Printing things in another dimension

The old printer trudged up the hill to where three bright-looking young men were bantering at the Stonebrooke No. 4 tee box. They were waiting for colleagues at the annual Stratysis Best Ball Golf Tournament. The company was hosting 18 foursomes in a charity event this day and the trio was serving as the welcoming party at No. 4. They had camp chairs and enough cold beer for a day of thirsty work.
Seeing no one coming in either direction in need of welcoming, the old printer nosed in. "What is Stratysis," he asked innocently, pointing at the logo on a golf shirt, and setting off an avalanche of conversation.

Gizmo was printed, not molded. It works.

Turns out, these fellows are printers too. But different. They print in three dimensions. The old printer had heard of such a thing, but never come this close to someone who could talk intelligently about it. He took advantage.
The Eden Prairie company has 3,000 employees and they can make some amazing things with printers. If you're as curious as the old man was, click here.
3D printers can put out body parts, cuckoo clocks, even a car. They explained in layman's terms how it is done, layering the data points over and over until they've built up a product. They provided an example of the work, an intricate gear mechanism embedded in a cell phone that actually spun about, as if doing something important. The assembly had been constructed from a program on a 3D printer, without benefit of human hands . . . including the Chinese.
The old printer thanked them for their hospitality and the parting gifts, then stepped down the hill. There would be much to wonder about on his walk today.
Just forty years ago, he mused, Johann Gutenberg would have made a good employee at the newspaper office, pressing ink on paper. On his first day, that clever German would have understood exactly how the local print shop worked, would probably have made a few improvements.
But this? Printing things in three dimensions?
So much to wonder about.
Not wanting to be left completely behind, he walked a little faster. You do what you can.

You can tell the Stratysis guys are actually engineers, not printers. How? Watch the way they line up their putts.

You can trust a man who sews his name to his shirt

Turning color, one drop at a time.

Don't you just love a man in a uniform?
When Jeff Engstrom worked those many years with Stan at the newspaper, he wore a different uniform: coat and tie. But he didn't  have a nameplate, which was fine, because everyone knew him anyway, as he sold comprehensive print advertising programs to his loyal list of clientele. He was very good at it.
He didn't rely at that time on first impressions as much as long-term relationships. That's different now, no one wants an ongoing relationship with their water softener guy. There's nothing like a uniform to help create that instant impression of competence.
Jeff and Stan had a reunion of sorts when our 15-year-old water softening system showed a few signs of wear and possible problems.
Jeff was invited to the house for a beer, an overdue bull session, and an inspection and testing of our well water supply. He is, after all, now a state-tested, certified, licensed and qualified Water Conditioning Journeyman. His license number is on his business card. You could look it up.
So before we popped the cap off a couple of Sam Adams Boston Lager and talked old times, Jeff got out his handy dandy water testing kit and took copious samples of our tap water, then ran them through a series of rigorous tests with something that looked sort of like a junior high chemistry set.
We were gratified with the results. Jeff said our water was pretty good. We have "22 grains of hard, trace of iron/FE, 7.5 ph and 375 TDS."
We don't understand any of that, of course, but that's what it says on the notes. We'll just rely on Jeff to interpret it.
You can trust a man in a uniform.

Big smile for the eye doctor

Our big girl is at the eye doctor this morning for her back-to-school checkup. Grandma was up bright and early to do the honors, so Mom could run her daycare business.
Her eyes are fine, 2020, the hardest part was keeping the eyes open after dilation. She's good to go for Fourth Grade on Sept. 9.
It's raining all morning so Emily had her boots on. Stylin' don't you think?

Oh Oh. Katie's at the fair.

Kathleen departed bright and early and grabbed the shuttle for Opening Day at the Great Get-together, the Minnesota State Fair. It's a Goldilocks Day, not too hot, not too cold, and she reports a big crowd at one of her all time favorite things to do.
That's all we've heard from her so far, except for the above. It arrived in the In-Box moments ago with no explanation whatsoever.
She does have money in her purse. . . but this item just doesn't go with any of our furniture.
We'll have to wait and see.
Meanwhile, Stan is closing up the sidewalk project this morning, then a tee time at noon with Hoi.
(She couldn't get the chair on the bus, could she? Nah.)

"Will he get his teeth or fix our pipe?"

Join us now on Day Six with Stan's sister Sosie and her industrious husband, Bill the The Ever-patient One. The couple is restoring the Queen Anne fixer-upper that Bill inherited from Aunt Marilyn in Ohio. We've heard numerous tales of discovery, angst, irony and frustration and shared the joy of restoring the past. Today we received this report, and in case you've missed the others, it's a representative sample of what is going on out there in Ohio. You need to know that the chair glide mentioned in her story is one of those dandy power chair escalator things installed in a staircase to accommodate the elderly and/or infirm. Read on.

Sister Sosie, in her own words:
Monday was a day with the trades (arborist, plumber, builder, painter, dry walker, mason, and chair-glide installer).
First thing, we called for a plumber to fix the leaking cast-iron pipe from the upstairs bathroom. First plumber said not until sometime in Sept. Second plumber said they'd call back when they could schedule it. They haven't called back yet.
I then called Jason/Josh, the good brothers who did massive tree work in the front yard last year. We talked the overgrowth in the back yard, the Norway spruce, walnut tree, redbuds, lilac, and nasty honeysuckle. We agreed on work and bid and he will get it done.
The builder and painter arrived to talk re next year's work. The builder to repair covered front porch, replacing three sets of steps, railings, ceiling, and porch floor. On the back porch, replace back wall, windows, a door, and steps. Gutters. Painter to coordinate stripping all the Queen Anne lacy woodwork, remove leaded paint, and paint the whole thing. Scary bids to arrive soon. It's beautiful weather where we sit on the front porch and imagine how wonderful all will be someday.
Meanwhile neighbor Jay calls to me that he is going to New York, but has told his heating/AC guy Raimy to "come see your pipe." Ralph arrives to work with Bill in the cellar on repairing the crumbling limestone. Ralph approves of the how Bill hung 20 mesh panels over the weekend.
The builder and I finish discussion of design details and the confusing array of "things to do" is finally sliding into order. He leaves and Kevin arrives with Sheetrock for the back staircase. I return to my woodwork and all seems like we are moving forward.
Then Kevin discovers he really can't work around the chair glide on the back stair case after all. The crumbling plaster under the pink wallpaper must be removed, but even then, he can't... Kevin and I take a break and go next door, Kevin to snoop and me to find Raimy. Raimy comes back with me to look at the pipe. He says he will need his son to help as they need to strap the ten plus feet of heavy cast-iron to the wall etc. That pipe is attached to Zach's inheritance, a huge copper pipe that then runs all around the cellar. Raimy says $400, maybe Wednesday, and he leaves. I feel good about this as Raimy looks old and experienced and he says he's been a plumber since he was 14, retired in 2011 when there wasn't any work, started up again in January because there's so much work. He looks rather Jethro cuz he doesn't have four upper front teeth.
He said, "I've been so busy, I've cancelled a dentist appointment twice. I broke my teeth on the job and they have my plates ready, but I got to get this work done." I guess that's busy. Will he get his teeth or fix our pipe?
So Kevin had hung all the Sheetrock in the upper hall and staircase ceiling that he could and he couldn't do anything in the dining room until the pipe is fixed, so he left.
Bill and Ralph came up from the cellar to remove the chair glide out of the staircase. Here is how far they got, even with my help and a pulley and rope that Ralph had rigged up.

It is wedged in there. But upside down, I saw their 800 number and called them. Eventually they identified the chair and instructions for moving the chair off the chain case, which didn't matter cuz even with a crow bar and blocks, it wouldn't budge.
I suggested we take a break and made mango, pineapple, banana smoothies. They were really good. We sat on the patio that Ralph had poured a year ago and it was very pleasant.
I called the brother of the guy who installed the chair, but alas, the guy has MS, retired, and lives three hours away.
The next morning, Ralph and his helper arrived at eight. The helper is stronger than me, they got the upholstered part of the chair off and the door removed. Still it is stuck. Bill went to the hardware store and returned with a grinder and blade. Ralph and helper are mudding the walls in the cellar.
Next is to try to cut the solid steel metal glide. Wonder how Day 7 will go.
Solveig
Sent from my iPhone

Concrete at 1 p.m.

Like clockwork, the first load of cement showed up, as promised, at 1 p.m. By 3 p.m., our apron and sidewalk was poured, troweled and a brush finish applied.
The project will be entirely finished by this time tomorrow, we're told. And so far, everything we've been told has happened.
"It's Miller Time." a mason said to the observer as he cleaned his tools. Really, he actually said that.

Concrete pour at 1 p.m.???

This used to be a 10 inch step, which always surprised our guests. The sidewalk had settled after 15 years, so
the 7.5 inch step required by building codes had disappeared. "Come over to our house. Watch that first step."
The secret to getting the step to stay is the hole drilled into the stoop, which, being part of the house, has not
settled. Rebar has been inserted into both holes and the concrete will stay put for the rest of our lives, or at least
until we don't care any more. Did someone say "Do it right the first time?" 

Jack and his hammer. 

They're setting a breakneck pace, two bobcats and a crew of six, tearing up (very carefully) the sidewalks and aprons on all eight units.
There are concrete saws, a compactor, sweeper, and even a man with a mall who comes down hard when a sidewalk crack won't come easy. Sort of like breaking a Saltine into two pieces for easier handling.
The chief says they've ordered a load of cement for 1 p.m. today and they will start with our curvy sidewalk, which has already been formed and staked with rebar inserted into holes drilled into our front stoop. The pour will include about four feet of concrete poured into the newly exposed concrete block that holds up the front edge of the garage floor.
It's a beautiful, noisy day and the neighbors are enjoying the spectacle. Birdie not so much.

Wes and Shirley and Colby at their morning observation post.

Sidewalk Surgeon

Out it goes. In the background, Shirley and Kathleen supervise.

Slowly, slowly, he inched the fork under the sidewalk, slipping past the sprinkler head, giving way to the flower bed. Pop! The 15-year-old sidewalk section loosened its grip on the soil. The operator took a new bite. Very impressive.
When we contracted to have sidewalks and garage aprons on eight homes in the cul-de-sac removed and replaced, we envisioned lots of noisy jackhammers and dust early in the morning, and the neighbors were warned.
Not so, so far. It's been more like being in a surgical suite as Craig Wierson Brick and Stone from Elko got to work right on time this morning.
We'll keep you posted on the progress, of course, but so far we are amazed. Our sidewalk has been removed in three pieces and nearly stacked in the waiting dumpster.
We're amazed, so far. And the lawn and sprinklers and flower beds are untouched.
Onward.

Just think what he'll save on sushi

Veteran deep sea fisherman Hai Dang and his wing man, Kevin, rigged their lines off the coast of San Diego this weekend and hooked two prize yellow fin tuna. Two yellow tails got away. You shoulda seen 'em.
Until now, we thought Hai's jungle hat was just for gardening.