After settling back
into the “routine” of owning a house, the month of September was filled with the
usual:
-almost continuous
gardening by Corrie; Dan’s never ending battle with invasive blackberry vines;
mowing & more mowing
-Dan hiring a
contractor to repair the RV garage door we damaged
-having AC/heating
system, & water system serviced
-medical
appointments
-Corrie exercising
at the Y
-Dan volunteering at
Habitat for Humanity
-watching the
wildlife wandering thru the property - deer, coyotes, & the first sighting
of a bobcat (with dinner in its mouth)!
-replacing the Toad’s
front headlights which were pretty useless after our Alaska trip
-feeling our first
earthquake in the Pacific NW (Corrie felt it, Dan didn’t). Because of this we learned that almost all
household insurance in the Pacific NW does not cover earthquake damage!!! We immediately obtained coverage.
-adding more
shelving & storage to Corrie’s garden shed
-adding more shelves,
storage & a coat rack to house garage
-etc
But also as usual
there were some things of special note:
Every year (usually
around labor day) the closer neighbors (ie within walking distance) have an
annual “pot luck” at Hans & Martha Dankers.
In the four years since our house was built, we have not been around for
this event. This year we were invited &
attended on Sunday, 06SEP. It was a very
nice time; & finally meeting our neighbors, most of which have lived here
for decades. Turns out Hans immigrated
from The Netherlands, & he enjoyed being able to speak in Dutch to Corrie.
We decided to have a
Solar Array installed on the property; & went thru the process of getting
competitive bids & hiring a contractor.
When we had the house built we looked into solar energy, but decided the
“payback” period was too long (more than eleven years). Now with Federal, State, County & Utility
incentives the payback period should be six years or less. The only glitch is that since we are near the
end of the tax year, there is a backlog at the solar panel factory. We are hoping that construction will be done
in October, but no guarantee.
Saturday, 26SEP, we
attended Dan’s niece Joleen Kiesel & Nathan Peever’s wedding. Turns out that when they visited New Orleans
& us 16FEB15, that Nathan proposed (see below BLOG link for their
visit). The wedding was a little
different in that it had a “Dr Who” theme & was conducted by a Taoist
Priest. Dr Who is a British TV series
that has run for over 40 years about a Time Lord (Dr Who) who travels thru
space & time in a Tardis. If you
want to know more, google the internet. And the character of Dr Who is replaced by new
actor over the years. Dan knowing a
little about the show, bought a red Fez, red bow tie & red suspenders - items
were associated with the eleventh Dr Who.
His effort to be part of “theme” were noted by all.
Sunday, 27SEP,
around lunch Dan’s brother Shawn & wife Cindie came by after their motorcycle
Oyster Run to watch the Seahawk’s game, eat & visit. Even though the Hawks lost it was a great
time.
Lastly on Tuesday 29SEP,
we had a short but excellent visit from Clarke Van Sice. Clarke is a good friend married to Dan’s best
friend from the Coast Guard Academy, Jim Van Sice. We had last seen the both of them at the
Coast Guard Academy class reunion October 2014.
Clarke was in Washington to assist their daughter in returning to her
college in Olympia, WA.
