Author: doug

I did not get a chance to have real Maryland crabcakes while in Annapolis earlier this spring, and have been craving them ever since. So with Lis out of town, I made myself a feast this evening.

Sadly, the crabcakes were slightly disapponting — the pasteurized crabmeat available in this part of the country just doesn’t have the subtle fresh flavor I remember from my childhood. The enormous diver scallops, however, were fantastic (as was the 22-oz. Hennepin).

Track work closed our nearest commuter rail station one day this week — the timing didn’t affect me, but Lis had to use a different station. Here you can see they’ve replaced some sort of clip under the rails. I’m told they’re pre-stressing the rails in preparation for (one of these years) no longer needing heat-related speed restrictions in the summer.

This road construction project in front of my office is a huge drain on my productivity. Yes, I’m still an 8 year old boy at heart — I love the construction equipment and process. Today was especially fascinating as they uncovered old streetcar rails. Sadly, they’re being removed. Of course, the Red Line is only a few hundred feet away.

The road construction in front of my office has shifted to the next set of 2 lanes.

I installed some shelving for my dad today. He has medical issues that make him very short of breath even just getting up out of his chair, and these Ikea cubbies will, we hope, put a lot more of his daily life right at his fingertips.

Our viburnum is really putting on a show this year, for the first time since we planted it in 2011.

You-do-it Electronics in Needham is a critical resource for area electronics hobbyists. They’re everything that used to be good about Radio Shack.  This is the Arduino section.

I didn’t need to buy a parsley plant this year after all, as it turns out: last year’s plant self-sewed.

The searzall does a good job in the winter, but during grilling season nothing puts a sear on sous-vide food (like this pork belly) like a ripping-hot charcoal fire.

Today I built a base for some shelves for my dad. This platform will elevate some Ikea open-backed shelves high enough to clear a baseboard radiator, so they can sit flush with the wall. I still have to sand off the measles (wood filler) and paint it, but the carpentry is done.