Rain and cold in the morning then the sun came out. Went to Home Depot and picked up some chain which I cut into 45 and 35 inch lengths. Moved the ceiling hooks over 18 inches and installed the chains. The hooks needed moving to allow 12 inches of horizontal vent pipe per the instruction manual. I rebuilt the lower light shelf in Libbie's office. There are now 2 shelves done. The upper shelf has plants on it so it will be more difficult. Dinner was Krogers fried chicken with macaroni and potato salads. Listened to Nabucco live and also packed up a box of 10 pots for a customer.

Went under the house and tied the porch heater power into the downstairs furnace. Called the IBM Health line this morning about Aetna PPO. They said I couldn't do it because Libbie is on the IBM supplemental plan. That sucks. Aetna gives me a free physical, the IBM plan doesn't. I don't know if it's an approved pharmacy plan either which means I have to buy a plan. Big sucko. Installed the hooks in the porch ceiling for the heater and went to Lowes for the 3 inch flu pipes. Hopefully I can hang the heater tomorrow and install the flu pipe after that. Unfortunately the weather will work against me. It's supposed to be cold tomorrow. Dinner was a bean burger with onion and ketchup on a sandwich round.

Dropped the boxes at the PO and picked up our mail. I have my new license!!!!! Went to Lowes and got two more shop lights to cannibalize. The first light i converted to T8 was placed in service this morning and all seems well. I put the convention leftover plants on the stand in Libbie's office utilizing the rebuilt light. Finished up the outdoor conduit and wires to the heater. Next step is to control under the house and tie the power in to the existing downstairs furnace circuit. Dinner was Veggie Pad Thai, a TJ's frozen entree.

Did a little financial catchup today and then visited the Credit Union to deposit the MAAVS check plus a $700 withdrawal from Scottrade. Still a little short. Picked up a fluorescent fixture and wire from Lowes then went under the house and ran the wire. Still need to tie it in under the house but this allowed me to mount a junction box outside. Packaged up the mail orders, weighed them and then printed Click n ship labels. I also searched for a home dock for the Sirius Radio. Found one on Amazon which I ordered along with ink carts and a whole house carbon filter for the back porch. Dinner was Chile Rejeno. After dinner i tried to listen to Rodelinda live from the met but it was not an Opera I could get into.

We got up early and started loading the car in the 48 degree weather. It's a blue sky Fall morning. We drove down the street and got breakfast at McDonalds before driving to Silver Spring. I dropped Libbie off at Sue's then continued the journey. It was an easy drive with me arriving home at 2:30. i was shocked to see the garage door was open!!!1 Apparently it had not closed when we left - it must have auto reversed, something it does if there's a leaf or two hanging from the door. Unloaded everything and then took a shower and washed my hair. Did a Krogers trip for milk and OJ then started straightening out my finances. FIA online account has disappeared so I couldn't make a payment. I called them and they said it was changed to BankAmerica. I made a phone payment. What a pain in the ass. When the card gets here I'm not going to use it. It's out of here!

Things are pretty slow at MAAVS. I went to the Gesneriads in China talk which was very informative and entertaining, especially the life in Southern china near the Vietnam border. In the evening we got dressed up and went to the banquet. We were seated with Donna and her Mother, Janet Reimer, Nancy Hayes and Francis Silva. Sue Hoffmann also joined us. We used our priority coupons and got 2 for 1 drinks at the hotel bar, then took them into the banquet.

We didn't get up this morning until 7:24. I slept very well. Had the hotel breakfast which was a not too bad buffet for 10.95 each.
The showroom opened at 9 and the show at 1 but we couldn't be there because we were on the Inner Harbor bus tour. Enjoyed the ride through downtown Baltimore. There is a lot to offer down there. We may come back to the Peabody institute with Road Scholar. The banquet this evening was fun. I dressed in my Pink Flamingo costume which was voted most outrageous costume. Michelle also dressed as a Flamingo. The banquet dinner was Prime rib which was very good.

Left at 8 for Baltimore. Stopped somewhere around the VA/NC border on I-95 for coffee and biscuits. The Mickey D coffee was free and the biscuits 2 for 1. What a deal. Lunch at Mickey D near the hotel. Arrived at 1:30 PM at the Crowne Plaza. Nice hotel but old. After unloading in a cold rain we met with the Barbi's and Loomis's and went to a seafood restaurant called Mo's. It was outstanding including our outspoken waitress. I had the broiled seafood dinner with mixed veggies and baked potato. We each had 2 glasses of Fetzer Chardonnay for a total of $72 which included tip and tax. Going to the place was in rush hour traffic so we crept on I-83 4 miles to the exit. We enjoyed the evening.

Went under the porch this morning and hooked the gas line up and put the final strapping on. I did not turn the gas on because it would take some time to test it all. We got busy and packed everything for the MAAVS show including the plants since they will be OK overnight in the car in the garage. I went to Krogers for pasta which we had tonight for dinner. I finished the Nicholas Sparks "Best of Me" book tonight which was quite enjoyable.

This morning I went under the house and put the pipe strapping on the length of the gas pipe supporting it. When I was done it was time to get cleaned up to go to Sheila's. Left at noon with Sylvia and JoAnn for the 40 mile trip. Sheila had a nice lunch prepared of Ziti and crock pot sausage. Yummy. The program was a business meeting and the DVD of the TAVS show. In the evening we went to LaCocina for Margaritas and dinner. Good stuff.

Got the gas line run all the way to where it ties into the main line. Still have not secured it to the ceiling. Next step will be to secure it then tie it in and leak test it. This will probably happen tomorrow when we come back from Sheila's house. I had to make a Home Depot run for the final pipe sizes to reach the main line. Next issue will be the exhaust stack. It has to be 3 inch type B. I only saw 4 inch today in HD. Had an eye checkup this morning. At $160 this is getting to be expensive!!! Dinner tonight was Briyani. Burned the DVD tonight for the meeting tomorrow.

Went outside and ran the gas pipe from the foundation up to the entry into the backporch.
installed a shutoff in the back porch end above the clock. This was a days worth of work. I also managed to run 20 feet of pipe under the porch. Tried out the new LED head worn headlamp. it works well for hands free in the dark work. Libbie made her wonderful pizza. At noon today we went to the Farmers Market for pansies. Also got some Hummingbird cupcakes for a birthday treat which I had with lunch. After pizza this evening Libbie served a homemade apple pie which was yummy.

It's a short day because of Opera this afternoon. Worked on the back porch and under the porch disassembling the gas line and installing a tee for the new greenhouse branch. Buttoned all this up and bubble tested it for leaks. Cleaned up and left at 11:00 for Siegfried at Crossroads. This theater is a little closer and very very empty. It was a very memorable Siegfried. Jay Hunter Morris is a wonderful, playful Siegfried played by an unlikely Texan. Libbie made sandwiches for in the theater. We got out at 5:30 from a 12:00 start. When I got home I checked the air in the Prius because the light was on. Air was 22 on the passenger side front and back. It should be 35 and 33 respectively. Pumped up all 4 tires. Dinner was Chinese take out and Shiraz.

What a cold rainy day. I didn't accomplish much compared to yesterday. Libbie gave me an early birthday present, a head mounted LED flashlight to use under the house for the new greenhouse wiring and furnace installation. Dinner was scallops with Lima Beans and Santa Barbara Chardonnay.

This was a day of successes. Started out by taking the booklet to the printer. Dave at PIP printed me a proof copy which I took home. It looks great. I had the page count wrong, submitted 30 pages but the booklet has to be divisible by 4. I had them put two more pages in the back as "Notes". Next step was to assemble the 10 foot long gas pipes for painting. Libbie painted the pipes and when she was done she gave me the wet brush and can. I painted the generator gas pipe and the pipe going under the deck to the grill and the porch. I also knocked a hole in the foundation by the new greenhouse for the power and gas to come out. I may make it bigger to pass a conduit through as well. Next stop was the bathroom. After a lunch of corn chowder I assembled the bathroom drain. It works and it's leak free. Now i need to cut a plywood to paint and cover up the hole I cut in the sheetrock. Dinner was TJ's spinach tortellini. After dinner I installed Drupal on the LSAVC website. Earlier in the day Mary Corodan sent me the login and password. Didn't go to bed until midnight.

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.