Chazd's (Charles Dowdell's) News Burps

I have finally got around to blogging. The bakery is coming along. The plumbing is done and the electric needs to get finished. The heat-hood for over the ovens goes in Monday. The project is a little behind, but not too bad. I got in a battle with the folks that sold me the water heater for my solar system. They sold me the wrong unit, one without a heat exchanger. That of course wouldn't do me any good. So, I bellied up several hundred more dollars, disconnected and returned the non-exchanger model. I pick up the new one, get it home and wouldn't you know it. It was damaged in shipment. So I am waiting on a new one. Man, this has been a while getting the system done. The end is in site however. Just some insulation, wiring, and a few fittings and it will be ready for testing. I have been using so little fuel oil for water-heat now. I will be down to almost nothing with this system. I got 1600 lbs of coal. That will last me the rest of the winter. The furnace has yet to co...

It was really slippery driving around yesterday. I heard about a lot of wrecks on the scanner and I saw a couple too.

DJ's Bakery Project is coming along. The last time the store was run as a store was 1988. The building is known as the Crockett House in the town of Maine NY on NY 26. It was owned by a school teacher and the store sold dry goods and penny candy. She found a few artifacts such as post cards from the original owners of the house from the early 1900's. The local historic society was very pleased to receive them. She has taken at least ten truck loads of junk to the dump or scrap yard. There was no end there for a while. The initial goal is to get the equipment (ovens, sinks, display cases, stove, mixer, etc. in by the end of December. Testing and working out details, etc. will take all of January at least. She has a decent plan. She will be specializing in gluten free, sugar free stuff primarily. I think the gluten free stuff usually tastes better than the wheat based stuff, anyhow. She will be selling hot soup as well as homemade saspirilla. It is pretty interesting stuff. A lot...

Here is a video about my first solo. Click pic for video

I solo'd! Finally. All three landings were pretty decent. After I shut the plane down my instructor said I had to do one more because he couldn't find anything wrong with the first three landings. What a great experience! It makes you feel so alive. This is the stuff life is made of.

Well there has been some significant progress on DJs store. She still doesn't have a grand opening date. So far lots of vacuuming and many trips to the dump and the scrap yard. I am amazed at how much stuff I have laying around here that can be used for this project. My goal is to have less stuff around here as part of this project not more. I put a toilet in. Of course the new toilet is at the other end of the building from the sewer line. The basement is a scary thing. I remember doing this kind of work before in my rental property years ago crawling around oil tanks and up in the joists. It is downright unpleasant. If you don't like dampness and spiders it would make it that much worse. I can't say I like it. I like it best when it is over. I have a bit more drain work to do once we move a couple of walls. The outside is being painted local historic colors per the local historical society.

A lot is going on as normal. My FAA medical was approved. I am now good to solo and finish my license. I am really looking forward to flying between Sidney and Greene by myself. It took six months to get that mess straightened out. I could write a nice article on how to approach an FAA medical renew. I was starting to think I was sick based on the reluctance and run around. What a waste of federal tax paper money and general bureaucracy. One of the conditions they provided me is that if I feel a kidney stone coming on I am not supposed to fly. Jeepers! I wish they could tell me what to do on everything else in my life and what I am supposed to do and not do. Duh!! Well anyway, I am now legal to fly for the next two years. G. Mills and family were down. We went hunting. We did not get anything. We both need to get our first deer ever. Douglas on the other hand got his first deer ever on opening day. This picture reminds me that I need to paint the silo. DJ Signed the lease on t...

Yahoo has/had this piece that Irondequoit NY is one of the best places to raise kids in the whole country. That is where I grew up. Hummpt. http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/americas-best-place-to-raise-your-kids.html

I remember when the Mandelbrot Set first hit the scene years ago. Check out the "Mandelbulb", a 3D version. http://www.skytopia.com/project/fractal/mandelbulb.html

Went for a hike on the Fingerlakes Trail in Hoxie Gorge this weekend. It was great. I really must make more time for that activity. The weather has been so nice. I skidded up some trees and brought firewood forward. You never know when the snow is going to come and getting the wood down to the house becomes and issue. Once it is down by the house I can cut and split. I stopped at a bench to rest a minute during the hike and I looked up and there was a coyote just about 10 feet from me! I remember levitating up and away; it startled me so much. It was clear the coyote was not in good shape (I suspect few are). He/she was limping and sort of meandered away. It was a large one , at least as big as a German Shepard. I got the pic after I calmed down a little bit as he/she walked away. I am not sure what the fungus was.

I went to calling hours for Debby and Alan Howell this past week. Their 6 week old baby passed away from a heart defect. The baby was a beautiful baby. The weather is great. I heard from a meteorologist that we are going to have a month of unseasonably warm and mild weather. My mentor watched me do a couple of landings the other day and he seemed truly impressed. I call on my medical at least once a week. Man, I hope it comes through so I can get my licence. I want to be flying around New York state. Here is a pic of the potential bakery/brewery.

What a great weekend weatherwise. It was in the 60s today and calm. I regret not going flying today. Hopefully, this week I get my medical back. DJ is accumulating capital equipment for a small artisan bakery; she now has a large bloggett double oven, a bread slicer (shown), water heater, a butcher block table, a stainless table, a dry curved glass display case, a commercial standing three basin sink and a Hobart 30 quart mixer as well as a bunch of smaller stuff. I am sure there will be a lot more news on this as it unfolds. There is a pic of the smashed up Husquarna tractor. I bought the mower new in 1996. Someone smashed into it pushing it into Bonnie's porch destroying both. It is difficult to find any good parts left on it. Amazing. Of course, the insurance company only gives you pennies on the damage. Why bother with insurance most the time?

My mom is doing better. She is still in the hospital, but somewhat better. This week has yielded several insprirational elements. Let's focus on a few. Look for inspiration. Look! It is all around you all the time. We forget to do that. It is easy to be distracted by the everyday events and moments. Every element of nature is inspirational. They are all miracles. Everything is internal. Choose your character. Choose. Changes aren't easy. Choose, and move towards the target. "If you haven't ever have been at least a little embarassed by your past you don't understand growth and development. For goodness is made of that stuff." ---Charles Dowdell My friend and co-worker Clark Wallin passed away very suddenly Saturday Night-Sunday Morning. He was in good shape Friday. We didn't have a lot of discussion or contact Friday, but we talked. He seemed a little pre-occupied, but nothing much out of the ordinary. Clark and his wife were fellow llama/alpaca...

This time of year is always busy getting ready for Winter. I spent most of the weekend working on the solar system. I had some successes as well as a set back. The heat exchanger is broken! I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I charged/filled the the domestic side of brand new unit (although waiting for me to install for almost a year) and water started coming out the loop. I plugged the loop and I am planning on some interesting conversations with the Rheem people. It was a good thing that I didn't have the loop connections tight. I wouldn't have noticed the defect and the cross contamination would have put antifreeze in my hot water supply and regular water in the loop possibly breaking my collector. I have just a couple more fittings and some control wiring. This was a bigger project (still not done) than expected (usual). I look forward to the next project at this point. The basement partially flooded this week (drainage issue). What a drag. I mean my advice is to e...

Snow. Oct 16, 2009.

It has been a very quiet weekend. I made a nice (real) worm-wood maple mirror frame today. It seems like I made more sawdust than anything else though, between that and the chainsaw work. There is always a lot more to do. Firewood has become a priority. It is so quiet here. I have to crank up the tunes sometimes just so there is something. I will be fitting up the solar system (gotta love that term, I mean the entire Solar System, part of the Milky Way ) soon. I figure I have at least 10 trips to town before it is functional. I did two trips this weekend, not bad. I get real fussy with the plumbing. It has to be right and straight, like soldiers one of my mentors used to say. The llamas love this weather. They are in their groove. Just touching freezing at night and in the 50s in the day with a dry breeze. They love it.

I have been in a bit of a rush to finish getting the solar collector installed. I don't care much about the ditch work, but I have to get it done before winter. This system should take care of all my hot water needs. It won't heat the house, but getting a nice free source of hot water will be nice. I haven't put much technical stuff on the blog about the system yet. I am waiting to see what works and what doesn't.

I am in the Orlando Airport. I had a good visit with my Brother, Sister and Mom. We did a bunch of different things but mostly visited. My Mom and I watched airplanes at Craig Field for a while. I thought it was interesting watching an SUV tow a twin engine plane around.

I found an interesting yellow Mushroom tonight while I was out back fixing a hydraulic line on the tractor. It looks like a Amanita Muscaria, but I am not totally sure. I guess that is the nature of shrooms, not ever being totally sure. There is faith involved. We sure have a huge variety of mushrooms. They get more unusual the more you pay attention to them.

Yes, this is another neighbor. Who says you don't find art out here? Note the angry look on the deer face.

We had a hard frost last night. The last frost we had was the second week of June. That is less than 100 days in the growing season. That is not much of a window. This Summer was very wet; weather wise it wasn't much of a Summer. This weekend Pete and Linda came down. I put a new starter on the jeep, worked on some other equipment, rescued Douglas with a broke down car (I use that trailer a lot) and a few other things to be sure.

Here is one of my neighbor's RV at the local grocery store in Whitney Point NY. This is indeed a Redneck Camper. Notice he is in a handicapped parking spot. He even hit the sign behind the truck. I can't make this stuff up!

I have a theory. Golf is an outdoor activity for people who don't like the outdoors. I don't see many golfers after the weather turns the slightest bit cool. I think the over groomed golf course is an physical expression that "the outdoors does not have to be untidy". It goes on and on.

DJ and I did some farm sitting for an organic farm a few miles away. The farm is off grid and they get a little electric from solar panels. The house is underground so I imagine it is pretty energy efficient. We milked a goat by hand. The new experience was worth the price of admission. Now we are making cheese with the milk. My FAA medical has expired. I am getting that back in place. My solo has been postponded until that is done. Learning to fly is done thru series of learning experiences and plateaus. It can get a little frustrating, but it will come. The learning is a combination of confidence and skill building. Each is neccesary. I definately understand the saying that, "flying is the most fun you can have with your clothes on". When I think about flying and landing the plane a warmth comes over me.

It is labor day weekend again. The weather has been great for the last couple of days. It is actually summer. Today I am mowing fields, working on tractors and some other stuff. Yesterday I passed my FAA written test in Rome NY. I talked my mentor into flying up there. It was a great experience. The old Griffiths Air Force Base is now a municipal airport. It has a huge runway designed for B52s. Now they closed the first 2500 feet. Just the portion they closed is longer than my whole home airport in Greene. Can you see the sleeping raccoon in the tree?

I am out of space again on my server. It all adds up! I have to sort some stuff around.

I feel the need to blog everyday even though I do not. In that regard it is a lot like exercise. I have been confined to rowing. I still cannot run without real risk of injury. I like rowing and it is good for the tendon. I had a rough week in many ways. It will get better. We went and saw Blood Sweat and Tears Friday night at Tioga Downs. We also had the opportunity (strangely enough) to pass some time with some slot machines. We walked away with a few extra dollars minus dinner drinks and the show. It was fun. I really like a couple of those tunes. The trumpet is great. Doing stuff like that really makes a difference in my life. I helped Douglas install a new water heater. We decided to convert to electric from LP given all the parameters. Sunday we are off to Bainbridge NY for a political rally. Otherwise, I painted. I hate painting. I don't hate much, but I hate painting. It is so slow and requires so much prep. There is always time/weather sensitivities which mea...

I have been busy. That is for sure. Summer seems to have finally arrived. The fields are incredibly wet. It is like late spring in that regard. I pretty much made up my mind that the llamas are going to leave the farm. I am looking for a new home for them. It is time for a new hobby. This is a picture of the boys from this past spring.

Today I got the stringers on the hay wagon. Sunday I am in Rochester for at least half a day.

Just because I haven't been blogging doesn't mean nothing has been happening. After I finally got over that nasty summer cold, I have been trying to catch up. My achilles heel still bothers me; I have to be careful. I feel like an old fart sometimes and all I have to talk about is my health. That is going to stop. We cut all the brush and trees down in front of the house. It looks a lot better. Don't ask me if it will make my taxes go up. Greg and Sandy Mills (and Lucy) were down for a couple of days. We dug the solar collector ditch among other things. Now I have to get it installed as well as the other stuff that goes in the ditch. I guess some of the big news is that I passed my test for Certified Information Security Manager. So after the paper work gets complete I become Charles Dowdell, CISM. The test score is scaled so it isn't really a matter of making the grade. You have to make teh grade compared to other folks who have taken the test. I have been fly...

I broke my new kodak digital camera. What a drag. It didn't take much. I got it for 80 bucks but still. The LCD got broke somehow. Renning's Maxim: Man is the highest animal. Man does the classifying.

Man, it has been a while since I blogged. Here is a good one to get started again. -------You opened it, so you believe in it too. Something good will happen to you between 12:00 pm and 9:00 pm tomorrow. No catch. It could happen anywhere or anytime; you will fix your relationship problems for the next 2 years, maybe it was someone you once loved (or still do) and can't get them out of your mind, or money, or something you lost, or just someone that's given you a helping hand. To spread the positive karma, re-post this in another city in the next 10 minutes. You will get the shock of your life tomorrow. I believe. I hope you do too. What do you have to lose?go

I have had the flu. I went in the walk-in clinic and they said they would call me if I have the Swine flu. They haven't called. Last weekend I helped DJ's Dad do a little demo on his barn. Time to replace some block now. Here is a youtube of the wall coming down.

It seems like it has been raining a little bit everyday. The plane is in the shop with a bad cylinder. I am getting itchy to fly again. The Binghamton airshow is really large this year. The Blue Angles are here and all that. I will be watching from the house. I don't really care for the large airshows. The smaller ones are nicer, not all the crowds, prices and hassle. My camera is damaged. It was in my pocket and a piece of metal flew up that I was working with and it struck me in the groin and got the camera LCD screen as well. I am not sure which got the worst of it. Time for a new camera. I bought that camera about three years ago. I can get something a lot better now for less money. I remember buying a Sony Mavica years ago (1999) for 600 bucks. I planned to have the 1-megapixel camera for 10 years. It just doesn't work that way. 5 years is about it before new features and performance render things obsolete. We experienced yet some more rainbows. Look closely and you ca...

We had the yard sale. It was a lot of work, but what else can you do? There were some comments that the farm was out in the middle of nowhere. Some ham radio friends came over Saturday night. The video proves it. This pic is of a crash on I-81. The deer didn't do well. The 18 wheeler that hit the car that hit the deer had only minor damage.

Things get so busy in the summer. Having extra hours of daylight is not much help on getting things done. I feel as though I am being pulled in every direction at once. I am finishing up the basement wall, fixing the tailgate on the truck and a bunch of other stuff. I remember years ago telling Douglas that a simple metric on the complexity of your life is the number of air-filled tires of which you are responsible. We just finished counting 64 air-filled tires on the farm. I must have missed a few. Interestingly, there are only one or two flats currently. You get good at fixing flats. The weather and timing has not cooperated lately for flying. I am just getting back to working out after my injury. Running is out for a while still, but I can get on the rowing machine. This is a pic of Calisto chillin' in the barn.

This is an MRI image of my torn tendon at the attach point. It is getting better, but it has slowed me down.

After years of mowing and taking care to bring a few fields back, they are producing hay this year. My neighbor will be helping me hay a couple of my fields. I am still working on the fussy bits of the basement wall. I have had regrets spending so much on the doors. They are very nice doors, however. They are extremely secure, tight, attractive and functional. My Achilles Tendon is better, but I am very guarded. I can walk around ok, but when I feel it getting sore I have to stop. After having two relapses I know what happens if I don't. I go to the physical therapist twice a week. The ultrasound and the electro-stimulator definately help. I bought a new pair of boots with stiff uppers. I wear thouse when practical. It is clear the 6 month recovery time is a real number. At least I am walking around. I can't run so exercising is difficult.

Progress. I have some trim to finish inside and out. In the course of this project I had to monkey with the following connections through the wall: Main Power, 200 Amp Main phone line Outside electrical outlet Satellite TV connection Outside water spigot Numerous low voltage connections to barn 110 VAC line to road (2) main ground connections

Saturday I went spent some time with Douglas and his new horse. I can't say I would jump to get a horse. But, I always think new experiences are a good idea. His horse is really nice and he has a great financial and care taking plan for it.

Progress?