Things have been hectic here. We are having a bathroom remodeled, and the job is not going well. Barbara found the contractor through Angie's List website. We've had good luck there before, but this time was different. Although the contractor advertised that he did the work himself with the help of some workers, he was never here. The unlicensed workers did all of the work themselves. I know a little about electrical work, and I caught them in several code violations and dangerous practices. This made us worry about the plumbing and structural work, since we don't know enough to check on them. Barbara's stress was becoming unbearable. Then, the contractor submitted a bill for additional work. Much of the bill was outrageous, like 8 hours of labor (at $80 per hour) to extend a water pipe four feet across an already opened wall. We had a confrontation, and he dropped his price some, and we agreed. But when he wrote up the new bill, he added a "loyalty oath" that we must promise not to send a negative report to Angie's List. He threatened to pull his workers off the job if we didn't sign. That was the last straw." We refused to sign, and the work stopped. We contacted a tile and bathroom shop in Montrose - they came recommended by our neighbor. They are wonderful. They inspected the job and found serious defects (like no hot water in the tub, potential leaks between the tub and the wall, etc.). We have hired the new people and are now negotiating the amount that we owe the scoundrel. If Barbara seems "out of sorts", this is a major reason. But I am now confidant that the job will be done properly.
I flew to Colorado to see Jaedon play his guitar in a recital. Barbara and I had planned to go together in the motorhome, but with the bathroom issues she was afraid to leave. Although their's is a turbulent household, I had some memorable times with Jaedon. He did very well in the recital. The master of ceremonies was his previous teacher, who made some very complimentary remarks about Jaedon. He was impressed with Jaedon's aptitude in writing his own songs. Jaedon went through a major case of stage fright shortly before his act, but he and I sat down and talked it through, and he was able to go on. It was especially touching when he wanted to be alone with me afterward and talk over his feelings. I am proud of him.
Braxie is the cutest 2 year old that I've ever seen. Check out my photos from the weekend. She was very shy at first, but warmed up to me. By the time I left, she wanted to go with me. She did ride with Josh and me to the airport, and she cried as I unloaded my bags.
I spent lots of time with Jaedon. We went to a ghost town museum, and he loved seeing the Wild West artifacts. His favorite was the player piano, which we got to play. He and I slept in his room on his bunk beds. We talked well into the night. Although he can be volatile at times, he has a very loving side.
We had a very nice Thanksgiving at Michelle's. Kanan was with his dad, Conrad, and Jessie was with her friends, so it was just the adults, Michelle, Brent, Sherri, Barbara, and I. Sherri obtained the food from Whole Foods, making for a low-stress occasion, with none of the women having to cook. We enjoyed the relaxed conversation and playing with Kanan's new kitten. I came away with a few scratches, but the animal was SO cute!
Our friend Junie has been going through a stressful and expensive eviction of her tenant. She inherited the rental house from her parents, and the tenant was fine for a while. Then he stopped paying the rent. When she filed eviction proceedings, he made life difficult. The law is slanted toward the tenant and it took her more than six months (with no rent) to get him out. Meanwhile, he damaged the building, and then called the city inspectors, who cited Junie for maintaining a substandard rental. Then he tracked old paint dust (he is a painter) into the house and claimed that the building was contaminated with lead. To support Junie, Barbara and I attended most of the court proceedings. The judge "threw the book" at the tenant, claiming that he had considered perjury charges against the tenant and his wife. The judge awarded all that Junie asked for, and added triple punitive damages. The likelihood that Junie will ever see a dime is remote. But finally the deadbeat is gone, and Junie can put her life back together. Junie has always stood by Barbara, and it's a delight to help her through her tough moments.
We attended a very nice dinner party at Gene and Marilyn's. Barbara fits in as a member of the family, and his kids still call her "Mom." She especially enjoyed talking with Cherie, who is going through some tough times right now. I got to talk with Nu, who owns Certified Automotive in Glendora. I picked his brain about Barbara's desire to have a backup camera on her van - she is afraid when backing up with its blind spots. He offered to arrange an appointment with a car stereo shop that he knows is reputable. I had the backup camera installed, and surprised Barbara by suggesting that she check out her mirror when she backs up. She is delighted.
We celebrated Christmas early at Michelle and Brent's. Sherri was with us, but the grandkids were elsewhere. Michelle cooked up a storm, and it was a fabulous spread: a yummy egg casserole, special pancakes, fruit salad, and some Christmas cider. Michelle, Brent and Kanan are going to Mammoth for the holidays, so we celebrated a week before Christmas. It was a relaxing family get-together.
On Christmas day, Barbara, Sherri and I drove to Curtis' and Lena's. We had a fun day, catching up on all the news. Lena and Curtis prepared a great vegan meal, which was very tasty. I got to play with Antonio, and gave him several space posters from my work. He got a telescope for Christmas - I wish that I had been there at night to help him observe the stars and planets. Lena took a few photos:
Josh gave us the greatest Christmas present. He knows that our cell carrier's signal is very weak at our home (due to a hill between us and the cell site). He gave us a "range extender", which acts like our own cell site, and connects to Verizon through the internet (VoIP). It works great, and now we can use our cell phones here at home. As an added benefit, Sherri, Josh, and Sandra can all use it, since their cell phones are all on Verizon. Barbara is really "into" her Android, but she was frustrated by its being unusable here. No longer, thanks to Josh.
The bathroom remodel is still a problem. The new contractors have done a beautiful job with the plumbing, structure, and painting. But there is a serious problem with the electrical. Two rooms in the house (but not the bathroom) are without power. The contractor floundered around for several hours with me observing. It was clear to me that he doesn't have the skill set for diagnosing a baffling problem. I was getting stressed. I drew up a circuit diagram which would explain the symptoms. He wasn't interested, choosing instead to try random fixes. It is a classic conflict: he is an experienced electrician, and knows far more that I about how to get a wiring job done. I, on the other hand, have a M.S. in electrical engineering from Stanford, and I understand circuit theory quite well, thank you (in my era, we even studied power distribution). I also installed an electric service at our cabin, complete with a permit and inspection, so I do understand some of the electrical code. When he suggested tearing out walls to replace old wiring, I stopped him. It was getting late, and he agreed to come back after the New Year's weekend. Once he was gone, I proceeded to make tests, and proved conclusively that his workers had left neutral wires disconnected from two circuits. I wired up temporary neutrals, and everything works fine. Now I need to convince him to fix it right. It's silly to tear out 75 year old wiring that has never given a problem, to solve a problem that just appeared when they messed with the bathroom wiring. No telling how much this whole remodel is going to cost. Have a nice day!
On a positive note, the toilet flushes better than any I've ever seen!
One of our favorite bicycling buddies, Ralph Boethling, died unexpectedly of a heart attack. He and his wife Laverne ran the Bike Rally in Paso Robles every Memorial Day, and we had attended the event for the last 25 years. It is a sad loss, and we participated in a memorial get-together at his daughter Julie's home, and a sendoff on the beach in front of his home at Redondo Beach. He was loved by many, and there will be some sadness at the rally this year.
Barbara and I attended the Avalon 50 Mile Benefit Run last weekend. It's on Catalina Island, a one-hour boat ride from Long Beach. Barbara always dreads the boat ride, but this time is was calm both ways.
We were accompanied by Brent, Michelle, Ron, Jolie, and nephew Scott with Dina, Zack, and Alexa. We all had a fun dinner together on the night before the race.
We enjoyed hanging out with many of our running buddies from times past, including Gene and Jane Joseph from Tucson, Brad Norris from Bakersfield, Tom and Maryanne, Bill Dickey, Richard and Nancy Gilmore, Kent Holder, John Radich, ... the list goes on and on. Here are Brent and Michelle out on the course. Although they were not in top running condition, they did finish respectably, as did Scott, who had not trained for the event. I do the computer results at the finish line, and Barbara helps the runners as they finish.
Last updated on Thursday, 1/19/2012 at 7:30 PM
