Royal Caribbean Cruisers -- How Are Things Where You Are? (was "Routine" ​ 😁 ​day in lockdown... how was yours?)

[bobmacliberty]

We dodged an expensive bullet yesterday.  We had some artificial turf put into our backyard about a month ago.  Micheline wanted to make this area a "sun deck" sort of spot.  The turf installation was a nightmare process, but that's another story.  We took the risk of putting the turf on top of our underground propane tank, leaving access to the lid to fill the tank.  We talked to the guy who fills our tank, and he told us that the tanks they use now, if properly installed, will last a long time.  Since our tank was only 7 years old, the risk of having to rip up the artificial turf and dig out the tank was low...or so we thought.

 

A week ago, guys from the utility company knock on our door saying that they were getting a bad remote reading from our tank.  They did what's called a cathodic test to see if the tank was corroding.  They found that a wire to the anode was disconnected.  Think of the anode as a sacrificial device buried next to the tank that prevents the tank itself from corroding.  I'm guessing that the turf company did that since they needed to pull up the access dome on top of the tank (where the anode wire is connected) to level it with the new turf.  The test results were iffy, possibly indicating that the tank was partially corroded.  That's bad since it could result in a propane leak and the tank going boom.  They said they'd send the results to the engineer and get back to us later to see what needed to be done.  Worst case, the tank would need to be replaced...one month after we spent the money on the turf. 🤬

 

The same guys came back yesterday and said they'd need to at least dig up a small area next to the tank to install a new anode...hoping that would fix the problem.  They did a great job of carefully cutting 3 sides of a 1.5 foot square of turf and folding it away like a flap.  They dug out the base under the turf, did what they needed to do with the tank and new anode, replaced the turf subbase, and nailed the turf back in place.  You can't even tell that they were there.  And the new anode was the fix.  They ran the cathodic test again and everything looks great. No need to replace the tank.  We let out a huge sigh of relief.  

 

Here's what the area looks like.  you can see the tank access dome lid in the middle of the turf.  We (ahem...Micheline) are in the process of picking out lounge chairs and an umbrella.

 

 

[bobmacliberty]

Adding...we had to replace our air conditioner evaporator coil a few weeks ago at a cost of about $2700.  Don't bad things usually come in threes?  What's next? 😬

[Ocean Boy]

35 minutes ago, bobmacliberty said:

Adding...we had to replace our air conditioner evaporator coil a few weeks ago at a cost of about $2700.  Don't bad things usually come in threes?  What's next? 😬

Some questions are better left unasked.

[aussielozzie18]

35 minutes ago, bobmacliberty said:

Adding...we had to replace our air conditioner evaporator coil a few weeks ago at a cost of about $2700.  Don't bad things usually come in threes?  What's next? 😬

Hopefully something with an easy inexpensive fix…

 

btw, love Micheline’s sun deck area. Very private.

[Sunshine3601]

17 hours ago, MancGirl21 said:

Happy Birthday to my birthday twin 🎉🥳

Happy Birthday🥳  I hope you had a fabulous day/weekend.   

[George C]

1 hour ago, bobmacliberty said:

We dodged an expensive bullet yesterday.  We had some artificial turf put into our backyard about a month ago.  Micheline wanted to make this area a "sun deck" sort of spot.  The turf installation was a nightmare process, but that's another story.  We took the risk of putting the turf on top of our underground propane tank, leaving access to the lid to fill the tank.  We talked to the guy who fills our tank, and he told us that the tanks they use now, if properly installed, will last a long time.  Since our tank was only 7 years old, the risk of having to rip up the artificial turf and dig out the tank was low...or so we thought.

 

A week ago, guys from the utility company knock on our door saying that they were getting a bad remote reading from our tank.  They did what's called a cathodic test to see if the tank was corroding.  They found that a wire to the anode was disconnected.  Think of the anode as a sacrificial device buried next to the tank that prevents the tank itself from corroding.  I'm guessing that the turf company did that since they needed to pull up the access dome on top of the tank (where the anode wire is connected) to level it with the new turf.  The test results were iffy, possibly indicating that the tank was partially corroded.  That's bad since it could result in a propane leak and the tank going boom.  They said they'd send the results to the engineer and get back to us later to see what needed to be done.  Worst case, the tank would need to be replaced...one month after we spent the money on the turf. 🤬

 

The same guys came back yesterday and said they'd need to at least dig up a small area next to the tank to install a new anode...hoping that would fix the problem.  They did a great job of carefully cutting 3 sides of a 1.5 foot square of turf and folding it away like a flap.  They dug out the base under the turf, did what they needed to do with the tank and new anode, replaced the turf subbase, and nailed the turf back in place.  You can't even tell that they were there.  And the new anode was the fix.  They ran the cathodic test again and everything looks great. No need to replace the tank.  We let out a huge sigh of relief.  

 

Here's what the area looks like.  you can see the tank access dome lid in the middle of the turf.  We (ahem...Micheline) are in the process of picking out lounge chairs and an umbrella.

 

 

Very happy we don’t need to deal with propane tanks , some areas here have natural gas and some don’t. When we bought both of our houses we made sure they had gas . First thing I did in our current home was to add a gas line to our outdoor grill 

   Celebrating turning 75 today, will go to our normal restaurant and start with some Johnny Walker Gold then get a really good bottle of wine with dinner . 

[Sunshine3601]

15 hours ago, Luckynana said:

I also enjoy power washing, but was glad to give the job of washing the house to the young man this time around.  I had power washed the concrete around out pool about two weeks ago, and still have the gate to the yard and back fence to wash.  I also need to wash the pavers and get rid of the peaking weeds in between.  Is it a big job to apply polymeric sand to the pavers, Debbie?  

I find applying the sand much easier than all the prep work.   Just follow the instructions on the container or bag.

 

One great thing with pressure washing is using it to get rid of the moss and weeds in between the pavers.

[Sunshine3601]

15 hours ago, Keksie said:

Well some days are just not meant to go well.  For a few weeks I just haven't felt great but nothing that didn't go away.  This morning after my husband left for Georgia to go look at a Farmall High Crop made the same year he was born I started having pain on the lower left.  The kind of pain that can make a person cry.  Called my Dr.  No appointments available so suggested I go to urgent care.  I was pretty sure that it was more then urgent care could handle.

 

Drove myself to the ER.  They are so nice there.   No waiting and everyone was so nice even if it did take 3 tries to start the IV line.  Tramadol on board and I felt all better and after the CT scan that verified a kidney stone I was sent home with a referral to a urologist.  Several meds were sent to the pharmacy.  Or maybe not.

 

Half way home they call to say one of the prescriptions glitched so I needed to come back and get a written one to take to the pharmacy.  Back I go, get the prescription, drop it off and go home.  Call the urologist and have an appointment Monday.  The pharmacy texts the prescription is ready.  I  call and they didn't get the other prescriptions so back I go to the ER to get written ones.  Then to the pharmacy.  I begged and they filled them while I was there.

 

So that was my day.  Sigh.

Ugghhh.  Sorry to hear about the pain and kidney stone as well as the struggle with the prescriptions.

Hopefully the stone passes easier than how your day went.😊

[Sea Dog]

1 hour ago, bobmacliberty said:

We dodged an expensive bullet yesterday.  We had some artificial turf put into our backyard about a month ago.  Micheline wanted to make this area a "sun deck" sort of spot.  The turf installation was a nightmare process, but that's another story.  We took the risk of putting the turf on top of our underground propane tank, leaving access to the lid to fill the tank.  We talked to the guy who fills our tank, and he told us that the tanks they use now, if properly installed, will last a long time.  Since our tank was only 7 years old, the risk of having to rip up the artificial turf and dig out the tank was low...or so we thought.

 

A week ago, guys from the utility company knock on our door saying that they were getting a bad remote reading from our tank.  They did what's called a cathodic test to see if the tank was corroding.  They found that a wire to the anode was disconnected.  Think of the anode as a sacrificial device buried next to the tank that prevents the tank itself from corroding.  I'm guessing that the turf company did that since they needed to pull up the access dome on top of the tank (where the anode wire is connected) to level it with the new turf.  The test results were iffy, possibly indicating that the tank was partially corroded.  That's bad since it could result in a propane leak and the tank going boom.  They said they'd send the results to the engineer and get back to us later to see what needed to be done.  Worst case, the tank would need to be replaced...one month after we spent the money on the turf. 🤬

 

The same guys came back yesterday and said they'd need to at least dig up a small area next to the tank to install a new anode...hoping that would fix the problem.  They did a great job of carefully cutting 3 sides of a 1.5 foot square of turf and folding it away like a flap.  They dug out the base under the turf, did what they needed to do with the tank and new anode, replaced the turf subbase, and nailed the turf back in place.  You can't even tell that they were there.  And the new anode was the fix.  They ran the cathodic test again and everything looks great. No need to replace the tank.  We let out a huge sigh of relief.  

 

Here's what the area looks like.  you can see the tank access dome lid in the middle of the turf.  We (ahem...Micheline) are in the process of picking out lounge chairs and an umbrella.

 

 

Glad they were able to fix. One thing we like about our artificial grass is that it is laid like carpet. If any work on the soil needs to be done the turf can be folded back.

 

I know that feeling about 3’s. I hope you are done after two.

[Sunshine3601]

1 hour ago, bobmacliberty said:

We dodged an expensive bullet yesterday.  We had some artificial turf put into our backyard about a month ago.  Micheline wanted to make this area a "sun deck" sort of spot.  The turf installation was a nightmare process, but that's another story.  We took the risk of putting the turf on top of our underground propane tank, leaving access to the lid to fill the tank.  We talked to the guy who fills our tank, and he told us that the tanks they use now, if properly installed, will last a long time.  Since our tank was only 7 years old, the risk of having to rip up the artificial turf and dig out the tank was low...or so we thought.

 

A week ago, guys from the utility company knock on our door saying that they were getting a bad remote reading from our tank.  They did what's called a cathodic test to see if the tank was corroding.  They found that a wire to the anode was disconnected.  Think of the anode as a sacrificial device buried next to the tank that prevents the tank itself from corroding.  I'm guessing that the turf company did that since they needed to pull up the access dome on top of the tank (where the anode wire is connected) to level it with the new turf.  The test results were iffy, possibly indicating that the tank was partially corroded.  That's bad since it could result in a propane leak and the tank going boom.  They said they'd send the results to the engineer and get back to us later to see what needed to be done.  Worst case, the tank would need to be replaced...one month after we spent the money on the turf. 🤬

 

The same guys came back yesterday and said they'd need to at least dig up a small area next to the tank to install a new anode...hoping that would fix the problem.  They did a great job of carefully cutting 3 sides of a 1.5 foot square of turf and folding it away like a flap.  They dug out the base under the turf, did what they needed to do with the tank and new anode, replaced the turf subbase, and nailed the turf back in place.  You can't even tell that they were there.  And the new anode was the fix.  They ran the cathodic test again and everything looks great. No need to replace the tank.  We let out a huge sigh of relief.  

 

Here's what the area looks like.  you can see the tank access dome lid in the middle of the turf.  We (ahem...Micheline) are in the process of picking out lounge chairs and an umbrella.

 

 

Nice!!

[NHProud]

22 minutes ago, George C said:

 

   Celebrating turning 75 today, will go to our normal restaurant and start with some Johnny Walker Gold then get a really good bottle of wine with dinner . 

Happy birthday, George ! Have a wonderful day celebrating with your sweetheart.

[dani negreanu]

21 minutes ago, George C said:

Celebrating turning 75 today

 

@George C

 

A very happy birthday wished to you, George. Have a wonderful celebration, in style 🥂

[Sunshine3601]

23 minutes ago, George C said:

Very happy we don’t need to deal with propane tanks , some areas here have natural gas and some don’t. When we bought both of our houses we made sure they had gas . First thing I did in our current home was to add a gas line to our outdoor grill 

   Celebrating turning 75 today, will go to our normal restaurant and start with some Johnny Walker Gold then get a really good bottle of wine with dinner . 

Happy 75th Birthday🥳🍹  I hope you have a fabulous day!

[h20skibum]

34 minutes ago, George C said:

Celebrating turning 75 today, will go to our normal restaurant and start with some Johnny Walker Gold then get a really good bottle of wine with dinner . 

Happy birthday.  Have a great celebration. 
 

44 minutes ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Happy Birthday🥳  I hope you had a fabulous day/weekend.   

 

let me add my happy birthday wishes @MancGirl21

[h20skibum]

1 hour ago, bobmacliberty said:

Here's what the area looks like.  you can see the tank access dome lid in the middle of the turf.  We (ahem...Micheline) are in the process of picking out lounge chairs and an umbrella.

Glad they didn’t have to dig out the tank. 
 

My son’s yard, in California is probably not much larger than that area.  The rest is all hardscape.  I keep telling him he should just put in artificial, and save on watering and mowing costs. 

[bobmacliberty]

1 hour ago, aussielozzie18 said:

Hopefully something with an easy inexpensive fix…

 

btw, love Micheline’s sun deck area. Very private.

 

Our entire backyard is surrounded by 8-foot tall podocarpus that gives us complete privacy.  They were shorter and a little bit scraggly when we moved in but with some proper trimming and some TLC from Micheline, they now form a nice, solid green wall. 😁

[Arzeena]

15 hours ago, Keksie said:

Well some days are just not meant to go well.  For a few weeks I just haven't felt great but nothing that didn't go away.  This morning after my husband left for Georgia to go look at a Farmall High Crop made the same year he was born I started having pain on the lower left.  The kind of pain that can make a person cry.  Called my Dr.  No appointments available so suggested I go to urgent care.  I was pretty sure that it was more then urgent care could handle.

 

Drove myself to the ER.  They are so nice there.   No waiting and everyone was so nice even if it did take 3 tries to start the IV line.  Tramadol on board and I felt all better and after the CT scan that verified a kidney stone I was sent home with a referral to a urologist.  Several meds were sent to the pharmacy.  Or maybe not.

 

Half way home they call to say one of the prescriptions glitched so I needed to come back and get a written one to take to the pharmacy.  Back I go, get the prescription, drop it off and go home.  Call the urologist and have an appointment Monday.  The pharmacy texts the prescription is ready.  I  call and they didn't get the other prescriptions so back I go to the ER to get written ones.  Then to the pharmacy.  I begged and they filled them while I was there.

 

So that was my day.  Sigh.

 

I hope you feel better soon! Take care of your self.

[bobmacliberty]

3 minutes ago, h20skibum said:

Glad they didn’t have to dig out the tank. 
 

My son’s yard, in California is probably not much larger than that area.  The rest is all hardscape.  I keep telling him he should just put in artificial, and save on watering and mowing costs. 

 

Exactly our thinking.  There's still a little bit of grass in the other corner of our backyard that I plan to turn into a putting green.  That area is very sloped and has a storm drain in the corner, so that will require additional planning/cost.  Maybe next year.  

[Sea Dog]

46 minutes ago, George C said:

Celebrating turning 75 today, will go to our normal restaurant and start with some Johnny Walker Gold then get a really good bottle of wine with dinner

Happiest of Birthdays wished to you on your special day. Cheers it’s Gerorge’s Day!

[bobmacliberty]

51 minutes ago, George C said:

Very happy we don’t need to deal with propane tanks , some areas here have natural gas and some don’t. When we bought both of our houses we made sure they had gas . First thing I did in our current home was to add a gas line to our outdoor grill  Celebrating turning 75 today, will go to our normal restaurant and start with some Johnny Walker Gold then get a really good bottle of wine with dinner . 

 

I've always had natural gas and wasn't too excited about having a propane tank.  It's really a non-issue.  The gas company monitors that amount of propane in the tank and refills as needed...usually once or twice a year.  We just get a bill.  The difference is that we get a bigger bill when that happens, rather than smaller bills every month.  My only real worry is if we have an extended power outage while the tank is low on propane.  Our backup generator runs on propane.  I'd hate to run out during a power outage.  Hasn't happened yet.  🤞

 

Happy Birthday and enjoy that Johnny Walker Gold!

Edited June 22 by bobmacliberty

[Arzeena]

57 minutes ago, George C said:

Very happy we don’t need to deal with propane tanks , some areas here have natural gas and some don’t. When we bought both of our houses we made sure they had gas . First thing I did in our current home was to add a gas line to our outdoor grill 

   Celebrating turning 75 today, will go to our normal restaurant and start with some Johnny Walker Gold then get a really good bottle of wine with dinner . 

Happy Birthday George!

[George C]

13 minutes ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

I've always had natural gas and wasn't too excited about having a propane tank.  It's really a non-issue.  The gas company monitors that amount of propane in the tank and refills as needed...usually once or twice a year.  We just get a bill.  The difference is that we get a bigger bill when that happens, rather than smaller bills every month.  My only real worry is if we have an extended power outage while the tank is low on propane.  Our backup generator runs on propane.  I'd hate to run out during a power outage.  Hasn't happened yet.  🤞

 

Happy Birthday and enjoy that Johnny Walker Gold!

I have to adjust my pre dinner drink since wife gave me a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue 😁😁

[Keksie]

9 minutes ago, George C said:

I have to adjust my pre dinner drink since wife gave me a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue 😁😁

Have a wonderful Birthday!

[h20skibum]

Yesterday, our fun times continued.   We started out by taking our grandson to the health club for a swim.  Told him we would be doing that at least three times a week.  
 

After swimming, we got our other grandson and took the boys to Mizu’s for lunch. 

 

What better way to spend the afternoon, than at a trampoline park. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Then, it was time for another meal out with our daughter, SIL and granddaughter, before bringing the kids back to our house. 
 

They were happier than cats to find new boxes delivered 

 

 

 

 

[jmh2006]

12 minutes ago, George C said:

I have to adjust my pre dinner drink since wife gave me a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue 😁😁

Happy birthday George! 🎂