SLO Yarns

Sunday, July 13, 2014

The Log Splitter: The Machine

Back in February of last year I wrote about The Man wielding his trusty axe to chop wood to heat our home and how it would eventually lead to pain and suffering. His pain; my suffering - I would have to be his in-home private duty nurse.

So we decided that it would be prudent (and beneficial to our marriage) to buy a log splitter rather than have The Man injure himself. Of course he loved the idea of buying more man tools. And, a log splitter, yee haw, such a He-Man robust tool!

But before The Man got too far researching his purchasing options our friend Jerry said he had a friend giving away a log splitter. Jerry's friend had sold his home and needed to remove some machinery from the property. (Red flags: "giving away" and "needed to remove".)

The next weekend, the guys brought the log splitter home.

2/17/13

It was an understatement to say it needed work and maybe a few new parts. But the machine started up right away, sounded strong, and, hey, it was free.

It took about a month till The Man was satisfied with the way the log splitter was running. He parked it across from the animal pen and got to work. He had an ample supply of oak after firescaping and creating a defensible space around our home.

3/16/13

Wyatt helping out.

The log splitter might not be pretty but it sure is a log-killing machine. A workhorse, just like The Man.

7/10/14

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Out and About Around the Central Coast 7/7/14

We laid low over the July 4th weekend; we knew it would be busy on the roads and just about everywhere. From the comfort of The Vista we watched the stream of motorcycles, cars, trucks, and RVs heading every which way along Hwy 101.

By Monday we were ready to leave the compound and head out to run a few errands. We passed my favorite herd of Texas Longhorn cattle. "I usually see these guys when I'm driving to or from work and have yet to get a photo of them," I lamented for the nth time when The Man suddenly pulls over to the side of the highway. They are truly spectacular.

After completing our errands we decided to take the rest of the day off:

At the top of SLO ~ Prefumo Canyon Road.

SLO's best crossroads ~ Prefumo Canyon Road and See Canyon Road.

Port San Luis and Harford Pier.

Hand signals (Fish on the line!)

Friday, July 4, 2014

Delta Dawn

With California's worsening drought and the increased fire threat we're hoping not to see any aerial fireworks or rockets in our vicinity today. That is, unless they happen to be NASA rockets.

We lost a little sleep this week in anticipation of a Vandenberg AFB launch. NASA was sending off a Delta 2 rocket with a satellite named Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) to monitor carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Apparently the window of opportunity for flight was 2:56 am Pacific time. So be it.

The Man set his alarm for 2:45 am. Mele and Molly looked bewildered at being woken up in the middle of the night but they followed us outside into the cool dark night to wait. And wait. And wait.

Waiting in the dark.

After thirty minutes we all trekked back inside the house. The Man checked NASA's website to learn that the countdown was stopped 46 seconds before liftoff due to ground equipment failure.

The next day the problem was fixed and the launch was again a "go" for 2:56 am.

In the wee hours of Wednesday, July 2, 2014, we woke the dog and cat up again. This time we listened to a live feed of Mission Control on The Man's iPhone. It was exciting to listen to the prelaunch checklist and then the countdown. The horizon started to glow while they were still counting. The Man failed to tell me there was a teeny delay so listening "live" was not exactly live.

No matter, we watched in awe as the Delta 2 rocket soared upward. We saw booster bits and pieces fall away and we heard the rumble of Mach 10 as the rocket accelerated and disappeared into space.

(Photos on the right are the cropped closeups.)