Cadbury update and last Harry Potter book (not a spoiler)

Not much happening around here so thought I would post an update on how Cadbury the duck is taking to his new pond. After a week, he seems to have gotten over his fear, and is now using the pond to drink out of and swim in. To be honest, I'm not sure if it's the passage of time that did it or the fact that it is now nasty and dirty and smells like a real pond now. To help remedy the nasty factor I am going to check out a pond pump. This will keep the water circulating so it doesn't get too dirty and begin to attract mosquitoes. So hopefully he will continue to enjoy his pond and keep clean now. He was starting to get smelly before he started bathing in the pond.

Well, I finished the last Harry Potter book. I guess I like them because they remind me of the Hardie Boys and Nancy Drew mystery books (just with a little magic thrown in) I read in elementary school. If you haven't read them I would recommend them as fun enjoyable reading. Statistics show that the average American man never reads a full book again after they complete HS. Well, this is a good way to read easy and fun books and alter statistics at the same time.

The books are fantasy and deal with magic and such so I know many people think they are evil. I read all kinds of science fiction and historical fantasy type books (I Robot, Lord of the Rings, etc) so really enjoy any fantasy or science fiction reading...specially when it is packaged in an easy to read children's book format. Anyway the last book is excellent, though it does have some interesting twists and sadness mixed in. It completed/finalized the series well and I was very happy overall with the way everything was tied up and finished off. Well done JK Rowling.

New monitor

Well, I'm still waiting for the estimates on the buildings so I can make my decision on timing and scope of the project. I have also made an offer on some adjoining land and am waiting to see what the current owners says. If I get the land it will simply give me more space around in which to plant trees and provide more privacy and the feeling of being in the country.
While I am waiting I decided to check out new monitors to see what there is out on the market now. I found a giant 42 inch TV/monitor and decided to go for it. This thing cost me less than my first 19inch monitor did 4 years ago. I've included a picture so you can see how large a 42 inch monitor is when it is sitting on an office desk. To help gauge the actual scale I left the 19 inch monitor on the desk as well. I might need to lower the monitor height a tad since I have to look up to see all of it.

On another note, Tim and Ryan went with me to the airport to try and get the Trans Am and Z-28 some driving time. I wanted to keep the fluid circulated, make sure the battery doesn't die, etc. Well, the Z-28 started up fine and drove like a champ. The TA on the other hand wouldn't start and there was a puddle of transmission fluid under the car. Jerry, Tracie, Caleb, Rex and Stacy also drove out to check out the festivities. We spent about 2 hours trying to get the TA to start without any luck. We then disconnected the huge stereo/amp in that thing and connected up a battery conditioner to see if we could get the batter back to life. I'll check on it in a few days to see if I need a new battery or if this one had just lost too much power to even be jumped off. I also plan to take some trans fluid to refill the transmission to the proper level.

Hangers and Houses

Well I met with the Morton building guys today to see what they had in mind and what it would cost me. I guess I had companies mixed up because I thought I was going to get a price on an all steel building...but Mortons builds their structures with wooden framing and trusses with steel external sheeting. The price was quite high so I guess I'll wait to get the other two bids to see if I really want to do this or not. I really was not expecting to have to spend $100K for a giant garage/hanger when I'm not even sure if I will get to use the hanger aspect of the project.

In some ways I am tempted to build the building with an apartment in one end but there is still a side of many that is fascinated with the idea of the monolithic dome and its great efficiency and environmental qualities. Here is the link to the company where I got most of my information on monolithic domes.


http://www.monolithic.com/

My initial thought was to build a main dome that would serve as my house. I would then build covered or connected walkways to 2 or 3 additional domes that would each house a bedroom or two and a bathroom. This would allow my whole family to come and visit and stay in Sparta with each person having their own space. The garage/hanger would also serve as a giant pavilion overlooking the pond that could serve as party area/cook-out area etc. I could also use the space for a movie theater by pulling the cars out and opening up the space for chairs.

Let me know which way I should go...apartment inside the hanger or separate monolithic dome.

Cadbury and his new pond and McDonalds

Not much to report on today. I was really hoping Cadbury would take to the new pond but he seems to be hesitant to jump in. I really don't know what the deal is since when I had him a small sandbox that I filled with water he loved it and swam around all the time. But with the new larger and deeper pool he won't jump in. If anybody has a good suggestion on how to get him to not be afraid let me know. More about Cadbury... McDonalds contacted me about buying Cadbury, they are introducing a new line of Peking Duck dinners and Cadbury is big and plump and would allow them to start offering it immediately to the greater Sparta area. I'll let you know what kind of money he brings.

Speaking of McDonalds, I went to eat lunch there today for the first time in years. I have never been a big fan and never really enjoyed their burgers but when a friend told me that some of them were doing lunch there I went for the fellowship. It was similar to what I remembered but not quite as bad as I thought it would be. So, while I probably won't go again anytime soon I won't give people too much grief if they choose to eat there. For a good burger, I'd still take Hardees, Wendys, Burger King and Krystals over MickyDs any day.

Well, I met with another building contractor today and am supposed to meet with one more tomorrow. Hopefully when all the dust settles I will have a good price and will then decide whether or not I will build a hanger/garage this year or wait a little while.

Building Bid and Distance course prep

Not a lot exciting to report today. I got up late and watched a little bit of sports news this morning. Even ESPN is starting to get on my nerves with the same old garbage reporting that the regular news channels offer. It seems like it's always the scandalous and sensational stuff.

I ate lunch and then drove up towards Spencer to check out a building and speak to a gentleman about building me a large wooden framed metal building. We went over specs and decided on a building of about 48 feet wide by about 120 feet long. I think I'll have it built with a large bathroom in case I decide later to use it for my house as well. I figure even if I don't decide to live in it I will still use the restroom when people are over for a cookout or other event. I'm still going to meet with Morton's Steel tomorrow to go over details on the same type building only with metal framing as well as the metal siding. The building I hope to build won't have a raised center section like the one in the picture but will be similar in nature.

This evening I have been working on some stuff for school. I teach a class this Fall that has a new textbook so I am going over all of the distance files and updating them to reflect the new textbook as well as the new course format. I hope to have all of the details sorted out by Wednesday or Thursday and will then record a bunch of files for the course CD. I'll probably do a few short video segments as well after I check with distance program director to see when she can record them for me.

Wonderful Sunday

What a perfect Lord's day. After a wonderful service (that you can watch here if interested - http://www.fbcsparta.org/video.htm ) this morning a bunch of us (Papa Bruce and Martha, Johnie, Laura, and Megan, Johnie's mom and his sister Lisa, Mark and of course me) drove up to Cumberland Mountain State Park to eat lunch. Great fellowship and a very reasonably priced and quite good luncheon buffet. The buffet included a salad bar as well as a hot food bar that included at least 6 different meats and numerous vegetables. There was also a table with home-made pies and cakes.

After lunch we drove by the Crossville High School (The Jets) so I could check out the two airplanes they have on the school grounds. They have an old (and somewhat shaggy example compared to the picture I posted below ) T-33 as well as a newer A-4 Skyhawk in Blue Angels paint. I'd love to have a jet sitting in my front yard just for fun.

Local Youth group helps me out

Today I had the privelege of having some kids from a local church come to my house to help me out. Jessie (the wife of the youth pastor) works with me at school and she asked if I needed anything done around the house. Of course I always have plenty of work to be done...so, they came over and dug out a sidewalk and a small duck pond for me. I hope to get somebody to bring me some gravel to lay the base for the sidewalk next week and then either pave it with concrete or get some crusher run and stamp it down hard so I can roll on it. Should be a sweet back yard setup when I get it all finished. I hope to have a small pond (a real one and not the kiddie pool pictured) and a pavillion that is attached to my back deck. It should be a nice little garden area with water fall and pool right out my back door when it is all finished. If I get a chance I'll take a picture of Cadbury enjoying his new pond.

Today was also the day that my church started the Upward Football program. All of the kids came and did"try outs" to establish their skill levels and how they will be assigned to teams. This should be a great program to allow the kids to have fun and get some good exercise and most importantly allow them to hear about Jesus Christ and His incredible gift of Mercy and Grace.

Building

Well,
What can I say - 2 days in a row. If I keep this up I'll be the best blogger I know. Of course, don't get your hopes up too high.

I've been dreaming of building a house / garage and hanger on my 20 acres here in TN. I recently visited a friend who built a huge nice building and he made me want one pretty soon. The building is 50 feet wide by 125 feet long and has a huge hanger door on one end and 4 side 10ft by 12ft garage doors. It has 6000 sq ft of space under roof and man was it awesome. I'm thinking of doing about the same type building on my property. I am currently pricing buildings (both wooden framed and metal framed) for my property. I still want to build a dome house but figure the garage doesn't have to be quite as safe and wind resistant so a conventional one won't be a problem. The nice thing about the building is that I could move all of my cars/airplanes into one place and know and see all of them. I'd also put a drain and car washing system in one end of the building so I can keep all of them clean (as well as wash the airplanes). Give me feedback and more ideas on what all to include.

Today was a good day. On most Fridays a few friends including Rhino, David T, Cam, Tara, Tim and others at times meet for lunch at Pizza Hut. The gang there always treats us right and we have lots of good fellowship and fun. I then went to the airport and then back to the house to work on my new course for the Fall semester. I also called a few building dealers and should have some pricing information early next week. I then met some friends for dinner. A great Friday here in TN.

The Beginning

Well, welcome to my blog. This is a first and I guess we'll see if I have the discipline to keep it going. A few of my friends have blogs and some are better at keeping them current than others. I guess if you live apart from family and friends it offers more motivation to keep the blog active and updated.

I returned from a trip to Huntsville excited about a new airplane possibility. I went to visit a friend of mine, Carl Flemons, and to see his new hanger/house and project airplane. He is building a BD4 airplane and has completed much of the fuselogue and landing gear components. It is a high wing aircraft that seats 4 with a range of almost 1000 miles at speeds in excess of 200 mph (~185-190 KIAS) all with a 210hp engine. I've heard of speeds close to 260mph with a 300hp engine. Call me Thomas but I'd have to see it to believe it ... but man that would be nice.
As always the major hurdle for a person in a wheelchair is the difficulty of entry and exit. Carl is working on plans for possible lift/slide intermediate seat that might allow someone to transfer from a wheelchair to the lowest seat and then transfer up and into the airplane. I guess as long as we can arrive at a light and easily accomplishable method I will be very tempted to buy this aircraft. I'll keep you updated as I keep looking at aircraft options. I currently fly a small Titan Tornado S and it is fun and effective for local flying but not real good for cross country type flying.