Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Monday, May 26, 2008
Pool Update
Blocks for the decorative retaining walls.
The mechanical pad. Heater on the left, filter center, and the pump on the right.
This is where a rock patio pad will go.
A wall will run down this side.
Weed barrier goes down across all of the berms.
The next step is to place the boulders.
After the boulders it will be the plants.
The boulders are here and ready for placing.
The rocks for the patio are also here waiting.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Morning Swim
Today we enjoyed our first morning swim. The pool is now fully functional! We have the temperature set at 85 degrees and it feels great. There are still several items that need to be addressed: we need a different color diving board (white is just not going to cut it), finishing touches on the automatic pool cover, some grout touch up here and there, and a final walk through so we know what the heck all of this new stuff does.
Landscaping is in full swing with the berm building completed. That means we are done bringing in dirt! Yeah! Boulders arrived yesterday, Pallets of wall building stone have arrived and next week looks to bring many changes.
Landscaping is in full swing with the berm building completed. That means we are done bringing in dirt! Yeah! Boulders arrived yesterday, Pallets of wall building stone have arrived and next week looks to bring many changes.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Thank You
Thank you everyone for the great birthday wishes!Deb and I just got back from dinner at Sakana. This is a new Japanese restaurant that cooks up food Benihana style. Needless to say we are both stuffed!
Getting Pounded!
URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOISE ID
...HIGH WIND WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM MDT THIS
EVENING...
WESTERLY WINDS OF 40 TO 50 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 65 MPH ARE EXPECTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH A COLD FRONT THROUGH EARLY THIS EVENING. AREAS OF BLOWING DUST ARE FORECAST TO ACCOMPANY THESE STRONG WINDS AS THEY MOVE THROUGH THE SNAKE VALLEY. VISIBILITY MAY BE BRIEFLY REDUCED TO LESS THAN A MILE IN BLOWING DUST.
A HIGH WIND WARNING MEANS A HAZARDOUS HIGH WIND EVENT IS EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS OF AT LEAST 40 MPH OR GUSTS OF 58 MPH OR MORE CAN LEAD TO PROPERTY DAMAGE.
...HIGH WIND WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM MDT THIS
EVENING...
WESTERLY WINDS OF 40 TO 50 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 65 MPH ARE EXPECTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH A COLD FRONT THROUGH EARLY THIS EVENING. AREAS OF BLOWING DUST ARE FORECAST TO ACCOMPANY THESE STRONG WINDS AS THEY MOVE THROUGH THE SNAKE VALLEY. VISIBILITY MAY BE BRIEFLY REDUCED TO LESS THAN A MILE IN BLOWING DUST.
A HIGH WIND WARNING MEANS A HAZARDOUS HIGH WIND EVENT IS EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS OF AT LEAST 40 MPH OR GUSTS OF 58 MPH OR MORE CAN LEAD TO PROPERTY DAMAGE.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Lucky Peak Water Release
We headed up to Luck Peak Reservoir to see the big water release! The river is currently right below flood stage and we figured it would be something to behold.It does look like it can get bigger however!
Record Heat In Boise.
A record high temperature of 94 degrees was set at Boise yesterday. This breaks the old record of 92 set in 2006.
Today the forecast calls for a high of 94 degrees. The record is 93 degrees set in 1954 against 134 years of record keeping.
Today the forecast calls for a high of 94 degrees. The record is 93 degrees set in 1954 against 134 years of record keeping.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Pool Update
Berm building is almost done!
The next step is to bring in the boulders and the plants.
We headed over to Costco and picked up 4 Chaise Lounges and the big Offset Umbrella you see in the picture.
We hit the pool for the first time today!
The heater has not been hooked up yet, so Deb is smiling in 70 degree water.
Next week should finish up the pool part... keep your fingers crossed.The Killdeer Tango
Deb and I were walking around the yard this evening and suddenly this bird starts dancing, squawking and making runs at us.
So I looked it up: These birds will frequently use the "broken-wing act" to distract predators from their nests. This involves the bird walking away from its nesting area holding its wing in a position that simulates an injury and then flapping around on the ground emitting a distress call. The predators then think they have easy prey and are attracted to this seemingly injured bird and away from the nest. If the parent sees that a potential predator is not following them, they will move closer and get louder until they get the attention of the predator.
It does look broken!
Killdeer nest on open ground, often on gravel. They may use a slight depression in the gravel to hold the eggs, but they don't line it at all, or line it only with a few stones. Since there is no structure to stand out from its surroundings, a killdeer nest blends marvelously into the background. Furthermore, the speckled eggs themselves look like stones. [1]Click on this blog entry for more information on the Killdeer.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
WorldWide Telescope
The WorldWide Telescope (WWT) is a environment that enables your computer to function as a virtual telescope—bringing together imagery from the best ground and space-based telescopes in the world for a seamless exploration of the universe.
Choose from a growing number of guided tours of the sky by astronomers and educators from some of the most famous observatories and planetariums in the country. Feel free at any time to pause the tour, explore on your own (with multiple information sources for objects at your fingertips), and rejoin the tour where you left off. Join Harvard Astronomer Alyssa Goodman on a journey showing how dust in the Milky Way Galaxy condenses into stars and planets. Take a tour with University of Chicago Cosmologist Mike Gladders two billion years into the past to see a gravitational lens bending the light from galaxies allowing you to see billions more years into the past.
WorldWide Telescope is created with the Microsoft® high performance Visual Experience Engine™ and allows seamless panning and zooming around the night sky, planets, and image environments. View the sky from multiple wavelengths: See the x-ray view of the sky and zoom into bright radiation clouds, and then crossfade into the visible light view and discover the cloud remnants of a supernova explosion from a thousand years ago. Switch to the Hydrogen Alpha view to see the distribution and illumination of massive primordial hydrogen cloud structures lit up by the high energy radiation coming from nearby stars in the Milky Way. These are just two of many different ways to reveal the hidden structures in the universe with the WorldWide Telescope. Seamlessly pan and zoom from aerial views of the Moon and selected planets, as well as see their precise positions in the sky from any location on Earth and any time in the past or future with the Microsoft Visual Experience Engine.
WWT is a single that blends terabytes of images, information, and stories from multiple sources over the Internet into a seamless, immersive, rich media experience. Kids of all ages will feel empowered to explore and understand the universe with its simple and powerful user interface.
Microsoft Research is dedicating WorldWide Telescope to the memory of Jim Gray and is releasing WWT as a free resource to the astronomy and education communities with the hope that it will inspire and empower people to explore and understand the universe like never before.
Choose from a growing number of guided tours of the sky by astronomers and educators from some of the most famous observatories and planetariums in the country. Feel free at any time to pause the tour, explore on your own (with multiple information sources for objects at your fingertips), and rejoin the tour where you left off. Join Harvard Astronomer Alyssa Goodman on a journey showing how dust in the Milky Way Galaxy condenses into stars and planets. Take a tour with University of Chicago Cosmologist Mike Gladders two billion years into the past to see a gravitational lens bending the light from galaxies allowing you to see billions more years into the past.
WorldWide Telescope is created with the Microsoft® high performance Visual Experience Engine™ and allows seamless panning and zooming around the night sky, planets, and image environments. View the sky from multiple wavelengths: See the x-ray view of the sky and zoom into bright radiation clouds, and then crossfade into the visible light view and discover the cloud remnants of a supernova explosion from a thousand years ago. Switch to the Hydrogen Alpha view to see the distribution and illumination of massive primordial hydrogen cloud structures lit up by the high energy radiation coming from nearby stars in the Milky Way. These are just two of many different ways to reveal the hidden structures in the universe with the WorldWide Telescope. Seamlessly pan and zoom from aerial views of the Moon and selected planets, as well as see their precise positions in the sky from any location on Earth and any time in the past or future with the Microsoft Visual Experience Engine.
WWT is a single that blends terabytes of images, information, and stories from multiple sources over the Internet into a seamless, immersive, rich media experience. Kids of all ages will feel empowered to explore and understand the universe with its simple and powerful user interface.
Microsoft Research is dedicating WorldWide Telescope to the memory of Jim Gray and is releasing WWT as a free resource to the astronomy and education communities with the hope that it will inspire and empower people to explore and understand the universe like never before.
Monday, May 12, 2008
September 11 Television Archive
his collection contains television news programs recorded live from around September 11, 2001 by the non-profit Television Archive to help patrons research this important part of United States history.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Mother Sues Town After Child Steps In Dog Dropping
A New York woman has filed a $100 claim against Norwalk, Conn. saying a family outing to the Maritime Aquarium was ruined by dog feces.
The woman claims her child's shoes, along with the entire outing, were ruined when her 1-year-old stepped in dog feces outside the Maritime Garage.
City attorney M. Jeffry Spahr said the official response is that her claim is denied and, in his words, "poop happens."
Kelly DeBrocky of Mahopac, N.Y., wants the city to reimburse her for $54 she spent replacing her toddler's ruined shoes and the expenses for parking and aquarium admission on April 5.
The woman claims her child's shoes, along with the entire outing, were ruined when her 1-year-old stepped in dog feces outside the Maritime Garage.
City attorney M. Jeffry Spahr said the official response is that her claim is denied and, in his words, "poop happens."
Kelly DeBrocky of Mahopac, N.Y., wants the city to reimburse her for $54 she spent replacing her toddler's ruined shoes and the expenses for parking and aquarium admission on April 5.
$117,000... If Mom Drew A Paycheck
If a stay-at-home mom could be compensated in dollars rather than personal satisfaction and unconditional love, she'd rake in a nifty sum of nearly $117,000 a year.
That's according to a pre-Mother's Day study released Thursday by Salary.com, a Waltham, Mass.-based firm that studies workplace compensation.
That's according to a pre-Mother's Day study released Thursday by Salary.com, a Waltham, Mass.-based firm that studies workplace compensation.
Time To Be Afraid!
It's May, which means thousands of high school seniors across North Texas can almost taste it: their diploma. This month 7,500 DISD seniors are expected to walk across the stage and make their families proud.
But what if we told you that 75 percent of the seniors headed to Dallas community colleges, can't read above an 8th grade level, and others can't add or subtract.
But what if we told you that 75 percent of the seniors headed to Dallas community colleges, can't read above an 8th grade level, and others can't add or subtract.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
CCleaner 2.0 Decrapifies Your PC
CCleaner is a freeware system optimization and privacy tool. It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It's fast (normally taking less than a second to run) and contains NO Spyware or Adware! :)
PhoneMyPhone
Misplaced your cell phone around the house and don't have another phone on hand to call it up to locate it? Give your number to web site PhoneMyPhone and they'll instantly ring you up. Aside from instant calling to locate your phone, PhoneMyPhone will also schedule phone calls at specific times to get you out of that boring meeting or awful date if you need it.
Packing List Online
A quick, easy and tailor made pack list, for free. A pack list is a list of items guiding travelers when packing bags for a vacation. By asking specific details about the vacation we learn what things are needed during the trip and dynamically create a personal list of items to pack.
What Should I Read Next?
Enter a book you like and the site will analyze our database of real readers' favorite books (over 47,000 and growing) to suggest what you could read next.
Lonely Planet
There's a lot of uncharted territory out there in cyberspace, but Lonely Planet have built a nice little universe dedicated entirely to travel and travelers. Our ever-expanding digital team look after this travel cosmos, pooling independent advice and information from our staff and the global travel community.
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Sunday, May 04, 2008
Pool Update
The pool cover is on... but not automatic quite yet. The electrician still has to come out and wire the switch, but I have seen it open and close under its own power.
This is the cover motor and mechanics waiting for hookup and final inspection.
Just about the only part of the yard that is still standing!Would You Wear This?
Introducing nubrella; "The Ultimate Weather Protector". Nubrella is no ordinary umbrella. It protects you against rain, wind, sleet, snow and extreme cold. It is an umbrella for all inclement weather conditions not just rain.
Been To The Movies Lately?
Summer blockbusters and holiday hits make up the bulk of box office revenue each year, while contenders for the top Oscar awards tend to attract smaller audiences that build over time. Here's a look at how movies have fared at the box office, after adjusting for inflation.
worldometers
Who we are
Worldometers is managed by an international team of developers, researchers, and volunteers with the goal of making world statistics available in a thought-provoking and time relevant format to a wide audience around the world.
Sources are carefully selected to include only data published by the most reputable organizations and statistical offices in the world.
The counters that display the real-time numbers are based on Worldometers’ algorithm that processes the latest and most accurate statistical data available together with its estimated progression to compute the current millisecond number to be displayed on each counter based on the specific time set on each visitor’s computer clock. Please refer to the frequently asked questions to learn more about the mechanism.
Slacker
Over the past year, music "taste sharing" sites have increased in visibility and popularity. They're not only a good way to get hip to new music, but they're good places to meet new people, too.
Despite its name, Slacker is no slouch. Rivals such as Last.fm and Pandora garner well-deserved praise, but don't compare to Slacker in ease of use. No matter what your music tastes may be, within about 30 seconds of first arriving at this Internet radio site you can be listening to your pick of a huge number of potential stations.
It gets even better. Slacker helpfully displays the full list of artists that play on any given station, but you don't have to stick with the list. If you start with one of the pre-made genre stations, you can toss bands you don't like from the lineup. Pick an artist station, which adds similar bands to an artist you search for, and you can also mix in your choice of crooners. You can choose favorite songs to hear them more often, and skip those you don't like (up to six songs per hour for the free level of use).
Add in more fine-tuning options for each station, such as whether to lean toward lesser-known music or top hits, plus a downloadable software player that can run without a browser, and you'll like this hard-working Slacker.
Despite its name, Slacker is no slouch. Rivals such as Last.fm and Pandora garner well-deserved praise, but don't compare to Slacker in ease of use. No matter what your music tastes may be, within about 30 seconds of first arriving at this Internet radio site you can be listening to your pick of a huge number of potential stations.
It gets even better. Slacker helpfully displays the full list of artists that play on any given station, but you don't have to stick with the list. If you start with one of the pre-made genre stations, you can toss bands you don't like from the lineup. Pick an artist station, which adds similar bands to an artist you search for, and you can also mix in your choice of crooners. You can choose favorite songs to hear them more often, and skip those you don't like (up to six songs per hour for the free level of use).
Add in more fine-tuning options for each station, such as whether to lean toward lesser-known music or top hits, plus a downloadable software player that can run without a browser, and you'll like this hard-working Slacker.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Airlines slow down flights to save on fuel
Drivers have long known that slowing down on the highway means getting more miles to the gallon. Now airlines are trying it, too - adding a few minutes to flights to save millions on fuel.
Southwest Airlines started flying slower about two months ago, and projects it will save $42 million in fuel this year by extending each flight by one to three minutes.
On one Northwest Airlines flight from Paris to Minneapolis earlier this week alone, flying slower saved 162 gallons of fuel, saving the airline $535. It added eight minutes to the flight, extending it to eight hours, 58 minutes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)