Home Photo Exhibit : In the basement, behind door number 2

I'm cleaning out stuff in the basement shop to see if I can make it workable, so I can maybe do one of the projects from one of the woodworking/home improvement magazines I've been buying over the last three years.

On one of the basement's outside walls is this big box:


I don' t know if you can get the scale of it from the photo. It's 42.5" by 16". That is to say - it's BIG.

And inside is this :

Now, it's right by the electrical panel, and clearly related to that. However, an electrician who was out to the house doing some other stuff said he'd never seen anything like this. Ever.

"Best not to touch that," he said. Yeah, I guess so.

"Throw the switch, boss!"

Hail can't stop me golfing

I began today's golf game alone, but Gus and Shy came along as I was starting the 2nd, so we joined up. About that time we all got hailed on. Yes, pea sized hail came down for awhile - a minute or two. It just about covered the first green as Gus and Shy came up to putt. Craziness.

That was the worst of the weather though and it was even sunny for some of the round. I shot 49, which is my average this year. No pars, but no snowmen either (that's an 8 for you non-golfers).

It was windy and we all had trouble hitting any of the par 3 greens. Shy was the only one to win any cash. We took three shots each on the last par 3 - about 180 yards into the wind, and only one of those shots got to the green. But Gus didn't win money with it, as he four putted after being just on by a foot or two.

Quote for the day

You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you.

Trotsky, June 1919

Opening quote from Dark Star by Alan Furst.

Quote of the day

There's a kind of freedom in being completely screwed, because you know it can't get any worse.

Matthew Broderick's character in The Freshman

From the "Need We Say More? Dept"

I got the URL reference to this web site from Burnt Toast magazine. It's strange to have such little content, but stranger still that page was created back in 1995, which is like ancient history for the web.

Funny thing is that I found like eating raw turnips last year after making a stew that involved cooking a bunch of root vegetables with the beef.

I've even had turnip cravings since then.

Nice day out on the links

It was a great day here yesterday for our weekly Wednesday golf outing. I didn't feel that I played that well, but putting was good, and I finished up with a 47. Pretty good for me.

I didn't win any of the cash though, as Shy swept the par 3s. Bastard.

I'm not sure how many more golf Wednesdays there will be, but hopefully a few more before the season ends.

Avast ye matey!

'Tis the day to Talk Like A Pirate! (or failing that perhaps like Keith Richards).

Arrr, Chumbucket and Cap'n Slappy have yer proof positive that good things come from your racquetball game. See'n they be comin' up with the notion of talkin' like a pirate back in the days of Nineteen hundred and ninety-five.

All was good with it but smallish were the celebrations until they hornswaggled the Pulitzer scupper Davy Barry inta scribin' a few wee words about the glorious day which be today a' course: September 19.

So, lift a sabre and greet all with a ho-ho-ho and bottle o' rum, and shiver their timbers, 'cause it be TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY!

"The last day of summer..."

It was the start of a new romance....."

Or not.

It's up to 31 degrees here in Winnipeg, so I've invited some folks over to my place for 'Beers in the Garage." Yeah, Beers in the Garage, which is cleaned out for the first time in living memory, rather than Beers on the Deck, as I don't have a deck.

And the new garage floor that was put in last week is looking great. Photo to follow.

Back down to earth

Well, I shot 54 yesterday at the Canoe Club. Ugh. I did par one of the par 3s, but wasn't closest to the hole, so didn't win the money. The last couple of par 3s I think I was trying too hard off the tee.

Lost a couple of balls off good shots - one on the fly into the water ditch that's about 180 yards out from the first tee, and the other my 2nd shot on number two, which went up into the leaves of the tree in front of me and I don't know where it went from there. Made solid contact though.

Hey, I've just hooked myself up to Skype, which is a cool little talk over your computer software package. Check it out and give me a call. Can even video call with my handy dandy built into the computer camera.

Hall - Main Floor - Home Photo Exhibit IV

If you preceed into my house from the front door foyer, then you get to the main floor hall, which has a nice light fixture that if I stand on my tiptoes I can just touch the bottom of.



Then on the wall above the door to the closet where I'll put your coat, if you have one when you come over, you'll see this.



It's a bit of folk art that my dad did long ago.



Strange how in all the talk about the '60s and how great that decade was - despite several assassinations American public figures, and the beginning of the Viet Nam war - they never mention the glorious string art that was created.

Then again, maybe that's not so strange.

Two personal bests!

I shot 42 at the Canoe Club today, which shattered my personal best of 45. Woo hoo!

More importantly, I swept the par threes, winning all the money, which was $16 as Jen, Gus, Bob and Ron were out with me.

I was the only one on the first par 3. We all missed the second; Jen got hosed - literally - as there was a sprinkler hose blocking some of the path to the green which likely stopped her ball from rolling on. Ugh.

On number 8, four of us were on, and Ron's shot rolled close to mine so it wasn't clear which of us was closer looking from the tee, or if Gus even was closer than us. Turned out I was closest, but ended up three putting. Oops.

That made number 9 a three hole carry over. Gus hit it to the left, and Jen to the right. Ron was also left, and Bob had the right line but was a bit short. My shot was right at the stick, and about 10 feet to the left of it. I made a good run at a birdie, which counts double, but rolled it about two feet by the hole. Rountine par.

Cha-ching.

Of course, I was humbled yesterday at Player's, another 9 hole course here in Winnipeg, where I shot 59. It's more difficult than the Canoe Club, and I lost a few balls, but found a couple. Best part of that round was that I had no three putts. All two or less, which is good for me.

1000 pieces - Home Photo Exhibit III

A little detour from the front entrance to show you images of my garage, as I'm having the floor replaced this week. Why does it need to be replaced? Let me show you.


The view looking in.


The view looking out.


The view looking down. I ain't kidding when I say the floor's in a 1000 pieces. Heck, that's an underestimate.

In my front door - Home Photo Exhibit II

If you walk in my front door, and look up, then you will see this light fixture.


Then looking to the right, you can see yourself in a mirror hung on a flower printed wallpaper.

And looking down from that, the red and green tiled floor.

But let's look back at the door before moving on.

Home Photo Exibit - I

I'm going to try putting up an image from home everyday for, well, awhile. I have a big house, and here's what you'd see walking up the front steps.



My house number is 33, which is undoubtedly why that's one of my favorite numbers. I read in a numerology book that my name rings to 33, which is supposed to be one of the higher spirit numbers. Blah, blah, blah.