June 30, 2006
Monster Sander
The floor's view of the belt sander we used to sand the edges and anywhere else we couldn't reach with the big drum sander. At right is a shot of the sander in full profile. This little machine is a monster b/c it still works like a charm after who knows how many years. I have no clue of the vintage of this sander, but it's easily 40 or more years old. I think it looks pretty cool, too. My dad let me borrow it for this job. He's got all sorts of wonderful toys like this, which works out pretty well for me when I have a crazy idea like refinishing my floors.
June 29, 2006
Naked Wood
The freshly-sanded floors in our new living room. Long story short, the floors were pretty messed up (scarred and stained, etc.) so we decided it would be easier to refinish them before we moved in than at any other time. So last weekend we sanded like fiends and breathed more sawdust than any person should ever have to breathe. This weekend we plan to apply sealant and polyurethane and then we'll have new floors! No stain, thanks. We like the lighter wood color.
If you have any advice for applying the finish to a floor like this, please share!
June 28, 2006
I-90 Sunset
The sun sets below a line of hills on I-90 about halfway between Billings and Missoula. I'm getting a little too familiar w/this drive. It's pretty and I actually enjoy it—even if I do have to listen to bar review lectures for 5 hours. Maybe that's actually why I like it—it's about my most productive study time!
June 27, 2006
Western Hip Hop Wear & Tack
Two storefronts side-by-side in downtown Billings, MT. Where else are you going to see something like this?
If the Western Wear shop looks empty, that's b/c it is. I'm not sure if it moved or just closed down. Maybe it just couldn't compete w/Classic Kicks.
June 26, 2006
June 25, 2006
Makoshika
A bit of the badlands in Makoshika State Park just outside of Glendive, MT. “Makoshika” is the Lakota Sioux word for “badlands.”
June 24, 2006
The Top?
The top of Mt. Sentinel from the point where I turned around. I'm pretty sure this was the real top and not a false summit b/c I could see a windsock there amid the trees. You can't see it in the picture, but trust me, it was there.
June 23, 2006
June 22, 2006
Sentinel Lupine
Lupine blooms on Mt. Sentinel w/Missoula in the background. At right is another lupine-like flower from the same hike, but can lupine be yellow? Maybe, but this yellow plant is probably Common Toadflax. Despite its humble name, it apparently has many medicinal qualities. “The plant is especially valued for its strongly laxative and diuretic activities.” Good to know.
June 21, 2006
Sold!
L's cute little house. As of today she is officially a homeowner! Congratulations, L!
I think if I'm nice she'll let me live w/her for a reasonable rent, but I'll probably have to be on my best behavior. It looks like the rent is going to include watering the lawn and refinishing the floors for starters. I still dream of a solar powered attic office, but that's going to have to wait a while...
Today is also the summer solstice. Maybe this should be called “Solstice House.”
June 20, 2006
M-Trail
Looking East over the shoulder of Mt. Sentinel from the level of the “M” itself. Click the thumbnail at right for a zoomed view of I-90 and the canyon leading into Missoula as seen from the same point.
The “M” Trail continues up to the top of Mt. Sentinel from the “M” itself; the hike gets progressively more challenging above the “M” to the point where near the top it's very slow going. The trail also gives you lots of false summits so you'll think you've reached the top at least half a dozen times before you do. I didn't actually make it to the top so I'll have to try again soon...
June 19, 2006
June 18, 2006
June 17, 2006
Spike
A railroad spike on the tracks just east of Missoula. At right is the view down the tracks toward town. If you follow the Kim Williams Nature Trail to its end and keep going on the short singletrack trail that heads up to the right, this is about where you'll end up.
June 16, 2006
Missoula Sunset Reflection
The view from my window a few evenings ago. I don't know what that body of water is but I've seen fly fishers pull little fish out of it, whatever that means. I don't think I've ever seen any of those fishers actually keep one of those fish. But the view from my window in this student housing room is not bad—especially when the sunset is so bright. I took this picture about a dozen times hoping that I would be able to capture some of the color in the sky, but for some reason the sky always came out overexposed and washed out and all the color is in the reflection. I bet there would have been a way to get both, but I'd need to be a smarter photographer to do that.
The thumbnail picture at right shows the view from the front window of my apartment. Those clouds have been pretty common since I've been here. I think it's rained every day. Missoula sits in a deep valley so I imagine it gets weather like this quite a bit. All that rain makes everything very green. Did I mention it's a beautiful place?
June 15, 2006
Aspen Trunk
Looking up the trunk of one of the aspen trees in my mom's front yard. Aspen are pretty trees that do not grow in the Eastern U.S. They are also unusual in that each group of trees shares a root system, so that you might have 100 trees on a hillside and if you dug down you'd find they were all connected to the same roots.
June 14, 2006
When is L coming home?
Sisu whines at the camera b/c she misses her pack leader. That makes two of us!
June 13, 2006
BarBri Books
The stack of BarBri books that became my constant companions last week. Imagine being tested for three days on the material in these books. Doesn't it sound like fun? Of course, at least part of what you see here is not material to learn but questions to practice on. Plus, everyone says you don't need to learn all the material—you need to learn the basics and then learn test-taking strategies. I'm trying to remind myself that it's actually kind of fun to get this review and even to be learning some things I never learned in law school. Yeah, this is fun. Really. (If you say a thing enough will it become true? It hasn't worked for the President...)
June 12, 2006
Missoula Drive
I-90 coming down out of the mountains just west of Missoula. The drive from Billings is long (at least 5 hours), but definitely beautiful.
June 11, 2006
Lotsa Boxes
The bulk of our possessions sitting in boxes in my mom's garage. If all goes well, we'll have a new house to move these things into in just over a week.
June 10, 2006
Where's L?
Sisu keeps a lookout in case L. should arrive. L. is spending a couple of weeks w/her family in MI so Sisu is anxious to see her again. I've said it before and I'll say it again, L. is the leader of Sisu's pack. (I miss her, too!)
June 09, 2006
Ethnic Aisle
The aisle marker in a Billings supermarket. It struck me as funny b/c what does “ethnic” mean? Non-white? Maybe I just never noticed it before, but are signs like this common in supermarkets nationwide, or are they more common in areas whose populations are not very diverse?
June 08, 2006
My Stool
The stepstool my uncle made for me and my sister when we were kids. My dad still uses this in his kitchen.
June 07, 2006
June 06, 2006
Do Not Approach Wildlife
A sign at the Theodore Roosevelt National Park on the western edge of North Dakota. I stopped here for a break on my drive and was reminded that Teddy R. was quite the outdoorsman—a buffalo-killer, even. He apparently fell in love with the “bad lands” and set aside many acres of them for a national park. I also thought it was fitting juxtaposition to the bison in D.C.
June 05, 2006
Dog Is My Copilot
Sisu sleeps the seat of the truck beside me. The shot at right shows her in another common sleeping position.
One of the really great things about our dog is what a great car traveller she is. She gets pretty antsy and anxious when you start packing up in preparation for a trip, but once you get her in a vehicle moving at a regular pace, she's out like a light. And she'll sleep for hours and hours. If you stop, she wants out, but as soon as you're back on the road, she's back asleep. I think our 24-hour marathon drive sort of pushed her to the limit of her ability to sleep, though. In the last couple of hours she was just laying there but her eyes weren't always closed.
June 04, 2006
Impact Wrench
The impact wrench Mr. Tire Man in Mandan, ND, used to remove and replace my trailer wheel. As you can see from the pic at right, the tire was shredded. I looked back in my rearview mirror just as I was picking up speed to leave Bismark at about 4 a.m. when I looked in the rear-view mirror and saw sparks flying from the tire. I pulled over immediately and found that the tire had lost most all of its rubber but was still holding air. I could see an exit about a mile up the road so I turned on the flashers and headed in at about 20 mph. In about a half mile I heard a “pop” that I assume was the tire blowing b/c when I finally got to the exit and the truck stop there the tire had great big gaping holes in it.
That truck stop didn't sell tires so I had to limp back into Mandan, a suburb of Bismark, about 12 miles back the way I'd come. There I found a tire store that opened at 8 a.m. so I parked and waited. Once its doors opened, I was out of there in less than 10 minutes. Awesome. Thank you Mr. Mandan Tire Man!
Of course, now Budget doesn't want to pay me for the tire. Apparently I was supposed to call a roadside assistance number so Budget could take care of a problem like that, but no one ever told me that so I just fixed it and figured I'd be reimbursed. We're still in negotiations, but it's something to remember in the future—if your rental truck/trailer breaks down, do not fix it yourself!
June 03, 2006
Lucy Lick
A blurry shot of my cousin's dog, Lucy, saying hello. I took another shot of her in profile so you can get a better idea of what she looks like—a cute little Shi-Tzu. Very lively, very affectionate, loves to be held and given attention. Small dogs are cool b/c they can't really damage people or things. While we were inside saying hi to Lucy and talking, our big monster dog was in the backyard killing the flowers and threatening to claw holes in the window screens. She wasn't being malicious, she's just big enough to do damage w/out meaning to. Of course, we love her anyway.
June 02, 2006
jesUSAves
A banner in the back window of a truck on I-70 somewhere in Ohio. The soaring eagle, the stars and stripes, and the salvation of Jesus all wrapped organically and inextricably around the U.S.A.—just as they should be, of course. Stephen Colbert, you totally need to add this to your show!
June 01, 2006
Sunset On D.C.
The setting sun creates a silhouette along Connecticut Ave near the intersection of Columbia. This seemed a fitting farewell image to the city that was our home for three years. (We drove out of town yesterday, May 31, 2006.)
Even though I loved to complain about the place I know I will miss it. Thank you, D.C. for three great years!