Bert's Musings

Yesterday Kathy and I finished cleaning up the pile of debris left over from my tree/bush trimming. Actually we still have 5 or 6, 3-4" diameter by 4' long, pine tree limbs to cut up. We didn't know if Drew wanted them or not and the trash/recycle people would pick they up as they are. He thinks he might burn them in his fire pit so we will cut them into smaller pieces. He realizes that they will probably be pretty smokey when he burns them, even after drying out. We worked at that pretty steady and were tired by evening. I was rewarded when Kathy made potato soup for supper. I love it! Drew also seemed to enjoy it. The excitement yesterday came when we saw men walking around on the back of the lot next door. One of them was the lot owner and the others were guys who were here to do some clean up work. The building next door looks pretty run down from the outside. The electricity and natural gas have been disconnected. It was last used as a church, although I have no idea ...

When downloading a couple of photos I took yesterday I noticed that I had never downloaded these. I previously mentioned some of the scenery on our trip up though the San Joaquin valley, from the Los Angeles area to the San Francisco area. It was a drive that was interesting, but only for one trip through it. In addition to the citrus and nut trees we saw quite a few cattle feed lot operations. Below are photos of a couple of them. There is row after row of roofs apparently to provide shade for the cattle.    This was a feeding area.  Our parking space at the Alameda county fairgrounds.

This morning we went to Jack London square, on the Oakland "waterfront." There is a Farmer's Market on Sunday morning's and that was part of the reason we went, but it was also just a sightseeing trip. It was a very pleasant morning. The waterfront area is a very nice place for a Sunday morning walk. In the original of the photo below you can just see the San Francisco skyline in the background, through the haze. Just another photo of the area. We went out on one of the piers and watched some of the activity. Lots of sailboats appeared to be headed toward the bay/ocean. There were also a couple of rowing teams practicing by going up and down the "river" in sculls. We saw 5 or 6 people in kayaks and another guy who looked like he was standing on a surf board and using a long handheld oar for propulsion. We didn't do much in the afternoon. Actually I had a very nice nap <grin>. For those of you who might be interested in my take on yesterday's Oc...

It was another sunny day in CA with a high of 63. I spent about 2 hours in the morning, and another hour in the afternoon, washing part of the front of the house, including the porch ceiling. Drew worked in the house doing odds and ends. Kathy is still fighting a cold. She and Drew went to a restaurant supply store to pick up a few things he wanted. On the way back they stopped at a hot dog vendor and bought hot dogs for lunch. Mine sure tasted good. Kathy is cooking a roast in the electric skillet, with potatoes and carrots, for supper. I can hardly wait. It is one of my favorite meals. Nothing to exciting today, no Federal Marshalls doing surveillance on Drew's deck like we had a few days ago. He was watching the back of a house on the next street while other Marshall's broke down the doors on a house in the next block. I was oiling woodwork while he was out there and it was kind of funny when he came to the door and told me not to get concerned if I hear...

This morning we went to a Farmers Market in downtown Oakland. They block off two intersecting streets for 2 blocks each way and set up stands. This was the first time we have been to the older section of downtown Oakland. The buildings were impressive. The building below was quite interesting. It stands all by itself. Someone spent/spends a LOT of money keeping it look this great. In the afternoon we cut up more branches, still working on the pile of debris from my tree trimming. I finished priming around two of the windows. Kathy packed more stuff that was left at Drew's. The "basement" is looking bigger all the time. Good night to all and may God bless you and yours.

Today we drove to Vacaville to go to the Camping World store and get a cost estimate for replacing the fabric on our main awning and one of the slide toppers. The main awning isn't to bad yet but the slide topper cover is ready to fall apart. The estimate was a little over a thousand dollars. They want around $190 for the fabric for the slide topper. I think I can find the same material for less money and replace it myself. Vacaville is about an hours drive from here, toward Sacramento. Most of it was a scenic drive. We had lunch at an oriental buffet. The place was nice. The food was okay, not exceptional, and the price was great. Our check was only $14.50. Kathy has caught the cold I had a few days ago and it isn't fun. My nose ran constantly and so is hers. She still just keeps plugging along. She made scalloped potatoes for supper, something Drew had suggested. After we had supper I helped him with some water line modifications. I think all the water line leaks a...

Doug left today and is now back in Indy. Kathy did some more cleaning, and yes there is still a LOT of cleaning to be done. I changed out another deck support post and added some knee braces. This is the 3rd post we changed and I think it will be the last. Drew got rid of a large, HEAVY, cabinet this evening. It had been left by the previous occupant. Doug put in on Craig's list as a freeby. He told people that there would be no one to help them move it, that it was very heavy, and that they would have to carry it at least 100' because a dolly would not work in the yard. A Hispanic couple came to pick it up. She stayed in the truck with their young child. He had a dolly but even with Drew and I helping it was a chore to get it out to his truck and loaded in the truck. Drew is happy to get rid of it because it opens up more room in the "basement." The weather was great today. The high was a sunny 58 degrees. The next week is supposed to be mostly sunny, no rain, with h...

I recently received a copy of the piece below. It was incorrectly attributed to Bill Cosby. In fact it was penned in 2009 by Robert A. Hall. Mr. Hall is a Marine Vietnam veteran who served five terms in the Massachusetts state senate. I'm pretty much in agreement with everything that Mr. Hall says and yet check out my comments at the end of the piece. *********************************** I'm Tired I’ll be 63 soon. Except for one semester in college when jobs were scarce, and a six-month period when I was between jobs, but job-hunting every day, I’ve worked, hard, since I was 18. Despite some health challenges, I still put in 50-hour weeks, and haven’t called in sick in seven or eight years. I make a good salary, but I didn’t inherit my job or my income, and I worked to get where I am. Given the economy, there’s no retirement in sight, and I’m tired. Very tired. I’m tired of being told that I have to “spread the wealth around” to people who don’t have my work ethic. I’m...

Yesterday we rested, for the most part. Drew cleaned gutters in the rain. Doug did some work inside. I am fighting off a cold and did virtually nothing all day. Today Drew went back to work. Doug, Kathy & I did some sight seeing. We went to Pier 14 to see the Raygun Gothic Rocket ship that Drew had worked on. In the background is the bridge between San Francisco and Treasure island.  Below is a larger photo of the plaque that you see in the above photo, between Kathy & I. I drew the box around Drew's name. After seeing the rocket ship we walked through one of the shopping areas at the pier. Kathy & Doug tried out the coffee at the Blue Bottle. The place is supposed to have better coffee than Starbucks. From there we went to Golden Gate Park. We had hoped to go into the Conservatory but found that it was closed on Mondays. We walked around the neighborhood and found a "greasy spoon" for lunch. The place was on the small side. It was fairly c...

I have copied past Political Commentary posts to the blog site noted below. http://bertdspoliticalcommentary.blogspot.com/ All future Political Commentary posts will be on the new site.

I have considered myself a Civil Libertarian since the Republican party moved left after the Reagan presidency. More importantly I am a born again, fundamentalist Christian. I am aghast at the way we have let the federal government ignore our Constitution and take away our rights to make our own decisions. I believe that God gives each individual the right to decide where he/she will spend eternity. All other decisions that we make pale in significance to that decision. Individuals should be allowed to decide how we want to live our lives right up to the point that those decisions infringe on the rights of others. With the above in mind I want to discuss the issues of drug/alcohol laws in the United States. Drug laws should be revised to be similar to laws regarding alcohol use. Each adult should have the freedom to make decisions concerning the use of either product. I am a sheltered, conservative, mid-westerner so I my observation that the people who live...

The open house was a huge success. No one tried to count the number of people who showed up but it had to be close to 100, if not more. The open house was scheduled for 1-5. We thought the last people left just before 6 but then a guy showed up after 6. I walked though the house and took photos of some of the people who were there during my quick walk thru. Many people were coming and going during the entire afternoon. Kathy and I are both pretty tired tonight, we make take tomorrow off, after helping do some clean up in the morning. Good night to all and may God bless you and yours.

Below are some photos of Drew's (our younger son) place. First, remember that all this is at what we midwesterners would consider the 2nd floor. There is a full "basement", on a slab, under this level. The bay window faces the street. The front door opens on to a small porch and the stairs down to grade. Along the left edge of the photo you see the wood burning stove that you will see in the next photo. The office. The boxed out corner on the right is for part of the front porch. There is a big closet behind the woodburner. The dining room. Note the edge of the woodburner on the right side of the photo. There is a shelving unit built into the wall across from the right side of the table. The double door opening you see on the right goes into the kitchen. Behind the table is the open stair going down to the "basement". Actually only the part above the floor is open. The stair area below the floor is fully enclosed to separate it from the basement. Behind the wall...

Today it started raining. The rain is supposed to continue into next week. It is more like a drizzle. Today we got Drew's washer and dryer running, made some plumbing and gas line changes, put in a vent for the gas dryer, did some yard work before the rain started, washed trim, etc. We made good progress on his list. Not sure what the priorities are for tomorrow but I'm sure that there is still plenty to do. Good night to all and may God bless you and yours.

Yesterday we scraped and washed part of the house. This morning I washed some more of it. Then we started painting. We got two sides painted, actually primed. The final colors will be much more "exciting" than the putty color of this primer. It got down to 33 degrees both of the past two nights. Highs have been in the 50's. Yes it was cold getting wet while washing down the sides of the house <grin>. It is supposed to be much warmer tonight, 45. The highs for the next 6 days are all mid/high 50s and the lows are mid/high 40's. Below Doug, our son who lives in Indy, is spray painting. Kathy is going some touch up work with a brush.   The p;rimed back of the house. It is about time for supper. After that, comes a long, hot shower and probably not much else before bed. Last night after we finished work and ate we got cleaned up and went grocery shopping at the huge grocery a few mile from here. It is supposed to start raining tomorrow and rain for 4 days. Drew is h...

I went to Big O and had the CRV tire repaired this morning. Fortunately it held enough air overnight so that I could drive the mile to Big O. $25 to plug a tire here! After the tire repair I went to the closest Walmart to get a prescription refilled. Hard to imagine that the closest Walmart is over 10 miles from here. The prescription that cost me $10 in Lebanon cost $24 here. I asked about it and was told that different states have different drugs at the cheaper price. The cost of living out here is stunning! Kathy put Thompson's Sealer on the exposed wood around Drew's sun room. He calls it his conservatory. It is actually a room with glass wall and a glass/clear roof. The only thing in the room is a bathtub. I did some spackling and "bagged" some yard debris. I also removed some deteriorated trim from the "conservatory. Sears delivered Drew's stackable washer and dryer this afternoon. We will probably wait until Wednesday to hook it up, since it is suppose...

We arrived at Drew's, in the RV, around 11 AM yesterday. There was a car parked across the street from his gate but we gave getting in a shot. We didn't even come close to being able to get through the gate. Drew only has neighbors on one side, the building on the other side of him is vacant, (there are a LOT of neighbors living next door). He asked them if the car was theirs and, if so, would they move it. It was one of their cousins who lives there, or at least in the car, an old station wagon, some of the time. He wasn't there but they said they would ask him to move it when he returned. Kathy stayed at Drew's and did more sorting through the stuff left by the previous tenants of the house. Drew and I made trips to Home Depot, then Orchard Building Supply (a nice hardware store), and also to a local grocery store that is huge (local being maybe a 15 minute drive). It was almost dark when the neighbor got home and moved the car. We provided entertainment for the neigh...

Things must be bad when politicians/bureaucrats use the excuse that they are stupid, not corrupt/criminals. Howard McKeon and Elton Gallegly, both Republicans from southern California; and Edolphus Towns, a New York Democrat; are now being investigated by an ethics committee (I doubt that anyone in government actually understands the concept of ethics). There is a fourth person but no one has released his/her identity yet. These politicians received “VIP” loans from Countrywide Financial Corp, one of the mortgage giants that helped cause the mortgage crisis. They actually claim that they were unaware that they received any special treatment. Countrywide’s VIP loan recipients received lower interest rates and/or lower costs that regular customers. I guess you can’t call the action a bribe unless you can prove that the recipients gave them some favorable treatment, No doubt the recipients were good enough crooks to not let that happen. In 2010 their chief executive, Angelo Mozilo, pa...

Yesterday we arrived at Drew's a little before noon. Kathy started work inside and I pruned bushes and trees. We left and headed back to the campground shortly after he arrived home around 6 PM. Today's plan is to pack up and head to his place. This is the before pruning photo from yesterday. This is the after pruning photo. I may still need to take off more, hope not. Note that you can now see the tree across the street and the full posts on the right side of gate at the end of the driveway.  From the backyard. The glass room is off his bedroom, the only bedroom. It has a bathtub in it. The drain is hooked up but the final water connections were never made. All the living space is in the upstairs. The house is supported by 4x4's and then the lower level was sheathed/enclosed. The lower level is his workshop. It is more like a basement even though it is not below grade. These two redwood are magnificent. The trunks are about 3' in diameter. One is on his lot the other i...

Yesterday we went up to Drew's place. It is a 45 minute drive from where we are "camped" but this is the closest place we have found that we can get our 40' RV in and out of. His place is nicer than I had expected, but it does need a LOT of TLC. It is easy to see that he has already done a lot of work. I will include some photos tonight or tomorrow. There are some nice places in the neighborhood, but most are fairly run down. We didn't see many white faces, although the few people we spoke to were friendly enough. We had a late lunch at a BBQ place a couple of blocks from his house. It was finger licking good. We bought a pole saw, I left mine in TN, and will be doing some serious pruning today so that we can get our RV in his driveway. Looks like we will have several feet to spare lengthwise but width will be a problem with the slides. We may only put out 3 of our 4 slides to reduce the amount of trees/bushes that we have to cut down/back. The yellow vertical ...

We arrived at the Alameda Country Fairgrounds at 1 PM today. It didn't take long to get parked and hooked up. We didn't know it when we decided to try this place that there was an RV show going on. In the afternoon we walked over went through it. Today was Senior Citizen's day and two got in for the price of one. We had hoped to find a couple of places that did work on RV awnings. One guy said that they install/replace awnings, along with a lot of other RV work. There actual place of business is quite a ways south of here but I will probably call them to get a quote. It was nice here today, high in the 70's and sunny. It was easily warm enough for shorts and a short sleeve shirt. Tonight it is supposed to get down to freezing. Tomorrow's high is supposed to be 65. I don't know why but it seems that both are vehicles are getting better fuel economy. The CRV mileage has increased from around 24 back east to 27 or 28 out here. The RV mileage has increased from 7.9 ...

For some reason I was able to upload photos this morning. These phone photos don't come close to doing justice to the scenery, but they at least give you an idea. Kathy said she would try and get right next to this truckload of oranges if I wanted to try and reach out and grab a couple. In the San Joaquin valley we have seen cattle feed lots, surrounded by fields of what looked like 4-6" tall wheat. We have also seen oil wells, lots of oranges still on the trees, harvested cotton fields and grapevines. We saw lots of trees with no leaves and we think they may have been almond or pistachio trees. In general I5 us pretty boring after you get 75 miles north on it. You do get to see some interesting things early in the morning. At 6 AM I was walking up to the truck stop restaurant, which I found out is closed, and I saw this big boy maneuvering around the truck stop parking lot. I don't know what it was carrying. Didn't look like a transformer, and I was withing 50'...