Cold sunny day for a hike

Seven miles over 2 hr. with two stops to drink hot chocolate, the first at Olympic Stadium, and the second@Sam Benn Park where I also found a Sunny Spot to put up the hammock.

breathing

I was sure a few hours ago about breathing while swimming.  I proposed that holding my breath underwater and exhaling just before taking a breath would maintain my flotation better than exhaling throughout the stroke.  One website author wrote that holding a breath and would fill the chest making it rise and that the legs and hips would sink.  That seems to be the consensus--what do I know?  My legs are always going to me more dense than my torso, because legs are mostly muscle vs. a mix of gas, fat muscle for the torso.  Wouldn't the legs sink with or without a chest full of air if I don't swim "pressing" down my chest to keep my legs in line?  I'll go to the pool, blow out all my air push off the wall and when I stop gliding, my legs will sink first and fast!

During kicking drills without a kick board, I always noticed how I would sink as I exhaled.  I don't use a kickboard.  I just kick on my back or side.  I'd kick face down, but I haven't a snorkel.

Other benefits of expelling air at the end of the underwater phase of a stroke?: 

1. possibly more oxygen is available to blood flowing through the lungs with a chest of air.   The more air I have in my chest, the more molecules of oxygen--the concentration still drops as I consume it, but more slowly than with me trickling air out during the underwater phase.
2. If more of my head or torso is out of the water, that could decrease the wetted surface area.  I'd love to see a video of myself to know how deep I'm swimming with either kind of exhalation.

I'll be working on the difference between swimming with a gradual exhalation throughout the underwater phase and swimming with an explosive exhalation at the end of the underwater phase of my swim strokes.  More on this later, I hope.

OK, suspend the low meat diet

I checked into my Red Cross Blood account and found that my hemoglobin was only 13.3 before donating two units of blood.  I suppose that accounts for an unusual level of fatigue when swimming butterfly.

The clams have defrosted and only wait for the right dish after tonight's swim.

modifying a pair of REI convertible pants to a hiking kilt for summer hiking.

A hiking kilt/skirt from a pair of REI convertible cargo pants?  Yes, I did it because of crotch humidity.  My best days on the PCT last year were with a single layer below the belt, either my shorts (REI pants with the legs zipped off) or my loose Island print boxer shorts (Patagonia sells the boxer shorts, but not the print)

The boxer shorts:


The converted shorts:


The back side of the converted shorts:


How?

1. Rip the seams that hold in the zipper.  
2. Let out the fabric that held the zipper in and sew a rolled hem.  
3. I was done, but for times when I hike with just that layer,
4. I sewed the top edge of a 9" x 10" square ripstop patch under the front panel so that it would fall over my private parts like a breech-cloth when I sat down. Picture below.
5. Later, I installed snaps from the bottom of the zipper to the hem in front.

Keep-outa-jail breech-cloth:

FWIW, the total bottom hem length is about 52". REI cargo shorts have really baggy legs.
Length from waist to bottom hem: 23"--removing the zipper from the cuff and letting out the fabric added 4" as seen by the color change.
On cold mornings I'd pull on a pair of pants or shorts under these and remove them as I warm up.  A pair of baggy butt pants with slim, stretch legs may fit the bill, like maybe RCMP pants or jodhpurs but I might have to make those myself.

The disposition of the pant legs:  They are too baggy to use as pant legs anymore--consumers will put up with bad design.   Ripped apart and sewn together, they may have a life as a new skirt, since the top end is nice and wide like the bottom of the shorts.   The bottom end is narrow, smaller than my waist, nothing that a couple panels of stretch fabric won't fix.

Dreams that have no meaning? And "Reading, what's that?"

I dreamed that I left my front door unlocked to let Goodwill in to take my dining room table.  That I went home and found the dining room completely empty of everything else as well, though no other room had anything missing.  In the dream I had two abodes and was trying to remember which one was robbed.

Each time I awoke to either snack or pee, I remembered none of that was true, and each time I went back to sleep, the dream persisted.    I arrived home today from a hammock hang to find all well in my only residence.

I can't define the significance of the table, the theft nor the two places of residence.  

I must understand why I can't say I'm going to eat vegetarian in a social gathering?  What keeps me going back to socialize with people who thrive on material acquisition and show no interest in reading or in having their children read?  If they don't talk about reading books or newspapers, can I reasonably conclude that they don't read?  I sure hope not.

Mugs, a new convert to DeLorme InReach, told his story:  lost, sunburned, dehydrated and hungry after four days in the Wallowa Range in August 2016.  He found his position after calling Search and Rescue (SAR) and having his position triangulated properly on the second try.  If he didn't have a cell signal, maybe backtracking to the trailhead would have saved him--could he have found his way back?  He confessed to not having acquired and read a trail guide to the area, which would have told him his route wasn't maintained.  He also only took pieces of the maps he needed.  His map ended where SAR told him to go.  Saved only by one signal bar on his phone.

Missing still:  Kris "Sherpa" Fowler. Last seen ~October 11, 2016 in Packwood, cold (and hungry?), asking for work to fund a night at a local hotel.  Determined to finish, searchers assumed he hiked north from White Pass and disappeared.  His mother and other family returned to Ohio.  If only we could turn back time and give him a DeLorme InReach or an ACR--so sad to read of his disappearance. 

I went swimming while the presidential vote was tallied

November 8, 2016.  I saw the map online of the voting trends with Florida and Pennsylvania colored pink for votes in favor of Trump.  I went to the swimming pool.  I swam for 45 minutes, working on freestyle and butterfly. 

I felt less energetic from having given two units of red cells the day before.  Given that limitation, I could work on feeling each part of the butterfly stroke.  Are my hands near the water surface as they begin their sweep backward?  How is the timing of the hip snap the knee snap and are my shoulders positioned for the arm sweep over the water?  How much of the stroke is up and down vs. forward driven?  Am I remembering to breathe deeply enough?

November 9, 2016.  Olympia.  The post presidential election mood is shocked, angry, depressed, disappointed with almost everyone I've seen.  Mark Hodgkins' house:  Alison opened the door when I rang and instantly offered me tea.  Doreen on the phone fir work related talk.  Mark changing out some part of a bike.  He has a list of to-do's that look like no one's idea of a day well spent--his RV needs a lift kit so he can go onto rough dirt roads to find a place to park overnight.    His stuff owns him--maybe more than my stuff owns me--I resolve to go home and look for stuff to give away, to simplify.  He's about to get under his RV to do some work--I'm so thrilled not to have one of those own me.  Me: what does that yellow bag contain?  Mark:  A sail for his sail board, borrowed it from Herbie--Me:  Herb and Carrie Weiss?--Mark:  Yes.
He knows Herb and Carrie!  So funny.

The Trump University trial will begin soon.  It may be interesting.

Rash

I noticed an itch on my left inner thigh while taking a shower this evening. I looked down and saw a rash on both inner thighs. As far as I know I don't have any infection in my lower legs and I have been taking Bactrim for my nose. I might be allergic to sulfa drugs.

Good day at the Y

Great to see Ken Hunt at YMCA today.  Good guy.  and good for Dottie, too.  They're an item.

Into the water, dragging in two more lane lines.  Nice water, if a bit warm.

We can chart the relationship between the unaided human and the water on a long scale.  By Unaided I mean no boat, no flotation device--just a swimsuit.  At the extreme left end is Drowning. Somewhere to the right of that is Playing in shallow water, then you have Splashing in deep water holding on to the edge of the pool. Then you see, Never had a lesson but can get from zero to twenty five yards in under 30 strokes.  But before that you have the people who keep their heads above water as they splash or sneak from one end of the pool to the other, their legs trailing deep in the water behind them.  Then you see Ms. Dry Hair, who has a perm (or a wig) that she never wets and demands that other swimmers stop splashing--she still has her feet on the pool bottom.  Ms. Broken Back, who walks right next to the end wall at the shallow end, says "do you have to do that (put out the lane dividers), I'm recovering from a bad back."?  The Walrus, only goes to the lap pool when the lifeguards open up the diving board--otherwise, you'll find him and others like him on the edge of the hot tub, looking like:  a walrus on the docks at Westport Marina.  Somewhere in the middle: people in the water for a swimming workout who don't really care about improving their stroke.  To the right of those are the athletes, who charge hard and get a workout seemingly without having to breathe much, if any, air.  Way off at the extreme right end of the scale, are the Olympians, who are super fit and always working on some nuance of the swimming stroke.  I don't know where I fit.  I'm overweight by about 12-14 lb and can just barely swim 100 yds of freestyle before pooping out, I can do about 30-40 yards of butterfly before it looks like drowning.  Sometimes I belong on the left end of the scale, sometimes in the middle. I'll continue working on my butterfly, even if Keith no longer shows up on Mondays to dole out tips.

Re: the Koreans/Japanese that show up in the shower.  Do they go to the sauna?  Lift weights?  Elliptical trainers?

Latest Bread Loaves 71% water, 14 hours, 80 degrees.

50 gm of starter (made from SAF Instant Yeast in a batch of dough that I never baked)
400 gm of white flour
50 gm of whole wheat flour
320 gm of water  (320gm/450 gm flour=71%)
1.5 teaspoons salt

Fermented at about 80-85 degrees for 14 hours
Baked in a casserole dish preheated for 45 minutes at 450 degrees, covered for 40 minutes, uncovered for 7 minutes.  Corn meal on the bottom to prevent sticking.

 A shot from above:

Fine crust, Olde Worlde crumb, sour taste.  A loaf went across the street to new neighbors, Vern, Caroline and Bella.

Burning Man. Mercury and Venus

Alison has really good host qualities.  I won't say Mercury and Venus were terrible hosts or hosts of any kind, but I don't recall either of them offering me a glass of water or much else very often on previous visits.   I had barely met Alison four days ago, and here she was offering me a glass of water and a bowl of Turkey chili.

I find that interesting because Mercury came back recently from the Burning Man in the Black Desert, whose culture he said is one of giving.  Interesting--I have hosted at least 25 groups of cyclists this year through Warmshowers--I didn't go to Burning Man.  Yes, I experienced the generosity of trail angels while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in 2015, but even before that, I was hosting Warmshowers cyclists.

On September 17 2016, Mercury asked me in a text if he could come to my house and see my hammocks, as he was shopping.  Mercury had gone camping on the coast and coming back through my town to get home, dropping by my house to view hammocks would be extremely convenient.  It's all about Mercury.  I set up about four or five hammocks--after lying in each for a few minutes, Mercury chose a favorite.  He didn't take it home.  He said he wanted a hammock in a bright color because of his declining vision.  I said that an under quilt would hide much of the hammock and that a brightly colored tarp would help him find camp.  Instead of going home, he appealed to me to field check his backpack to see where he could reduce weight.  Almost every item I suggested tossing, Mercury made a passioned defense for it.  Example:  he had two epi pens in his first aid kit, not for his own use, but for use on others.  Total weight savings: one pound.  Mercury confirmed that Venus was travelling, (with her around, I knew he'd wouldn't have stopped by so late--"hey, Mercury, she has you on a short chain, eh").  The glaring omission: no personal locator beacon--glaring because if you're far from the trailhead and you need and evacuation, a hefty first aid kit won't summon that chopper.  While Mercury visited for those 5 hours, I served him glasses of Aberdeen's delicious tasting tap water and my brown rice and lentils.  Finally, about 11 p.m. he left.

I sent Mercury a note several days later to determine if he still wanted to buy a hammock.  He accepted the price at $70.00, (the equivalent Warbonnet Outdoors hammock) & picked the color;  I made the hammock and brought it to his house on somewhat short notice (I had to go to Urgent Care in their city).  Their friends Allison and Sally were present for a sleepover.   I showed Mercury how to use the suspension.  I almost left, but I wanted to see....

...The ukuleles.  I don't get it.  Some woman who owns a violin shop in Las Vegas gave Mercury a $400 Eastman concert size ukulele--solid mahogany throughout.  Is she angling for Mercury's hand?  He doesn't play the uke--things that come to us without our putting forth any effort to acquire them have no value to us.  He can't travel with it because leaving it in his van on a hot day could damage it.  Instead, he bought a $30.00 soprano ukulele at a flea market--it sounds OK, but Mercury's fingers are too big for it.  Mercury taped chord charts to the soprano.  I showed him the three chords for Woody Guthrie's " this land is your land."   He didn't look too enthused--it wasn't rock and roll.

A day or two later, I texted him from home suggesting that he gift the little ukulele to someone with small fingers.  No response.  Maybe that wasn't consistent with the giving economy of Burning Man.
Today I dropped by to gift Mercury a couple of closed loops, for those short hammock hangs.  I could have given him the hammock for free, but I pointed out: easy come=no value.

I'd forgotten Allison had moved in with Mercury and Venus.  What a nice person I saw in Allison.  I inquired not what happened to Allison's living situation, but I was impressed that Mercury and Venus took her in.
That's Burning Man.

Low use area

Posting the following language warning on my Warmshowers profile seemed to work.

This is a low use area for these words:

"Awesome, obviously, actually, basically, literally,

honestly, seriously, you know, um, like, uh,

I wonder if, apparently, to be honest, I mean,

at this point in time, I was like"

One allowed every 15 minutes. Not one of each. One.

Embrace the pause. Silence is well tolerated.

It is a NO-USE area for the word:

"So" to begin a new topic

Last night's guests didn't suffer for having to mindfully eschew these distracting filler words.  They just communicated.

Sourdough today and my new fermentation chamber

11 p.m. last night mix
Sourdough
250 g of starter
200 ml of water
310 g white flour
40 g whole wheat flour
Fermented at 105°in my top oven
with the temperature control set to
" click" just above room temperature.
Dough looks like a thick liquid
& might have stuck to the pans if
I'd not sprinkled cornmeal
12 today into oven @450°

 Loaves not very tall.
105°is likely too hot.
Need to control temp better.

My new fermentation chamber
Bought from Home Depot:

1. Line voltage thermostat $17
2. outlet boxes and outlet $3

Outlet boxes mounted to cedar board,
Thermostat and outlet wired.
Other materials:
Ice chest, a seedling heat mat, wire, wire nuts.

Awaiting a first trial!

I baked another loaf of bread after proofing for 14 hours at 85 deg using the same proportions as above, yielding another low profile loaf.

Issues?
Too much starter?  The next loaf will use 1/3 the starter.  The starter just provides the yeast.  The less starter I use, the more gluten structure can develop in the dough with the remaining flour.

Stop using this word, too.

"Awesome" 
Listen, you under-30 people, please stop using the word "awesome"  Let's look up the definition of the word the next time you use and decide together if the situation merits "awesome."  Deal?

While you're at it, stop using the word "seriously" and "honestly"  Meaning, everything you've said before was a pack of lies?  And, you'll start telling the truth now? 

What do these words add to the meaning at your communications?  They just fill the quiet periods of your speech. Quiet is good, and especially if you don't throw your credibility out by using these gap fillers. 

"Awesome" comes up at a time when a cyclist who wanted a place to stay the night had texted that in response to me accepting him/her as a guest.  That person did not show up.  That is extremely inconsiderate. 

Brooks B17 again.

I have two Brooks B17 leather saddles for four bikes.  I won't buy a $135 Brooks for each bike. I got impatient with breaking in the second one which I'd bought before even the first one was broken in.  I found a method of hastening the process at http://www.randorichard.com/saddle-break-in.  It worked.  Today I used the same method to break in the first one.  It now has dimples customized to my bumps.  Yay.  Yay  Yay for the internet.  Yay for Google.

It's gonna be great.

I want to go on a road trip, but

I want to go on a road trip, but my traveling partner has a tendency to talk too much and use too many filler words and phrases when thoughts don't materialize into speech fast enough..  

I give you:  A partial list of overused words that serve as nothing but filler or a substitute for UHHHHH.  Or for holding the floor before an audience that the speaker consciously/subconsciously believes will interrupt if a speaker pauses to let the words catch up in their flow from brain to vocal cords.

"Obviously"  If it is, then why are you telling me? 

like           
apparently, 
basically,
actually,
literally

"I think that”,
“you know”,
“what I’m trying to say is"
ya know what I mean?

This page discusses the causes and cures: http://sixminutes.dlugan.com/stop-um-uh-filler-words/

The hints are:

Step 1 — Assess how often you are using filler words.  Have some count them or record yourself!

How often are you inserting filler words?
Are they distracting?
Are they undermining your credibility?

Step 2 — Understand why you are doing it, and why it is unnecessary.

As stated above, the brain just  can't keep up with the mouth, so some part of the brain says to use a filler.

 Step 3 — Raise your level of preparation.
Know what you're going to say before you say it.  Get enough rest so that your brain can work properly.

Step 4B — Embrace the pause

And if someone does start talking, call them out on it.  Then continue where you left off.

 

Bike saddle rant and yet another REI review; Returns at REI

Who really knows why nearly all bicycle makers include a saddle that will never break in.  Almost all the saddles are flat in profile where your ischial tuberosities contact it.  That is not a good way to start a relationship with a saddle, irrespective of how much padding or gel they place on those contact points.  The WTB Pure is the stock saddle on the Novara safari.  Saddle designers know nothing about human anatomy.  "Designer" is a generous term to apply to most makers of saddles.  More like "We'll just put some multi density padding here and some gel there, then we'll carve a little valley there to provide relief for midline anatomical structures.  Then we can call it race ready too.  And we'll charge a lot of money for it, then anybody show buys one and suffers discomfort will be too prideful to admit that they made a big mistake."If makers of saddles simply started with a couple of depressions about 9 cm apart it would be a really good start but still not the same as having a leather saddle that will eventually conform to a rider's butt.  My local bike shop has a stand with at least 30 bicycle seats that people have left in exchange for something better--I myself have contributed two saddles to that stand.

The review: Product:  WTB Pure bicycle saddle.

 1/5 stars

Those other reviews are fakes

No one that I've spoken to likes this seat. Our problem: we have two sit bones and the seat is almost flat in the areas where contact occurs. That means this saddle is quite tolerable for short rides but nothing beyond that. Maybe those other reviews aren't fakes--they just didn't get far enough to discover the uncomfortable truth. $59.00 for this? Let's move the decimal point over to the left a couple places: $59.00 >>$0.59

Is REI getting more judgmental in their returns department?  Am I reading too much in their facial expressions?  

"Man this guy doesn't buy anything here. He just brings stuff back."   

"He gets most of it delivered to his house or he goes down to Portland to pick it up tax free."  

Are they just trying to be helpful when saying "we can adjust the handlebars on the bicycle you are returning."?  Maybe it's just me.  After all, I did return a $715 bicycle which I didn't find entirely comfortable due to its horrible stock saddle, a WTB Pure saddle and a low position on the handlebars.  More cogently, I didn't have much room for another bike.  The Novara Safari wouldn't have filled a niche that I needed filled. My Giant OCR Touring bike can take fat tires up to 38 mm.  The Safari isn't really that heavy--I just don't need another bicycle with which I'm not totally in love.

I also returned $270 worth of bike shoes that just didn't fit well or were too heavy for a bike shoe.  I kept the Shimano R065 road shoes--they weigh 20 oz per pair in size 46--just right for Goldilocks.

Unused intellect at Sunset Air

The boiler was cycling frequently, yes, in the middle of summer.  And I noticed that the kitchen's radiators were warm.

I called Sunset Air.  They came, they looked and they billed.

They didn't really do much except look at some flow control valves and seeing the rust, said, that needs to be replaced.  Suggested that I leave the system off until winter. Advised me on the mechanics of how to replace the rusted valve.

Au contraire, I inspected the valve after they left and noticed the lever on top could turn.  I turned it clockwise and turned on the boiler.  The boiler cycled on and turned off for at least 12 hours, maybe more, and none of the radiators were warm.  Problem solved.  First, I'm a dummy.  2nd, Sunset Air's tech might also be one.

Worse yet, Dan Weber of Sunset Air. wrote an outrageous estimate of the labor to replace it: 6 hours!!!

Hey Dan, are you trying to finance a new boat?  Usual Dan type performance.  Doesn't return calls. And unfamiliar with what he's estimating.

Gary's WEstern Wash hang

That was wonderful.  First, the temperature dropped about a refreshing 15 degrees lower than the 79 F in Aberdeen.

Who was there?  Host Gary R. and GF Dawn, Dawn's dgtr Hannah, son Logan, Logan's friend Tanner, Logan's friend Maddie, Hannah's BF Tim.  Where is everyone sleeping?
Well, the kids are sleeping in this:


I brought a crab pasta, w/basil, green peppers, zucchini, garlic, Romano cheese I'd made that afternoon.

Dawn made Cheeseburgers.

Saturday, Kayt came with dog Haley, who sleeps in the foot box of her hammock.

Then, many hours later, John came with Sarah, They got lost after AT&T's cell signal faded, and their smartphones couldn't navigate without. I am confused.   In this day, any number of smart phone apps can provide guidance without a cell phone signal--they use a GPS signal. Sarah said, John gets lost just going across town.  John wore a cargo vest and cargo pants with pockets chock full of knives and knife sharpeners.  He showed Logan how to sharpen a knife with a diamond sharpener.  Kayt saw the sharpener and swore she would buy one. I showed him my French pocketknife and he produced one that looked exactly the same but in the next larger size.  This is one guy you do not try to surprise.  For all I know he had a machete tucked in between his cheeks.  Sarah said something about shady characters around the apartment where she lives--I thought with a knife crazy boyfriend like john, that she would have a giant bayonet that she would brandish on leaving or approaching her home.

Kayt saw the clip on the paper towel roll--she had to have one of those!  It was a table cloth clip for picnic tables repurposed for paper towels.

Kayt's truck was loaded with camping gear, including the tent that could have been welded to the frame, as it probably would stay there until she got a new truck.

I biked to the Moclips store, buying olive oil and apple juice for the rib barbecue, Went for a ride to as far north as the Moclips Hwy, then turned south as the speed limit rose to 50 mph. Rode to Pacific Beach and then Seabrook.  Houses in all phases of completion at Seabrook.  Almost down to the beach.  I can imagine how a tsunami would affect all that.  Back at camp 1:10 after starting.  Back to the store for BBQ sauce, then back to the gate to close it after John/Sara left it open.  Many cold stretches with wind.  A hot shower brought pain to my cold fingers.

The ribs, prepared by Gary, tasted fantastic.  Juicy, with the meat just falling off the bones.  Sarah looks at the ribs, asking "is that pork?"  Me: "Yep, are you Jewish?" Sarah, taking a nibble: "Yeah"   Me: "It's kosher pork."  Did Sarah smile?

Sunday, a 2nd great nights sleep in the hammock for me.  I haven't been sleeping indoors in my hammock at home for a few weeks now.  Naps, yes, but not overnight.

John and Sara, packed and on the road back to Portland before 11 a.m.  Kayt on the road to Vancouver, WA about 30 min later.  Me packed and on the road not long after that.  The further away you live, the later you arrive and the sooner you leave.  Interesting?

Great times. I thank Gary and Dawn.

How do I hate my mountain bike?

Let me count the ways. 1. Mountain bike handlebars don't offer a comfortable place to put my hands. I don't have enough padding on my gloves  to absorb the shock  transmitted by those handlebars . 2. It's treacherous going over gravel and rocks and going past blackberry bushes armed with thorns. 3. The squishy gel saddle that I have on the bike doesn't breathe. It gets hot, almost like it's on fire. It's so squishy I don't know where I'm really sitting. 4. Weyerhaeuser has closed its logging roads-- there's no place to go anymore.

Smart ass 2

Vern & Jan sent me a link.  It's the hammock made by sea to summit.  Claimed as the world's lightest at 4.9 ounces.

Here's another link to a video where a rat from the company talks about the new hammock https://www.facebook.com/canoeroots/videos/10154465170244850/ 

Me:  Wow! I think she said, "a 4.9 oz ... ultralight, compact, gerbil (durable?) hammock"!  

Me:  I'd pick one up to try out if REI gets them (REI doesn't display hammocks, compelling us to buy to try).
  

Asks Jan when I sent her more information (from http://www.thegearcaster.com/2016/08/sea-to-summit-ultralight-hammock.html):   Are these two hammocks the same product?  

 Me:  Yes, the same product.  They have strung out the hammock too tightly in the canoeroots web page--Most likely done that way so that they could slingshot Barbie dolls across the showroom floor

I think you also put in one Ken doll. 

More Smart-assed by half

Smart assed comment:  OMG! Powdered sugar outlines of dead cutlery?



Next smart ass comment:  How do they get the animal to put it right on the middle of the plate? Intelligent design or evolution?

Calories vs activity and time vs. distance

I've started a spreadsheet where I input activity, mileage, minutes of activity, calories burned per the S Health app on my phone.

So far, the range of calories burned per mile travelled for

• Cycling  41-43
• Hiking 94-95.4
• Walking 79-100

Calories per minute:

• Cycling  9-10.5
• Hiking 4.7-5.1
• Walking 4.1-5.0

Upholstery after the cats

The cats have been out of the house for years.  The damage they have done to the furniture has not undone itself. Threads and stuffing hung off the corners of chairs and sofas. I cut most of the threads but more stuffing begin to work its way out.

I could have just cut off a piece of fabric from the cushion and use that the patch the damage, but I got some fabric that looks like it would match and cut off pieces to cover the damage.

 I stapled one patch on and then tacked on the free Edge

On the other side the framework underneath would not accept either staples or tacks. I ended up using hot glue for that.

A long day in Olympia

I don't hate to drive.  It's just boring and puts me to sleep.  Listening to the radio is interesting but it doesn't really keep me awake.

Yesterday I went to Olympia.  Halfway there I had to stop and take a nap.  I Shopped at Costco and then I felt tired.  Luckily I had a hammock in the trunk and I took a nap next to the parking lot at Costco.  I slept for about 30 minutes.  I can't seem to remember anything else that I did in Olympia.

Oh boy.  I am looking at my list for yesterday.  After my nap, I also went to the bike shop, trader joe's, Lowe's home improvement, target, Home Depot, Rei, Jo Ann fabrics and the indoor garden shop.   I also walked about 3 miles around the capitol mall.

I bought a hammock at Rei, a Hennessey ultralite Asym backpacker model.  Thinking I would try to figure out what Asym in its title meant.  It's really a pretty crummy product--It's too small, No whoopie slings, no buckles, they don't give you enough webbing for a real tree, and setting it up is really fussy.  The company is based in British Columbia and outsources their production overseas.

I've already installed the lamp that I bought at Lowe's home improvement center.

Joanne had fabric to repair the cat damage To the Mr. Chair.  I think I will do that tomorrow morning.

The motion control lights and the hammock

Hah. I figured out how to hang my hammock and sleep indoors under the motion controlled lights in my living room.

In 2006, I had the roof replaced. The roofers shorted out the low voltage switch system.  I had 110V AC to each ceiling box, but no way to turn them on/off, until Frank Gordon, (Gordon Electric) suggested motion control.  I installed motion control almost everywhere that the short affected.  In two bedrooms I installed wireless switches and receivers.

Two years ago I began to learn about using hammocks for camping.  In 2015 I walked 2000 miles camping along the Pacific crest trail.  I slept mostly in my hammock.  When I finally stopped hiking and got home I began to sleep in a hammock in the house.  I mostly slept in the living room where the motion detector turns on the light when it detects thermal changes.

The device was so sensitive that it could detect me even under a tarp that I set up over me, hoping against just that.  I didn't have to move.  When it detected enough of a change in the air temperature anywhere close, "click" went the lights. Sometimes I'd retreat to my bed where I had hung a small plank to block motion detection over the area of the bed.

After a few months, I thought about adding a layer of reflectix or insulation over me.  Finally, I had a "light bulb" moment in my head--I could either unscrew the light bulbs or flip the circuit breaker to the room.  Elated, I took down the turtledog stand and I now hang from hooks in the walls.

Strava gets it right, once I've turned off auto-pause.

Walking the loop

Um, where did the map go that I thought Openrider uploaded here?  I had Strava send it to my email server instead.

This app doesn't have a premium level, but not much actually uploads to blogger.

I walked about 5 miles, hoping to get ready for next year's hiking season, though I don't want to be hiking when my blueberries are coming in.

To the estuary went the six in their canoe

Vern, Jan, Suzanne, Jack, Christi, me  Peace

Swimming before the WAshington Democratic caucus, hammock revision for Canoe Auction.

Last night YMCA staff said a great Easter egg hunt would take place in the lap pool for the last hour the pool was to remain open. I left unperturbed, glad for the kids to have fun, intending to awaken early and get into the pool about 7:15 a.m. After a terrible night sleeping I woke up an hour late. I ate a snack bar and went to the YMCA got in the pool and discovered that many of my moving parts didn't really want to play. I did some kicking drills and one armed freestyle, followed by some butterfly drills. The stiff feeling persisted even through breast stroke. Then I swam some one armed fly followed by a few careful full stroke butterfly. Everything seemed to come together. I doubt that I was great but I felt good-- almost like I was flying--I felt like I was no longer a prisoner of the water. It was a good time to get out of the pool. I left, hoping that I could have a repeat performance of that feeling.


Out of the pool at 9 a.m.and home at 9:30.I walked down to Aberdeen high school for the Democratic caucus.  People in our precinct got together several people spoke about their favored candidate and people were permitted to change their vote for president.  Only the person who was undecided changed their vote to Bernie Sanders.  Overall 29 of 51 attendees voted for Bernie Sanders, but that was not enough to give Bernie more than three of the six delegates for our precinct.  Whole process took under an hour. Erik Larson, the Mayor attended, and said he'd address the problem of people parking their cars hogging 2/3 of the sidewalk. Met Tom Quigg early on--he said Stephanie Devaney, anesthesiologist at GHCH, is leaving.

Home again, to re-rig a giant (90x156) tablecloth hammock for the NW Heritage wooden Canoe auction May 13-15@ Lost Lake. I removed the zip-ties I'd used to gather the ends and using the Amsteel loops attached to the cinch buckles in their place. It has a ridgeline to keep each hang as comfortable as the last. I made and uploaded a video to youTube showing how to hang the hammock.

I went back to the pool at 7:30 p.m. Same routine as the morning, but I felt more energetic.

I watched videos and learned about the Becket hitch used to attach hammock to a tree strap, no hardware--thanks, Derek!  (Derek Hansen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXhHBwUbIgI "fast forward" to 4:50)