Reclaiming wood

I think I may be watching too much of "The Antonio Treatment". He uses a lot of reclaimed wood in his projects. While I was replacing the lumber on my deck I began to wonder if it was salvageable. Someone had incorrectly pressure washed the redwood deck at some point. Too much pressure wears away the softer bits of the wood and it looks horrible. Turns out though that if I take off about 1/8" on each side, the lumber is once again useable. My plan is to recover enough lumber to build an eating bar on the deck and to provide the supplies to have a bird feeder project for about 7 kids. Later.

Seating area

This is the beginning of a new seating area in our backyard. We always just sit on the deck and look out over the backyard. Sitting in the back corner of the yard will offer a whole new perspective. Lea painted the terracotta medallion and it gets to be the first bit of beautiful color in what will be our new space. Lots of mulching to do, and some hanging pots to buy, but really looking forward to trying it out. Later.

Bike Building

I am glad I got this book at the library instead of buying it. It has some good information about bicycles and welding but it did not have any good tricycle plans for adults. However, I am going to try and build the sidewinder. It is kind of a wilder version of Huffy's "green machine" for adults. If it works I will make a video of me riding it. Later.

Milk Shake

In general I am not a fan of frozen treats. They hurt my teeth too much. I do like a good chocolate milk shake though. Jarling's Custard Cup makes a good one. Luckily we do not go there very often. Later.

Kids Bowl Free

Took the kids to the bowling alley today. We met some friends there and did some good bowling. The three of us each bowled two games, I had to rent two pair of shoes, and I bought two sodas. The whole trip cost me eight dollars. If you would like to know how to have so much fun for so little money, google kids bowl free. I know I am going back next week. Later.

Chives

Not only are chives tasty and easy to grow, they have beautiful edible blooms too. I have never seen chives bloom before. We usually eat them all before they bloom. We planted more herbs and some pepper plants on Sunday. Later.

Toad

This is a picture of Peter the Toad. His name used to be Bob, not sure why the kids decided to change it. There is no good way to show you here, but this picture looks really good on our big screen tv. Motorola sells a $30 hdmi cable for the droid x. I bought a $3 hdmi cable on Amazon and it is working just fine. Now I can preview my hidef video on the big screen before uploading it to youtube. I can also view my pictures on the tv. A very fun, and inexpensive, way to let everyone see what is on the phone all at the same time. Later.

Downtown

I admit that I am not a big fan of shopping. I like buying things but the process of going from store to store generally leaves a little something to be desired. That being said, I really enjoy walking around downtown with the family. I enjoy the stores that we browse through and the time we spend together. The bonus is that we usually stop at Pekara or Aroma for a snack when we are done. The coffee is seldom good, but the food and company can not be beat. Later.

Dam

Beavers are damn good builders. Or is that good dam builders? I am not completely sure this was built by beavers since I don't see a den anywhere. Later.