Children

Motor Trend Auto Show

January 20, 2012 by rickety 1 Comment

On Monday I stopped by Motor Trend’s Auto Show in Sandy. My sons Paul and Jake wanted to see it so I went along. In the time I was there, I wasn’t approached once by any salespeople (a positive) and I was able to check out a lot of new autos. I was interested in Jeeps and any alternative fuel vehicles.

The Nissan Leaf was interesting but with a 100 mile range it didn’t work for me. I already own a natural gas vehicle with a 200 mile range which is the minimum for me. The Ford Focus Electric was on display and looks to be similar in performance to the Leaf.

Building a Giant Snowman

January 7, 2012 by rickety 6 Comments

I thought it would never snow but overnight we got several inches in Kaysville. Out came the snowman builders to construct a giant snowman. Just build him like a regular snowman but bigger. You may need some help to hoist his head so pay attention to the photographs that follow.

1. Pass the snow

2. Compact the snow

3. Lift his head

4. Secure his head

5. Use a step ladder

6. Give him a mouth

The engineers. Dan, Rachel, and Jake

Later in the day our snowman got a nose but lost his buttons.

Happy New Year

January 1, 2012 by rickety 2 Comments

Happy New Year!

Rickety signature

Father Christmas In Kaysville

December 24, 2011 by rickety 2 Comments

Father Christmas visiting the grandchildren

Father Christmas came to visit
My grandchildren this year.
But when he loudly Ho Ho Hoed
They refused to go near.

So Father Christmas skillfully
Made candy canes appear.
And with this very tasty treat
He overcame their fear.

Jill and grandchildren with Father Christmas

Jill holding Bryson and Aurora

Bryson and Santa

Photo Credit: Bryson and Santa courtesy of Jill

Then And Now

December 5, 2011 by rickety Leave a Comment

Rick and Jill 1980

Paul and Megan 2011

Kaysville Windstorm Part 2

December 4, 2011 by rickety 14 Comments

Kaysville 14th ward members turned out in force to clean up

It is not often that the Governor warns the citizens of Utah about the weather. But he did just that Saturday night when he urged residents along the northern Wasatch Front to prepare for another windstorm, forecast to begin at 5pm Sunday.

After Thursday’s windstorm, most residents have not had time to completely clean up.

In preparation, our stake president instructed wards to have their priesthood organize to remove branches and other debris that could become airborne in the approaching high winds. Accordingly, in our ward at church this morning the priesthood were asked to assemble in work clothes at 1pm. There was no asking for volunteers, it was just assumed that all able-bodied men would respond — which we did.

We collected all the green waste and took it to the Central Davis Sewer District where it will be converted to ground wood waste and mixed with biosolids, then composted and sold to the general public. It was quite the operation (follow the link for photographs), with armadas of pickups and trailers.

There were large tree trunks to deal with as well as branches

Chains saws were the weapon of choice

Sister Blair handed out hot chocolate

Dan and I, after we had finished within our ward boundaries, drove to my daughter’s home for a branch meeting. There we removed part of a tree that was entangled in the power line to her home. The power is still out from Thursday’s winds. When we had finished cutting down the branches we asked Sarah’s ward members if they would take away the debris and they immediately dispatched ten men to her backyard.

With the power still off it was a good time to clear away the branches that were stressing the power lines

Dan did most of the work under my skilled supervision

Sarah's ward had an efficient operation in progress

Ever wondered what was inside those Mormon steeples? Nothing, at least now there isn't

Mmm, I was wondering where that chair of ours ended up

Normally, Mormons view a Sunday as the sabbath day, a day to be kept holy. Occasionally, and this is the first time for me, members have to work together on a Sunday to secure their communities.

Update

The high wind warning was cancelled but some gusts did hit 40 miles per hour.

Davis County Windstorm Cleanup

December 3, 2011 by rickety Leave a Comment

Working on the roof Saturday with my four sons

Yesterday we only had two hours before dark on Steven’s roof. After helping pull out two tree stumps at our neighbor’s homes, we headed back to Layton to finish the repairs to the roof. We nailed the last shingle by 4pm.

Steven with his roof, good as new. The new shingles don't quite match but they will keep the rain out

Earlier in the day it seemed like the whole of Davis County was on the move. While driving to Layton we saw truck after truck filled with broken tree limbs. The line to the landfill, or rather the Green Waste Recycling Facility, was quite long.

A common sight all day along Highway 89

Notice the truck on the left carrying what looks like power cables, no doubt needed for repairs

Several trucks headed for the Green Waste Recycling Facility

As we headed towards the landfill there was a convoy of vehicles leaving, having shed their loads

A long line at the landfill entrance

Mark Reporting from Bountiful

Our power was out from 8am until 2am the next morning. Luckily the temperature was in the low 30s during the day and low 20s at night. We have experienced other East winds when it was below zero. I spent much of the day [Thursday] on my ham radio with emergency responders in the area, sharing information and keeping up to date on what was happening.

It was a good opportunity to test out emergency preparedness plans / equipment. Serious enough to warrant their use, but not life threatening. The Davis County Amateur Radio Emergency Service was the main communication system for cities, police departments, hospitals and other emergency responders. These are hobbyists volunteering their equipment and skills and they did a fantastic job. At one point one of the Centerville Emergency Communications Center responders was heard on the radio saying:

A big spruce fell on a neighbor’s house about 20 minutes ago. The whole neighborhood is there cutting it up right now. I love this community. In some places in this country, we would still be waiting for FEMA!

Connie surveying the damage in Bountiful

A dead tree in the cemetery

This tree was snapped off at the truck

Moving Out. Moving In.

November 26, 2011 by rickety Leave a Comment

We needed an Armada to move everything out

Moving Out

Jake and Rachel got the keys to their new house yesterday. Today we moved them out of their rented duplex and into their first home. A lot of family members turned out to help them move and I captured the historic moment for Rickety.

When it comes to moving, minivans can hold their own

There was a moment when Dan slowed to a crawl

Bryson, future Elders Quorum material

Moving In

Sold to Jake and Rachel. The sign comes with a house

Jake and Rachel are moving in. There goes the neighborhood

Moving in. Honey, I need more furniture!

Play for me, "Be it ever so huge, there's no place like home."

Jake and Rachel have been married less than a year so this still counts as carrying his bride over the threshold

Thank you everyone for helping with the move. Special recognition goes to Realtor Paula Alder for her hard work in finding Jake and Rachel a beautiful home.

Simple Water Heater Emergency Heat

November 10, 2011 by paul w 5 Comments

This year’s Halloween nor’easter has started me thinking about how to heat my apartment if the power goes out for an extended period of time.

If the water and gas are still on, one possibility is to make a simple hydronic heating system using the water heater. The basic idea is to hook a hose to the hot water faucet, run it around a room, then to a drain.

As a proof of concept I picked up a faucet to garden hose adapter and some extra hose from Home Depot. After setting up the system I turned off the furnace and went to sleep.

Table of Results

Time	Room °F	Flow Rate GPM	°F in	°F out	BTUs	Notes
10:00 pm	70.1	0.5	150	100	12,500	Max. flow water heater can sustain
10:23 pm	76.8	0.2	150	100	5,000	Reduced flow
10:27 pm	77.4	0.2	150	95	5,500
10:57 pm	79.3	0.2	150	95	5,500	Too hot, opened window and door
11:19 pm	77.5	0.1	150	90	3,000	Reduced flow, closed window and door
04:30 am	75.9	0.1	145	85	3,000

The system worked extremely well. I suspect it could easily heat two rooms.

Setup Details

Procure a dual thread for 3/4 inch hose or male 55/64 inch adapter, model number 37.0109.98, $5.95. Alternatively the hose could be attached directly to the washing machine faucet.

Attach adapter to hot water faucet. Connect hose to adapter

Spread hose around the room

Ensure there are no kinks

Drain waste water into tub

Questions?