Archaeology Job

The archaeology job lasted for a total of 8 days before we (myself and 2 other new hires) were informed that work has slowed down enough that we won't be needed again until about two weeks from now. This was honestly welcome news, I had developed an upper respiratory infection just a few days before the dig began and have been miserably sick and on antibiotics for most of the time. My body needs to recover both from the dig and from the illness.

We traveled to three different sites over the 8 days, 6 of those days were spent in Lake Oswego OR, 1 day in Vancouver WA and 1 day in Camas WA. All 3 sites were prehistoric in nature and all of them in urban, well developed areas. On the final day our supervisor took us around the block for lunch, wanting to show us the reason for all the slag we were finding in Lake Oswego. For those interested, here is information on the area and its history.

Willamette River

Spring is finally here and gosh is it beautiful!

George Rogers Park and the Iron Furnace

Hepcat Model

My goal has been to get the Hepcat finished by my birthday. That didn't happen since the dig took a couple of weeks off my modeling schedule (more on that later). I realized, however, that I still have several weeks worth of photos to catch you all up on. The Hepcat is ALMOST finished (I swear)!

We ended up adding a piece of wood to the front to support a windshield 

and also to support the dowel that will hold the wing in place.

The putty type substance is called Microballoons, we use it 

to mold the wing to the fuselage so that there is a tight fit.

See the dowel sticking out the front?

Once some upgrades and repairs had been done to the top, I covered it.

Than I started glueing the tail section together...

and I painted the now puttied area blue to match the rest of the plane.

See how nicely the wing sits on the fuselage now!

Than I glued the tail section on permanently...

and I also glued on the tail skid permanently.

And finally I installed the landing gear.

The body is almost officially done, just have windows and windshield to install and of course,

 the inner workings: fuel tank, battery pack, engine and connect all the wiring!!!

Now I have to sign up to be an AMA member so I can legally take her out for a spin... 

Silly Schnauzers

 Trudy spends an inordinate amount of time on blankets and pillows :-)

Sleeping with Dad

Trudy in baby socks!

The sweetest schnauzer face ever!

Archaeology Job

Back in November I interviewed with an archaeology firm up in the Portland area. It is a firm that Hubby's company uses from time to time and my connection to him and his job garnered me the opportunity to interview with them. The human resources director at first seemed skeptical, seeing as I had only broken my hand a few months prior. We both agreed to wait until the new year and allow my hand to make a good and complete recovery. He called the other day to line me up for a dig in about a week. I sense he is still wary of hiring me, now he claims that I might be "too tiny". I told him I felt confident I could do the work. We ladies sometimes have to fight to do jobs that have been male dominated for so long!

I know I would regret not grabbing this opportunity. In the end the worst that happens is that they aren't happy with my quality of work and don't call me back for another dig. The best thing that could happen is that I have a job from time to time that eventually might lead me into a permanent position in the field of study I went to college to do. Either way, I am going to learn some very valuable lessons in the coming month!

I won't be able to update the blog the way I did last summer because there is a confidentiality clause that prevents me from discussing the dig, who the client is who hired us and the location. No pictures or discussion is allowed until after the dig is complete. Sadly, if word got out via by mouth or over the internet about where and what we were discovering, there would be "pot-hunters" out there at night digging up the area before we had a chance. Hopefully I will be be able to regale you with some cool stories in April!

DIY: Star Trek Mirror

I discovered a really cool blog the other day and got inspired to do some geeky do-it-yourself stuff around the house. I have had this mirror since I was a little girl but haven't been able to figure out what to do with it. It is missing the frame and isn't in the best of shape. 

I used some left over faux leather contact paper I had been using to line the kitchen shelves. I freehanded the image since my printer is currently out of order. Not a bad result, although if I decide to keep it, I might take my time and redo it with an actual stencil.

Emblem from Star Trek TNG

More Snow Pictures and Video

The snow is almost all melted, the half inch of rain in the past 24 hours has certainly helped it along. The excitement about the snow was almost palpable on Thursday, people were pumped. On Friday, everyone was outdoors playing in it! We even had neighbors over to our house to sled down our driveway. On Saturday most people were inside, exhausted from the previous days events. By Sunday, the reality of how much snow had fallen was setting in and people were beginning to realize that getting to work on Monday was going to be terrible. Sunday morning we were out bright and early trying to clear our driveway with a shovel and rake (we Arizonans lacked proper equipment) and soon the neighbors were joining us, trying to clear the private road we all use to travel out of the neighborhood. The major Portland roads were plowed but the side streets were still a mess and the Monday commute was epically slow. I guess we weren't the only ones who were unprepared!

My snowman -- about 4 feet tall

Here is a video of the dogs in the snow, 

keep an eye out on the right hand side. 

I caught Trudy bouncing in the snow and it is adorable!

Something You Don't See in Tucson

Snow is uncommon in the Portland area. We have seen it several times in the past few years but nothing beyond maybe half an inch. An arctic blast moved into the area yesterday and started bringing us some amazing snow! The snow is so soft, almost like powder, but not overly wet so we could stay out in it for awhile this afternoon.

1:00 pm yesterday afternoon

9:30 am this morning

3:00 pm today -- Our driveway! 

Hubby had a snow day, couldn't get to work.

34 years of life and I had never done this before!

Helpless Doesn't Mean Worthless: UPDATED AGAIN

I dropped off some flyers to Carrie yesterday so she could help us canvas the neighborhood for the dog's owner. She texted this morning with some amazing news! She found the owner! Apparently her boss was walking by her desk when he saw the flyer. He recognized the dog immediately and called the owner, who is his friend. The owner was so happy and relieved! Apparently they were out for a walk when Bailey wandered away. She follows voice command and doesn't wear a collar because she hates them and chews them right off. They say they have been looking for her for over a week and were very worried. The owner is going to pick her up this afternoon.

A very happy ending indeed!!

Updated 1/24/14:

I received a message from the shelter yesterday that the dog Carrie and I found has not yet been reunited with her family. I decided to stop in to visit the pup this morning on the way to Evergreen. The volunteers say she is doing well but she is still very scared, probably because she is blind and it is so noisy with all the other dogs there. She is obviously house-trained because she always waits to go potty until the morning when they let her outside. Unfortunately, she only has about two weeks more before the shelter will have to "decide what to do with her". I asked them if it was a money issue, as Hubby and I would be happy to provide her with toys, food, and blankets if that is what she needs. The volunteer said it is about space in the facility, not money.

Only two weeks to find her family or a new home! In an effort to expedite getting her home I posted a lost/found ad on Craigslist here and Hubby made some flyers to put up.

The shelter asked me if I could swing by the U-Haul store right near where we found her and see if they had any information. The man behind the counter quickly shooed me away, claiming he hadn't seen "that particular dog" before. I sense deception!

This is Bailey!

Original Post Date: 1/18/14

I was driving to Evergreen yesterday when I noticed a woman trying to corral a dog along the side of the road. She was on her cellphone and looked a tad stressed. I parked and walked across the street to see if I could give her a hand. She exclaimed, "Oh thank God, dozens of people have honked and been irritated but no one has helped. This dog is blind and I don't know what to do." I offered to stay with the old dog while she ran to get a leash from her work. She called the animal shelter to get advice and than asked if I would be willing to take the dog to the shelter since the animal officer wasn't on duty. I agreed and we, with much difficulty and threat of harm, got this poor old, blind dog over to the truck. Poor girl was terrified and obviously had never had a leash on before. However, she jumped right in the truck and curled up near the heater.

I arrived at the animal shelter and knocked on the door and was wonderfully greeted by two volunteers. They got all the equipment they would need to get the dog out of the truck and eventually got her out and into an indoor kennel. The police arrived (-- I know, weird, they take their stray animals quite seriously around here! --) and took my "statement" and said they would attempt to find the dog's owner. Wow! The volunteers let me see where the blind dog was being housed and gave me a tour of the facility.

Before leaving I provided my name, address and phone number to the shelter so that I can stay up to date on what happens with the dog. I made sure they understood to call me before they make any life or death decisions regarding this pup. I was certain that when push came to shove, my Hubby and I couldn't let this old, blind dog get euthanized simply because she was helpless. I truly hope that this sweet pooch and her family are reunited very soon!

Before heading to Evergreen, I dropped off the leash to Carrie, the woman who originally found the dog. I updated her on what happened and that the dog made it safely to the shelter. She hugged me and thanked me for being such a loving person! She is the amazing lady who originally stopped, I just leant a hand. :-)

I urge all of you, don't hesitate to stop and help whenever you get a chance! My heart is filled with gratitude and happiness today for having this experience and for meeting a group of truly amazing people!!

A special thank you to Carrie, Newberg Animal Control and the Newberg Police Department! You were all amazing!

Hepcat Model

As I had hoped, I was able to get the painting completed over the past few weeks. I was shocked at how well we were able to match the interior color to the exterior! 

My remaining to do list:

Windows still need to be put in

Landing skid needs to be installed

Fuel tank needs to be put together

Landing gear needs to be installed

Engine needs to be put back in

Horizontal and vertical stabilizers need to be permanently installed

Hepcat Model

More progress has been completed on my Hepcat model. The nose has been covered and the decorative stripping has been ironed on. This week the agenda is to paint the inside of the engine and fuel compartments to protect them from fuel leakage. Balsa wood is extremely porous, so if fuel gets on it it seeps in and dissolves the wood. After painting I will cut out and install the window panels.