Monday, August 31, 2009

Monday Musings - August 31, 2009

1. Summertime and fairs seem to go together. Hawkers on the midway add to the ambiance.

2. When August gives way to September, the cool breezes portend a weather change that ultimately results in Autumn frosts in the air.

3. The real end of summer is when the teachers return to school!

4. There is a satisfaction that comes with completing a complex project and actually being pleased with the results. It makes the heart yearn for something more, or what's next.

5. I had a racquetball heavy week last week--I played on five separate occasions including Saturday, I think it may be a new record. I feel it today.

6. The eyes of children at a fair reflect the chaos and joy that is surrounding them.

7. I had the pleasure of attending a birthday party for a 90-year old friend on Saturday night. That is not something you do very often. And it was great. I only pray to see 90 and still be able to enjoy it.

8. As of today, the O's have 31 games left to play this season. They can only lose 4 of those remaining games to achieve a at least a .500 season. They are currently the 28th best team in MLB. Even the Pittsburgh Pirates have a better record that the O's this season. The scary part is that they need to win 9 of the remaining games so they don't finish with a 100 loss season. It could be close! Hold your breath and put on your rally cap.

9. Someone told me that everything I wrote in item 8 doesn't matter because it's football season in Baltimore! Summer truly has left the building!

10. And speaking of summer--you want to know what it is really all about? California 6, Taiwan 3. Little League World Series final! I wish I was coaching Little League again--maybe soon I will be!

Sunday, August 30, 2009

State Fair Day







August, 30, 2009. The Maryland State Fair with the entire family.

A beautiful day in the mid to low 80's with a lot of sun and fun.

Cows and pigs and rides and fun.

Throw in some food (funnel cake) and a great time.

And watch Jackson dance or Ethan have a wholesome experience with a cow!



Who knew that's where milk comes from?

Cows--did I say cows?



Rides, fun and sun. We arrived as the fair opened at 10 AM and stayed until it after 3PM. It was good to be reminded that Maryland is a great agricultural state. Although I was distressed at how many of the hay entries were disqualified for infractions during the judging.

But it was a great family time together for part of the day. We enjoyed being together and traveling across the grounds in a big group.

Ah--the memories of summers past and present. That is what it is all about--really!

The Project - Final Picture


It is done and here is the picture to prove it as we are watching a replay of yesterday's Dallas vs San Francisco game.

We are officially ready for football season (and the end of baseball season, and hockey season too).

Very smooth and operating great! Our family TV room is back together.

Friday, August 28, 2009

It Happened--The TV is in the Hole!

Yup--

It's nearly done.

The TV is in the hole--(I forgot to take a picture)

It works!

It looks good!!

There are just a few really minor things to do, like tightening up the bracket so it doesn't have as much range of motion and painting the door we installed.

We watched part of James Bond last night! And the sub-woofer shook the room and the TV was bright.

And it was good.

Thanks to all who have provided encouragement during this project.

And especially thanks to Patrick and Tina for their help--without them it would not have been done in such a grand fashion and in as little time as it was. The whole project was really Patrick's vision, and a good one at that. Maybe he can market it.

I still need to get used to the RF to IR remote--but it is kewl! I can tell you that.

No more ugly doors to open when we are watching TV. Which is how we used to access the components. Nice, clean lines. Looks like it has always been there.

BTW--donations are being accepted to help pay for it, if you are so inclined.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Dragonfly



I've been meaning to show off this image since it was taken on July 15, 2009 by Chris.


I was so impressed by it. I remember it well--she took it while we were on the causeway off FL528 waiting for the Endeavour space shuttle launch.


This dragonfly came and landed near her and actually posed for her.


And she caught him.


A really good picture.


Believe it or not, there are a lot of different types of dragonflys. I tried to identify the specific type of dragonfly--but there were too many different types--who knew!
She has a great eye.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

The Project--Getting Close Now




Well--we are getting close.

This is the paint phase.

And it looks pretty good.

Another coat and it will be ready for the TV to be installed--Thursday, as planned.

It has been a long hard road--with many twists and turns. But with the end in sight, I am really getting excited.

The wall covers have been reinstalled, the fans installed in the hole, and the cables ready for a TV.

And believe it or not, the next project has already been queued up.

Project Update - The End in sight is not an on-coming train

Well--last night was an important night in the continuing saga which is the TV enclosure project.

Paint! At least some paint.

I did have to fix a small problem with dry wall tape in one area so the entire project did not receive paint--but--tonight the first coat will be applied to everywhere and the second coat to the area where the TV will actually sit.

TV installation is tentatively scheduled for Thursday night!!!!!

It looks good!

It feels good to see completion on the horizon.

It will be better to be sitting in the room and watching TV knowing that the project is behind me and the prospect of football season is ahead of me.

Heck--I'll even be able to watch the O's while Chris is watching some HGTV stuff about home projects that are going to cost me more time and money!


It is soooooooo close. I actually see the light at the end of the tunnel and I am pretty sure it's not an on-coming train, this time.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Scenes to Remember




Did you ever go somewhere and see a scene that you just had to remember?





Sometimes I look at the sun reflecting off the clouds in the evening, as the pinks and reds are beginning to color them and wish that I could record how they appeared to me.





Not the way they look to the camera--cameras record the scenes as they are, not as we see them in our mind. Did you know that there is a difference?





How many times do you look across an open space and see a beautiful pastoral setting and then as you go to take a picture notice the ugly power lines running across in front of you?





We had a similar situation this summer driving away from Key West.


We were watching a water spout--which believe it or not is in the picture, travel just off shore along the road. It was fascinating. And there were two of them. We were so focused on the spouts, that we didn't even notice the power lines in the foreground of the picture.

But in my mind--I remember the water spouts. Not the power lines.

We transform scenes in our minds--removing the ugly and replacing filling the space with how we want to see the scene.

Like a beautiful day along the banks of a small lake in Florida watching the wildlife. It is something beautiful to remember. A happy place, so to speak. A place where there was joy and fun and excitement.

We forget the oppressive heat, the mosquitoes, the long walk. We remove the imperfections to make it a place to dream of returning to--on another day.

It has become another scene to remember in the movie of my life.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Monday Musings - August 24, 2009

1. Wow--weeks do fly. I totally missed last week's installment of Musings because I was so busy with the TV installation/construction project. Ever notice how some people are just ready to pile on? I have already been asked what my next construction opus is going to be! Let me finish this one first, please.

2. This August is the first time in 28 years where we have not been sending one of our children off to school/college. There was one year when we had some time off--but this is really permanent. It is really different.

3. August has screamed by--after July and the great vacation, the pace of life has been really unbelievable.

4. Psalm 90. Yesterday in church it was the topic of the message. The comment was made--"that when we have nothing left but God, then we understand that God alone is enough." That kinda stuck with me.

5. An interesting thing happened with the Orioles yesterday--they won their first series since the All Star break by taking a series from the Chicago White Sox. It really has been that bad since early July!

6. Some would say football season is here--hurrah! But I hear those words and think of the end of summer coming too soon and with it the beginning of birthday season for the family. We have a lot of birthday between now and the beginning of next year!

7. I'm changing my racquetball schedule from T-Th @ 0530 to M-W-F to see if I can get in even better shape and improve my fitness level a bit more. Day 1 was OK. And I guess I will still do the league on Tuesday nights--if we have a league this season. The club is determined to mess with the schedule and screw even that up.

8. Know what really makes me smile deep inside? Hearing Jax say "pop-pop" over and over as he comes (runs) to me!

9. A good timeout is sitting on the sofa watching Transformers with Ethan! Yeah--go get 'em Bumblebee!

10. I saw an enjoyable movie over the weekend--Julie & Julia. I recommend it. There are slow spots, but I have always been fascinated with Julia Child and Meryl Streep does a great job. Turns out there is a whole section in this month's Wine Spectator about Julia Child! Awesome.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

The Project -- Some pictures



Well--I've been writing about it and I think it is time for some pictures of the project--which is nearing completion.

I did have a set back. I had designed the installation to with the idea of having air flow from the bottom to the top with a 2 inch spacing--but when we put the TV in the hole--it just didn't look right. So I am in the process of making the hole a bit smaller.

The door--didn't exist before the project began and it is used to access the area behind the enclosure where the electronics are being installed. We are using an rf to ir converter to make everything work.

I don't have a current picture based on what I did this morning--but the mudding is going really well and we should be painting by Monday evening or Tuesday at the latest.

We have already had the TV installed and test drove it. It looks great and the whole thing is really going pretty well. Patrick is the genius behind the electronic installation.

We have also installed electricity through the back wall and the HDMI cable to run the TV as well. Two cords is all it takes! Amazing.
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