Spring Has Sprung!

A Great Play in Ashland in March

Wow!  How time flies--our last Blog post was in February, and it has been a busy couple of months.  We have been dealing with some more appliance issues (furnace finally fixed and a new stove on the way), had visits from two sets of friends from Juneau;the first with Jim and Judy Hauck who we met in Ashland in our RV and went to a great Shakespeare play and had a great dinner.

We also made a trip to visit Neil's folks in Silverdale, and afterwards visited the Seattle Flower and Garden Show.  It was a great show and we took in some seminars about roses and pruning.

We Visited the Garden Show in February and Had a Great Time!

This Show Garden was "Pillow Talk" After the Movie

Neil and Pamela at the Wizard of Oz Garden in Seattle

Later on, Ed and Janis Buyarski came by as part of their annual plant buying trip and stayed a couple of nights with us.  While here, Ed did some long overdue heavy pruning around the homestead and we hauled four pickup loads of yard waste to the recycle center.

Ed and Neil Pruning Flowering Cherry Tree

Flowering Plum Trees After Pruning

Pile of Pruning Debris Behing Rose Bushes

 We also have been working on getting the Skinny Winnie motorhome ready for some spring camping trips.  The RV has had a couple of electrical issues that have finally been fixed by Guaranty RV in Junction City.  In fact, we pick up the RV tomorrow (Friday) as they finally found two electrical shorts that kept blowing a light circuit.  One of them was a mounting screw that punctured a wire behind the microwave.  The other issue was a beeping fridge caused by a mis-aligned door.  While they were working on these issues, we had them install a four stage battery charger that will keep the batteries charged better and make them last a lot longer.

Our New Progressive Dynamics  Four stage RV Charger

One of the things Neil worked on this week was to install bicycle hangers in our garden shed.  They mount to the roof and allow us to store the bikes up high out of the way until we need them.  It is a double pulley system that Neil found on Amazon for $15 each.  

Pretty Nifty Bike Hoists at a Good Price

Bikes Hanging in Garden Shed--With Headroom!

Next weekend is the Astoria Crab Fest and we plan to go there for a long weekend. We plan to eat lots of seafood and take some walks on the beach.

Our Destination Next Weekend

We plan to stay at Fort Stevens State Park, which is the site of Battery Russell and other gun batteries that operated from 1904 to 1944 to protect the mouth of the Columbia River.  

Fort Stevens State Park Near Astoria

There is also a popular ship wreck, the Peter Iredale that Neil's Mom used to talk about as she used to walk the beaches when she and Neil's Dad were living in Seaside, Oregon after World War II.  In fact, a few of the large Japanese glass floats we have are from that beach.

Barque Peter Iredale Aground in 1906

Wreck of the Peter Iredale Near Astoria Today

The weather has been typical spring in Oregon--some sunshine and some rain.  We may get our first 80 degree day of the year next week.  We hope that the weather holds for our trip to the coast.  We are also waiting for the replacement of our wall mount stove and microwave oven.  The stove stopped working on Easter as Pamela was baking pies.  Since we renewed our home warranty, we called American Home Shield and after two technician visits, we are going to get a new stove and microwave combo in the next week or so.  We decided to upgrade to a better make and model than the replacement they would provide, so we will get a new one installed for less than half of what it would have cost us without the home warranty.  The home warranty has been a good investment for us with the water heater, furnace, and now the oven.

While Neil has been working on some outside stuff, Pamela has tackled sorting of our large number of 35mm slides to determine which ones we want to have scanned.  We have nearly eight banker boxes of slide pages and carousels, so it is a BIG job.  She is making good progress, and it works in well with her Creative Memories work.

Dining Room Table is Now a Slide Sorter!

Sorry it has been so long in posting updates to this Blog.  We appreciate your visiting, and we look forward to hearing from you.

Neil and Pamela

Back Home and Toilet Safe

We got back home on Thursday after a good visit in Southern California with family.  We flew down early on Sunday in time to watch the Super Bowl with Neil's brother and wife Sandi, and we also saw his nieces' Shannon and Noreen.  It was a good visit, and it was a pretty good game.  Most of the hot action was in the half-time show, but that isn't unusual.  Neil had hoped that the Forty-Niners would win, but they had a chance and had too many errors.

Queen Mary in Long Beach

While we were in California, the weather was pretty good (about twenty degrees warmer than Oregon, at any rate) and we took a day excursion to the Queen Mary in Long Beach.  It was only about a thirty minute drive on the freeway, so it was a breeze since we weren't driving!

While there, we had a tour of the ship that was pretty interesting, and then took the Ghosts and Legends Tour, which was a bit of a bust.  They took you into dark parts of the ship with an effort to scare you, which is fine, but you could hardly see anything because of the darkness.  We don't recommend that tour.  We took some time then for a good (but expensive) lunch, and Neil and Bruce went to tour the Russian Scorpion submarine self guided tour while Pamela and Sandi did some "Retail Therapy".

This was a pretty good tour, except that both Bruce and Neil had a bit of trouble squeezing through the passage ways that connected the different parts of the sub.  It was amazing to learn that they actually had about 75 crew members on this sub and only two heads.  There is also nothing elegant about Soviet design, and there were valves and machinery poking into every part of the living quarters.  Every US Navy submariner should take a tour of this thing to learn how good they have it.

The "Foxtrot" Sub is Right Next to the Queen

That Round Passageway on the Left Wasn't Big Enough!

It was good to visit with family, and it was good to get home to Oregon as well.  We got in after a boom-a-rang flight to Seattle and down to Portland and arrived after rush hour.  Somehow flying isn't as much fun as it used to be when we were MVP Gold members with Alaska Airlines and could fly in First Class or at least the exit rows.  Boo hoo!

Very Simple Instructions to Repair Flushmate Toilet

When in California, I got a voice mail from a fellow named Scott from Flushmate, who had read my Blog about exploding toilets and wanted to make sure that we got a repair kit.  He must have a search engine set to find discussions on "exploding toilets", I would guess.  At any rate, he was a really nice guy and he got info from me and shipped it out.  It arrived today, and literally took me five minutes to install the fix.  So--kudos to Flushmate for the good customer service and follow up.  It you have one of these toilets, get the very simple repair kit for your peace of mind.

We think that Spring may be just around the corner, and we are counting our blessings that we do not live in Boston right now (or ever) as they get hammered with snow.  We hope you are doing well where ever you are.

Neil and Pamela

Good Bye January and Exploding Toilets

Wow!  Where has January gone?  Not that we are complaining, but it flew past for us.  We have had a pretty mild winter here, thankfully.  We do not miss the piles of snow and Taku winds with minus twenty wind chills that we experienced in Juneau.  We got a little bit of freezing temperatures and a dusting of snow so far this winter, but there is more winter to come.

One of the nice things about living in "the land of plenty", as Pamela calls it is that we have easy access to things that we used to have to special order and pay big bucks for shipping.  One of those things is the food stuffs from Bob's Red Mill, which is just about ten miles from us now.  We were there earlier this month and had brunch, along with a number of office types who stop by for a good and quick lunch.  The seating is mostly upstairs overlooking the store aisles.

Bob's Red Mill Store from our Lunch Table (Upstairs)

Last weekend, we helped Seth and Cathy tear out the carpet and paint two of their bedrooms.  We spent most of the day ripping out the old carpet and pad, filling holes, masking woodwork and repainting.  All four of us were working in the same room, and things went pretty fast.  We have more to help them with when we get back from California.  By the time they are done, they will have replaced all of the carpet their home and repainted several rooms that haven't been painted in some time.  Amazing the difference a fresh coat of paint can make on the ceiling to brighten up a room!

We think that we have finally got the gas furnace operating properly, and since the temperatures have warmed up into the forties, we have turned the heat pump back on.  Neil may adjust the gas jets to burn a little bit hotter, but will wait until he can borrow Seth's temperature probe to make sure that we don't overheat things.  Neil knows a lot more about gas furnaces now that he has looked over the shoulder of the technician for about eight hours over three visits.  

You know the saying:  "You want to make God laugh, just tell Him your plans?".  Well, it kinda seems like that for Neil right now.  Since the furnace seems to be keeping the house warm, he thought that he would look into trading out the power flush toilet we have in our guest bathroom, because it is so very loud and since we have increased the water pressure and don't have any problems with the standard toilet we have in our master bathroom.  So--he did some research on the internet, and found out that there is a recall on the Flushmate Pressure Assisted Flushing System, because they have a little bit of a problem.  THEY CAN EXPLODE, breaking the porcelain tank and send projectiles into walls, people and anything else around.  So, Neil's plans for buying a $19.99 replacement toilet innards at Home Depot has turned into a paper chase with Sloan valve who made the Flushmate system to see what they will do for us, and our home warranty that costs us $60 every time somebody stops by to diagnose or fix things.  

An "After" Shot of a Flushmate Exploding Toilet

What actually happens, is that the black plastic pressure chamber bursts at the mid-seam and breaks the toilet tank it is inside of, and sending the tank cover headed for the ceiling.  There are a few pictures online from an emergency room of the lacerations caused by this if you happen to be sitting on it when it goes.  Needless to say, we plan to tackle this project soon, and will follow the directions of the Consumer Product Safety Commission to turn off the water and depressurize it.  If you have one of these things--beware.

Pamela has a big event all day Saturday with her Creative Memories business and we leave at "O-Dark Thirty" for the airport to go to Southern California for a Hagadorn family Super Bowl party.  We are looking forward to temperatures in the 70's instead of the 40's.

The days are getting longer here, and we are even seeing some sunshine, so life is good!  Thanks for visiting, 

Neil and Pamela

Packing Rant and House Projects

It has been a busy few days here in Oregon as we try to keep warm and off the streets when it has been foggy and icy.  All in all, it isn't so bad as we have had pretty good sunshine to go along with the foggy nights and sometimes freezing weather.  Last Saturday, Neil went out to Molalla to help Seth Finney with a carpet removal task as they are replacing all of their carpets and it was time for Neil to repay Seth for all of his hard work in getting our shop done this past summer.  It was a pretty simple job of pulling carpet and pad, pulling nails and filling some holes with  spackle.  We made pretty good progress in one of the bedrooms and will do another room this coming Saturday.  There was a price to pay for the time on hands and knees, as Neil was sore for a few days.  Pamela told him it was good for him, so there.

Sunday, Neil spent watching the NFL playoff games and was sorry to see the Patriots loose, but it is setting up to be an interesting Super Bowl.  I think that we have to root for the West Coast team--even if it is from California.  Once again this year, we will be going to Southern California to join Bruce and Sandi Hagadorn for the game and visit with family.  We are having to leave on Sunday morning as Pamela has a big Creative Memories event at the Portland Expo Center on Saturday.

Queen Mary in Long Beach, California

We hope to have some warm temperatures and maybe take in the Queen Mary exhibit in Long Beach that we haven't seen in many years.  In fact, the Spruce Goose was still there the last time, and that flying boat is now here in McMinnville near Portland.

Warning!  Rant is Coming:

Neil has found a replacement for the expensive Canon ink jet printer tanks that his printer and Pamela's printer uses.  He orders them from Amazon and gets free shipping.  They have been working great and are a lot cheaper:

$43.37 at Amazon (free shipping)

$9.37 at Amazon (free shipping)

The cartridges have been working great and come from Sophia Global, in case you are interested.  Now for the rant--pictured below is a copy of the box and the ink cartridges that came today.  Needless to say, the box was WAY BIGGER than it needed to be.  Since shipping was free, I guess I shouldn't worry too much about it, eh?

Whatcha Think--Is the Box Big Enough?

Today was a sunny day, so Neil decided to tackle a few outside projects and take some pictures.  Here is a picture of our RV up on leveling blocks next to the house.

Our Minnie Winnie (or Via)

One of the projects was some more "power gardening"--that's when Neil gets to use power tools to get things done outside.  It was a pretty simple matter of cutting down some of the ornamental grasses that we have off the deck.  Here are some before and after photos:

Before

After

The Ryobi hedge trimmer made short work of the grass clumps and off they went to the yard waste can for pickup on Wednesday.

Christmas Tree Boughs Used as Mulch

When we took the Christmas tree down a few weeks ago, Neil decided to cut off the branches and we used them to protect some of the plants around the house from freezing.  We have already noticed some new shoots on some plants, and hope that covering them will keep them from a hard freeze.

Lawn Mower Ready to Go for Another Season

Several weeks ago, Neil removed the lawn mower blade and used his bench grinder and a file to sharpen it.  Today, he went ahead and reinstalled it and got the mower ready to go for another season.  He actually used it in December to mow a part of the lawn that had a lot of leaves, and if we get some good, dry weather will probably do that for the BIG lawn as well. 

Here is the HagaFinn Homestead Today in the Sunshine

It is kinda hard to see in the photo below, but we think that this is a red-twig maple, and it sure is pretty in the winter time.  It is one of many nice plants that we got with the house.

Pamela has been keeping busy with her Creative Memories consultant business, and has been asked to teach a class at the big Creative Memories event in early February, so she is getting known for her expertise.

Pamela at Work in her Creative Memories Office

If you need help with photos, Creative Memories software of how to hints on creating memory books, contact her at finneypj@gmail.com.

Well, the days are getting longer and there are still lots of things to keep us busy, so all is well.  We hope you are having a good year 2013 so far.

Fair Winds and Calm Seas,

Neil and Pamela

A Week of Technical Stuff

This has been a week of technical stuff for us both.  Pamela has been working on updating her "how to" book on Creative Memories and design tips.  She has ordered it and expects to have it ready for the Creative Memories event next month at the Portland Expo Center.

Meanwhile, Neil has installed the new DirecTV Genie receiver and has it programmed for all of the TV shows that we like to watch (and then some).  Since it can record five things at once, we no longer have to make choices as to what to record.

Genie DVR Installed

Gas Furnace Burners

Neil also spent a lot of time with the furnace repairman as he worked on our over twenty year old gas furnace.  We have a home appliance warranty that came with the house, so all of the visits have been covered under one co-pay--a really good deal.  We had the water heater replaced under warranty last summer, so we are way ahead.  

We have had trouble with the furnace over the past several weeks as the weather got colder.  The furnace high limit temperature switch would trip and the furnace would shut down and then start up again after less than a minute.  The result was that the furnace was not able to keep the house warm.  It took three separate visits, but the technician finally diagnosed the problem.  It actually turned out to be several issues; one being that the burners were turned up too high, and there was also a fan control that was defective and not allowing enough air to pull the heat away from the firebox.  As a result of the visits and helping the tech, Neil now knows a lot more about the gas furnace than he did before, and how do basic trouble shooting on the furnace.

This weekend, Pamela has a Creative Events open house here, and Neil is going to replace some fuses on the RV as part of a recall from Winnebago.  Essentially, they have downsized the fuses for the fridge in our RV and have sent us a three-amp fuse to replace a five-amp, and a fifteen-amp to replace a twenty-amp fuse.  It should be an easy fix.

Three Amp Fuse

Fifteen Amp Fuse

We also took down the Christmas tree and decorations.  Neil cut off the limbs and we used them to cover plants to protect them from cold weather. The rest of this week, Pamela will be getting ready for the weekend event here, and Neil will be working on getting more "stuff" organized in the garage.

Weather has been cloudy and cold, with temperatures during the day in the mid thirties.  There is actually a temperature inversion here with the valley being cold and in the thirties, while the ski areas on Mount Hood are having sunshine and temperatures in the fifties and near sixty.  It is actually cooler here in West Linn than it is in Juneau, but it probably won't last long.

We are doing well and looking forward to longer days and some more travels here and Oregon.  Thanks for visiting!

Neil and Pamela

New Years Greetings

We have had a good couple of weeks of the New Year, with some cool weather, but no real snow on the ground, and little freezing temperatures.  We got the New Years newsletter out, so if you did not get one in the mail or via e-mail, please click the link below to get a PDF version, and if that does not work, please contact us.  

click here :  HagaFinn's 2013 New Year's Newsletter

We had a quiet New Years Eve and day here at home and stayed away from the crazy traffic.  Pamela had a Creative Memories event at the Oregon Garden in Silverton during the first weekend of the year, and we had a good dinner there after Neil dropped Pamela off for the event.  Neil returned home to deal with a furnace problem and to fight off a 24 hour stomach bug.  If we were on a cruise, we would have called it the "cruise flu", but at least it did not last long.

Pamela had a very successful Creative Memories event where she taught a class and had lots of interest in the book she has written about how to get more out of the software and some of her design tips.  She is going to update it and reprint it to meet the demand from the event in Silverton, and may teach at future workshops as well.

This week, Neil got the RV off the blocks and drove it to the Oregon DEQ station to get it inspected because the DMV license renewal paperwork said that it was required.  He drove into Clackamas to find out that because the vehicle is a heavy duty diesel, it is exempt!  Well at least he got the RV warmed up and running in the middle of the winter.  It is plugged back in and we plan to get the cover put over it this weekend.

Pamela has been busy working on some more of here Creative Memories books, and has documented our first year in Oregon, as well as our trips to England and Scotland.  It is fun to look back on these trips and to look back on what has been a fast year.  Neil has been working on getting the garage and shop sorted out and getting rid of some more "stuff".  

We are also updating our DirecTV DVR to the new Genie version.  It has twice as big of storage (1 Terabytes), and will allow you to record five things at one time.  Not that we ever think we will need that, but there have been times when we want to record two and watch a third.  The new Genie has arrived, and Neil will be needing to program it with all of the programs that we like to watch.  It is good to keep busy in retirement, eh?

This weekend, we might get a visit from our friends from Juneau, Jim and Judy as they bring their RV down on the ferry on their way to Arizona to get warm!  We will also celebrate Neil's birthday over the weekend.

We hope that you are all doing well on your New Year's Resolutions, and if not, at least having a good year so far.  We look forward to hearing from you or seeing you in 2013.

Thanks for visiting,

Neil and Pamela