Fire Pit made from junk

I have been going to my local garbage dump every weekend for the past three months trying to find something to make a DIY fire pit out of.  I like having fires in the evening as I wind down from work with a Jack and coke, and so the kids can roast marshmallows and make smores.  It gives me a chance to work on my fire skills, and is very enjoyable.

I wasn't sure exactly what I was looking for but was sure I would recognize it when I saw it.  This weekend the wife asked me to head to the store in the evening to pick up a Redbox movie and grab some wine for her - so I decided to hit the garbage dump to see if there was anything I could grab and I found these.

It was the top to what looked like an old George Foreman-type grill.

This is a car rim that is the perfect size for a fire pit.

Here it is set on top of a couple cinder blocks and the grill top.

Works GREAT!!!!

~tumtum73~

New fence to save my dogs... and neighbors.

About a year ago a part of the fence in my back yard was falling down from some of the posts being rotted out. Around the same time my wife and I decided that since our kids were older and no longer played on the play set we had, we decided to give it away to make room for some additional garden beds.  We posted an ad on Craigslist for someone to come pick it up for free.  Since the fence was falling down anyway and we were getting rid of the play set, I decided to take the fence down to make it easy for someone to put the play set on a truck or trailer and haul it away.I knew I would eventually have to rebuild the fence but kept putting it off.

A few weeks ago I witnessed my dogs run from our backyard, across the street, and try to attack a 5 year old little boy, Logan, for no reason.  I have no issue with dogs protecting their domain (house, yard, kids, etc) but this was not a protection posture. In speaking with his dad, my neighbor John - he indicated that the dogs had attacked him previously and he had to hit the dogs to get them to back off.

I apologized profusely and made a decision that two things needed to be done.

1. I need to rebuild the fence.
2. I need to get the dogs trained to not randomly attack people.

The fence was the immediate need so that Friday evening after work I ran to Lowes to purchase what I thought I needed.  Let me start off by saying that while the rest of my family is very good with their hands - I am a geek and have never really done anything construction related.  So building a fence for me was intimidating.  I'm sure my brother and cousins will be making fun of me (if they see this) because this kind of thing is nothing to them but to me this was uncharted territory.

So I created a list because well that's how geeks who are organized work.

3 - 8 ft Pressure Treated 4x4's (posts)
2 - 50 lb bags of Qickreet
7 - 8 ft Pressure Treated 2 x 4's (rails)
20 - fence pickets (pickets)
50 - 3 1/2" Deck Screws
125 - 2" Deck Screws
Post Level

I get to Lowes and I see a cart that has almost all of this stuff on it and I'm thinking, someone else is building a fence too.  I start running down the aisles inventorying where everything is and adding aisle numbers and prices to my list so I can evaluate how much this is going to cost and grab everything in one shot.  I'm having trouble finding the pickets but I know I saw them on that other cart so they have to be here.  I notice that the cart I saw earlier is still sitting there, at least 30 mins later.  I ask an attendant if that is someone's cart?  He says no those are returns and I can help myself to it.  I grab the cart, take a few things off that I don't need, grab the couple things I did need and was out 10 mins later.  Awesome!

I woke up Saturday morning and started laying things out.  Below is the before picture from three different angles.  You can see I was laying out the posts to envision how it was going to go together and ensure I had enough materials.

After measuring everything out I realized that I needed about 30 more pickets and a couple more rails. So I headed back to Lowes for the additional stuff and got started.

This picture shows the feeble wire fence I put up to keep the dogs in.  This was an epic failure.

I dug the first hole, put the post in and poured quickreet in the hole then poured some water in the hole and used a stick to mix it up.  Then I used some old 2 x 4's that I had to stabilize the post in place after leveling with the post level.

Same for the second post.

Here, I had my daughter take a pic with me in it. Was a long day but I was glad to get this process started.  Believe it or not I had actually lost about 35 lbs over the past few years, it's hard to tell in this pic. :(

The next day (Sunday) it snowed like crazy so I got nothing done.  I left the posts in the ground and stabilized and hoped for better weather on Monday (I was off work for MLK day).

Monday was cold, about 20 degrees, but workable, you can see the snow on the ground still.  All three posts are in and stabilized - the quickreet is solid so I begin the process of removing the stabilizers and building the fence.

The first rails are on - I didn't do a great job of placing the posts the proper distance from each other so I had to offset the second rail lower than the other two.  I don't see it as a big deal but pros will probably call it a rookie mistake (I can accept that).

All three of the rails on before lunch and it's starting to look like a fence.

Here is a close up of how I had to put the rails on.  I didn't think cutting a few inches off the rail so they would fit side by side was worth the hassle, the offset seemed to be a better solution.  Time will tell.

Starting to put the picket on.  I cut each board to length to ensure the top of the fence was the same height and to account for the varying ground level.

So I was 5 pickets short...  being a geek it was very frustrating to realize that I had miscalculated and was not be able to finish the job.  However, I think the fence looks great and the wife loved it (that's the most important part).  You can see the outdoor rabbit cage on the right side of this picture below that I placed in that corner to ensure the dogs couldn't get out for a few days until I could get 5 more pickets.

About a week later and I got the 5 pickets up.  The fence is done and it looks great.

All in all it was a great experience that really built my confidence in these types of projects.  I need to do them more often so I can improve my skill set and get some more things done.

Now I need to get to training those dogs better.

Thanks,
-tumtum-

Geocaching... A geeky hobby.

I recently learned of an activity called geocaching which consists of using a Global Positioning System (GPS) to find hidden "caches" that people place all over the globe and publish the coordinates on web sites for people to find.  A cache typically includes a log book at a minimum so people can document that they found it.  Geocaching.com is the home of this amazing hobby - it was created on May 3rd 2000 by Dave Ulmer, a computer consultant, who wanted to test the accuracy of GPS by hiding a navigational target in the woods and posted it in an internet GPS users' group. The idea was simple: Hide a container out in the woods and note the coordinates with a GPS unit.  He placed his own container, a black bucket, in the woods near Beavercreek, Oregon, near Portland. Along with a logbook and pencil, he left various prize items including videos, books, software, and a slingshot.

Within a few days a few readers used their GPS units to find the container and post their experience online. Within months people were hiding their own containers and sharing the coordinates and geocaching.com was born.

Containers

Containers vary in size from Micro to Large containers.

• Micro - Less than 100ml. Examples: a 35 mm film canister or a tiny storage box typically containing only a logbook or a logsheet. A nano cache is a common sub-type of a micro cache that is less than 10ml and can only hold a small logsheet.
• Small Cache Size Icon Small - 100ml or larger, but less than 1L. Example: A sandwich-sized plastic container or similar.
• Regular Cache Size Icon Regular - 1L or larger, but less than 20L. Examples: a plastic container or ammo can about the size of a shoebox.
• Large Cache Size Icon Large - 20L or larger. Example: A large bucket.

What is in a geocache?

As mentioned earlier, at a minimum there is a log book of some type that geocachers can sign with a date/time to "document" that they found the cache.  For larger cache containers people sometimes put trinkets like unique buttons or keychains.  I have seen some geocachers print up business cards with their contact info and geocaching.com userid so the cache owner can contact them.  Finally a unique item that you may find in geocaches are trackables which are discussed below.

Trackables

Trackables take many forms, from metal plates to coins or buttons, but what they are essentially is an item that has a tracking code on it.  A person will purchase or be given one as a gift and they will register it on a web site to report it's location, a goal the owner wants to accomplish, and track it's movement.  The owner will place the trackable in a geocache in close proximity to them (let's say in Virginia), then post on the site that they want to get this trackable to Paris, France and back.  Someone who finds the geocache with the trackable in it may be on vacation from Florida so they take that trackable home, report on the trackables web site that they have it, then place it in another geocache in Florida somewhere and report that location on the trackable web site.  This way the owner knows it moved to another location.  Someone in Florida may be going to Naples, Italy - maybe they are military and getting stationed there - they pick up the trackable from the cache in Florida and report on the web site that they are transferring it to Italy.  Another geocacher in Italy is taking a trip to France and grabs it from the geocache in Italy...  you get the point, and so on until it gets back to the owner.

Common Terms (copied from Geocaching.com)

BYOP - Bring Your Own Pen/Pencil. An acronym often used by cache owners to communicate to other geocachers that you will need to bring your writing utensil in order to sign the cache logbook.

CITO - Cache In Trash Out is an ongoing environmental initiative supported by the worldwide geocaching community. Since 2002, geocachers have been dedicated to cleaning up parks and other cache-friendly places around the world. Learn more at www.geocaching.com/cito.

DNF - Did Not Find. An acronym used by geocachers to state that they did not find a cache. This is also a type of online log on Geocaching.com and is useful for alerting cache owners of potential issues. Cache owners who repeatedly receive "Did Not Find" logs should check to see that there cache has not been removed.

FTF - First to Find. An acronym written by geocachers in physical cache logbooks or online when logging cache finds to denote being the first to find a new geocache.

GPS - GPS stands for Global Positioning System. It is a system of satellites that work with a GPS receiver to determine your location on the planet. For more information on GPS, FAQs.

Ground Zero (GZ) - The point where your GPS device shows that you have reached the cache location. At Ground Zero, you are zero feet (or zero meters) away from your destination.

Muggle - A non-geocacher. Based on "Muggle" from the Harry Potter series, which is a non-magical person. Usually this term is used after a non geocacher looks puzzled after befriending a geocacher searching for a cache, or when a non-geocacher accidentally finds a cache. Geomuggles are mostly harmless.

TFTC - Thanks For The Cache. An acronym written by geocachers in physical cache logbooks or online when logging cache finds.

TFTH - Thanks For The Hide

TNLN - Took Nothing. Left Nothing. Usually written in cache logbooks by geocachers who do not trade for material contents in a cache.

TNLNSL / TNSL - Took Nothing. Left Nothing. Signed Logbook / Took Nothing. Signed Logbook.

Why Geocache?

The hobby of geocaching has really taken off and people have begun to sponsor events where large groups of geocachers get together to enjoy each others company, share experiences techniques, as well as pass around trinkets they find unique.  Often these events center around a common theme like cleaning up a beach or park area or fixing trails in a secluded area.  Being the fist to find (FTF) a cache is an honor many geocachers take very seriously.  Some people like to generate a coded sequence to find their caches or setup multicaches where the first cache you find is a clue to the second/third/fourth, etc.

The bottom line is it is something fun to do and a way to meet other people with similar interests.

Give it a try, I'm sure there is one in your local area that you pass by everyday and don't even know it.

-tumtum-

Lordy, Lordy, I'm turning 40

In a few weeks I will be turning 40 and have started to analyze what I am considering the "first half of my life".  On the bright side, I can say that I have accomplished allot and have tons of great memories and friends to show for it.

Before I go too far let me thank my wonderful parents - I would not be the person I am today without their love and support.  Thanks Mom and Dad!

To my lovely wife, I have spent almost half of my time on this earth with you, building a family, and I look forward to many more.

Some highlights:

Won Rhode Island State High School Football Championship (Portsmouth High School Class of 1992)

Played All-Marine Rugby (Pensacola, FL - 1997)

Played Rugby in Australia with the Gladstone GRUFS (awesome experience)

Traveled to six foreign countries (Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Australia, Kuwait, and Iraq)

Learned to scuba dive in Okinawa, Japan

Participated in several dive trips in Australia at the Great Barrier Reef.

Spent a year in a war zone in Baghdad, Iraq and came home safely.

By comparison to some of my friends and colleagues, I have accomplished allot.

My early life has been focused on having fun, travelling, studying and learning a profession.  I started delivering newspapers in grade school, moved to stocking shelves when I got my license and car, then joined the Marine Corps when I graduated High School.  All of these jobs have lead me to my current exceptional career in information technology that allows me to take care of my family - I consider that mission accomplished for a career.

Now I want to expand my interests into activities that will enhance my lifestyle.  I keep a Bucket List, where I maintain a list of things I want to accomplish before I die.  Some examples are listed below.

 Learn to Dance
 Run a Marathon
 Go Hiking/Backpacking
 Write a book
 Have family Disney vacation (completed in April)
 Camping with family
 Learn Permaculture Design
 Take CPR Course
 Obtain a Concealed Carry Permit
 Purchase a handgun for EDC

I hope to continue posting interesting things I discover in my journey and contribute my experiences to the internet as a whole.

I'm back!! No idea for how long.

I started this blog in 2007 without any idea of what to really do with it or what I wanted out of it.  I picked a catchy name that I liked and wrote a couple articles, then I lost interest and it died.

I'm not sure what I expected but apparently it wasn't all I thought it would be.  I'm going to attempt to pick up where I left off four years ago and see if I can generate at least one post per week to see how it goes.  I don't really have a direction I want to take it at this time but I know it will be technology-centric with a focus on Windows automation and scripting sprinkled with dry humor and geeky sentiment.

I look forward to feedback from the few who may stumble onto my electronic rambling thoughts.