Recap of 2008

Well.... the end of 2008 draws near and I am compelled to reflect upon my achievements and shortcomings of the past 12 months.

2007 was a fantastic year for PGS.  2008?  Well, it pretty much sucked.  We finished the year with some money left in the bank accounts and most of our team still intact, so you can't say it was a failure.  Other than that?  Let's just say we are looking forward to a much better '09.

On a personal level?  Even that was a bit negative on the financial side.  Seems like everything I invested in during the year went bad.  I had a couple of gems, like betting on crude oil prices falling (made good money on that one), but most were like my bets on grains (lost a lot of really good money on that one) and just left my accounts drained.  I did have a busy year on the personal level and I would have to call the year a success on the personal growth and experience front.

Let's recap:

• January - Purchased a really cool (read - expensive) new piece of survey equipment elevating us to a level of technology that very few small business ever achieve!  The 3-d, High Definition, Laser Scanner is probably the coolest piece of equipment to come along in surveying since GPS.
• February - Sent 2 of my employees to sunny California for advanced training in the Laser Scanning technology.  It was actually sunny for them!
• March - I took 9 days with my best friend to explore the desert southwest by motorcycle.  I went to enjoy the camaraderie of a friend and absorb some warmth and sunshine while enjoying life on 2-wheels.  The camaraderie worked out just fine but I definitely got cheated in the warmth and sunshine part of the trip.  We froze our butts off.
• April - Kokua! Where I got cheated of the warmth and sunshine in SoCal I definitely made up for it in Honolulu.  I also got to enjoy the likes of Dave Matthews and Jack Johnson in concert at one of the coolest venues possible.  And all for a good cause! (As if I needed an excuse!)
• May (early) - A failed attempt at qualifying for the Boston Marathon but a valiant attempt none the less.
• May (late)- A trip to Infineon Raceway for Superbike racing with the greatest group of friends possible.  These crude, rude, insensitive, redneck.... (you get the picture) bunch of guys are probably the most sincere bunch of people you will ever meet.  We got to experience partying at a level that few college students ever achieve.  Complete with scantily clad (sometimes unclad) girls, unrecognizable alcoholic concoctions, a swimming pool, an unbelievable estate in the hills overlooking SanFran, sleeping on floors, and not-sleeping.  Wow!  This ultra-married OLD man was a little overwhelmed by it all (scared!).
• June - A crash and a wedding in Mexico!  The crash was somewhat tied to the wedding.  My son decided that he wanted a motorcycle trip in lieu of a bachelor party.  I gave him the added excitement of watching his pops do a high speed, low side, in a sharp corner in heavy rain.  "Limit of Traction".  A broken back and leg was the final cost of that little "hey, watch this" incident.  My son was married to our absolutely beautiful daughter-in-law in Puerto Vallarta later in that same month.  Spending a long week in the sunny warmth of Mexico with the 2 families in a single villa was priceless!  I now see why our new daughter is so special.... her whole family is!!!!
• July - Recovery and healing from my accident and the joys of Mexico!  We get building permits for Casa Edmonds!  We begin construction on the home we began the permitting process on 3 years ago.  Unbelievable!  Oh, and another trip to California.  This time to bring back the replacement GS and enjoy Moto GP at Laguna Seca.
• August - More recovery and some good work from the Bureau of Reclamation and Olympic Pipeline.
• September (early)- A fantastic trip covering Washington and Oregon with my wife, son and his wife, Mike and Melissa, on motorcycle.  What a wonderful chance to spend time with the people I love dearly.
• September (late) - A solo trip covering 5 states in 5 days on a new motorcycle!  Wow!  Some absolutely beautiful country under absolutely beautiful conditions.  There is something about traveling alone on a motorcycle that very few understand.  My time!
• October - A missed marathon but running actually begins in earnest!  Construction continues on the Casa el Edmonds and a home begins to take shape.
• November - Wow!  Another anniversary, another year with my very best friend!  My wife is everything that makes me what I am.  My soul mate!  Another trip to Infineon, this time with my son and some really crazy motorcycle friends to attack the track on a personal level.  Very fast - very fun!
• December - The year draws to an end.  Very little work and lots of really bad weather.  

All of this bad news at the end of the year pales in comparison to the positive aspects of the amazing people that make up my life and my team at PGS.  We enter the New Year with more positive contracts and more of a backlog of work than we started this past year.  The home in Edmonds is really beginning to look like a home and we are a little overwhelmed with the sheer elegance of the home we will soon be living in.  It's a long ways from the migrant worker camps I lived in as a kid.  Life looks good!

I love my family!  I love my friends!  I love living!

Cheers to all!!!

Casa Update and Request for Opinions

Casa Update:

We are nearly dried in.

The doors and windows have been ordered, colors for the metal siding and roofing have been chosen.  We went through the house with the electrician to review lighting and outlet requirements.  We have selected all of our plumbing fixtures - what a nightmare that was!  Wood flooring has been chosen, still working on tile and carpet.  We also need to finalize a selection for kitchen cabinets, we had the appliances chosen long ago.... did you know you can spend $10K on a simple fridge?  It doesn't even have fancy controls on the outside of the door!  Completely floored me!

Of course, everything we picked out has caused us to be over budget in almost every category.  I keep blaming the builder for not allowing for quality materials but in actuality, maybe I should be blaming the builder for not allowing for my wife's good taste?  We did do OK on our wood flooring selection and, after brow beating the builder, it looks like my garage door selection is going to just fit in the budget.

The house is going to be beautiful though!

I really don't think our neighbor to the north (Snohomish County Parks) is going to be much of a problem.

Request for Opinions (I know, none of my friends have opinions!)

The garage doors is what I am soliciting opinions for.  Narrowed down to one of these 2 doors:

I think the tempered glass would look really cool but I wonder if the paneled door wouldn't be a more practical door?  What say ye?

Cheers!

Cap'n Ron

Was GS Now RT

Damn.... I sure hope I didn't make a mistake.

I went from this:

To this:

Looking at the RT I already feel older..... it's a pretty bike but doesn't have the youthful energy of the GS.

Let me explain the rationale; My wife and I have found that she really enjoys accompanying me on long, multi-day, road trips on the motorcycle.  While the big GS is a beautiful bike for solo touring and not bad for 2-up travel, there is no way it can compare to the RT for eating big miles in real comfort for driver and passenger.  I mean, the RT actually has real cruise control and heated seats!  I also recently picked up the KTM 990 Adventure which gave me a huge overlap in capabilities with the big GS.

So, I guess if I need to get my 'youthful energy' feelings I'll just have to jump on this bike:

Or maybe this:

I think I'll still be able to get into trouble and not act my age.... just sayin'

Cheers!

Cap'n Ron

Of Bikes, Race Tracks, Speed, and Longevity

Twenty-nine years on Nov. 17; That's how long ago my spouse and I were married. I would have to venture that I am one lucky SOB to have found someone who would put up with my moody ass for this long. My wife is one of the best people I know and she accepts my shortcomings with such grace. She is what defines who I am. God I love her.

As a testament to how generous and accommodating this woman is, she gave me the opportunity to spend a day racing my motorcycle at Infineon Raceway on our Anniversary! Not only that, she also put up with traveling almost 2000 in the company of 2 of my crude riding buddies (love you dopes!). My son and his lovely bride also accompanied us on the trip and my son joined me on the track.

The Bike:

is the Buell 1125R. The only real American made sportbike. A full 145 horse power Superbike capable of racing, in stock form, against the best bikes in the world. The first non-Harley and water cooled engine used by Buell. A wicked, fast machine!

The Track:

Infineon Raceway in Sanoma California at the south end of Napa Valley and just north of San Francisco. This is a very technical track with lots of elevation changes and tight, blind corners.

To say we had a good time would be a complete understatement. The weather was beautiful, the track was clean, the event was very well organized, and I didn't crash!

The track was set up with a tightening of turn 1 to keep speeds down just a tad so the track run was something like this:

Turn 1 set up as a sharp right-hander then a hard acceleration uphill into a blind right-hander that you start your turn before even seeing it. You are also cresting a hill so your tires are a little unweighted so you have to be gentle with your braking. Out of turn 2 accelerate hard into turns 3 and 3A, a fast left-right chicane where knee dragging is easy. Hard acceleration and then hard braking at turn 4, a hard right-hander. This corner was giving me trouble the whole day, I kept entering way to slow which led to a bad line. Accelerate hard out of turn 4 through a very fast turn 5, up hill into turn 6 'the carousel'.

Turns that have a name always have a bit of fame attached to them. They are either dangerous, technical, fast, fun, or all of the above. The Carousel is a hard downhill left-hander that is taken at very high speeds with an extremely wide exit. It is a great place to pass but it is also a little unnerving to be doing nearly 100mph leaned over so far that your knee is almost scraping the pavement. I loved that turn!

Accelerate very hard coming out of turn 6 up to turn 7. Turn 7 is a double apex corner that can be taken as a single radius or, a little faster, 2 hard radius turn. I always came into this one a bit hot and had to work hard late braking. the curves making up turns 8 and 8A are mostly straightened out apex to apex and are very fast. Out of 8A you accelerate hard and the track drops leaving you with the front wheel off the ground accelerating at over 100mph. You brake hard coming into the chicane at 9A causing the back end of the bike to fishtail like mad! Lay the bike over hard right and flop over to a hard left. This is a really fun chicane that if properly executed you can carry pretty good speed through it.

Then it is hard on the throttle through turn 10 and, once again hard on the brakes for the hairpin right-hander at turn 11. Turn 12 is taken on hard acceleration and as you shift up through the gears in the front straight you are generally wheelying as you pass the grandstands. Then you're hard on the brakes again to come into turn 1 and do it all over again..... but faster!

At the start:

Coming into turn 3:



The Carousel:



My lovely wife here to watch ME have a good time:

Coming out of turn 9A, the chicane:

Accelerating in turn 10:

A happy kid:

A fried tire:

Yep, a good time was had!

Cheers!

Ron

Casa Edmonds Part Deux!

OK, here we go again…..

Construction continues. We went from nothing but concrete foundations and walls in my last post to actual wood walls and floors being erected.

First they add some floors:

And you can actually see a garage taking form!

This will be our new dining room.... someday.

Next, they add some walls:

Then, they add some more walls:

And then, some more walls:

And, Wow! This thing is beginning to look like a house!

The peeled log beams in this picture are going to look nice in the entry!

I doubt I'll ever get bored of this view - from my future living room:



I think I'm actually beginning to accept that this thing is really going to be built. I am also finally beginning to actually get excited about making this place my home. It has been such a long process and on so many occasions I really thought we would never be able to see the project through fruition. To see this home take shape and to be able to stand in what will soon be actual rooms really brings it all to life. About 7 more months from now I'll actually be having dinner in this room:


Until next time,

Cheers!


Ron

The Decision Has Been Made!

President Elect Barack Obama.....

Wow!

Stop and reflect for just a moment on the significance. This truely feels like a handoff of power from the older generation to the youth of America. I am hopeful and confident that they are up to the task presented to them in these historical times.

"a new dawn of American leadership is at hand."

"America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much
more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves - if our children should live to
see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann
Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our
time - to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our
kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the
American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth - that out of many, we are
one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and
doubt, and those who tell us that we cant, we will respond with that timeless
creed that sums up the spirit of a people:

Yes We Can."

Yep, change is good.

Can we get back to work now?

Cheers!

Cap'n

VOTE TODAY!!!

Today is the day.

Everyone needs to get out and vote. This is your opportunity to make a difference and have your voice heard. Make sure that you and everyone you know takes part in this historical election. Be a part of it. Be proud to tell everyone around you that you voted.

Never before have we seen the opportunities that are presented to us today in the choices for President. No matter who you choose, now is a time for change. A time for the leaders of our nation to represent US. Let them know how we feel.

Change is good.....

Cheers!

Cap'n

Casa Edmonds!

Three years. That's how long it took us to get building permits to build the new casa in Edmonds. It was a long and trying experience not to mention expensive. At one point, when we lost our variance and had to go through the whole variance process over again, we actually came close to giving up and selling the property. But, we stuck it out and finally received our permits to begin construction in mid July. Woohooo!

The Humble Abode as-designed:

And the property it is to be constructed on:

Since we already had construction funding in place and the contractor lined up, we began construction almost immediately. And, almost immediately, we recognized just how challenging this project was going to be. The home site butts up against a steep slope (yes, we have designed in protection for slide risks) and there is very little room for staging the work. The result of this is that excavation, footings, and foundation work all had to be done in stages and we are now almost a month behind on our schedule. The budget, of course, has taken a big hit also.

The start of excavation:

The house is going to sit on the nice little shelf that the hoe is parked on. Those power lines that you see above the hoe will be dropped and routed underground…. Not cheap, by the way.

Here, they have begun work on the footings and you can see that they have excavated away a large portion of the bench:

I really thought that there would be less cutting into that steep slope. I sure hope the architect and engineers did their calculations right. It is exciting to begin to actually see a structure taking shape after all this time looking at nothing but lines on paper.

In this photo the forms for the foundation walls are going up.

Using the 'Honey Bucket' for reference you can see just how massive the foundation walls are. The walls were designed by a structural engineer to be able to withstand the forces of a slide…. Hopefully that will never be tested.

The foundation walls are all up and the front pillars are being formed:

The workers really look small in this photo and you can see just a part of the view that we will have. This photo was taken from about the finished elevation of the living room.

This is another photo with lots of reference points to give some idea of the massive size of the concrete walls. You see this stuff on paper but until it starts going up you really aren't able to get a feel for the size of things.

The guys on the blue boom are taking out the larger trees on the slope that might pose a falling hazard. All of this work is being done in a manner to minimally impact all of the undergrowth on the slope, hence the boom.

Our views from the living room will be magnificent:

This one is looking straight west just past 'Point No Point' and 'Foul Weather Bluff'.

And another:

Looking southerly down the 'Puget Sound' past the Edmonds ferry dock.

To say we are excited would be an understatement but I am also massively stressed over this whole thing. Between trying to keep the budgets under control, constant 'out of scope' items to take care of, and the time constraints, I feel like I am constantly in a battle with the 'team'. I don't think they believe that we are working with real money. I do!

Until next time, cheers!

Ron

Autumn Series Fun

The weather forecast is calling for cold rain and flukey winds.  Hmmmm..... must be time for Fall sailboat racing in Port Gardner Bay.

Yep, I drug myself out into the morning rain and headed north to the Everett Marina stopping at the grocery store to pick up beer along the way.  The beer is an offering to our overly dominating skipper in an attempt to limit the f-bombs emitted during the inevitable tangled spinnaker sheet.  I think the skipper thinks we (the crew) do this in a thinly veiled attempt at sabotage.  Nope, we're just incompetent, sorry skipper.

When you bring up discussions of sailboat racing most people conjure up images like this:

I wish racing was that sexy.  Nope.  Racing in Port Gardner Bay in the fall and winter series looks much more like this:

It rains a lot, the winds very seldom blow with any authority, and the crews are generally inept.  That's OK though because we all have fun and after the skipper calms down a bit and consumes a few beers we think he does too.

Today we were short handed, expecting a very poor showing, and generally taking things less than serious.  All the makings for a very fine finish, which we had.  I'm sure we corrected up over all the J-boats finishing 1st overall.  Good job crew (Miller and I).  Oh, you did OK too Skipper.

Cheers!

Smart Update - Sue's Smart!

Well, it certainly didn't take long for SuzyQ's little Smart car to get from 'Build' status to 'In Port' status and then to 'Arrived' status. Almost too fast, in fact. We only had the 'Orphan' Smart for about 4 weeks and was barely able to run mileage up to around 1300 before returning her to the dealer.

I did get to drive the 'Orphan' enough to be able to give somewhat of a review of the car and it's characteristics.

First off economy: Sue is a bit of a lead foot and drives the Smart as if it were a little sports car so I was expecting less than stellar fuel economy.  The Smart surprised me though.  So far we are averaging just over 40 MPG in around town driving.  Sue is planning a trip to Leavenworth this week so we will get to evaluate both, highway MPG and power going over a mountain pass.  Should be interesting.... I warned her friend that she might want to be prepared to get out and push to help get the little girl over the top. :-)

Driving: The first thing you will notice is the shifting of the "automatic" transmission. Really sucks at first but it gets better with time. The reason for this is because it is not an automatic transmission but a standard transmission that shifts automatically. Once you realize this, the shifting suddenly feels much more ordinary, like a standard shift with a clutch. Also, as you drive the car, the car 'learns' driving habits and begins to anticipate shifts much better and it gets smoother. Don't ever expect it to shift like the Audi DSG though.

The car scoots around town with grace. It's kind of like having a motorcycle when it comes to parking, you just don't worry about it. Seems there is always a little hole to fit this little girl in. The acceleration is sufficient to keep up with the flow of traffic and hills are not a problem. Freeway driving is far better than one would expect and cruising along at 70 MPH is extremely easy. It has enough acceleration to merge with traffic on the freeway just fine too.

The car is much bigger inside than it's small exterior leads you to believe. Leg and head room is sufficient even for the tallest drivers. Seats are firm but comfortable and controls are easily reached. My only complaint, as far as controls are concerned, is that the hazard flasher is easy to accidentally bump when adjusting the radio. Once I was aware of the problem it was no longer an issue though. The ride is stiff, as would be expected from a car with such a short wheel base, but not excessively.

The Smart attracts a LOT of attention and you feel like a bit of a freak driving it around. Maybe I'm a little sexist but I think where a guy looks like a bit of a dork driving it girls just look plain cute in it. Luckily, I don't have any trouble with looking like a dork. I've kinda gotten used to it and have fun whenever I do drive it.

Back to my story:

Sue seemed a little sad as we headed south to the Smart Center. She had gotten pretty attached to the little black beauty, I even thought she was going to change her mind and keep the 'Orphan'. That all changed once we arrived at the Smart Center and she got to see her new little 'Tux' (the white with black trim kind of looks like a tuxedo) with the bright red interior. 'Tux' even had Sue's name on the window sticker. Sue completely forgot about the 'Orphan'.... abandoning the little black beauty. Kinda' sad, I say.

I did make one last attempt in the dealings to keep the 'Orphan' and buy 'Tux' outright. No go. Only one Smart at a time, it seems. The dealer did treat me right and stood up to their original offer of crediting me everything I had spent on the 'Orphan', including optional add ons, towards the reserved Smart. We actually got money back since we didn't add as much stuff on this one as compared to the 'Orphan'. I was really impressed with how simple the whole thing was.

Sue is really enjoying her new Smart and she looks so cute driving it around. She does seem to have a bit of a 'chihuahua' syndrom driving it around though. She gets aggressive and 'snaps' at other drivers, always racing to get ahead of them. Kind of defeats the whole purpose of having a tiny car and leaving a small foot print in my opinion. I do believe that I have hit a home run in giving the car to her as a gift though. She sure appreciates it.

Cheers all!

Cap'n Ron