The Football Field Project

12/7/2013 - It started with a plan which was changed and updated numerous times during the process

12/7/2013 - The blank wall

12/7/2013 - First taping session to outline the field

12/7/2013 - More tape on the field

12/7/2013 - Half the field is painted

12/7/2013 - First end zone is also done

12/7/2013 - Tape from the field is removed

12/7/2013 - Several meters of tape later, remainder of the field is painted including the second end zone

12/7/2013 - End of the project on Day 1

12/9/2013 - Field is covered with a drop cloth

12/9/2013 - The wall around the field is painted

12/9/2013 - Project at end of Day 2

12/21/2013 - For the name, Batman Forever font size 409 was used.  Letters were printed on a plain piece of paper, cut out, attached to the wall and tape was placed around each letter.

12/21/2013 - USEFUL TIP: Use a font with as few round edges as possible to make the cutting easier

12/21/13 - The last bit of the original gray wall is surrounded by tape

12/21/2013 - Taping is finished for the day

12/21/2013 - First time using white paint

12/21/2013 - Another day closer to finishing

1/31/2014 - Six more rolls of tape

1/31/2014 - Half a gallon more of white paint

1/31/2014 - White lines painted to separate the green 10-yard sections

2/1/2014 - Placed a piece of tape on plastic

2/1/2014 - Measured out hash marks

2/1/2014 - Used a box cutter to cut out hash marks

2/1/2014 - Moved tape from plastic to wall, repeated process 39 more times

2/5/2014 - Painted hash marks

2/5/2014 - Hardest part is over

2/8/2014 - For the numbers, Batman Forever font size 136 was used

2/8/2014 - Again, all numbers were printed

2/8/2014 - The same process of tape over plastic was used as with the hash marks

2/8/2014 - Numbers were affixed to the tape

2/8/2014 - Box cutter was used to create stencil

2/8/2014 - Both digits had enough space in between for a white line to fit through

2/8/2014 - Tape was moved from plastic to wall

2/9/2014 - All numbers are on the field

2/9/2014 - Numbers are painted

2/9/2014 - One more step to go

2/9/2014 - One more roll of tape to outline arrows

2/9/2014 - One final splash of paint

2/9/2014 - Finally finished

We Are Expecting

Heather and I are expecting our first child which is due at the end of February.

There are going to be a lot of changes here.

Elmira Maple Syrup Festival 2012

For the second year in row we went to the festival in the company of Kim, Jolene and Robyn.  It wasn't a warm day but it also wasn't very cold.  Just as last year we had breakfast, but funnel cake instead of pancakes, saw the farm animals and took Jolene on a pony ride.  After the festival, we went to Breslau where my mom had prepared a rice and strawberry dish which Heather seems to like.

Kim and Robyn

Jolene and Heather

NASCAR Weekend in Bristol - Day 3

It was a miserable morning in Bristol.  The clouds were covering the entire sky and there was a light mist.  Lucky for us we just had purchased 88 cent ponchos the night before at Wal-Mart.  Best investment of the weekend.

Jim and Heather rocking the ponchos

As we had season tickets, we were allowed access to a function called Family Reunion which featured many activities.  A couple of drivers, Brad Keselowski and Jeff Burton, were interviewed on stage, there was pit crew challenge, a display of some vintage cars and then there was Twiggy, the Water Skiing Squirrel.

Brad Keselowski

Twiggy

After spending a few minutes at the reunion we made our way to the tent where we started taking it down in preparation for our departure immediately after the race.

Still cloudy

We made our way into the track and up the million stairs for the last time.  As the drivers were being introduced the sky was beginning to clear and by the time green flag dropped there was not a single cloud in the sky.

The customary fly-over

The race itself was very uneventful with only one major accident a few laps into the race.  However, this being the ultimate NASCAR experience, I followed the race very attentively and learned a few things I hadn't so far by watching the races on TV.  For example, Bristol has pit boxes along both straightaways and drivers entering pits during cautions had to drive through both pit lanes before completing their stop.

Not a good day for Kasey Kahne

Another thing of note was that the attendance was very low for Bristol.  Fact or myth, but these races usually sell out and it wasn't nearly the case today.

Once Brad Keselowski crossed the finish line as the winner of the race we were on our way down to the parking lot.  We must have made good time because we hopped in the car, with Jim driving, and were on the road home without encountering any slowdowns.  It was about 4:30 when the race ended.

We headed West from Bristol towards I-75 where we arrived at 7.  We stopped there for supper at Dairy Queen and gas.  I took over the driving from there and drove from 8pm Sunday to 6am Monday with Heather only doing a short stretch of 30 minutes of so just before we hit London.  We were both tired but I was more determined to get us home.  We made our last stop for gas in Monroe, MI around 2am and then crossed the border through the tunnel in Detroit.  Throughout the whole trip I kept a pace of about 100 km/h to conserve gas which these days is my MO.  After unpacking the car Jim took off for Sudbury and Heather and I went inside the house to rest on our day off.