For me, it audio: new, old, vintage, solid state, tubes, DIY; From vinyl to MP3's I like it all.

Here is a pic of my home theater

I run a home brewery ... Zwier Beer (it rhymes) out of my closet...I'll work on getting some pics next time I brew to add on.

By the way...thats one awesome setup you have there!!

Nice set up on the home theater... very cool. My roommate (who is moving out in the next month or so) owns all the AV equipment, so soon I’ll be back to my 19” TV.

I'm the graduate advisor for a college fraternity at the University of Nebraska. I'm supposed to be the responsible one. I enjoy it 95% of the time – the remaining 5% it is just pure hell.

Does the reel to reel still work?

*laughs* no :(

When he moves out, I'm going to have to break down and buy a DVD player. Oh well, welcome to the real world.

It is a Teac X1000R deck and yes, it is fully functional. I had three at one time; sold one, kept one and parted out the third. I keep it more for nostalgia and it fills the top quarter of the rack. :)

I had a Teac unit also. Put it into it's box 12 years ago and haven't looked for it since. I hope it didn't get thrown out. It would be a good dinosaur collection piece. I had an external Dolby unit I used to attach to it when recording. How about you?

The X-1000R has built in DBX noise reduction. You should drag that box out and play with the Teac. May need belts after all this time. Most are still available from Teac in Montebello, CA.

Other things I'm into are,
Customizing every vehicle I have,
My motorcycles
and helping my wife to raise our 5 month old girl:D

Oh did I mention I'm into motorcycles :rolleyes:

http://www.wardsweb.org/busa/pics/busa5_012001.jpg

Very nice bike! Some day I'd like to ride a crotch rocket, but am happy with my cruisers for now. Have an '81 Kawasaki 440 LTD and an '83 Yamaha Virago 920:)

I agree -- nice bike! wow.

I'm just a poor 20-something right now -- hopefully, I'll be able to have more than one mode of transportation in the future.

Nothing wrong with being 20 something. I was just lucky enough to get most of my toys early on:)

I'm all about music, good movies, and the Detroit Red Wings. Anyone wanna talk hockey, just lemme know!

Tom
www.darrenmccartyonline.com

We're OLD so the list has changed over time!

For several years we did photography including the dark room stuff. He's ex USAF & we used go to a lot of air shows. We have some great shots from them!

Our home theater system is Bose speakers & compulinked JVC 36" TV, DVD, receiver, VCR.... It's set up so the computer can be used as a jukebox over the Bose speakers. The speakers are also fun when playing games on the PS2. He built the speakers in the living room. They are 5' tall, with 12" & 10" woofers, 8" midrange & liquid tweeters. You can listen to them with or independently from the system in the family room. ( You can listen to 2 completely different things at the same time, if you choose... our kids were still here when that was done!)

We water ski, swim, & play racquetball. Not well, but we have fun!

I have designed a few furniture pieces & HE has built them. We did all of our own remodeling. (Home Depot is our second home!) We roofed, put up a new fence, tiled both baths & kitchen, put in 2 whirlpool tubs, knocked out the wall for the 4th bedroom & added the space to the master, put a gas fireplace in the master, put in a sliding door from the master that goes to the gazebo in the back yard.....

I like to garden & paint in oils & acrylics. He likes to have radio control toys. He's had 1 helicopter, a few planes, cars & trucks. He has a gas powered truck now.

We listen to nearly all kinds of music. He reads Clancy. I read "trash novels".

Our lastest passion over the last few years has been Disney. We drive to Disneyland several times per year. Flew to FL twice to see Disney World. We occationally take a kid with us, but normally it's jus the 2 of us.

That's our non car life......

Bose 901s in the den. Futuretech has shrunk these to cubes and subwoofers. Has anyone done a comparison of older Bose sound to the new systems?

Princess - withya on the Disney gig. That place is truely a giant playground. We honeymooned there and have been a few times. Always staying ongrounds. I like the getting in an hour before the general public. Sweet ! :banana:

according2me - I prefer the sound of the vintage stuff over the new plastic cubes. That and I think the newer stuff is WAY over priced. ***********here is my office system

Bose... A long time ago when at a stereo store they had huge bose speakers & played the 1812 overture to try & impress me. I thought our homemade speakers sounded better. That was our first set. The ones we have now are bigger & better than before. The little cubes (bought in 2000) have an even richer sound than the big ones! I like the bass to thump yet the little twinkles in the tweeters need to be crisp.

Disney.... which one(s) have you been to? Our first trip to FL included the space center. Now we have a special connection when we see movies like Armageddon with the memorial in it. We were there! Our second & last trip to WDW was the Dec. after 9-11, we had to prove to "them" & ourselves that we weren't going to live in fear! Airfare was cheap & off we went! They close much too early in the Winter! The weather is good & they closed shortly after sundown!

really nice system!!!

We always go to Florida. Not only WDW but you get so many other attractions in and around Orlando. Like Classic Chevy International, I'm third generation on a 1955 Belair that my Grandfather bought new in Dec 1954.

I could bury you in photos of audio gear. It is a hobby that has become an obsession.
Here is a little two channel stereo in the living room.

My daddy repaired tubed TV's when I was a kid as an income during srikes from the steel mill he worked at. He had a tube tester & baskets & baskets of tubes. He would go through them & test them from time to time. I loved to helped! Then when I was about 6 or 7 when doing the testing I didn't have the dials put in the right places for the tube I was testing. I got zapped & knocked on my butt!

I actually remember when the "solid state" radios came into our home. He had a Phillips sitting on the mantle that had weather band. It was the one we used when out fishing on the delta here. My daddy would have been in HOG HEAVEN with today's technology! He loved gagets! We were the first in our neighborhood to have little tansistor radios. He bought us each portable cassette recorders for Christmas when they came out. I have his reel to reel & tapes.

Girls often marry a version of their daddy & I did. My prince is also into gagets. He can't leave much how the engineers made it. So he hasn't atempted to take out the reel to reel to see if it works. It doesn't matter to me. I lost my dad in '77 & it was the only thing I wanted. At some point we'll drag out that machine & will be able to hear his voice again.

He had an interesting life. He was an exercise jockey for a while for Frank Sinatra. He sang a little back up for him too. Then later made his own records on "wax" with friends. He had a crop duster until his buddy & partner crashed it. He was a tiny guy (5'6") that looked like a cross between Clark Gable & an ape. (yeah, we laugh at that too) When I was a kid he went out to get a new battery for his boat & came home with a new boat! Mom nearly killed him for that one! He got into a drinking contest with a co worker & won enough to buy my brother a new Honda 50!! This was done & he really wasn't a "drinking man", just a determined dad!

Great background Princess. My father was an electronics instructor in the Air Force, so I grew up with the stuff. Add to that he was a musician and I really grew up with music and audio.

Let me know if you need any help with the reel-to-reel. Here is a pic of my Teac X1000R while I was doing a total rebuild. It's now in my main rack in the den (see first pic in this thread).

Ward...what series are your 901s. Mine are series IV (speakers and equalizer) and I'm ashamed to say that I don't clean them as often as I used to. But they still sound great.

Thats an impressive array, but I much prefer your Mc setup.

I knew a co-worker who had acquired a used set quite a while ago and he contacted Bose about repairing them. They offered to upgrade (replace) his for the latest series for a pittance. Ever heard of that?

They are Bose 901 III and they were a little rough when given to me. So, I refoamed all 18 drivers and refinished the cabinets. They don't have the bass of my other systems, but work well in my office, where I never really crank it.
The MC240/Shanling/Altec A7 Voice of the Theater living room is most likely my favorite music listening room out of the five systems in my house.
Here is a before and after of the Bose.

Ward, you may be hearing from us when it comes time to attack the reel to reel! I don't even remember what brand it is. We put it in the attic & I'm too short to even reach the cord on the ladder! I have to use a ladder to reach the string & then unfolding it is not easy when not the ground.

You're much more into the electronics than we are. When my husband went into the USAF they tested him & were pretty grumpy about his not wanting to go into the electronic feild because he'd scored the highest that office had seen. He does have a natural aptitude for it. When he was 12 his parents had one of those old tall TV & stereo console units. It had quit so he rewired the whole thing without the schematics (sp???). It worked for years!

Our homemade speakers are ported & not just speakers mounted in a box. He read up on it before he started. When he made the boxes, he would tell everyone that they were my coffin for when I get toooooo onry! They're 5' & I'm not!

I have really been getting into DIY as of late. From tube preamps, amps and now speakers. Here is a pic of the "in process" of my JBL corner horns. They are veneered in Brazilian Rosewood.

here is a pic of the tops I did as a mirror pair.

Pretty! Do you have a workshop/garage to do all that wood working in? Our first set was made in the living room. It was in the AF days & we lived on base. No garage, carport, nothing! We did have all wood floors, so the dust cleaned up easy enough. We had a hand me down ugly coffee table that was used as the "saw horses" & no power tools. Everything was done by hand.

Now it's dfferent! He has a bunch of power tools, 2 table saws, 2 routers (1 table) sanders of alls kinds, bunch of things in corded & battery..... Ryobi & Makita are his buddies! Bisket joiners... the garage is lined with white doored shelves & many are filled with tools. He has fun. To him, wood working is theraputic. He's dealing with cars all day long. We all need something!

He made a beautiful cradle for our first grandson. (all light oak) A toy box for the 3 grandkids from our oldest daughter. It has an etched in "family crest" on the front with both last names.

Work is done in the garage and on the covered driveway. When my company is bought or IPOs, I want to build a real wood working shop. I love building stuff and making something from nothing. As is, I have a small 10" table saw, small drill press, hand held circular saw/belt sander/router/ drills. These are my basic assentials for wood working.

In a few more (10) years when retirement finally comes, we plan to move to the Redding area. We want land with trees. The plan is to have a wood shop. No plans for a business, just keep making stuff for the family & ourselves. Time will tell.......

You stuff is very pretty. I don't know much about wood, but I do like interesting grains. We try to pick wood with a lot of movement in the grain even when using pine.

That rosewood is wonderful!

OK Ward, fess up. Noway did you resurface those 901s with a belt sander. There must be a palm and/or high-speed orbital sander somewhere amongst those tools.:)

Looks like it was refinished in Oiled Walnut. Nice work.

The 901's were done by hand. Started with 220, then 320, then 400 and finally with some 1000. That is the natural walnut veneer showing. I only sprayed it with some semi-gloss deft to seal the wood and give it some protection.

Have any of you checked out this Forum on home theatre....
Very good info .... Very good people....

http://www.hometheaterspot.com

I1

Heres another hobby ... Visiting A.F. Museum ... 5-6 times annually never know what might be on display.....

I1

SR-71 baby ! Nothing ever sweeter built.

Yes they have one of those also..... The YF-22 is one of the newest birds on display..... The one pictured is the 1st one built with the Pratt-Whitney power. I believe their using a GE power now. The collection they have at the museum is incredible....
If your ever in Dayton Oh its worth the visit... And its free.....

I1

Cigars. I have about ~800 in storage.

Wow, that sure makes for a big humidor. I like a good smoke. Prefer Macanudo for domestic, Dunhill or Davidoff for a light smoke and keep some Cohiba's around for special occassions. :up:

Cool! You should check these places:
http://www.cigargroup.com/news/cigars/
http://www.cigarfamily.com/cf4/index.cfm/
http://forum.cigardivan.com/

Have you ever tried Mayorga... good everyday smoke..

My favorite ... especially around Holidays Fuente opusx.. Ahh!!!

I1

I love hockey play roller, but when I move to N.D. want to play ice. anything outdoors, music

Reminds me of another area of interest, Buffet! :up:

yet another hobby - a home built stereo system

Paver's Paver's Paver's......... My Friends tease me about paving my whole yard..ha ...... Heres one of walk(note Grasses in bed are just starting, the 2 you see in corner bed are about 6-8 ft tall in a couple of months)..

Shot of main patio.... Table,Chairs, Loungers and Glider are moved for B-Ball setup.. until 2nd patio is complete.....
Stadium seats are from Cinergy field(they Imploded last year)
the post are going to be cut down and I am building a planter box to attach on back for viewing from Dinner Table.....

Wards, you my prince & my late daddy would be able to easily have a week long non stop conversation!! My prince only has one person we know that doesn't glaze over when he starts in on his gadgets.

That looks like something you'd see in an old Sci-fi movie!!:) I can picture those streams of zappy stuff going from tube to tube......

That's quite a talent you've got there!

Last one of area for second patio.. Marked w/stakes 15 x 20
Hopefully it drys out soon.. I am tilling and grading my whole wooded section of yard before patio goes in....

I1:)

I1, for us it's red bricks! There's a 4' wide walkway in the backyard & the gazebo. In the front it's the porch & the area between the sidewalk & the street. We plan to frame the lawn in brick & take out the old concrete driveway & brick it. I just love the looks of red brick! I even have a bistro & bigger table in the back that are a brick mosaic design!:)

Nice stereo Wards.....:up:
Is that Cherry or Mahogany + Stainless ??? Nice blend..

I1:)

Heres a little of my Woodworking.....

80Hx36Wx24D Pantry solid maple

I1:)

The is one of two. It's a dresser that I designed & he made. I wanted something that only took up the appx. floor space of an end table, that also had an end table. They used to sit one on each side of the bed. When we remodeled, we needed to move one. They are 6' tall, 3' wide & 30" deep. Each has 5 drawers, 2 of which are deep & divided. I like the knotty look of pine, so that's what they are. Of course, on mine I have to stand on the bed to use the top 2 drawers. So I put the seasonal clothes in them. His top drawers are virturally unknown to me!!;)

Wow seems we have many talented members and here we were thinking all anyone thought about was Accords. :D

I just bought a new 10" table saw and table drum/belt sander in preparation for some summer projects.

I1- the stereo is red mahogany stained alder and hand polished 6061 aluminum.

Sanders seem to be the weakness here. He'd love to have table-types. We have a couple of palm sanders & a belt sander. He ends up doing a lot by hand. He'll get more eventually....

This is the end of an all oak cradle he made our first grandson. He put a Garfeild & Pookie on it. It was from a coloring booking with Garfeild dreaming about napping in Pookie's arms. We thought it was a great picture for a cradle!! (Hey it's not Disney!)

This really is a multi-talented group!!:D

Hey very nice work there. Does your prince have a lathe or did he buy the spindles? I would love to have one, but absolutely no where to put one. I makeup for it with power tools. "Yes dear this sander gets into hose left hand offset areas that those other four will not." :D

He'd also love to have a lathe, he bought those. This was the second set. The first ones were too light weight. Amazing how things look different in the store!

He usually gets a new tool of some sort with each project! As long as my car still fits in the garage, I don't care. I think he'll be removing his "work bench" (catch all) at some point. He could put 2 more table tools in that spot! When the grandkids all outgrow the power wheels then he may put a shed in their "garage" behind the boat. He put wheels on most of his table tools & drags them out into the gazebo a lot anyway. Then the dust blows elsewhere!

He used a small tip on a router to put the picture in the wood. I copied the picture in the scanner & then enlarged it. We glued in on, routered it, then sanded all the residue off. Was pretty easy. We've done a few things that way.

I did get tired of waiting for a table to be built, so I bought one! One of his next projects will be a new computer desk to match the entertainment center he made for the family room. I want doors on everything! I only want to see the monitor & speakers, the keyboard can remain on a slider.:)

I1, your yard is really nice!

We have a pretty small lot & have put a bunch on it. The back is in thirds. One third is pool/cement patio, a third is lawn/gazebo/plants & the last is RV pad. The pad has 3 triple gates. They are double gates, with a walk through gate on one side. All cyclone. The ones closest to the street have redwood slats in them. We opted to replace the wood because a daughter's dog kept eating it!

Our house is stucco, so he attached PVC pipe to it where he parks. Then covered that with foam pipe covers. That way no accidental door scrapes! Stucco & car finishes just don't go well together!!;) The whole RV pad is roofed with clear smoked surrated plastic stuff. Most people use green, but I didn't want to lose any light in the windows on that side of the house. It has a UVA/UVB protectant, so Belle & the boat don't get over exposed! It's slanted & guttered.

Here is the latest on my home theater. I built the entertainment center that houses all the gear. The ends are shelves that hold tapes and DVDs. The coffee table is a left over from when I built an entire system (wall unit, coffee table, end tables) using 3/4" all thread rod .

Impressive! You always have the most interesting speaker collection! We simply dont have the space to do all the things he'd like. Maybe after the retirement move! I want to have a great room next time instead of the family room & living room. More open space. I hope to find a house that has most of our requirements, then change it to our lifestyle. We don't mind rearranging interior walls, but it's complicated with code stuff to add on the exterior.

You think I have a weakness for tools, my passion..uh...obsession for audio is even greater. Speakers are one of my major weaknesses. In the picture, the tall ones are Martin Logan CLS electrostatic speakers, the black ones they are sitting on are BassMaxx B1 horn subs that each hold one 18" McCauley super sub, and the ones on legs are vintage 1961 JBL C38. You should see my "audio" room at the back of the house. At present there are eleven sets of speakers in there, but only four sets are hooked up. I love audio :banana:

I can tell!! We've had a few "passions" over the years. We still have all of our dark room equiptment from those days. We still have the water skiing equiptment. (Still do it, just not as much)

When we've done our remodeling, it means more tools.... we HAD to buy a nifty hopper when texturing the sheetrock. Air & electric nailers. Laser levels. I don't even remember it all....

Maybe the REAL passion is tool collecting!!:D

Now he wants to replace a nice digital video camera with a newer one. More pixels..... that theme seems to be equal to more power! Bruh!:)

Originally posted by princess

Maybe the REAL passion is tool collecting!!:D

DING DING DING..........

You guessed the real answer Princess!!!!

I think that is a passed down traight..... My Dad was the same way.

I1:)

Yeah, so was mine. He's more like MY dad than his! He does have SOME of his dad's traits. He is a reader. (my dad wasn't) We have the whole Jack Ryan collection in hard back. He loves Clancy!:D

Good God I'm looking forward to becoming an adult! Because of school I don't even have time to read car magazines anymore and here you guys are carving desks and pantry's and making your own audio systems...geeeeze. Man I wish my yard was that big I1. Around here, that'd cost you say oh at least a good million, if you're real lucky :)

You're right, BB, at LEAST a mil. In blackhawk or other places more! In Antioch 600K+. Most lots here are 1/16th-1/8th acre. Actually small enough that they measure in FEET, not acres! Our neighborhood is roughly 100 X 70. That's not as small as the newer lots!:(

BB, school is your priority now. Hobbies come later!!

I1, that really is a great yard you've got there!! The pavers give it a custom look.:)

Our yard is 100x33. I thought it was standard to measure in feet? lol...most of the new housing developments I saw aren't much bigger. Their yard is 4500-6000sf but also the house is bigger.

I added my shelf this past weekend to my Stadium seats...
The Projects never End!!!

I1:)

What's the plan for the posts? How about totems?:joker:

I'm thinking about planter boxes to hold 8" pots on top of each one.. Still have petunias to plant.. I am still looking for some nice cast hooks to mount to the end post and hang ceramic candle holders on.. I'll post pic when complete..

I1:)

Here's pic of post toppers..... still looking for the hooks/hangers

I1:)

Are those trailing plants in the toppers? I think something like a jasmine would go nicely. Small, smells sweet, lots of green & trailing.

The purple & white petunias look great along the window. You did a nice job.

This weekend we're putting up new gutters along the back yard walls... over the sliding door to the family room & another wall. We need to get them up & painted before our LONG OVERDUE awning comes in from Costco. It's been 3 months of waiting so far! They sent the wind detector. It's retractable & will shade the BBQ area. I think he also may end up crawling under the house.... we had our second plumbing issue in a month. We plan to check the pipes where it happens & possibly replace them. Such fun!

:rolleyes:

Thanks Princess!

The pots have more petunias...... had to use all those plants up..
Maybe next year something different....
I just have to be cautious what I plant, don't want to have something that attracts lots of Bee's!!!!

I1:)

No bees, then maybe jasmine wouldn't be such a good idea. Instead maybe one of the small trailing geraniums. They don't smell as sweet & don't seem to attract bees.

Yesterday I trimmed my butterfly bush. It was taking over the pond area. It's planted behind it & had 10' branches coming out over it. I left the height, but thinned it out. I filled a large vase with it's blooms then added some white hydrangas. I gave it to my youngest daughter. She's not feeling well.

Our next property will have more land. I have so many plans!!!

I'm ready to hang that choc. lab that I get to babysit! He's been digging & chewing way too much! For chewing I spray things with bitter apple, but his digging is harder to deal with. Bitzer had finally grown past that!!:mad:

Revive this thread..

Finally dry enough to dig some dirt and get ready for the next patio:D

From the back of the yard...
Hopefully I'll have some paver pictures tomorrow:thmsup:

I1:)

I was going to post a pic of the new abode but they are all too large. I will take some small ones tomorrow and then post them.

Just make a copy and resize to 640x480 with photo editor..

I'm sure you noticed all the photos, another + a picture is worth a thousand words:yes:

I1:)

This a picture of the house about a week before we closed. I havn't taken a pic of the house since. I will post an updated photo tomorrow and show all the changes. You can see the ride in this pic also!

Originally posted by Inspector1
Just make a copy and resize to 640x480 with photo editor..

I'm sure you noticed all the photos, another + a picture is worth a thousand words:yes:

I1:)

Cool...I just learned how to do something new!

Nice looking place brickman!!:cool:

I am quite sure you are enjoying every moment!

Is your grass in now?? Add any landscaping?

I1:)

yep, nice house brickman! :)


since we seem to be looking at projects, here's mine... well, i'm waiting on my dad who is supposed to help me though. we currently have a door to "nowhere" because i ripped the rotted deck down. hopefully i'll get a new one out there before winter..... i'm thinking i might have a bonfire one of these coming weekends with the pile of wood that i have to burn!

Love that door to nowwhere...anysia. As promised....here is the now picture.

And the view out the front....

And the view out the back.....

i wish i had been able to afford to build when we bought this house! there's so many things to "undo" from previous homeowners' do it yourself" gone wrongs!!! ugh!!! but we got a really good deal on this place and for 50 years old, the structure itself is in excellent shape!


brickman-looks like home now with the grass! love the view of the car! hehe!!

Izzat a Ford I see in the garage?!

With that kind of acreage, you might be interested in this link for lawn/garden tractors (http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/tractor/). Kind of a driveaccord/cordclub for power equipment. They also have tons of gardening info.

I seem to remember from your sig on cordclub that there was a Contour. Looks like the Minivan crowded it out:)

since we are comparing back yards...

before

and after...

everything from the rocks back was nothing but undergrowth when we first moved in years ago. been expanding out ever since.

looking good dave!! :thmsup:

The "buy existing or build new" was our big debate and after weighing the pros and cons for 3 years we obviously made the choice you see here. Our choice was made easier by the fact that there was not much of a price difference between the two...just an age difference. Yes, its a Ford and yes, we traded the Contour for the Windstar.....with my wife's small stature, the adjustable pedals made it the best choice. And while it looks like I have a lot of land, my property line ends at the top of the hill....the barn ain't mine...but it sure looks pretty. I only have about about .35 acres....and a push mower to boot.;)

Oh, and how do you like the landmark out in front...I've been looking at the backhoe just sitting there for weeks now.:mad:

And Dave.....beautiful job on the landscaping....wish I had the patience to do that....just not my cup o tea!

gotta love the backhoe!!;)

couldn't build for the price range we wanted... 20k more and building would've been an option, but i prefer new cars to a new house for now! :lmao: plus i like to be able to eat and pay the bills in full! if i had been able to get the job i had tried to get for 10k more a year, we'd have built though!

I really enjoy viewing the rolling/hilly terrain of other regions. Here it's mostly flat, flat, flat. Lots of inland water: lakes, rivers, bayous, and deep drainage ditches.

Dave...the first time I went to Taxachusettes for training with DEC, I was shocked at how much undeveloped land there was in the New England area. I had this picture of wall to wall concrete and people breathing down each others back. Nothing could be further from the truth once you get out of the major cities. I really enjoyed skiing in western Mass (Wachusettes..sp),New Hampshire (multiple slopes in the White Moutains) and Vermont (Killington).

I always requested my annual training (ahem...paid vacations) during the peak foliage season or the dead of winter. It really was a great getaway for an ole southern boy from the Deep South.

I happened to be up there the year Martial Law was imposed to limit vehicular traffic because of the heavy snow storms and 60F below temperatures. The Charles river froze, oil and LPG gas couldn't be delivered , people were stranded on the highways and I holed up for 3 days in my apartment. The first day I could get out, we immediately hit the slopes.

After 3 more yards of crushed limestone and a yard of sand all compacted by hand, the paver's are starting to go down:banana: :thmsup:
I hope the rain holds off for a couple more days and my back too.;)

I1:)

There's 3 main sizes 4x8 , 8x8 , and 12x12 with about 20 4x4 for fillers when needed.
Total size when complete 20x15 with a 3x4 kick for the basketball goal.
I1:)

looking good i1!!! :)

brickman,
Yard looks great!! That's a lot of pushing!!

Like the Barn, That would make a nice House!!

Dave,
Great transformation!! Are those pavers or textured concrete?

I1:)

P.S. Love the natural rock formation:notworthy Unique:thmsup:

thanks for the compliments.
wish i could take the credit.
we got a lot of the area cleared ourselves, but it is very rocky here. no one will rent out bobcats, so we had to hire someone to do the job.

the patio is concrete bricks. yours is looking good. i know they aren't easy to put in.

according2me - northern New England does suprise a lot of people the first time. the area i live in is close to being overdeveloped.

any progress on the patio today i1?

Nope just looking at cars!!
Only have to work in the AM Tuesday so I'll get some done tomorrow!:thmsup:

I1:)

i want your job!!! :D

i'm sure you'll be posting progress/updated pics right? ;)

Here's the update,
After Starting about 1pm yesterday and taking a 1 1/2 hr. break to go pick up the kids from school, I worked until about 6pm until the rains came... get out the plastic and called it a day.
I am about half complete. Now if the rain would stop!!!

I1:)

Here's a current shot of the patio on the back of the house.
This view is as you walk around the sidewalk to the back..

I1:)

Almost like our brick pattern (the walkway) ...ours are 2 horizonal, 2 vertical, 2 horizonal......

The whole brick are out back is like that, the front porch, the bricks between the sidewalk & street.... I want to shrink the front lawn by putting 3 or 4 rows of bricks to frame it. It's at a slope & the bottom edge won't stay green. I can't just put plants since we use it to wash cars & as a turn out to park the boat. I'm thinking about shaping what's left of the lawn in a Mickey icon. We'll see when we actually start working on it.

I1, your work looks great! You have a good eye for landscaping. Has there been some of that in your background or are you just a natural?

I made the mistake of planting some nice fern in a shady area by the front porch.....it's WAY too happy there & has taken over! I think I'll rip it all out next year & start over. I'll keep the lilac & remove the fern & calle lily. They both are growing like weeds!!:(

finally! i was waiting to see the pics all day yesterday! ;) it's coming along nicely!!! i like the pattern!

if only my door to nowhere would go SOMEWHERE!!!


hehe! i have to post the pic later of my 30 second brick slab for the garbage can out back! i made it with a bunch of completely different bricks that have chunks missing from them (all salvaged from under the deck that used ot be outside of that door). didn't put much effort into it but thought it would look better than the dead grass that the garbage was producing! :lmao:

here's what i'm "into"!!! my job. :lmao:


(hmm, should've put da on my computer before taking the pic!)

what?! you want to see more of it? lol!!! slow day at work today....

all ready for halloween with the ghost! too bad everyone ate the 10 bags of candy already....

Here's My home office... other office is in my car.


I1:)

Here's the mobile office.....
I1:)

Originally posted by princess
I1, your work looks great! You have a good eye for landscaping. Has there been some of that in your background or are you just a natural?

I grew up working in the yard and garden.. Both of my parents made sure of that.. I have just taken it up a level...
Thanks for the compliment. Most of our ideas have come over time with the 3 different houses. I am planning on staying in this house for at least 10 more years. So making it as liveable as possible for the duration. The patio I am working on now will hopefully be the end of the paver work(unless I bust out the concrete pad on the rear and replace with pavers and maybe the driveway :D ) The back yard still has a way to go before its complete!! Hopefully in the next couple of years.;) I am on the search for bamboo to plant as a perimeter.:thmsup:

I1:)

I don't know what it does there, but Bamboo spreads & gets huge here!

I just knew there had to be more than the typical "yes dear" thing going on with the plants. My prince always likes the end results, but doesn't help pick the plants. He hauls & digs & prunes for me.;) Of course, I need to supervise....one year the plum tree got a crew cut with a chain saw!!:eek:

Your actual interest in the yards is so refreshing!

I almost never even let him mow...I lost a whole bunch of geraniums that way a few years back!!:rolleyes:

Originally posted by princess
I don't know what it does there, but Bamboo spreads & gets huge here!

That's what my goal is to have a total envelope of plants and flowers sort of a Botanical Garden in my backyard:thmsup:

The nice thing about most of the plants I try and use, you can cut and split off new plants. So when I am ready to move I will have plants to take with me!!:)

I1:)

hehe, my plants are so tiny, that if tried to split any of them, there wouldn't be anything there!!! but i've only been i nthe house for a year and the landscaping has only started this year, so they havent had much of a chance to grow yet!

anyone have any ideas on how to keep the deer from eating some of the plants?!?! my mums are eaten down to the dirt!! argh!!!

ps-nice mobile office i1!!!

Originally posted by anysia
anyone have any ideas on how to keep the deer from eating some of the plants?!?! my mums are eaten down to the dirt!! argh!!!

Check out this... Any product that uses Coyote scent will work....

http://www.critter-repellent.com/deer/deer-damage.php?source=Overture

I1:)

nice longaberger I1

Originally posted by fearlessfreap24
nice longaberger I1

Like that? :D A lot of people ask" Does your wife know you have a basket in your car ? " Yes she gave it to me to use!!:notworthy

I1:D

Here's some of the new Christmas stuff.

i1-longaberger fans huh??

You can say that:D

I1:)

Well I ran out of light yesterday with about 3x6 foot left to do:( :(

Here's this mornings pic. It started raining about 30 min ago:mad:

I1:)

Finally all pavers layed .... Before the rains came!!

I1:banana:

A shot from master bath window....:)

OK, now what's that patio area gonna be used for?

It looks wonderful!

Basketball :yes:

Thanks princess:up:

I still have to level the rest of the yard and put in a gravel path between house patio and back patio..

I1:)

Are you winning the battle of the leaves yet?;)

It appears that more than 1/2 are down. As you can see in the picture from the house their still hanging on the tree's in spots.
It pretty much rained all day so the yard is covered again:bawling:

I1:)

wohoo it's finished! :thmsup:

In use picture 1 Washed up after filling joints with sand pic 2

I1:)

That's very cool!! Is that what you made it for?...To be used as a basketball court?

Very neat idea:thmsup:

That's got to be the prettiest court I've seen! Do you plan to put some sort of plants around it?

Originally posted by princess
That's got to be the prettiest court I've seen! Do you plan to put some sort of plants around it?

More than likely I will mulch or plant ground cover maybe some thyme! Anything larger will get smashed by the basketball:eek:

I1:)

Sometimes I just feel I know you well! I almost just asked what kind of ground cover you were going to put in!:)

so no grasses?? :D

Not around the patio but along the property line to screen out wandering eyes.
I am waiting to see how the neighborhood will act. If they think I built a public court then I will have to put up a fence!!
The Bamboo idea is really what I would like since some varieties grow to over 15-20 ft:banana: :banana: :banana: Better than a fence!!!!

I1:)

it would make a nice natural fence! :)

hopefully your neighbors are sane enough to realize it's your hoop and court!!


:eek:

This weekend we decided to add 15" of walking space to our kitchen area....

This meant moving a post over & trimmming down the built in phone desk. It was a 3 drawer desk, now it's 2.

This also meant replacing 6 tiles....boy, sometimes it pays to be a pack rat! I still had several lieft over from when we tiled the kitchen a few years ago....the gray grout too!!

Here this post is out.....

All done!!

Originally posted by anysia
we currently have a door to "nowhere" because i ripped the rotted deck down.

Watch that first step - it's a doosie! :banana:

I've had a bunch of hobbies over the years. All kinds of different stuff from guitars to karate. No real rhyme or reason to it, really. Just what interested me at the time or from time-to-time, as I sometimes would leave a hobby and come back to it years later.


Anyway, the young'n (5mths old) is now my (and our) main hobby. :) Most of my hobbies have gone on the back burner, which is fine.


I do still collect license plates. As odd as that may sound. I started collecting about 10yrs ago. I collect mainly "specialty" plates rather than "general issue" plates. I also collect some of the older plates. Maybe not an exciting hobby, but fun for me!

Good job prince:thmsup: A regular Bob Vila:D And I'm sure princess assisted:angel:
It's been a busy weekend with Beggars night last night and Vehicle cleaning today... But I had the chance to relax this eve and snap some photo's another of my hobbys:yes:

I1:)

1st up one of the 3 pumpkins carved yesterday...:)Hope you Enjoy!

A shot across the patio w/the fire pit. It's about 50 deg out tonight.

Last, A Halloween Moon;)

It might not be too popular a thing with some people, but aside from video games & cars, I love to go out to the shooting range!

Originally posted by Inspector1
Good job prince:thmsup: A regular Bob Vila:D And I'm sure princess assisted:angel:
It's been a busy weekend with Beggars night last night and Vehicle cleaning today... But I had the chance to relax this eve and snap some photo's another of my hobbys:yes:

I1:)

1st up one of the 3 pumpkins carved yesterday...:)Hope you Enjoy!

damn! that is pretty good, I1!!! :)

After getting my "perfect" pumpkin stolen, I wasn't really in the mood to carve...so it was just a baby.... I didn't even take a picture!

I've done tinkerbell, eeyore, mickey..... I'm thinking I should do some BAD guys though, huh?

I1, those are great pictures! We haven't used our outdoor fireplace thing yet this year. I usually use it to get rid of the scraps from our projects through out the year! You should've seen me when we remodeled the bedroom! I was cuttin' up & burning it as fast as he was pulling it all down! There were 4 sliding closet doors, & a bunch of 2 X 4's! We put a siding door where a window used to be!

This weekend's project was small, but important to us. We used to only have about 6" when the table was away from the wall & the corner chair being used... now it's nearly 2'!! Since they all seem to migrate here for the holidays I wanted it done now.

I did texture & paint, holding it up & checking the "bubble". I cleaned up a lot between phases. I taped. Put everything away...except his rotozip... I can't ever get it back in the case just right! So yeah, I guess I did help, but he gets all the credit. The kids just claim I make hin build the "pyramids".

We did cheat a little! To remove the post we used the rotozip like a little sawzall to cut the old nails. The cool part was that we did very little damage to the exsisting parts, so finishing went pretty quick!

He did find the time (as always) to tease me about how he now knows what diamonds are REALLY good for.... the blades to cut through things like nails & grout..... I always thought they were for making his wife light up!!:D

One of the best parts about NOT knowing what you're doing is that sometimes you don't know "it can't be done"! :)

I do still collect license plates. As odd as that may sound. I started collecting about 10yrs ago. I collect mainly "specialty" plates rather than "general issue" plates. I also collect some of the older plates. Maybe not an exciting hobby, but fun for me! [/B]


Cant have mine!!

10ring, we haven't in years, but we used to go out to the local shooting range a lot!

At one point he had an M1..... it knocked me on my butt!! I was pretty good with a 22 rifle & pistol & could handle the 9mm well too!

The closed the range & built another housing track though...:(

So we sold the 9mm & M1.

I always HATED guns, & didn't allow them in the house until the kids were pretty much grown. Then I found out I was a good shot! :D

See, when you're old like us, you've done several different things through out life....

Whoever who thought someone named "princess" could shoot a booger off a gopher?!;)

nice pumpkin I1!!! :)



i didn't carve any this year because noone wanted to go to a pumpkin patch and pick pumpkins with me!!! sam estory year after year... i always end up buying them at walmart. didn't feel like it this year though!

princess on a shooting range. the disney lover shooting guns.... :eek:

now there's a mental pic i never thought i'd have! :lmao:

Hey, most Disney movies are violent!

I didn't wear any tiarras :blush:

Pistol packin' princess...... don't mess with me!!:D



Ok, so they're locked away.....

fun picture anyway!

:lmao:

the pic is funnier WITH the tiaras though!! and a poofy dress!!

All decked out in frilly pink, right? Long white gloves...... sparkles everywhere...... 4" glass slippers......:lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao:

rifle in hand.... :lmao:


could you also climb into the trunk in the dress, glass slippers, tiara, with the gun?? now there is a hilarious pic!!!!! :D

:lmao: :lmao: :lmao:

I can see it now. Drop a bead on Bambi and then Boom.....

I1:joker: :joker:

Sure hunt the Bambis, tank the Nemos, trap the Mickeys, cook the Donalds, leash the Goofys, hook the Arials.......

all in fluffy pink with a tiara!

:D

Just don't make me break a nail!!

Originally posted by princess
10ring, we haven't in years, but we used to go out to the local shooting range a lot!

At one point he had an M1..... it knocked me on my butt!! I was pretty good with a 22 rifle & pistol & could handle the 9mm well too!

The closed the range & built another housing track though...:(

So we sold the 9mm & M1.

I always HATED guns, & didn't allow them in the house until the kids were pretty much grown. Then I found out I was a good shot! :D

See, when you're old like us, you've done several different things through out life....

Whoever who thought someone named "princess" could shoot a booger off a gopher?!;)

My Dad had guns, and we would go to the range once or twice a year when I begged. Since I moved out years ago, I've created my own collection, and really enjoy using everything I've got. My wife has a 22 pistol that she just loves to shoot. I'm more into 45's at the indoor range, and .223 (Mini 14) at the outdoor. I used to shoot a lot of trap, but not lately. Glad to see someone else from Northern Cali on this board who isn't disgusted by firearms!

The image of Princess taking out Bambi put this Julie Brown song back in my head:

It was homecoming night at my high school
Everyone was there, it was totally cool
I was real excited, I almost wet my jeans
Cause my best friend Debbie was homecoming queen
She looked so pretty in pink chiffon
Riding the float with her tiara on
Holding this humongous bouquet in her hand
She looked straight out of Disneyland
You know the Cinderella ride, I mean definitely an E ticket
The crown was cheering, everyone was stoked
I mean it was like the whole school was totally coked or something
The band was playing Evergreen
And all of a sudden somebody screamed
Look out! The homecoming queenÕs got a gun

Everybody run, the homecoming queen's got a gun
Everybody run, the homecoming queen has got a gun

Yeah, finding someone in the bay area that's not an owl & mouse saving tree hugger is rare! :joker: I really hate stereo typing! When we travel & tell people we're from CA they seem to expect us to have horns or something! We're a melting pot of people from many cultures & backgrounds. That's the best part about living here!

Some of very best friends would never agree with me on politics, but things in real life, we're very much alike.:D

I see absolutely nothing wrong with target practice! Even people that are against hunting would have a hard time making an argument there. I don't think we need automatic rifles though! They're lousy for the target ranges anyway. Yet I'm not sure we need laws to tell us what we can own....

We don't NEED guns, but we do have a right to own them.....until the constitution changes, anyway.

Where are you at? Are you also in the bay area?


:D

04EXNavi,
:lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :thmsup: :jumping: :jumping: :jumping: :jumping: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao:

I lived my entire life in San Jose, but almost 3 years ago, my wife and I bought our first house in Tracy. We wanted a large enough house to raise a family and have a couple dogs. 15 months ago we had our first child, a boy, named Aiden. We already had 2 dogs, so one more kid and we are all set!

Originally, when the constitution was written to guarantee our right to own arms, the thought was not that we would need then for target practice or hunting. The right was put in place so that the people would be able to rise against a tyrannical government if they ever needed to. I'm not saying that we will ever need to, nor would I personally ever purchase a fully automatic weapon. Just a bit of history for perspective.

10ring,
Tracy's a nice area!

Congratulations on the home & family! You can put the doggy pictures in the pets thread, if you want to share.

You're right when it was written it was for other reasons, but it's still a right until it gets changed.

We used to go a range in Brentwood.... it's gone now.


04EXNavi,
I'm downloading that song....now I just HAVE to hear it!:)

This is one right that had better never change. The police can never protect you from harm, they only respond afterwards.

Over the years, I've acquired most of my families weapons. I have my Great Grandfathers, Grandfathers, and Dads rifles and shotguns.

As a child, I remember my Grandfather had a Gun room in his home. To this day, it reminds me of an armory. It's just a way of life in the Deep South.

I understand some Western States still allow holstering pistols in public.

My brother got all my dads guns. Then a couple of years later they were all stolen!:(

Originally posted by princess
My brother got all my dads guns. Then a couple of years later they were all stolen!:(

OH NO!!! I'm very sorry to hear that! I hope they caught/catch the thief!

according2me,
I'm with you 100%. I do think the police in my area do a good job responding quickly, but unless there is someone at my house 24/7, I plan on defending my family myself. I could really care less about my stuff to be honest. If they stay downstairs (after they get throught the alarm and my 2 Rottweilers), then they can take what they want while the police come. If they come upstairs, the only way they will leave is with a severe case of high velocity lead poisoning.

Nope. Never caught, never found! He wasn't home when they broke in. What seemed to be the same crew came back a couple more times. The last time they also set the house on fire! They never came back after it was rebuilt though. Now it's been several years. This was all in Laveen, AZ.... near PHX.

whoever invented liquid nails should be shot...

the midway point of my "sunday project"... ripped out the sink and part of the fake tile wall. working on peeling off the liquid nails and restoring the plaster and then i will rip out the toilet and that section of fake tile.... so far no huge issues other than liquid nail removal! :censored:

small set back... need to come up with an inch or so more pvc.... the darn sink is just a little bit higher than the old one and the drain doesn't reach the current drain pipe.... :bawling:

ok, go the drain pipe issue fixed, now to get the water lines o connect properly so they don't leak...... :rolleyes: almos there... but the toilet is going to have to wait till next weekend! ;)

when you finish, can you come over here? we need a bit of plumbing work done.

sorry, no end in sight yet!! trying to figure out how in the world to get the drain connected tighter to the sink so it quits leaking! (i guess the next time i do this, it should be easier, huh?! going thru the trial and error this time! :lmao: )

all in all, not going too bad, but now i'm starting to get frustrated. who needs a working sink in their bathroom anyway?! :rolleyes:

guess i should post the pic with the new sink in place! it appears that the new faucet has a leak though, so looks like i'll have to trade it out. :rolleyes: (or atleast that is my dad's guestimte on the phone, he's going to come over to look at it sometime in the next 2 years or so.... :rolleyes: )

Originally posted by jbuffethed
Cant have mine!!


:D

I actually have that one. It's a bit banged up, but it works for now!



Nice vanity plate BTW.

Here's what I was up this weekend.

I gave my 1926 piano to my grandson a couple of weeks ago. I had bought it about a dozen yeas ago & restored it. (I don't play, I plunk) I still have been missing it. A neighbor had an old piano that she was going to cut up & throw away.

I adopted it it!

It's been painted over with brown latex paint. EEEWWWW! I just don't understand why anyone would paint over a piano! It would've been easier to just sand where needed & relacquer!

Anyway..... I spent this weekend removing the paint with a trusty heat gun!

I'm going to get the serial number & info off of it & see if I can get the date of manufacture. My prince thinks it's older than the other one. I don't think so!

I got all the paint off.

So now I can start in on the sanding.

It was driving my prince nuts because I wouldn't allow him to help!! He has a tendency to take over! I will need his help for some things, but I want to see how much I can do on my own.

Like the other one, I plan to strip to down to the bare wood then clear coat it. It's also a deep reddish color.

I'll keep you informed on my progress.....

Anysia, aren't you going to have to remove the sink again to finish the wall behind it?:confused:

looking good on the piano princess!


nah, the hole in he wall is for the medicine cabinet i'm repainting in the garage and the rest of the wall behind the sink is smoothed out now. it's plaster, so it's been a royal pain in my butt! :blah: but just a bunch of patching work and sanding and patching and sanding and patching. but it's pretty much done. i decided to just tape off the sink whenever i finally paint the wall after the toilet is done (hopefully next weekend.)

then it's off to finish refinishing the tub. i found a crack repair kit and bought it, but now there is a nice white blotch on the gray tub, so i'm going to refinish the tub to make it all white. then caulk everything all up and the bathroom will be done!

I bet it will be nice to have it behind you! You'll have to share more pictures whenit's done!

Well, here's what we got done today....I'd had finished stripping all the latex paint off & today we got about 80% of the machine sanding done.....first round anyway.... so nearly all the old stain & varnish are gone!

I forgot to buy masks & we're gonna have reddish brown boogers for quite a while!;)

I told him to take his shower first.....

After we get cleaned up it's off to BestBuy... our familyroom VCR dies & we're gonna get a new one....we're sticking with JVC even though we weren't impressed by this one because our entertainment stuff is all "compu-linked" together....

I haven't seen the second part of "day of Destruction" since this VCR decided not to play the tape.... it was recorded on a different one & we COULD play it one that one, I guess.

Oh well, it's an excuse for him to visit one of his "toy" stores.....:D

He just ordered 10 pounds of sugar free Jelly Bellies for me! What a sweetie! You think he has this BestBuy run planned???:rolleyes:

that's quite a bit of progress!!! it's looking alot better! :D

Boy, you're speedy!!


I am disappointed by this one having so much pine type wood....that means I'm gonna have to do some staining...:( The other one was all one kind, so we didn't stain it at all, just put varathane on after it was all stripped down, then stained the bench to match. This time I want him to make a bench, so it looks like it's from the same era....

once the weather gets cold enough, be ready for some snow pics of pittsburgh....supposedly, there is supposed to be snow showers on thanksgiving...YEAH RIGHT!!! :censored: :scratch: :roll:

National Weather Service
:stupid:

tell me about it:o

Here's another reason why I enjoy the grasses... Fall/Winter color..
Enjoy..
I1:)

#1

#2

#3

last grass

One more...
My Sweetgum is the last to turn and drop its leaves..... shot thru the weeping crabapple...

That's really beautiful Fall colors! The kinds I have don't turn...:confused:

My prince is operating on the turkey so I can season it & throw it in the oven.... In about an hour it will smell wonderful in here!

Hope you have a great T-day!!:D

Originally posted by princess

My prince is operating on the turkey so I can season it & throw it in the oven.... In about an hour it will smell wonderful in here!

Hope you have a great T-day!!:D


Thank you! Hope You and prince do too!!!:thmsup:

We are not doing turkey this year.. I opted for a 6 LB Top Loin Pork Roast...YUM YUM.....
Turkey for Christmas...

I1;)

My kids counldn't handle it if I changed the menu! I tried once.....:( "But mom, it's tradition!"):rolleyes:

feferic...Want to sell the Reel to Reel?

bump!! We've lots of new members....

Here's what my daughter & I did this week..... this WAS all ferns & calle lillies..I was tired of it!!

Planting in February? Ah, the joys of not living in the snow belt. :mad: I shoveled my driveway last night. Not that I'm bitter or anything.

It cooled back down high 50's-low 60's yesterday. So my Spring Fever is under control again! It was warmer & sunny Sat.-Wed.....now it's cloudy....

Most people wait till March...... but the stores have the plants, why not stick 'em in the ground?? We may get more rain, but I doubt if there'll be anymore frost.

We put in 2 bird of paradise, 1 red hybiscus, 1 pink cameilia, 36 little viola pansies, 2 different pink flowered plants just 'cuz I liked their looks, 2 white ones that's name starts with a C that & never remember until I see it & 2 red ones & one gardenia. (bare bush is a lilac)

We've been using the front porch more since we got our doggy guests out back!!

I removed all the fern & lillies by myself! I also raised up the 4" sewer access pipe by myself. I needed to add several inches to put in deeper soil. There's now weed control plastic stuff between the old dirt & the new soil to hopefully keep all those lillies & ferns from coming back!!

Last shot.

I think it looks great, and sounds like more than the amount of work I put in a full year of landscaping!
Be sure to post pics of the Birds of Paradise when they bloom, that's my favorite flower!

I think I wanted a "tropical" theme since this upcoming cruise is on my mind so much!!

Bird of Paradise grow well here, but this area may be shadier than they like....we'll see.... I've never grown them before.

I find I have the best luck if I ignore the directions with plants & put them where I want.

That is a nice layout and I am sure they will look wonderful in a few months as they fill in.
I already have bulbs up a couple of inches... thats not good for Feb.

I1:)

The mini daffodils are about done, the hyasinth (sp?) are up, the large daffodils haven't budded, but they're about a foot tall. The irises are about 6 inches, the wisteria has buds...... it's all a little early, but it's done it before & survived.

Last year I think I had wisteria blooms for our anniversay, & a black iris for my birthday..... I don't think they'll wait that long this year!!

I'm thinking that I may put down some shaved bark/mulch stuff in the area pictured. We have a LOT of cats in the neighborhood!:(

I wish I'd taken a before picture.... there was enough fern & lillies to fill a 96 gal can, even with stomping it down!!! I didn't know fern spread. I'd planted one fern about 3 years ago.... it took over. All my cute yellow flowered ground cover got shoked out. I didn't know how hard calle lillies are to get rid of whe nI planted them either! They've been pulled, crushed, neglected, cut.... they keep coming back. That's why I put plastic down.... they'll probably get through it though!

I picked where I wanted the bird of paradise, hibiscus & gardenia & let my daughter do the rest. She had fun! It's got to be hard to not have her own home to do this stuff at....

If I remember I'll take another picture in a month to see that changes & how much it fills in.

Here's a pic of my wifes garden last year. The plant in the foreground is from Hawaii called "Hawaiian Ginger" they smell really, really good during the summer time when the temp is high.
Want one princess?

Opps! pic didn't post.

This thing has been on our coffe table table for 5 years now. Dog on the couch, always on the couch.

Very nice geni01!! Looks like someone enjoys needlepoint or cross stitch?
One can never have too many plants.

I1:)

Originally posted by Inspector1
Very nice geni01!! Looks like someone enjoys needlepoint or cross stitch?
One can never have too many plants.

I1:)
The wife does all that needle point & stuff. She also makes custom jewelries & crotchets blankets & she gives it all away at christmas. Then she starts all over again. Drives me nuts!

Originally posted by 10ring
It might not be too popular a thing with some people, but aside from video games & cars, I love to go out to the shooting range!

I do the same. Believe it or not, I find it relaxing and a great way to clear one's mind. Must be that it requires you to focus intently on the target and block everything else out. Have a S&W .357.

Originally posted by 10ring
If they come upstairs, the only way they will leave is with a severe case of high velocity lead poisoning.

:lmao:

Geni01, Hawaiian Ginger, huh? I may have to look for some of that. Does is spread quickly?

Sure looks like a a lot of sun plants for a yard in the fog bank....

Before the doggy guests, the little one of ours could always be found in front of the fireplace. The other one where ever we are, he's got a thing about being left alone.

Today I'm sending my guy out on his Mt. bike before the rain comes back & I'm going to clean the backyard.... if the chewing dog would just eat the weeds instead of the plants.....

Princess,
Yes, The plant does spread in a big mount. She has this thing growing for 3 years now, she prunes it (cuts some) every fall & puts in big pots. I always ended up giving it to anyone thats want one, but they don't regret it since the flowers has a sweet smell that speards all over our backyard. Actually you can smell it about 3 houses away!
We do get some Sun here in DC, I guess the plants has already adopted to the conditions & they all grow like crazy during spring. Remember this is the Bayarea, Land of the micro climate.
The golden retriever & our corgi mix is always on the couch or on the front window, my lhasa apso is a klingon dog - clings on to me wherever I go.
Got my waffle weave microfiber towels yesterday, I going to wash the Accord. Maybe i'll wash all the vehicles even if it's going to rain tonight.

Here's my enjoyment; this one was 35" long and 24lbs. These are fresh water Redfish caught at Calaveras Lake not far from San Antonio.

I fished there when I was a kid.... caught a bunch of striped bass.

The stripers are fun but pesky when you're looking for the big Reds. That same day with two in the boat we had four rods out downrigging. You guessed it! All four hit at the same time, what a cluster!

I oughta post the pictures of the stripers my dad caught in our delta..... they were usually above 20 lb.

I'll go see if I can find them.....:)

I found one....

My dad is the one with the cap on, the other guy is his brother.... both were only 5'6".... those aren't tiny little bass!!

When they get to that size they will give you a real workout!

DANG :eek: Now that's some fishin.

See, Texas isn't the only place things grow BIG!!!:D

Somewhere I have another pix of daddy leaning way back hanging on to a stringer full of fish that reach the ground. They were bigger than these! He used to do the derby every year. Even won sometimes.

www.brecks.com

Brecks has a $20 Off $20 of flower bulbs code 706971.

Thanks for the link for "free" bulbs....

You all know how some of us like pretty gardens!

The last time I mail ordered bulbs though, none of them grew!:(

Pictures at the big game!!

My son with a trophy.... I'm not proud huh !!! :blush: :blush:


I1 :)

The whole team :)

Pass on our congratulations on a job well done! :jumping:

:banana: congrats i1's family... :D

let's see....stillers (obviously), the pirates, pens, hockey in general, the weather (since age 5 -- fulfilling my dream now), storm chasing.......there are others too, but i don't think that if i were to go on, wards would appreciate it.....would probably get edited quick or deleted.... :eek: ;) :D

Latest project... Added Windsor wall around main patio this weekend...
Now just have to decide what to plant!!
Also trying to talk the Mrs. into letting me replace driveway, front sidewalk and porch with paver's :naughty:
We have been in this house for 6 years now and driveway is heaving a little so maybe by next year she might let me do it.... :thmsup:

I1 :)

lookin good i1!! :thmsup:

im guessing we'll be getting grass and lighting pics again soon?? :banana:

ps~i1 congrats ont he trophy too!! that musta been posted while i was "internetless"! :lmao:

You can see the grass is starting to come back....
I have to finish leveling off the rear woods area hopefully within the next month... then its more work seeding and strawing..... and getting rid of the pesky moles....... The projects never end :) :)
The Mrs. say's when I get all my projects done we will move :lmao: :lmao:
yeah right... I be happy to enjoy for a few more years then sell.....
I want a ranch so I won't have to climb stairs...
I found 50 acres for sale yesterday!! It's only 400k ... Better buy a lotto ticket today :nuts: :nuts:

Here's a link (http://www.comey.com/displaylist.asw?listnum=889371&mls=cincy) see if this works

I1 :)

Very nice bike! Some day I'd like to ride a crotch rocket, but am happy with my cruisers for now. Have an '81 Kawasaki 440 LTD and an '83 Yamaha Virago 920:)

love the LTd

HAd a 750 ltd... that sucker was FAST... about as fast as a HOnda CBR f2 to 75... was only a 1/4 length behind... handled pretty decent for a cruiser (was able to fly throught hte twisties with a rider on back... with some of the sport bike... and hold my own)

was looking at an 1100ltd - police cruiser... mad I shoulda bought that one

Here's a nice bike 2004 Swift Tormenter

I1 :thmsup:

the fountain at point state park-aka "the point"-it's where pittsburgh's 3 rivers meet. :)

another pic from the park today.

more..... :D

I am into -

Ham radio. I've been a ham for 8 years now. I've done a lot of things including post 9/11 disaster relief work.

Electronics. I'm studying for my BS in Electrical Engineering at Polytechnic University in Brooklyn.

Pyrotechnics. I recently picked up this hobby/side job. It's fun.

Digital photography. CHeck out my gallery at http://www.jairam.us/gallery

That's all I can think of now...

the fountain at point state park-aka "the point"-it's where pittsburgh's 3 rivers meet. :)

want to take a bet to see how many times the "point" gets flooded this year??? :lmao: ;)

Great thread! A wide range of hobbies, interests, ... from home remodling/piano restoration/guns (princess), landscaping (Inspector1), plumbing (anysia), etc. ... to vintage audio (Wardsweb)!

My interest / hobbies:

1) Home Theater :thmsup:
.... a) JBL S26's x6 & JBL S-Center :D
.... b) SVS 25-31PCi 320w Digital Powered Sub-woofer :naughty:
.... c) Yamaha RX-V1300 - 100 x6 DD/DTS 6.1 AV Receiver
.... d) Toshiba 50H81 HDTV

- My Main HT Website (http://www.geocities.com/p_iturra/index.html) (started Sept. 10, 1999)

- Webshot's HT Album (http://community.webshots.com/album/132357274oOGoXu)

- On-going DVDSPot DVD Library (http://www.dvdspot.com/member=piturra ) (only had time to enter 358; another 100+ to go!)


2) Star Trek & MISC Collectables :thumbsup:

- My Webshot's ST & MISC Albums (http://community.webshots.com/user/p_iturra)

Phil

and don't forget the Disney!!! :banana:

Great picture! I love the screen with the space shot! Are you going to miss Enterprise? We are. I haven't thought this season was very good, but I understand them making changes to try to save it. We haven't seen the last one from this weekend. It's recorded, but we haven't had the time to sit & watch it yet.

and don't forget the Disney!!! :banana:

Great picture! I love the screen with the space shot!

That picture is a DVD video digital pic capture (paused scene from "Star Trek 'First Contact'" Movie), showing the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-E "Sovereign Class" Starship flyby patrolling the Neutral Zone just before the Borg Cube attack. :paranoid:

Are you going to miss Enterprise? We are. I haven't thought this season was very good, but I understand them making changes to try to save it. We haven't seen the last one from this weekend. It's recorded, but we haven't had the time to sit & watch it yet.

Yes - I'll miss it! :( I thought last season was the best, ... this season started out really well, then got disjointed! The last episode was well done!!!

Phil

A bizillion years ago, when my prince's youngest brother was a teen.... he talked me into driving him to SF to a TREKKIE convention.... We met "Bones", "Chekov", Nichelle ( I can't begin to spell her Trek name) & George T. It was quite an experience! This would've been in '77. I still can't believe I drove there! We had the '67 Olds 442 at the time! :paranoid: My prince was in Korea thanks to the USAF or there's no way I would've done it!

I assume you also have all the movies.....

A bizillion years ago, ...
:lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao:
:lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao:
:lmao: :lmao: :lmao:
:lmao: :lmao:
:lmao:

... when my prince's youngest brother was a teen.... he talked me into driving him to SF to a TREKKIE convention.... We met "Bones", "Chekov", Nichelle ( I can't begin to spell her Trek name) & George T. It was quite an experience! This would've been in '77. I still can't believe I drove there! We had the '67 Olds 442 at the time! :paranoid: My prince was in Korea thanks to the USAF or there's no way I would've done it!

OK, ... I'm impressed!!! :notworthy

The closest I got to the actual Original Serie's Stars (costumes and props that is ;) ...) was @ the Smithsonian and Las Vegas Star Trek Experience - March 2003 (http://community.webshots.com/album/67062731CiHKET) & March 2005!

I assume you also have all the movies.....

Good assumption! Can't wait for the "Star Trek 'Insurrection'" Collector's Edition DVD (Scheduled for Release on 6-7-2005), ... I'll sell my Movie only copy on eBay after I get it!

Last Mar 13th, 2005, ... I purchased "Star Trek 'First Contact'" Collector's Edition (w/interview's, behind the scene's, commentaries, etc.) and my Movie only DVD copy is on eBay as we write!!! :yes:

Phil

Are you also into Star Wars? We like SciFi of most kinds.....

Are you also into Star Wars? We like SciFi of most kinds.....

Yep!!! Same here!!! My daughter already got FREE tickets with her upgraded phone to see "The Revenge of the Sith" - Friday, 5/20 @ 2pm ... yeah, taking some PTO to see the movie!

Other Sci-Fi:

1) Firefly: The Complete TV Series Box Set:
.... a) Movie: "Serenity" - in Theaters Sept. 30th

2) Star Gate

3) Fifth Element

4) Men in Black I & II

5) Independance Day: ID4

6) The Day After Tomorrow

7) Armageddon

8) Spaceballs :naughty:

9) X-Men 1 & II

10) Spy Kids 1-3

The only complete season sets of Star Trek I have is TNG - Season 1 to 7 and The Original ST - Season 1 to 3.

YEP, ... Love Sci-Fi!!!

Phil

Nice HT setup piturra :thmsup: :thmsup: Bet the JBL's sound sweet :yes:
And Welcome to the Forum :wave:

I quit buying DVD's 6 months ago since HD-DVD is just around the corner so I'm holding out and rent a few now and then and get the rest from the Library.
We have not been watching to many DVD's lately with the end of the season for Network and Baseball .. ESPNHD :notworthy :notworthy :banana: :banana: ..

I1 :)

I think a bunch of what we haved on DVD is stated in one of the movies thread!

Well, it's off to one of the "other" duties soon...... Crystle's been painting all day & after the boys get their homework done I'll be hauling them over there to pester her..... OK, I'll stick around to chase them.... :yes:

It's really weird for her to have a house with our original floor plan! I think I'll take a screw driver over..... there's tan switch plates on white walls & white ones on tan walls..... :rant: Jacob can replace all the plug sockets to 3 prong....it's an older home & most sockets aren't even polarized! We had to change all of ours & it's hard to believe someone has managed to live there without doing it!

I think a bunch of what we haved on DVD is stated in one of the movies thread!

Well, it's off to one of the "other" duties soon...... Crystle's been painting all day & after the boys get their homework done I'll be hauling them over there to pester her..... OK, I'll stick around to chase them.... :yes:

It's really weird for her to have a house with our original floor plan! I think I'll take a screw driver over..... there's tan switch plates on white walls & white ones on tan walls..... :rant: Jacob can replace all the plug sockets to 3 prong....it's an older home & most sockets aren't even polarized! We had to change all of ours & it's hard to believe someone has managed to live there without doing it!

gonna stick around to make sure they pester her huh?? :lmao:

polarized outlets... lol!! my house didnt' have any either..... we changed a couple, but we ended up getting those darn adapters for most of the outlets! we were supposed ot begin rewiring the house when the weather got warmer this year... oops!!! :blah:

now i have more outlets (all 3 prong) than i know what to do with! :biggrin:

I called her & she wants me to keep the boys here.... she's nearly done painting the kitchen. So when they're in school tomorrow I'll go & help clean the whole place & take pictures to keep with the lease & a list of any damages found. I told them to mail themselves a copy & don't open it. Then if when moving out the owner tries to charge for something that's already wrong....there's proof! With the date of the post mark.

The boys are reading now. The routine is homework, snack, reading for about 30 minutes. It's sure quiet!

:D

Um, in the "what else" area of my life.....shopping.....

Look what I just bought my prince!!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=52380&item=8191933409&rd=1

that is a great idea princess!! (mailing the lease and all and not opening it!) ;)

peace and qeuit in the disney house huh?? :banana:

the half hour is dwindling away though...... :blah: and you're spending it on da?? :D

Um, in the "what else" area of my life.....shopping.....

Look what I just bought my prince!!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=52380&item=8191933409&rd=1

cute ties! ;)

He wanted a tie to go with a black suit for the cruise..... :naughty: He didn't say what kind of tie!! I almost bought a Mickey bow tie & cumberbun.... but his suit is a suit not a tux..... to see him in it I would've bought a tux though!!! :lmao:


What better time to be on DA??!!

Hunter just guzzled a glass of milk...he wasn't quite tall enough for the Indiana Jones ride..... a finger's width too short.... so he's remeasuring, again!! :nuts: kids! :nuts: