September 2010 Archives

Awake: 6:53am       Temp 51       sleep 6+45       partly sunny       overnight @ Nicktown.

After joining the KK members, we returned to our BIG DIG & realized all the workers were now covering the gravel covered basement floor with (1) inch foam. All drain lines, the initial geo-thermal lines, Radon, etc are being covered up with this foam. I also realized that the compactor roller hadn't been picked up yet...so I delayed my breakfast & repeated my "all shook up" rolling the yard for another (40) min. The yard seems to be getting a little smoother but it could be my imagination. (20) min later as I was eating breakfast, a truck backed up, the truck bed tilted & away went that compactor roller.

Shortly after breakfast, we had some distinguished visitors; Rosemary & Gary have returned from Denver. They wasted no time in getting updated on our home project simply by walking around in a wide circle. They couldn't hang around very long due to Gary's plan of mowing his grass before the rain moves in.

I did ask a favor however...on their way out driving their car, would they give us a thumb's up if the yard feels smoother or down if no change. Of course we were counting on a positive response but.... I've never seen Gary's thumb look so large pointed in a downward direction. Ouch!

Bernie tells us....they are ready for Scott, the Geo man, to come in & (weather permitting) start building the geo tubes throughout the basement floor. Next, Kathy & I attended 6:00pm Mass &, afterward, Theresa sort of encouraged us to have a Shock-Top beer with her @ the Nicktown Bar. How could we refuse + we enjoyed some good & funny talk.

Nick called while he was waiting for the bus in Seattle. We updated each other on his home buying progress & our home building progress; plus, we viewed Facebook & got to see the blue super suit that a co-worker made for Jerry. Neat job & nice fit, Jerry.

Dinner: Salad with Triscuit Thin Crisps & popcorn while watching 1/3 more of the movie: "Holiday in Mexico."

Lights out: 12:34am.

Awake: 5:55am      Temp 59     sleep 6+29       early morning...heavy rain      later sunny overnight @ Nicktown. 1st thing this morning, Bernie got right after clearing a trough on the basement floor for the Radon tube that Kathy mentioned yesterday.

You can see the long white tubing curving its way across the basement floor. Also, Dave, one of the excavator drivers, started covering up the basement ground using the Skeet loader & dumping gravel which the workers are spreading using shovels. Meanwhile, Bernie smoothed the gravel floor by driving the compact roller over it. Just before noon, they ran out of gravel so they took their lunch break while waiting for the gravel truck, which finally arrived.

Sometime during the afternoon, I asked Bernie how long he would be having the roller. "Just today" he said; "they will pick it up in the morning." He also told me that when he is finished, I could use it if I wanted to.

About 4:15pm, Bernie brought the roller up to our front yard, gave me a quick check-out & then he & his workers drove off for the day. The inside yard of our circular drive is very, very bumpy....so I thought perhaps this heavy roller might help level the ground; I spent over an hr rolling just about every foot of our circular yard.

I will admit, the shocks aren't as good as the ones in your car.

Dinner: Egg plant parmesan, sourdough bread & a spinach salad.

Late movie: "Holiday in Mexico." We watched 1/3.

Lights out: 12:08am.

Awake: 5:52 am      Temp 55     sleep 6+01      light rain      overnight @ Nicktown.

Bernie & his team were on the job site before 7:00am.

We attended the KK meeting & then I purchased (4) rough service bulbs from the Krumenacker Hardware store...in prep for warming the pump-houses during cold weather.

At our motorhome, Bernie came by & reported that the inspector was here & approved the water drains pressure test of 100 psi. Early afternoon, Scott, the Geo man, & his sidekick, Mike, visited our basement. Scott, Mike & Bernie got together &, to my satisfaction, selected the placement of the Geo thermal units in the basement. The Geo Thermal units will be placed near the wall & the large blue tubes will spread out to be (8) smaller tubes, & get buried about (5) ft under ground in a loop further down in our open field. Kathy's been reading about Radon gas & how it creeps into old homes & new homes....so she talked to Bernie about Radon & he thought it would be a good idea to bury a few pipes before the basement was covered with cement. Scott asked for (2) more drain pipes in the event there is sweating around the geothermal energy units.

                                                 At the end of the day..... Dinner: Tilapia fish, rice, asparagus & red peppers, acorn squash, grapes, cantaloupe.

Lights out: 11:26.

Awake: 7:16 am     Temp 47     sleep 6+19     overcast     overnight @ Nicktown.

After coffee, Kathy, Debra & I exercised for (1.7) hrs @ the community center. Back in our motor home, Kathy made a breakfast of: sourdough pancakes with eggs over easy, & bacon + maple syrup.

@ 3:00pm, we saw Chuck riding his quad-runner down the trail looking things over & that's an indication that he is feeling better.

Mid afternoon, I invited Kathy outside to introduce her to the complex water system we have been using since 2005. Sometime during the year 2004, the coal mine industry changed the reservoir's flow of water & whatever else they did, messed up our pure water on pump-house # 1.

During August, 2005 we drilled again for good water & aside from strong heavy downpours, which sometimes bring in a little iron, our water is very good.

So, since 2005, we have gotten our water from pump-house # 2, & it is pumped over & thru pump-house # 1 & then to our motorhome. Kathy didn't realize that the well water traveled so far before arriving into our motorhome. And, because of the (2) pump-houses, during the winter, I'll have to keep them warm & above freezing temps.

Dinner: Sour dough bread with EVOO/balsamic vinegar dip, pasta with Italian sausage, red bell pepper, & 4-bean salad.

After finishing the dishes, I got out a bundle of photos from the early 20^th century through the 21^st century of my mom & dad & their brothers & sisters & us as we were growing up, etc, etc.It is so interesting to look back on our lives & read some of the letters of my folks & study the photos. This was only a pittance of what our family has stored.

Later, we finished the movie: "I was Monty's Double" with M.E. Clifton-James, John Mills, Cecil Parker, Marius Goring, Michael Hordern, etc. Exciting, true WW2 story of actor persuaded to pose as Gen. Montgomery in order to divert German intelligence in North Africa. 1958. Great story...but not exactly true as we found out later; and Kathy stayed awake.

Lights out: 11:51pm.

Awake: 5:30am      Temp 64      sleep 5+39       sunny      overnight @ Nicktown.

Just before 7:00am, some of the crew arrived & started digging trenches to put the drains in the basement for the entire household area. After our breakfast, Kathy did (1) load of laundry while I took a long look @ Al's BIG BEAR Quad-Runner. We had the engine running for a few seconds earlier this week but since then, it refuses to even give a hint about starting.

Since Al brought the Bear over to our place, I haven't had the time or the good weather...until today, to get serious about surgery. This afternoon, all I discovered was: the air cleaner was completely rotted but all electrical systems I checked were good. Among my deep socket collection, I don't have one that will fit the spark plug; but earlier this week, that engine ran for seconds?

On Monday, we were told that Scott the Geo man, will pay us a visit & he will have some liquid lines to lay also.

Later, K & I attended the 6:00pm vigil Mass &, afterward, Diane & Max joined us at the Nicktown Hotel for pizza and beer & lots of good talk time.

(2) yrs ago, Max & Diane gave us a wonderful tour of interesting places in Florida .....so we tried to return the flavor just a little. They will soon return to their winter home in Florida.

Back in our motorhome, tonight's movie: "I was Monty's Double." We watched ½.

Lights out: 12:57am.

Awake: 7:01am      Temp 65      sleep 7+24      sunny       overnight @ Nicktown.

After our coffee, we left Nicktown @ 8:20am & motored to Ebensburg, topped off our tank @ the Sunoco station & then continued to State College. Without rushing, we were (2) min early for our 10:00 am appointment with Matt. We spent (2.5) hrs with Matt, going over each & every window that we have on our house drawing. Kathy eliminated only (1). Here is the list of our potential windows: Next we visited the nearby Wal-Mart & shopped mostly for groceries. One thing on my list was a halogen light bulb for my desk lamp & Wal-Mart did not have the wattage it called for. So on up the road, we stopped @ a Home Depot & they had just what I needed.

Back on our property, I toured our BIG DIG project & realized that the outside wall had been "tarred but not feathered,' & the guys have been laying out the drain pipes for the entire house structure: laundry, kitchen, showers, bathtub, sinks, dishwashers, bathrooms, bar ice maker & sink, garage drains for autos, etc. That's a lot of pipage & they are just getting started. Dinner: Crab cakes, rice & asparagus.

Lights out: 11:51pm.

Awake: 6:34am      Temp 62      sleep 6+51       mostly sunny      overnight @ Nicktown.

All the workers were here around 7:00am. After the KK meeting, we returned to the motorhome, changed shoes & walked around our structure to see the progress. Naturally, the hammers were heard all around town, depending on wind direction of course. Here one can see the brick imprint on the inside wall of the end structure; The outside concrete wall is smooth. Most of the afternoon was taken up preparing ourselves for tomorrow's visit to State College & working with Matt on windows & doors. I printed out (24) sheets of different windows that we might be interested in or not. We also examined our house drawing....trying to fully understand what type of window: aluminum clad wood or fiberglass would work better.

At the end of this day, all the aluminum forms were gone & this is our basement. It will be be all cemented but the rest of these walls will be of wooden structure. Dinner: walnut crusted wild Alaskan sockeye salmon with rice, asparagus, 4-bean salad & an orange.

Lights out: 11:36pm.

Awake: 6:29am Temp 62 sleep 6+57 sunny...late afternoon rain overnight @ Nicktown.

After our KK meeting, Kathy, Debra & I got a good workout for (1.7) hrs @ the community center. Back @ our home & on the job sight, the workers are nearly finished building the wall forms...& the concrete trucks (6) are scheduled for 2:00pm today.

Meanwhile, the biggest boom truck I've ever seen arrived: I think that boom has a reach of (90) feet. About (45) min later, the concrete trucks began arriving. The concrete truck feeds the boom hopper with concrete & that is fed into the boom. This worker is spraying a mixture of diesel fuel & detergent onto the aluminum forms which will allow the forms to release easier when the concrete is dried & forms removed. Here the worker has a 2x2 board standing by to tamp down the concrete. This fellow used a remote control device to maneuver the boom. Up to now, it has been a beautiful day for pouring cement...however, late afternoon, dark clouds moved into our area mighty fast. The workers were pouring the last section of the wall when.... the rain, thunder & lighting arrived & the guys started running for cover. The boom operator began bringing down the boom as a precaution....and just in the nick of time: One could barely see to run. A fast moving front it was, with strong winds & heavy rain for not more than (10) min. An hr later, sunshine with a little drizzle & calm winds.

The workers spent another few hrs making sure all that concrete was tampered down & blocked with a (6) inch width of Styrofoam.

Dinner: slice of leftover pizza for each, (2) bowls of New England clam chowder, oyster crackers, garlic toast & an a orange.

After dinner, Zack called us while driving home from work in Seattle. We discussed their 2006 yr pre-owned Lexus, & when he arrived home, we continued talking about the up & coming wedding preparations. Kathy had her list of potential guests & compared that with Zack's list. We spent (1.5) hrs on this phone call with most of that being good business.

Lights out: 11:43pm.

Awake: 6:43am        Temp 50      sleep 6+35      sunny      overnight @ Nicktown.

The Bassett Masonry team started working @ 7:00am sharp. Kathy & I went outside to take a stroll around the basement before motoring to Spangler to meet up with Karen & Steve for breakfast. We were happy to see good weather for their ongoing trip to Philidelphia today & for the Bassett team to finish our poured walls.

After a small breakfast @ Roland's with lots of fast talk, we said our goodbyes & bon voyage to Steve & Karen. Then we motored back to Nicktown & checked the workers' progress for the morning. After that quick check on progress, we called Greg in Cranberry Township & paid ½ of the overall cost for the appliances that Kathy selected.

A little later, Melissa & the boys honored us with a visit mid afternoon. We told them to bring their shovels, rakes & buckets because we have a large hole in one of our topsoil mountains & maybe they could fill it in. It didn't work however, Nathan & Gregory were content to play garden @ the bottom of the big topsoil hill, & Andrew & Matthew busied themselves making a downhill slide on the other topsoil mountain. Both were OK with me.

Next, before leaving, we all celebrated Matthew's Feast Day, by singing & eating cupcakes with sprinkles that Kathy made for the occasion. They had to leave earlier than usual so that Melissa could get home in time for her "by phone" Book Club.

Late afternoon, K & I walked to church to attend 6:00pm Mass.

Dinner: leftover stuffed pepper, asparagus, 4-bean salad, fresh tomatoes, & olives.

Lights out: 11:32pm.

Awake: 7:07am      Temp 54       sleep 7+50        sunny      overnight @ Nicktown.
@ 7:38am, we saw a LARGE TRUCK coming onto our circular driveway. It was the Bassett Masonry team who will be building the poured walls in the basement. 1st, the crane on the back of the truck did the unloading of the aluminum forms in baskets & placed them onto the temporary gravel basement floor. These aluminum forms have a brick pattern on the inside....so when the form is taken off, it looks like the inside wall was bricked.

I've learned that this team of workers are all local guys living within a (10) mile range. These guys will assemble the wall structure using pins, wedges, etc, plus a lot of hammering.

Mid morning, Karen & Steve arrived & we all rode over to the town of Nanty Glo & had breakfast @ the Niner Diner. Afterward, we perused the 40's, 50's & 60's collectables in the back & side rooms that the diner has for sale. Back at our house site, off & on, we watched the forms being slowly built up into a ¾ basement wall & visited with Karen & Steve.

Also a thick, dense foam blanket was set between the (2) walls (4 inches) from the outside wall for additional insulation of the wall.





  Dinner: We all rode up to Ebensburg & had a good meal @ the "Off the Rak" restaurant & bar. K & I shared a tuna salad.

Back @ our motorhome, Steve & Karen decided to return to the City Hotel for the night & we agreed to meet them for breakfast @ 9:00am tomorrow @ Roland's Family Restaurant.

Lights out: 12:08am.

Awake: 7:00am     Temp 57     sleep 7+16     partly sunny     overnight @ Nicktown.

After our coffee, K & I worked out for (1.6) hrs. @ 11:00am Karen called Kathy to let us know that she & Steve just left their home in Michigan & should be arriving @ our place before 6:00pm.

That was a clue for us to get our home organized for this annual occasion. Each yr, they leave Michigan to avoid the winter & spend their time @ the Villages in their home in Florida.

While Kathy vacuums & dusts the inside of our motorhome, I fill up our pure water tank & reposition some of our accumulated "stuff" from the living room.

Steve & Karen arrive fairly close to 6:00pm. After our welcome greetings, they wasted no time in getting over to inspect the BIG DIG project. Then we updated each other on our kids, grandkids, etc. Karen spent a great deal of time perusing our large scale house drawing with Kathy while Steve & I tried to get our own conversation going.

Then we motored in separate cars to the City Hotel Bar & Grill in Barnesboro for dinner. Karen & Steve will spend the night in this hotel as they have the last (2) yrs before.

Kathy & I shared a Corned Beef Reuben Sandwich & an Orange Chicken Salad. Steve & Karen were pretty tired so we agreed to meet tomorrow for more gab & fun.

K & I finished the movie: "The Way to the Stars" with John Mills, Michael Redgrave, Douglass Montgomery, Rosamund John, Stanley Holloway, Trevor Howard, etc. Excellent drama about a British airfield and the men stationed there, focusing mainly on personal relationships in wartime. 1945. A much different vision on WWII. You got to see it for yourself.

Lights out: 11:17pm.   

  

Awake: 6:29am Temp 46 sleep 6+59 fog...then sunny overnight @ Nicktown. After our coffee in the motorhome, we left Nicktown @ 7:20am & motored to Cranberry Township, north of Pittsburgh, (close to 100 miles) & visited Hillmon Appliances. Kathy wanted to see & discuss every one of the appliances with Greg that she had selected before to be sure we are doing the right thing. Walking around with Greg &, taking notes, she made only one change from the units she had selected before so we finished up in less than an hr. Using our credit cards, sometime next week, we will send Hillmon a 50% down payment. From Hillmon, we motored less than (2) miles & visited Costco to load up on fruit, veggies, fish, meat, etc. Next, we traveled south into the city of Pittsburgh & the West End area where my sister Corinne is living. Kathy asked only one person where Corinne's house is located &, bingo, we found it. Corinne was having an "open house day" for the nuns this afternoon so it was the perfect time for us to visit. Her house is a duplex with plenty of rooms for more nuns to join Corinne should any of them find this location convenient to their jobs. Here is the community room with Sister Norma, Kathy & my Sister Corinne. Corinne is currently using this nice big room with fire place (hardly in the picture) for various parish meetings. And here is Corinne's room; she could have selected a larger room but preferred this one, esp. since it has a ceiling fan. It really is a nice cozy room. Corinne's 1st guest nun was Sister Norma, who came early to help Corinne prepare; we have known Sr. Norma for decades. And this is Sister Barbara, arriving. Many other Sisters arrived throughout the afternoon but I didn't get their picture. My sister's job, which she enjoys very much, is "parish social minister" for Saint Athanasius Catholic church. We are so thankful that she has this position.

Oh, I didn't mention the delicious & healthy treats my sister had laid on the table; we didn't want them to go to waste so we did indeed help her out, eating more than our fair share. When it was time for us to leave one of the good sisters offered to show us the way 1st, to Home Depot & 2nd, to suggest a suitable route back in order to avoid the mid afternoon traffic.

So thank you very much sister; we enjoyed the State Route-228 which worked out very well. And thank you, Sister Corinne, for giving us a grand tour of your new home & letting us help keep the fruit from spoiling.

We arrived in Nicktown around 5:00pm which gave us plenty of time to walk to & attend the 6:00pm vigil Mass.

Afterwards, K & I shared a small pizza & each had had a Shock Top beer.

Late movie: "The Way to the Stars." We watched ½.

Lights out: 11:44pm.

Awake: 5:41am     Temp 58     sleep 5+48     overcast     overnight @ Nicktown.

After our KK meeting & breakfast, Kathy motored downtown to Spangler & Barnesboro for her weekly shopping & independence day.

Meanwhile, I was all lathered up with shaving cream when our doorbell dinged a few times; it was Gary & Rosemary. They were passing through Nicktown on their way home after attending an Escapee RV Rally in the state of Indiana.

I finished shaving while they perused our BIG DIG project & then we up-dated each other on the latest & greatest since we talked last. They were ready to get home & said they would call us later.

Kathy returned @ 2:15pm with another big smile & that's good. After a few yrs of having our Lexus in & out of storage, I've been continually overlooking a slight pull to the right while driving. So I called Al's Tire in Barnesboro & asked if I could get an alignment done.  "Come on down" said the voice on the line. Less than an hr later, the laser unit printed out the changes that needed to be made.

Our plans for tomorrow: drive to Cranberry Township to finalize the selection of appliances for our house... & to visit my sister Corinne in Pittsburgh; I'll be able to check out the alignment then.

Dinner: clam chowder, oyster crackers, bread & Clementine oranges.

Evening movie: "Bad Day at Black Rock" with Spencer Tracy, Walter Brennan, John Ericson, Ernest Borgnine, & Lee Marvin. Powerhouse cast in yarn of one-arm man (Tracy) uncovering skeleton in tiny desert town's closet. 1955. Good story & suspenseful.

Lights out: 11:30pm.                 

  

Awake: 6:37am    Temp 61    sleep 6+33    rain started @ 9:35am & continued all day & most of the evening    overnight @ Nicktown.

We were about to leave the social room where we have our KK meeting when...the sky opened & gave us a lot of rain, which we needed. A little later, we returned to our motorhome for breakfast.

Mid morning, Nick called from the Sea-Tac airport; he was flying to San Francisco to meet with a customer & will return later this evening. During his wait time, he brought us up-to-date on the house he has put earnest money down on in the Queen Anne area. There are many things to say about this house ...but I won't disclose them just yet.

About 4:30pm, our neighbor Chuck called: he's alive & recovering. He returned on Tuesday evening from the hospital in Altoona & is very happy to be back. He was air flighted & admitted to the hospital after suffering a bout of respiratory arrest, most likely due to pneumonia which he didn't realize he had. He told us that he never again wants to go thru what he has just experienced the last few weeks.

He admitted that it will take some time to regain his strength enough to just start the quad-runner but not ride on it.

We missed Chuck a lot these past weeks so it was good to hear his voice & chuckle @ his good sense of humor. We'll casually be watching for him walking in his yard &/or riding on his Quad soon.

Dinner: stuffed peppers, bread with apple butter & a spinach salad.

Lights out: 11:53pm.             

  

Awake: 6:41am      Temp 49      sleep 6+46      sunny      overnight @ Nicktown.

About 7:00am, Steve drove the BIG truck into our driveway with the BIG trailer behind & picked up the Bull Dozer, then drove off. Obviously they need it for another project.

After our coffee, we walked to the community center & attended our KK meeting & then attended the children's 9:30am Mass.

Father Job is very good with the school children, explaining things & bringing up new thoughts with a question & answer session. It's a treat for us to be witnesses.

Around noon time, (2) vehicles brought in the wall pads & necessary fasteners that attach to the wall unit.This dark blue vehicle came all the way from Vermont this morning. According to the driver, it took 7 hrs. The white truck is a local guy & they work together. Our neighbor, Al, is having trouble with his quad-runner again. He said it starts up & but won't keep running. So I walked over & checked for fuel & spark, which he had both. His battery however, was very weak so Al brought out the charger & we gave it a good charge. Other start-ups exhibited the same scenario. Due to a rain forecast, we decided to leave his quad @ his place for a few days before delving in anything further.

Kathy did (2) laundry loads today.

Dinner: Pork chops, fried noodles, leftover beans with ham from the church hall, apple sauce, & tomato slices.

Lights out: 12:04am.

Awake: 6:37am      Temp 51      sleep 6+39       sunny       overnight @ Nicktown.

After the KK meeting, Kathy motored to Spangler & Barnesboro @ 11:40 am to return a library book plus other stuff. Meanwhile, Steve & Dave arrived @ 12:02pm with their trailer loaded with drain pipes......preparing to do the French drains. They wasted no time in getting the drain pipes properly placed. Next came the Skid Steer to move the gravel. but 1st, Steve formed a bridge for crossing onto the basement floor to distribute the gravel & cover the drain pipes + basement floor. The basement floor is now ready to have the walls constructed. Bernie, the builder also visited & checked on the on-going progress. I had some questions for Bernie regarding the poured walls & the "R" factor of the wall pads, plus other questions on electrical & plumbing.

Kathy returned @ 2:05pm & as usual, she enjoyed her independent free time. Later, Zack called from Seattle & gave us a pretty good report on the testing of the Lexus that they might be buying. They had a scary moment going down a steep hill when Zack was braking & the Anti-skid brakes also kicked in.

Dinner: leftover Italian sausage with onions, peppers& mushrooms + broccoli. Kathy had a leftover chicken breast & broccoli.

After dinner, I washed the dishes & then scooted over to the church hall & attended the monthly Holy Name meeting which I missed (2) months in a row. Kathy was nice & dried those dishes during the meeting.

Lights out: 11:53pm.

Awake: 6:15am   Temp 49     sleep 6+09    short rain, then sunny    overnight @ Nicktown.

After the KK meeting, we had our regular breakfast & then Kathy called Melissa. We planned to be in Indiana, PA today to see & talk about the Gorell windows & doors &, if Melissa & the boys are available, we'd like to spend some time with them also. Melissa told us they have plans for the day but would call our cell phone around 1:00pm & maybe get together someplace. We arrived @ the Gorell factory shortly before 1:00pm. Cindy introduced herself & within min, we were busy looking @ their specific type of windows & doors. One couldn't help but to be impressed with their windows. Made right @ the factory, less than (30) feet from where we were standing. I couldn't imagine (900 +) people using machines that close & no noise?

About this time, Melissa called on our cell phone; we didn't know how much longer we would be @ Gorell's so we agreed to meet her & the boys @ the Indiana Free Library @ 3:00pm.

Meanwhile, Cindy said she had the time for a factory tour, so she gave us the traditional safety glasses to wear & out into the factory we went. Unbelievable! (2) doors away from Cindy's office & the noise was horrific. Kathy & I were up close & personal trying to hear every word she said. I could not see to the other side of the factory, it was huge. Cindy's tour was very thorough, explaining some of the machines as we walked along the aisles.

She started working @ the factory @ age-17 & through the yrs, worked her way up to a sales rep. Our floor tour lasted a good (50) min & we hadn't seen even half of the entire factory. These windows & doors are very well made & are shipped throughout the U.S.

Back in the sales office, Cindy scanned our house drawing & made several comments about their windows: they are built as replacement windows which we knew from the start. But...they could also work for new construction by adding a separate piece of this & a little of that. And of course, that would add to the price of each window plus the extra labor of installing the extra pieces. We exchanged e-mails & phone #'s & thanked her for the gracious tour & said we would be in touch. Next we motored to the Foote Castle, parked our car in their driveway & walked to the library where we met Melissa & boys having story time in the children's section. We spent a good (50) min with them (reading some good children's books) before we, the Footes & Melissa's friend, Danelle & her (3) children, had snack time together outside in the grassed area near the Indiana County Courthouse.

After that, we accompanied Melissa & our grandchildren, & Danelle with her (2) girls & (1) boy, slowly to their respective homes. It was cute seeing Matthew, Andrew, & Nathan holding hands & walking with the girls. Kevin, on his way home from work, came riding up on his bike when we were about a block away from the Foote castle.

Back in our motorhome we had dinner: stuffed flounder fillet, mixed rice (the exotic blend), & cottage cheese & peach salad.

Lights out: 11:58pm.

Awake: 7:25am    Temp 59    sleep 6+52    heavy dew-drizzle    overnight @ Nicktown.

Mid morning, we Skyped & talked with Nick in Seattle for (40) min. Jerry is now riding his bike without training wheels & Nick continues his search for a bigger home in the Queen Anne area of Seattle. And Momoko seems to enjoy seeing our mugs during our sessions.

Kathy spent a few hrs on face-book where she caught up on all the activity of her family & friends.... & I tried & catch-up on my e-mail.

My sister, Mary Jo, called from CA & we updated each other for a good (35) min. Their youngest son, Matt, will marry Christine on October 9^th in a very small immediate family wedding & reception. Their oldest son Brian's computer business is doing much better & today is their daughter (our Goddaughter) Jen's birthday. So we wish you a very Happy Birthday, Jen.

Mid to late afternoon, cousin Cyril & cousin Tony stopped in for a short visit to check out our BIG DIG progress.

Mid evening, Nick, in Seattle, gave us a 2^nd phone call; he has found another house of interest in the Queen Anne area. He gave us the computer address so we could look @ the pictures with him & discuss the pros & cons. We agreed that their seem to be many more pros than cons!  

Late evening; we continued watching the movie: "The Go Between" with Julie Christie, Alan Bates, Dominic Guard, Margaret Leighton, etc. Beguiling film from L.P. Hartley; story of boy who becomes messenger for love notes between aristocratic Christie and farmer Gates. Lushly filmed & full of nuances. Not for all tastes. 1970. WE agree not for all taste, ours included, for this British love story.

Lights out: 12:06am.          

 

Awake: 6:54am       Temp 47       sleep 7+31      sunny.       overnight @ Nicktown.

K & I skipped the KK meeting today & after a small breakfast, we left Nicktown @ 8:40am.

We motored to State Collage, PA & spent 2.5 hrs with Matt, the Pella Windows & Doors expert. This is our 2nd experience with Pella; on August 4th, while in Somerset, PA, we talked about windows & doors with Roy @ Lowe's for 1.5 hrs. Matt appeared to us to have more experience with the high end of the vast building in State College. He looked @ our house drawing & made notes of each & every window. how about some of these windows in the family area. What do you think about this door for our entry? Later, he told us he would e-mail the estimate of the various window types: fiberglass, wood, and vinyl.

From here, we found a Wal-Mart a few miles away & did some grocery shopping.

Back in Nicktown, K & I attended the 6:00pm vigil Mass &, afterward, hinted to Bill to join us for a beer @ the Nicktown Bar. He did & we enjoyed his company.

Back @ our motorhome, we had leftover Chili & chicken for dinner. Later evening, we got a call from Zack; he & Katie were cruising around in a 2006 Lexus. They have been looking for a reasonable car for some time now; test driving many other brands & today, they found a car, a Hybrid, that they are seriously interested in. So the dealership gave them (72) hrs to give it a real test. Zack said he would keep us informed.

Late movie: "Go-Between." We watched ½.

Lights out: 12:33am.

Awake: 6:16am     Temp 51      sleep 6+22      partly sunny     overnight @ Nicktown.

No KK meeting this morning. Kathy joined the woman @ the church hall who were organizing the incoming, donated food as well as cooking hams, potatoes, green beans, etc. for the lunch to follow the memorial service. I waited until 10:40am & then started walking to the community center. Up ahead were the Marines who will be doing the 21 gun Salute. The media were already in position to capture this event for tonight's news. In the event of trouble makers, there were @ least (40) motorcycles in position to rev their engines & drown out those potential hecklers. Fortunately for us, that didn't happen. Minutes before 11:00am, I entered the gym & took a seat close to Kathy, but, I couldn't see very well so I moved about 30 ft & took a seat in the gym's rear bleachers. Rev. August B. Twigg did a marvelous job telling the crowd more about Joshua's early life leading to his short military career & conducting a prayerful service. After the service was over, I told Kathy that I would return to the motorhome for an hr, & then join the lesser crowd in the church hall for lunch.

At the hall, Kathy greeted the mourners, directing them to beverages & the tables designated for family, etc. She also made sure to shake the hand of each incoming marine & thank him for his service.

Once most of the people had been seated, Kathy took up her position at the dessert table, assisting the diners with their dessert selections. In fact, she was still assisting in serving dessert when I arrived about an hour later. However, after most people were finishing their meals, she did join me in having some food & dessert; an abundance of delicious food.

Lights out: 11:23pm.

Awake: 5:11am      Temp 53       sleep 5+42      cloudy, windy, cool with drizzle            overnight @ Nicktown.

Today is Donna's birthday & we celebrated her young yrs @ our KK with nearly a full house with lots of snacks & goodies. After the meeting, I heard talk about a lot of chairs in the gym, so I went to investigate; sure enough, there were over (500) chairs. Tomorrow, Nicktown will be hosting the Memorial Service for the United States Marine Corp, Lance Corporal Joshua T. Twigg, who was killed in Iraq September 2, 2010.

His parents live in Cambria County & arranged for the service to be in the Nicktown gym, with a lunch afterward in the church hall.

Scott, who is our main man for the Geo-thermo unit, arranged to have a meeting on our home site @ 10:30am today. Scott was accompanied by (3) other Geo workers, plus my cousin Florentz, our builder & Kathy & me. Our meeting lasted about an hr or a little more. Scott was comfortable with what he saw & is looking forward to getting started.

Next, Kathy & I walked to the community center to participate in attaching yellow ribbons on poles & trees throughout the town. It didn't take long for K & me as we ran out of ribbons half way thru town ...as did Mark & Janet across the street from us.

On the other end of town, those volunteers also ran out of ribbons. We heard later that someone went & bought more ribbon to finish the main streets properly to greet the remains of Corp Twigg & the mourners tomorrow.

Dinner: Italian Sausage, with onions, peppers, tomatoes & mushrooms.

Lights out: 11:54pm.

Awake: 6:39am       Temp 63      sleep 6+39      sunny       overnight @ Nicktown. 
 
(2) workers arrived @ 6:56am & worked for a couple of hrs. Then they left. After breakfast, Kathy phoned Albert regarding the status of the brick that we liked in Indiana. Albert said it is available & gave Kathy a price per brick.

Then she called Dick @ St. Michaels & talked about the same brick & its cost; still no final decision.

Later, Kathy was getting our "Liddle Griddle," mini electric griddle out from the overhead cabinet; it accidentally slipped from her fingers & landed on one plastic foot...which broke off immediately. We use this Liddle Griddle a lot so I got out my epoxy & drilled a small hole straight into the leg. For strength, I also ran a small wire into the hole; then mixed my epoxy, brought the leg together with scotch tape & let it cure in the sunshine. Before the day was over, the leg & foot appeared to be as good as new. Dinner: Kathy's delicious chili with chips.

We finished watching: "Cool Hand Luke" with Paul Newman, George Kennedy, J.D. Cannon, Lou Antonio, Robert Drivas, Strother Martin, Jo Van Fleet, etc. Modern slant on prison camps shows little change since Paul Muni; more irreverent, however, with memorably funny egg-eating contest. Top-notch film with Kennedy's Oscar-winning supporting performance as prisoner. 1967 We've watched this movie during the 60's & today, it's still tops in my book.

Lights out: 11:29pm.

Awake: 5:45am Temp 60 sleep 6+12 sunny--windy overnight @ Nicktown. (2) Workers arrived @ 6:56am & started working on the footing forms. By 11:00am, they were finished. @ 11:45am, the concrete trucks pulled in; & got right with the pouring job. They poured from below.... & they poured from above. They poured until they were finished. Meanwhile, Kathy had talked with Father Job yesterday & asked him about the possibility of blessing our "house under construction." He was all for it & said he would like to put a medal of St. Benedict in some wet concrete.

Kathy notified him that we were having our house footings poured today & he agreed to come over @ 1:30 pm. With confirmation from Father, we notified Melissa regarding the time today as she wanted to be here.

Father had something for each of the boys to do; Matthew held the book from which Fr. read, Nathan held the bottle of holy water, & Andrew was given the opportunity to hold the medal, but he shyly declined. Father blessed the medal, read some prayers, said some prayers, walked the area of the house sprinkling holy water, & placed the St. Benedict medal in the wet cement footing at the garage. There it lays,& in a few days, never to be seen again; but to bless this house forever. We talked with Father for a short while about his life & family & priesthood, & thanked him.

After Father had left, we were talking with the Foote boys when Debra, our workout buddy from the community center gym & her sister, Cindy, paid us a visit to check out the BIG DIG. She was surprised to see what the dug out area looked like.

The Foote boys stayed a little longer to climb & slide on the top-soil Mountains, unfortunately the wind was very strong today, blowing dirt in the boys faces & making it somewhat unpleasant. Due to the wind, they left earlier than usual. They also had their church picnic, welcoming the college students back, to attend this evening.

Dinner: Salmon, cauliflower, broccoli, baked potato, mixed salad & a peach.

We watched another 1/3 of: "Cool Hand Luke."

Lights out: Midnight.

Awake: 6:03am     Temp 46    sleep 6+37    sunny    overnight @ Nicktown.

@ 8:30am, we joined the KK meeting & afterward, Kathy, Debra & I worked out for (1.5) hrs.

On the occasion of this "Labor Day", Kathy & I did, basically nothing. Ah, but we did spend most of the day inside....catching up on e-mail, researching various house items, some car talk with Zack, some kid talk with Melissa & we missed a call from Katrina. Besides that, some magazine & book reading, + X-word puzzle time.

Dinner: BLT's with chips.

Evening movie: "Cool Hand Luke." We watched ½.

Lights out: 11:23pm.

Awake: 5:46am     Temp 46    sleep 5+19    sunny    overnight@ Nicktown.

Kathy woke me up @ 5:46am. We talked about attending 6:00am Mass last evening but rarely set an alarm to wake us up & didn't this time. Did we ever hustle! And we made it in time with about (30) sec. to spare.

A lot of volunteer workers for the picnic attended this mass so it was quite full. I only had time for a cup of coffee & a bowl of cereal then reported to my boss, Jim. Our team of (4): two guys on the pavilion roof, (1) on the church hall roof & me on the ground. It seemed to take forever....probably because we all wanted to get home, change clothes & get in line for the famous home made noodle & chicken dinner. But it did take about (3.0) hrs.

Back on our property, Kathy was casually waiting for Corinne & the Foote family to arrive. Corinne arrived shortly after 10:00 am and the Footes @ 10:30 as scheduled. Several times Corinne & I attempted to get moving so as to get in line for dinner but those Foote boys are so cute & fun to talk with...it took us a little longer to get going; our time in the line was well over an hr.

Later our gang caught up & visited Corinne & me; then they would  disappear again by checking out the various activities around the picnic area until we were close to entering the church hall. (7) Adults & (4) boys....we called out for seating.

What can I say: the food, the service, the attention to detail, it was all superb. And the Foote boys ate a lot more food this time than ever before.

After dinner, we all scattered hither & yon throughout the picnic day. Melissa admitted that she enjoyed this picnic better than ever & I think the boys did as well. Josie left mid afternoon, The Foots left around 4:45 & Corinne & Don stayed until around 6:30.

Kathy & I walked back in the dark around 8:30. Many people had their chairs outside getting ready to watch the 9:00pm fireworks whereas K & I watched from our motorhome. It was another great Saint Nicholas Homecoming Festival.

We finished watching: "The Wrong Man" with Henry Fonda, Vera Miles, Anthony Quayle, Harold J. Stone, etc. Unusual Hitchcock film done as semi-documentary, using true story of N.Y.C. musician (Fonda) falsely accused of robbery. Miles is excellent who cracks under strain; offbeat & compelling. 1957. Interesting for sure & it could happen to you!

Lights out: 11:26pm.

 

Awake: 6:18am     Temp 53      sleep 6+25      windy & cloudy      overnight @ Nicktown.

K & I attended 8:00 am Mass. With so many people in town for the picnic & the holiday, the church had a sizeable crowd for this daily Mass.

Afterward, I invited cousins:Cyril, Tony, Diane & Dick to join our KK meeting this morning. Also, today was RoseMarie's 89th birthday, so the social room hosted extra people this morning.

I couldn't stay long due to my volunteer job of working on the picnic grounds starting @ 9:30am. Kathy wasn't due for her volunteer job until 10:30am so she stayed longer.

After eating a small breakfast, I drove to the church hall & joined my teammates on whatever our lead man wanted us to do. Usually our 1st time consuming job has been, to cover the space between the pavilion & the church hall using 4-5 large tarps. Doing this provides shade for the crowd when standing in line for dinner.

In the past this could take up to 3-4 hrs plus doing side requests to help other volunteers. Today, the wind was too strong for that job but our lead man had little difficulty finding other jobs of necessity.

About (3) hrs later, we were dismissed from duty today but we promised to return tomorrow @ 7:00 am to get the tarps up before 10:00am. I visited Kathy (working in the kitchen) before I went back to our motorhome; she was all greased up from handling chicken parts.

Back in our motorhome, a recording from my high school buddy let us know that they were in town for (2) days, so we set up a rendezvous for around 6:30pm tonight. Kathy returned just before 2:00 pm & was all for the gathering with Charlie & Ellen.By the way,  I overlooked this photo of Kathy standing in the walkout basement of our home-to-be. Dinner: BLT's with cantaloupe & chips.

I was just finishing my shower when I began hearing sirens. I told Kathy: "those vehicles are coming close to our area!" By the time I had some clothes on, there were (4-5) ambulances on St. Paul Street & many people running onto Chuck's back porch. It turned out that Chuck suffered a respiratory arrest (quit breathing) while sitting on his back porch. Among Chuck & Shirley's children, there are (2-3) doctors who knew what to do. He was driven to the nearby landing pad near town & flown to the ICU in Altoona. We hear that he is responding to simple commands though still on the respirator.

Maybe (40) min before this all happened, Chuck, along with one of his sons-in-law, Matt, had walked over to our motorhome & we talked about (10) min about our BIG DIG. They wanted our permission to take a closer look @ the BIG DIG project & we gladly gave it.We are praying for Chuck's recovery. 

At 6:30pm, Charlie & Ellen drove into our driveway which is cleared of Ambulances now. We talked a little & then headed over to the Nicktown Hotel where we spent the next (3) hrs updating each other & having a little libation. The bar section was vastly overcrowded so we sat in the dining area.

We thoroughly enjoy Ellen & Charlie when we can get together. They will return to Cleveland after spending some time @ the Nicktown Picnic tomorrow. Late movie: "The Wrong Man." We watched 1/2.

Lights out: 12:27am. 

Awake: 5:31am     Temp 63      sleep 5+28      windy & sunny     overnight @ Nicktown.

The workers arrived @ 7:00am. Bernie arrived later & checked & approved of the leveling of the footing that was taking place.

K & I spent (30) min @ the KK & wished Theresa a "Happy Birthday!" Then we returned to our motorhome.

After my breakfast, I watched Dave, one of the excavators, using the Skid Steers to somewhat smooth out the slate rock on our new driveway leading to the garage.

Later, K & I motored to Spangler & joined the 5th annual cousins' reunion. We used the same building that I had celebrated my 70th birthday in. My sister, Corinne, started this annual cousins' reunion: & it has been a hit ever since. It coincides with our Nicktown annual Homecoming picnic date which brings the cousins into town from afar. Usually we average over (40) people but this year we were about (7) less.

After everyone arrived, we had a little libation before Corinne offered a before meal prayer & then gave the OK to start the covered dish dinner. Some of my cousins.....are they laughing @ me or......... ........something I said? After dinner, Florentz was the 1st story teller & began with a short poem & then added some interesting & funny tidbits of his growing up in Kirschtown, leading into some very funny jokes.

Next, Florentz's brother, Max, had the floor & equally reminisced of some very amusing things that happened during his lifetime so far.

Something new this yr: Melissa & Kevin, with her boys, devised a skit: Melissa read a story about a pencil & paper rabbit & a cut out rabbit who become real rabbits when they eat a real carrot. During the reading Matthew & Andrew manipulated felt figures on a felt board to illustrate the story. ............... which produced a round of applause & laughs. Nathan indicated the finish by holding up a "The End" sign. Our fun time didn't terminate until: Cliff & Corinne sang: America the Beautiful. Then we said our goodbyes & added the phrase: "See you @ the Nicktown Homecoming Picnic on Sunday!"

In our motorhome, K & I finished watching: "Rachel-Rachel" with Joanne Woodward, James Olson, Kate Harrington, Estelle Parsons, etc. Beautifully sensitive, mature film about spinster schoolteacher trying to come out of her shell. Woodward is superb; husband Newman's directorial debut. 1968. Rated very, very good....but for us, not our cup of tea.

Lights out:

Awake: 5:21      Temp 65       sleep 5+57      sunny      overnight @ Nicktown.

Steve & Dave, excavator experts, arrived @ 7:00am.

K & I spent a fast (20) min @ the KK meeting; then back to our motorhome. I returned a missed call from my brother & gave him the scoop on our 1st day of the BIG DIG. He was delighted to hear that it's finally happening.

Mid morning, Kathy put an order in by phone for our Bamboo flooring.

Then she motored to the Foote Castle to spend the afternoon with the boys & Melissa at the Indiana State Fair. She reports that is was a very HOT day, but the boys had fun in the kids' building & watching the trains at the train exhibit. Kathy treated with ice cream cones which tasted good but made everyone thirsty. The cool Foote house felt good after the walk back.

Meanwhile, off & on I watched the excavation activity outside. Dave & I had a good talk about how the footing & the poured walls will be done. Since he & his partner are the excavators, they have a lot of experience regarding the procedure.

During Kathy's absence, Theresa pulled into our driveway & was curious about the BIG DIG. I took her around the site & did my best to explain where things will be located.

After our dinner of: BLT's, cantaloupe, & chips; (2) large trucks drove into our circular drive. The 1st driver got out & wanted to know if this was the place. They each had (25) tons of slate rock in their beds & wanted to dump it onto our freshly made driveway.

I walked Don over to the new road area & he was satisfied that it looked ready to be covered. Before they left, Don told me they were each going for another load & it will probably be dark when they come again.

About (1.5) hrs later, they returned & did their job in the dark...using a strong flashlight. (100) tons total. Note: this photo shows the 2nd truck emptying the slate. The 1st, 3rd & 4th were not photographed. Lights out: 12:03am.

Awake: 6:12am       Temp 63      sleep 6+24      sunny      overnight @ Nicktown.

Bernie & Adam showed up about 7:00am. In the back of Bernie's truck, he had a blown up schematic of our house plans. When I finished my coffee, I went outside to join him. He wanted us to show him how we would like our house positioned so I went & got Kathy.

Basically, in our motorhome travels, when parking in a campsite I've always favored facing east, so I thought I would continue the favored direction. Once we established magnetic East, Bernie & Adam got their metal stakes & string, & started marking where the wings will be. @ 8:00am, Gary & Rosemary arrived with their camping chairs. A little later, my cousin Florentz arrived wearing a winter coat & hat, even though the temperature was going into the 80's today. He told us that the word was that "it would be a cold day in Hell when Monte & Kathy would start building a house," so he wanted to be prepared. Next, cousin Sue arrived, & later, neighbor Chuck. Early afternoon, Melissa & the boys arrived. The boys had (2) Top Soil mountains to climb up & slide down while watching the activity. Plus they had a great view of the excavator & bull dozer, The Skid Steers. Mid afternoon, Chuck thoughtfully, offered Quad-runner rides to the Foote boys. Gregory was first but I didn't get a picture of him. So, here is Matthew & Chuck. Look at that smile on Andrew. After a few hints from the audience to smile, Nathan did ok, but Chuck did even better. Late arrivals, cousin Ruth, & later a quick visit from Barry.

After all the gang left, Florentz returned to make a progress check. Since he & we planed on attending 6:00pm evening Mass, we rode with him as our walking time was running out.

After Mass, Florentz, Theresa, Kathy & I had a Shock Top beer @ the Nicktown Bar with lots of good talk.

What a great start for home building with some of our close family, cousins, friends & neighbors watching the BIG DIG.

Dinner: Tuna salad, leftover egg salad, cantaloupe, & a peach.

Lights out: 11:24.

Awake: 6:14am       Temp 63      sleep 6+40       sunny       overnight @ Nicktown.

This morning we spent a quick (15) min @ the KK meeting to let them know that we miss them & are just keeping busy getting things done in prep for our home building.

After we each had a (1) muffin breakfast, K & I started out our driveway heading for Duncansville; we no sooner turned onto the ridge road when Kathy told me to stop...& turn around. "I forgot my notebook," she said. "All my figures & notes are in that book so I need to have it." "Gosh, I'm glad you remembered it now instead of miles later," I responded. So we got her notebook... & away we went.

We were relaxed & enjoying the mountainous scenery on US-Route-22 east when about ½ way to Duncansville, all of a sudden, Kathy spoke up. "Oh, no! I forgot the Bamboo floor samples. This is going to be a wasted trip without them. I need those in order to select the kitchen counter & cabinets." Being the nice guy that I am, I kept my cool, turned off @ the Summit exit & parked on the off ramp. Kathy made a call to Jill & with her OK, we delayed our 10:30 am appointment until 11:00. And back to Nicktown we went!

We spent over an hr driving & over (2) hrs with Jill looking @ different drawings of cabinet arrangements; cabinet styles, wood , & colors; granite pieces & tile. Several decisions were made. Back on our property, we were close to having dinner when the Port-a-potty arrived. Dinner: Tuna steak, cauliflower, saffron & wild rice & a spinach salad. Lights out: 11:48pm.

Awake: 6:02am       Temp 60       sleep 6+15       sunny      overnight @ Nicktown.

We ate a small breakfast, skipped the KK, got in the Toyota & began driving out our driveway ...when a rather large truck pulling a large trailer & carrying a large Bulldozer...came our way on St. Paul Street. It's a one lane street & he's bigger than we are so I pulled into Chuck's driveway & let him pass. "That Bulldozer is here for us" I said to Kathy. We turned around & met the operators Dave & Steve. They are going to remove the topsoil where our house will be sitting. We couldn't talk long as we had an 11:00am rendezvous with Albert in Indiana, PA, the brick man.

But before meeting Albert, we had (4) large bags of boys clothes to drop off @ the Foote Castle...from Carlene & Bob. We spent about (20) min visiting with the Foote boys & then drove further into town to meet Albert.

Albert told us to: "follow me" as we toured some nice homes in Heritage Oaks neighborhood. Then the Sterling Hills Estates neighborhood; driving slowly; sometimes getting out of our vehicles to look closer @ a brick pattern/color. It was in the Whites Woods neighborhood that we found a home with brick that was new to us: not baked but concrete & had a gray & white look with a tinge of blue. Not only did we get up close & personal, but we talked with the owners for a good (30) min about their brick & where it was made. Now Albert has the job of finding out if this brick is available. We returned to his brick studio where he took our address & showed us a similar brick ............. He'll let us know. Dinner: BLT's, cantaloupe, & a peach.

Lights out: 11:34pm.