Linda left early to drive to the bakery where she put in a long day.  I worked on the CEPI ATR project for a while in the morning.  The mail came around noon and contained the written proposal package for the bus barn from Morton Buildings.  We also received a box from Bus Conversions Magazine containing multiple copies of the issues in which I have had articles published this year (Feb, Mar, May, and July).  We have been distributing sample copies to potential subscribers as we travel to try and help the magazine build its subscriber base.

At 1 PM I met with Mike (W8XH) from SLAARC to work on a new website prototype using WordPress.  On Monday we had been unable to complete the installation of WordPress at Larry’s for lack of the necessary login information, but Mike had obtained that from another club member during the week.  Finishing the installation was more complicated than we anticipated and we ended up on the phone with Larry (K8UT) most of the time.  Our original goal was to investigate themes and plugins but we worked on installation and configuration instead, including figuring out how to set up subdomains through GoDaddy; first things first, after all.

By mid-late afternoon I was back home, the weather was pleasant, and I finally had time to investigate the gutters.  It came as no surprise that the downspouts were all completely clogged.  What did surprise me was the amount of fine gravel in the gutters.  This was material that had washed loose from the surface of the shingles over time and accumulated along the bottom of the gutters to a depth of 1/4 to 1/2 inch in places.  I got out the 8 foot step ladder and the long hose and spray head, switched the outside faucets to direct well water (unfiltered and untreated) and spent a couple of hours on the roof hosing out the gutters and downspouts.

This was only the second time I had been on the roof, and the first time I had inspected the entire surface.  The inspector had dubbed the roof “serviceable” during the purchase inspection, meaning that it probably did not need to be replaced immediately.  My assessment was “marginally serviceable”, meaning that it will probably have to be re-shingled next summer.  It is a relatively low pitch roof, roughly 4-in-12, so I may redo it myself.  I’ve done this work before, and although I was much younger then, I am actually in better shape now.  The key will be getting the shingles delivered to the roof rather that to the driveway.  The bonus to being on the roof was that the views were nice and I had a much better Verizon 4G/LTE signal than I do in the house, so there is still the possibility that I can get a usable signal into the house using some sort of signal booster system.

By the time Linda fought her way home through Friday evening rush hour traffic she was tired and did not feel like cooking.  It was also obvious that we would not be ready to leave for Twelve Mile, Indiana by noon the next day.  We quickly decided to delay our departure until Sunday and, relieved of that pressure, headed off to LaMarsa in Brighton for dinner.  The LaMarsa in Farmington Hills was a favorite of ours before we moved, and the one in Brighton is equally good.  Our favorite dish is Koshary, an Egyptian street food made with rice, legumes, two different pastas, fried onions, pickled beets, and a spicy sauce.  It comes with a salad with a lovely Middle Eastern vinaigrette dressing.  Dinner always comes with fresh pocket pita breads and garlic spread and the whole meal is vegan, served in a nice setting by wonderful wait staff.