DannyBlanchard.Blogspot.com: 2018, before it's gone!

When I was young and living on my family's 40' sloop Augusta, my mother would always have my sister Denee and I write in our own journals. We were home-schooled until junior high, so Mom wasn't just being insistent: this was homework. We hated it, or at least I did. For a time cursive was the required font, and I hated that even more (which still holds true to this day: I think it's a waste of human breath, like Latin or knowing how to use a VCR).

But now as somewhat of an adult, I really appreciate her insistence/parenting. I recognize that recording one's story is not futile and silly (like Latin), and really enjoy reading back on my story as recorded by my younger self.

So, after re-reading my blog posts from the last 1.5 years, I'd like to make another entry, lest my/our history be reduced to only the highlights.

Since my last post, Aimee and I have had some rather big course changes. It's probably better to to a quick list, rather than go long-form into each one.

So here goes:

1. I became a badass at 3-axis CNC milling of steel, and some other materials. By the time we left Chicago (Aimee at the end of 2017, me a month later in late January 2018), I was programming, setting up, and running a half-million dollar OKK HM600 horizontal pallet-changing 4-axis 12,000RPM, 60-tool, 1000psi TSC mill. Prior to that I was running two smaller OKK 3-axis VMCs, training on CNC engine and slant-bend turret lathes, and doing lots of hole and boring work on a huge OKK VMC. I worked at an injection mold manufacturing company and was gulping down knowledge and experience through a 50-60hr/week fire-hose for 15 months.

2. Aimee and I found that the cost of living and the lifestyle just outside of Chicago was great: rent was $1300 for a 3 bedroom duplex with detached garage and storage unit, we were just a block away from great restaurants and cafes, 2 blocks from an off-leash dog park, 10 minutes from a fantastic grocery store, and 2 blocks from the El train (which is neither a nod to Spanish or the letter L: it's the abbreviated form of "Elevated"). That said, our friend group was nearly zero compared to Seattle, and we have no family in the Midwest. Which in turn actually worked out for the short period we were there. Aimee and I were both neck-deep in learning, working long hours, and would certainly not have been as successful had we been in Seattle surrounded by friends, family, and familiar things to go do. But we picked up some coping mechanisms, and we made it through. There was a particularly special place named "caffe De Luca" about two blocks away that had a $6 "Martini Thursday" that initially lured us in, and it became our weekly date night post-dinner. The ambiance was warm and welcoming, the service was inviting and cheerful, and it became what we call our saving grace during that time in Illinois (for our relationship). That could sound a bit dramatic, and it is certainly not the whole picture, but it's become clear to us over the past 8 months back in Seattle that the nearness, comfort, and consistency of that particular mid-week nano-vacation was really helpful. Also, I took up walking. Like, a lot of walking. Chicago is flat as a pancake, with the biggest hill being an overpass. You won't find a real hill until maybe Missouri, or perhaps someplace in Wisconsin or Michigan. So, that means walking is undeniably easy and flat, which makes for epic doggy-walking and podcast listening. An added bonus to the flatness is the fact that Chicago is laid out in a N-S, E-W grid, and it has sidewalks and alleys EVERYWHERE. The alleys in particular were my feeding grounds, in that walking through the grid every day gave me exposure to what every household was throwing out. After a few months though, I started to realize that I was competing with other alley-cruisers. Charlie and I would be out for our 4:45am walk (normally about 20-30 minutes) and we'd be cruising down an alley listening to one of 3 different machining podcasts when we'd see a set of headlights turn into the alley-end a few blocks ahead of us. We'd keep walking towards the light, and the lights would keep closing down on us...and then we'd pass: at about 1mph. As they glided by (well, clucking and coughing) I'd exchange looks with the driver and then glance at the pile of booty in the back of his pickup. Metal chairs, a microwave, a few bikes, a sand blasting cabinet (damn! how'd I miss that one??!) - this guy wasn't messing around. Anywho, I wasn't about to buy a pickup and try to complete, but it was clear this fella was cleaning up (literally!) and had the ability to haul off sizable pieces of loot. I was jealous. But also surprised when one evening (he had two shifts, just like me: early AM, and late evening) I found a 90lb Craftsman Atlas 618 lathe next to a recycling bin not two blocks down our very own alley! It now lives in it's own bench in my workshop here in Seattle, and I've made some functional parts on it. : )

3. In November of 2017 Aimee got diagnosed with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis and was in the hospital for 11 days in the Fall receiving piles of tests, and eventually said diagnosis. MRI's, blood tests, a lumbar puncture, steroids, and and a lot of anxiety came from that stay. But Charlie got to visit, and we're pretty sure he cured at least 15 people in the ICU. Her diagnosis came at a particularly challenging time, since she was struggling in school (now we know why at least!: ) and the time in the hospital just further complicated her graduation process. She ended up graduating at the same time as her classmates this past Spring, but had to re-do a clinical internship over the summer since she missed a number of days during the Fall. So that sucked, but she toughed it out and graduated like a boss, then promptly got offered a kick-ass position as a Clinical Fellow at the Aubin Aphasia Clinic on Bainbridge Island. I drop her off at the ferry on my way to work, and she catches a bus back (since she's working four 10's). I'm not going to go into any more of the MS stuff for personal reasons, but Aimee's doing great...and doesn't want to talk about it. Not because we're ignoring it or pretending it doesn't exist, but because it's been an exhausting year bouncing around the healthcare system and constant bombardment from everyone and their uncle who knows someone with an MS story, and they feel compelled to tell it. Trust us, we have one of the best MS specialists in the world, a dedicated facility here in Seattle, and insurance to keep us out of the poor house. If there is information about MS, we've heard it, discussed it, and moved on. We'd rather talk about cat memes, politics, or sports (actually, we'd rather talk MS than sports - but that's the only exception).
We love you all very much, but please, we'll ask for your advice or stories if we want them. : )

4. In early July of 2018 we bought our friend's Katy and Charlie Hill's sailboat Carro di Colline, a 53' fiberglass center-cockpit sloop, made in British Columbia in 1972. She's a blistery old girl with more leaks than water pumps (by quantity, not GPM), but she's home. We have a wonderfully quiet slip on a rickety old wooden dock that lists to one side, ample free parking, friendly neighbors (one family with a toddler, and a gardening fiend who lives on the houseboat next to us).

The boat is neither a yacht nor a workboat, but somewhere in-between. In her hayday she cruised down the coast and explore Mexico (maybe beyond), but most of the cruising gear is either aged-out, removed, or non-functional....so she's back to being a day-sailor in our current application.

As of this posting (Christmas Day, 2018), the boat struggles to stay warm with only 30amps of shore power coming in, but we're surviving. If the boat is above 65F in the morning we're happy, but it takes some work to hit that mark. We've got one panel heater in our forward V-birth, a Vornado 1500w room heater that sits safely atop our stainless steel ice maker, and a sketchy $13 room heater that we only trust as far as we can throw it (so we unplug it whenever we leave the boat). Together with our battery charger and hot water heater it's pretty easy to pull in excess of 30amps, so our modus operandi is typically to shut off the Vornado before running our 700W microwave, and then remember to turn said heater back on. : ) We have a propane stove and oven and a tiny 6lb tank makes it through about 3 weeks of use before needing refilling. We have 2 tanks, so as long as we're good about refilling the empty, we never run out of hot water for our coffee!

We plan to take the boat out sailing plenty this next spring and summer, but the winter has been somewhat of a stay-at-the-dock period. Our storage unit was broken into a couple of weeks ago and that instilled some distrust in the security of our belongings: so I moved my favorite hobby tools aboard the boat (Craftsman 618 lathe, Shapeoko CNC router, Printrbot 3D printer, bench grinder, vacuum system, belt sander, bandsaw) and setup shop in our after-berth. We now sleep in the forward "v-berth" cabin and are in the process of demolishing the old in-cabin head and turning it into a more open-floorplan cabin with additional clothing storage for Aimee.

5. A bit out of order, but I'm working for Cascade Designs, Inc again, this time as a Manufacturing Engineer. I'm charged with the Foam mattress division of Therm-A-Rest, which includes all the machines, people, and documentation for every mattress that has foam in it - pretty straight forward....sorta. I tell people I chase cats for a living, and occasionally even get one or two of them to run in the direction I want them to, when I want. : ) Our company has gone through a series of lay-offs and re-organizations that have left many folks discouraged and over-tasked, myself included, but we keep on working diligently in hopes of a smoother future. I started with one person's job (Foam Manufacturing Engineer - literally just the foam part, not the pads), then I absorbed the job descriptions of two other Manufacturing Engineers - one that moved out of to take over our Air Pad division (Neo Air mattresses and such), and the other who was laid off. So now I oversee the manufacturing of the foam-based products from door-to-door....which has a lot of steps, machines, and people. It keeps me occupied, to say the least.

ANYWHO - that's it for now. I'm sure I've breezed over a lot of things (like our living with Sue Rooney for a few months, having a top-floor apartment at Pratt Park, buying a 1991 Toyota pickup truck, and selling Moku Iki), but I really need to post this thing and get back to my projects! : )

Current projects include:
- Galley sink, counter tops, and sea rails replaced
- Bilge pump switches re-configured
- Bilge high water alarm installed
- Heater purchased and installed in head above toilet (it's SOOOOO cold!)
- Purchase and install a keypad/bluetooth door lock on our main cabin hatch
- Purchase and install 120v outlets on the chart table and engine room workbench
- Machine new split bushings for our antique roller furling system
- Cut a nice piece of wood to cover up the pink insulation on our un-used entryway hatch
- Build out a mini-bar/ice maker counter in the galley, and install new teak&holly flooring.
- Clean off the lower shelves in the storage unit so dad can have some room again! : )
- Re-assemble the Onan diesel generator so we can sell it (maybe get it running even?)
- Make my hobby room totally sea-worthy and kick ass, as well as convertable into a temporary bunk when folks want to stay over (Aimee and I slept in this bunk for the past 5 months, so it's certainly big enough for two for a week)

So I'm going to get back to it! : )

Happy Holidays, and have a great New Year!

Danny, Aimee, and Charlie (woof!)

My dad took this photo at our Chicago apartment at 415 Circle Ave, Forest Park, Illinois 60130, moments before we jumped in the U-Haul. It was an ethereal feeling, heading West with no return in mind. Joy, sadness (for leaving memories and co-workers behind), exhaustion, and excitement for the new things to come. Great road trip with my dad over 3-4 days. : )

Our city view from our apartment at Pratt Park (the Wonder Bread Sign'd building). We lived here while finalizing the purchase of our boat, pictured below.