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2023
On Sunday, January 1, 2023, Arlyn and I were still at Antlers Resort & Marina, located
at Lakehead, CA. We were scheduled to depart on January 2, 2023 to return home.
This day turned out to be the best day with respect to weather. The sun was actually
out and the wind had died down. I was itching to get the drone up during this
entire trip, but because of the poor weather, I was unable to do so. Today was the day.
I flew the drone around the lake (which actually looks like a river). The video
can be found on YouTube.
During the day, Jim was receiving periodic updates from his son, Robert, who was in Sacramento, watching over the Smith's pets. Robert was reporting heavy winds and storm damage from inclement weather in the Sacramento area.
Jeff and Carrie drove down from Dunsmuir to join us (Ogdens, Smiths and Pohlmans) for some conversation, snacks and drinks.
Later, that night, more s'mores were devoured.
Arlyn and I made the 181 mile long drive back to Sacramento to conclude this trip. When we arrived home, we found that the wind damage from the recent storms was much greater than previous thought.
Our BBQ was not where we left it. It had moved five feet from its original position. And the cover was a total loss.
The largest impact was the southern fence. Over the years, the fence posts were deteriorating to the point where there was a wiggle. I was hoping that we could avoid the possibility of having to replace the fence any time soon. This was not to be. Upon returning, we found fence panels laying in our neighbor's yard. Manny and I met to discuss when to have the fence replaced. We agreed to delay the fence replacement until after January to ensure there were no other storms.
It was time to have the south fence replaced. The total cost of the replacement was estimated to be $4,500.00 to have the old fence removed and have the new one put in. We used a contractor that Manny suggested. His name was Wilberto Padilla. It did not take long to complete the job and I paid my half of $2,250.00.
For Valentine's Day, Arlyn and I returned to an old favorite,
Melting Pot.
The design for the Cebu house has been completed and reviewed by an architect. We have an estimate of how much it is going to cost to build the house. With that we are now able to determine the amount of money leftover to purchase the land.
With the design software, I captured a virtual tour of the home and posted it on YouTube.
Rodney begins the process of acquiring his 13(a) Philippine's visa.
Rodney had a quiet celebration at Olive Garden with his wife, Arlyn.
On Sunday, April 20th, 2023, Rodney and Arlyn drove to Oakland, CA to attend Opaline Shelton's birthday party. Opaline is Rodney's 1st and 2nd grade teach from the late 60s. Opaline was celebrating her 100th birthday. Scott, Em, and Cameron were also invited and attended as well.
The party was held at the Fairview Metropolitan, near the Oakland Airport.
On Wednesday night, May 3, 2023, Rodney and Arlyn drove to the Bay Area and hung out at Scott and Em's house for a little while. When it was time, they continued on to the San Francisco International Airport. Arlyn had a flight to catch that evening.
The reason for the trip was to observe the 9th year anniversay of her grandfather's passing.
Itinerary
Airline: EVA Air
Flight: EVA BR17
Departs: San Francisco (SFO) Terminal I at 01:00 AM on Thursday 5/4/2023
Arrives: Taiwan Taoyuan International (TPE) Terminal 2 at 05:15 AM on Friday 5/5/2023
13h 15m flight duration
Layover: 2h 40m at Taiwan Taoyuan International (TPE)
Flight: EVA BR281
Departs: Taiwan Taoyuan International (TPE) Terminal 2 at 07:55 AM on Friday 5/5/2023
Arrives: Cebu International (CEB) Terminal 2 at 10:50 AM on Friday 5/5/2023
2h 55m flight duration
Flight was booked directly on the EVA Air website on 1/15/2023 for $956.65.
We had noticed some water in the cabinet directly below the kitchen sink. After poking around in the cabinet, it was determined that the garbage disposal was leaking. A new garbage disposal was order from Amazon on May 6, 2023 for $114.00. It arrived on May 7, 2023 and was immediately replaced. The unit installed is the InSinkErator Badger 5 Garbage Disposal 1/2 HP.
After Amber moved out last December, her bedroom needed some attention. It is not like she trashed the room. But the walls were showing signs of dirt and wear. So I decided to refresh the room with a paint job.
I started by putting painter's tape on May 16, 2023.
On May 27, 2023 (Memorial Day Weekend), I picked up a gallon of Glidden's Off White color (flat) (PPG1024-1)from The Home Depot. It is the Interior Paint + Primer (red can) and costs $19.98 per gallon. I armed myself with a brush and roller and got started. I worked on it on Saturday and was able to wrap it up on Monday evening.
After almost three months, Rodney receives his 13(a) visa from the Philippine Consulate.
| Date | Item | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-03-22 | Fingerprinting Fee for Department of Justice | $32.00 |
| 2023-03-22 | Paper | $0.90 |
| 2023-03-22 | Fingerprinting Fee for LifeScan | $29.00 |
| 2023-03-30 | Passport Photos | $41.85 |
| 2023-03-31 | Chest X-ray | $137.00 |
| 2023-04-08 | Philippine Embassy Fee | $150.00 |
| 2023-04-12 | Lab Work (Quest Diagnostics) | $177.73 |
| 2023-04-14 | Notary (x3) | $45.00 |
| 2023-04-14 | Envelopes | $3.180 |
| 2023-04-14 | USPS Priority Shipping (to Los Angeles) | $36.22 |
| 2023-04-18 | Notary for my request for birth certificate | $15.00 |
| 2023-04-18 | Medical Exam | $101.22 |
| 2023-04-20 | Lab Work (Quest Diagnostics) | $115.38 |
| 2023-04-21 | Police Clearance Letter | $62.00 |
| 2023-04-28 | Mobile notary on Medical Certificate | $75.00 |
| 2023-04-28 | Birth Certificate | $36.00 |
| 2023-05-5 | Parking downtown to drop off Apostile | $1.75 |
| 2023-05-26 | Notary on Police Clearance | $10.00 |
| 2023-05-26 | Parking downtown to drop off Apostile | $1.75 |
| 2023-06-09 | Dummy ticket for return itinerary | $38.00 |
| 2023-06-19 | UPS Shipping to San Francisco Embassy | $53.02 |
| 2023-06-15 | Apostile for Medical Certificate | $26.00 |
| 2023-06-15 | Apostile for Police Clearance | $26.00 |
| 2023-06-15 | Apostile for Birth Certificate | $26.00 |
| Total | $1,240.00 | |
Arlyn flies back to San Francisco International Airport.
Itinerary
Airline: EVA Air
Flight: EVA BR282
Departs: Cebu International (CEB) Terminal 2 at 12:15 PM on Friday 6/23/2023
Arrives: Taiwan Taoyuan International (TPE) Terminal 2 at 15:10 PM on Friday 6/23/2023
2h 55m flight duration
Layover: 8h 20m at Taiwan Taoyuan International (TPE)
Flight: EVA BR28
Departs: Taiwan Taoyuan International (TPE) Terminal 2 at 23:30 PM on Friday 6/23/2023
Arrives: San Francisco (SFO) Terminal I at 20:00 PM on Friday 6/23/2023
11h 30m flight duration
The house is listed for sale at the price of $629.900.
According to Investopedia.com, the current mortgage rate for a 30 year loan is 7.17% for people with excellent credit.
The price of the house lowered by $4,000 to a price of $625,900.00.
According to Investopedia.com, the current mortgage rate for a 30 year loan is 7.48% for people with excellent credit.
The Awesome August Birthday Bash was held at the Ogden home.
I asked Arlyn what she wanted for her birthday dinner. She said 'seafood.' So I booked a hotel at Occidental, California. After arriving at the hotel, we then drove to Bodega Bay to have dinner. We dined at The Inn at the Tides, a place we have visited before.
The guest bathroom refresh is completed.
| Date | Item | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-05-22 | Round, not elongated, toilet seat from The Home Depot. Dimensions: H 1.81 in, W 14.31 in D 16.56 in. | $12.97 |
| 2023-08-29 | Paint, Glidden flat interior Paint + Primer (red can). Color: Off White (PPG1024-1), sales tax, paint care fee | $22.28 |
| 2023-09-06 | Spray paint primer, gray, for patches. | $9.98 |
| 2023-09-06 | Spray texture for walls for patches. | $21.97 |
| 2023-09-06 | Insulation foam to fix scratched door. | $6.88 |
| 2023-09-06 | Wood filler to fix scratched door. | $7.48 |
| 2023-09-12 | Hardware knobs (x8) | $16.00 |
| Total | $97.56 | |
The house is delisted.
According to Investopedia.com, the current mortgage rate for a 30 year loan is 7.82% for people with excellent credit.
The master bathroom refresh is completed. Because this particular bathroom was painted a darker color, the painting required at least three coats to cover the old paint, making the process of painting this room much longer.
These images were taken by Redfin in July 2023. They represent the 'Before' images prior to the refresh.
| Date | Item | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-09-20 | Paint, Glidden flat interior Paint + Primer (red can). Color: Mother of Pearl (PPG1100-1), Quantity: 2 gallons | $39.96 |
| 2023-09-21 | Hardware knobs (x12) | $24.00 |
| Total | $63.96 | |
The guest room refresh is completed.
A large part of this project was completed during May 2023 Memorial Day Weekend. During that weekend, Rodney painted the bedroom after patching many holes. The entire room was painted except for the closet. Arlyn and I painted the closet in August 2023 to get the painting completed.
| Date | Item | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-05-22 | Paint, Glidden flat interior, Paint + Primer (red can). Color: Off White (PPG1024-1), sales tax, paint care fee | $22.28 |
| 2023-09-16 | Vinyl flooring, DuraLux Soho Rigid Core Luxury Vinyl Plank from Floor & Decor, Size 3mm, Price per sqft: $1.39, Price per box: $36.96, Sqft per box: 26.59, 6 boxes, sales tax | $240.05 |
| 2023-09-17 | Caulk for trim (Behr Multi-Purpose Caulk, white for trim, baseboards, molding and doors), sales tax | $4.09 |
| 2023-09-20 | Timeless Craftsman 45E2 11/16 in. x 4 1/2 in. x 96 in. primed MDF casing moulding (x8), sales tax | $149.56 |
| 2023-09-20 | Glidden interior paint + primer, semi-gloss, 1 quart (paint for base moulding), sales tax | $14.05 |
| Total | $430.03 | |
With vacation time stacking up and nearly reaching the allowable maximum, it was time to take a trip. So we boarded the Norwegian Cruise Line ship Encore and was bound for Alaska. Here is the YouTube video.
According to Investopedia.com, the current mortgage rate for a 30 year loan is 8.20% for people with excellent credit.
Arlyn tests positive for Covid-19 on this day. Rodney tests positive two days later.
Both Rodney and Arlyn have remained vigilant by receiving the latest boosters as they become available. The latest was received early in October 2023, just weeks before they took their Alaska Cruise. However, the booster did not contain protection from EG.5, or Eris. This is because Eris is too new and was not included. It would seem that somebody on the Encore did not care about the warnings and took their cruise while sick.
This marks the first time that Rodney and Arlyn have contracted Covid-19.
Just like the master bathroom, this bedroom was painted a darker color, the painting required at least three coats to cover the old paint, making the process of painting this room much longer.
| Date | Item | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-10-06 | Paint, Glidden flat interior Paint (no primer). Color: Mother of Pearl (PPG1100-1) (x2 cans) | $35.96 |
| 2023-10-09 | Paint, Glidden flat interior Paint + Primer. Color: Mother of Pearl (PPG1100-1), sales tax, paint care fee | $22.38 |
| 2023-10-26 | Window blind valance clip (x2) | $5.58 |
| 2023-11-04 | Paint, Glidden flat interior Paint + Primer. Color: Mother of Pearl (PPG1100-1), sales tax, paint care fee | $22.38 |
| Total | $86.30 | |
| 2023-11-12 | Paint, Glidden flat interior, Paint + Primer (red can). Color: Off White (PPG1024-1) (x2 cans) | $39.96 |
| 2023-11-16 | Paint, Glidden flat interior, Paint + Primer (red can). Color: Off White (PPG1024-1) (x1 can) | $19.98 |
| 2023-11-22 | White Duplex Wallplate | $0.46 |
| Total | $60.40 | |
According to Investopedia.com, the current mortgage rate for a 30 year loan is 7.77% for people with excellent credit.
These images were taken by Redfin in July 2023. They represent the 'Before' images prior to the refresh.
| 2023-11-16 | Paint, Glidden flat interior, Paint + Primer (red can). Color: Off White (PPG1024-1) (x1 can) | $19.98 |
| 2023-11-21 | Paint, Glidden flat interior, Paint + Primer (red can). Color: Off White (PPG1024-1) (x1 can) | $19.98 |
| 2023-10-22 | Window blind valance clip (x2) | $5.58 |
| Total | $45.54 | |
These images were taken by Redfin in July 2023. They represent the 'Before' images prior to the refresh.
| 2023-11-29 | Paint, Glidden flat interior, Paint + Primer (red can). Color: Off White (PPG1024-1) (x1 can) | $19.98 |
On the December 15, 2023, Rodney and Arlyn celebrated their 16th wedding anniversary. To celebrate, they went to the Rio City Cafe located at the Sacramento waterfront.
According to Investopedia.com, the current mortgage rate for a 30 year loan is 7.02% for people with excellent credit.
On the December 16, 2023, the Ogdens hosted a Christmas Party. The last Chistmas Party that they hosted was in 2019.
On Monday, December 25, 2023, Arlyn and Rodney shared a nice, quiet Christmas Day.
On Sunday, December 31, 2023, Arlyn and Rodney joined the Smiths and Pohlmans for a New Year's Eve celebration.
