dube

Beer can chicken! Find a fresh whole chicken (free range or organic is where it's at) do a rub...think garlic, salt, smoked paprika, thyme, oil. Stuff a couple cloves of garlic and some fresh herbs in the beer can(drink half first), stuff can in chicken, put on grill for an hour or so rotating every 15 min.= THE BOMB!!!!!! You can find nifty little stands with a drip pan, the drippings make a mean gravy. Whip up some homefries or roasted potatoes and a salad and off you go.

sorry about your hound.....they break your heart the little buggers.

way to rain on everyone's parade.

not me....total nerd here.

I would say you only need a structural engineer if you decide to use an engineered beam. Depending on how much wall you are taking out you may be able to use a built-up dimensional beam aka 2x10 or 2x12 say 3 or 4 plys. There are span charts that designate load capacity (max span) for built up beams. These charts are essentially carpenters gospel however once you get into engineered products the specs. must be stamped by an engineer, in other words a carpenter can't install an engineered beam unless it is engineered. The products are slick but more expensive and when you add in paying an eng. your costs go up dramatically. I would suggest contacting city licensing/bylaw/permit dept. and they could likely provide you with some useful information and you may require a permit anyway. Find a qualified carpenter which you will need anyway and there is a good chance you could save a a few hundred bucks and a lot of red tape. I realize that you are concerned about the job being done properly and not so much on cost but keep in mind that houses were built for a long time with actual wood without any engineering involved so consider this as 2 different options and I would focus on finding a good contractor first. A carpenters 2 cents.

Without knowing a great deal about sciatica I would say give acupuncture a shot. Like tightline said some serious stretching combined with acupuncture might produce some results. Being a carpenter and all around self abuser I have had some great results from both acupuncture and yoga. Chiro is great and I am behind it but you absolutely have to make it part of your regular routine whereas I found acupuncture better for acute symptoms and sometimes only a few treatments will do the trick. It's nerve-wracking for sure the first time you go but not nearly as bad as you may imagine. Good luck.

77% of people will believe what ever you tell them if you add a percent to it.

The solartubes are quite effective, and they will actually reflect moonlight more than you might think. This soda bottle idea is awesome. Obviously not great for our climate and radical temp. changes. Not sure how ice refracts light, possibly better? I can think of a few sheds and cabin applications where this would be great, may do some experimenting this year. I'm not sure what the diameter of a 2l bottle is but I think a rubber roof flashing for a plumbing vent would be the ticket to make sure it doesn't leak. Super link Don, thanks!

I like this method as well, especially in the high country, only I usually wear a pair of shorts. The zip off pants can come in quite handy for the walk back to the truck. I also agree that going past inseam is a serious commitment.

Nevermind Jeremie, the adults are talking.

grate, know thier is cofee all over moniter. whey too go.

Maybe they are worried you'll set them on fire and then pee on them with barbwire from a tree.

Any man who knows a thing knows he knows not a goddamn thing at all.

For what it's worth I'm a cynic and a contractor and I would have to think the insurance companies have nothing to gain by hiring crummy or shady contractors. On the other hand I would imagine they deal with a roofing company, as opposed to a private contractor, who subcontract the jobs out. They can't really guarantee the guys doing the job but they need to guarantee the work they do. Chances are the crew only does work for one company so they will likely have proven to be at least somewhat accountable. Get a business card off them and be positive, you're getting new shingles Hope it all works out.

I put goodyear wranglers (5 ply with silent armour yeah right!) on my truck and had a nice thumb sized rock come through last time out. Picked up a screw on another and ended up ruining that tire by my own lazy stupidity.On the other hand goodyear has a decent prorated warranty on every tire they sell.Both tires within a month and a half and came to 75 bucks each installed. Considering they are 250$ tires I can afford to ruin at least one more before the season is up I think tread design has every thing to do with it. These tires really seem to pick rocks up and once one gets lodged in the tread it's only a matter of time. They were were recommended to me by someone who is on gravel every day so it's disappointing to say the least. Having said that I'm happy with them otherwise. Decent on mud slicked roads and surprisingly good in snow. Quiet on the highway and don't hurt my mileage too much. I think if you're doing off highway driving ruined tires is just a fact of life. I know lots of guys in the patch pack 2 spares because getting back to back flats is not uncommon on some roads. Good topic, interested to hear what everyone has to say.

obviously not a stand alone item but a roll of hockey tape is one of the best items you can have. I'm a carpenter and a bit of a savage all around and thus am nearly constantly bleeding and my opinion is bandaids are beyond useless. Hockey tape sticks to itself really well and breathes somewhat. Keeps crap out until you can really clean it up, and besides using as bandage I'm sure it could be useful in many other ways if you put your mind to it. my 2 cents.

I know some of you are hard core hikers and others maybe just a little creative so I figure it can't hurt to throw this out there. We got the first hike of the year this weekend (piss off rain) and I'm in charge of dinners. Generally for myself I'm content with the backpackers pantry dehydrated pre-made meals but am shooting for brownie points with the lass and wondering if anyone has some backcountry recipes they'd like to share. I'm looking for the ones where other people are looking over and saying "good idea!" or "wow that smells good!" while they eat their slop. Weight is not a huge issue because it's only 2 nights. Got one maybe 2 stoves. Giver your best shot!

When you're hiking with your significant other and she asks what was that, do not say sasquatch. Apparently not funny, and it would seem she is not convinced they do not exist. The sound was a bull elk bugling, which could be compared to a sound a bigfoot might make for what it's worth. Personally I think a samskwonch would sound something like this- "what the f@*K are you looking at !?"

Nice work!!!! The countdown is on. I noticed a sidekick in a few of the shots, always good to have someone who can hold the camera

I'll be skipping work wed. (being self employed does have its perks) and possibly thurs. if things go well. Heading out tues night to stake my claim, expecting to see some familiar faces both warm and cold blooded. With any luck the rivers will be somewhat fishable. Tight lines y'all.

I like to skip all the convoluted routes to our drainages and wash my truck directly in our river systems by driving through them really fast, 'specially in the gravel bottomed shallower bits in the spring and fall. No need for soap at all cuz I'm hitting the water at about 80km so that creates more than enough pressure to get all the mud and grime off. Chicks really dig it too.

Being from Edmonton I am usually jealous of not having the Bow river to fish regularly but other times I'm really happy that there are indeed a good number of other rivers to fish in this province. Ones where if you did happen to come across another angler you'd actually be obliged to say hello because...well frankly because you'd be 2 dudes standing in the middle of nowhere. On the other hand dropping in on a hole on these rivers would be akin to handling a mans woman- downright dangerous. These honey holes might only hold one or 2 fish. The Bow has what 3000 fish/mile. From my point of view and to have it my way, if you are close enough to talk to me while I'm fishing then you are too bloody close. I choose where I fish based on this premise and when I do get a chance to spend some time on the bow I'll change my expectations accordingly. Good luck out there guys, it's like road rage but on the river-river rage is what y'all got.

I'm also from Edmonton but I listen to CKUA (a province wide radio station) and a company called Sunik roofing has ads on there all day long which is saying a lot considering it's a publicly owned station. Journeymen certified roofers, being a trades person myself this is something I can get behind, so I think you could expect an expert job. Your typical roofers can leave a lot to be desired. Good luck.

Honda all the way no doubt, last machine you will buy. Plus I think they are far quieter than other brands.

I feel for you.