My DYI Patio Coffee Table

  After shopping around and not seeing a coffee table that we really wanted for our planned screened-in porch, I decided to take a shot at making my own.  The final dimensions of this table are 45 x 23 x 12.25 inches.

    I had planned to make it from 6x6's originally, but some very old 4x4's from an old barn became available at the right price (free, thanks Mom and Dad), so I decided to use those.  I cut the 4x4's to about 45 inches in length.  I wanted a little bit of variance so that the slightly differing lengths would give it more of a rustic look.  Once cut, I lined the boards together how I wanted them and then turned them upside down.

    Once upside down, I cut some 1/8 inch metal into 4 strips (I purchased 2 pieces at Lowes) with a grinder and then drilled pilot holes through the metal and attached the strips to the wood with 2-inch deck screws.  This initially held the 4x4's together, but there was more flex to it than I wanted, so I would probably not use the metal strips if I were to make this again.

  I attached 2 pieces of 1x6 at each base with eight 2-inch deck screws.  These need to be attached symmetrically at each end because the wheels will attach to them.  I would add a middle 1x6 if the metal strips are excluded. 
    I purchased 4 large wheels/casters online at Material Flow and Conveyor Systems Inc. (https://materialflow.com/).  These are 6 inch wheels with spokes (model# CA6R-6SSR).  The total cost for the wheels with shipping was 85.60.  I attached them to the table with sixteen 3/8 x 2 lag screws and washers.  I drilled pilot holes and attached the wheels and flipped the table over.....now I just have to wait for the room to be built that I will put it in.

The Missoula Marathon Weekend

  We took a quick trip to Missoula (via Coeur d' Alene), but flew out of KC late Friday afternoon, so we did not get to spend much extra time in the Missoula area.  The marathon was an outstanding, extremely well organized race.  It was my 43rd state and 95th marathon.  The drive from Spokane to Missoula was beautiful....lots of mountains and several moose sightings.  We were able to hit a couple of breweries in Missoula and were able to stop in Coeur d'Alene on our way from and back to the airport in Spokane.  Pictures from the trip.....

 Kim consuming some Coldsmoke Scotch Ale

 The Clark Fork -A lot of the Missoula course is run along this river

Another addition to the medal wall

The Ocean Drive Marathon Pictures

Nothing like running the whole 26.2 against the wind......

Inside the Cape May lighthouse.

Cape May lighthouse

Bertrand Russell's 10 Commandments

Bertrand Russell was a mathematician, philosopher, historian among others...

1. Do not feel absolutely certain of anything.
2. Do not think it worth while to proceed by concealing evidence, for the evidence is sure to come to light.
3. Never try to discourage thinking for you are sure to succeed.
4. When you meet with opposition, even if it should be from your husband or your children, endeavour to overcome it by argument and not by authority, for a victory dependent upon authority is unreal and illusory.
5. Have no respect for the authority of others, for there are always contrary authorities to be found.
6. Do not use power to suppress opinions you think pernicious, for if you do the opinions will suppress you.
7. Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.
8. Find more pleasure in intelligent dissent that in passive agreement, for, if you value intelligence as you should, the former implies a deeper agreement than the latter.
9. Be scrupulously truthful, even if the truth is inconvenient, for it is more inconvenient when you try to conceal it.
10. Do not feel envious of the happiness of those who live in a fool’s paradise, for only a fool will think that it is happiness.

Bahamas Vacation and Marathon

The race finish.....right on Junkanoo Beach.

Some other photos from the trip.....

Senor Frogs the night we arrived.

Beach Sand Display

We were vacationing in Bermuda a couple of years ago and while we were at Horseshoe Beach, we were looking at the pink sand and came up with the idea to take samples home from different beaches we visit and somehow display them alongside each other. We have collected sand now from Greece, OBX, Miami Beach, and Bermuda and those samples have been sitting around in plastic soda bottles.

We located some corked bottles that we thought would work well from Specialty Bottles.
I had planned on making a stand for the bottles, but we were looking around in Olathe Glass and spotted something that we knew would be perfect........

This is a candle holder made from a retired oak wine barrel stave.

Finally, we etched the beach location onto the glass for each sand sample. The 5th sample will be ready in January......the Bahamas.

First Day for my Five Trails 1/2 Marathon Team

Today was the first Saturday morning training for Leavenworth's Five Trails 1/2 Marathon. The kickoff was held at Garry Gribble's and we headed out onto the trails. Unfortunately, there was still 6 or 7 inches of snow still on the ground and hardly anyone had run on them, so the first run may be one of the toughest of the training program. You can go to http://www.fivetrailshalfmarathon.com/index.html for more information about the race and the training program....Some more pix....

The Athens Marathon

We headed to Greece to run the 2500th anniversary of Phidippides' run from Marathon to Athens. Despite Delta Airlines best attempts to destroy the trip, we had a great time. We stayed at the Divani Palace Acropolis Hotel, which was walking distance to the Parthenon and several other sites. The race was on Halloween and the weather was perfect early on and gradually warmed. After the race, we took a bus to the Aegean coastline......

The Temple of Zues

The Plaka, a shopping and tourist area near the Acropolis. This was taken at about 2 am when the streets were deserted.

Hadrian's Gate
Kim at the base of the Acropolis. Olive trees are planted everywhere.
The Parthenon
Parthenon Pics
The Temple of Zues from the Acropolis.

The Aegean Coast........





Other Pics.....



The Athens Marathon....


The burial mound from the Battle of Marathon




The blu line.....the shortest distance from the start to finish.
The spectators handed out olive branches and shouted "bravo"




We wore our Pumpkin Run shirts for the race (it was on Halloween). We had spectators taking our pictures and kids pointing and shouting about Halloween.
Olympic Stadium finish.....