Out with the Old

Today we bid farewell to Kira's car. We decided to sell the car as she is now in Santa Barbara and really not in need of a car. No where to park them and besides, everyone rides a bike.

I posted the car details on Craigslist at 9:30 Saturday morning. Within 15 minutes e-mails were piling up. I talked to the first person to respond and he came directly from Walnut Creek to look at the car. His wife's car had just broken down and they were looking to replace it. They were in the market for a Honda Civic, but the ad for the Accord caught their eye.

Five minutes of discussions and a 5 minute test drive later, they wanted the car. They pulled out one huge pile of cash and asked if the price was negotiable. A minute later we agreed to a $300 discount and we were done.

Things happened so fast I didn't have time to think a couple of issues through.

California requires all cars sold to have a smog (emissions) test completed within 90 days prior to a sale. The new owner agreed to follow me down to the smog testing place and while the 10 minute smog test was being completed, we filled out the paperwork for the sale on the hood of his car.

At the end I gave him the car key and the two fobs I had. One didn't work and I assumed the battery was dead. I also gave him the valet key, but it didn't work, so I took it back. I told him if I found the extra keys that I would call him and arrange to get them to him.

We parted ways and all was well....until I talked to Kira, frantically looking for the valet key and the fob that was on the counter. I had taken the keys to Kirk's car. Oops!

A quick search of the house turned up a couple extra keys. I called the person back, we met, I gave him the two sets of keys I had and he gave me back the fob. All's well in the Glynn house, and Kirk has keys to his car!

Mount Diablo Challenge

Mount Diablo Challenge this morning. Bike race up the big local hill. Gold standard for guys is one hour. Last year 1:00:30. This year 59:48! A few seconds makes all the difference :)

A small group of us from our local triathlon club, Forward Motion Racing Club, met at the top for a photo opportunity and then we hung around for an hour and a half until we were allowed to head back down the hill again.

I'm now a proud owner of a new extra large "finish in less than one hour" bright red T-shirt.

Tom the Handyman - NOT!

Last week our fridge starting blinking with an error message "vacuum condenser".

A couple of google searches later, I gather my nerve, pull off the vent cover on top of the fridge and peer in. Sure enough, there is a thick layer of dust, so I get out the vacuum cleaner, stick the hose in and power it up. Five minutes later it's looking a whole lot cleaner and I'm feeling pretty good. I put the vent cover back on and check the error message area again. The error is still there. Bummer.

I'm over my head and it's time to call professional help.

This morning I sit around for four hours waiting for him to arrive. After he sets up, I show him what the problem is and what I've done to try and fix it. He says "Have you powered the fridge off and on yet?" "Uhhh, no," I reply. He pushes the reset button and the message goes away in 2 seconds. Wow!

"How much do I owe you" I volunteer.

"Don't worry about it"

"I don't mind paying a minimum charge if you've come a long way"

"I don't feel like powering up my computer to figure out a bill. If my boss calls, just tell him you weren't home"

"OK, Thanks!"

"Hey, We Forgot Kira!"

This was the big weekend in the Glynn house as we said goodbye to Kira, loaded up her stuff and headed to Santa Barbara to start college at the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB).

Kira did a great job packing up all her stuff. As you can see from the back of the car photo, everything fit in with room to spare. Her room is now nearly bare, with most of the stuff heading off to UCSB, a couple of boxes to the garage, and a couple of bags to the garbage. Dianne has threatened to make her room into a reading or playroom, but Kira wants a shrine built in her memory. Time will tell.

The drive down was pretty uneventful. We headed out Friday morning with Conner and Parker thrilled to be missing a day of school. A couple of movies, stops along the way and the next thing you know, we are in Santa Barbara.

It was a very busy weekend in town. The students were moving in and all the hotels were booked months in advance. We were luck to stay right down town several hundred feet from the main pier, across the street from the beach. It was excellent (expensive, but excellent!).

Friday evening and Saturday were for hanging around and taking in the sites. We wandered over to the campus to check things out and get a feel for the process. There was a sand castle building contest at the downtown beach which was very cool. We hung out at the pool, wandered up the main street and other wise had a great time.

Sunday was move in day. They have a very organized process and we were due to move it at 10:00 am. We joined the line of cars and waited our turn. At the drop off point, the car contents were dropped on the curb in a couple of minutes and I headed off to park the car. The bags were dropped into large carts and Kira headed to her new room. Room 1201, is on the first floor. Two roommates. Ocean view. Not too bad.

Beds were bunk beds. One set had two beds, the other one bed with a desk underneath. Kira chose the lower bed. The main problem with the bed was the head clearance, probably two feet below the upper bunk. Kirk suggested duck taping a pillow above her head. In the end, we figured out how to lower the bed and alleviate the tunnel feel. Setting up the room went pretty quickly, even with the three of them moving in at nearly the same time.

We then headed out for lunch on campus, bought a few items to help organise the room and then said our goodbyes. I think for Dianne and I, it was a little surreal, and it was really hard to believe that she was no longer our little daughter. Conner was definitely very sad to have to leave her and was a little teary eyed. We promised to connect over Skype when we returned and I think Conner felt better. Parker just didn't seem to get it. He couldn't figure out why she was going to stay in this "hotel" and not come home with us. I think Kira was a little nervous, but there was a lot going on, and keeping busy and saying hello to everyone was probably the best thing to do.

As we were driving home, two hours into a good movie, Parker removes his head phones and exclaims, "Hey, we forgot Kira!"

Conner Writes Kira a Farewell Letter

Dear Kira,

I'm verry sad that this is your last year at this house. I hope I never forget you because you are my only sister. I hope you think about me every day.

Love Conner

Was That a Snake with a Rattle on It's Tail?

We were getting in our car to go run errands when Kira and Conner notice a snake at the end of the driveway. We all wander down and take a look. Sure enough, a six inch snake is basking in the sun.

The kids cry out in unison, "Kill it!"

I decide on a more humane solution and grab a stick to prod it along to the curb. As I poke it, it's tail starts to rattle. Is that a rattle snake? A quick check of wikipedia on the iPhone comparing photos and we are all in agreement, "Yup, it's a baby rattler! Cool!"

The kids cry out in unison, "Kill it!"

I put the stick under the snake and fling it 50 feet away up into the hills, hoping it will slither away and eat a bunch of rodents.

I'm still a little nervous walking around the cars. Is it coming back after me?

Kira and I Finish the Tri for Fun Triathlon

Kira and I had a successful race this weekend finishing the swim, bike and run with plenty of energy to spare.

The race was done in large groups, combined into age and ability buckets. We started in the last wave :(

The swim was 400 yards in Lake Shadowcliff. The water is fresh and clean in March and then gets progressively murkier as the warm weather and geese make matters worse and worse. I've made a point of never swimming in there (except for this event!)

Kira and I took off together and did freestyle until about a third of the way around. We came up for a little breather and just started doing the breast stroke. We ended up finishing the swim very relaxed and ahead of about half of our wave.

The bike went very well, with Kira powering up the first hill very easily in her new road bike. Steady pacing around the 11 mile course and we finished with lots of energy in reserve.

We took our time getting on to the 5K run course and once there used a run / walk strategy. We ran the last 400 yards and high fived at the end.

The event isn't timed, but we are pretty sure we beat our last year's time by over 30 minutes.

A successful event. Can't wait for next year!