Another holiday season come and gone

We had a quiet Christmas here at Casa de Evo. One of the reasons it was so quiet at home was Hottie and I loaded up the war wagon and with my mom strapped to the top and Tux in the back we went off to Winthrop for a white Christmas.

Spending Christmas in a cabin in the woods was something I have wanted to do since I was four years old. Winthrop was all decked out for the occasion.

Hottie in front of Winthrop town hall staying warm in full Eskimo mode.

The only downside was that despite dropping hints the way Cancellara drops the peloton, nobody got me what I really wanted.

A guy can dream can't he ?

Still we found things to do.

Hottie sliding on boards in Mazama

I will confess I haven't seen a lot of fifty year old guys in Utilikilts.

Someone once said it is a cruel God that grants our wishes.

So maybe it isn't so bad that I am approaching 2012 kiltless....

Pearl Izumi Full Finger Gel Gloves Final Review

So long old friends..

These may be about the oldest full finger gloves I have. They have been my go-to gloves forever. See my previous review here. They have been mountain biking, cyclocross racing, and semi-cold weather gloves that I have never regretted wearing.

A keen eye will see where I have patched them to keep them going. I didn't like the gloves these evolved into, so I never bought a pair and I just kept stitching them where they split.

I wore them on more than a few home construction projects. When I undertook the epic wall removal, I turned to the faithful PI gloves.

I'm pointing to where an errant nail tried to cut me and was thwarted by the glove

The project proved almost too much for me, and marked the end of the road for these gloves.

I have been trying to think of an appropriate memorial to these gloves. I don't think I would be honoring them if I just tossed them in the trash. I haven't checked out the latest offerings from Pearl Izumi, but I will. These gloves have gone above and beyond the call of duty.

December Surprise

With our nest empty, Hottie and I had discussed taking out a wall that divides our master bedroom from the bedroom next to us. Hottie had a photo trip to Africa on the horizon, so Evo contemplated a clever plot.

After dropping off Hottie at the airport, Tux and I set to work...

This is looking down the hallway. Our bedroom on the right, underused bedroom on the left

This is the view in our master. Tux is guarding the bed

This is the underused bedroom. Note the non-functioning intercom system. Let's all say "Brady Bunch" together, shall we?

At first I did some checking just in case there was something unexpected in the wall..

Let the demolition begin !

Okay... no surprises yet. If this doesn't work, I will have some explaining to do...

I had everything covered to keep it clean. Time would tell if it worked..

Tux got comfortable with his changing surroundings

A new view. This had better work...

Between 48 year old rockwool in the attic and flying drywall dust, I was anxious to keep the crap out of my lungs. Can you guess which one is the new one and which one I used today ?

Tux was unfazed. See him on the bed? Reciprocating saw cutting beams; no problem. Sledge hammer knocking out posts; not an issue. "I'll be here sleeping, just keep the dust down," was his unspoken message to me...

New doorway goes.... here !

We'll start with new beams here

Like this. The first of four

Here we are..

Oh yes, it got messy..

After holding my breath I removed what was left of the walls. No shifting, no surprises, wonderfully according to plan..

Then Tux and I cleaned up. The sheet on the bed is so Tux doesn't get fur on our blankets, etc..

Add drywall

Tape and mud...

Sand, mud, sand, mud, sand, mud

mud, sand, mud, sand, texture, clean, clean, clean, clean, clean...

The notes on the wall were my daily goals on the project

Move the bed into the middle of the room (for the time being)..

Wrap it..

She liked it !!

Hottie looks pretty good considering she has been home five minutes after spending twenty seven hours on planes.

ESPN OD

Hottie loves sports. I appreciate that very much. When the TV is turned on at our place, there is a good chance it is tuned to a game, match, race or the like.

Hottie has been traveling for a bit so Tux and I have had the machine tuned to ESPN more often than not. It does not take much ESPN to get sick of ESPN pretty quickly.

That's it.

Me and Tux looking at the moon

Tonight, while Tux and I were walking, the clouds were dancing with the moon, giving it a real "Werewolves of London" kind of look.

At this moment I have family in Russia, Cambodia and Botswana and the USA.

I was wondering how they were all doing and out of the blue Tim called and filled me in on his exploits in Southeast Asia. What a world we live in.

When I was a child my father flew from Los Angeles to San Francisco for business. I thought that was an adventure, to be able to fly six hundred miles. I have raised the bar since then.