What I Did During My Summer Vacation

Well, I don't like to admit it but I think the bulk of the summer is behind us. I don't know why I always have feelings of regret at the end of the summer, as if the fun I had wasn't the right kind of fun, but this year is no exception. Like you had to do in elementary school, I'm going to give a brief (or not-so-brief, we'll see) synopsis of what I did during my summer "vacation" so maybe I won't feel like I missed out on anything.

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Construction Projects

Early this summer, or maybe it was still spring, I started in on some summer projects.

Replacement Windows

Tired of the annual ritual of plastic-ing my windows only to have the plastic rip off, blow in or fall victim to the curious claws of a cat, I decided it was high time to replace the OEM windows with something a little more contemporary. Plus, I wanted some of those fancy features you see in movies - opening, closing and staying put. Glass that reaches all four sides of the window sash without cracks or holes is also something I looked for in a quality window. As it turns out, you can order exactly that from your local box store.

Like Dave Matthews says, the first step is hardest of all. That first step was measuring the window openings and placing the order. The fact that all of the windows measured the same (unlike my bedroom windows that were almost all different by just a little) instilled confidence. I sat down with the guy at The Home Despot, placed my order and signed 13 agreements stating that whether the windows fit or not I owned them and they could not be returned. Even though I had thrice measured them, I returned home with tape measure in hand to give them a few more spot checks. Yup, 62" tall and 34" wide.

A few weeks later I got the call (conveniently after I just returned home from HD) that the windows were in, so I cleaned out my car and drove over. The windows fit exactly in the back of my Lesbaru, and I carted them home to unload in the garage.

Over the next few weeks I got all of the old windows removed, new windows installed, and surrounding trim re-cut to fit. A fresh coat of paint (which I have yet to apply) will have them looking better than new.

A Big Ole Deck

In the middle of the window project, I also lent two hands, two legs, a strong back and a little know-how to Jeff in the design and construction of his deck. We spent a few weeks of weekends digging holes, framing, decking and building railings. In the end he was the proud owner of a 16x20 deck, which replaced the rotting platform formerly adorning his sliding door.

The previous "deck" was your basic 8x8 platform serving only as relatively safe footing when you stepped out the door. The weathered surface had more splinters than paint and looked only slightly better than a set of pallets strewn on the ground. The new deck features a new gas grill, a patio set and probably some flowers next year. A job well done if I do say so myself!

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I Went Out with a Real Live Girl

Yeah, believe it folks. AND, it was more than once. AND she was/is pretty. I didn't go public with it in case it didn't work out. Since this is the first you're hearing of it, you can rest assured that it didn't. I won't go into details because it's all history at this point, but let it suffice to say being nice (but not too nice), charming, dashingly handsome, interesting and interested (but not needy) resulted in the standard, tried and true method of ending any relationship no matter the length - The Complete Blowoff.

Ladies (and gentlemen too, I guess), The Complete Blowoff is fine for some situations, but if the person invested a decent amount of time and energy in you, the courteous thing to do is at least send a text message with some reasoning so the other person can learn something. "I can't respect a guy who drives a Lesbaru, beat it" might work. "You're too good for me, I'm going back to my heroin junkie ex-boyfriend" is a good one. Even "Not my type. Best of luck, hoser" would be infinitely more helpful than abrupt silence. I'm not bitter, I'm just saying.

P.S. Those jeans make your ass look fat.

P.P.S. Ha ha, just kidding; there's nothing wrong with the jeans. It's the fat that makes your ass look fat.

P.P.P.S. Seriously I'm kidding. Your ass looks fine. Back to the good stuff.

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Yardwork Aplenty

I wasn't as active in the yard as I have been in years past, but that's what I get for paying dues all of those years. The trees are already trimmed (or felled), the lawn is already thick and green and the gardens are at least defined.

Don't get me wrong, nobody would ever come to my house and say "WOW, would you just look at that beautiful yard!" Yeah, the lawn is nice but the gardens are pretty shoddy. This past weekend I decided to give up on the front garden and plant grass around the few plants and shrubs I have been able to keep alive, so next year should be even better.

What I did accomplish though is slight but non-trivial. I planted some perennials next to the side door (Beardtongue and some flowery "mounds" to the left and Creeping Juniper to the right) and a few larger plants in the soon-to-be extended lawn area.

In the backyard, I burned up the large year-and-a-half old pile of evergreen branches, the pile of pallets, the box of wood scraps (including the box itself), construction debris and myriad other combustible items. Just this past weekend I got to work burning the remnants of a pine tree I cut down a few years back. It's taken some time, but it's finally dry enough to burn. Let's hope there are no scorpions living in that pile!

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All Work and No Play...

What would summer vacation be if you didn't play outside? Any time I found myself inside, I would hear my mother's voice of yore asking "What are you doing inside? It's the nicest day of the year." You were right back then and you're right now, mom. I spent as little time in the house as possible.

I'm sure I've bored all of you to death talking about riding my bike, running and kayaking. In reality I didn't do as much running or kayaking as I did last year, but I did a whole bunch of biking. Part of that was due to a hamstring injury, and part of it was due to the great enjoyment I got out of riding my bike. I'll have to check, but I think I've clocked somewhere in the vicinity of 1,200 miles on the bike this summer, and I'll still be riding until the snow flies (and maybe even after that). I wouldn't be surprised to tip the scales at 2,000 miles by summer's end.

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I Took a Real Vacation

Considering my disdain for any trip longer than a weekend, and further away than Buffalo, it practically required an act of God to get me to take a real vacation. As you all know, that vacation was to Japan to visit my sister. In addition to the whole picking a date, buying plane tickets, planning and re-planning the logistics thing I also had to acquire advanced permission from the US government to re-enter the country. This permission was granted in the form of a long-awaited US Passport. I'd like to thank the terrorists for making this as difficult as possible.

The vacation was everything I could have hoped for and more. I was refreshed, invigorated, cultured and by the end, ready to be home. That my friends, is a what you look for in a vacation. It helped that all I had to do was get to Japan and my sister took care of everything else, including but not limited to: day trip planning, meal selection, telling me what I'm doing wrong, correcting me for walking up to the wrong side of the car and talking to strangers for me.

I won't recap the whole trip here, you'll have to read some of my archived posts to get the full flavor. It was a great way to expand my traveling repertoire to include foreign travel. I've got experience and a Passport on my side now.

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So folks, when you put it all on a piece of paper it seems like I did a lot this summer. I didn't mention that I extended the Lenten season and kept the TV off, or that I read several lengthy books, magazines, and a users manual or two. All in all I'd say I had a pretty good summer. I encourage all of you to take a few minutes to reflect on your summer vacation and hopefully yours was pretty damn good too.

Here's to Autumn!


Over and Out,
Old Coot