So, about the refrigerator. See the picture? That's as far as it goes into the cabinetry! Not cool.
The whole thing sticks out about 8 inches. Part of that is the doors, which obviously need room to open. But more than 4 1/2 inches of it is refrigerator body! It looks awful.
I can't stand to be in the house right now because it makes me so mad!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Monday, September 1, 2008
Day 361: Aug. 31, 2008
Time to head home. The trip around Chicago on I-294 may have been the worst part. I thought it would never end!
After a late lunch somewhere mid-Indiana, Bud's idle cable broke!
We were nervous the rest of the way home, each planning what we'd do if the throttle cable gave way too. (It's happened to him before. He coasted to a stop, and that was all she wrote.)
Luckily, we made it into the driveway with no further problems. After we unpacked, we delivered the bikes back to the other garage and took a few quick pictures of what happened while we were away.
As you can see, most of the columns for the deck are built. Inside, plumbing is started and lots of doorstops have been installed. There may be more to tell, but we were too tired to notice lots details.
One detail wasn't so great: the fit of the refrigerator into the cabinets.
After a late lunch somewhere mid-Indiana, Bud's idle cable broke!
We were nervous the rest of the way home, each planning what we'd do if the throttle cable gave way too. (It's happened to him before. He coasted to a stop, and that was all she wrote.)
Luckily, we made it into the driveway with no further problems. After we unpacked, we delivered the bikes back to the other garage and took a few quick pictures of what happened while we were away.
As you can see, most of the columns for the deck are built. Inside, plumbing is started and lots of doorstops have been installed. There may be more to tell, but we were too tired to notice lots details.
One detail wasn't so great: the fit of the refrigerator into the cabinets.
Day 360: Aug. 30, 2008
Bruuuuuuuuce! We concluded our trip with a Bruce Springsteen concert on the lakefront in Milwaukee. That was one crowded place!
Unfortunately, my camera-phone photos left so much to the imagination that they weren't even worth posting. For a set list, scroll to the bottom of this page.
Earlier in the day, we toured the Jelly Belly plant in Pleasant Prairie, Wisc. It was really just a trip around the warehouse (see the photo), so we think all of the actual candy-making must take place in California.
We also zipped over to the Chicago Harley shop for a couple of shirts before napping briefly to get set for the concert.
As we pulled out of the parking lot after the concert, the police officer directing traffic told Bud to turn on his headlight -- which was strange because it's supposed come on automatically when you start the bike.
Turned out that the low beam was out -- so Bud hit the high-beam button, probably to the annoyance of a few drivers, and we pulled onto I-94 once again.
We had decided to take a back road home, hopping off the interstate just before we reached the construction zone. That turned out to be a better plan than we could have dreamed because before we got back to the hotel, Bud's high-beam light stopped working too!
So for the final 15 or 20 miles, headlightless Bud followed me, trying to use my headlight to see and unable to avoid quite a few potholes in the darkness.
When we got back to the room in the wee hours of Sunday morning, we packed and showered so we could hit the road for home when we got up.
Unfortunately, my camera-phone photos left so much to the imagination that they weren't even worth posting. For a set list, scroll to the bottom of this page.
Earlier in the day, we toured the Jelly Belly plant in Pleasant Prairie, Wisc. It was really just a trip around the warehouse (see the photo), so we think all of the actual candy-making must take place in California.
We also zipped over to the Chicago Harley shop for a couple of shirts before napping briefly to get set for the concert.
As we pulled out of the parking lot after the concert, the police officer directing traffic told Bud to turn on his headlight -- which was strange because it's supposed come on automatically when you start the bike.
Turned out that the low beam was out -- so Bud hit the high-beam button, probably to the annoyance of a few drivers, and we pulled onto I-94 once again.
We had decided to take a back road home, hopping off the interstate just before we reached the construction zone. That turned out to be a better plan than we could have dreamed because before we got back to the hotel, Bud's high-beam light stopped working too!
So for the final 15 or 20 miles, headlightless Bud followed me, trying to use my headlight to see and unable to avoid quite a few potholes in the darkness.
When we got back to the room in the wee hours of Sunday morning, we packed and showered so we could hit the road for home when we got up.
Day 359: Aug. 29, 2008
All business today. Lots of ABCs of Touring photos to get!
Traveling back and forth from our hotel to Milwaukee on I-94, we hadn't noticed a 'Welcome to Wisconsin' sign. Maybe that's because of all the construction.
Anyway, we decided to take a photo at a Harley dealership for our Wisconsin photo. So there I am at Racine Harley-Davidson.
We also visited the Buell motorcycle factory in East Troy, Wisc.; the Powertrain Operations plant in Wauwatosa, Wisc., which was particularly difficult to find, even though it was right there; the Harley headquarters on Juneau Avenue in Milwaukee; and the new Harley museum on Canal Street in Milwaukee.
We couldn't go into the museum because entry was by lottery draw during the 105th celebration. But we visited the store and had dinner at the restaurant.
We also stopped by main festival grounds on the lakefront before a dark, chilly ride back to the hotel.
Traveling back and forth from our hotel to Milwaukee on I-94, we hadn't noticed a 'Welcome to Wisconsin' sign. Maybe that's because of all the construction.
Anyway, we decided to take a photo at a Harley dealership for our Wisconsin photo. So there I am at Racine Harley-Davidson.
We also visited the Buell motorcycle factory in East Troy, Wisc.; the Powertrain Operations plant in Wauwatosa, Wisc., which was particularly difficult to find, even though it was right there; the Harley headquarters on Juneau Avenue in Milwaukee; and the new Harley museum on Canal Street in Milwaukee.
We couldn't go into the museum because entry was by lottery draw during the 105th celebration. But we visited the store and had dinner at the restaurant.
We also stopped by main festival grounds on the lakefront before a dark, chilly ride back to the hotel.
Day 358: Aug. 28, 2008
Thursday morning brought rain. But we were OK with that because we were ready for some rest.
After some great Chicago pizza for lunch, we set off for the 25th anniversary event for the Harley Owners Group. There, we took pictures (like this one of Bud) for ABCs of Touring, looked around a bit and bought a couple of shirts.
We didn't stay very long because there was more rain the forecast, and we knew the place would be a madhouse of scrambling motorcyclists as soon as the first raindrop fell.
Back in Kentucky, Brian and Janie welcomed Eliza Jane to the world.
After some great Chicago pizza for lunch, we set off for the 25th anniversary event for the Harley Owners Group. There, we took pictures (like this one of Bud) for ABCs of Touring, looked around a bit and bought a couple of shirts.
We didn't stay very long because there was more rain the forecast, and we knew the place would be a madhouse of scrambling motorcyclists as soon as the first raindrop fell.
Back in Kentucky, Brian and Janie welcomed Eliza Jane to the world.
Day 357: Aug. 27, 2008
Before leaving Purdue behind, we stopped at the nearest Sprint store to buy a home charger for our phones -- seeing as how both of ours remained on the kitchen counter from Monday night's charging session.
We also talked to Jimmy, who said the shower doors were looking good so far.
And then we were off -- toward Iroquois County in Illinois (which is where I'm standing the photo) and then to the Indiana-Michigan line for a Michigan photo.
Along the way, we encountered those huge electricity-generating windmills for the second time. (The first was on our quick trip to Iowa last year.)
Something about those windmills captivates to me. They're huge, and I understand that there are issues with them disturbing the migratory patterns of birds. I'd guess some locals dislike them as much as I abhor mountaintop-removal mining in eastern Kentucky.
But I love the windmills anyway. We took pictures, but they don't do any better a job than TV in conveying just how massive the darn things are. Stopping to take the photos felt like meeting a celebrity.
So we finally made it to the hotel, which was actually in the northern suburbs of Chicago -- about 60 miles or so from Milwaukee. We ventured out for dinner and found a great sushi place. Huge! With five sushi chefs!
We also talked to Jimmy, who said the shower doors were looking good so far.
And then we were off -- toward Iroquois County in Illinois (which is where I'm standing the photo) and then to the Indiana-Michigan line for a Michigan photo.
Along the way, we encountered those huge electricity-generating windmills for the second time. (The first was on our quick trip to Iowa last year.)
Something about those windmills captivates to me. They're huge, and I understand that there are issues with them disturbing the migratory patterns of birds. I'd guess some locals dislike them as much as I abhor mountaintop-removal mining in eastern Kentucky.
But I love the windmills anyway. We took pictures, but they don't do any better a job than TV in conveying just how massive the darn things are. Stopping to take the photos felt like meeting a celebrity.
So we finally made it to the hotel, which was actually in the northern suburbs of Chicago -- about 60 miles or so from Milwaukee. We ventured out for dinner and found a great sushi place. Huge! With five sushi chefs!
Day 356: Aug. 26, 2008
After breakfast with Jamie and Allyson, we waited around all morning for the marble fix-it crew to arrive. But when we got a call that it would be later than 1:30 p.m. before they showed up, we headed off on our vacation, leaving Jimmy and Gary to handle the vanity problems.
The guys had begun building one of the columns for the deck before we left.
Motorcycles loaded and no rain in the forecast, we began our trip to Milwaukee for Harley-Davidson's 105th anniversary celebration -- our first-ever longer-than-overnight trip on the bikes.
Bud had a few ABCs of Touring photos scheduled along the way, so on the first day, we only went as far as Lafayette, Ind., near Purdue University.
In the photo, Bud checks out the Wasbash River, which runs through Purdue's campus, after our great dinner at 9 Irish Brothers, recommended to us by a really helpful clerk at the local Harley shop.
Jimmy left a voicemail in the late afternoon that the marble guys weren't able to fix the pit in the marble, so they'll be cutting a new top. No word yet on when it will arrive.
The guys had begun building one of the columns for the deck before we left.
Motorcycles loaded and no rain in the forecast, we began our trip to Milwaukee for Harley-Davidson's 105th anniversary celebration -- our first-ever longer-than-overnight trip on the bikes.
Bud had a few ABCs of Touring photos scheduled along the way, so on the first day, we only went as far as Lafayette, Ind., near Purdue University.
In the photo, Bud checks out the Wasbash River, which runs through Purdue's campus, after our great dinner at 9 Irish Brothers, recommended to us by a really helpful clerk at the local Harley shop.
Jimmy left a voicemail in the late afternoon that the marble guys weren't able to fix the pit in the marble, so they'll be cutting a new top. No word yet on when it will arrive.
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