SNOW ALREADY?

Tucson is rimmed by mountains, and the high country was where we decided to go yesterday.  There were two choices, either Kitt Peak, where the world's largest, and most diverse collection of astronomical instruments (telescopes) is located, or Mount Lemon, at the top of the Catalina Mountains, elevation a little over 9,000 feet.  We chose the later because we wanted to have lunch in the mountains, and there's no food service at Kitt Peak.

We made a couple of stops along the 25 mile road up to the top of Mount Lemon, the first being at a popular vista point where all of Tucson is visible down below.  The spectacular rock formations are worth this drive, just by themselves.

After the last rain storm a week or so ago, we could see some white stuff at the top of the Catalina Mountains, but it disappeared from our view in just a few days.  I thought the snow would all be melted, but there was still enough on the ground for Miss Laila to make a few snowballs. I guess I make a good target, because of few of those ice missiles found there way onto my back.

 

Somebody is getting ready to launch a snowball at Grandpa!

 

From the ski area, we drove a couple of miles back to the small community of Summerhaven, where we had lunch at the Sawmill Run Cafe.  About 10 years ago, a wildfire destroyed most of the homes and businesses in Summerhaven, but like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the folks have rebuilt, and there are some beautiful log homes perched on the hillsides. 

After lunch, we stopped at the Cookie Cabin, where we waited in line to purchase a couple of giant cookies.  Laila had a peanut butter cookie, and I had a chocolate chip cookie.  The wait was worth it, as these were really good cookies.  We stopped once on the way home for some more play in the snow, then headed back to the Last Chance Ranch.  I think I heard something about a Christmas Tree going up today.

TURKEY DAY

We spent a relatively quiet Thanksgiving with our loved ones, enjoying their company, some good food, and a little football on the tube.  Marc, Chandra, & Laila came out to our place, spending the afternoon, and early evening.  The added bonus for us, is that Laila is out of school until Monday, and will be staying with us through the weekend.

As is the case with most of ourThanksgiving dinners, there was plenty to eat, thanks to Patty and Chandra.  In addition to turkey, we had a pretty traditional dinner consisting of a tossed green salad, mashed potatoes, homemade gravy, green beans, carrots, homemade bread, and stuffing, finishing the meal with 3 deserts.  Yep, we were all stuffed by the time we started to clear the table. 

Miss Laila made pilgrim hats for each of us, and of course, we had to wear them for a couple of pictures.   We all gave individual thanks before the meal, and gratefulness for family was at the top of everybody's list.  Being closer to our kids, and Grand Daughter is the primary reason why we decided to move from Lake Havasu City, to Tucson, a little over a year ago.  Days like yesterday reinforced that decision ten fold.

BACK TO THE COUNTY

 Miss Snoopy likes her cat tree, and her tummy rubbed.

It was about noon when I checked the PO Box, and low & behold, the revised engineered plans for the RV shade cover had arrived.  A quick trip back to the house, where I probably would have taken a double dose of Valium if I had any, then I was off to the county building in downtown Tucson.  Thinking "what else could go wrong", I knew from past experience, that until the building permit application package was accepted by the developmental services department, I wouldn't be doing any celebrating.

On this mid afternoon day before Thanksgiving, the customer service area was eerily quiet, with hardly a soul in sight.  I couldn't help but wonder, did they know something that I didn't?  Was there a prognostication about some dude who was about to go ballistic, and everybody had cleared out before the explosion?  When my name was called, I took a couple of deep breaths, and silently vowed to keep my cool, no matter what.  I knew however, that if another roadblock was thrown in front of me, maintaining any kind of civility would probably be next to impossible.  During my last visit, before leaving, I specifically asked, "is there anything else I need to do, other than resubmit the engineered plans with the newer 2012 date"?  I was told no, that was all I needed to complete the application package. 

When I sat down with this planner, who I had not talked to before, I had to bring him up to speed on all of the hoops that I had already jumped through, including the month long MSR process.  When he looked at the engineered plans, he said "OK, we'll accept the package, and you'll be notified within the next 5 business days".  I think my blood pressure instantly dropped a few notches, while I walked out the door.  Now another waiting game begins, and with the holiday, it will be sometime next week before I either get a building permit, or some other roadblock is thrown up.  Stay tuned........

Patty and I have a lot to be thankful for, and we wish everyone a happy turkey day!

CHP MEMORIES

Back in the 1970's, the worst fear of flying in a commercial aircraft, was that you might end up in Cuba, or some other unintended destination.  Skyjacking was not uncommon, and it seemed like stories of hijacked aircraft were often in the news headlines.  In those days, the thought of a hijacker(s) flying an aircraft into a building, wasn't even on the radar screen. 

When I transferred from the L.A. area to Santa Cruz in 1973, I still had several pending court cases that had not been adjudicated.  Most of those potential court trials were either traffic tickets, or D.U.I. cases.  However, there were a few felony arrests, such as a couple of auto thefts, and a few drug busts, where the possibility of a jury trial was still on the table.  In order to save time, and costs, the minor infractions such as speeding tickets were simply dismissed, and the person taking his traffic ticket to court got a free pass.  The more serious cases required a personal court appearance by the officer, and travel of any distance within the state was often by commercial airline.

The CHP never had a mandatory policy that required an officer to be armed while off duty, or on duty in civilian clothes.  Some departments required their officers to be armed at all times.   Even though it was discretionary, most of us carried a small revolver while on duty in civilian clothing, particularly when court appearances were necessary.

The first time I had to fly back to L.A. for a court appearance, it was from the San Jose airport to LAX.  There were several additional trips back to L.A., but this first one was the one I remember most clearly.  We were required to identify ourselves to the airline when we arrived at the airport, and to disclose the fact that we were carrying a firearm.  The airline was Pacific Southwest Airways (PSA), and when I informed the agent at the gate who I was, and the fact that I was armed, I was escorted onto the plane ahead of all the other passengers.  This being my first time for what seemed like VIP treatment, I was feeling a little more important than I probably should have.  When the agent took me into the aircraft, he introduced me to the two pilots, and told them what seat I would be occupying.  I'm guessing the airline had a policy whereby the pilots would have knowledge of any law enforcement personnel on their flight, and where they were seated.  In a way, this was kind of the forerunner to the current system of armed sky marshals.

After taking my seat, the rest of the trip was pretty routine, and I returned to the L.A. area a few more times before transferring to the Los Banos office in 1975.  The last time I had to return to L.A. for a court appearance, was about 4 years after I transferred, and the protocol was pretty much the same. After 9/11, of course everything changed, and it would by my guess that airline, and law enforcement policies are much different today than they were back in the 70's.

STILL WAITING

It's been a little over a week since I called for a revised set of engineered plans that meets the Pima County building department's criteria.  Until those plans show up, the RV shade cover project is on hold, pending the arrival of the new plans and calculations.  When they do show up in our PO box, I'll be able to go back to the county, and hopefully get a building permit.  I keep using the word hopefully, which seems to be more and more synonymous with the word impossible!

In the meantime, we took a ride into town yesterday, and explored the idea of purchasing some new cabinets for the laundry room.  Both Lowes, and Home Depot had some nice unfinished cabinets that would work nicely, I just wasn't quite ready to pull the trigger.  

We've been home for a couple of months now, and the inability to get the required permit for the shade cover is frustrating, to say the least.  With the countless number of rules, regulations, ordinances, zoning laws, and a multitude of other restrictive bureaucracies, it's a wonder that anything gets built in this county.  I remember back in 1995, when we built a brand new, 2 story Harley-Davidson Dealership in Tuolumne County, CA, the process was much more user friendly.   From the building permit application, to a completed structure, the entire time frame was about 5 months.  We're now 2 months into hopefully (there's that word again) putting up a much simpler structure, and I don't even have a building permit yet.  I'm optimistic that there will be a happy ending to this saga, I just hope I'm still around to see the results!

PRE-THANKSGIVING SHOPPING

The kitty must have a need for speed.  This is one of her favorite morning spots.

I was reminded yesterday, why a trip to Costco on Sunday, 4 days before Thanksgiving, is not a good idea.  When we first pulled into the gas station, I could see that the parking lot was full, and if I had any sense, I would have filled up the truck, then drove straight back home.  But no, I found a parking space in the north 40, and like a herd of cattle, joined in the stampede to find all of the goodies for the special dinner coming up on the 28th.  The one piece of good news is that regular gas is still under 3 bucks a gallon.

   

After a very short period of time, I told Patty "let's get outa here".  Trying to navigate around the hoards of people, particularly those that seem to think sampling the latest and greatest cracker, taquito, or meatball,  exempts them from completely blocking the aisle way.  There were a couple of times when I felt like converting my shopping cart into a battering ram, just to continue being part of the stampede.  When the checkout clerk asked if I had found everything, my reply was "yep, and a whole bunch of people". 

When one of our smoke detectors started chirping every minute, two nights ago at 12:30am, I discovered that we didn't have any 9 volt batteries.  That was the purpose of the Costco run, but in hindsight, a quick trip to Walgreen's would have been the much better choice.

TRAINS AND FIRETRUCKS

As would seem obvious, the two don't mix very well.  While checking the PO Box the other day, I heard the approaching siren, then it abruptly stopped as I was pulling out onto the road.  Just a short distance from the post office, traffic was stopped at one of Vail's two railroad grade crossings.  When the fire/rescue truck pulled into the left lane before the train passed, I thought for a second that it was going to attempt to go around the crossing gates ahead of the train.  Just as that idea entered my mind, the trains locomotives reached the intersection, and the fire truck was stuck with the rest of us.

I'm guessing that with the volume of railroad traffic through our community, this sort of thing happens with some sort of regularity.  I know that Patty and I occasionally get stuck, waiting for a train to pass by, but we're hardly ever in a huge hurry, so it's not a big deal for us.   I hope the call for fire/rescue in this case wasn't a life threatening situation, because this truck was delayed for several minutes.  Hmmmm, I wonder if the railroad has ever been sued because one of their trains held up an ambulance, or a fire/rescue rig.  With the ever increasing number of frivolous lawsuits filed every year, I certainly wouldn't be surprised.  During my career in traffic law enforcement, I investigated a few train versus vehicle collisions, and one thing was never in doubt........the train always wins!

ANOTHER DELAY

When the engineered drawings and calculations for the RV house didn't show up at our PO Box yesterday, I called the building company back in Arkansas.  Assuming (never do that) the only thing that had to be changed, was the engineers prevailing code from 2009 to 2012, I thought that after my phone call on Monday, it would just be a few days for the revised plans to get here.  Wrong!  The gal in Arkansas checked with the contract engineer, and evidently the 2012 code changed some stuff, so the plans have to be redone, and the time frame for redelivery is the normal 2 weeks.

Based on that estimate, plus the fact that the Thanksgiving Holiday is just around the corner, it's probably going to be another 2 weeks before I'll be able to go back to the county, and apply for a building permit.  In the meantime, we're sitting through our first rain storm since returning from Alaska, and the new rain gutters, along with the some recent landscaping, are both diverting water nicely away from the house.

We have a one week reservation at the Thousand Trails RV park in Las Vegas, beginning on Dec 9th, but I'm pretty sure that's going to get canceled.  We wanted to stay in Vegas during the National Finals Rodeo, but it looks like that date will very likely conflict with the ongoing, never ending, attempt to put up a shade cover building for the motor home.  We're going to wait until early December, then decide for sure whether to cancel, or go. 

BEFORE & AFTER

A few more boards on the steps, with a finishing touch of deck paint, and that project is in the history books.  Now, if I ever get the RV shade cover built, the transition from the house, to the front door of the motor home, is a whole lot better than it was.  Originally, I thought I would be doing these steps after the metal building was up, but because of the various roadblocks, the time frame for construction has been extended considerably.  The updated engineered plans didn't show up in the mail yesterday, but if they do today, I'll probably have another elevated blood pressure experience this afternoon at the county building.

 Before

After

The first rain since we returned home in late September, began to fall at about 5am this morning, with more predicted for the next couple of days.  It might be time to head indoors, and work on some other back burner projects,

DIVERTING WATER & SAVING IT

The 20 stackable blocks that I picked up the other day at Lowes just about finished the little wall at the bottom of the steps.  I still need about 10 more, and that job will be finished.  Most of the rain water that drains off the back half of the house, and the deck cover, will now run past the steps, instead of pooling in that area.  I still have to put up 6 kick boards on the steps, paint the whole thing, and move on to the next project.

As water users go, Patty and I don't use a whole lot, but I decided quite some time ago, that saving a little bit of rainwater might not be a bad idea.  I checked out all of the rain barrels on ebay, Amazon, and settled on the one pictured from WalMart.com.  It holds 50 gallons, can be connected to a series of collectors, and will serve as a source of water for container plants at the front of the house.  It came yesterday, and I quickly modified one of the front awning downspouts to drain into the top of the new rain collector.  The timing might be just about perfect, as the weather forecast is for some rain this weekend.

As of yesterday afternoon, the revised engineered plans for the RV shade cover had not shown up in our PO Box.  The last set of plans were sent priority mail, and if this updated set was sent the same way on Monday or Tuesday, they should be here today, or tomorrow.  That will set up the next visit to the epicenter of bureaucratic absurdity!

A CONCRETE STEP LANDING

Still fuming, hours after the latest negative experience with the county idiots, I worked out some of my frustration with the cement mixer.  I had already framed up the step landing, a couple of days ago, so mixing the mud, and putting it on the ground was the next order of business.

My mixer will hold 3 60 pound bags, but does a lot better with 2 bags at a time.  While pouring the footing for the tractor port wall, I tried 3 bags a couple of times, but decided that it was maxing out the mixer, and it was easier with just 2 bags.  12 bags later, the mixture of sand, gravel, and cement was in the frame, and after a couple of hours, I had it finished, with a nice smooth surface.

Today, I'm building a short, stackable retaining wall on the end of the block wall.  I picked up 20 of the earth tone blocks yesterday, and that should be close to the total number that I'll need.  Except for finishing the area between the step landing and the RV shade cover, this project is almost done. 

I asked the metal building company rep. to please expedite the mailing of the revised "2012" engineered plans, so hopefully I'll get them before the end of the week, then I'll be able to go back to the county for the umpteenth time, and once again apply for the elusive building permit.  Oh, almost forgot........for the privilege of being granted a building permit, it's only going to cost an additional .75 a square foot + a $79 administrative fee.  Total cost for the permit - approx. $687. 

County mandated fees so far...........
                                                        M.S.R. process (1 month delay)       $263
                                                        Engineered plans                               $170
                                                        Building permit                                  $687
                                                        Total so far........                               $1,120

I've come to the conclusion that it's better to ask for forgiveness, than to ask for permission.  Not only is it a lot less expensive when you avoid the building permit process, but it's also a lot less frustrating.

NO BUILDING PERMIT

My trip to the county building yesterday morning ended in more frustration, and at one point, downright anger.  Dealing with governmental bureaucrats has risen to the top of the list as my least favorite things to do, period!

The morning started with great optimism, as I thought I had everything necessary for the county to review, and within a few days, issue me a building permit for the RV shade cover.  When my turn came to sit down with a development department planner, that optimism quickly turned to deep disappointment.  This same guy who weeks ago told me I couldn't build another detached structure on the property due to a 1,500 square footage limitation, looked at the topographical map on the computer screen, and said, that due to the elevation changes on our property, he needed to consult with the "topo expert".  When this second guy came out, he explained that because our property had grades of more than 15%, we were subject to the "hillside ordinance".  My exact words were "OK, what the heck is the hillside ordinance?

It seems that this hillside ordinance limits the colors of buildings to only natural earth tones.  When I told him that this shade cover would have a white roof, the same as the house and garage, per the HOA rules, he said that wasn't permissible.  At that point, I just about lost it, thinking that this is another case of government over reach, bordering on the absurd.  I chose my next words very carefully, and told this guy that within the last year, Pima County issued me a building permit for my 1,500 square foot garage, and guess what???? - it has a white roof!   Back then, nothing was ever mentioned about a hillside ordinance, and if it's now going to be the reason for denial, then from this day forward, they would be dealing with my attorney.  At that point, the backpedaling began, with the blame going to "inconsistencies within our department", and that it should have been an issue when the garage was built.  But, since it was overlooked with the garage, they would agree to not enforce the ordinance with the shade cover.   The patronizing, and we're going to do you a favor language was almost sickening, but I just kept quiet, thinking that I had just dodged a bullet, and what are they next going to throw at me?

It didn't take long to find out when the original guy came back, and started looking at the engineered plans that I just purchased for $170.  The engineering firm is licensed in Arizona, but is based in Arkansas, and after a minute or so of review, he said that the drawings and calculations were based on the engineering prevailing code of 2009, which the county could not accept.  All engineered plans have to be based on the prevailing code of 2012.  That effectively ended the discussion, and I left knowing that I had to wait for the new set of plans to be mailed from Arkansas to Arizona.  When I got home, a quick call got that ball rolling, and the waiting game begins once again.   Experiences like this push me more and more toward the Libertarian point of view, that less government is better than what we now have at the local, state, and federal levels.  

After the county experience, I picked up 20 bags of concrete for the step landing, and will work out some of my frustration with the cement mixer later today.

A SUNDAY PERFORMANCE & PATTY RETURNS FROM COSTA RICA

 Chandra & Laila after breakfast.

The school that our Grand Daughter Laila attends, is a private, christian school, and it's on the same campus as a large Church in Tucson.  This is a small school, serving kindergarten thru the 6th grade.  Once a year, the entire school (approx. 60 kids) sings a song during a Sunday service in the church, and yesterday was that day.  Earlier in the week, Laila called to invite me to watch her sing with her classmates, and that breakfast would be served after the song.  It was fun watching the kids perform their song, even though my camera didn't perform when I tried to zoom in on Laila.  Marc emailed me the below photo, which shows Laila in the middle of the front row.

When we finished breakfast, I gave Marc a ride home, while Chandra & Laila stayed at the church for Laila's  second performance at the 11am service.  For the rest of the day, I did a few things around the house, then gave my truck a good cleaning, inside and out.  By the time I had finished with the truck, it was time to head to the airport, and pick up Patty who was on a 5pm flight from Fresno, CA.

It was good to be reunited with my wife, who had lots of stories to share about her trip to Costa Rica.  Despite a rocky start to the trip, where most of the group missed the first flight out of San Francisco due to poor travel agency scheduling, and the fact that she and Nancy ended up on a much later (red eye) flight to Miami, they eventually arrived in Costa Rica about a day later than planned.  When they had caught up on some much deserved sleep, they rest of the trip was a true adventure.  Not everything went as planned, but she rolled with the punches, and enjoyed the trip, particularly all of the tropical flora and fauna that is part of this Central American Country. 

This morning, I'm headed to the county building in downtown Tucson, hopefully to obtain a building permit for the RV shade cover.  Armed with all of the paperwork that I was told I need, including the county modification of setback approval letter that delayed the project a month, and the engineered drawings for the building, what could go wrong?

MOVING THE BOAT

The kitty has decided that computer time is also her time to be somewhere on the desk, or in my lap.

 

 The cats meow toy started out as only something Miss Snoopy  watched.  Now when I turn it on, the feline instincts kick into high gear, and she's all over it!

I scrambled some eggs, and cooked some potatoes yesterday morning for Marc, Chandra, and Laila.  With breakfast out of the way, Marc pulled his boat out of the garage, filled it up with fuel, and ran some antifreeze through the engine.  When he was finished with that, I helped him wash and wax it.  What started out as a two day project was done by mid afternoon. 

 

Yesterday was a day off from home improvement projects, and today is probably more of the same.  Patty called from Nancy's house, and I'll be picking her up at the Tucson Airport late this afternoon.  It sounded like she's ready to be home for awhile. 

ANOTHER WALL & A COUNTY OK

Closing the end of the steps away from the house, with a small retaining wall, was part of the plan for this transition down to the RV shade cover.   The digging, leveling, stacking of the block, and filling the wall with concrete was done by mid afternoon.  The last thing I finished yesterday was framing an area at the bottom of the steps for more concrete.  I'll call this the step landing, and from there, some sort of short, paved walkway will connect the steps to the the RV shade cover. 

  

Speaking of RV shade cover, I received the county's OK for the additional square footage, via an email letter yesterday.   Of the 11 adjoining properties, Patty and I contacted 10 of the owners, and got them to sign off on the project.  The only property owner we didn't contact was the Union Pacific RR.  So......to recap......The county sent one letter to the RR, who also didn't object, then they sent me an approval letter.  Other than to look at my application, that's two letters.......my total cost - $263!  Don't you just love government bureaucracy!

More good news came in the mail yesterday in the form of the engineered plans and calculations from the metal building company.   By the time I picked up the mail at the PO Box, it was too late to drive into Tucson and give the county more money for a building permit.  First thing Monday morning, that will be at the top of the list of things to do.  I'm hoping to get the first foundation inspection by midweek, and get the concrete poured by the end of the week.  When that's done, I can frame up the other side, get it filled with concrete, and then I'll be ready for the building to go up.  Late this month, or early December is the target for the house on wheels to have it's new home.

I got a call from my buddy Everett in Jamestown yesterday evening, asking if I had heard from Patty or Nancy.  I had not, and only knew that they were supposed to fly back to S.F. from Costa Rica yesterday, but I didn't know anything about flight times.  As of 9pm when I hit the sack, I still hadn't heard anything, so I suspect it was a late flight, and probably a long day for the girls.  I should hear something today, and Patty's flight back to Tucson leaves Fresno tomorrow at 12:30pm. 

MORE RAIN GUTTER

The area where I built the steps is now more vulnerable to water drainage, due to all of the dirt I had to dig out.  Keeping water from settling at the bottom of the steps required more rain gutter on a 9' section of the roof.  Other than climbing up and down the ladder, this job was more about time, than anything else.  Once the gutter was attached to the fascia board, securing the downspout only took a few minutes.  We don't get a lot of rain here in the desert, but during the monsoon season of late summer, a few "gully washers" are part of the drill.   Moving water away from the house wasn't a priority of the previous owners.

 Watching an eastbound freight pass by on the Union Pacific RR tracks.

By late afternoon, I was done with the small rain gutter project, and there were a few other small things that I had finished.  While sitting on the back deck, I couldn't help but think that this is the time of year when climatic conditions in Southern Arizona are just about perfect.  At 5pm, the temp was hoovering around 70 degrees.  This is what I call the "tween" season.  We're in between summer and winter, with no need to run the A/C, or the heater.    Yep, life is good, and will be even better when the world traveler returns home this Sunday.

STEPPING UP

 The drag bike seat served as a good chin rest for Miss Snoopy yesterday morning.

Moving a bunch of dirt away from the back of the deck and the house was the first order of business yesterday morning.  Along with some concrete block, the dirt served as the transition from the deck, down about 3 feet to where the motor home is normally parked.

 

With the dirt out of the way, and some measurements, I dug a trench at the depth I thought was correct for the landscape timber.  My method for determining the correct depth was not exactly an exact science, as I had to adjust the depth of the trench more than once.  When I finally got the step anchor in the right place, I attached the step risers to the deck, and the timber.
 

By the time I had the step boards screwed down, it was about 5pm, and time to call it quits.   There's a pretty good sized area at the bottom of the steps, between the house and where the shade cover/motor home will be positioned.  I think some sort of paved walkway from the steps to the shade cover will work until I decide what to do with the rest of that area. 

If the county sent out the letter to the railroad when they say they did, today is the 15th day, and the end of the objection time frame.  With no opposition, and as soon as I receive the engineered plans and calculations for the building, I'll be able to get a building permit.  I cut a deal with the local concrete company, and even though their minimum delivery is 5 yards, they will supply the approx. 2- 2 1/2 yards, and only charge me an extra $50.  That's $100 over and above the normal price for both footings, but I won't have to buy all of the materials to frame up the other side.  Savings - about $100.

 A little deck paint, and the steps will match the rest of the wood.

Patty and Nancy fly back to San Francisco tomorrow from Costa Rica, then Patty returns home on Sunday.  Lets hope that all goes a little more smoothly than their departure fiasco.