Ball Plumbing Blog

2011-12-23T09:12:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays from Ball Plumbing!

Bellingham Herald Blurb

2011-12-04T11:12:00.000-08:00

This is from the 12/4/2011, Sunday edition:

• In an effort to provide customers more flexibility, Ball Plumbing recently added a new payment option, a time and material rate. The company typically used a flat rate on a project, which it will continue to do, but the hourly-plus-parts rate is helpful for unusual projects, said Robert Yancey of Ball Plumbing. Details about the option can be found at ballplumbing.net.

Read more: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/12/04/2295425/new-sunnyland-barbecue-restaurant.html#ixzz1fawCMt2n

New Prices

2011-11-29T18:32:00.000-08:00

I'm offering the option of time and material now.

The old way with the price book will still be used for those who like it.

Please visit our Services & Prices page on the website.

The phone number that won't die

2011-11-29T18:30:00.000-08:00

We had an old rarely used phone number--360-733-1292--before we got the 360-647-2255 (BALL) that I've been trying to kill, but the internet won't lety it die.

I think I finally killed it off the website for the third time. We shall see....

Our Google reviews are gone!

2011-11-12T11:32:00.000-08:00

Our 7-five star reviews disappeared! The reviews were about fast service and quality repairs. For 3rd party information on Ball Plumbing, visit the State's contractor website https://fortress.wa.gov/lni/bbip/Search.aspx , the BBB or Angieslist.

My thanks to the customers who posted reviews.

The Plumber

2011-10-16T21:23:00.000-07:00

For years, Ball Plumbing has supported NWNPR and we listen daily.

Here's a tribute to plumbers from the Prairie Home Companion. Click the link to access the audio. It's worth the clicking of your mouse.

The Plumber Is The Man
Listen: Ode to the Plumber

When the ice comes and the snow and it's twenty-eight below
And then the temperature begins to fall
And they hear the moan and whine of that frozen water line
Then the plumber is the man who saves them all.

O the plumber is the man, the plumber is the man.
Down into the cellar he must crawl.
He is not sleek and slim but they don't look down on him
For the plumber is the man who saves them all.

When the toilet will not flush and the odor makes you blush
And you cannot use the sink or shower stall,
Then your learning and your art slowly start to fall apart
But the plumber is the man who saves it all.

O the plumber is the man, the plumber is the man.
With his wrenches and his pipes he comes to call.
They can take their sins to Jesus but when their water freezes
Then the plumber is the man who saves them all.

TR: This is Bernie at Murphy's Plumbing. It pays to be polite to your plumber. To invite him to your dinner party and send him a little Christmas gift and a bottle of wine on his birthday. What? You don't know when his birthday is? Time to find out. Because when January rolls around and your pipes freeze and suddenly you find yourself living in the early 19th Century, you want your plumber to know who you are and make time for you in his busy schedule. Get the idea? Good.

Oh, I know that in one's youth that beauty, justice, truth,
Seem to be what life is all about,
But when the facts are faced, you realize that life is based
On water coming in and going out.

They don't let him in their club cause he never dresses up
And he doesn't go for tennis or handball,
Or Mozart or Chopin, but when it hits the fan
Then the plumber is the man who saves them all.

O the plumber is the man, the plumber is the man.
In his vest and rubber boots and overalls.
So don't turn up your nose at the aroma of his clothes
For the plumber is the man who saves us all.

Bast the Cat

2011-10-10T10:24:00.001-07:00

Our cat of 8 years was euthanized last Friday; she was at least 15 years old! We adopted her from the shelter.

Her health was failing for the last few years. Our good friends at the Whatcom Humane Society took care of her quickly and without fuss.

We miss that mangy ol' cat...........

Whatcom Sheriff

2011-07-28T07:43:00.000-07:00

Rarely does a plumber get involved in politics (yeah rite), but this is important.

Whatcom County desperately needs a new sheriff and Deputy Harris fills the bill nicely. Not because he rides a motorcycle, belongs to the Freemasons (I'll be at the next meeting, I promise), has young children (a stake in the community), on and on and on.

Here is his bio via the Herald:

Name: Steve Harris
Age: 43
Family: wife Lillian; children Brittany, 22, Cole, 11, Emily, 6.
Education: high school graduate; attended junior college (no degree); hundreds of hours of job specific course work and continuing education credits.
Work experience: full-time deputy with Whatcom County Sheriff's Office since January 1998 with last eight years as detective; co-owner of a local business for almost two years; worked in the commercial refrigeration industry.
Civic experience: Scottish-Rite of Freemasonry, Valley of Bellingham executive board, February 2011-present; Scottish-Rite Scholarship Foundation of Washington, assistant director Bellingham, September 2010-present; Public Safety Employees Insurance, Inc. board, January 2010-present; Whatcom County Deputy Sheriff’s Guild president, November 2007-February 2011; Hannegan Speedway (MBMC, Inc.) president, 2009; Hannegan Speedway finance secretary, 2006-07; Whatcom County Deputy Sheriff’s Guild first vice president, 2007; American Motorcycle Association, Washington comp. manager, 2005-07.

http://www.harrisforsheriff.org/

Now do you see why I'm supporting Deputy Harris?

Phone Number Deleted

2011-07-05T14:46:00.001-07:00

I killed 360-733-1292 because we got the 360-647-BALL (2255) number. Actually, 1292 woulda died a long time ago if it wasn't for the internet plastering it all over the place.

And, of course, we've been getting calls about the dead number....

On the other hand....

2011-05-24T15:31:00.000-07:00

Out of sheer boredom, I read Craigslist the other day. Some local restauranteer was advertising for a plumber to do a side job at a new restaurant. He was willing to trade services, too. Free cheeseburgers for life?

Now that violates how many local, state, and federal laws? No contractor license, one. No workman's comp insurance, two. Undeclared income (feds hate that), three. The list goes on.

If the plumber hurts himself on that job, Mr. Cheeseburger is liable for all medical costs and rehab, regardless of the plumber's status. This tidbit includes any casual labor including the neighbor's kid digging fence posts.

The ad is gone today. Most likely the State called him--the State does monitor the underground economy--and ordered him to pull the ad.

Beyond the legal problems with hiring unlicensed tradesmen is the whole Craigslist thing. There was the home invasion in Seattle where the husband was murdered and the wife was beaten after running an ad in Craigslist selling a diamond ring. This happened last month or so.

Be careful out there. Saving a few bucks on plumbing that lasts decades is not worth the price.

voice mail

2011-05-19T18:05:00.001-07:00

Today, I got lambasted by a woman for not returning her voice mail she left for me late Sunday night a few weeks ago.

I didn't see it. It is not there.

Please, if you don't hear from us after leaving a voice mail, call during regular hours.

Be wary of contractors who:

2011-04-26T12:47:00.000-07:00

The following is from the State's website.

Be wary of contractors who:

-Provide credentials or references that can’t be verified.
-Offer a special price only if you sign today or use other high-pressure
sales techniques.
-Accept only cash, require large deposits or the entire cost up front or
ask you to make the payment in their name.
-Do not provide a written contract or complete bid.
-Ask you to pick up the building permit. In most instances, the
contractor is required to take out the permits. Permits are your
protection and help ensure that work will meet local building codes.
-Offer exceptionally long warranties.
-Want to do most or all the work on weekends and after-hours.
-Give you an offer that sounds “too good to be true.”

Sewage in the heating duct

2011-03-25T11:45:00.000-07:00

A sometimes-customer called me about a leak. I get there and there's water in the main heating duct that runs through his basement. I look all around, follow all those CPVC pipes (some other plumber installed years ago) that are lying on the duct, and crawled back into the crawl space. Coluldn't find a leak.

I go to the truck and cry for a few minutes, then it occurs to me that the drain pipe from the toilet is partially boxed in a make-shift duct that connects to the main duct. Yeah, it looks as strange as it sounds..

I have the customer flush the toilet, while I monitor it from the crawlspace. Sure enough, I hear the toilet water flowing down the heat duct!

I run upstairs and get the low down on the new toilet. Seems that he bought a terrible Kohler toilet from Lowes and had the Lowes sub-contractor install it. Well, the Lowes installer anchored the toilet with wood screws---instead of closet bolts---and used a skinny wax ring. Hacks, the lot of 'em.

Well, that's not the whole problem. As I'm flushing the toilet and laughing at Lowes and my customer for hiring Lowes, the toilet backs up into the tub! A mainline sewer stoppage, too!

This sewer has been a headache for every plumber in town. Last year, I snaked it, jetted it, camera-ed it and tried to get him to replace at least the bad part, but noooooooo.......he said since I got it open, it'll keep.

Yeah, it kept, until it backed up a year later into a Lowes-installed Kohler toilet and sewage poured into his heat ducts!

Long story longer, I cleared the sewer stoppage with blades and a jetter, replaced the crappy Kohler-Lowes toilet, repaired the damage the Lowes installer did, and charged him accordingly.

Lesson learned: you may think you're saving money by cutting corners (going to Lowes and using cheap labor), but water is unforgiving. Don't cheap out on the plumbing.

A house without plumbing is a garage.

Broken sewer

2011-03-04T08:06:00.000-08:00

Look closely and you'll see the electrical ground rod dead center through the sewer. This boo-boo happened 20 years ago.

Our plumbing shop in snow

2011-02-24T13:46:00.000-08:00

Snowed in neighbors

2011-02-24T13:42:00.000-08:00

Company car

2011-02-24T13:40:00.001-08:00

javascript:void(0)

Snow and plumbers do not mix well!

2011-02-24T13:30:00.000-08:00

Here's before and after pics of the Great Storm of 2011. Yeah, I did it by hand....

WTA Buses

2011-02-14T11:40:00.000-08:00

We have new bus ads on 2 local WTA buses. They look similar to the old ones---lots of logos bouncing around like so many baseballs--but with the updated logo.

Check them out:

2011-01-21T09:31:00.000-08:00

Is your water bill getting higher?? You should always check toilets, faucets, and hose bibs for leaks. Remember...large job or small, Call Ball!

Hello 2011

2011-01-11T08:26:00.001-08:00

I can't believe we are in the 2nd week of the new year!! It looks like today might also be our final freezing day for a couple weeks! Goodbye 20's, Hello 50's!! You should still be insulating your pipes. As we have learned, mother nature changes course quickly and sometimes without much warning! Look around your home....is your kitchen faucet old? Does it need a replacement? What about your toilet? Call Ball! 360-757-4455, 360-647-2255

Goodbye 2010! Hello 2011!

2010-12-27T09:04:00.000-08:00

Here we are, the last week of 2010. We knew the warm weather wouldn't last!! With temps dropping into the low 20's this week, we really need to think about our pipes!!! Ball Plumbing is here to help!

Winter is here!

2010-12-23T08:09:00.000-08:00

This is the time to start thinking about your pipes. Are they insulated? We found a lot of people were not prepared for that snow storm we got last month. Frozen pipe repairs can be expensive! Call Ball and we will help prepare you for whatever nature throws our way! 360-647-2255, 360-757-4455.

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-22T10:56:00.000-08:00

We wish everyone a very safe and sane holiday season and many, many thanks for the past year.

Here's to a leak-free New Year!

New Office Personnel

2010-09-10T14:49:00.000-07:00

Nicole is the new "go-to" person in the office. She's here from 8-4:30, Monday thru Friday except when she isn't.

Lunch is 11:30-12:00.

website errors

2010-09-10T14:47:00.000-07:00

I went through the website and corrected all the errors like old, disconnected phone numbers, addresses, etc.

Sorry...........................

New office in Burlington

2010-09-10T14:42:00.000-07:00

We've moved to 10943 Chuckanut in Burlington. Nice big place with freeway access, parking and everything.

Phone numbers will stay the same, but 360-757-4455 is the main office number.

Watch for our freeway sign right before exit 231.

Phone numbers

2010-08-11T15:25:00.000-07:00

We're consolidating a few phone numbers: 360-383-0203 and 478-7841 are history.

If you're in the north Whatcom, use 647-2255.
If you're in Skagit, use 757-4455.

These changes will likely result in a decrease in your plumbing bill...NOT! It'll help, though.

Thanks.............

New office in Burlington

2010-08-11T15:21:00.000-07:00

We moved to 10943 Chuckanut Dr., Burlington, Wa. 98233! Right across the alley from the WSP!

The move will enable us to grow the business in a really nice office/shop within seconds of the freeway.

Happy 4th, 2010!

2010-07-04T15:13:00.000-07:00

For all my grumbling, it is good to be a European-American!

We've incorporated!

2010-07-03T10:03:00.000-07:00

As of July 1, 2010, we're Ball Plumbing, Inc.

P.K. Rugh is now the vice-president in charge of customer service. This is a badly needed change and one that will hopefully increase customer satisfaction.

Welcome Aboard, P.K.!

There are glitches involved in the switch over, but it should be okay really soon.

Complaint Department

2010-06-22T18:54:00.000-07:00

We've added a page on the website for feedback; look for the "Feedback Department" link on top. Customers can now email P.K. Rugh directly with problems concerning Ball Plumbing: pk@ballplumbing.net

P.K. Rugh is the new Vice President, but more on that later when all the state paperwork gets processed.

PK is a professional customer service manager with vast experience in the field. You'll like her.

P.S. Feedback isn't limited to complaining. If you're happy, let her know....

Ryan Stiles Celebrity Golf Classic

2010-06-21T08:58:00.000-07:00

We're sponsoring 8 golf carts for Stiles' July 18th, 2010 charity golf tourney. It's for the Burned Children Fund, which I fully support.

http://www.ryanstilesgolfclassic.com/content/partners/our_2010_sponso.asp

Google Business Maps

2010-05-06T21:22:00.000-07:00

Another descent from the Google Business Map.

Another Wrong Phone Number!

2010-01-31T17:11:00.001-08:00

This falls under: "Hey, if I were smart, I wouldn't be a plumber........"

I put back the 360-733-1292 number back on the website to make Google Maps happy again, but instead of 360-733-1292, I put 1293....I put in a wrong number! There are two correct numbers at the top of the page and the wrong number was in size 8 font on the very bottom, but you know which number everyone calls, right?

Funny thing is (more sad than anything) is I had a new customer mention the wrong number, but I thought she got it from the old phone book error, which was the designer's fault. She said she didn't and I shrugged it off until tonight.

Hats off to the gent who has the real 1293 number. He's had to correct many wrong numbers since the bad number started to circulate. I owe him big time, huh?

Google Local Business Map

2010-01-28T10:33:00.001-08:00

Yikes! I got booted off the Google Local Business maps from the first page to the 5th page.

I think it was because I got a new vanity phone number, 360-647-2255 (BALL). This confused the Google machine and it dropped me! I just changed the number back to 360-733-1292 on Google, so let's see what happens now.

Use either 360-733-1292, 360-647-2255 (BALL), 360-383-0203.

Email: order@ballplumbing.net

Price Complaints

2010-01-22T08:33:00.000-08:00

Whenever I leave a job, you'll hear "If there are any problems, call me." My warranty is honest...as long as the problem is my workmanship.

Lately, I've had a complaint about the price. Most of the time, the price is out of the price book (that's 4 years old) and a written work order has been approved and signed.

Okay, standard stuff for repair work. You get a price for it that includes parts and labor (excludes the Gov's Fee). If it takes me twice as long, the price is the same, right? My regulars know this to be true and as a consumer, I personaly prefer it this way.

But what if everything goes quick and my 30 years (yikes) of repair experience finally pays off and I gain an hour on ya? Should I discount the price? If I discount it, should I increase it if it takes me twice as long?

This all stems from a complaint on Angies List about a 250.00 bill. I left a response similar to this post, but more direct. I did NOT refund any money for the same reasons I posted here.

NWPR

2009-12-02T19:26:00.000-08:00

Ball Plumbing has been sponsoring Northwest Public Radio on KZAZ-FM 91.70/104.70 twice a day for the last six months or so and plans to do so for decades to come! This is the kind of advertising I like!

Listen to NPR for (almost) commercial-free airwaves!

Cat and the Water Heater

2009-06-28T17:32:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a busy day ending in a strange way. I had an emergency water heater replacement in the late afternoon in the Silver Beach area and by the time I was finished with my Bandito burrito it was close to 7:30 pm. Typical day in the life, right? Nope.

At 7:35 pm, I get a call from a frantic fellow about a cat and a water heater in a apartment complex off of Sunset. I told him the cat will come out when its ready and not before, but that wasn't the problem. The gentleman finally conveyed to me that his cat was stuck and Whatcom Humane Society has been there for hours and if I didn't want to help he'd call someone else.

It was too good to pass up. I was there in 15 minutes.

What happened: the gentleman and his wife were moving into the new apartment and their cat freaked, jumped onto the water heater, saw a space behind the heater and jumped down. Problem was that the space was very narrow and there wasn't a way out except up. The cat was stuck upside down between the water heater and the corner of the water heater closet. For 4 hours.

I shut down the water, power, and cut the overflow pipe and ever-so-gently, edged this 50 gallon water heater away from the walls allowing the cat to escape.

It was a very happy cat. And I was a hero...until they got the bill.

For the record, I have 3 cats, 2 of which came from the shelter. I'll probably donate the "cat money" to the Whatcom Humane Society as I missed my annual donantion in 2008.

RIP Kohler Toilets

2009-02-24T09:51:00.000-08:00

Well, scratch Kohler off my list of best flushers. They discontinued the last 2" flapper systems in favor of the 3" systems.

I've been trying out different makes and models in the normal price range and there isn't much out there worth the money vs the flush.

I got in some Toto (think Dorothy's dog...not to flush, but to remember the name) toilets and so far, so good for my parameters of 1) good flush, 2) price to you, 3) part availibility for these models.

These Toto models have the old style flushers, Comfort Height bowls (17"), and a good rep.

We'll see how they fly...flush...in Whatcom County, though.

Who is your plumber?

2008-08-28T19:59:00.000-07:00

There are a few types of plumbing companies and a few different types of plumbers. The types vary from state to state and since I'm in Washington, let's look at here.

Repair and rooter: This is a specialized field that most people are acquainted with. These are the heroes who get your plumbing system working safely and to code. This is what Ball Plumbing does and we do it well.

To work for Ball Plumbing, the repair plumber has to have a clean record, clean driving license, be a registered Washington State Plumber, and be very knowledgeable about plumbing systems.

Ball Plumbing is privately owned by me and I'm a licensed Journeyman Plumber who started this company, but not all companies are like mine. There are franchises, inherited, bought, married into, and all combos therein. In Washington, anyone can own any kind of company, but you need licensed individuals doing the work or you will get fined and/or jailed.

I've seen companies like mine come and go that were run by non-plumbers who thought it was all profit and no overhead...yeah, right. Just the opposite, bubba-breath. This ain't no disco, this ain't no foolin' around, this is hardcore customer service combined with terrible conditions under great stress surrounded by anxious customers.

And I love it.

Dog Days of Summer

2008-08-08T19:46:00.000-07:00

Man, it's quiet out there and I'm lovin' it! I'm on summer schedule which means Saturday and Sunday is closed...plumber gone fishin'-type of deal. Problem is, come Monday everybody calls and I'm busier tha all git.

Yesterday I had two more disposers and today was disposer-free. I did have a whirlpool tub repair, a stoppage, a sink drain repair, and a toilet rebuild. I feel like a truck driver sometimes because of all the miles I can log.

Off for the weekend!

Bellingham garbage...disposers

2008-08-06T21:08:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I get runs of certain jobs for no reason other than I get called to do it.

I had three garbage disposers today: Sudden Valley, Fairhaven, and Blaine. Since I carry two types of Insinkerator (but these three customers wanted the same model), I had to go and pick up two more at two different times.

A few months ago, I had a run of water heaters---two a day for 3 weeks---the supply house still talks about that!

Quiet Day...for once!

2008-08-05T19:58:00.000-07:00

The yellow page ad problem got resolved with a 25% reduction, which is fair considering all my proof mysteriously disappeared.

I had a water heater in Bellingham that was dripping out of the drain valve. Not too bad, if it was caught a month ago. Unfortunately, the drip rotted the wood stand and the 800 lb. water heater fell through to the garage floor. Luckily, the gas was off because the house was just sold!

Wrong phone number on yellow page ad

2008-08-04T17:07:00.000-07:00

I have a full page and a big column ad in the Yellowbook/MacGregor phone book, okay? Since this Whatcom County/Bellingham coverage is only 160,000 souls including kids, mother-in-laws, and Canadians-who-own-here, the cost isn't as high as Manhattan which has that many people per building.

This year I had the ad done by the same person who did my website. She was convenient, available, and cheap. Those of you who have made a decision based on "convenient, available, and cheap" know what the outcome is going to be....what can I say? I was busy and don't have the patience for ad work, anyway.

The header of the full page ad has the two correct numbers in 25 pt. font, but on the footer one of the numbers is off by one. It reads, in 10 pt. font, 360-733-1293 instead of 1292. At least 5 people a day call that number and they usually get an answering machine. The ones they do get through get either Mr. or Mrs. "We've had this number for 40 years and we aren't giving it up." I offered to buy the number and pay for all the costs, but they insist that this number is what has kept them alive for the last 40 years.

I may or may not survive this year....

Anyway, I did a Bellingham garbage disposer for a lady whose husband is deployed. 12 more months and he'll be home. She got the special price.

From there, it was on to Birch Bay and a Canadian toilet or is that a toilet owned by a Canadian? She was a trip---knew more about US politics than most citizens. I rebuilt her toilet and she's a happy Canuck.

That sewer's history!

2008-08-01T18:48:00.000-07:00

Another full day on that 50' sewer in Bellingham, but it's done. The work-at-home dad/customer doesn't like my gruff attitude, but after 16 hours in a sewage-soaked ditch, I did the best I could.

The backhoe saved some time, being it was more mud than dirt.

I did have to jetter (high pressure water) the remaining section under the alley because it was clogged with some packed in sewage.

What a mess, but I'm glad I stuck it out.

Bellingham type of day

2008-07-31T19:46:00.000-07:00

Wow---I'm doing the hardest sewer replacement yet. It's not deep, rocky, or hilly, but it is wet!

The top of the ground was wet and puddling in some places, but I thought that there was another leak; that it couldn't be the sewer that's 4 feet under. I was wrong. After 5 hours of digging around, I found a cesspool-not an intentional one-where a sewer should have been.

I tried to rooter it through the open sewer, but the line is so bad, I think the snake was going through mud...or not. I'm having the City of Bellingham check their line, too.

I'm getting a backhoe in tomorrow and having it done. What a mess.

www.ballplumbing.net

Good Plumber here

2008-07-30T20:58:00.000-07:00

Another day driving from one end of Whatcom county to the other. At least the weather is nice.

I did a quick water heater repair in Glacier, WA. The connectors corroded right through so I unsoldered and then soldered on new connectors.

From there I went to Fairhaven, WA. to clear a washing machine drain line stoppage. Easy enough, but the drain didn't have a trap! I added one easily enough (for me), but there should have been one there. DIYers cause a lot of damage and usually spend more in the short run.

Not that I can blame 'em. This homeowner had called another plumber out of the phone book, (small ad, big promises) and the plumber quoted him some outlandish fix for a weird price. Luckily, the homeowner had the sense to call us.

I think my motto "Honest, Reliable, Local" will get painted on the truck.

Plumbing

2008-07-29T18:22:00.000-07:00

A Grand Dame of Fairhaven, WA (95-year-old Lady) had broken a very valuable glass and most of it went down her disposal. She wasn't amused when it took me less than a minute to repair it, but at least I was able to salvage the unit, if not put the glass back together. I hope I'm as active, good-looking, and richer than her at 95. Well, I can sure rule out good-looking....:)

Did a water heater in Blaine, WA today. Darn thing was only 9 years old and the tank gave out. Of course, the homeowners were on vacation when it blew out, so the garage walls were damaged. It was a 50 gallon Bradford White water heater and I replaced it with the same. Not much choice up here for brands.

From there, I went to Sedro-Woolley, WA to a mobile home that had a broken PVC water main under the house. It took longer for the glue to dry than anything. Darn PVC, anyway.

So I went to a millionaire to a border town to a mobile home in a logging town....such is the life of a plumber!

ABS City

2008-07-28T18:39:00.000-07:00

It's been an ABS sorta day. First, I had a broken ABS fitting in Sudden Valley. What was sad was the house is only 4 years old. The plumbing (probably the whole house) was done by a "boom" construction company.

Then across town to Fairhaven to a collapsed ABS sewer line. That's scheduled for replacement on Thursday.

I use only the best PVC material and fittings and all my work is permitted and closely inspected and today proves me right.

Stupid Keller Supply. I'm actually looking forward to them moving---I'll be forced to use other suppliers. They are real close to me right now and that's the only reason I use them.

First Post!

2008-07-27T18:31:00.000-07:00

I tried to upload this to godaddy, but after 10 minutes and getting tangled up in things I don't have time for, I'll stay with the program.

Being Sunday, we went to see some tall ships in Blaine today. The crew was hung over and pissy as all git, so we got the short tour and rotated out. The ship, Lady Washington, was in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie, so we all were starstruck.

I went by Keller Supply's new store in Ferndale. Big and new, fer sure, but far away from town. I'll need to get my toilets, faucets, and assorted plumbing goods from someplace closer.