Matt Has Attended 500 Classes

Matt came home with an exciting prize from his gym:

We took the official picture and then both realized, “Wait. It’s been way more than 500 classes that he has attended at MeFitness.”

We concluded that he had attended 500 classes since the switch of the scheduling system. Well done, Matt, for attending 500 classes beginning from a random point in time.

Matt Completes the Fun Puzzle

Thad passed along this unique puzzle, and Matt puzzled away, completing it in a short amount of time. (Some evening game time was sacrificed. And perhaps some normal bedtimes.)

The puzzle mechanism has a surprise, which has not been photographed so the vast readers of this blog don’t have the surprise spoiled. But I was glad I got to see it.

Finding Something New after 23 Years

Matt came home from Christmas in Michigan with puzzles, and I learned that Matt gets super obsessed with puzzles.

It’s not like I had ever seen him gravitate toward a puzzle when they came into his orbit. But I hadn’t seen puzzles in the Orange Door, and I think that was the difference.

This puzzle was two-sided. He did the first side in Michigan, and came home and puzzled together the other side.

He’s got mad puzzle skills though. Very impressive.

Orange Door Projects Completed

When I finished painting the front door, I wasn’t really finished with the job, because I needed to put up the new address numbers. And, more than two months later, here I am finding the time to do it (thank you 9/80 day, and Matt out of town)

When I bought the numbers from Modern House Numbers, I paid an extra $6.00 to get both a vertical and horizontal layout, as I wasn’t sure which way the numbers would fit best. They are much bigger than the numbers that came with the house. Good call, because vertical won out.

Here, I tape the template.

And here, the numbers are installed. Not pictured: a trip to the hardware store to buy epoxy and a specific size drill bit; me slicing open my finger trying to open the epoxy; and me making the holes a bit bigger because the specific drill bit size I was instructed to by was slightly too small.

Aren’t they pretty?

And here you can see the old numbers and new ones together.

Three days later, someone was dropping a package on the back porch as we ask, and said, “Is this 8004?” and I wondered how he had possibly missed both address numbers.

I also put up the new circular mirror, which is not actually new, but new to the Orange Door. I still think those mirrors are too high overall, but the circular mirror nicely covers the hole where the guitar hanger was.

Someday we will repaint this room and I will lower those mirrors.

Roku Daily Trivia Success

Our TV has been advertising daily trivia in their main menu, but it only intermittently gives us access. Very weird. It’s 10 questions, and they aren’t hard, but the most I had correctly answered was 9, either by myself or with Matt.

But tonight we finally got 10 out of 10 questions! I was a little disappointed to see that the congratulations screen is just the same as for 9 out of 10 correct.

They could have thrown in some fireworks or something.

Democracy Thanks Matt

Matt channeled his worried energy re: the 2024 presidential election into writing letters for Vote Forward encouraging people in Georgia to vote.

He wrote 300 letters, for which he had to get extra permission. 200 is the letter-writing max.

This is not the first year Matt has done this. He wrote letters last fall, and for previous elections. Here is 2022, for comparison.

Bonneville Lock and Dam

On the way back, we stopped at the Bonneville Lock and Dam, which I hadn’t visited since I was a child.

Outside, they had recorded information about the site, which was nice and also had me worrying about park ranger job longevity.

Do you know someone who is both dead and who also loved roses? This garden is for them!

Timer photo!

I neglected to take pictures of the fish ladder, but here Matt and I are as lampreys.

I was hoping to spot a lamprey, but no dice. Apparently they don’t migrate, so seeing them is rare.

We walked out to the powerhouse, and I took pictures of the great art deco details.

Hood River Railbikes

Our next big staycation outing was trying out the railbikes in Hood River.

Matt waits in the station. Aside from railbikes and train rides, you can also rent ebikes to explore Hood River for the day.

Matt on the bike. One person gets to control the level of assist. Matt was in charge of that on the way up. We had about a 45-minute ride up to the fruit company, and then I was in charge on the way back.

A quick self-portrait at the Fruit Company.

Me on the way back down. I got cold and put on my coat, accidentally zipping my safety vest under my coat.

On the way back, we got to stop so our guide could take our picture at the waterfall. She remarked that she hadn’t seen an actual camera in a very long time.