Author: doug

The elm tree we had to have taken down was, by my count, 59 years old. About 10 years worth of rings on the outside are much narrower, telling me that’s when it started to become less healthy.

We had a dead tree taken down today. I asked them to leave me a couple of wood cookies, 6″ thick slices of trunk. I’ll make a couple of rustic outdoor tables from them. Currently they’re wet and the larger one weighs more than I do, and they’re bound to split as they dry. But I think they’ll make nice outdoor tables.

 

Bonus picture: the trunk these came from.

 

Solar installation proceeds! Yesterday they installed the racking system and the receiver units for each panel. If you count you’ll see there are 24 spots. All that’s left is to install & connect the panels themselves (scheduled for Monday) — and then wait out the bureaucratic processes to allow us to turn the system on. When done it should produce 7200 kWh annually, enough to supply our entire house.

The solar company’s electricians were at the house for the past 2 days installing the non-roof parts of the system. It’s unclear when they’ll schedule the actual panels, but this is definite progress.

My bank has a coin-counting machine in our branch. It’s like a Coinstar but they don’t take a cut if you deposit the proceeds. I guess I had collected quite a bit of change.  That’s 1300 coins, 8.6 lbs total weight.

I walked to the train this morning due to puddles like this one: too wet for me for the bike, and I’m meeting Lis in town this evening so didn’t want to leave my car at the station. It took17 1/2 minutes, which is why I don’t do this more regularly.

This event was less crowded this year, which is good for us but probably not so good for the brewers. There were quite a few new breweries this year too, which is nice to see.

Zim is in town with his son for a family tour, and we got to see him. Here he is with 3 people who have known him even longer than I have.

OK, it’s not Throwback Thursday but I had to post this one.  This photo of a photo is me, at New England’s first chairlift, in about 1977. I am told that my grandfather (my mom’s dad) saved opening day one season by fixing the lift — he worked for Gates Rubber Company (which made industrial belts), and was able to repair the main drive.  Can anyone name the ski area? (I do know the answer).

Day 2 of offsite training — at a hotel in Mansfield, MA, of all places.  I was disappointed that the conference room next to this one was not called “Funkadelic”.

Bonus picture: here’s Weird Al Yankovic being White and Nerdy.