NEOS LOG March 2025

We spent a lot of time planning our next project. Time to replace the roof. We got bids from 5 roofers and made our decision. It will be done next month. Rog also finally got started on the tub seat. This project has been a tough one for him. Pretty intricate, so he has been doing more thinking and planning than executing. But he bought the wood he needs and will be working on it next month. There was an aikido seminar so I had a weekend to do a special messy project. I washed the upholstery of Rog’s recliner. It turned out so well that I tackled our leather loveseat. Unfortunately. 😮‍💨 It actually scuffed the leather. My options ranged from making a slipcover to hide it, to buying a new couch, to trying to fix it. I decided to buy some leather dye and if it didn’t turn out, I would make a cover. I ended up buying a darker dye and blending the colors and I am pleased with the result…also pleased I don’t have to make “old lady” covers!

On St. Patrick’s Day we headed to Pt. Reyes on the coast and stayed in Olema Campground for 3 nights. Max had traveled down from UM with a group of volunteers and would be spending the week removing vegetation and cleaning up trails. The campground had been flooded with the rains the previous week but our spot was fine. Other than a bit of mud and puddles (and constant generator noise of their pumps during the day) we were fine. We toured the entire peninsula from top to bottom. We were really impressed with the Bear Valley Visitor Center and spent almost an hour with a fabulous docent at the William Patrick Visitor Center who gave us a great education about the elephant seals. We never connected with Max but he told us where they were staying and we were able to drop off a batch of brownies for them.

The rain stopped and we had some nice weather for a few weeks. We trimmed bushes and trees, filling all 3 trash barrels for a couple of weeks. The rain returned at the end of the month and I was able to get chicken compost spread in the whole yard.

Rog and Jay headed to Redwood City to visit their retired sensei. They also had an outstanding meeting with Manfred, their senior mentor who lives in Roseville. Happy birthday month for Ryan and Beth. We will celebrate with them when we get down to Long Beach with them next month. We ended the month with a WSCA play. Karissa was stage crew for a play written by one of the seniors. Well done, as usual.

February 2025

Rog did some intensive planning and we were able to install the new carved tree in the bedroom window. It looks absolutely awesome!! And it changes when the light behind it changes. We love it.\

We started and ended the month with a visit from an old high school friend. At the beginning of the month, Dick came with his wife Judy. After catching up on what’s been happening, we headed over to KT Noodles for lunch. At the end of the month, Dick came back with his sister, Nancy and brother in law, Marty. They wanted to see what we had done around the place since we bought it. I even pulled out the video I made of before and after pics. Then Marty gave us a spin in his cyber truck. It’s wrapped in red and looks so awesome!

Rog headed down to Santa Barbara for his annual Shotokan Black Belt Meeting. He drove with Jay, leaving early Friday and returning Sunday night. He had some great one on one training. We took Karissa to Petroglyph for her date with us after lunch at Olive Garden. The place was packed and there was a waiting list of an hour and a half. So we went back a few days later when they opened and were able to get a table right away. Got to have lunch together again at Panda Express and followed it up with ice cream at Handel’s. We picked her mug up a week later. Looks great!

Our home project this year is to replace the roof. We had a number of contractors come to take a look and we will make the final decision next month. We had a few weeks of great weather and I took advantage of it, trimming and cleaning under all of the plants. Major trimming will be next month, but the plants are happy for now.

January 2025

Welcome to 2025! Rog and Jim tested for their first degree brown belt in aikido. They both did outstanding. Now Rog is looking forward to testing for his black belt in another year. He got a good start with a seminar that his dojo put on with Kimberly the following weekend. Rog picked up a lot of style ideas that he is anxious to work on. Unfortunately, most of his January training was on the sidelines because of multiple skin cancer removals that required stitches. He still learned a lot and is anxious to put it all into practice.

We both survived our annual physicals with passing grades…still plugging along! Max headed back to Missoula and was able to use his fast pass for the first time. It was nice knowing he was just a few blocks away for a few weeks. Miss him already!

Project-wise, Rog continued work on the tree for the bathroom window. He has all of the wood glued together and braced, everything is sanded and all is ready for stain and varathane.

The weather was awesome this month and I got a lot of yard work done. I trimmed the front yard and got most of the leaves out from under the plants. I filled all 3 organic waste barrels and it looks pretty spiffy. Rain is forecast for the beginning of February so it will be at least a couple of weeks before I can finish. I also completed the photo books for Max and Karissa and was able to get Max’s shipped for his birthday. In the evenings, I knit scarves for Ryan and Beth and finally finished the most difficult sweater ever for myself. It actually fits and is super warm but it was a real challenge! I spent a lot of time with our Long Beach Grand Prix trip in April. After a few phone calls, I was able to get tickets and a parking pass purchased. I tried to get reservations at the campground adjacent to the race, but they were already sold out. Next try was the army RV park at Seal Beach. This required a military ID which was a bit tricky. After trying for a week on the VA website and getting the message “unable to access data, please try again in a few moments” we drove to Mather and tried to get an ID card in person. Turns out they only give cards to disabled vets and active duty personnel. Not willing to give up, I sent an email and got a pretty quick response that was super helpful. Turns out that I just needed to log off the VA website (closing down wasn’t enough). With their new detailed directions, I was able to complete the application and the digital ID card was emailed back to us within days. We now have reservations at the Sea Breeze RV park at Seal Beach. We ordered stadium seats and I am working on renting a scooter. We will be all set! We hosted the card game this month. Debbie and Kathy missed it again for a sad reason. They got back from a trip to Tahoe and found that somebody had broken into their house, ransacked the place and took jewelry and cash. They had to stay home and wait for the cops to show up and for someone to fix the broken window. So sad. But the Nordstroms made it and the four of us had dinner and two games of 64.

December 2024

Rog started the month with a trip to San Francisco to visit his karate mentor, JIm Sagawa. What should be a 2 hr trip took them 4 ½ hours to get home, Exhausting. But he cherishes his limited time with Jim. The Kings had their annual Christmas party. It is my chance to catch up with my cousin, Paul, and his wife, June. I also got to know Brian’s cousins. And the house was beautifully decorated, as usual. We went to Nordstrom’s for dinner and cards. It was our lucky night…I won the first game and Rog won the second. We went home with the trophy. Mid month, Karissa performed in her school play, Beauty and the Beast. She had a number of parts and did such an awesome job. We went to her final performance on Saturday night and brought along a surprise. Max had flown home that morning, after Karissa had already left for preparation for the matinee performance. She certainly didn’t expect to see him. A great ending to a week of very hard work.

Rog continues work on the tree he is carving for the bathroom window. He is so doggone artistic. It takes incredible patience and talent.

On the 21st, the rain let up and let us enjoy the Solstice bonfire at the Blooms. Great stew, homemade bread and yule log. A perfect evening.

The next morning, we returned to the Blooms for gifts. Always fun to watch the kids open their gifts. Of course they had their usual scavenger hunts for their main gift. Because Solstice was on a Saturday this year, Ryan and Beth were able to join us. So, fun for all.

That afternoon, we all got together with the other Lloyds for the annual holiday lasagna dinner.at our place. There were 15 of us, so quite the crowd. After dinner, Beth had organized a couple of wild games for us. Quite the chaos and a lot of fun.

On the 23rd, we drove down to Modesto to meet our old cruising friends, Ken and Roberta, for lunch at Mimi’s. They drove up from visiting family in Fresno. It was so good to see them. It was like there has not been a 10 year period since we last saw them. They haven’t changed a bit. Rog and I exchanged gifts on Christmas Eve with popcorn and cheesy Christmas movies. On Christmas morning, we had breakfast at Ryan and Beth’s. Mary joined us and we enjoyed a delicious meal of breakfast croissants. In the afternoon, everyone came over for Christmas Dinner at our place. I cooked a prime rib in the oven while Rog cooked the turkey on the grill. Beth brought the saran ball for a wild time and we also played Reindeer Paws.

We said goodbye to 2024 at Aikido with a potluck get together. On to 2025!!!.

NOVEMBER 2024

Rog finished the gate next to the garage and it looks super nice!!

He immediately dove into the next project: the wooden tree insert for the five foot diameter bathroom window. We bought 35 linear feet of poplar 1 x 6. Rog pieced them together with floating mortise and tenon joints, then marked out the pattern. He used his jigsaw to make the rough cuts then took each piece to the crosscut saw for the edges. He got that step done just in time to show it off to everyone on Thanksgiving. Still lots more to do on this, but that will be done next month….

Meanwhile, the cold weather has slowed down the gardening. We blew leaves a couple of times and started trimming. We took Karissa out for lunch and a movie. We saw “The Red One" then went to Olive Garden. Always fun to spend time with her.

We enjoyed a “Friendsgiving” Potluck at Aikido. Such a great group of people. On Thanksgiving, Beth’s mom, Mary, joined the 7 of us for Rog’s smoked, grilled, deboned turkey. Done to perfection! We even got Max on live chat and everyone was able to talk with him.

The next day, the seven of us headed to Clearlake for a VRBO weekend. The house was great, the weather crisp but clear and sunny, food was plentiful and we had our usual crazy games in the evening. There wasn’t a lot to do in the area but we relaxed and spent Saturday making puzzles and Karissa and Beth made gingerbread houses. I love this family!!! So much fun.

OCTOBER 2024

Rog had an aikido seminar and Karatefest this month. He has accumulated enough hours to test for his next degree in aikido and is getting lots of input from his black belt seniors. We shall see. Living vicariously through the grandkids…Karissa had her homecoming dance. Max is enjoying Fall in Montana and celebrated the first snowfall. All happy. All good.

We officially finished the bathroom and I am all moved in. Rog finished the cement countertop and we had Eric and Ryan come help move it in from the garage and put it in place. Then they helped him hang the mirror. Rog spent a day or two completing the plumbing and cabinetry. The metal artwork is hung and the only outstanding item is Rog’s creative wood artwork on the window. He plans to cut a huge tree that covers the round five foot radius woodwork. He has picked out the design and has it ready for transfer. I am in heaven!!!

Before Rog can work on the window tree, he has to complete the gate for the fence from the driveway to the side yard. It’s just too easy for the deer to get in. It took him a while to choose materials, then plan the design. He settled on cedar planks and then came up with a nice pattern. By the end of the month, one side was completed, painted and hung. The other half of the gate is just a few days from paint so it won’t be long before it’s done.

Rog spent a day with Ryan getting recertified. Weather has made a sharp turn into fall. It is raining at least once a week and the temps are dropping. We stocked up on wood pellets and have put the heated mattress cover and blanket on the bed. Ready for winter!! Halloween was quiet…one family came trick or treating. On to November!!