Got up a little later than normal. Went out and got a newspaper while Libbie made ham and eggs but I already had cereal. We did egg and ham omelets for lunch then took a walk back to the Seagrove house which is getting a new foundation. Went to the library this afternoon. Lib had a book come in and I found a book called "Doing It" about marriage and sex. Lib said she should be embarrassed. I thought it was funny.

I spent most of today trying to get Venus running. The Jtag does not recognize the device. Tried replacing the CPU - a daunting task but my last resort. Unfortunately, it didn't fix the problem. Took out the scope and started probing the interface. Found that the resetline was a hard zero. Found a short where the reset trace went under a decoupling cap and it was shorted by the cap leads or the solder. Cut the line and wired around the short which fixed the problem. Used the scope to set the timer so that I now have a one second heartbeat. Next step will be to get the Uarts running.
We went to Trader Joes to get ribs and raspberry orange cake for desert. Both were yummy. We had a bottle of Shiraz with the meal. Went up to bed early to read my T Boone Pickens book.

Libbie finished her book, the grapes of wreath so we watched the movie tonight after dinner. The movie was so so - not bad, especially after reading the book but not the greatest. Tried to get the Venus to respond to the jtag today but no luck.

Spent a lot of the day working on the build of the Venus card. Everything seems to fit OK. I don't have the resistors for the 485. Dinner was yams and ham with apple sauce.

Worked on the Nicholas photos today. They're not too bad although I wish I didn't have to do so much photoshop work on them. We have some controversy with the convention chair and co-chair listing and Rich Follett. I designed a pin with Libbie today. Drove over to Krogers and dropped the Esotherm off for shipping to Pat today. It will be $35 which includes them packing the device. Dinner was bean burgers with lettuce and ketchup. No onion which was sad.

Worked on the Esotherm in the morning and also got the double charge for Dallas Museum admission removed. I hooked up the bluetooth and fixed the program to correctly display the maximum on screen temperature per channel. Went to the grocery store and got our groceries after a contact lens checkup at Ira Tuckers. Later in the afternoon I worked on downloading pictures from our cards and archiving everything on DVD. Libbie came back from her violet xmas party and I had the leftover 7 layer salad. Maynard wants me to send the other esotherm back to him. Talked with Anne about her powerpoint growing slide show and also the wedding and how it all went. Dinner was Pasta i picked up from Trader Joe's.

We had the alarm set for 5:26 AM. We packed our things and brought them to the lobby then had scrambled eggs, sausage, juice and coffee for breakfast. As we were finished our shuttle driver announced he was ready to go. We checked in at curbside then stood in line for security. Our next challenge was miles of walking to get to the monorail to gate area A. The terminal C complex is as big as some airports. The flight was very smooth. I had two cups of coffee as I read the T Boone Pickens Billionaire book. The flight was only 2 hours. When we landed in Raleigh it was incredibly cold compared to Dallas. We both were very tired. Ramsey had sent an eMail about incorrect max screen temperatures on the esotherm. i stayed up late and tried to fix it but no success. For dinner we had Kung Pao chicken.

We had a leisurely breakfast at the Fairfield before touring the TWU campus. Walked the gardens and looked at the chapel before driving to Dallas. Stopped at Whattaburger for lunch on our way to Dallas. At the Fair grounds we got our bearings and after changing shoes we got on the shuttle bus in the parking lot and got a ride to the music hall door. Took some pictures before they took my camera away. Got it back after the opera. We had pretty good seats in the balcony but some of the recitative was hard to hear. Afterwards we checked into the Drury Inn, guided there by our GPS. The hotel was nice. Free drinks, hot breakfast, etc. They suggested we drop our car at the airport tonight and they will pick us up and take us to the airport in the morning. We agreed and after a dinner of sliders and curly fries at the La Hacienta we dropped the car off. Found gas in Grapevine, TX for 1.59. We only needed less than 8 gallons for $12. Before dinner we opened the bottle of wine from the Nicholas's and finished it after dinner.

Woke up after a good sleep last night. Had the Fairfield bagels, talked to other wedding guests. We went to downtown Denton and walked around the courthouse before going to the historic park and getting on the bus for the horse tour. We visited a Paso Fina Ranch where they showed off the champion stallion, Kugerand which is worth around 250,000. Next we went over to a Spanish horse ranch of Andolusa horses. This was 30 acres run by a husband and wife team. lots of work there! After the horses we went to Anne's for sandwiches and took pictures of the violets and violet bouquets. Next stop was Hubbard Hall for bridal pre photos. At 5:45 I went back to the chapel for pics of the guys then hung around for the ceremony. The reception in Hubbard was very elegant. The college staff does a nice job catering events like this. We got home around 11 very tired but satisfied.

We got up at 5:00 and left at 5:30 for our 6:55 flight. Parked in the Terminal 2 parking garage a short walk from check in. The new terminal is nice - the ceiling is soaring and light and airy. The flight was good and on time. We had no trouble getting downtown to the museum area. We found parking for $2 all day a short walk from the museum. Near the airport we asked our GPS for an iHop and it found one for us nearby. Had a brunch type meal at the iHop. Thoroughly enjoyed the art museum and also the sculpture center. Got a little wet looking at the sculptures. After the museums we had the GPS guide us to the JFK assassination site. We spent less than 10 minutes there walking around then set the GPS for our hotel in Denton. Stopped at a Dickeys BBQ and had a nice sandwich in the late afternoon. At the hotel we met Brian. Went over to the rehearsal in his car then to the rehearsal dinner in the Nicholas car. The dinner was ver very nice. We had Margaritas and a buffet of pork and chicken, BBQ shrimp and enchiladas. It was very nice. On the way home we dropped Helen Mahr off at the Assisted Living Center. We passed out in bed very tired. It was a long day.

Finished the Venus card today but did not order it from AP Circuits because I didn't want it to come while we were gone. It would come Monday if I order it today. Got a report from Ron on how many CD's and DVD's he sold at the three conventions he visited this Fall. Gathered the camera stuff for Dallas tomorrow. I hope we don't forget anything.

Libbie and I put the tree up today. it actually was up yesterday but we put the lights on and vacuumed the porch a little. We went out at 6 PM and picked up a roast chicken for dinner with macaroni salad and potato salad. Later in the evening we watched the end of the grammy concert award nominations.

SeeSawed back and forth over what to include and not include in Venus. In the end I decided to include interfaces for Zigbee and Wiznet but not with 3 volt interfaces. The reasoning is I could include translation circuitry on the daughter cards rather than buying new 3 volt parts for Venus. I probably need a new 232 and new 485 driver running at 3 volts. This would be $6 worth of parts that I currently don't have to buy. I did a grocery run for basics. We had the pasta for dinner. In the evening we went out to the greenhouse and replaced the floodlights and bathroom light.

This turned into an eventful day. I finished up the controller by testing the cold temp response with ice cubes then went over to the greenhouse and hooked everything up. Went home for lunch then returned and soldered the wires for the transfer relay and tested the generator and manually threw the relay to see if it worked. It did. This relay uses a 24 VAC transformer, the others are directly hooked up to 110VAC for transfer. Put a new piece of strip tape across the back because the old one disintegrated. I did this while the generator was running it's test cycle. The generator seems hard to start - it may have old gas or may need new plugs. Next I hooked the thermostat wiring to the LOGE controller by putting a few jumpers in the box above the entry door. Ran the aux heater and Libbie and I punched holes in the unpunched distribution heat tube on the side facing the greenhouse space. The heat seems to be working OK. After a dinner of French Vegetable jambalaya with chicken, we went back out to the greenhouse to do some temperature measurements. I checked over the aux heater exhaust and we measured temperatures at various places in the greenhouse. The bench tops were mostly at 65 to 68. The outdoor temp was 42 while the telephone probe was reporting 64 and the LOGE indoor probe was reading 68.

This turned into an eventful day. I finished up the controller by testing the cold temp response with ice cubes then went over to the greenhouse and hooked everything up. Went home for lunch then returned and soldered the wires for the transfer relay and tested the generator and manually threw the relay to see if it worked. It did. This relay uses a 24 VAC transformer, the others are directly hooked up to 110VAC for transfer. Put a new piece of strip tape across the back because the old one disintegrated. I did this while the generator was running it's test cycle. The generator seems hard to start - it may have old gas or may need new plugs. Next I hooked the thermostat wiring to the LOGE controller by putting a few jumpers in the box above the entry door. Ran the aux heater and Libbie and I punched holes in the unpunched distribution heat tube on the side facing the greenhouse space. The heat seems to be working OK. After a dinner of French Vegetable jambalaya with chicken, we went back out to the greenhouse to do some temperature measurements. I checked over the aux heater exhaust and we measured temperatures at various places in the greenhouse. The bench tops were mostly at 65 to 68. The outdoor temp was 42 while the telephone probe was reporting 64 and the LOGE indoor probe was reading 68.

Did not plan to get a paper today because I got one Thursday and it was like a Sunday paper but picked up the N&O in a steady rain anyway. Luckily there was an ad for wetting solution in Walgreens, a shaver from Rite Aid for free after rebate and a flyer from the new Dollar store. Lib and I went at 10 AM and made the rounds. Afterwards I added a terminal strip to LOGE and got the temperature probes working. Also had to add a pullup resistor to the second probe which will measure indoor temperatures. Tested this as much as I could by putting the probes outside the window. All seems well. In the meantime we've been communicating via eMail with several MAAVS folks about hotels and Virginia Beach. Libbie made her usual pizza for dinner. For lunch i had the warmed up leftovers from the Friday Chinese meal.

They were predicting rain to start this afternoon so I went to the greenhouse in the morning and shoveled out the drain which wasn't working. It was last shoveled out in March but is clogged with silt again. There was a slight drizzle falling. I looked at web serving with the Wiznet and Atmega based on some of the Circuit Cellar Wiznet contest entries. It hardly seems Like I have time to do any of this stuff before we have to go out get something to eat. I would rather put in an unrestricted 10 hour stretch at electonics instead of this piecemeal approach.
In the late afternoon Lib and I went to Trader Joes for Shiraz and TJ's ribs, both of which we had for dinner with a baked Yam.

I went to the greenhouse at 9:30 to work on the baseboard replacing the rusted wood screws with bolts, washers, lock washers and nuts. Libbie was quite busy with customers the day after Thanksgiving while I finished the baseboard and then started replacing the middle strip of 1x4's. I kept the plastic mostly on since the morning was chilly. Went home for lunch, Turkey sandwiches, then returned to replace the plastic. Libbie worked above dropping the plastic and I was below pulling it away. The new tube was 110 x 10 and went on very well. The temp was 66, no wind and plenty of sunshine. We worked late into the afternoon but totally finished the job including hooking up the inflation. We dragged ourselves home around 5 and after a shower and clean clothes, we went to the Chinese place and ordered a Szechuan three meat takeout with eggrolls. We had shiraz with dinner. I read one chapter of "Tortilla Flats" then went to bed tired.

Built the temperature probes for the LOGE and hooked them to the circuit board. This may be better with a terminal strip mounted in the box because the terminal strip on the board is so tiny and delicate looking. I would feel better with a robust terminal strip. Packed up my tools and went to the greenhouse to work on the baseboard. Finished over half of it putting in bolts, washers, lock washers and nuts. We left there just after three so we could get home, clean up and go to dinner. At 5:30 we went to dinner at Jack and Barbara's house. We had very pleasant conversation and a lovely dinner of turkey, yams, stuffing and all the fixings. We brought Mondavi wine, apple pie and an Orchid.

Went to a 9 AM appointment at the eye doctor. He wants me to switch to a different contact lens. I have the trial one in my eye now. Picked up the construction materials for the greenhouse. Visited there earlier and inspected the wood and which boards need to be replaced. Took Libbie aroudn to all the groceries stores and Target looking for round rubbernaid pie pans for her fruit cake. We had no luck. Earlier in the day I picked up a six foot plasic folding table at Office Max. It was on sale for $49 plus I got a $10 coupon in the mail which I used. Over at Lowes I also had a $10 coupon when i bought the nuts, bolts and wood. Dinner was turkey chowder with noodles. We had some of the fruit cake for desert. Joe sent an interesting eMail about using an itouch for a controller. I did a little research on the iTouch and computer control.

Picked up some groceries but not a large amount. Worked on the state machine for the greenhouse controller, LOGE. Finished up most of it but still need a way to test it. Dinner was pasta from Trader joes.

Woke this morning to hear that Citi was bailed out over night. This is getting bad. Worked on putting LOGE into an enclosure. I had to do some manual wiring because the card traces are too small to handle the thermostat relay current. i estimate the current at 100 to 200 ma. I used some pieces of #24 wire from ethernet cable to wire to the relay. The wires go to a terminal strip inside the box. In the PM Libbie and I went to Trader Joes for apples for an apple pie she wants to make. Also picked up some cranberries, blueberries and almonds. Dinner was a turkey dinner from yesterday.

Picked up a paper then while reading my eMail found out from Jim that Opera LaFinesse is doing Barber of Seville in HD at the Cary theater. Took a look at converting the temperatures for the controller and made all the changes so it will compile for two one wire buses. Still need to know what to do with this info. Libbie made a turkey today instead of Thanksgiving because we'll be going to Jack and Barbara's for Thanksgiving. Fell asleep tonight at my computer upstairs. Went to bed at 1:15 when I woke up.

I expected to work on the greenhouse controller LOGE this morning but instead did a bunch of catch up stuff. We left for the opera at 11:30. This time we were in Brier Creek for La Damnation of Faust. It was an enjoyable performance done by the Cirque S'oleil guy. He's going to do the ring at the Met in 2 years. On the way back we stopped at Fresh Market on the Cary Parkway. We picked up some Parmesan Tilapia and a desert consisting of a "peanut butter chocolate stack". It was delicious.

Went over to the CU and deposited the MAAVS check and a Scottrade 3,000 check to pay the huge Visa bill from the wedding as well as the Sarasota taxes which are $400 lower this year. Pat Ford called and our tenant is facing $900 in expenses for the exchange rate difference. She asked to lower the rent by $500. I agreed but only if she lowered her piece of the pie. She lowered to 12% which is about $100. Went to Lowes and picked up some sheet metal and 1x4 for the telephone box in the steereo room at home. I also picked up screen for the fanjet guard and flashing for the heat baffle. Installed everything OK. The project moves on. This afternoon is very cold and windy. We had snow flurries this morning and a high of only 43 degrees. Brrr. Did a Krogers run and got fixins for Thanksgiving turkey - white bread, celery and a battery for the gas fireplace remote. It didn't work. Boo Hoo.