This morning I started working on the bathroom tub drain and got nowhere. Ended up cutting open the sheetrock some more and cutting away the plywood subfloor. I got the drain out of the tub. Went to Home Depot and Lowes for the drain. Bought the gas pipes in Home Depot for the greenhouse. It looks like some of the bows are too high. May have to do some adjusting. Dinner was lobster Ravioli which was yummy. I want more. will return the tub drain to Lowes.

Did a grocery run this morning. Went to Krogers, Trader Joes and Walmart for fish food. Put the remaining two bows up in the greenhouse. Dinner was barbecue on buns.

I spent some time today cstching up. The mail had my new Capital One card which I then used to switch a lot of my online payments. There are a lot of payments to deal with but I think I caught them all. Dinner was Briyanni. I spent a lot of time today putting the MAAVS Souvenir book together. Finished it up by midnight.

We got up at 5:05 and got going right away. Out the door in the dark into a chilly car. I was glad I bought the fleece pullover yesterday in Walmart. It was warm. We stopped at a QT 10 minutes before the airport to top off the gas tank. I bought 5.9 gallons at 3.19 per gallon. We easily found the car rental drop and checked our terminal on the monitors. It was E31. Got on the E shuttle which was very very full. I had to stand but it was a short ride. Breezed through security except Libbie who had to have her hands swabbed. We were not sure if it was random or a detection of fertilizer. Bought a bacon and egg biscuit at Popeyes before boarding the plane. Everything went ontime and the flight was very smooth. Bought a turkey melt in Atlanta with fries for lunch. We got home at 3:45. Found that part of the ceiling fell in the foyer. The culprit seems to be the shower drain which is leaking. Did a Krogers run for cheese, milk and to top off my gas tank at 3.48 less the 20 cents for fuel points for a total of 3.28.

We had another nice breakfast buffet then did showroom hosting duty until it was time for the Bill Price lecture. There were issues with the sound and the projector colors. I wasn't too interested in the presentation. When it was done we went out to find lunch and a sweatshirt. Got a cheap shirt in Walmart that looks like it will do. Had a nice lunch Texas Style at Cousins BBQ. They served a huge beef BBQ sandwich and a gigantic frosted mug of beer. Yummy. Got back to the hotel and took a deserved nap. Went to the banquet at 5:30 for Social Hour. Sat at a table with Janet, her Mother and girlfriend as well as a young couple new to Violets. It was an enjoyable evening. Dinner was a banquet where I had the chicken fried steak, potatoes, corn, salad and both chocolate cake and cheesecake for desert. No coffee was the only drawback.

We had the very nice breakfast buffet in the hotel then did the clerking. I was assigned to Kathy Bell then a second team was formed to help with Gesneriads. I helped Clerk that one. We had lunch at the Rig across the street then saw the show. Bill Price led a walk through of the Gesneriad section of the show which we attended. Andrea did her interview of us and the song. At 6 PM we met in the lobby and went out to Joe T Garcias with the Nicholas's, Bill Price and Elmer. The Mexican food was outstanding. Our only trouble was it was cash which was $45. We have lots of plastic, very little cash. After a nice dinner with friends, 18 of the Lonestar bunch to be exact, Richard drove us on a tour of the Stockyards in Ft Worth. We saw Billy Bobs, the old train station, the Cowboy Hall of Fame, a rodeo and many other sites lit up at night.

It was a leisurely but cold morning reading the paper and drinking coffee in the room. Left around 10 for the Kimbell Art museum in Ft Worth. It was a small museum but of high quality. We had lunch in the Museum Cafe. I had a small buffet plate with a ham sandwich, carrot and cabbage salad and Southwestern Corn chowder soup. Next stop was the Crowne Plaza. Set up the GPS and had no trouble getting to our hotel. Met Andrea in the parking lot. Did an early check in which was nice. Went over to sales and found some of our friends. Libbie helped with entries. At lunchtime we had a sandwich in the hotel cafe. I had a Cuban then went up to finish the Thomas Kinkade book, Christmas Gift, which was very nice. Libbie came up around 9 when entries were done.

We had a leisurely morning reading the Wall St journal in the room before heading to the other side of Dallas to buy a GPS from FRY's Electronics. We got a refurbished Magellan for $59 which I'm happy with. We programmed it for the Dallas Arboretum and got there with no trouble. The Arboretum was wonderful. They had 50,000 pumpkins on their 66 acres lining the paths.. There were many people everywhere but it was a warm 88 degree day and very pleasant. The flowers were spectacular, the water falls and manmade rapids and streams were incredible. We had lunch in a beergarten which was dressed for oktoberfest. We split a polish sausage and each had a bottle of special Oktoberfest beer. Nice. Dragged ourselves very tired to the car and got to the hotel via GPS with no problem. Layed down for an hour or so before we had to get dressed for the Opera. Left at 5:15 for Dickeys BBQ. The first one we tried closed at 3 PM but found another near downtown near a bad neighborhood. Had a beef brisket BBQ sandwich and split a side of beans. Crossed under the freeway and amazingly we were among opulence and splendor. The opera house is spectacular. We used self serve parking for $5 about a block away. Our toyota was in good company among Porsches, Mercedes and Lexus cars. Lucia was spectacular. The Orchestra was amazing, the singing was extraordinary. The opera was long with two intermissions. Our only glitch was the long line for champagne which cost $24. By the time we got our glasses we had to chug them because intermission was almost over. We stayed in the opera house for the second intermission. Going home was a breeze thanks to GPS and the hotel only being 6 miles away.

This morning I put tools away and updated the Bluebird website before we had to get into the car and drive to the airport at 11:30. We parked at the Relax and Park near route 70 and got a shuttle ride to Southwest. The plane ride was very smooth and on time but it was pretty long. We went from RDU to Tampa to Austin then changed planes for a Dallas flight. For lunch we split a turkey sandwich and water at RDU. Dinner was intersting. We landed at 7 PM and forgot our GPS. We tried map driving looking for a BBQ or steak place. Stumbled upon Dunstons on Lovers Lane. It was enjoyable. We both had baby backs with potato and salad bar and also a Beringers Pinot Noir glass. Bill with tip was $56. We arrived at the Comfort Inn pretty tired after having been in a traffic jam due to construction on the spur from 75 to I-35E. After driving lost for a while we eventually decided to go for the Interstate to approx where our hotel was. Drove the service road for many miles looking for the Comfort Inn. We miss the GPS!

Went outside early to start the bows. Found one of the gutters was reversed such that the holes for the bows didn't line up in synch with the first gutter. After a while I discovered the ridge pole was also backwards. Unbolted the bows and put it back together correctly. Had to return the screws I bought to Home Depot because they were too short. Also returned the one leftover bag of concrete. After Home Depot we went to the greenhouse and picked up the rest of the bows. Struggled with the first but then the rest just fell together. At 5:30 we went to the greenhouse again looking for the insert piece for the two ridge pole pieces in order to align them. I have 2 more bows to install. I wanted to finish the job before we leave tomorrow but it's not going to happen. 1010 was backed up all way to the Apex Peakway at 5:30 with rush hour traffic. We stayed in the line and eeked our way to the greenhouse. No luck finding the ridge pole insert. Can't finish. dinner was Tortellini with fresh tomato in the tomato sauce. I checked into Southwest this afternoon and got A tickets. Tried to view our seat assignments on Airtran for the return and found they charge $6 each for advanced seat reservations. No thanks.

After a leisurely morning of coffee, apple pie leftovers and CBS Sunday Morning I went outside and started setting the last of the poles. Had to run to the greenhouse to pick some pole extensions for the deadmen that we cut off. Drilled the extensions and bolted them on. Libbie and I went to Home Depot for another bag of concrete and then she mixed the three bags in the wheel barrow while I shoveled the concrete into the holes holding the support pipes. That finishes this phase of the project. Next up is the bows. Each one will be cut, drilled and mounted. We skipped RLT today to make progress on the greenhouse. Dinner was Libbie's outstanding pizza.

My finger is still bleeding this morning from yesterday's pipe pinching. Looking at how to monitor greenhouse and back porch temperature. Will use an Arduino with Xbee and three temperature sensors or possibly a humidity sensor. I want to monitor temperature outdoors, the porch and the new greenhouse. Today is the day to mix and pour concrete around the greenhouse poles. It's a little chilly today to be outdoors but after moving bags of 80 pound concrete I warmed up quickly. Poured the concrete on the poles and deadmen for the two corners. The center pole is in bad shape, very crooked. I'm tempted to pull it out and relocate it. Libbie raked the driveway so I used the pine straw as mulch around the Camelias in the back.
Dinner was pork chops with butternut squash, a Libbie baked Apple Pie and Rodney Strong Chardonnay.

Went to the greenhouse this morning with the trailer and brought home the gutters and dead man poles that were in the corn shed. Worked on the slope of the posts for a while then started assembling the gutters and dead men. Finished around 5, now it's ready for concrete. Used the new post hole digger to dig out the deadman post hole. not sure if I needed it for this. Libbie and I took a trip to Home Depot and picked up 6 bags of 80 lb concrete mixx for tomorrow. Libbie called the Chinese takeout from Home Depot and our order was ready when we arrived there. Dinner was eggrolls and Szechuan 3 meat and a bottle of Shiraz.

i started digging the post holes with my shovel but ran into trouble in the hard ground. Went to a rental place next to Kmart Cary and found they only rented furniture. They sent me to Mikes Garden Center across from Burkes. The state fair is going on so it was no easy task. They didn't have rentals either. Ended up going to Home Depot in Fuquay and buying a post hole digger. It did the job exceedingly well but just about killed me. Libbie is not feeling well so we skipped the State Fair which was good because I have too much to do. Dinner was the leftover eggplant parmesan which is very good.

First thing this morning I expoxied a new connector on the relay board. After an hour or so I wired the eight relays to this new connector and then wired the Arduino card. Did some program changes and it was ready. Libbie and i watched the watering at 2 PM. It did all the shelves. Dinner was eggplant parmesan that Libbie made today. We had it with a bottle of shiraz. It rained all day today. I went out in the rain to the greenhouse corn crib and found some pipes and clips that we will be able to use. Will bring the trailer to fetch them later in the week.

I registered for the MAAVS hotel and Libbie filled out the MAAVS registration and wrote a check this morning. After this I went to do the Tuesday groceries while she wrapped packages. Came home and did the Click n Ship for the boxes she packaged. Went outside and layed out the stakes for the new greenhouse. The gutter will be lower than i first thought although the posts will be the same 8 footers we have used out on Jessie. I have really gotten into the Kindle Book, "The Voyeur" although I'm not sure I like where it's leading which is multi partner sex. This is not my thing. Mowed the front lawn and some of the back then set up some 2x4's to gauge how high the post has to be to support the gutter. It looks like a normal 8 foot post will suffice. Now i have to locate some in ground extensions. Dinner was pulled pork sandwiches from the Lancaster Carolina BBQ from Krogers. It was an early to bed night. I felt tired at 8:15 but stayed on the computer until 9.

Libbie stayed home packing the Monday orders while I went to the greenhouse to disassemble the end wall and take down the gutters. The wall came down easily after i removed the bolts on each side and gave it a push. Spent the next hour hammering apart the 2x4's and cleaning up the foam board pieces. Went home for lunch at 1:30 totally exhausted. After lunch I did the Click N Ship labels on our new printer that arrived during lunch hour. Setup was easy - plug her in and watch windows go out for drivers and install them. All worked well. Went back to the greenhouse at 4 and finished disassembling the gutter. Had a dinner of chili Releno (Trader Joe's) and then Libbie and I went to Office Max at 8:15 PM to get an 8 foot table. The table was $99 and we had a $10 off coupon which we used. Put it in the trunk, all 8 feet of it, and got it home safely. Took the cardboard box off and put it in the recycle bin for tomorrow. Whe have the box for the new furnace, the new printer and the table out for recycling. A full load. When we got home there was a message from Diane Richardson that the hotel deadline had passed for MAAVS Baltimore. I put a notice on the website. We still have not registered!!!! Did not know about the deadline.

Went over to the greenhouse at 9 to remove the bow this morning. the job went well and finished up by 11 am. Packed up the tools and Libbie and I picked up some Dunkin donuts down the street. Next stop was Foodlion for our food donation for the state Fair this Thursday. Came home by noon and checked out the DIVX of a 2006 Anna Bolena from Italy I downloaded. It's pretty risque but has nice singing.

Had a can of soup then left for the ballet at 1 for a 2 PM performance. I really like Dracula as done by the Carolina Ballet. The music matches the theme, the dancing is wonderful and the narrator is fantastic. This is a well done work. After the ballet we stopped by the greenhouse so Libbie could pick up supplies that she couldn't bring home this morning because I had the ladder and tools in the car.

Of course we had Libbie's super pizza for dinner. We found some of the good Sargento cheese in Foodlion this morning.

Today is the first day of our HD series at the Met. It's Anna Bolena at 1 so I went into the backyard at 9 and started putting up the top clips onto the facia board. Finished this job then showered and dressed for the theater so that we could leave at 11:30. After the performance we went to Harris Teeter across the street to forage for food. Picked up some shrimp and Chardonnay which we had with Broccoli and Brown rice. This was a very nice evening dinner. I took the Nook to the theater with me today. The backlit screen made reading in the dark easy. I did not intend for the Android device to be a reader but it works well as a kindle or a nook reader. I also downloaded a PDF reader for it to peruse PDF's as well.

Stayed home this morning and wired the next bench for automatic watering. When Libbie came home we watched the watering of 2 shelves on Tower 1 and one shelf on Tower 2. This was the first watering of Tower 2. I also increased the watering time to 35 seconds instead of 30. In the afternoon I went over to Bluebird with the intention of removing the bows but it was too windy. I removed the fan instead and put it inside the greenhouse. Now without the weight of the fan on the end wall I can remove the guy wires and hopefully the wall won't lean over in the wind like it was with the weight of the fan leaning on the wall outside. Dinner was scallops with broccoli, rice and Yellow Tail Chardonnay.

Played with android and developed a "Hello World" application on the emulator. Put this away and went over to the greenhouse to drop the top on the back of house 4 before it rained. Brought the trailer with the ladders so we could get up on the gutters and remove the clips. Also had the 8 foot step ladder to cut the ridge pole so the plastic could drop through. This was more work than I expected although everything went OK. It was just a long task. Went home for Minestrone soup, took a shower to wash the slime off then put on dry clothes. Went back over to finish buttoning up the project. Jennifer was there giving plants away to her friend from Greenville. I had to build some framing on each side of the top plastic hanging through because it didn't reach the sides. Added pieces of plastic to the sides attached to the new framing. I used the old bench materials for the framing and to complete the recycling, I used rusty old nails. Dinner tonight was crabcakes with tomatoes on sandwich rounds. The live Met Opera tonight is Don Giovanni.

Played inside with the Nook Android some more this morning. It's a slick little toy. Found out it will synch addresses with Gmail easily. Went over to the greenhouse and stapled down the plastic between house 3 and 4. I also Prepped a base for dropping the top plastic onto. will staple the top to this base. Part of the job was cleaning up the scrap lumber in house 4 and moving it forward onto a pile. Went back over there in the afternoon to talk to Jennifers carpenter about the greenhouse. He seems to be mildly interested.
Came back dead tired. Libbie fixed some Briyani with chicken. It was excellent.

Did the normal grocery run then packed up some tools and went over to the greenhouse. Put down a base between house 3 and 4 then hung the plastic from the gutter. I was there until 5:30. Came home and had success with the Android. I am now able to read both Nook and kindle books on the thing. Dinner was Margaritas and a Quesadilla at La Cocina. It rained on the way home which doesn't bode well for tomorrow.

This is a holiday. While Libbie collected and taped plants for shipping I worked on disassembling the benches in house 4. Ran out to Northern for some large pipe wrenches which helped tremendously in removing the pipes. Dinner tonight was Chinese with a little wine. We were both pretty tired.

We watched the watering today on tower 1. It was scheduled for 8:50 am. It went smoothly. Left at 10:40 for the theater in Morrisville. Saw the Bolshoi live doing Esmeralda. Loved it!!!! What a large Ballet company. Fantastic dancing by a large company. It lasted over 3 hours. Libbie made her great pizza when we came back. Didn't have the normal cheese but it was still very very good.