibility. So Chris had the bright idea to put the TV on the patio, under cover. One of our friends have done that with a TV (a much larger deck/lanai and TV). Our TV seemed properly sized for our small deck.

During the summer, it was too hot and humid to either install the TV or to consider watching it on the patio, but with cooler temperatures and lower humidity I installed the TV yesterday. I'm not sure what to do with the cord, But, I may think of something. 

Now we can enjoy Happy Hour on the deck and watch the news!

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

The Flooring Project - Day 3

Living Room Nearly Complete
Tequesta, FL
October 13, 2023

 And so it continues.

The flooring project is now into Day 4. I expect it to be complete this afternoon. All that remains is completing the powder room and installing the quarter round throughout. 

The good news is that the fridge has been returned to its proper place and we have full use of the kitchen. 

The bad news is that there is not a functioning bathroom on the first floor and that means climbing the stairs when nature calls. 

Powder Room
Tequesta, FL
October 13, 2023

Even Finnegan is inconvenienced. The patio has been converted to a workshop and he cannot make his way through the piles of flooring and tools to get out to do his business!   

With the quarter-round remaining, we have not returned all of the items to their proper places because most everything will need to be moved one more time. But, the living room is nearly complete. All of the items for the display cases are safely packed awaiting the completion of the project. 

The powder room is where the majority of the work remains. The flooring needs to be completed and the base boards installed. We took the six-inch ceramic tile off the wall and are going to replace it with a wide base board. 

Expected project completion: Today!

Projects are an inconvenience when underway, but the results are worth it. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

The Flooring Project

The Project Begins, Day 1
Tequesta, FL
October 10, 2023

 Today is day three of the flooring project. 

We have been installing flooring. Of course this is a multi-day project, but spanning into day 3 with the refrigerator in the middle of the kitchen made it a bit harder. 

It is going well, but slow. Anyone who has laid floor knows that the big areas are easy, the hard part is getting the cuts against the walls done properly, or going around walls and kitchen islands all while ensuring that the floor meets properly on the other side. 

At the End of Day 2
Tequesta, FL
October 11, 2023

I had hoped the project would be a three-day event, but it is clearly going to take until Friday, or possibly Saturday to complete. There is a major renovation still to occur in the powder room. Ugh. 

Why is the fridge in the middle of the room, you ask. Well, the flooring in its area is laid, but the quarter round has not been installed and we do not want to move the behemoth twice. Once was enough and I'm not sure my back can take too much more abuse from the fridge--which is surely more than an icebox. The floor looks great, right?

There is only a few square feet of flooring remaining, and of course the powder room. But there is tile work to do in the powder room. We are removing the tile which was used as along the base of the wall and replacing it with a more normal base board--but that means we may have to do some wall work as well. 

Projects--always bigger than they seem.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

The Stool

Teak Shower Stool Refinished
Tequesta, FL
August 12, 2023

 Chris and I have a stool in our shower. 

It came with the house, but it has been a nice addition to the shower, not that we use it it as stool, but rather more as a gathering place for all of the shower-related items we use on a regular basis. 

The problem was that the finish on the chair was deteriorating. Badly. It was making the floor tile discolored.

Chris wanted to dispose of the chair, but after looking at the problem I determined that with a light sanding and the application of a new finish it could be salvaged. And, frankly, I didn't know where we were going to be able to store all of the stuff we use in the shower. So I had a project and over the past two days, I refinished the stool and it is happily reinstalled in our shower. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Getting a Trim

 

Trimmed Palm
Tequesta, FL
July 25, 2023

As I have written before, one of the things that I have learned from living in South Florida for the past year is that palm trees require a lot of maintenance. Much more maintenance than I had previously understood. Falling fronds and coconuts are a hazard to people and property.

Untrimmed Palm
Tequesta, FL
July 25 ,2023

In an effort to reduce the palm debris which occurs during wind storms, the palms must be trimmed regularly. 

The palms look scalped after they are trimmed, but they return to fullness within a year when they must be trimmed again. Hardwood trees generally do not require the same year-after-year care and only require trimming when their slower growing branches begin to interfere with power lines or sidewalks. 

My community had the palms trimmed last week and after the thunderstorms of the past few days, it was clearly obvious that there is far less debris on the ground. That is a good thing because palm fronds are not small and can do damage to cars and property when they fall. Palm trimming is an annual event here and I see the palms being trimmed all around the community generating a large amount of debris. But, at least the debris is being collected for recycling and not dealing during windstorms ad causing damage. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Tab A into Slot B

Looking from Dining Room to Patio
Tequesta, FL
July 28, 2023

 Assembly projects. 

They can be daunting. Some companies are masters of selling items with "some assembly required," like Ikea and Wayfair. 

Yesterday Chris and I assembled the patio furniture that we ordered from Wayfair. 

Riordin on the Sofa
Tequesta, FL
July 27, 2023

Yes, we finally decided to upgrade the patio and make it into that outdoor living space that we have been missing since we left Maryland. We did not bring our outdoor furniture with us because it was too large for the tiny patio that we have now. And so, we have been waiting to find a properly scaled set to help us enjoy our screened paradise.

Riordin quickly decided that he liked the sofa. He napped on it for most of the afternoon. His asthma seemed better in the warm, humid afternoon atmosphere.

Assembly projects remind me that I still need to be able to use skills I learned in kindergarten: Insert Tab A into Slot B! The assembly project went well, except for the obligatory problem. Every assembly project has at least one problem and this one was an improperly drilled screw hole. I was able to overcome the problem by finding a larger bolt. There is always something, but I have to admit, the instructions were generally good, if not humorous in the way they were written. The translation from the original language into English left something to be desired. I don't understand why companies can take a moment to hire native language speakers to ensure that the written language can be comprehended. For instance:

"Locate each Left arm (A) and Right arm (B) to the Chair backrest (C) by the pre-drilled threads."

Huh? Seriously, and I retained the original capitalization of the instruction. 

Ah, the joys of assembly projects.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

After Sitting a Month -- A New Tool

My Compressor
Tequesta, FL
June 16, 2023

 Chris and I experienced one of those car care moments when we returned to Tequesta after being away for almost a month. The tires on our Toyota Highlander were soft. We noticed the softness when we moved it from the parking space and were preparing to go shopping. The screech and rub on the pavement was too obvious. 

Well, I got out the hand tire pump that I use for bikes and proceeded to pump the tires to proper inflation. It took a while because the tires were all equally at 20 psi and I needed to get them to 35 psi. 

Do you know how many pumps it takes to put 15 psi into an automobile tire? 

I counted: about 120!

The inflation process took a while and in the heat I began sweating profusely. 

I was smart, however, and asked Chris to help inflate the third of the four tires. After her experience she suggested we get a real compressor! 

I was ecstatic! I have wanted one for a while, but could not figure out how to justify the purchase. Later, that same afternoon, we were at Home Depot and I came home with a new portable, battery powered compressor with a short hose. I already had the inflation kit, which I saved from the compressor I had in Elkridge. 

I am so happy. Being batter powered, I can take it almost anywhere even across the street to pump up the tires on the truck! 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

After the Storms

New Outlet Installed and Ready for the Cover
Tequesta, FL
June 15, 2023

 We had some exciting storms last evening. Not so much rain, but the lightning was fabulous! It was one of those storms that was right atop us and as soon as the flash occurred, the thunder arrived. Chris and I really appreciate a good storm. 

There were, however, consequences. 

The outlet on the patio which controls the electric screen stopped working. I was able to determine that two things were at play. The outlet was bad and it was not getting electricity. After a two hour search and phoning a friend, we finally determined which GFI in the house controlled the outlet. It was not an easy search. Turns out the GFI that controls the patio outlet is all the way across the house at the front of the garage! Who knew?

But, with perseverance the job was completed and we are back in business. I was lucky to actually have had another outlet in my tool box, which made the repair faster. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Springtime Projects and an Update

 

Electric Mower
Odenton, MD
April 11, 2023

I live in a condo community and so I do not have yard work. I must travel to have the opportunity to get out into the yard with a mower and create the dust and pollen to which I am allergic. The other day I mowed the lawn at Nicole's townhome. It is much smaller than the lawn I used to mow on my tractor and I used a self-propelled electric mower. I was good to be in the yard doing work. I did need to boost my allergy medicine afterwards--I am very allergic to Maryland. Funny, I don't need allergy medicine in Florida. 

I actually enjoyed getting out in the yard and doing one of the first mowings of the season. Chris and I used to compete to do the first mowing at our house in Elkridge. 

As an aside and a follow-on to yesterday's blog about the Arundel Junior Varsity Baseball Team, Chris and I attended a home game last evening. The Arundel team spotted the visitors 10 runs in the top of the 1st inning, but over the course of the remaining innings of the game outscored the visitors 14-2. Final score: 14-12 Arundel! Jackson did not get into the game, but it was thrilling to see the boys claw back into the game by tying tie the score at 11-11 in the 4th inning and then press on to win. It was a long almost three-hour game, but it was full of action and drama.

-- Bob Doan, Odenton, MD

Instructions are Misleading

 

Happy Groundhog Day!

The groundhog saw its shadow and the forecast is for six more weeks of Winter! I can handle that living here in South Florida.

Happy Hour on the Beach
Carlin Park, Jupiter, FL
February 1, 2023

And so there we were, sitting on our favorite beach at the end of a busy day. During the day, I had helped Fran erect a pergola in his lanai. The instructions that came with the kit indicated that the project should take about 45 minutes. Ha!

We began constructing the pergola about 9:30 AM. It was finally erected, with additional help from a neighbor and Mary, about 2:00 PM--but it still was not completely done. Screws need to be driven into the concrete and additional screws need to be installed in the beams. OK, why the difference in time? Well, this pergola is double size from the instructions, it is constructed with very heavy pressure treated lumber, and there was cutting involved. It is fairly clear that there instructions were written for a pergola using pre-cut not pressure-treated lumber, like the 8 foot 4 X 4s that come direct from Home Depot or Lowe's and the pergola would be a single span of 8' square.

Looking East Over the Ocean at Sunset
Carlin Park, Jupiter, FL
February 1, 2023

We survived without major injury although at times I was concerned about the sanity of what we were doing. 

And so to celebrate victory over the instructions and inanimate objects, we decided to wash away the sweat, frustration, and problem solving of the day by enjoying dinner and Happy Hour on the beach--beginning at 4:00 PM with sunset being at 6:02 PM. It was again an awesome way to end the day.

I do so enjoy sunset Happy Hours on the beach.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Through the Screen

 

Through the Motorized Screen
Tequesta, FL
January 4, 2023

Chris and I made a minor, but significant upgrade to the patio. We had a motorized screen installed. The screen keeps the leaves and debris off the patio, but more importantly, it allows me to sit outside without being covered by bug spray on beautiful evenings. I wrote briefly about it yesterday, but decided to expand on the item a bit. 

Last evening after the sunset, I looked out at the moon rising above the senior citizens living center next door through the screen. It actually reminded me of Elkridge and looking out through the screens on the porch during the nighttime hours. It made me happy.

I actually have an image to post with this item, but Blogger is having problem this morning and will not let me add the image to this blog. Hopefully it will resolve itself later in the day. I added the image to the Facebook and Twitter items. 

The screen added a surreal look to the scene!

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Escaping the Heat

Chris on the 9th Tee
Jupiter dunes, Jupiter, FL
December 15, 2022

 According to the weather almanac, the high only managed to reach 80 degrees yesterday. That significantly helped in keeping our house, which still has no A/C or heat, from turning into a baker's oven. I am concerned about next week as there is the threat of potential lows in the 30's.

We were promised that the new system will be delivered between 9-10 AM this morning. We are hopeful that it will actually arrive and provide relief not so much from the heat, which is not too bad, but the humidity. And of course, allow us to silence the outdoors noises of life by closing the windows which will make sleeping far easier. I am amazed how much happens during the dead of night and before 6 AM in the morning around here. I wish we had quiet hours to enforce.

In an effort to beat the heat, we went golfing yesterday. It was great to be outside on the course smacking the little ball around on a beautiful mid-December day in South Florida. Chris had a great round; me, not so much. I did finally figure out how to hit the greens near the end of the round and finished exactly with the score I should have as a bogey golfer. I definitely need to play more so that I don't have to relearn my swing with every outing. 

Here's hoping that the promises of a repaired system ring true today.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Day 4 - No A/C

 

The lack of air conditioning in our Florida home has now stretched into day 4. It took until Day 2 (Tuesday) to realize that the system was not functioning which added a day to the entire problem. The weather has been cooperating and it remains comfortable inside. The indoors temperature climbed to 77 degrees yesterday and with the ceiling fans it was not uncomfortable. 

Thankfully, we have ceiling fans in every room except the kitchen. 

I called the HVAC service company twice yesterday. I was advised that they had put out an emergency order for a replacement. Later I was told to expect the new unit on Friday because a the replacement was being shipped from Lennox because they did not have a system compatible with mine in stock. If that is the definition of an emergency, I am sure the patient would have died! When I put the system 2 years ago in and purchased the additional service plan I was promised not to be without air for more than 24 hours! So much for promises.

We will see how today goes. The outdoors temperature is expected to rise to 83 degrees by 3 PM. We are cooling the house with the morning outdoors 70 degree air in preparation for the hot afternoon. Fortunately, we have friends who have offered us a place to stay if the house becomes too uncomfortable. 

Sadly, we have been through this before. Funny, in over 21 years in Maryland we were never without heat or A/C for more than 24 hours. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL