Author Archive
Saturday, November 15th, 2008
Two Moons Over Orlando
Night Launch of Endeavor
On my blurry camera phone the launching space shuttle, Endeavor, and the full moon looked pretty similar, but in real life it was a spectacular site. This is one of the benefits of living in Orlando for sure.
If you click this photo you can see two more photos of the shuttle launching (lower right corner of page, click “next photo”).
4 Comments » - Posted in Orlando by Jerry
Thursday, November 13th, 2008
My Next Meeting
The Time of My Next Meeting
In about 9 hours I’ll have an Internet-based conference demonstrating features of a new system Campus Crusade is developing to help our volunteers respond to visitors from our evangelistic websites. It’s part of my new job helping our staff members in various parts of the world understand what their options are for reaching people in their areas with the gospel.
This diagram shows the time this meeting will occur in each of the locations where someone will be tuning in.
No Comments » - Posted in Ministry by Jerry
Thursday, November 13th, 2008
Lunch at Osteen Diner
At the Osteen Diner
Lunch today was at Osteen Diner with my friend, Dave. We got there on our motorcycles on a very warm Florida November day. Lunch was good. Travel was better. Dave let me ride his Harley Davidson back home, a bike twice the size of mine. Fun.
2 Comments » - Posted in Motorcycle, Orlando by Jerry
Friday, October 31st, 2008
Halloween Lament
Lots of little kids came to the door
this year. And this ghost.
Having two kids who don’t like chocolate usually means Halloween is a sweet deal for me. Until this year. Neither Andrew nor Audrey went out for candy, and Cathy and I stayed home and handed it out for the first time in a long time. Negative candy flow.
No Comments » - Posted in General by Jerry
Wednesday, October 29th, 2008
New Range For the Repair Price
Testament to the incredible wife of 20 years of mine is that fact that I NEVER heard a word of complaint from her about our broken oven over the last two months of its demise. Granted, the “Food:EatOut” category in Quicken got a bit more of a workout in the mean time, but today we finally resolved the situation.
After pulling the oven out, cleaning up the nastiness that grew under it over the years, and locating what we thought was the most likely broken part we called an appliance repair service. With the price of what we would likely pay to have our old oven fixed we set out to see what “new” cost. Within an hour we had found a NEW unit within $25 of the repair cost. No brainer.
You won’t be seeing this oven in use anywhere on the Food Network, but it will cook Hertzler food just fine.
1 Comment » - Posted in Home Repair by Jerry
Saturday, October 11th, 2008
The Team
The Team - Ivo, Beni, Bartek, Andrey,
Galin, and me
This is the team of men leading Campus Crusade for Christ’s outreach on the Internet in Eastern European languages. They help publish websites about who God is and what it might be like to know him - in languages spoken by over 200 million people. They all lead teams of volunteer email mentors who answer visitors that write in from their sites. Sometimes they have the privilege of meeting personally with these visitors, and other times they build a relationship across many time zones to places they could never go otherwise.
Pray that God continues to accomplish his purposes through them.
2 Comments » - Posted in Ministry by Jerry
Saturday, October 11th, 2008
For the Record - Yamaha XJ700 Maxim Brake Lines
Before
After my first unsuccessful attempt at getting the brakes on my 1986 Yamaha XJ700 Maxim motorcycle working a few weeks ago, I did more research and found out that Yamaha never intended for their brake lines (rubber hoses surrounded by steel spring guards) to be in use longer than 4 years. It had been 22 years on my bike, and since brakes are the biggest safety element on a motorcycle, it seemed wise to finally replace them.
While I was at it, I decided to rebuild the master cylinder, too. It wasn’t as bad as I feared it would be. Along with the replacement parts I bought a special set of ‘circlip’ pliers that made the job possible. Amateur Mechanic Lesson 1: get the right tools.
My friend, Dave B, helped me install these a week ago. It wasn’t too difficult, but making the new lines actually fit was a bit of a brain puzzler (as was the master cylinder job). Stainless steel brake lines don’t twist at all, so you have to figure out which position allows them to connect smoothly at the fittings.
Now I have a whole new lexicon of motorcycle brake terms, and I learned how to operate a brake bleeding pump and a torque wrench (not hard). Compared to the corroded, old, water-in-the-brake-fluid system the bike had when I bought it, the new brakes are incredible!
After
No Comments » - Posted in Motorcycle by Jerry
Wednesday, October 1st, 2008
I’m learning how to…
I’m learning how to use Jott to update my blog. listen
Powered by Jott
No Comments » - Posted in General by Jerry
Saturday, September 27th, 2008
Motorcycle Repair Day
Dan’s Garage
My friends, Dan and Dave, helped me rebuild the front brake caliper assemblies on my motorcycle today. The good news is that Dan really knows how to recondition brakes, and we got my 22 year old brake assemblies back into good condition. The bad news is that we never regained pressure in the brake lines, so these newly cleaned brakes don’t work. Good thing Dan lives nearby, because I drove home on just the rear brake. Something tells me the next step is rebuilding the master cylinder, but I’m hoping not.
No Comments » - Posted in Motorcycle by Jerry
Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008
Bansko, Bulgaria
The Evangelical Church in Bansko
Last week I was in Bansko, Bulgaria meeting with several of the CCC ministry leaders from Eastern Europe who are using the Internet to reach students. My goal was to hand off the job I have been doing in the area to them.
We met in an evangelical church founded in 1868 by American missionaries. It started under the reign of the Ottoman Empire and, ironically, had more freedom then than during the period of control by the Soviets. We spent two days in this antique building planning how to use the Internet to reach more people in this part of the world with the gospel.
Bansko, Bulgaria looked like a cross between Hungary and Colorado, and it was cold. The rest of Bulgaria (that I saw) looked like Hungary, so it felt quite comfortable.
One other unique thing about Bansko is that it has its own language, Banski. It is not a dialect of Bulgarian either, but is related more to Macedonian. Only about 15,000 people live in this village, so there are not many Banski speakers.
All in all, it was quite an interesting place.
2 Comments » - Posted in Ministry by Jerry
Friday, September 19th, 2008
bo3a
bo3a
For breakfast my friend, Galin, introduced us to bo3a (”bozsha”), a slightly fermented grain drink that is traditional here, along with topnitza, a cheese-blintz sort of thing. He said this was typical school breakfast fare for kids.
The drink smelled like bean soup but tasted sweet. Kind of like drinking buckwheat pancake batter that had gone bad. I couldn’t do more than a few sips. I guess it’s one of those things you have to grow up drinking to like.
1 Comment » - Posted in Ministry by Jerry
Friday, September 5th, 2008
Grandpa Bill
My Grandpa Bill
Today I got some photos of my family from around 1947 or so, and I found this one of my grandfather, Bill.
I didn’t know him very well growing up, as he contracted Parkinson’s disease when I was young. This is from an era I never knew, but it makes me think I would have enjoyed knowing him and fishing with him when he was my age.
No Comments » - Posted in General by Jerry
Saturday, August 30th, 2008
Final Solution For Wall Leak
Judging by the ads Google runs in the side bar of this site, I’m guessing they think this site is about home repair, fixing leaks, stucco repair, and leak repair. (Just thought I’d throw in a few more key words for the construction ads).
When Google thinks it knows what your site is about they start sending visitors to your site who are looking for information about that topic. So for anyone wanting to know how our leak repair story ended, here is a description of our final solution for the wall leak we discovered a few months ago: GUTTERS.
Gutters solved 90% of the problem. They look nice, they were easy to install (i.e. it was easy to find a good installer), and they eliminated the cause of the problem by removing the water from the narrow section between our houses.
Getting our stucco repaired was another part of the solution. It was necessary because we had a hole in the side of our house, but I am not convinced that over the years that even repaired, well sealed, and painted stucco can withstand the water pressure that regularly exists on the side of our house if we didn’t have gutters.
Paint was another part of the solution. I dug the dirt away from the foundation all the way around the house and painted all the stucco I could reach as far down as I could reach. Several contractors suggested doing this as a way of keeping water from seeping through the stucco.
A French drain was NOT part of the solution. I considered the cost and effort of installing a below-ground drain, and it seemed like I’d be at the $500 mark quickly. After installation there would still be two significant problems left to solve: aesthetics and maintenance. The aesthetics of a line of gravel running down my side yard didn’t appeal to me, and I couldn’t think of a way to hide it with landscaping that wouldn’t also ruin the French drain. And maintenance on such a drain is necessary to keep it working. And the drain would only help if it could run out to the street or the pond in our backyard - all at the right slope. For our relatively flat Florida lot, this just didn’t seem like a good solution.
Tropical Storm Fay brought a week of heavy rain to Central Florida. On the Sunday after the rain stopped an informal raised-hand survey of people at our church indicated that about 30% of everyone had some sort of leak in their house during that storm. Our house didn’t get a drop inside, so I think it passed the test. I think this problem is solved.
Now I just have to get Andrew to fill in that ditch.
4 Comments » - Posted in Home Repair by Jerry
Tuesday, August 19th, 2008
A Welcome 2nd Day of Not-School
Pretty Boring in Orlando So Far
Tropical Storm Fay gave the kids a day off school today on what would have been their second day. So far the storm sent little more than rain and some gusty wind, but it was nothing that would have interfered with school. We like this kind of anti-climactic storm activity.
No Comments » - Posted in General by Jerry
Monday, August 18th, 2008
Another 1st Day of School
Audrey and Andrew Ready For School
We’re running out of “1st Day of Schools”, but today was one of the last few. Audrey started her freshman year of high school, and Andrew begins his junior year.
This year high school starts during daylight hours. Our county swapped the starting times between the high school and middle schools, so now the poor 6th graders have to be at the bus stop at 6:30 am while the high schoolers sleep in. Andrew said it was weird finishing first hour in daylight.
One interesting contrast between our experience sending Andrew off to high school and that of sending Audrey: On the Saturday before school begins there is an orientation and sign up where you get your locker, find your classes, etc. Both of us went with Andrew two years ago and helped him figure things out. He was happy to let us join him. Audrey, on the other hand, went with Andrew to the orientation day, and was happy to have the independence. She didn’t want a ride to school from Mom on the first day either; she took the bus.
2 Comments » - Posted in General by Jerry
Sunday, August 10th, 2008
Andrew and Audrey Back from NYC
Audrey talking to the kids
Andrew with one of his kids
Andrew and Audrey had a great week in NYC working with the Exodus program for kids. They had some pretty funny stories to tell, and they both came back with a new sense of how God can use them. We’re glad to have them back home!
Read the blog from their week for the rest of the story.
No Comments » - Posted in General by Jerry
Tuesday, July 29th, 2008
Preparing The Way Stucco Repair
Preparing The Way Stucco Repair
‘Preparing The Way’ is the name of Jarrod Brown’s stucco repair company, but I prefer to think of the job he did as ‘Stopping Up The Way’ for the ants and the water. The stucco is fixed, and I am surprised at how much of a relief it is to have it that way. Knowing we’d have a gallon of water sloshing around our house during the next hard rain storm made it difficult for me to relax. Call me a nut.
This is Jarrod at work. He did a great job and was pleasant to have around while he worked. He also does a bunch of other stuff, so give him a call if you live in Orlando.
No Comments » - Posted in Home Repair by Jerry
Sunday, July 27th, 2008
The hole in my stucco was SO big….
Me Sitting Outside My Stucco Hole
Today the stucco repair guy came (ya, I was surprised he wanted to work on a Sunday, too), and we found the hole in the stucco that was letting in all the water. At first it didn’t appear to be anything more than a screw hole, but ants kept going in and out of it so we dug a little deeper. Then a chunk of the wall came loose, and we were suddenly looking into a cavern in the wall, pictured at right. It was so big I could see daylight from the inside of the house.
It’s patched up now, and it didn’t leak during the storm that followed so I guess we’re good to go.
(That really is a close-up picture of the hole.)
No Comments » - Posted in Home Repair by Jerry
Friday, July 25th, 2008
Hertzler Moat
Our New Moat
Part of our leak fixing project has been digging the sod away from the house and changing the slope of the grass so water flows away from the foundation. Andrew dug out one side of the house and is waiting for the stucco repair guy to come before finishing. This has left us with a new moat that has remained full for the last few days.
It looks like the solution to this problem will be gutters, stucco repair, getting the house painted, and a lot of digging. We need to replace the carpet in our house, so it’s important we get this solved before that happens!
1 Comment » - Posted in Home Repair by Jerry
Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008
A First - Andrew and Audrey Drove Off Without Us
Cathy called me today just after Andrew and Audrey drove off by themselves. Andrew passed his driving test (”It was easy,” he said) and has his regular license now.
He was very happy to discover yesterday that the additional cost of our insurance (due to him being a licensed driver) will be half what we were expecting. Since we’re making him pay the difference in insurance, this meant he had six months of insurance saved up rather than just three.
No Comments » - Posted in General by Jerry
Thursday, July 17th, 2008
More Water Where It Shouldn’t Be
Our Overflowing A/C Unit
My caulk plug on the outside wall washed away, so I’ve spent the last two afternoons soaking up water as it gushed in during our afternoon downpours. Last night I plugged the hole with roofing tar and placed a piece of plastic to shield it from any more rain, so I’m hoping that holds until we can get the stucco repaired.
So today when I saw yet more water where it shouldn’t be I just laughed.
Fortunately, this problem was easy to fix. Our inside A/C unit’s drain pipe had clogged and began spilling out onto the unit’s platform in the garage. This is not the first time this has happened, so I remembered the solution; vacuum out the drain pipe. Fortunately my neighbor’s wet/dry vac was handy, and I had the problem fixed in less than a half hour.
1 Comment » - Posted in Home Repair by Jerry
Tuesday, July 15th, 2008
First One of Its Kind
With 26 translations of EveryStudent.com going, we still have just a few translations of our follow-up site, StartingWithGod.com. One thing we did to try to make it easier to produce new translations of this site was to create a tool so our translators could enter their text directly onto the site. Our Romanian language site, StudiuBiblic.ro, is the first one produced using this tool.
The idea of using a tool like this for producing new translations wasn’t completely successful. Our initial version proved too difficult for a non-experienced translator to use, and some more features need to be added before we can produce multiple new versions simultaneously. So the future of this tool is unknown at this point.
1 Comment » - Posted in Ministry by Jerry
Monday, July 14th, 2008
I’m A Motorcycle Owner
1986 Yamaha Maxim
Last night I became a motorcycle owner, and today I did my first commute to work on it. It was the first time I’ve enjoyed the commute to the office since when I rode my bike to work back in Budapest. It was really fun!
7 Comments » - Posted in Motorcycle by Jerry
Saturday, July 12th, 2008
Big Leak
Raining Inside
Today we had a strong storm, and the water came flowing in our new house hole. I scrambled up to the attic looking for a potential roof leak but found nothing but heat (!) and dry insulation. But back down on the ground the water kept coming in, so after the rain let up a bit I got the garden hose out and sprayed until I had repeated the leak. Sure enough, the hole is in a rusted-out seam of our stucco near the foundation, just above the grade. The seam rusted out because the bottom of it goes below the grade and sits in water every time it rains. Normally stucco is not installed below the grade of the yard, so this should never have happened. I think some caulk should plug the hole until I can fix the source of the problem.
After stucco repair, gutters and a drain field should probably eliminate the excess water in the area of the leak. This whole problem seems to be caused by poor construction, so it’s a bit frustrating.
3 Comments » - Posted in Home Repair by Jerry
Friday, July 11th, 2008
Not Just Another Motorcycle
While we were away Cathy talked me into buying that Yamaha Maxim I had been riding. It was actually harder for me to find a justification for it, but I finally found one. I’ll use our auto savings for it until we need to buy another car. Then I’ll sell the motorcycle and put the money back into the auto savings fund. That’s the plan for now anyway. I get the motorcycle Sunday afternoon. Woohoo!
