1989 FOUNDATION DIGGER

IT WASN'T EASY FOR ME BUT I DID IT

TRYING TO PUBLISH PICTURES FROM PICASA: BLOG THIS.....HOPE IT WORKS.

THE GATHERING STORM

   AFTER THE 2003 SURVEY  I FIGURED IT WAS TIME TO SEAL THE NEW ASPHALT AND ENDED UP COATING IT TWICE, USING 15  5 GALLON BUCKETS.  THE NEIGHBORS OLDEST BOY SPENT A WHOLE DAY WATCHING AND TALKING AS I DID THIS. ....I  SPENT THE REST OF MY SUMMER BUILDING A REDWOOD GAZEBO. THE SUMMER OF 2004 ARLENE AND I  BUILT SOME FLOWER BEDS, GETTING RID OF HILLSIDES IN THE YARD.
   AT SOME POINT DURING THIS 2 YEAR PERIOD, 2003-2004, LITTLE THINGS STARTED HAPPENING THAT SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME THAT THE NEIGHBORS WERE NOT HAPPY. BUT, SINCE I DIDN'T NOTE THEM ON MY CALENDER ,  AND I NOTE EVERYTHING ON MY CALENDER,  I MUST NOT HAVE CONSIDERED THEM THAT IMPORTANT.   

A SURVEY THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING

   AFTER THE NEW ASPHALT IN 2002 I WENT ON TO FIXING UP THE OUTSIDE OF THE OLD 2 CAR GARAGE, ELIMINATING ONE GARAGE DOOR AND REPLACING THE OTHER.  THE ONLY OTHER THING OF NOTE IN 2002 WAS THE DEATH OF MY GRANDMA AT AGE 96.
   ON JUNE 5 , AND  6, 2003 WE HAVE OUR PROPERTY SURVEYED. THAT SURVEY PUTS THE NEIGHBORS [CATHERS] GARAGE CLEAR OF THE PROPERTY LINE.........BY .02 OF A FOOT.  THAT'S LESS THAN A QUARTER OF A INCH.  TRACY IS OUT THERE WITH THE SURVEYOR AND NO DOUBT KNOWS EVERYTHING  SHE WANTS TO KNOW.  EXCEPT , AS I LATER DISCOVER, AFTER BEING SUED, THAT PEOPLE ALSO HAVE AIR RIGHTS.  YES, THE GARAGE IS STILL ENCROACHING ON MY PROPERTY.  
   AT SOME POINT AFTER APRIL 2003 THE NEIGHBORS HAD DIRT DUMPED ON THEIR GRAVEL PARKING AREA IN FRONT OF THEIR HOUSE , ALL THE WAY TO THE EDGE OF OUR DRIVEWAY. THEREAFTER THEY PLANTED GRASS.......THANK YOU.......SINCE THE DRIVEWAY IS HIGHER THEN THEIR GRAVEL PARKING AREA  I'M THINKING, MAYBE,JUST MAYBE, I'LL START TO SEE BROKEN PIECES OF MY NEW ASPHALT. THE EDGE OF UNSUPPORTED ASPHALT WILL BREAK OFF, AS I FOUND OUT YEARS AGO.
    IT WASN'T APPARENT TO ME AT THE TIME, BUT I NOW BELIEVE THAT, THAT SURVEY, CHANGED THINGS FOR THE NEIGHBORS. NOW, MY DRIVEWAY IS ON YOUR PROPERTY AND YOUR GARAGE IS NOT ON MY PROPERTY. I GUESS I TEND TO BE NAIVE AND TRUSTING.
   OUR CONTACT WITH THE NEIGHBORS OVER THE YEARS IS SOMEWHAT LIMITED. WHEREAS, THEY ARE VERY OUTGOING AND CURIOUS, ARLENE AND I TEND TO KEEP TO OURSELVES . THAT'S NOT TO SAY WE AND THEY DIDN'T HAVE FRIENDLY CONTACT OVER THE YEARS. TO THE CONTRARY, IN 1989 AFTER OUR CONTRACTOR STARTS DIGGING OUT FOR OUR ADDITION, BILL COMES OVER TO ARLENE WORKING IN THE YARD AND SAYS THAT HE NOTICED THAT WE WERE STARTING TO WORK ON OUR HOUSE.. ...............THAT AS SOON AS HE IS ABLE THEY ARE GOING TO BUILD A HOUSE . HE  WANTED  TO KNOW WHO DUG OUT OUR FOUNDATION AND ARLENE TELLS HIM. IT WAS'NT TILL AFTER OUR 2003 SURVEY THAT OUR CONTACT WITH OUR NEIGHBORS NOTICEABLY INCREASED.

NEW DRIVEWAY PICTURES

     THE THING TO NOTE ABOUT THESE PICTURES ....THEIR ALL POST-REPAVING PICTURES FROM 2008. THEY CLEARLY SHOW HOW  ''PICTURES CAN BE DECEIVING ''.  THE ONE PICTURE SHOWS A LENGTH OF 4 INCH GALVANIZED PIPE, WITH REBAR WELDED TO IT, LAYING ON THE NEW DRIVEWAY IN THE SAME LOCATION IT WAS IN THE OLD DRIVEWAY. IT WAS USED TO KEEP WATER FROM  EAST DONORA RD., FROM RUNNING DOWN THE OLD DRIVEWAY, AND AFTER I WAS BEING SUED,  I PUT IT ON THE NEW DRIVEWAY AND TOOK A PICTURE THINKING IT MIGHT BE HELPFUL.
     THE GREEN SPRAY PAINTED LINE  SHOWS..............WELL,........ A PROPERTY DISPUTE. NOTICE HOW THE WIDTH OF THE DRIVEWAY CHANGES........THE LENS CAN ONLY SEE THE HIGH SPOTS,SO, IF YOUR  LOOKING ACROSS THE WIDTH OF THE DRIVEWAY , THE WIDTH APPEARS DIFFERENT THEN IF YOUR LOOKING DOWN THE DRIVEWAY.  I LEARNED THIS AFTER I INSTALLED SECURITY CAMERAS AND MY SMART BUDDY CAME OVER.  I ASKED HIM , LOOKING AT CAMERA 1 LOOKING STRAIGHT DOWN  THE DRIVEWAY AND ACROSS EAST DONORA RD., ''WHY DOES MY DRIVEWAY LOOK SO MUCH WIDER THAN EAST DONORA RD. WHEN THAT'S NOT TRUE''. 

PICTURES OF ROSTRAVER TOWNSHIPS MOST FAMOUS DRIVEWAY

A NEW DRIVEWAY ON EAST DONORA RD.

    TIME TO REPAVE THE DRIVEWAY...IT BADLY NEEDED IT AND THAT FRUGALITY STUFF WAS PAYING OFF.  ARLENE NO LONGER HAD TO WORK, BUT WE STILL WERE ABLE TO PAY CASH TO HAVE IT DONE. THOUGH IT WAS'NT THAT IMPORTANT TO ME, I CAN'T SAY I WOULD MISS HAVING TO GO OUT IN THE HOT SUN EVERY SUMMER AND DO SOMETHING TO THAT DRIVEWAY. THE CONTRACTOR DID IT OVER A TWO DAY PERIOD....FRIDAY JUNE 7 AND MONDAY JUNE 10 2002.  I WAS OFF WORK AT THE TIME AND WAS OUT THERE WITH THEM.
     THE NEIGHBOR, TRACY AND HER KIDS, CAME OUT TO SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON AS THE CONTRACTOR WAS REMOVING THE OLD ASPHALT....WHAT WAS LEFT OF IT. TRACY TELLS ME THAT SHE'S NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO PREVENT THEM FROM BEING THERE. I TELL HER....NO PROBLEM... I UNDERSTAND. ANOTHER NEIGHBORS KIDS ALSO COME OVER TO WATCH THE BIG EQUIPMENT REMOVE THE OLD AND BY THE END OF FRIDAY GET THE FIRST LAYER OF NEW ASPHALT DOWN.
     I ALSO WATCHED AS THEY SCOOPED OUT THE OLD ASPHALT, THAT SURVEY PIN BEING SCOOPED OUT ALSO.....OOPS.  LONG FORGOTTEN ......1989 TO 2002.
     THE CONTRACTOR  BID THE DRIVEWAY ON REPLACING THE ASPHALT EXACTLY AS THE OLD. THE ONLY THING THAT I WANTED DIFFERENT WAS A SLIGHT SLOPE SO WATER WOULD RUN OFF ACROSS THE WIDTH AND NOT DOWN THE LENGTH. HE SUGGESTED THAT THE SLIGHT UP HILL GRADE WERE IT MEET THE ROAD COULD BE EASILY  FIXED AND I AGREED.
     MONDAY THEY CAME BACK AND ADDED THE SECOND LAYER OF ASPHALT, AND THEY WERE DONE. I'M SO GLAD I DON'T DO THAT FOR A LIVING....THEY DESERVE EVERY PENNY THEY GET AND THEN SOME.

WINTER PASTIMES

  I CAN'T HELP IT, I'VE ONLY HAD THIS COMPUTER FOR 2 YEARS AND I'M HAVING SOME FUN. THE OAK BOOKCASES I BUILT THIS WINTER TO REPLACE 2 CHEAP ONES WE HAD FOR 30 YEARS. THE OAK IS 1 INCH THICK WITH A FACE FRAME FRONT, SO, I DON'T BELIEVE THEY WILL EVER SAG LIKE THE OLD BOOK CASES DID. THE OTHER PICTURES SHOW ONE OF ARLENE'S WINTER PASTIMES, BAKING.  THEN IN PREVIOUS WINTERS I BUILT A WALNUT CHINA HUTCH AND A WALNUT CABINET. A NICE RELAXING AND PEACEFUL WAY TO SPEND MY WINTER VACATION TIME. I'M TRYING TO FINISH A HALF DOZEN SMALL CLOCKS RIGHT NOW BEFORE I GO BACK TO WORK.

WINTER WOODWORKING

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

WOULDN'T IT BE NICE IF THE LAW WAS AS SIMPLE AS "THE TEN COMMANDMENTS"? OR THE TAX CODE AS EASY AS A SIMPLE PERCENTAGE?
      I GOT A RETURN CALL FROM THE "ACLU" THAT AGREES WITH EVERYTHING THAT I'VE DISCOVERED IN MY RESEARCH SO FAR, THAT IS, THAT I CAN PUBLISH THE COURT RECORD, TRANSCRIPTS AND OPINIONS ; LACKING ANYTHING SAYING OTHERWISE SUCH AS A COURT ORDER. THAT EASES MY MIND, BUT I'M GOING TO CONTINUE RESEARCH INTO THE MATTER.

LEGAL ISSUES

   I HAD TO STOP AND FINISH A COUPLE OF PROJECTS BEFORE I GO BACK TO WORK, AND I WILL BE GETTING TO THE POINT IN THE STORY WHERE THINGS WILL START TO GET LEGALLY COMPLICATED. WHAT I CAN OR CAN'T PUBLISH. SO, IF YOUR NOT SURE YOU TALK TO A LAWYER. SOMETIMES THAT MAKES IT MORE COMPLICATED AND THE NEED FOR RESEARCH.  AS A DIE-HARD, DO-IT-YOURSELF, TYPE PERSON I'M TAKING THE TIME TO DO THE RESEARCH MYSELF. THAT HAS A COUPLE OF ADVANTAGES - YOU CAN ASK BETTER QUESTIONS TO YOUR LAWYER AND YOU CAN SAVE YOURSELF MONEY. A GREAT PLACE I FOUND FOR INFORMATION -CITIZEN MEDIA LAW PROJECT [ http://www.citmedialaw.org]

    

SEPT. 11, 2001

   THE 21'ST CENTURY STARTS TRAGICALLY NOT ONLY FOR ARLENE AND I BUT ALSO OUR COUNTRY. I'LL NEVER FORGET WHERE I WAS THAT TUESDAY MORNING. A GOOD BOILERMAKER BUDDY AND I WERE LEAVING CONTAINMENT AT A NUCLEAR POWER PLANT AND WENT TO THE VENDING MACHINES TO GET SOMETHING FOR OUR MORNING BREAK. WE RAN INTO A CROWD OF PEOPLE WATCHING THE TV THAT THE PLANT HAD THERE. WE STOOD THERE, FIVE TO TEN MINUTES WATCHING IN DISBELIEF, THEN WENT TO OUR BREAK AREA TO TELL THE REST OF OUR STEAM GENERATOR CREW.

TRUE FRIENDS

  BEFORE WE GET TO THE 21'ST CENTURY AND THE MAIN EVENT I SHOULD MENTION THAT I MEET 2 OUTSTANDING INDIVIDUALS IN 1989, WHO WOULD PLAY KEY ROLES IN ME BEING ABLE TO DEFEND MYSELF. THE ONE, THE CONTRACTOR WHO DUG THE EXCAVATION  FOR MY ADDITION, CAME OVER 2 MORE TIMES TO DO JOBS FOR US. YEARS LATER WHEN I WAS BEING SUED, AND WAS LOOKING FOR HELP, HE GLADLY CAME OVER TO LOOK AT WHAT THE NEIGHBORS WERE CLAIMING AND AFTER BEING SHOWN WHERE, ACCORDING TO THE NEIGHBORS, MY DRIVEWAY WASN'T, HE SAID '' YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING ME''.
   THE OTHER, A DOWN TO EARTH, FARM BOY WHO I FIRST MEET IN 1989 WORKING FOR A PIPE CONTRACTOR , NOT ONLY TESTIFIED AT TRAIL,  BUT CAME UP WITH '' THERE'S GOT TO BE AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS SOMEWHERE''.....WHICH  EVENTUALLY LEAD TO OVERWHELMING EVIDENCE .  HE, HIS SISTER,MOTHER AND FATHER WERE ALSO VERY   UNDERSTANDING AND COMFORTING THROUGHOUT THIS WHOLE MESS.

MORE PICTURES

THESE PICTURES ARE MORE CURRENT AND SOME SHOW HOW PICTURES CAN BE DATED WRONG.

THE WHITE HOUSE

WASN'T QUICK - WITTED ENOUGH YESTERDAY TO ADD A TITLE, BUT PLEASE BARE WITH ME, IT'S PART OF THE LAWSUIT STORY.
     THE TOP PICTURE "OUR HOUSE JULY 1979" IS LOOKING AT THE SIDE-THE 2 WINDOWS-THAT WE ADDED THE ADDITION ON.
     THE NEXT PICTURE SHOWS THE PLACE THE DIRT COLLAPSES AND MY DEALING WITH IT. NOTE THE "OCT. 89" DATE IN THE CORNER INDICATING WHEN THE PICTURE WAS DEVELOPED.
      THE NEXT PICTURE SHOWS THE ADDITION FRAMED AND ROOFED BUT NO BRICK YET. THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN 1990-91.
      AND THE LAST PICTURE GOES BACK TO1989 AND SHOWS I GOT THE BLOCK DONE, IN THE SUMMER, AND WAS WORKING ON THE SUBFLOOR-JOISTS. I GOT THE PLY-WOOD DOWN IN DEC. OF 1989, COVED IT UP, AND HAD TO STOP FOR WINTER.