Learning to play guitar in 2016

   I have been helping Michelle learn to play a guitar for the last few weeks, and things have changed since I learned to play. One of the biggest changes is tuning your guitar, they now have digital tuners which make it very easy to be in tune all the time. When you first start playing you aren't really sure how it is supposed to sound, but with the tuner you know it's not the guitar it is you! One of the great things now there is everything you want to know, such as song lyrics, chords, tabs for lead guitar, plus all kinds of instruction are at your finger tips via the internet. Here is picture of our arsenal, including 8 track digital recorder ( thanks Mike). I wanted to be rejuvenated in my guitar playing I think the plan is coming to fruition.

I have been thinking we have lost something with all of us posting on Facebook. I have a lot of thoughts rattling around in this empty brain of mine that would cause some issues if posted on Facebook. The one thought I have right this minute, is there a better sandwich than a peanut butter and jelly? (eating one as I type) I don't think the sandwich thought would cause much of a problem, but my views on the current political election, gun control, far right religious right, etc. would set some people off and I don't have the patience or the will to deal with that!

Do you ever wish you could go back in time?

The title of my post sounds if I want to go way back in history But that is not the case. I think we have wonderful inventions that make life easier and able to communicate quicker than anytime in history. I guess what I yearn for is a more simpler time. I think of going on a road trip that would not involve an Interstate. Where we would drive on stretches of highway in the country and then go through a little town and then repeat the process. Michelle and I did that on Labor day weekend on a small scale. It ended up being a round trip of 200 miles. We saw lots of corn fields and then came into towns with old Victorian homes and old brick down town buildings. It was just great fun. The only thing was missing was pulling into an old service station and get a cold coke in a glass bottle out of the old machines. I don't even drink coke anymore, but if I could find one in a 12oz bottle out of one those machines I would be all over it!

Our first project this year not on the project house!

Today we replaced the stairs that go up to the pool deck, which we have been planning on fixing in our heads for the past 3 years. The old steps were steep, wobbly, and pretty much unsafe. We are proud to say we got the materials and it built in under 4 hours. We still need to put hand rails up, but they didn't have all the materials and Home Depot, so a trip to Lowe's will be necessary. I wont  miss the old steps! The new steps look crooked, but it is the old deck that is crooked

The dog wall of fame!

Here is a couple of pictures that Michelle painted of our dogs. We finally got around to putting them up  officially yesterday. We have had the picture of Snick going on different walls of the house where nothing was hanging on the wall for the last six months. Buttercup's picture has been finished for a few months, but just sitting on a table in the basement. Terri asked me one day when we were going to hang up Buttercup, and I said  my usual dry self "that we were just waiting for her to die, then she would be put up on the wall". You could tell by the look on Terri's face that she thought that was a bit morbid! Then I laughed and told her I was just kidding. Any way here they are!

Crossing the Allegheny river on the Sandy creek bike trail.

Here is a little video of yesterdays trike ride. we meet a wedding party as we cross the bridge!

Todays trike ride

We went to one of our favorite bike trails in Pennsylvania today. The trail goes along the path of the Allegheny river of Pittsburgh. We shot a video of us going through one of the two tunnels on the trail. We stopped and ate lunch, stopped and talked to a couple of other trail riders. It turned out to be a nice enjoyable ride!