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@jon-nyc Welcome to Pinellas County! I'm glad the weather was good for you! Need I say awesome work and poster of you!

@kluurs I hadn't considered that; thanks for the suggestion. I looked into Grand and Ferguson (I know of both but haven't bought anything from them) and learned a bunch of stuff. Grand has the unit in stock and could deliver in a day or two. Ferguson's lead time is a bit longer but shorter than what Abt quoted to me. I might get delivery faster but Abt has some things going for it that the other two don't. Don't know if any of what follows is of any usefulness or interest to other folks, but here goes.... Grand does delivery and installation but I don't see a service department, so you're going to the manufacturer for customer service on warranty work and you're stuck with their authorized repair shops; sometimes those aren't the greatest. Don't know how Speed Queen is, but getting warranty work done on my Samsung washer I bought from Best Buy was a total nightmare. Home Depot is the same. Ferguson seems to be drop shipping from the manufacturer. Freight delivery, no offer of installation, and no service department. I think they're more geared to projects where you have a contractor doing a remodel and the contractors do the install. No service department means the same issues with warranty work as places like Grand, Best Buy, Lowe's and Home Depot. Abt is the whole enchilada. I'll get a 10% discount on price, and they are an authorized servicer for Speed Queen. They're a 15 minute drive from my house, so an easy hop to go look at the SQ and any others I might consider. They're very old school with respect to customer service and will bend over backwards to make things right if there's a problem. Plus they have the really cool attractions in the showroom. Like this thing: https://foursixty.com/abt-electronics/261058640/ Some of the others: https://www.abt.com/help/attractions A month is a longish time, but our laundry is in the basement and we air dry a lot of things on a routine basis. Towels and sheets are the exception, but my friend Susan lives a block away and I can take those over to her house for a few weeks if the lead time on delivery is really out a month. Not ideal, but doable. Anyway, I appreciate the suggestions! I learned a lot about those other major appliance retailers in our area. Definitely good choices but their services don't quite match my needs.

@jon-nyc said: Facebook served me this ad which made me think of you. [image: IMG_4777.jpeg] Ha! This is great!! We have a little plinth with figures in our typical player colours that we change out to show who won the last game.

Sorry, late to get back to this - and Daniel's question. By way of a story, I bought a pair of Bally shoes on the recommendations of an acquaintance many, many years ago. In almost no time, I was having knee pain and thought I was about to become a cripple. Everyone's feet and gate and angles are different. it is best to get evaluated for the type of shoe that will work for you. They do that at running stores - and some stores that do hiking. AND, it sometimes takes some experimentation. For older folks, there's other issues - which is that at some point it's common for people to start to shuffle walk - and this makes a person more prone to tripping and falling. Some people develop a type of neuropathy that results in less sensation in the bottom of the foot - which also can lead to problems. It may be wise to see a podiatrist or someone who specializes - for ultimate assistance. Right now, I'm using Merrill Moab hiking shoes for much of my walking. They're heavy as hell - and probably don't give me any feedback as to what I'm walking on. On the other hand, I'm still running - and the calves, ankles and feet are doing Ok - knees are a starting to be a little more risky. I'm doing increased work to help them.

Jerk

@Bernard said: This is nothing more than cleaning--no polishing, etc. Elbow grease is the best kind of polish!! It looks great! I vote for patching rather than replacing btw. (but I know nothing about these things...)

Clowns are supposed to be funny. The country is in a sad state.

@mark I was never a dancer either. Just wasn't. I don't know why. Dance was the foundation of Madonna's work in music videos and concerts (and I guess still is but she's got a lot of injuries). She went to Martha Graham's school. Martha Graham named her Madame X. Hence, Madame X, her last great album. I wish I could sing! Not pop music. Classical music and church music.

Thank you jon! We would have liked to have one this year and I am not completely 100% sure we won't, but it will more likely be some time next year.

Dave is always good. I remember a column he wrote on dating. Sent a copy to a friend - and the next thing I knew it was being faxed all around the country.

That may be what is called a "shirt-sleeve" relative. Marjoe Gortner reminded me of the creepy guy who insisted upon showing me a gospel music technique that used chords. I was too busy looking for an exit to learn anything.

Not to sound morbid. No, nothing morbid here.

Waves are measured from the water level up, not from down in the trough. 15 feet is big. Was in 8 foot waves in a 36 sailboat in the Gulf of ah, you know, that Gulf down there. Thought I might die. Didn't.

Very little information about the band is to be found. It seems to be the only recording available by the original City of London Brass. The band was made up of students from the London Music Colleges and other London educational institutions, so had youthful, talented, semi-pro players. Formed in 1971 and lasted maybe only 4 years. Guessing it depended on their conductor, Geoffrey Brand who died recently at the age of 97, and was an influential and inspirational band/trumpet man over decades.

@shirokuro Thanks!

Pirro must have gotten hold of the report and that's why she dropped the charges against the Olympic guy. She dropped the charges on August 4th; report is dated the 6th. The blue coating applied to the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool this summer failed in at least 85 places because of errors in the renovation, including the premature refilling of the basin before the liner had fully dried, according to an inspection report obtained by The Washington Post. The Aug. 6 report, commissioned by the contractor that did the work, documents far more damage than has been previously reported. President Donald Trump has generally attributed the damage to vandals, but the report makes no mention of vandalism to the liner and blames the problems on the use of improper materials and a rush to complete the job. The administration wanted the project finished in time for the celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary. The 75-page “failure analysis” by Atlantic Coating Inspection includes scores of photos documenting the liner’s deficiencies — ranging in severity and including blisters, peeling and cracks — and identifies their likely causes. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/reflecting-pool-liner-failed-in-85-places-after-flawed-renovation-inspection-found/ar-AA2edde0 tl;dr - The report notes a ton of reasons the paint peeled; none of them involved vandalism. There was also a lot more damage than previously reported. The Delusional One gets the last word: Last Tuesday, as the repairs were nearing completion, Trump told reporters that the latest fixes would make the pool “as vandal-proof as you can get.”