Fire! Fire!

Yesterday was my last welding class.  After 8 weeks of class, I am not sure what I am going to do with myself next saturday morning.  Everyone else in the class made a cute little wind chime for their last project, I went out on my own with something bigger.

Karen and I met this artist several years ago who made artsy fire pits with a pattern cut into the top of them.  Since we first met him, his price has increased 3x, to over $1500.  I figured out that his pits started with the half dome end cap off of a chemical storage/LP tank, so I decided to make my own instead.  It took some searching, but I finally found a local chemical supply company that had a few end caps piled up behind their building.  After a few phone calls, I finally found someone there who was willing to sell one and help load it into a truck. 

This thing is pretty big, 42" diameter and is heavy too since it is thick steel.  I drew out a pattern to cut, based on the artist's design that Karen liked, and hauled it to class in a work truck.  I had already told the instructor what I wanted to do for my final project, but he seemed to start having second thoughts on the project when he saw it.  He said that I probably should have brought it in weeks ago to start working on it.  It was obvious that he didn't think I'd get it done in 4 hours, I remained positive and thought that I could at least complete the cutting.

Here it is with the pattern drawn on it:

In hindsight, I should have ground off all the paint when I got it.  I quickly learned that as soon as a lot of heat was applied, the paint curled up like crazy, taking the pattern with it.  Not good!  I ended up basically free handing the cutting, so it didn't turn out quite as consistant as I would have wanted.  However, since it is the first time I have tackled a big cutting project like this,  I think it turned out pretty good. 

It ended up taking the whole class period to cut out the pattern with the torch and plasma cutter,  but I was able to finish.  I didn't have time to use a grinder to clean up the edges, I will have do that at home later on.  We were having some friends over for dinner last night and Karen was planning to do smores for dessert, so I threw a quick coat of black high temp paint on it to clean it up the outside.  Here it is out on the gravel pad that will eventually be a brick patio:

I picked up some fire wood and got to entertain my inner pyro last night... Fire! Fire!

PHD’s aren’t undefeated anymore :(

Yes, the title says it all… our win on night 1 was followed up by a loss. Based on my previous posts, you can probably guess that I wasn’t happy about it. To make it even worse, we got totally blown away in the second game. We just couldn’t buy a good shot and all the “bounces” went in favor of the other team. This is unacceptable!


This past Monday, our third game started with us giving up a point in each of the first 4 ends, so we were down 4-0 halfway through. This too is definitely unacceptable! We showed signs of coming to our senses in the 5th when we scored 2 points. Our mojo showed up after we took the lead with 3 points in the 6th. Starting the 7th end up 5-4 we were in full swagger and were able to tack on three more points, giving us an 8-4 lead going into the 8th, and final, end. Then one of my team mates said something along the lines of “it’s almost impossible to give up five points in one end.” He’s right about that, you usually score one or two points, maybe three. Five is pretty hard to pull off and I can’t recall seeing it happen in my vast one year of experience.


Halfway through that last end, the other team had 4 stones in the house (scoring circle) and we had 1. Gulp. The middle was wide open when I went up for my first throw and I was able to park a stone right in front of the center of the house. It was a very nice throw (can I say that about my own throw?) and it positioned us to limit them to 1 point. The other team’s skip threw his first stone and it slid wide, leaving us in in that same good position. For my second throw, I wanted to park my second stone about four feet in front of my last stone.  That position would protect the previous stone so they couldn’t knock it out easily. The throw started out on line, but as it slowed it turned and slid a little wider than we wanted it to go. I just left an opening about 1.5 stones wide, leaving an opportunity for them to knock out our center stone.


I knew the other skip would have to throw a perfect throw to make it through that gap, so I wasn’t totally concerned, until he released his stone. As it got closer to the house, my concerns grew, but I knew we had 2 stones in the house, so worst case they would get 3 points, leaving us up by one. His stone wend down the ice and slide right through the gap and into our center stone (my first throw), clearing it out of the house. Worse yet, it managed to some how take out our other stone that was in the house, leaving them with 5 stones in the house. (Insert your favorite explicit adjectives here) They beat us 9-8 on that last throw. I was too stunned to say much, looking back I guess we jinxed ourselves a bit by thinking that we had it in the bag. You know the saying, “it isn’t over until the fat lady sings.”


Other than that, there really isn’t much going on here. I have a project in the works for my last welding class this Saturday. If all goes well, I’ll have an update and photos of that next week. The farmers are finishing up the harvest, making it looks a little bleak outside. When we gaze out our windows, all we see is the brown stubble where the corn stood tall just a few weeks ago. Add to that the fact that the sun is setting earlier, the wind is picking up, and (to top it all off) we have had to switch on the heat in the house. Winter is coming soon.


I attended a meeting last night between the developers and those of us who live in the neighborhood. I don’t recall writing much about it before, but our house is in a very young subdivision. As of now, there are around 210 houses occupied and another 100 lots ready to be built on. That sounds like a lot by itself, but it is just the beginning. There are several phases that haven’t even been started yet; farmers are still raising crops on them. This is going to be a big development when it is done, it will have 985 houses in it when completed. Yes, that is a lot of houses.


Unfortunately, the neighborhoods around here don’t have the amenities that I was used to seeing in GA, like pools and tennis courts. The term “swim/tennis” neighborhood doesn’t really apply around here. Instead, the city has several pools that the people go to. The center piece of our neighborhood is an 80+ acre preserve area that is being restored from farmland to prairie/wetland plantings. Considering my background, you could probably guess that this area is one of the reasons why I liked the neighborhood so much. The developers, the city and even the EPA have sunk a lot of money into restoring this area. I can’t wait until they get the paved trails installed so we can bike through it, enjoying the wildflowers that have been seeded and the creek that runs through it. In addition to the prairie area, there are plans for some soccer/football fields in the future and we also have an elementary school that was built to serve the neighborhood. There is a playground and basketball courts there at the school for the families that have rug rats. I think it is going to be a really nice place when it is done, as long as the quality of construction in the neighborhood meets or exceeds its current level.


The big news for the night was that the developers want the neighborhood to take over control of the HOA starting January 1. From what I can tell, there are a few residents who have been pretty active in raising some funds for the neighborhood and taking care of random tasks like installing flowers and mulch at the entrances. So far, everyone seems to be willing to maintain their houses/yards and there isn’t much else for the HOA to deal with. I’m a little leery of the concept of HOA’s, as I have heard some horror stories of power hungry individuals getting involved and taking things to extremes. In an attempt to get a feel for how this HOA is going to operate, I volunteered to be a part of the grounds committee. With my background, it only makes sense and I definitely did not want to go for treasurer or president. Part of me thinks that this could be a big mistake; the other thinks it could be something that I will enjoy…

Indy 2012

Have you ever received good news from your online credit card statement?  I wasn't sure that was even possible, until I was reviewing my charges last week.  I noticed a new charge from Indy Motor Speedway.  Could that mean that my request for 2012 Indy 500 tickets was granted?  I hurriedly opened the email account that I only use for bills and online orders.  Situated below the cell phone and power bills was an email confirmation from the track.  SWEET, I will be able to cross going to the Indy 500 off my unwritten bucket list. 

Excited about knowing that I was going to be at the 500 in May, I sat down on the couch to watch the final 2011 Indy race on Sunday.  I turned the race on at about lap 10 and reached for the lap top to balance the check book while I watched the race (Multitasking at it's best).  A few laps later disaster struck with a multicar pileup.  There were cars flying through the air, cars on fire and parts scattered everywhere.   As you have probably heard by now, 2 time Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon died from injuries sustained in that wreck.   It is very sad news indeed, especially when you think about his wife and two young kids.

 As a fan, I have always been fascinated with close, side by side racing.  Side by side racing creates a lot of passing, lead changes and, unfortunately, some wrecks.  I'll be totally honest with you and admit that part of me is drawn to racing because of the wrecks.   I can't explain why, I just am. Today's safety technology has come so far that we pretty much assume that the driver is going to walk away from an accident.  I have seen so many big wrecks unfold and the drivers all typically walk away ok or have only minor injuries.  

All race cars are built to do 2 things:  be the fasted around the track and protect the driver.  Obviously, Sunday's accident was a bold reminder that these guys (and gals) that entertain us by pushing the racing envelope are putting their life on the line every time that they strap into a race car.  They are all well aware of the risks, but there is some inner drive/need that pushes them to do what they do.  They must all feel pretty confident that they are protected in the car; otherwise, I do not think that that they would do it. I would imagine that most of them would rather die doing what they love instead of some other random death? 

In that regard, I can relate in my own little twisted way.  After graduating from college, I was looking for a way to feed a burning need for an adrenaline rush.  I found a steady supply of that rush after I took a weekend introduction to whitewater kayaking class.  For several years after that, a majority of my weekends were spent sitting snuggly inside a small whitewater kayak running rivers.  Before every run, I would sit there in the relative safety of the river bank and ask myself if I was ready to do this.  The answer was always a definitive "hell yes" and I paddled straight into the rapids without a second thought.  Sometimes I got flipped over, thrashed around and occasionally slammed helmet first into rocks, but I always came out at the bottom wanting more.   Sometimes it seemed like more fun if you got unexpected flipped over in a rapid.  The holy $%&@ reaction that having to recover and roll back up mid-rapid caused really gets your blood pumping. 

As my skill improved, the rush reduced, so (logically?) I started running more difficult rivers/rapids in order to regain the rush.  There were definitely opportunity to die on the river; water is a very powerful force that does with you whatever it wants.  Get in the wrong spot and it can flip you and hold you under longer than you can hold your breath or keep your wits.  BUT, in my mind, the fun/rush way exceeded the risk.  Looking back now (am I old enough to say statements like that?!), I wonder what I was thinking because some of those runs were really gnarly.  

Not to say that my years on the river were all roses.  I had a few close calls where I could have gotten injured pretty badly, but I managed to make it through in one piece with just a few deep scratches on my helmet.  (Thank goodness for kevlar reinforced helmets!) Chalk it up to skill or luck, I'm not sure which.  I also witnessed some things that eventually made me reconsider my weekend hobby.  I saw my share of accidents that left friends and strangers with various injuries.  Some minor, some more serious.  I was also there on the river bank one sad day as a group of good Samaritans worked feverously to rescue a teenager who got swept under an undercut boulder and was pinned underwater by the force of the water.  Unfortunately, by the time he was finally pulled out of the water, it was too late to revive him.   After many years of paddling, I decided that the risk was becoming too big on the difficult rapids and the "easy" rivers were too boring and not worth the time.  I made the decision to stop paddling, sold all of my gear and haven't looked back since. 

Anyway, where I'm going with this is that I understand why these drivers do what they do.  I understand the risk vs. reward decision and the rush that they must get from it.  I am also sure that if the risk becomes too great, they will take a step back and re-evaluate and/or implement any changes that should be made to reduce the risk in the sport.  That being said, I can definitely understand the theory of dying while you are doing what you love.  I would much rather die while doing something I enjoy (hopefully with a big grin on my face), instead of, for example, dropping dead from a heart attack while folding the laundry.  

Even after the horrible events of last weekend, I am still excited about going to the Indy 500 in May.  I will  be amazed by the drivers' skills and the technology that goes into their cars.  My heart beat will quicken when I hear that initial roar of the engines after some random celebrity says "Gentlemen start your engines!"  I will probably say to myself, "holy crap," the first time that the cars go bombing into turn one at full speed.  TV doesn't do any justice to the speed, power or performance of a race car, you have to see it live to fully appreciate it.  In addition to those "usual" reasons why I like to attend races, I will be able to be there for the ceremony, that I am assuming they will do, to honor Dan Wheldon's life.  After all, Indy is the site of his last racing victory, the 2011 Indy 500. 

P.H.D.'s

Another weekend is in the books and the fall season has definitely started to set in.  Leaves are changing and the farmers are harvesting their corn and soybean crops.  I can tell that winter is right around the corner and the weather people are predicting a winter as bad as or worse than last year.  Of course, I have learned that you can't always trust what the weather people predict.

Sunday was Karen's birthday and we celebrated it with her parents, who drove over from Virginia for the weekend.  She received some very nice gifts, we went out to eat, and we enjoyed an ice cream cake from the DQ.  What doesn't go well when there is ice cream cake involved?

My Monday night curling league started up last night; I've been looking forward to this for weeks.  Who would have thought that something like curling could be so addictive?  Seriously, it is a lot of fun.  Last year, the league was pretty informal and we only had 4 teams playing at one time.  We did several short sessions, but the ice center didn't officially kept track of who was winning.  This year, the ice center has a new manager and things have gotten a bit more serious.  To start, they reworked the layout of the lanes on the ice and we now have 4 lanes instead of 2.  That allowed the league size to double and, surprisingly, they were able to fill all 8 teams of 4.  Yes, there 31 other crazy curlers out there on the ice with me!  The manager also stepped up and created a 12 week schedule that has each team play all of the others over the first 7 weeks of the league.  After that, teams will be seeded (based on points) for the "playoffs."  
 
For those of you who aren't familiar with the sport (most people aren't) here is a quick summary of it:  Curling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy (44 pounds!), polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a circular target marked on the ice.  The sheet is around 150 feet long.

Each team has eight stones. The purpose is to accumulate the highest score for a game; points are scored for the stones resting closest to the center of the house at the conclusion of each end, which is completed when both teams have thrown all of their stones. A game may consist of eight or ten ends.  Only the team with the stone that is closest to the center gets points for that end and they get points for any stone in the house that is closer to the center than the opponent's closest stone to the center.  You might get 1 point, you could get 5 or more, it just depends on how the stones land.

The curler can induce a curved path by causing the stone to slowly spin as it slides, and the path of the rock may be further influenced by two sweepers with brooms who accompany it as it slides down the sheet, using the brooms to alter the state of the ice in front of the stone.  A great deal of strategy and teamwork goes into choosing the ideal path and placement of a stone for each situation, and the skills of the curlers determine how close to the desired result the stone will achieve. In our case, we are all still learning, so while our strategy is pretty strong, our stones don't always go where we want them to.  There are a lot of "oh well, not exactly what we wanted" statements during the game.  But when you throw a stone just right, it feels pretty good.

My team, composed entirely of husbands of college professors, adopted a new team name for this season.  We are the P.H.D.'s – Phenomenal Husbands of Doctors.  We should be proud that our wives are so well educated and, as husbands, we're really awesome.  Right?  Since I organized the team, I was the "Skip" of the team for our first game.  The Skip is responsible for calling the strategy for the team:  where they should aim to throw the stone, whether or not to sweep as the stone slides down the sheet, etc.  The Skip also has the final 2 stone throws for the team, which sometimes comes with additional pressure.  You might have to save the end by knocking out one of the opponent's stones or try to slide one in closer to the center of the house.  My aim/technique is improving and I actually had a few really nice throws last night. I am happy to report that we ended the night victorious, beating one of the strongest teams from last year with a finally score of 9 to 6.  Hopefully that is a sign that we are going to do well this year. 
 
Some of the players are just out there to have a good time, but as soon as we start playing my competitive side comes out (and the score keeping mentioned above is also fueling it).  I just can't stop it from happening.  Of couse, this would explain why I don't understand this new age that we live in when it comes to kids and sports.  It frustrates me when I hear that they don't keep score at games and all of the kids get trophys for participating.  What lesson does that teach the kids?  Life certainly isn't like that, we don't get trophys just for showing up.  Sometimes you are going to win, other times you are going to lose and sometimes it will end up in a tie: no winning, no losing, just another day.  Hopefully you will win (or tie) more than you lose, but you might not.  We have all hit a losing streak at some point in our lives, that is just how it is in life and love.  (I should go tell that to all the "Occupy" protesters that have been in the news recently, but that is an entirely different soap box and I try pretty hard not to include my polictical views in this blog [but couldn't help including this comment anyway!]).  Second place is, and will always be, the first loser.  Therefore, I want to win!  Go P.H.D.'s!!!


--
Scott Douglas, RLA, ASLA, LEED AP

2 Karens

Karen's friend Karen came to visit for the weekend.  She flew out of Chicago Sunday evening, so we spent the day roaming around downtown Chicago.  Here are a few pictures from our first (after living here for over a year!) exploration of the city.

The popular bean at melennium park

The Landscape Architect in me couldn't help but snap a picture of two hand rails leading down steps to... plants?  Not sure what the design intent was here.

Our first Chicago Deep Dish pizza.  I wasn't wild about the crust, it was a little crumbly for my tastes.

The Karens and the Marilyn Monroe sculpture.

And, of course, you can't have downtown pictures without a skyscraper photo

Shepard's hook

I'm sitting on the couch watching the University of Virginia football game and the Petit Lemans race at Road Atlanta.  A bunch of my friends are at the race today, too bad I couldn't make the trip down there for the race.  It looks like a beautiful day to hang out all day watching a 9 - 10 hour long race!

The Georgia Bulldogs won their game today, so I am happy about that.  I was able to watch the second half when I came home from welding class.   Technology is amazing, you can access a lot of games online this year through ESPN3 (watchespn.com).  I can stream these football games online to our laptop via our wifi and take it with me as I go do stuff around the house.  Now, if I just had a big screen TV that I could hook the computer up to...

In welding class today, the instructor gave us a project.  What started out as a single 10' long piece of 5/8" round steel was turned into a shepard's hook for hanging flower baskets.  We had to cut the pieces to length, heat them up until they were glowing red and then bent them to shape.  Once all the pieces were cut and shaped, we welded them together.  We used the MIG welder today, I am definitely getting more comfortable with it.  The welds aren't perfect, but it will definitely be strong enough to hold some flowers out in the yard next year.  All it needs now is some paint.  I felt like a kid coming home from camp with my new project that I made...