Whose Snoot is it Anyway? - 07/31/08 10:41 PM
All right. Charles Buell has recently been getting a huge number of points for his blogs that feature guessing contests here at Active Rain. It seems that everyone likes to guess. Me, not being one to fall behind when it is time to make hay, decided that I would create my own … (28 comments)
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Bellingham Home Inspection (King of the House) -- Who Needs A Meter? - 07/31/08 04:46 PM
Would you need a thermometer to tell you that it is hotter than blazes in a room? Probably not. Sometimes we home inspectors can, visually, pickup on an issue but like to use our high-tech instruments so we have conclusive visual evidence that a problem is, well, a problem. Believe it or not, … (5 comments)
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Did You Ever Wonder Why Ed Sullivan? - 07/30/08 05:59 PM
In the middle years of the now dearly departed 20th century, one of the biggest names in show business was Ed Sullivan. He was broadcast coast to coast across the country. He was the man of women's dreams from Searcy, Arkansas to Bellingham, Washington. Okay, that might be overstating it, but … (30 comments)
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Furnace Inspection - 07/29/08 08:26 AM
When a home inspector opens the housing of a furnace for a visual inspection, he or she is looking to see whether or not it looks to be well-maintained. If the furnace has the interlock switch taped on or the unit is full of sawdust, rust or dust, those are concerns. … (9 comments)
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Woodstock Was 39 Years Ago - 07/28/08 09:01 AM
This is not an angle I would have come up with on my own. The wife listens to NPR and they found it newsworthy that the Woodstock Music Festival was held nearly 40 years ago. If you are too young to remember, that was a huge outdoors rock concert in Bethel, New York … (15 comments)
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Kiddie Contraband - 07/27/08 06:57 PM
Children, especially in the teen years, can be creative in where they hide contraband from the parents. I have a friend who bought a house and, years later, he had to do electrical work. When he removed covers on the wall switches in the bedroom that had belonged to a teenage girl, … (7 comments)
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Going, Going, Gone - 07/27/08 06:15 PM
The photo below was one of the more unusual defects I have ever found in the attic of a new home. If you have never been up there, all the clean, pure white loose fill fiberglass insulation is majestic -- like freshly fallen snow.
This time, not far from the access hatch, I … (16 comments)
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Pacific Northwest Music Legends -- Heart - 07/27/08 11:09 AM
This is another in the series on Pacific Northwest Music Legends, with my own personal memory tied in.
I was at a Christmas party for a Seattle radio station in 1976. This was going to be one big night. There was a buzz in the room. The hugely popular rock group … (8 comments)
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It Was The Summer of 1966 - 07/27/08 10:30 AM
I stopped by the "Inspired By Song" group and saw that the contest this month is selecting the best ever song of summer. Well, there are plenty of big summer hits. But the one that comes back to me, and it has to have been one of the most popular summer songs ever, was released … (15 comments)
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Hooked on Goofy - 07/25/08 06:51 PM
I have written a number of blogs recently on Pacific Northwest Music Legends. Another is going to follow before too long. Now, this blog you are reading is music related and I think it gets across a point I am trying to make. Newer is not always better. I know that there … (12 comments)
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Got Water Pressure? - 07/25/08 03:26 PM
Water pressure at a home should be in the normal range which is 40 to 80 PSI. Fact is, from what plumbers tell me, 80 PSI might be listed as normal but it is still, for appliance and fixture wear and tear, higher than what you want it to be. When I … (3 comments)
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Construction Shortcuts and Oversights - 07/25/08 09:40 AM
When an inspector checks a new home it is sometimes amazing what the contractor or his sub-contractors failed to take into account, or what tasks are only half done. Below is a good example.
The wise sages knew that, in that location, the water heater should have a pan under it. Fact is, … (7 comments)
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Blaine, Where N/A Does Not Mean "Not Applicable" - 07/24/08 07:28 PM
I found out yesterday that N/A does not necessarily mean not applicable. I went up to Canada, which is only about 20 miles from Bellingham. Now that the Canadian dollar is worth more, many Canadians come to the US to shop. Then, with school being out, that is quadrupled.
Supposedly, to … (6 comments)
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Please Bee Careful - 07/24/08 01:25 PM
Aggressive hornets and yellow jackets outside the home can really spoil the barbecue. While they are normally a mere annoyance, we have all heard of people killed by bees. Usually that only happens when that person had a bee allergy or was unlucky enough to be enveloped by a swarm while trapped in a confined … (7 comments)
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Knock Me Off My Feet - 07/24/08 09:38 AM
This problem is a pretty obvious design flaw, and not hard to fix. More often than not, I see this mistake made outside a door at a bedroom to the backyard. The problem -- there is a small stairway, no landing at the top, and the door opens out OVER the steps. It … (5 comments)
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Not So Clueless in Bellingham - 07/22/08 05:46 PM
It is always nice to have a clue as to what might be happening next. I think we often get such clues but, sometimes, recognizing them is the trick. We are exposed to so much stimuli that it can be easy to have something pass right over our heads. Poof … (5 comments)
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Today's Very Seedy Blog - 07/22/08 11:09 AM
I try to keep from getting downright dirty and seedy here at Active Rain. But sometimes, an honest man has no choice but to get down in the dirt in the trenches. This is a seedy blog! We are going to talk rodents, mice and rats. When an inspector goes into … (5 comments)
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Self-induced Home Owner Safety Issue - 07/21/08 09:13 AM
Homeowners notice problems and want to work around them. A common one they notice, real fast since they live in the house, is that they cannot see to get clothing in and out of the closet. The contractor is gone, did not put in a light, so what do they do? Well, they … (4 comments)
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Urban Anthropology: The Times They Were a Changin' - 07/20/08 08:44 PM
I have been getting a number of comments, and a few private Emails, about my series on Pacific Northwest Music Legends. These blogs have, also, been finding their way into the new Localism. This blog focuses on the evolution of folk music nationally and is not aimed at the Pacific Northwest.
… (9 comments)
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Pacific Northwest Music Legends -- The Folkies - 07/20/08 09:42 AM
This is another in my series on Pacific Northwest Music Legends. In my radio days I once introduced this group at a concert. That was back in the 1970's.
Perhaps folk music is not the music you think of when Seattle comes to mind. Think again on that one because … (11 comments)
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Blogger Got Legs? - 07/17/08 08:09 AM
In the world of news stories, books and recordings, there is a term for something that has become popular or, more often than not, has substance and will gain momentum. The term is "it's got legs".
Here is an example -- a news story comes out and it is controversial but it is true, … (19 comments)
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Does It Really Look Good to the Person Who Did It? - 07/16/08 12:10 AM
I think that, in this post, I can effectively skirt any concerns about being called a sexist. The repair pictured below is "unisex" -- not specific to a man or a woman. Both sexes are equally qualified, and misguided, when it comes to generating this kind of work.
In the world … (17 comments)
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And You Thought The Job Was Done - 07/15/08 11:34 PM
I have seen the problem pictured below many times before, as has every other home inspector. The seller is pleased to report, going into the inspection, that the home has a new roof and it is in good shape -- great selling point! The home inspector takes a look at the roof … (8 comments)
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Who's Eatin' The Floor, Ma? - 07/15/08 10:54 AM
This is the final installment in a series of related blogs that introduce you to the common species of wood boring beetles that are found at, or near, our homes. While the information is general, the specifics that I describe are geared to Bellingham and the Pacific Northwest.
The last article was … (19 comments)
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Stories Behind the Music -- Kennedys, Pirates, Beatles and the British - 07/15/08 10:06 AM
I was intrigued, the other night, to find that there is a group here at Active Rain that is dedicated to the Beatles. Having been in broadcasting during that era, I decided to write a post that would tie the Beatles in with the pop culture of that time. The circumstances, … (13 comments)
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The Silent House Killer -- Anobiid Beetle - 07/14/08 01:28 PM
Recently, I have been writing a number of posts about the wood boring beetles found in the Pacific Northwest. In my view the worst of the worst is the anobiid or deathwatch beetle. Uninformed people often refer to the anobiid as the powderpost beetle, but that is the wrong terminology and refers to a … (6 comments)
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Bellingham Home Inspection (King of the House) -- Cerambycid Beetles - 07/14/08 11:09 AM
Previously, I wrote about wood boring beetles that are flatheaded borers. These are usually species of buprestid beetles. In the Pacific Northwest, there is another beetle species that has characteristics that are similar to the flatheaded borers. I am speaking of the cerambycid beetle. Like flatheaded borers, these insects create a larger exit hole. It is typically 1/4" … (2 comments)
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Pacific Northwest Music Legend -- Doo-wop - 07/13/08 11:44 AM
At this point in time, this is likely to be one of the lesser known acts I will be writing about in this series on Pacific Northwest music legends. On the other hand, they were big nationally, a #1 with a bullet act, in the pre-British invasion years.
Now, almost everyone … (11 comments)
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Pacific Northwest Music Legend -- Pat O' Day and KJR Seattle - 07/13/08 10:41 AM
This blog, in my series on Pacific Northwest Music Legends, is the only one I will write featuring a person who is famous on the northwest music scene but not famous, specifically, as a musician. This man is a very important figure in northwest rock n' roll history. He was a … (5 comments)
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Veteran's Cup Soccer, Bellingham WA - 07/10/08 11:28 PM
We have a big sports event taking place in Whatcom County this year -- right now to be exact. The Veteran's Cup, a soccer tournament with 85 teams participating, has been going on since Wednesday and it will continue through Sunday. There are different brackets (age divisions) and teams from all over, and I mean … (11 comments)
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Business Is a Merry Go Round - 07/10/08 12:01 PM
The photo above, from Lucca, Italy, is one of the better looking carousels or merry go rounds that I have seen. This picture helps get a point across. Lately, reading the newspaper and even blogs here at active rain, many people are worried about their businesses. When things are tight, that … (11 comments)
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Pacific Northwest Music Legend -- The Genius - 07/10/08 08:20 AM
This is another in a series of articles on Pacific Northwest music legends. So far, response has been good, so I plan to write more. Today's artist was not born or raised in Seattle. He moved to Seattle as a teen and considered the Seattle jazz scene of the 1940's as … (4 comments)
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Pacific Northwest Music Legend -- Talkin' The King of Crooners - 07/09/08 11:22 AM
In the past, I have done a few blogs about entertainers who were famous here in the Pacific Northwest. These have always received interest and comments. Many people do not know it but, over the years, the Seattle area has produced some of the biggest names in musical entertainment. In some cases those … (17 comments)
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Wood Boring Beetles -- Flatheaded Borers - 07/09/08 08:51 AM
This is the first of a few blogs that will describe the common wood boring beetles that might be found at homes.
I will start with the flatheaded borer. Flatheaded borers tend to be non-reinfesting, at least at lumber in the house, so they are not considered to be a serious worry. That … (0 comments)
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Goofy People, Crazy Designs - 07/08/08 01:49 PM
As I have discussed before, we home inspectors see many odd things. Some of them, at least if you think about it, make sense in that you can eventually figure out why the person did what he or she did. There are many more of these crazy designs that make no … (7 comments)
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Reality Bites: The Real Scoop on Attic Treasures - 07/08/08 12:20 PM
Recently there was a post here at active rain that had to do with what an inquisitive party might find tucked away in an attic. The blog was written in an adventurous, or an overly optimistic, viewpoint. While fun to daydream in that manner, seldom does that one big find in the attic make … (12 comments)
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God Save The Queen - 07/07/08 07:52 PM
In this case, not really. God need not save this queen. This is one queen that we would just as soon have check out as quickly as is possible, taking her groupies with her. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but this is not a beauty by any standards. … (44 comments)
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USA and Canada: Do We Panic on the Streets? - 07/07/08 10:56 AM
This is probably overstating the case, but in going over my photos from last year's trip to Italy, I was reminded of what I consider to be a curious situation. People in the "old world" think that those of us in the USA and Canada are overly cautious or down right … (10 comments)
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Thinking Vacation - 07/07/08 09:34 AM
The weather is nicer, finally and all of a sudden. The wife and I have been thinking about a vacation this year. Every year or two we go to Italy, sometimes Mexico. We had such a good time last year in the Veneto region of Italy that we are leaning in … (6 comments)
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Home Inspector's Nightmare - 07/06/08 05:11 PM
When I talk to people who have graduated from college, myself included but that would be talking to myself, I find that many of us have had the same nightmare. It is something on the order of it being the last day of class and you are suppossed to graduate and, at that … (10 comments)
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Bellingham Home Inspection (King of the House) -- Northwest Corner Photos - 07/06/08 04:03 PM
When a person lives near the waterfront, and many of us in Washington State are lucky enough to do so, we often take the scenery for granted. Even though the area by the waterfront is enchanting almost any time of the year, it is more accessible this time of the year. … (8 comments)
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Straining for a Blog/ AKA Salad Light - 07/05/08 01:29 PM
When I say I am straining for a blog, that is exactly right and the photo below will confirm that detail beyond a shadow of a doubt. This photo proves what all inspectors know -- we see some really odd stuff!
At an older waterfront home a few weeks ago, I … (12 comments)
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Bellingham Home Inspection (King of the House) -- The View From Below - 07/05/08 01:10 PM
It is not uncommon for a home inspector to notice a problem caused by a roof prior to actually going on the roof. This is often apparent at the soffit area, or structure below, and is visible as the inspector walks the perimeter of the property evaluating the overall condition of … (2 comments)
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Toto Ain't Just In Kansas Anymore - 07/03/08 04:14 PM
It is with some reluctance, fear and trepidation that I post this blog. As those of you who read my blogs know, I always write in a serious vein, never joke around, and attempt to write with good taste and avoid the R rated topics. With that in mind, I was going to … (17 comments)
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When Your Biggest Fan Is Your Biggest Problem - 07/03/08 09:11 AM
I know, this title makes it sound like I am going to write a blog about stalking. The whole scenario of an infatuated and possessed fan is well-established. Since stories like that are abundant in the tabloids, I will stick to something simple that also fits with the title of this blog.
… (10 comments)
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It's All About Form - 07/03/08 12:01 AM
Some photos do a better job of getting a point across than others. I think this one is pretty good. In Washington State, where most home inspectors are also licensed structural pest inspectors, there are a number of guidelines that we are required to follow and procedures we must adhere to. In … (5 comments)
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