Ready to Set a Date on Kitchen Remodel

I picked up my new sink this weekend. It is a Rohl 3018 farmhouse/apron style sink. I already have a Maytag bottom freezer refrigerator and Fisher Paykel  drawer dishwasher. So now I am ready to get a cabinet maker to hire to work on my kitchen.

The 3 items are pictured here in the garage.

First, I will need to strip out the existing kitchen. I have decided on the new layout and have all the dimensions of the kitchen so I will be ready. I will also need to use the BBQ Grill for most of the summer since I am assuming the kitchen will be out of commission for many months!

More details to come on the progress of the kitchen...

Late Spring Garden Items

Dawn and I planted strawberries in November and we finally got a few! However, the sow bugs got to most of them first. Thre are plenty of more green ones to watch for and protect from insects. There is also many green and red bell peppers and Anaheim peppers ready to be picked. I usually use those for scrambeled eggs and salads and they are great! 

Last week I planted yellow squash and cucumber. There is also red chard that we can use to feed Dawn's pet. The Moito Mint is growing really well. I will need to trim that soon as it grows like a weed. I can use that to make mint lemondade or just add to some ice water.

I will make sure that everything gets watered regularly since the new plants are only a few inches and need to get established. It is safe to say that a wide variety of vegetables, herbs,  and fruits will grow in Phoenix as long as there is some partial shade. Also making an above-ground garden helps since the soil is a rich mix of planting soil.

Feel free to post some questions!

Backyard Disaster from the 40+ mph winds

Phoenix has been hit with some strong winds the past few weeks and it was just a matter of time before the grapefruit tree in the backyard blew down. I had 2 in the backyard and the one by the bedroom window was smaller and susppected to be diseased. I wasn't suprised when last Friday I saw a tree blown over in my patio. It was crazy timing because it was the night before I was going to re-roof my patio which had been blown apart the week before.

The tree took hours to break down into managable piles to dispose of. I am calling a tree service in my neighborhood to actually stump grind the trunk down. I have planted 2 trees in the past year: lime tree and a Sissoo tree...

Green Phoenix

Today I was channel surfing and happen to stumble upon the local Phoenix channel, Channel 11. I noticed the Phoenix Mayor, Phil Gordon, was speaking about an ambitious 17-point plan to make Phoenix a Green City. The most ambitious part of the plan is to make the city the first carbon-neutral city in the US!

With the amont of sunny days in Phoenix it just makes sense to take advantage of solar energy.

Last weekend was the Build-it-Green Expo in Phoenix. Did anyone go or have any comments to post on the blog?

You can read the AZ Central article . I haven't found more information just yet that is a comprehensive outline as to what each point in the plan is.

If anyone finds more current information, please post.

Thanks,
Jamie

Phoenix Light Rail Grand Opening

On 12/27/08, Phoenix debuted the light rail system which is is part of the collective forms of public transportation called Phoenix Metro. Dawn and I decided to take our cruiser bikes and waned to use them on the rail but the 2nd day of opening proved to be too busy so we had to wait another day to take the bikes along for the ride.

Instead we went to the lobby of the Phoenix Art Museum and part the bikes in the front there. Then we walked over to the station by the Old Spaghetti Factory and took the rail all the way too the station in front of the ASU Stadium. Then we took the free transportation shuttle called the Orbit in Tempe and went to the Tempe Marketplace. We did some shopping and then returned later.

One interesting fact that we noticed that day was that people where just joyriding on the rail as opposed to actually having a plan and destination. Thus, nobody was getting off at each station and it became really crowded on the return trip! So crowded, in fact, that we wanted to get off earlier but stayed until we got back to our original destination.

All in all it was a positive experience and a good additional to public transportation in Phoenix in my opinion.

Hope to see you all on the light rail in the future!

New Year Eve Party 08

This year I decided to have a New Year's Eve party at my house and it was a blast! I had about 18 people here and as long as there was music blasting, everyone had a good time. Vik and Irene were in from out of town from Oregon.

We had plenty of foods and drinks to go around. We will all be ready for the new year in 09 and what it has in store!

Hallowen Party 2008

This year brought new props to the mix of Halloween decorations throughtout the 4 years that I have had the annual party.

If you are not familiar with the 3 main themes I have for Halloween, they are: 1) Haunted Mansion, 2) Nightmare before Christmas, and 3) Pirates of the Carribean.

This year I had decided to make a life-size Jack Skellington and Zero from the Nightmare before Christmas. It was challenging to build a 6 foot tall Jack and that was Dawn's project. I also did a large clock that was hung in the front of the house.

This was design after the one featured in Disneyland during the Haunted Mansion Holiday where the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland is converted by Jack Skellington.

There were approximately 40 people that attended and have a great time every year. I had movies playing in the backyard and a garage that was converted into a music/dance room.

Next should be even better. I plan on doing more special effects using: animatronics and X10 electronics which provide a way to programmtically turn lights on an off and other electonic devices.

If you have any ideas for the next year I would like to hear from you!