May 2006 Archives

Boy am I tired.  When Jakki and I bought this house last year, it came with a non-functional sprinkler system.  This weekend I finally got it mostly running.  At first, I thought the only problem was that the water service was not hooked up to the 5 zone manifold.

Saturday-- first trip to Home Depot: bits to connect the water line and two new gear drive sprinkler heads (one to replace an obviously damaged one, and one spare).  I got the service connected after much swearing at the pipe wrench and the half-assed previous owner.  I went inside and hit the button.  Water started to flow!  Jakki and I mapped out the zones using walkie talkies and discovered new problems in the system.  Mom and dad showed up and we went to dinner.  The sun sets...

This morning (Sunday) I got up and was at Home Depot 15 minutes after it opened (7:15am).  I got some couplers to fix a break and return the sprinkler heads I bought the day before, as they did not fit. At this point only zone 1 really works.  I dink around with zone 2 and discover a dead solenoid on the manifold valve.  One more trip to HD.  I bought a new head for zone 2 and a new head for zone 5 plus some soaker hose for the newly discovered soaker head.  At this point new sprinkler heads, buried under dirt and lawn are making their presence known.  I fix two more breaks caused by the $%@*#^@ previous owners and head back to HD for more couplers because even more breaks have surfaced (starting with a swelling in the soil, ending in a full-on geyser).  I think I've finally got it down, the service lines are 1" and the feeder lines are 3/4", and I have a new Oetiker tool for crimping on hose clamps.  All zones produce water at this point. 

The break I just fixed in the hosta bed in back has another break not six inches from it, and I'm out of clamps and couplers, so time to make the fifth and final trip to HD.  That does it.  I have plugged the mysterious end on zone 4 that appears to go to the neighbors, and fixed all breaks in evidence.  I have a brand new racheting hose cutting tool at this point as well.  Jakki and I do one final test of all the zones.  Everything is working and and I'm the walking dead at this point.

That was 30 minutes ago, and after a shower and a nice couch to lie on, Jakki and I can make it rain in our world any time we like.  Anyone want to start a irrigation installation company? 

My new favorite band this week is the John Butler Trio.  Check 'em out.  He's a heckeva guitar player, accompanied by an upright bassman and drummer.  He mostly plays fingerstyle acoustic, sometimes through a wah-wah pedal.  But he did name his daughter "Banjo".  You can download his live shows at Archive.org.  Pretty cool, eh?  If I had a band, that's what I'd do...

Today's depressing politcal factiod:  The current Iraq war has cost four times more than all energy-related research, worldwide, since 1990.  From http://www.gullible.info/

My aunt and uncle, Paul and Kristi, who are living on their boat currently in La Paz Mexico have begun their seasonal journey to the mainland to have their boat hauled out for hurricane season.

Here is their announcement:

 

Hola Extended Family,

Just a quick note to let everybody know again that we are indeed departing La Paz this morning.  We will be out of internet access for up to 5 weeks, but will write when we can.  Our first anchorage today will be Caleta Lobos, about 12 nautical miles away.  An extinct volcano that flooded with sea water several million years ago, with lots of caldon cactus around the caldera.  Then tomorrow we will enter the National Park islands of Isla Espiritu Santo and Isla Partida and do some hiking and snorkeling.  Eventually we will work our way half way up the Sea of Cortez and over to San Carlos.  Then fly to Seattle by mid-June.  See some of y'all in Eitzen for Beth's birthday and the 4th of July parade!

Hasta luego,
Kristi & Paul