travelguy_73
-
Posts
1,030 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
1
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Posts posted by travelguy_73
-
-
Our hibiscus ate it pretty hard from the freeze, no more leaves and I can't tell if they're going to make it or not. Should I cut them down a bunch? Call it quits?
I cut back our lantana, but ripped out the ginger and cannas. As I was digging them up this morning, I could tell they are definitely still alive, but I'm not patient enough to cut them back hard and wait...I'll just buy new ones. If take a knife and scrape the base and it's green, then it is alive and it's a personal preference whether or not you keep the hibiscus.
-
OMG, that is cool. I would then frame each one with a simple black wood frame. Wouldn't be cheap, but would be very cool in the right setting if executed properly.
-
High Fashion Home regularly has art sales. I don't know your definition of cheap, but they have some cool wall art (on the second floor?) way marked down.
-
I guess we have about half of that. We have the insulated attic walls, but the floor isn't sealed (because I guess why would you when it is just another floor). No ridge vents or soffit vents. By having the air return in the attic and on each floor, I guess it acts the same as if we had an opening between the attic and second floor. Because we have an old house, we have shiplap and sheetrock walls, so no insulation there.
I do agree that any ducts leaks are irrelevant because it is all conditioned space, though we have our first floor vents in the crawlspace under the house, so those we have to keep an eye on.
-
As Ashley, or Finger? Who is Rodney, and why would he be running Ashley? Very confusing...when is the announcement expected?
As I stated in an earlier post, Ashley and Fingers are not affiliated. They were supposed to be, and that is what got all the press a while back, but Hill Country got the franchise and the Ashley rights belong to them. Everything I have seen and posted points to the Finger name staying put, otherwise their website wouldn't have the name and logo, and neither would the Cullen location.
And thanks for the update, H-D! Haven't see you around in a while.
-
Is it too hard to "condition" the attic? Meaning sealing it up from the outside? I head this is better for the attic than venting it.
We did this to ours a couple of years ago. It's a large old attic, tall, but not quite tall enough to make it a usable third floor (and there isn't a dedicated set of stairs, but a pull down ladder). We were spending a small fortune on climate controlled storage, and so got rid of the unit and put the money into sealing up the attic, adding two a/c vents and an air return (from the second floor zoned a/c unit, which was oversized for that floor anyway). We added cel-bar from Payless Insulation into the walls/ceiling, and cellular shades to cover the three windows (east, north, and west exposure).
My partner is happier with the end result than I am. As a climate-controlled storage space, it is really nice, easily the nicest attic I have ever seen, LOL. And you can be up there any day of the year. All the matching bins, holiday stuff, and our off-season clothes go up there. So that part is great. However, I'm not sure about the effect on our utility bills. I mean, in theory making the entire house climate controlled should be fine, but the hot air rises and needs to go somewhere, right? In the heat of the summer when the attic door is closed, all seems fine, and the first and second floor stay cool, because I guess the hottest air is going into the attic, and then gets recycled through the air return and cooled and returned to the attic (or not!). However, when the attic door is open, the second floor definitely gets warmer. So we keep it closed all the time. Having an air return on each floor helps keep the circulation/pressure proper, at least I'm pretty sure! OK I am just guessing.
We probably spent $2.5k to have it all done (vents, insulation, shades), and it does the job, and who knows, it might actually be good for resale (in a house with two closets, it definitely is appealing). But I think we are paying more for our a/c than before, though our house is inefficient enough that it is frankly hard to tell one way or another. We were spending about $120 a month on climate-controlled storage ($1440/yr), so even if we are paying more for utilities, it is at least cost-neutral and probably saves us money after two-or-so years.
-
IIRC, they were SUPPOSED to become Ashley stores, then Hill Country Furniture Partners did an end run and secured the chain. And given how fresh and clean the "F"s look on the signage, it's staying Fingers.
I emailed Nancy Sarnoff to see if she has any info, but haven't heard back yet.
-
Should be Nissan Joke.
The back end reminds me of a Volvo C30, and the front of the bug i stepped on yesterday.
The Touareg, OTOH, is gorgeous. The current model is too heavy and uses far too much gas for the space you get. Shedding over 400lbs will help get it back into fighting weight. And decent mileage from the hybrid to boot. With that interior, who needs a Q7?
-
I noticed on my way home this evening that the Finger's Furniture location at Cullen says "opening soon" on their sign. We have all watched the painfully slow liquidation sale, then the removal of some of the signs, cleaning of others, etc. And now it is reopening?
I can't find anything online, so if anyone knows anything, share it! Not that I'm excited to see it again, but it's better than a vacant building.
eta: Their website says it as well...
-
2011 Volvo S60 Interior
A marked improvement over our XC70. The one thing to watch out for will be how the navigation system works. We test drove an XC60 a while back, and the only way to input was through a ridiculous remote or a toggle on the steering wheel. It was insane. And you couldn't enter destinations while the car was in motion. Like Volvo drivers don't have passengers? Even my CC let's me enter destinations, so I know it isn't a European nanny thing. Just a Swedish (errr, Chinese) nanny thing.
-
Did anyone listen or watch the Democratic debate last night? I listened to it (KUHT) on the way home from the office, and was generally happy with Bill White's answers. OTOH, Farouk Shami didn't come across well at all. Maybe if I had been watching instead of just listening (though that seems backward), but his answers were at best weak. I dont' have any doubts he is a smart man, but he doesn't seem to have an ounce of political prowess.
Now where is my "Anyone but Perry" bumper sticker?
-
Since two are going up downtown right now, my guess is it will be at least 5 years before the economics support another, and even then it will likely be a "shorty."
-
I was surprised to see that the one story ranch-rambler next to the bayou and Lawndale Ave. (close to the monument store) is still there, although the garage apt. next to it is being moved.
HCFCD bought the land the garage apartment is on for the bayou improvement, and that is why it is being moved. I think they lost their pool as well.
-
http://www.chron.com...ro/6839028.html
Related - my neighborhood has curbside recycling (little bins) and I was wondering what the eligibility is to have it since I know not all areas do..
The reason I ask is because at least on my street (and i can only guess about the other ones...) there are maybe two recycling bins ever out for pick up as far as I can see (one being mine). In that respect my area is definitely not worth the city's while for pick up. That being said, how can you promote recycling to neighbors who don't seem to give a damn?
I'm with you. We put out three bins each collection day (for two people), and I'm amazed if half-a-dozen other homes on my block put anything out. It's just sad, even those with little kids don't recycle, and that just seems like bad parenting to me. I have often thought about putting in multiple 311 requests to have bins delivered to my neighbors homes, but I'm not sure if they would get the hint.
Recently, the Chron published a table with recycling rates by neighborhood, and IIRC Eastwood wasn't great, but it wasn't in danger of losing its curbside recycle ability. Still, the percentage was pathetic and I can only hope that the large bins will make it easier on the lazy people, so that they will recycle more.
-
Noticed that abandoned old building on Pierce (Bordered by Gray, Hutchins, and Bastrop) finally is getting torn down.
While at least it's getting rid of some blight, do you think there are additional plans for it? Townhomes seem fairly unlikely there.
AFAIK, 2222 Pierce is still for sale (http://2222pierce.com/), so I don't think there are any firm plans for it. I had hoped (and still do I guess) that the large broken sign on the adjacent lot would go with it as it is the same owner. Doubtful, though.
-
After reading y'alls tales of woe with inadeate heat, I'm feeling a lot better about the POS units we have in our 70 y/o house (package unit for the first floor, split system for the second). We usually keep the heat around 69-70 during the day, and at 67 at night, and the units didn't seem to have to work hard to maintain those temps. I did curse the out-of-square front door framing for letting in frigid air, but then blessed the eastern and southern windows for letting in so much of the warm sun (open the shades while the sun was out, then close them to trap the warm air in the house). At times I actually had to turn the heat down!
We just installed a Rinai tankless water heater, mounted on a wall outside, and worried about it getting too cold for the unit to operate properly, but it did just fine. The pipes did fine (dripped the front and rear spigots and kitchen sink), though the first night we forgot to drip the front and it was frozen the next morning.
Now I won't get into all the plants we probably lost...gingers, cannas, and heathers galore.
My spring annuals money is going to replacement plants for sure. -
I don't know if you guys have been following the car tech at CES, but there are some incredible devices coming in the near future (aka, the "connected car"), the most interesting of which seem to be from Ford.
-
2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe
We saw the standard coupe at the LA Auto Show, and it is beautiful in person, very concept car looking. In daily driving, though, that tall back end is going to be a pain to live with. But, the buyer of this car isn't going to be interested in what's behind him!
-
Caught this on the CNET Blog from the upcoming CES 2010:
Whirlpool, Direct Energy assemble home energy system
A group of companies at the Consumer Electronics Show plan to show off a networked home energy management system for reducing consumer energy bills.
The demonstration will include network-aware appliances from Whirlpool, a two-way thermostat from Lennox, and a touch-screen central control point made by OpenPeak.
Energy retailer Direct Energy plans to test out the combination with about 40 homes in the Houston area in an effort to entice consumers to use tools to ratchet down their home energy use. Best Buy's Geek Squad will do installation of the home network system.
Adjusting how appliances are run can save $30 to $50 per year per appliance, according to Warwick Stirling, Whirlpool's global director of energy and sustainability. Jobs can be programmed to run at night, or multiple heavy loads, such as charging an electric car and running a dishwasher, can be prioritized to take advantage of off-peak rates, he said.
Through the OpenPeak device, consumers can control appliances as well as heating and cooling. It will also display real-time energy use and act as central hub for a wireless home network.
Direct Energy plans to gather energy data and provide recommendations on how consumers can cut energy use, said David Dollihite, vice president of product development at the company.
"We don't want to give people technology to manage energy but try to integrate energy management into their existing lifestyle with things they actually enjoy doing," he said. For example, Direct Energy could recommend a thermostat change which a consumer could quickly act on without sacrificing overall comfort.
The company chose the Houston area in part because it has already begun a roll-out of smart meters which can communicate information from the meter into the home. But Dollihite and Stirling said that the system can use an Internet connection to gather energy information if a smart meter is not installed.
Once information is available on Direct Energy's servers, consumers can access the data from multiple points, such as a PC, TV, or smartphone.
Dollihite said it's still not clear what sorts of companies will emerge as providers of energy conservation services, which have had very limited uptake by consumers in the past. He predicted that service plans will evolve as cell phone plans have, where consumers have a choice between paying upfront for equipment or a monthly fee for ongoing energy conservation services.
"This is the beginning of an energy ecosystem, which we hope is an attractive platform for other market participants to build to with ancillary services," he said.
http://ces.cnet.com/8301-31045_1-10425097-269.html?tag=mncol;txt
-
reminder that the City ordinance about biodegradable bags starts Jan 1
I would be in favor of a "no bags" system as mentioned. Designate a can/bin for yard waste collection that doesn't need bags. Leaves/clippings go in can, can is emptied into truck. We have a compost bin in the backyard but it's more than overwhelmed with the amount of leaves from the oak trees right now.
February 1 now, which is great because I have just enough regular bags left for the remaining leaves on the trees
. And OMG, the Chron.com comments section is classic. There sure are a lot of people in a bad mood in this city 
. -
2011 GMC Acadia Denali
I had a loaner Acadia a couple of weeks ago while my CC was being detailed. I was very impressed. Good attention to detail and the ride was comfortable for an SUV. Probably the only domestic SUV I would be interested in.
-
We are back from LA and the auto show was terrific. We went last Friday and so the crowds were light. However, the bigger thrill was randomly running into an Audi test crew with the upcoming R8 electric (the e-tron). We were driving up the PCH to Santa Barbara, and pulled off at a beachside rest-stop just north of Malibu, where they were sitting with the e-tron and a couple of Q7 TDIs. We were only feet away from it, kept from getting closer by the highway patrol. We have a video of it (to highlight its silence at full uphill throttle), which I'll post as soon as I find it.
-
Curious if anyone knows about the work that is happening on the sidewalks over on Rusk between Eastwood and Lockwood. Is it possible that we will be getting new sidewalks a few streets over (Walker, McKinney, etc...?) Anybody know how to find out?
I would call James Rodriguez's office as they should be aware of all projects in the district.
-
It's been a long while since Honda made a car that I could get excited about. That CR-Z is definitely it!
My spring annuals money is going to replacement plants for sure.
.
Coog's Crossing: Mixed-Use Development At 4001 Gulf Fwy.
in Going Up!
Posted
I've never been a Finger's customer (couldn't stand their salespeople), but I do wish him luck. It's refreshing to see a bit of candor with regard to the mistakes made with their previous expansion attempts. Didn't try to blame the economy, at least admitting they only "probably" would have been OK if it hadn't stumbled.
And I do love the comments on the chron page...especially the one about people "not wanting to drive out to that neighborhood," and the random gripes about furniture quality.