Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach

Spent the weekend in PB.   My wife Nikki at the Crystal Pier.

GrooveSession in Pacific Beach

We saw GrooveSession yet again - this time at the 710 Beach Club in Pacific Beach...we just love this band!

Cherry Road in Pacific Beach

We were able to see Cherry Road play at the 710 Beach Club in Pacific Beach also.

Fun with Friends

 A fun day with our friends, Laura and Aaron!

I should have waited until she was done with the call she received, but still a great photo!  Captures the relaxed gentle feeling of the day.

Farmer Teo

Teo down on the farm.  Or more accurately, back behind his school.  Those are radishes he's growing.  We think.

New Umbrella

Since we've kicked re-doing the back yard out a year or two, we decided to invest a bit in it to make it live-able this summer.  Starting with a new umbrella.  Looks great and really needed in the summer sun!

Smoke Detector Battery Replacement

 Since I can never seem to remember when I last changed the batteries in the smoke detectors in our house, I figured I'd add a blog entry showing when I did it last so I'll have an easy reference in the future.

I need to replace them more regularly because the detectors we have (seven of them) are interconnected and screech loudly when they go off.  When the battery runs low, only the detector with the low battery screeches.  And after the screech, a voice states "low battery".  This wouldn't be so bad (I could replace the battery right away), but every time it has went off, it has been in the middle of the night.  And we have vaulted ceilings, so changing the battery involves digging out a tall ladder.   This week it went off in the master bedroom just after midnight.  We didn't want to dig out the ladder just then, so my wife and I closed the door and slept downstairs.  With earplugs.

The next day when I used the ladder to change the battery, this is the old battery.  A date of March 2017.  But is that a manufacture date or expiration date?  Not sure.

Until we bought new batteries, that had a date of December 2022.  Obviously that date is an expiration date.   If expiration dates are about 4 years out, does that mean I last changed the batteries in 2013?  Ouch! I know I replaced the detectors themselves in 2012 - I have the Amazon receipt.  And I know I replaced the batteries at least one time after that.   That would put us at 2013. Which matches to old battery dates of 2017.  So apparently we got about 5 years out of the old batteries.

One thing is for sure.  I've now replaced the batteries in April of 2018!   And I'll try to replace them again before we get "low battery" in the middle of the night.

Also:  I looked up what "Pile Alcaline" means.  It is "Alkaline Battery" in French.   Interesting.

Boys First Trip To Las Vegas

 We finally found the time to take the boys to Vegas!  They have been asking to go for awhile, after they saw it on a TV show they watch.  So we loaded up the car and drove to the Blodgett's house, who graciously put us up for the weekend.  We had dinner at the Lazy Dog.

 Unique decorations at the Lazy Dog.

 Troy, Teo and Levi.

 Waiting for a table in the lobby.

 Neal and Jessica.

 Dinnertime!  The food was good.

 The other half of the table.

 After dinner, we went to see the volcano erupt at The Mirage.

 A view of Treasure Island from The Mirage.

 The strip in front of The Mirage.

 Caesar's way off in the distance.

 My wife and I.  We look a little wind blown because there were 20 MPH gusts throughout the evening.

 Teo and Troy.

 Dave, Levi and Lexis waiting for the volcano.  I'll try and include a video at the bottom of this post.

 My wife.

 We also showed the boys The Venetian.  They loved the canals, but were even more awed at the casino floor.

A brewery inside The Venetian.

 The boys also had the opportunity for a few dips in the Blodgett's spa and pool.

Then back home!  Trip home was about 5.5 hours due to the Sunday traffic.  Dave drove, thankfully.

 The Cajon Pass.

Dinner, Drinks, and Dancing with my Lovely Wife

Pretty much every weekend, we find a place for dinner, drinks, and dancing.   This, my friends, is why I work so hard during the week - for a wonderful evening with my wife.

New Flooring

Dave and I ripped out the carpet in our home office and replaced it with wood laminate.  Much better!   Not sure I ever want to do flooring again - will hire it out next time!