Anchorage, Alaska for a few days

October 6, 2016Posted inBrett's Corner1 Comment

I spent a few days in Anchorage, Alaska last week. It was for business, as I had meetings with the state emergency management, but did get out for a couple good runs and a moose sighting.

If the skies are clear then the flight to and from Anchorage is probably the best part. I get great views of the southern Alaska coast and Olympics.

I did try to see the northern lights since it was a great week for viewing but missed out. A few of my coworkers were fortunate enough to view them the day after  I left.

Here are a few photos from the trip.

Views of Seattle and beyond

Ethan attains red belt in Tae Kwon Do!

October 5, 2016Posted inEthan

Last Friday, we attended Ethan’s graduation ceremony to red belt in Tae Kwon Do. During the ceremony he demonstrated his form, answered questions on what it means to be a senior student, sparred, and broke boards.

He is very committed to obtaining black belt in a couple years and worked hard the past few years to get where he is at.

We are very proud of all his efforts.

One happy boy
Building a Shed with (mostly) Reclaimed Wood

Building a Shed with (mostly) Reclaimed Wood

October 2, 2016Posted inFamily

I took a week off last August to start building my shed. Just about each weekend since then, I’ve spent a day or two trying to complete the project before the rains hit! I have another 2 or 3 days to finish the trim and ramp.

This shed is for both my wife to have an outside potting/garden area, and so I have a place to store items such as a Thule car storage box, wood, outside lawn furniture, lawnmower, and more.

The entire outside siding, flooring, and floor joists are all reclaimed wood. I helped a neighbor’s remove their 330 ft. fence last summer and have used the wood for various projects (see the cedar fence I built with it in photos below). The wood just needed a little power washing and trimming of the rotting wood ends.

There are no designs for this shed. It’s actually kind of v-shaped as one side is 4 ft. and the other is 8 ft. It’s my first shed to build and am proud of how it is turning out. It’s a labor of love. Some things I’d do differently but that’s for another time. This also also allowed me to tune my building skills before we really tackle remodeling inside the house.

Here are photos of the progress to date.

Time Flies

October 2, 2016Posted inBrett, Laura
Date night with my lovely bride tonight! 2016 on top. 2001 at Steens Mountains in SE Oregon on bottom. So many good times in between!