Day 13.269: The election has arrived (in our mailbox)

Three of these arrived today:

Definitely our most momentous election yet, with votes for the presidential ticket, one of our senators and our representative in the federal government as well as our state senator and representative.

We're looking forward to finding a time when the three voters in the family can fill them in and make sure they are returned in good time before November 3rd.

Day 13.120: Snow; done

So yes - the snow really came this morning:

What's the date again? Maybe the weather also thinks it's still March (March 70th if you're still keeping count).

The snow delayed the resumption of our project, but eventually we were able to get back to it and even picked up speed with some techniques I now wish we'd used from the start. In the end it looked pretty good:

However, this is a lot of wood - twelve 8 foot lengths of 4 by 4 inch douglas fir. They were one thing to move on their own, but now they were all connected and not where we wanted them.

Happily, with the help of the whole family, we were able to get it to its final resting place:

Now we just need to work out how to get 32 cubic feet of soil to fill it up - but that's a project for another day.

Day 10.189: They can fly?!

Among the dead or drowning insects in the ant moat of our hummingbird feeder, we made a surprising discovery - an apparently happy aquatic insect:


I'm fairly sure it's one of those known as water boatmen - and not the ones that float on the back which are appropriately enough known as backswimmers on this side of the Atlantic.

Anyway, the interesting question is how did it get there?  Exile #4 suggested that it had climbed in (it's five feet up a glass door), or that they can fly. Neither of which seemed remotely likely.

The astonishing answer is that although they live their entire lifecycle in water (generally at the bottom of streams) - they can indeed fly!

Life will never be the same.

Day 9.264: Home improvements (two years in the making)

This is a view of our deck in June 2014 (Day 7.157 to be exact) - just after the hot-tub was removed leaving a concrete pad and a gaping hole in the railing:

And this was earlier today - with railing, stairs and even grass growing thanks to the organisation and hard work of Exile #2:

Yay!

Day 9.103: False accusations

We've been trying to encourage some grass to grow in our rather poor excuse for a back lawn. As a result, we've been a bit more conscious of the state of it recently. In particular, we noticed a lot of small holes in various parts of it - almost forming a grid in places. Although, we know that the main problem is that there isn't much in the way of grass to hold things together, we did wonder what creatures were digging the holes.

The other morning I found out - when I spotted two flickers pecking away in exactly the areas we'd seen all the holes.

I wasn't too upset since they mostly eat ants - and certainly are not interested in the seeds we had spread.

Later we saw four flickers and Exile #2 also caught the actual yard-digging culprit in the act - it was a squirrel.

Day 8.242: Lost and found

Last November, after we had been in the house for seven months or so, we recorded a second album of songs as our little musical project. We managed this despite the fact that a large number of the cables, adapters and even microphones that we had used to make our first recording had not turned up despite plenty of concerted looking and the fact that we had unpacked everything.

We've now been here for well over a year and recently I started setting up to make another recording and found myself getting more and more annoyed that the items were still missing. I was almost at the point of buying some replacements when I decided to have an umpteenth look for the missing items.

Having turned out various closets again and opened bags and boxes I knew I had looked in before, I despairingly looked around the unfinished part of the basement. I saw the beer brewing stuff on the shelf and thought, not for the first time, that I really must brew some more beer soon. Then I realised that the brew keg was on one shelf and the bottles were on the next shelf and that didn't leave much of the kit to be in the still-sealed-from-the-move box.

I think you know where this is going. Sure enough, stuffed into the box on top of the remaining few bits of beer home-brew equipment was this box:

Exile #2 must have packed all the good stuff in there when she dis-assembled the recording studio as we were getting ready to sell the house and the movers must have slipped it in before taping up the beer kit box.

I suppose, to be fair, it is a beer box in itself.

Much more importantly, I now have all the recording equipment I have been missing.

Day 8.109: Did I tell you about the time...

...we bought a big-bed-sized mattress online and it came in a tiny box?

We failed to record the process at the time, but E5N1 has been very happily sleeping on it since Day 8.080. It is an engineering marvel.

Here is someone opening a couple of the same kind:


Now I want to see the process of packing them into the boxes!

Day 7.365: Two anniversaries

We had a small gathering to mark the anniversary of my birth (and because it was a good excuse to spend some time with some friends). We ate, drank, chatted, played and had a lovely time.

Today is also the anniversary (8 years on) of the day we flew with one-way tickets from the UK to the US to start this adventure in exile.

Day 7.190: Pork and park

Thanks to Exile #2 and a couple of the kids going in search of a big hunk of meat yesterday, today was for smoking. After a quick trip for Exile #4, E5N1 and myself to get haircuts, I got the charcoal heating, the wood-chips soaking  and the spices mixing to make pulled pork.

My standard recipe (I have used others - but this is my fall-back) is from Dad's Awesome Grilling Book. - although I do shun the "move to the oven" step in favour of keeping the grill hot (after all, s'mores will also be expected). In the book, the author suggests that pulled-pork day might be a day to get a job-you've-been-putting-off done such as tidying the garage and, as it turned out, that is a job that was on our list.

It's not super-urgent to be able to get the cars in the garage at this time of year, but it will be important later and - when that time comes - we'll be ready!

We also had some yummy pulled pork sandwiches for dinner - and there's plenty more for another day or three.

Day 7.157: Spot the difference

Just the one this time, and no image processing trickery was required.

Yes, that happened today, and now we get to decide what to do with the gap in the deck railing and the square of concrete.

Incidentally, if you want more of a challenging spot the differences picture, this one is still awaiting a solution.

Day 7.139: Serendipity and the demise of a hot-tub

On Monday, I was still trying to fix the hot-tub plumbing. Eventually I got it to the point where it was no longer leaking from my new joints when I put a few inches of water in. Knowing that it had to survive a couple of feet of water and the additional pressure of the pump I was not overly confident.

But I kept filling. And then it was full, and still not leaking.

So I powered it on and the motor started purring. Still no leaks.

I tried the jet pump. Lots of bubbles, all was still looking secure with my new plumbing.

Then I saw it. Water pouring out under a different side of the pool. Pouring like a tap was open.

I rapidly hooked up the hose to the drain so we could control where at least some of the water was going. Then I remembered that Exile #2 had been spreading grass seed (strange blue grass seed) on our sad dead lawn (quite possibly as a result of a more chemical-laden hot-tub emptying last year - we're just guessing.) So the seeds got a good watering, with the help of the hose, a dipped in watering can and an occasional bucketful from E5N1.

We also called it for the hot-tub and decided that rather than throw any more time and money at trying to get it working, we would just arrange to have it removed and get on with our pool-less lives.

Farewell and thanks for all the leaks.

Day 7.100: Exile #2's Sunday Column #1

Exile #2 writes...

Well, that week (or so) went by in a flash. It seems only yesterday that the female Exiles cheered gratefully as we crossed the bridge into Maine and sighed with total relief as I pulled up outside Exile #1's temporary accommodation.

One very genial closing and a day of deliveries later, we were installed in our new house. Since then, it has been a week of putting things in their right place: pots and pans, plates and glasses, children...

It has also been a week of working out the quirks of our new existence. How does the communal mailbox system work? What does that yellow patch on the road signify? Why is our Internet connection more elusive than a will o' the wisp?

My most significant culture shock of the week, however, was trying to register with a doctor. Having experienced the UK system (you go to the nearest practice) and the system in our previous community where there were so many doctors you might find yourself being recruited, I was a little taken aback that the large practice in our town could not accommodate us, nor the one in the next town. Eventually I found one within reasonable driving distance willing to take us and was invited to book up annual physicals...for October. Am considering a new venture into family medicine... ;-)

With all this excitement behind us and a metropolis of empty boxes in the garage, we decided to treat ourselves to a day out yesterday. It is a moment of wonder when we step out of the car at the beach and realize that this is home now. Can't wait to explore more!

Happy Easter everyone!