New Years Eve

 12-31-2021

I worked on getting caught up with the blog today.  I just looked and I have done 3007 posts since I started doing this.  I had to make a run to 4 Corners after going to the shop and discovering I was out of pellets for the stove.  It is supposed to get into the low twenties tonight and Saturday so it will be running quite a bit.  We spent New Years Eve at home listening to fireworks and there have been some loud ones.  I hope you all have a Happy and Safe New Years!

Sunshine

 12-29-2021

The first thing I noticed today was sunshine and blue skies so I took a picture before breakfast.  I also didn't have to sweep my path to the shop which up until today had to be done several times each day.

Vera got her camera out and took this picture towards Abernathy.

We were out of bread and a couple of other things so I made a run to the store and the post office.  It sure took a long time to clean the snow off the car before I could go.  The heated seats sure did feel good.

Sukhoi

 12-28-2021

With the snow keeping us indoors I have been making great headway on the Sukhoi SU-26M and finished up all of the construction today.  All that is left is selecting the right propeller and setting up the radio.  It takes up lots of space being over six feet long and wide.

I was up in the loft today sorting some plans and realized I hadn't taken a picture from up there so I did.  It was a good day as I got quite a bit accomplished.

Working on the Rhododendrons

 12-27-2021

I was out knocking snow off the rhododendrons when I noticed the cedar tree looked nice.  Vera bought it because my Dad had one that she really liked.

This is how it looked from the driveway today.  If you look close on the right side of the picture you can see the cascara tree the snow broke off.  I got the power pruner out later and cut it up so the end wasn't by the driveway.  I am sure glad I got the motor home all winterized before this storm hit.

I had already knocked a lot of snow off these rhododendrons when I took this picture.  I can see there will be some pruning to do this spring.  I spent some time working on the planes after I was done outside.

I took this picture as I headed in for the night from the shop.  When I opened it up for my blog I was thinking who turned around in our driveway.  Then it dawned on me that Debbie had asked if we needed anything from Fred Meyer as they were making a trip down.  The only thing we were low on was diet Pepsi and the tracks are from when they dropped it off.  We sure appreciated them doing that. 

Snow and Presents

As I continue to get caught up here is my post for the day after Christmas.

 12-26-2021

On the 21st I posted a picture of the Drew's Christmas tree on my blog.  I ran across this one tonight on Facebook taken by Janean  and asked if I could use it here.  She said yes and I thought it would be a good one to start this post.  The snow sure changed it's appearance, it is beautiful!

Here is one I forgot that was taken as we drove home from Debbie and Josh's last night.  It got slick really fast when it started snowing.

This is what we woke up to this morning

Vera and I swept the path to the shop many times today.  At 3:30 Vera measured nine inches on the benches.

Josh and Debbie got me these two shirts, they are so totally me that I can hardly wait to wear them to the flying field or a meeting.

Mik, Michelle and James go me this nice Seahawks Hoodie that will feel great in the weather we are having.

Christmas Day

I rested up for a couple of days after Christmas, then it snowed and I couldn't get excited about editing all the pictures I took. Now it is looking like I will finally get it done, so here we go!

12-25-2021

 

We went to Debbie and Josh's Christmas day and had a great time watching the boys open presents and visiting with everyone.  Right away Jordon and Jacob were over showing presents to Vera.

Then they were told it was alright to open the presents we brought and Debbie and Vera got to watch the fun.

Josh got the job of assembling the Tyrannosaurus Rex we got Jordon. 

Josh's brother Gabe was in charge of the wrapping paper debris so he was pretty busy while the boys were opening their presents.

Jordon fixed Vera a dinner plate and insisted she sit at the table to eat it, it was so darn cute.

Jacob's grandma Natalie helping him open the Tonka toy we got him.

As soon as she took the toy out to finished putting it together, Jacob hopped in the box and closed the lid.

Here he is playing with it.

I did create a little problem when he didn't want to share but Jordon got a chance to play with it a little later.

Michelle is holding the pizza we brought.  Debbie had fixed ham, baked potatoes, salad, cookies, chips, little smokies and some great lemon bars.

Of course the boys had to attack Mik with the Tyrannosaurus Rex, they had a great time playing with him.

Debbie is showing Michelle the target she got Josh.  She was surprised when it turned out to be life sized.

It started snowing so it was time for family pictures before we left.  Margaret joined us for Christmas day.

Vera and the girls with Jordon sneaking in.

James and I, it looks like I am still a little taller but he is gaining or I am shrinking,  it is probably me shrinking!

Vera and I had a great time at Josh and Debbie's today.

Christmas Eve

Our day got off to a good start when Vera noticed these two rabbits eating.

I worked on the SU-26M most of the day and got the receiver and all it's wiring installed.  I hadn't done any flying so far in December so I got the Trex 500 out and made a flight in the driveway.  It sure does fly good with the new Ikon controller in it.

Our UPS driver Chandell and her husband Nathan stopped by after they were done with their route and brought us some cookies.  Nathan said they were really good and he was right as one bag is history now.

This evening we went for a ride to look at Christmas lights.  Since there had been some snow mixed with the rain earlier we went up Schaffran Road to see if there was any snow up there.  There wasn't any snow but on the way back we took this picture of Michelle's classmate Colleen's house.

Then we went to Castle Rock, these are the lights at the North entrance.

There wasn't much activity on the main drag when we went to pick up the mail.

This is the tree at the end of Cowlitz Street West by the post office.  After we got the mail we drove around town taking pictures of various displays.  I ended up with twenty two pictures and put what I thought were the best ones below.

It was a very laid back day that we really enjoyed.

I hope you are having nice relaxing Christmas as well.

Merry Christmas!

SU-26 and 3D Printer

 

We made an early run to Longview this morning to finish up our Christmas shopping.  After we got home I was on Facebook and Drew's in Toutle put a picture of the pies they had in for Christmas.  The Chocolate, Caramel, Pecan Turtle pie and the Cinnamon Whiskey Walnut pie caught my eye and it wasn't long before we were making a run to Drew's.

The last couple of days I have been working on the SU-26 and got the fuselage almost done.  I still have to install the receiver and some wiring.  The motor is good for 2000 watts but I will only be running about 1500 watts.  One horsepower equals 746 watts so I will be running two horsepower

It is a fairly large plane, the fuselage is six feet long and the wing span is over six feet.  The wings are the next thing I will tackle.  One of these days I should finish the vee tailed glider in the background, it has been in lots of pictures taken in the shop.

Yesterday the parts for the 3D printer came and I got it put back together.  Today I tried it out by printing a control horn for my planes.  My first attempt is on the right and after an adjustment the second is on the left.  I still have lots to learn about it but I am really enjoying the challenge.  A funny thing, the instructions say the 3D printer is not suitable for children under 14 or adults over 60!