Masonry

I bought this tonight:

I purchased it here on sale for $750 and free shipping. Too good to pass up. Should be fun.

Later.

Riding Season

The blog went dark for a bit. It is no small coincidence that the blogging blackout occurred during the same time as the Little League season. Coaching baseball is a time-consuming labor of love.

Our baseball season came to a close a couple weeks ago, and my free time has markedly increased. It’s amazing what you can accomplish when given an extra eight to 10 hours a week. Some of the time was gobbled up by neglected home projects and maintenance, but some was actually used for a little much-needed fun.

The baseball season was rough. Really, really rough. Our team looked great on paper, but baseball is played on grass and dirt, not paper. On the field our team chemistry just wasn’t there. Personality conflicts, squabbling, tempers and attitude problems all contributed to a stressful and unsuccessful campaign. Unfortunately our issues centered around a small vocal minority, and many great, hard-working kids were swept up in the tsunami. Our goal as coaches is to teach the game and mold young men. We all believed in rewarding hard work and ability with playing time. Unfortunately, parents often believe differently.

Some parents simply believe in a more socialistic approach, meaning everyone should play the same amount of time. If we were to do that, it would mean long games and lots of losing. Most parents believe their child has more ability than they really do, which is natural. Unless your child is playing every inning, at some point you will wonder why your child is on the bench when another kid, who you deem as inferior, is playing your kid's position. Taken to the extreme, we had a father who sincerely believed his kid was the best player on the team, and his failures were our fault as coaches. "You can't coach a Ferrari like the rest of these kids, who are simple dump trucks," he said.

Then there is the winning. These days there are people who think winning is a bad thing. We had some parents who wanted us to emphasize fun over winning. Thankfully all four of us as coaches didn't believe in this philosophy. Winning simply feels good on the surface. However, the teaching point here is the process of winning. The hard work, dedication and execution that leads to a win are forming habits that will hopefully lead to success in other endeavors.

Life is full of competition, and learning how to win is valuable. One of your first tests as a teen or young adult is getting a job. This is a competition, and to get the job you need to win. Did you work hard on your resume? Did you practice your interview? Did you execute the game plan?

The other facet to winning is making memories. I know many guys who played baseball, and universally our best memories of playing the game were when we won. I played for many seasons, but the two seasons I remember best are the two championship seasons. These are still vivid pictures in my mind while the other losing seasons are merely fading photos shot in black and white.

I love baseball, and I miss the game itself already, but I am thankful this particular season is over. I heavily invest in the success of my own son as well as all the other players. The failure of our team as a whole weighed heavily on my psyche.

Now it’s time to focus on myself and getting healthy, both physically and mentally. I am riding more. Slowly but surely my fitness is improving as my rides get longer. I rode six times last week, and it was nice to feel that old leg fatigue. Tired legs, clear head, happy heart. Or something like that.

Later.

Retainer

About three weeks ago I decided to tackle a fairly large project. Ever since we made the made the decision to remove the grass, I knew the stairs leading to the pool would need some sort of solution for the elevation change. You can grow grass on a steep slope, but the replacement gravel would never stay in place. It was time for a wall.

I decided on a square area and a two-sided wall. In the middle I wanted a blue palm tree as a centerpiece. Time to dig.

I carved out the basic outline of what I wanted.

Then dug the trench for the first layer of stones.

The calculations are tricky. Not only did I need to think about the height, there is also some setback for each layer of stone. I did the math and went to work.

Getting the first layer right is 90% of the work.

After that you just start stacking.

And stacking.

Nailed the height.

Then you backfill.

Then the long process of laying plastic and moving tons (literally) of gravel.

A Mexican Blue Palm.

Mostly done.

I am pretty happy with the results.

The property certainly looked better with all the grass we used to have, but ultimately the water bill and the harassment from El Dorado County forced an alternative. It's also very difficult to maintain grass up here in the foothills. There is a constant battle with weeds, moles, voles, raccoons, sprinklers, mowing, edging, etc. Even what little we have left in back and on the side is a hassle.

Anyway, another project down. Time for a Sunday night beer.

Later.