1307 99th Ave NE
Soon to Go on the Market
 
The builder is doing everything he can to enhance the curb appeal of the new house.  Out went the old basketball hoop across the cull-de-sac, much of which is scheduled to be repaved.  An elegant front door was finally installed, and complete and attractive plantings really make this a nice addition to our end of 99th Avenue.

I Have Reading Stacked up into
the Next Millennium
 
Commander is a rare read for me, a biography.  But Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth, is the historical model for all the great fictional British Naval officers I have sailed with through gale and calm across thousands of pages since 2003.  I began this book, but it may be months before I can get back to it.  Matthew and Romans demand my study time, and three sections of BUS 1700 Spreadsheets and a season of BCS Track and Field take every free moment.

Easter 2014

Tavis and Salome Bohné, friends of Annie and Thomas, joined the Sleight/Rutherford clan at Susan's house for Easter lunch.

For the first time in our family history, I let Nancy, Nathanael, and Jean go to the 6:00 a.m. sunrise service at Bellevue Downtown Park without me.  I was exhausted.

One thing did surprise me.  For the first time in history, I took seconds on Brussels sprouts.  I would still not say I favored them, but Susan's cooking made them edible. 

Same Town, Different Building Site

My report on Laurie and Tom's impending move to Loveland, Colorado, was partly right.  Of course, they'll need a house first.  Here's part of Laurie's report at the end of April.

"We finally have the results of our soils test done at 2025 Arkansas Street, Loveland, and it is not good news.  We knew there would be the possibility of less than perfect soil, and this is indeed the case, and it is the same for the lot two doors down from us.  There is too much of a certain kind of clay that causes havoc when it gets wet, increasing the chance of heaves, i.e. expansion and contraction problems.  The lot is still able to be built on, but they will have to go through many extra 'hoops'.  They will have to bring in a big drilling rig, and drill holes really deep (way down into the bedrock) and make caissons, i.e. the structural floor will have to be placed on piers.  This will add roughly $30K to the total price, but the builder will pay about $10K of that.  While expensive, we can afford it, and want to go ahead with the build.  Most available lots in that area would have the same problem, so there is no use wasting our time and looking elsewhere.  We have found the right place where we really want to be."

♦ Ok, I confess, I visited my clandestine basement shooting range again this month.  I'm sure if I lived in a rural area I would be a poorer man due to all the ammo I'm likely to go through.  So I only shot three rounds from the S&W M&P22 I wrote about last month.  Three rounds in a one inch circle.  I am thankful for my one good eye.

♦  Randy took a week-long vacation down to Long Beach, Washington.  Before he drove south, he dropped of his ailing laptop with the hope that I could resurrect it.  I had some success, first getting his data safely copied off of it.  Then I was able to load some software to clean off literally hundreds of wee beasties (tracking cookies, viruses, trojans, spyware, etc.)  I had to wait for his return to do more.  It took over four hours on a Sunday sfternoon to repair his copy of Windows Vista and Office 2007.  But when he left for home, he could again use his laptop.  It was faster and more bug resistant than it had been, and he paid $150 to my SL8.com business for my time.  

♦  I am swamped with work, from my colleagues and my students, and from my Bible teaching and sports photography avocations.
 
 

♦  I regularly wonder why I am still taking sports photos for BCS.  It's not (just) for the free donuts.  It's that sometimes the shutter catches magic. And unlike golf, it's a hobby that actually blesses others — and nothing else would make me stand on my feet and walk about for up to eight hours, as I did this month at the King's Invitational — or ride a school bus to Lynden and back when I'm not even photographing my own kids.  (But when sophomore Emily Donnel won the Frosh/Soph Mile as Nathanael had done years before, I got a tear like she was my own daughter.)

♦  Early in the month, Thomas Disher learned that he had been admitted to the University of Washington Master of Library and Information Science program.  He will begin this program in the fall.  It seems like a great match for his skills and interests. He is both a lover of literature and writing, but also has a technological bent that should find an outlet in the digital aspects of his studies.

"The MLIS program prepares students to become leaders in the library and information world. Equipped with a keen understanding of the uses and users of information, graduates use their knowledge and determination to lead in a world where information is increasingly the most important commodity."

♦  On this final day of April, Nathanael was informed that he had not been accepted to the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program at SPU.  I am not surprised that this came as a bigger dissapointment to his father than to himself.  But he is often hard to read.  He plans is to continue with his current job (which he loves) and apply to SPU and Northwest University next year.  He says we have plenty to keep him busy here.  Can you say, "paint the house?"

♦  I enjoyed this brief email from brother Don.  Randy has had a busy month.

Hi Dick and Laurie,

Tonight I attended the monthly meeting of Randy's Professional Land Surveyor chapter. The main agenda topic was "Surveying Lessons Learned after the Oso Landslide," and Randy was one of the three presenters. Randy's presentation was very professional and wide-ranging. As the other two presenters were asked a few questions they could not answer, Randy gave the answers and the underlying details that pertained.

As Chief Engineering Officer (Chief Engineer) for Snohomish County, he has been in the forefront from the day the slide happened. There are now 20 agencies on-site and a total of 117 Federal, State, County and local agencies involved. Randy has capably represented the County in giving accurate and necessary information to many of their representatives. I was very proud of Randy tonight and for the continuing service he is providing to all of the search and rescue agencies and personnel.

Brother Don

♦  This brief item was published in our business school email newsletter this month.

Affiliate Faculty Status Granted
Dick Sleight came to SPU in 1989 from the University of Washington, where he’d served on the College of Engineering faculty since 1978. In 1991, Dr. Sleight joined the School of Business and Economics staff. He has taught regularly at SPU for more than 20 years, and was granted affiliate faculty status by a vote of the Faculty Senate in December. Along with teaching statistics and spreadsheets, Dick is the technology and information manager in SBE.

My Quotes from April

— Mark Twain

"There are no dead atheists."  — RLS