Random Thoughts – Page 10

Another Hop Across The Pond

It is always a little wierd… I am just starting a vacation, in a plane of folks who are ending theirs. Thus is the strangeness of living in Hawai’i. Talking in the gate with fellow passengers I get asked how was my vacation, “Don’t know yet, I am just starting out”. The reaction is always the same, a little surprise and a little envy, “Oh! you live here!” A good way to start a conversation, we all have little else to do but kill time.

Eastbound — Alaska flight 804 eastbound over the Pacific, bound for Seattle.

One part I never look forward to is the first part of the trip, the five hour hop to the mainland. This will make the third time in a month counting last months trip to visit family and attend Oregon Star Party. Four times in two months, then I stay home for a while.

The flight does not start well, a loud thud and a lurch are all we get when we should be rolling back from the gate. It seems the ground crew has broken a tow-bar. The delay turns the pilot’s promise of an early departure into a fifteen minute delay as they inspect the nose landing gear for possible damage.

This time I remebered to pack a water bottle and some munchies. A bag of cajun spiced trail mix keeps hunger at bay. At least until I can get a quick dinner in the terminal at SeaTac. That will have to do, arrival in Portland will not occur until a bit before midnight.

Overnight in Portland, a chance to have breakfast with my mother before heading to the airport and another flight. This time the destination is Juneau, flying with my Father to pick up the boat.

The tickets were booked far enough ahead that I had my choice of seats. A window seat as usual, I do enjoy the view. This time we went right over the cauldera of Haleakula. I set up the GoPro to do a timelapse using a suction cup mount in the window, it should be a nice bit of video. I hope to use the GoPro in a little creative fun, inspired by some of Mark’s latest projects.

Five hours to Seattle. Three of those hours are now gone as I write this. Two more hours in this seat. At least the inevitable crying baby is far enough forward that the screams are muffled. I look up from typing at a seemingly endless expanse of water and clouds. Pretty, but the sight of land and the end of this flight will be welcome.

Counters and Cats

Keeping the cat off the kitchen counter? Rasalhague is an obstinate cat, yell at him and he will just cock his head and seem to say “Who Me?” Extremely cute, but not effective.

Feline Boobly Trap — A stack of soda cans on the kitchen counter as a feline booby trap.

The problem, as usual, is the kitchen counter. Ras seems to think bedtime is just the time to explore what interesting things might be in the sink. Go to bed, just to hear the clinking of dishes along with his distinctive collar bell.

I could build some sophisticated cat alert, an IR beam with a loud alarm perhaps? It may come to that. In the meantime I thought of something considerably more low-tech… A stack of empty soda cans.

The cans work. The mere brush of a kitty tail brings them down with a substantial clatter that sends Ras running. The cans have the advantages of being readily available, easy to stack, make a kitty terrifying racket, and don’t hurt anything when they come crashing down.

More importantly it has worked. No cat on the counter for a week now. The cans have been tossed in the recycle bin… Until next time.

Adventures on eBay

DS1013S Delay Line — A DS1013S delay line IC photographed for an eBay sale

My big project over the last month has been cleaning out the garage. Not the easy part either, but going through the pile of electronics parts I have on hand and organizing. Part of that organization is culling out and reducing the pile, a task that must be done every few years. I have repeatedly filled the trash can beside my workbench. Scrapping or simply throwing out some of the accumulated parts and bits. Some stuff is just obsolete, some is well past any sort of reasonable shelf life, some I just do not need anymore.

There is some stuff that could have some value. Components and gear that could be sold, for that stuff there is eBay. I have eight listings active right now, and a few more I need to set up. Much of the stuff is electronic components, ICs and DC-DC converters. I am making some money from this stuff, not a lot, a few hundred dollars so far, perhaps enough to buy a few new toys.

Laundry and Cat

Basic household tasks require some re-engineering when performed in the presence of a feline. Making the bed, vacuuming, loading the dishwasher, all tasks must take into account the needs of the cat. This includes doing laundry. While the task seems straightforward, it is usually more complicated than a simple evaluation would suggest. For example, with a feline present the actual procedure for changing loads in the clothes dryer runs something like this…

Ras in the Dryer — Rasalhague inspecting the laundry

Check that load is dry
Remove cat from dryer
Remove dry laundry from dryer
Remove cat from dryer
Load wet laundry into the dryer
Remove cat from dryer
Clean lint filter
Remove cat from dryer
Visually insure cat is not in dryer
Close and start clothes dryer
Where is the other cat?

I sometimes chose to skip step #4.

In the photo you might note the large bell on Ras’ collar, this has repeatedly been a useful item, saving both us and Ras from much trouble. It has also taken a couple experiments to locate a suitably Ras resistant bell that he is unable to quickly destroy.

Living with Cats

Feline Inspection — “I see your problem right here…” Rasalhague inspecting my work while I installed a new ceiling fan in our bedroom.

A house is empty without some sort of furry residents. Living without cats for much of last year just seemed wrong to me. The house to quiet, without the life that makes it a home.

Our previous cats had moved from the mainland with us. A year ago we lost both in a short span of time. It was not really a surprise, both were older cats and had been with us for many years. But still, loosing such longtime companions was hard. It was a while before we brought new cats into the house, over three months. But eventually a pair of pound kittens from the local humane society were bouncing around our home.

Two active kittens, now young cats are quite the change from two sedentary, elderly cats. Life is quite a bit livelier around the house. We have had to kitty-proof many things that were in no danger before. Anything with a cord has to be put away, certainly not left dangling over the edge of a table or desk. So far I have had to replace two headphone cables and one Apple charging cord. At least I can easily solder a new cord into something.

Any small creature that ventures into the house is in mortal danger. Cockroaches? Large ants? Played with until dead and then eaten. Geckos foolish enough to use the floor? Now tailless. We have not yet encountered a centipede, something I worry about a bit. The monsters we have around here can be six inches long and pack a serious sting.

Having my feet attacked under the bed covers, a streak of grey fur wizzing past as I sit at the kitchen table, being greeted at the door when returning from work, a cat curled up beside me, purring as I read the daily news… These are the things I enjoy, and really do not want to be without.

200,000

Another large, arbitrary number… I have rolled the odometer on my 1995 Ford Explorer past 200,000 miles. It occurred when driving back from counting whales along the Akoni Pule highway north of Kawaihae.

Two Hundred Thousand Miles — The odometer of my Ford Explorer at 200,000 miles

When I bought this vehicle it was the first vehicle I had ever purchased new. I took delivery with eleven miles showing on the odometer. It seems so odd to consider 200,000 miles. I try to remember all of the wonderful memories of those two hundred thousand miles… Old mining roads in Arizona, dozens of star parties with the back packed with telescopes and gear, driving past sandstone arches in Utah, snow and ice covered highways, parked underneath a Saguaro cactus having lunch among desert wildflowers, the back heaped with wet scuba gear on a Hawaiian beach, a sunset atop Mauna Kea.

I remember worrying when I bought the vehicle, $23,000 was a lot of money to me back then, would I get to use the vehicle enough to make it worthwhile. Would I end up wrecking the vehicle in the first year? Would it be stolen or experience some horrible break down? Two hundred thousand miles later I can answer that question.

Science Fair Season

School science fair season is here! As an engineer, it is wonderful to see school kids doing science and engineering tasks. I enjoy going to see what the students have come up with and giving a little of my time to support science and engineering education.

In the past two weeks I have served as a judge for two science fairs, Parker School and Kanu o ka ‘Āina. Parker is a private school in Waimea with a well deserved reputation for excellence. Kanu is a charter school with a heavy emphasis on Hawaiian culture. Both schools make a special effort with science fairs, expecting their students to participate and go on to the county and state wide competitions.

As usual, the projects are quite the mix. Some projects are simply the usual stuff, variations on the standard projects one can find posted to the internet, standard fodder for science fairs nationwide. Not that I totally disapprove of these common projects, students can gain valuable experience when performing any good experiment, even one done many times before. It is all in the execution.

One difference you really find here in Hawai’i, is a heavy emphasis on Hawaiian culture and special problems unique to the islands. This leads to unique experiments that address local issues. Propagation of native plants, alternative energy, permaculture, issues that have a direct connection with island life. Some student explore aspects of native Hawaiian technology. I was particularly impressed by experiments in traditional dye mordants examining the effectiveness and permanency of various mordants with tumeric dye and cotton cloth.

The results are likewise quite the mixture. Experiments that result in good success, to others that do not fair so well. Looking at a growth chart with all zeros in the data table I was forced to ask… “did the plants just not grow?” …”They all died.” Still, failures can be just as good learning experiences as success, sometimes better. I am always impressed by a student who admits failure and can explain what went wrong.

Some of the students I graded will go on to the regional competitions, I expect some will do quite well. Good luck!

Postcard from Hawaii – Guava Jam

My mother made jam all the time when I was growing up. She still does, I am just not home to enjoy the product very often. I remember a basement with shelves and shelves of preserves. We enjoyed the bounty of summer all through the grey days of winter.

When I was home recently I was somewhat chastised by seeing jars of homemade strawberry jam. It was delightful on the morning toast. Sitting at the kitchen table, helping my mother to destroy the newspaper crossword.

Faced with a bucketful of guava from my own tree there really was no choice. I set about slicing them up for the pot. I mostly remember how to do this, my mother made sure her sons were educated in the basic household skills, to her mind this included canning. I even have the needed tools and a stash of jars and lids.

The trick with guava is seed removal, this requires a few moments in the blender then straining through a screen colander. I have never done guava before, thus the results are a bit uncertain. I referenced a half dozen recipes across the web and noted the basic proportions they had in common. All the recipes I found require no pectin, thus I added none.

All of the jars sealed successfully, so maybe I do know what I am doing. We shall see…

Making Guava Jam — Making a batch of guava jam on the stovetop

Back from Alaska

The Nordic Quest is now moored in Anacortes for the winter. We had a great time bringing her down the inside passage. Leaving Juneau on September 1st and arriving Anacortes on September 18th, plenty of time for a little exploring here and there. We got in a little fishing along the way as well, arriving with all the freezers full of salmon, halibut and crab.

You want to hear about the trip? All the fun details? You will have to head over to NordicQuest.com! The hours and days of cruising provide ample opportunity to pull out the iPad and write. There are descriptions of the fishing, the adventures and useful notes on each harbor and anchorage we used for the trip.

I shot 1,843 photographs during the voyage, about 43Gb of photos. This does not count the thousands of timelapse photos and dozens of video clips. The best of these photos are now posted as photos of the week, scheduled from this week through next summer.

In the meantime I have neglected Darker View. Time to return to the islands in both body and imagination. I have more explorations planned for the fall, time to put those plans into motion.

My Mother’s Garden

I am always amazed when arriving at the house, as long as it is summer, the garden is spectacular. Roses, fireweed, mums, lilies, rhododendron, and so many flowers I do not know, a riot of color greets the eye. Among the flowers less colorful, but no less beautiful plants, in particular an array of hostas fill every available corner. Then there are those plants chosen not for looks but for the produce, tomatoes, green beans, blueberries, potatoes, and several varieties of herbs. Every meal seems to feature a little something from the yard.

She is not alone… In the old Larelhurst neighborhood of Portland, the bar is set high. Every block hosts one or two gardens that you just have to stop and enjoy. These are streets that just invite slow walks on a warm summer’s eve.

The garden is a delight and at the same time makes me feel inadequate. My own yard comes nowhere close, the few flowers and fruit trees just do not measure up to this impressive product of the gardener’s art. I will just have to go a little further when I get home, perhaps another planting, another stone wall. I have a long ways to go.