Archive for May, 2007
Sunday, May 13th, 2007
I am not completely sure if you call them curtains or drapes. I am not sure I care either.
On Friday night, Laura and I decided to venture out to Lowes to look at some curtain stuff. Since the heat is back for the year, our living room and home office are taking a hit. It feels like our front windows are a giant magnifying glasses. Boy it gets hot. I planted trees in the front, but it will be a few years before they get large enough to offer any shade.
I have been hesitant to do the whole curtain thing because…well, I am cheap when it comes to that stuff. I just never really thought it was all that necessary. I guess I thought about it and decided that if I make a purchase in the name of energy efficiency, then it was ok. It’s not like we were using any more energy without the curtains, because we would just sit there and sweat.
So, here they are. Please excuse the dark picture, it was a bit sunny this morning.
Speaking of the morning…the photo above is of the bedroom. We would usually wake up to the sun shining in our eyes, which I really didn’t mind. It made me feel like it was nature’s way of doing things. Laura had a different opinion of that.
The curtains we hung throughout the house were Springs 40″ x 84″ Aspen Twill Panel, if that means anything to you. The bedroom has green walls, so we hung off-white curtains. The office has cappuccino colored walls, so we hung a wine colored curtain and the living room has a very light green/off-white color, so we hung a moss colored curtain. I think they look great.
Also, as far as the hardware goes (curtain rods), we purchased Beme Iron Bronze Ball Rod, which can be seen below.
Pretty good stuff. If feels like a whole new house and will be especially nice when the sun is beating down…on the outside of the curtains.
Here are some good links related to hanging curtains:
- How to hang curtains
- Using Curtains and Draperies in Your Home Decor
- Curtain Rod Tips Or How To Hang Your Curtains In Style
- Curtain Call
- How To: Hang Curtains Across Any Space
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Posted in Home Improvement | 1 Comment »
Saturday, May 12th, 2007
I was outside this morning mowing the lawn, which is already becoming not very fun with my push mower.
I remember back in the day, my cousin Joey told me he was moving into a condo. He said it was good because he didn’t have to do any maintenance. I said, “Don’t you like doing that stuff? I sure do.” Boy oh boy, I guess I wasn’t thinking clearly. I mean, I like planting things and gardening a whole lot. I even like looking at the grass after it’s mowed. I just don’t like the feeling of me being strangled by my sweaty shirt during the actual mowing.
Oh well. So here are some fun photos. The first one was taken last year about this time. It’s the end of our driveway heading down towards the entrance to the basement. That side of the house had a pretty low grade so people could drive down there. Ask me why…I have no idea. Also, there was too much of the basement wall exposed and the sight of it gave me heartburn. I remember finishing up our nightly walks coming back to look at that side of the house…terrible. The next photo was taken today.
Ahhh, I love before and after shots.
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Posted in Home Improvement, Landscaping | No Comments »
Friday, May 11th, 2007
Well someone was pretty busy yesterday. I think Jeff is a very happy man, now that he has somewhere to post all his Ford Mustang photos and brag about all his hard work. Anyway, here are a few more photos of yesterday’s work:
- The driver’s side door was temporarily hung on vehicle to check for proper fit.
- Remember yesterday’s photo of the rusty lower lock pillar? Well, nice and new now. The rust was removed and a patch was welded on and ground smooth. Any imperfections were filled.
- The rear trunk floor crossmember was bonded and welded, and
- The left rear frame underside was completed
Here is a photo of that previously rusty center pillar plate…
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Posted in Automotive | No Comments »
Friday, May 11th, 2007
This post was written by Steve Henry
I now know why New Mexico is known as the “Enchantment State.”
What a beautiful and diverse landscape and group of people. We flew from Wilmington, North Carolina to Albuquerque, New Mexico. The trip was to be a family reunion with different members flying in from various parts of the country.
Stephanie my wife, Storm my son, and I flew into town a couple of days before everyone else, to do a little sight seeing. Albuquerque is located in the desert area of New Mexico. It was very warm, but the humidity was really low, unlike where we live in the Southeast United States.
The first afternoon, we walked from the hotel to the downtown area, where the University of New Mexico is located. We noticed that the football stadium was open, so we ventured in to take a look. The team is known as the University of New Mexico Lobos. Lobos means wolves in Spanish. We then walked around campus and the downtown area and came across a baseball stadium for a minor league team. I couldn’t believe what team it was when I saw their name. They were called the Albuquerque Isotopes. I am not a fan of television or the Simpson’s cartoon, but I did see an episode a few years ago where Homer was involved in some deal with the Albuquerque Isotopes. I remember this because I was thinking, “How did they think of a name like that?” Now I know it is a real team.
The next day we went to go hiking and see the famous Petroglyphs that are located in Rinconada Canyon right outside of Albuquerque. How cool this was. I am an ancient history buff and scholar, and to actually hike in this canyon and see real petroglyphs was a very religious experience for me. Hunters and gatherers inhabited this area as long as 10,000 years ago. Around 500 A.D., permanent dwellers speckled the landscape inhabiting agricultural villages. There are over 20,000 petroglyphs that have been found so far in the canyon. While hiking, we just stopped and gazed at the beautiful petroglyphs, and for a moment I felt as though I was back thousands of years ago. It was very strange because I experienced déjà vu, but of course I had never been there before, at least not in this lifetime. You can recognize many of the petroglyphs portraying humans and animals, but some are strange and mysterious looking. Really makes one wonder about what was going on a few thousand years ago. Then something really hit me…something I used to think about when I was a child. A little background first: When I was a child, I used to have déjà vu a lot, but when I would have it, it would be like a flashback to long, long ago. With that said, I then thought about the people who made these petroglyphs, and when they were making them, they probably had no concept of thousands of years, yet in a blink of an eye, thousands of years later, here I am looking at these things. Some of you may understand what I am saying, if not, so be it. This is why in high school I studied Albert Einstein’s Time and Space theories, but I will save those topics for another blog post. Anyway, this is why I refer to this hike as a religious experience, because of the connection I felt to these ancient petroglyphs.
That evening, my sister and her family arrived in Albuquerque and met us for dinner. The following morning my parents arrived from Warrenton, Virginia, and my oldest nephew arrived from Annapolis, Maryland. Then the real journey would take place.
We were all on our way to northern New Mexico to a town called Angel Fire, where we had secured two cabins high up in the lower Rocky Mountains. I was ready for our journey, so we bedded down for our last night in Albuquerque, or so I thought.
Related links:
- Ghost Towns | Pictures of ghost towns in Arizona, California, Utah, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico | Ghost Town Gallery
- National Parks of the American Southwest - Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas and California.
- New Mexico Road Traveler Information Service
- Petroglyphs Pictographs Cave Paintings Geoglyphs
- Petroglyph National Monument - Why were the Petroglyphs made? (U.S. National Park Service)
New Mexico : Petroglyphs
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Posted in Travels | No Comments »
Thursday, May 10th, 2007
Remember last Autumn when I was so excited to tell you about that great deal I got on those Silver and Gold Chrysanthemums? Remember when I told you about how the best time for planting is in the Autumn? I take it all back.
Well, as it turns out, we had a few tragedies here at the house. The Silver and Gold Chrysanthemum and the China Boy and Girl Holly didn’t make it. I was so excited too.
I have a theory. The plants that I planted in the Autumn didn’t make it. Well, that’s not a theory, that’s what happened. The theory is that these plants didn’t have enough time to take root and resist the cold snap we had in February. There are some other plants that went in the ground in the Autumn that aren’t totally gone, but they definately took a hit. There is new leaf growth, so I am leaving them where they are. I think they will take off this year. All the other plants that we put in during last Spring are taking off great.
I never really knew how fast plants take root until I had to transplant a few Lilacs. They were only in for a few weeks and when I dug them up, the bottoms of the root ball didn’t want to budge. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the roots were in the ground a few good inches…already. The Autumn plantings never has a chance to do that and suffered the ultimate wrath.
So, what’s my advice? Go with the Spring plantings and pay the few extra bucks.
Oh, by the way, I am digging these up tomorrow morning and will be bringing them back to Home Depot, so Paul, please be ready at noon.
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Posted in Gardening, Landscaping, Spring, Trees & Shrubs | 1 Comment »
Thursday, May 10th, 2007
I try to avoid going to Hannaford at all costs, but it is the only grocery store in the area and is only 4 miles away from where I live. I think they put the only other grocery store in the town out of business. We joined Sam’s Club down in Middletown to avoid the high prices of Hannaford.
Let me ask you a question…why is it that all the grocery stores that advertise on the radio about their low prices, actually have the highest prices? Also, one more thing…I have heard Hannaford’s recent radio advertisement regarding their recycling program. Now, I know what recycling is. Laura and I have more in recycling than we do in regular garbage. I went to Hannaford the other day and purchased about $27 worth of food. It was about half of one of those little red baskets you carry in your hand. Whatever, I am used to getting ripped off by that place. The thing that really got me is what I noticed when I got home. For a store that claims they are all “Environmental,” they sure do use a lot of bags. For that small amount of grocery product, they used 5 bags, one of which was used to carry the eggs in…alone. Also, the receipt was about 2 feet long. I bought 2 pieces of salmon. They used 2 (count them) tupperware type containers, one for each piece of salmon. And this was good stuff too. Their bags are thick and the containers were worth saving. Well, I guess they have to spend all that money they rake in on something.
Well, that’s not the reason for this post. I will give credit to Hannaford for something, they have a nice bulk food area. You know, the bins that they keep all of their seeds and granola in. I like to get flax seed, but was feeling crazy this time. I also picked up a bag of pumkin seeds. I cooked with them the other night and wondered if what I bought was good for me. I knew about the health benefits of flax seed, but didn’t know much about the health benefits of pumpkin seed. Apparently, both of these foods are very good for you. Flax seed seems to be the food of choice for a lot of people, you just have to remember to get it and use it.
A while ago, I purchased the whole flax seed, not the ground up type. I kept wondering how I was going to get it ground up, because if you eat the whole seed, it does no good. Then, I had an idea. I would just use the coffee grinder. Not the complex grinder, the one that looks like a mini food processor. Worked like a charm. I just sprinkle the seed on my food and eat away. It tastes pretty good too.
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Posted in Ramblings | No Comments »
Thursday, May 10th, 2007
As a web professional, I am always looking for tips and tricks on SEO, or Search Engine Optimization. New things are popping up every day and I don’t want to miss any of them.
Well, today I searched Google for “html seo optimization check.” I like to run my pages through various automated page checkers to see what they say. I think lots of people do this…well, because there are lots of page checkers.
Just a word of warning…SEO has attracted many crazy conspiracy theory type people. These guys are just waiting to pounce on that little tidbit of information that will rise them to the top. These people write about SEO like there is no tomorrow, so just be careful when you read this stuff and think like a filter…that is, if a filter had a brain.
My search today came up with a pretty decent page that I thought I would share. It is a good guide for beginners and also valuable for those of us who have forgotten what in the world we are doing. It’s easy to lose sight in this field.
Anyway, the link is “Search Engine Optimization.” Have a read.
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Posted in Internet, Websites | No Comments »
Thursday, May 10th, 2007
More work completed on Jeff Gaulard’s 1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1.
The photos of the rust hole on the lower lock pillar was cut out and a patch panel welded in on May 3rd. I will post a “completed” photo in the next post.
The photos of the door skin replacement was done on May 5th – 6th. Jeff got the skin from Mustangs Unlimited in Manchester CT. I will upload a photo of the completed door fitted to the car in the next post.
The photos of the left rear floor pan are from today, May 9th. He adhesively bonded the panel in yesterday and welded it in place today giving about 24 hours for the adhesive to dry. It is 3m panel bonding adhesive. You don’t want to glue your tools to the floor by accident because chanches are you wont get them off. The weld seams were ground down and filled over with Polyester Rage Extreme.
The rear frame rails were coated on the inside prior to the floor replace with internal rust inhibitor. This was applied with a 3 foot spray wand.
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Posted in Automotive | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 9th, 2007
This post was written by Steve Henry
I find it very exciting learning new things. My father once told me that if you ever stop learning, your life is over.
I like to consider myself a well rounded person who is well read and who feels comfortable at Fenway Park cussing at the New York Yankees, or at the Boston Symphony wearing a tuxedo.
Well, I was discussing camping techniques with some of my students who had gone camping this past weekend at a campground called Camp Pretty Pond. Camp Pretty Pond is used by the Girl Scouts of America for the troops in the tri-county area, which includes New Hanover, Pender and Brunswick county North Carolina. Camp Pretty Pond, however, is open to anyone who wishes to camp, as long as the Girl Scouts are not using the facility. I am an avid camper and outdoorsman, so the conversation with my students was intriguing. We discussed things such as hiking, navigation, star-gazing, etc… I asked if they knew how Native Americans found their way through a forest without getting lost. I know things like this because my mother is Cherokee Indian and when I was a child my Grandfather taught me these things. I explained how I could break a branch in two, or set a stone against a tree as a marker, but for the regular traveler through the woods, this would seem like nothing special.
My students enjoyed my stories of such things, but the conversation quickly turned to eating. They looked me straight in the eye and said, “We used a Dutch Oven.” I’m sorry, but I was laughing so hard inside at this because I did not know there was such a thing as a real Dutch Oven. A Dutch Oven to me is this: You go get under the covers before your significant other comes to bed, and…well you know. When your partner gets into bed they are in for a treat. Sounds corny, but truly is one of the funniest things you can do.
For all of you guys out there that are reading this and saying, “That is just disgusting…” take a deep breath because, both you know and I know it is funny.
I asked my students if they could bring in the Dutch Oven they used because I wanted to see it for myself. Sure enough, the next morning one of my student’s mothers brought in the Dutch Oven for me to take a look at. Right away, I recognized it as what I have always called a camp oven. I said, “Oh, that’s a camp oven,” and of course the mother replied, “No silly, it is a Dutch Oven.” I could feel my insides tightening up with laughter, just thinking about this lady that has apparently never experienced a “real” Dutch Oven.
That night I went home and researched Dutch Ovens. I have expanded my horizons, so to say. I even found out there is such a thing as an International Dutch Oven Society based in Utah, that will help you with recipes and such. I think I will stick to the term “camp oven” since that is what I have always called it. I still chuckle at myself at this whole thing. You can take the grown man away from childish things, but you can never take the child out of the man. I hope I still find Dutch Ovens funny when I am 90 years old.
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Posted in Ramblings | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 8th, 2007
This post was written by Kristin Gaulard
If you’re the type of person who sees a beautiful garden and can’t wait to get home and incorporate some of the ideas you’ve seen into your own backyard, take the garden tour some year at the Azalea Festival in Wilmington, North Carolina. I’ve been lucky enough to have lived in Wilmington since 1998 and this tour is the highlight of the year for me.
Of course you can also attend the street fair on the beautiful Cape Fear River, or attend one or two of the “big name” concerts given in the auditorium of the UNCW campus, or take the home tour of some of the gorgeously restored homes in the downtown area, or attend the parade chock full of princesses and queens from local communities, etc., etc., but to my taste the garden tour beats all the other festivities.
A ribbon cutting at the most impressive house on the Friday of the festival starts the tour and can be attended by anybody who buys the $15 (early bird) or $20 ticket. Every cent of the proceeds which is collected by the Cape Fear Garden Club goes back to community beautification and conservation.
Not only is the home surrounded by colorful gardens exuding Southern charm, but it is adorned with high school-age belles, dressed in handmade antebellum hooped gowns, holding their delicate parasols and escorted by the extremely handsome Summerall Guards from the Citadel, South Carolina’s state-supported military college. Lording over all these youths is the queen who is the center of attention for the week.
But for me, the best part is the exploring of the gardens on the tour, which range from the manicured lawns and flower beds professionally done by landscape artists, to the hidden “secret gardens” in small spaces overflowing with the imagination of dedicated gardeners. As an added bonus, each garden has one or two of the belles welcoming you, usually with her skirt spread out under the shade of a live oak tree and her curls bouncing under her parasol.
If the hot sun gets to you, a few of the gardens are designated as “night-time” gardens and there is a magical quality walking through these special places which makes you realize how beautiful a spring evening in the South can be. As you can see I’ve been completely won over by the charm and friendliness of my new home state!
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Posted in Autumn, Family & Friends, Gardening | 2 Comments »
