09 Thursday Jul 2015
Posted in Photography
The sand between my toes, the sound of the waves crashing on the beach and watching my kids play in the serf, this is what I’m longing for and it won’t be too much longer. We will be heading to the beach on Tuesday of next week and after a day like today, it can’t get here soon enough. I’m even going to take my bicycle and do some riding along the coast while we’re there.
“Life Goes On!”
08 Wednesday Jul 2015
Posted in Photography
http://tchphotography.smugmug.com/HDR/i-BwHzXKd/A
I was able to find the parts for my dryer locally. The parts were even cheaper than online. It took me some time to get the parts installed because I had to replace some of the wiring. I’m really surprised that the wires didn’t touch the cabinet and trip the breaker. I used a vacuum to suck up all the dust and lint and put everything back together and plugged it back in. Now I’ve got to put new parts on the French Doors that hide the washer and dryer which means another trip to the supply house.
“Life Goes On!”
07 Tuesday Jul 2015
Posted in Photography
http://tchphotography.smugmug.com/Chicago/i-Sp5v23W/A
Can I have a “Do Over” for today or can it just be over with. It’s funny how you have everything planned out but the least little thing can change everything you have planned.
It started last night when I had made plans to go bike riding today when I got home from work. I got everything ready last night before I went to bed so that once home I could change clothes and go. Didn’t quite work that way.
Item 1. At about 2pm I got a phone call from my wife telling me that the dryer had quit working. Luckily I know a little about appliance repair so when I got home I immediately started trying to figure out what the problem was that was keeping my dryer from doing it’s main job. Burnt wire on the thermostat plus the thermostat looks burnt. I’ve got to call the supplyhouse in the morning to see if they have the parts if not I’ll have to order them online.
Item 2. Once the dryer was looked at and all my tools were put away I looked at the clock and decided that I still had enough time to go for a ride but my wife had something she wanted to discuss with me. It seems that my soon to be 22 year old son has been found to be driving reckless and driving too fast in and around the neighborhood. He’s already had one speeding ticket and our insurance skyrocketed so we really can’t afford another rate hike. My wife and I decided to tell our son that if he gets another ticket that he will be removed from our policy and he will have to pay for his own insurance. At an estimated $1000/per six months, I don’t think he can afford that. Maybe that will slow him down knowing that he may have to pay $150 a month to drive his car.
Item 3 After my meeting with the wife I had just enough time for a half loop. That’s 15 miles. It’s better than nothing so I go and start changing clothes. The phone rings. The wife answers, “What’s Wrong”. Two words that you don’t want to hear when all three of your kids are supposed to be on their way home from work. Keep in mind that all three of my kids work at the same water park. One daughter is upset from something that happened at work and now she’s quitting. The other daughter says she’s going to quit if this superviser that made the first daughter so mad she’s going to quit is not fired. Still with me? Now my son arrives at home just as my wife is trying to tell me what is going on. My wife stops in mid sentence and starts asking my son what happened. Without going into great detail it seems that they have a problem with a supervisor and my son, who is about 4 years older than that of this supervisor, got caught in the middle. My son is supposed to see if he can talk to the supervisor’s boss in the morning to see if he can sort this whole mess out. If not, someone will face the wrath of my wife tomorrow I can assure you.
Item 4 I quit looking at the clock at this point. My girls come home. We go over the entire events of the afternoon again with little to no resolve. Again, my son says that he will talk to the boss in the morning when he gets to his training session. If there is a solution my girls will go to work at 10 am as scheduled. If no resolve, they will all quit I’m guessing.
I decided to take this opportunity to discuss the lead foot my son has with him. I tell him of the $150 a month insurance plan, he’s not impressed with having to pay that amount. Will it work, I doubt it. We shall see!
No riding for me today. Going on vacation next week but will I have any money left to go after the repair work on my dryer? This is only Tuesday and we still have three more days remaining in this week. The weekend can’t come soon enough.
“Life Goes On!”
06 Monday Jul 2015
Posted in Photography
http://tchphotography.smugmug.com/Prints-For-Sale/Botanical-Gardens/i-bkwWVgz/A
I had every intention of getting home and taking a ride on the bicycle this evening but with everything else I tried to do today my plans got changed. I’m moving my son out of one apartment into another in a couple of weeks and being that we’re going to be out of town all of next week I decided that today would be as good a day as any to unload the firewood from my open trailer. But first, I had to get to the trailer. It seems that over a period of a few months brush had overtaken the area so I had to cut them down. Once that was done I noticed that the tire was flat on the trailer so I’ll be calling the tire shop to order some used tires. The area that I have for my firewood was also growed up so here I go again cutting down more brush. After about two hours I finally got my trailer unloaded and the firewood stacked. I really need to unload my truck tomorrow but I think I’ll take a ride on the bicycle tomorrow.
“Life Goes On!”
05 Sunday Jul 2015
Posted in Photography
Tags
365 Day Photo Challenge, Alabama, Bike Riding, Cleats, Clipless Pedals, Cycling, Photography, Shoes
And I do mean little. A little over 14 miles to be exact. I road to a friends house which lives about 7 miles from me in another city and we had a small meeting. After about 45 minutes or so I left and went to another friends house and stayed about the same amount of time. I left there, got about half a mile up the road and then the bottom fell out. Stormed all the way home.
I got new pedals, cleats and new shoes. I’m not sure if I have the cleats set just right but so far I’m not having any issues. I am having issues with clipping in on my left pedal. I’m sure it will come with time but I had a lot of trouble and in the most inopportune time. I stopped at a traffic light and unclipped. After the light changed to green I had to start up this steep hill. I never did get that left foot clipped in until after I got up that hill. I was wore out. I stopped a couple of times trying to practice but it seemed to do no good. I can do if fine while stopped but while riding it’s another story. Like I said, I’m sure it will come with time.
“Life Goes On!”
04 Saturday Jul 2015
Posted in Photography
Happy 4th of July everyone!! I spent the day smoking some ribs. I waited until my kids got home from work to eat with them. It’s the first time I’ve ever smoked any ribs and they turned out pretty good. I still smell of smoke though. Kids are already in bed getting some much needed rest so they can go back to work tomorrow.
Tomorrow my plan is to put my new pedals on my bike and get my cleats adjusted and take a short ride into the next town. I need to have a meeting with a scout parent and this will give me an excuse to get on the bike. I’t been a messy weekend and it doesn’t look to promising tomorrow but I’ll ride rain or shine.
I hope your 4th was enjoyable and I hope you got to spend it with your families.
“Life Goes On!”
03 Friday Jul 2015
Posted in Photography
Tags
365 Day Photo Challenge, 4th of July, Alabama, Cycling, Grill, Kids, Lowes, Off Day, Ribs, Road Shoes, Smoker, Working
http://tchphotography.smugmug.com/Chicago/i-4Q8GdMP/A
Spent the day with my wife of 24 years today while on my day off from work. I really needed this time alone with my wife. We went out to lunch, just my wife and I. My two daughters were at work and we left my son at home with his Netflix. It’s the first time that my wife and I had a “date” in many years. Everytime we go out on our anniversary we always end up taking the kids. We always enjoy the company of our kids but there comes a time when you need alone time with just the wife.
We went to Olive Garden, my wife’s favorite restaurant. After we ate we went to Lowes and I picked up a smoker so I can smoke some ribs tomorrow and then we went to the cycle shop and I picked up my new road shoes.
After arriving back at home, I put my smoker together, put the new cleats on my new road shoes and spent some quality time with the girls once they got home from work. The girls showered, ate supper and went to bed. Not too much quality time there but I’ll take what I can get these days.
As with the canoe’s pictured, life can get confusing sometimes and it may seem that it will take some time to get untangled. My advice is to take your time, have fun, spend some time with your spouse and your kids. To me that’s the most important part of life.
02 Thursday Jul 2015
Posted in Photography
http://tchphotography.smugmug.com/FT-Toulouse/i-MVCdn8c/A
I feel very blessed to have finally it to this weekend. I thought this day would not end. I do not have to go back to work until Monday. Tomorrow will be spent taking my wife out to lunch being that I had to work late on the day of our anniversary. Afterwards I’m going to search for a smoker to smoke some ribs on Saturday.
I will not be seeing much of my twin daughters this weekend and that doesn’t set well with me. They both will be working. They are only 17 and I really wished I could have talked them into not working their last summer before their senior year. But, one daughter loves to shop and thinks she has got to go shopping EVERY WEEKEND and my wife simply complies to her wishes instead of arguing with her. One thing that I don’t understand, and maybe it’s because I’m a male but why would you need to purchase a dress and wear it to one event and not be able to wear it to another event two weeks later. My daughters excuse is because people may have already seen her in that other dress. Really? So her closet if filled with dresses that she’s only wore once and more than likely will not wear again because someone else has already seen her in it. The do shop well though. She will find a dress that normally sells for $160 and find it on sale for $30 bucks. Both my daughters are very smart shoppers and who ever marries them will be happy for that.
“Life Goes On!”
01 Wednesday Jul 2015
Posted in Photography
Tags
365 Day Photo Challenge, AAADD, funny, Growing Old, Humor, Laughter, Old Age
http://tchphotography.smugmug.com/FT-Toulouse/i-kdR88f8/A
So this is why I can’t get anything done!!
Recently, I was diagnosed with A. A. A. D. D. – Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder.
If this isn’t you yet, your day is coming!
Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder.
This is how it manifests: I decide to wash my car.
As I start toward the garage, I notice that there is mail on the hall table.
I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.
I lay my car keys down on the table, put the junk mail in the trash can under the table, and notice that the trash can is full.
So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the trash first.
But then I think, since I’m going to be near the mailbox when I take out the trash anyway, I may as well pay the bills first.
I take my checkbook off the table, and see that there is only one check left.
My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go to my desk where I find the can of Coke that I had been drinking.
I’m going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the Coke aside so that I don’t accidentally knock it over.
I see that the Coke is getting warm, and I decide I should put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.
As I head toward the kitchen with the Coke, a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye–they need to be watered.
I set the Coke down on the counter, and I discover my reading glasses that I’ve been searching for all morning.
I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I’m going to water the flowers.
I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water and suddenly I spot the TV remote.
Someone left it on the kitchen table.
I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I will be looking for the remote, but I won’t remember that it’s on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs, but first I’ll water the flowers.
I splash some water on the flowers, but most of it spills on the floor.
So, I set the remote back down on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill.
Then I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.
At the end of the day: the car isn’t washed, the bills aren’t paid, there is a warm can of Coke sitting on the counter, the flowers aren’t watered, there is still only one check in my checkbook, I can’t find the remote, I can’t find my glasses, and I don’t remember what I did with the car keys.
Then when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I’m really baffled because I know I was busy all day long, and I’m really tired.
I realize this is a serious problem, and I’ll try to get some help for it, but first I’ll check my e-mail.
Don’t laugh — if this isn’t you yet, your day is coming!
GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL, LAUGHING AT YOURSELF IS THERAPEUTIC!
30 Tuesday Jun 2015
Posted in Photography
I’m off Friday of this week for observance of the 4th of July but with it being only Tuesday it feels to be the longest week thus far. The last two days have been extremely busy and long. Both days I have worked over ten hours and traveled over 400 miles. I don’t normally get sent out of the building and I’m not sure as to why I’m having to do all this traveling but I’m counting it a blessing to get out of the building for a couple of days.
The above picture is a building not far from our office in Montgomery, Alabama. It is empty and for sale at this time but for years it has served as a doctor’s office. I’m not sure how old it is but I know it’s at least 30 years old.
Grayfeathersblog 