I sneeked in a couple of shots of our boys, both rescued, ex-racing greyhounds – we are unabashedly fond of them and like to show them off whenever we get the chance.

[click images to enlarge]

I want to pass along some news about a new website called Tile Monthly that might be of interest to people contemplating doing their own ceramic tile work, or hiring it done. Call it a shameless plug if you like, but I think you’ll find this information more than valuable. Years ago, when researching ceramic tile for my own home remodel, I stumbled across the John Bridge Tile Forums and JohnBridge.com. The free advice and guidance I received from their tile professionals helped me complete several tile projects that I might not have otherwise undertaken. And because I did the work with their assistance, I ended up with installations I know were done in accordance with industry standards and will probably outlast the house. I also saved a considerable amount of money by not having to hire a tile professional, enough to do other projects.

According to the magazine,

“By neglecting to make consumers aware of the best practices for the installation of tile and stone products, the tile industry has paved the way for untrained, unreliable and, in some cases, dishonest workers. Inferior workmanship and failed installations have caused many people to spurn ceramic tile showers, for instance, and look to other materials when building or remodeling bathrooms. “Oh, I won’t have another tile shower. They get moldy, and they leak.” The same is true of tiled floors. “You’re thinking of tile for your floors? Don’t you know that tile floors usually crack?”

“The fact is, ceramic and stone tiles, especially modern porcelain tiles, are among the longest lasting surface materials used in construction. A properly constructed tile shower will last indefinitely, and if cared for it will look pristine virtually forever. Modern waterproofing methods render tile showers mold free. Tile floors, if done by qualified craftsmen and craftswomen using quality products, will last a lifetime and beyond without cracking and without losing their allure. There is simply nothing more enduring, and appealing, than a ceramic or stone tile floor.”

I love tile and stone, and wanted to share a wonderful resource that anyone will benefit from. Whether it’s doing your own tiling or having the knowledge to be confident a hired professional is doing quality work, you can’t afford not to be informed – Tile Monthly will be a great source of information of all sorts.

Check it out, subscribe to the free e-zine – I think you’ll like what you see.

Dennison Grade in Ojai

One of my favorite short ride hills, Dennison Grade is as easy or as hard as you want to make it. An elevation gain of 400+ feet in just a little over a mile makes Dennison just right for putting some hurt to the legs. And, the grade has a series of sweeping turns that give a real head rush if you are willing to lay off the brakes going downhill. At 30-35 mph the whole way down, it’s a great location to hone turn navigation skills.

It’s also a perfect start if you want an extended the ride up to the summit of Sulphur Mountain or around the loop through Santa Paula, Ventura and back home to Oak View, for about 50 miles. When daylight is short or I don’t have the time for a longer ride, a quick spin to Dennison Summit and back can be done in just about an hour from my front door.

Stan Johnson Custom Frame: All Original Dura-Ace 6 Speed

Here’s my all-time favorite ride, a custom frame decorated with all original Dura-Ace 6 speed components, Mavic wheels hanging on 32 15/16/15 spokes. The frame was built in 1988 by frame maker Stanley K. Johnson originally from Oxnard, now living in Boseman, Montana. It has withstood the test of time as only a well-built frame can, having survived a couple of hard crashes, an encounter with a garage door, and 30,000 miles of riding in all conditions. It’s still my favorite ride of the three bicycles I own.

We’ll get back to publishing stuff for ourselves just as soon as we get to the point where everyone else is happy. Meanwhile, have a look around – there might be some stuff in the archives you might have missed, and we have embedded a selection of music in our Music page you can listen to – some good stuff there!

For many years, technophile author Kevin Kelly has traded gadget and gizmo recommendations with friends.

But unlike many in the tech world, Kelly isn’t obsessed with the latest, slickest gadgets. A best-selling technology writer and a former editor at Wired magazine, he is more concerned with objects he or his friends have used, sometimes for many years, and found to be the best of their kind.

Earlier this year, Kelly gathered his recommendations, and those he received, into a weekly mailing list, Recomendo. Kelly then added them to his Cool Tools website, which is steadily building an enthusiastic audience.

Cool Tools is a refreshing antidote to the hype that surrounds the latest hot gadgets. Unimpressed by newness for newness’ sake, Kelly is attracted to objects that have withstood the test of time — and is passing those ideas on to others. It’s a habit he learned while editing and publishing the Whole Earth Catalog, the bible of counterculture do-it-yourselfers who wanted in “tools and ideas for the 21st century.”

Kelly’s eclectic interests — he’s a former photojournalist and a cycling nut — ensure the site’s material is always delightfully unpredictable. There’s quite a lot of tech, of course, but Kelly is as likely to highlight a book about raising chickens as an FM transmitter for the iPod.

So, alongside recommendations for a great inkjet printer, is a rave for an overlooked book about Japanese hot springs, or a paean for cheap gel pens. And because many of the recommendations come from Kelly’s friends and list subscribers, they are passionate, personal and touching. Kelly has just self-published some of the contributions in a book, Cool Tools.

We got a chance to visit with lots of family, some whom we hadn’t seen for a while. Kevin and Karen Bulger, Jennifer Bulger, Patrick Bulger, John and Terry(Bulger) Kraljic, Emma(Bulger) Brennan, Dick and Mary(Bulger) Van Nest, Jeff and PJ Van Nest, Mike and Patricia(Brennan) Dumont, Tony and Terry(Van Nest) Martinez, and so many more.

Jennifer Ferris flew out all the way from New York to partake of the feast, and is one of the family members who has an album in the Two Hearts Gallery and also has clambake photos in her personal gallery.

I replied: ”But I did have a drug problem when I wuz a kid growing up on the farm.” I had a drug problem when I was young: I was drug to church on Sunday morning. I was drug to church for weddings and funerals. I was drug to family reunions and community socials no matter the weather.

I was drug by my ears when I was disrespectful to adults. I was also drug to the woodshed when I disobeyed my parents, told a lie, brought home a bad report card, did not speak with respect, spoke ill of the teacher or the preacher. Or if I didn’t put forth my best effort in everything that was asked of me. I was drug to the kitchen sink to have my mouth washed out with soap if I uttered a profane four letter word. I was drug out to pull weeds in mom’s garden and flower beds and cockleburs
out of dad’s fields.

I was drug to the homes of family, friends, and neighbors to help out some poor soul who had no one to mow the yard, repair the clothesline or chop some fire wood. And if my mother had ever known that I took a single dime as a tip for this kindness, she would have drug me back to the wood shed.

Those drugs are still in my veins; and they affect my behavior in everything I do, say, and think. They are stronger than cocaine, crack, or heroin, and if today’s children had this kind of drug problem, America might be a better place today.
-Courtesy Country Whispers