Books 6-2-2011

I was at a garage sale a while back and scored a trove of Sci-Fi novels.  Orson Scott Card's entire Ender series, some Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, Neal Stephenson, and some Isaac Asimov.  I've been reading the book Xenocide, continuing onward in the Ender storyline.

The Mobile Shed - Part 1

A while back, we ran into a free shed.  We needed to remove it from it's current home, so we disassembled it, and moved it to the vineyard.  It's in the process of getting re-assembled.  But first, we needed to make a place to put it.

Sun Shade Gazebo

One thing we've noticed with working on the vineyard project is the is a lack of shade.  So we've been watching craigslist for an awning type material.  We ending up finding a gazebo.  We reassembled it yesterday, and just in time, as we had blazing sun, and then rain.

Refinishing Adirondack Chairs

Our Adirondack chairs were in need of refinishing, so we sanded them down, re-stained them, and are re-coating them with polyurethane clear coat.  Several coats of clear coat and some light sanding between, and the chairs get a nice glossy glass like finish.

Coffee Rant - Three Region Blend

Three region blend is the amalgam of three very different regions of the world.  These regions are united in the fact that they produce coffee.  Often, coffee beans of distinction.

There exists different grades of aluminum:  Aircraft grade, lawn chair grade, and the elusive aluminium (which is only found in the United Kingdom, apparently).  The difference between aircraft grade and lawn chair grade should be readily apparent.  A lawn chair made out of aircraft grade aluminum would probably cost 500 dollars.  A plane made of lawn chair grade aluminum would probably only fly 500 feet.

If you were to blend the main two grades of aluminum together, you might somehow achieve the mythical aluminium... or you might create some sort of Chimera.

Characteristics:
Pungent but pleasant aroma.  A smooth cup of coffee, which leaves little aftertaste, but a pleasant memory.

Aerial Photos

The weather this spring has been very wet.  The rainfall has been above average every month this year except February.  It's been the wettest April since almost 30 years ago.  Anyway, the rain is good for making things green. It's also good at raising the water level of the river. 

Planted vines and trellis poles

Yesterday was an epic day of planting grapevines and trellis poles.  We planted 126 grapevines and 76 poles.  After yesterday's work, we still have the trellis hardware to attach, as well as the anchors, anchor posts, grow tubes, drip line, and wires.   But we're off to a great start, and I'm very happy with the wet spring we're getting.