RPetry

Uh, I think I'll pass on the group hug.

It is a trying time. Unless you are in the more temperate climate. A quick reminder, take care of the batteries!

That is our job. BTW, Nipsey Russell was a very funny comedian. His ashes were scattered over the Atlantic ocean.

I feel warmer already. I trust this does not include the 2 parrots in your avatar.

Thad, Nonsense. You and many others not mentioned in my post deserve credit. Going back in time, if I can remember, Mark Smith, Ken Fenner, Greg R., Jim B., Diamond Jim Foley, and others used this website and the old Delco board to get the wood restoration business recognised by the general public. It helped my small business and many others. So take a bow!

Hah, good point. A municipal fire hydrant does not offer that flow. Even in NYC. Must have a tanker truck on site.

Jack Kramer deserves an award. He is a natural MC. The incipient PW Industry should recognize his ability and contributions. Same goes for you Thad. Also, Beth & Rod must be recognized as the foremost leader in online education and content. In addition, Tom and Barbara Vogel of ACR products deserve mucho kudos. Along with Everret Abrams, they put roundtables on the map many years ago. They have pulled many contractors feet out of the fire for many years, and continue to do so. I would not be in business without their help and support. Carlos Gonzalez deserves a much needed recognition for his spunk, accumen, and downright efforts in trying to steer this service business to another level. Last, but not least, Peirce Fitchette of Ready Seal stains and Jake Clark of Armstrong-Clark stains have supported this small service "industry" to the hilt. To one and all, you are friends. Valuable friends.

All good points. I'll add beer, plenty of smokes if one craves tobacco and is iced/snowed in, and an adequate suppy of firewood. De-ice is helpful so you, your spouse, or dog does not fall on the friggin' steps and driveway. If UPS has a delivery, demand that they plow the driveway.

I am an attorney and for my personal email I add the following signature: ,-._.-, v)"(v (_o_) Ruff!! Ruff!! HAVE A GREAT DAY! JIM a/k/a RedDog! IMPORTANT NOTICE: This email is intended for the use of the individual addressee(s) named above and may contain information that is confidential privileged or unsuitable for overly sensitive persons with low self-esteem, no sense of humor or irrational religious beliefs. If you are not the intended recipient, any dissemination, distribution or copying of this email is not authorized (either explicitly or implicitly) and constitutes an irritating social faux pas. Unless the word absquatulation has been used in its correct context somewhere other than in this warning, it does not have any legal or no grammatical use and may be ignored. No animals were harmed in the transmission of this email, although the kelpie next door is living on borrowed time, let me tell you. Those of you with an overwhelming fear of the unknown will be gratified to learn that there is no hidden message revealed by reading this warning backwards, so just ignore that Alert Notice from Microsoft. However, by pouring a complete circle of salt around yourself and your computer you can ensure that no harm befalls you and your pets. If you have received this email in error, please add some nutmeg and egg whites, whisk and place in a warm oven for 40 minutes.

It is Christmas Eve and I'm posting. Kind of sad! Anyway, to help TGS, thought this might be a potential popular thread. Please contribute. It is the "off" season for many in the PW business and we need some entertainment. Sure beats wrapping gifts. WARNING! The 2nd link in this post contains what some may consider offensive language and behavior. If you are one of millions that have a restrictive, puritan sense of humor, or happen to be lucky enough to be of the female gender, consider bailing out of this thread now. This is not Christmas content. Unless you know the recipient intimately, do not forward the link . Beth, you may want to trash this ... It may be pushing the "terms of service". I'll email you when done posting with fair warning. Merry Christmas Eve! May God rest his soul. As seen from his unique comedic delivery, Sam Kinison started out as an itinerant Christian preacher. He evolved into an extremely popular and successful comedian of my generation. A sidenote. His life was noteworthy, but demise was tragic, details here: http://www.paulluvera.com/weblog/2009/11/the-strange-death-of-sam-kinison.html Youtube has a video compilation of Sam's stage and TV appearances. I saw him live one night in a small club, He was terrible. Had difficulty keeping on his feet (not wise for a "stand up comedian"), and his delivery was close to incomprehensible. But just his screaming, facial expressions, and timing was funny. He was severely drunk and more than a little high. 2nd WARNING! Please do not blame me or complain to the fine purveyors of this web site. If illiterate, I'll try, ...GO AWAY! Hmmm... On 2nd thought, it does not matter. If, due to bad fortune, one cannot read, how can they navigate a dumbphone, tablet, or computer? Now that I have your attention and tweaked your nasty, inner curiousity, see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1GjyrQiSRs&list=RDXfi4s8cjLFI&index=2 If you get past the 3rd installment, you're psychologically more disturbed than I am.

Ditto. And a joyous New Year to you, Rob, and yours.

Congrats Beth. Writing is hard. Technical or literature, you expose a piece of small piece of your "inner self" to anonymous readers.

Here's a truly heart warming story about the bond formed between a little 4-year-old girl and some construction workers that will make you believe that we all can make a difference when we give a child the gift of our time. A young family moved into a house, next to a vacant lot. One day, a construction crew turned up to start building a house on the empty lot. The young family's 4-year-old daughter naturally took an interest in all the activity going on next door and spent much of each day observing the workers. Eventually the construction crew, all of them "gems-in-the-rough," more or less, adopted her as a kind of project mascot. They chatted with her, let her sit with them while they had coffee and lunch breaks, and gave her 20 little jobs to do here and there to make her feel important. At the end of the first week, they even presented her with a pay envelope containing ten dollars. The little girl took this home to her mother who suggested that she take her ten dollars "pay" she'd received to the bank the next day to start a savings account. When the girl and her mom got to the bank, the teller was equally impressed and asked the little girl how she had come by her very own pay check at such a young age. The little girl proudly replied, "I worked last week with a real construction crew building the new house next door to us." "Oh my goodness gracious," said the teller, "and will you be working on the house again this week too?" The little girl replied, "I will, if those a-holes at Home Depot ever deliver the effin' drywall..."

For any other perverse idiots out there in woodcare that try to take on these impossible jobs, this may be of interest. THE CHAMPION - 3, count 'em, 3 layers of Behr's Deck Plus acrylic - latex solid stain on the horizontal and it looks like 2 of the same on the vertical wood. THE CONTENDERS - from left to right. #1 - Napier's Removall 310. Got to give it a handicap as the specs clearly state that it should be applied with an airless. Was not going to spend $200 for a 5 gallon container to test. Would not hang on the vertical wood with a brush application. #2 - That old standby, Back to Nature's BFS II. Its done some terrrific work for many in the past but is near impossible to apply mechanically. #3 - A product that is being developed that I was asked to test. Consistancy is almost like jello and even after mixing doesn't come out even. Manufacturer claims it will go through a pump up but I don't think so. But hey, ya gotta love that neon blue color. #4 - Back to Nature's Ready Strip Deck. Even consistancy, will certainly pass through a pump up or Shurflo. A lot less expensive than #1 or #2. I have preliminary results but only stayed around for an hour. Will go back sometime early tomorrow to see if there is any change. Please, if anyone out there knows how to remove these foul acrylics from exterior wood without spending a fortune in materials and time, please chime in.

Good thread John. Kudos to Beth & Rod for starting The Grime Scene. Back in those days, there were few internet resources focused on pressure washing, especially information on exterior wood care. This site has educated and helped an entire generation of contractors.

Hey John, Still around, just hibernating through the winter. Hope to see you at ACR in March. Jake, Outgrew that behavior about 40 years ago. A few Heinekens is about as far as I go!

Beth, If so, Extreme Solutions and any remaining distributors will have to drop their 5 gal. prices if the word gets out. Actually, not so sure if this will be a big seller for Home Depot. Even at the "discount" price of $200 for a 5'er, it is a lot more expensive than their other exterior wood stain offerings. I would think that the typical H.D. shopper is quite cost-conscious.

Someone has an odd sense of humor. Was at the bottom of the forum page this morning, and saw the notification of the newest TGS member, Juan **********! Profile is interesting. See: http://community.thegrimescene.com/user/8306-juan-**********/ Jesus Christos, someone's last name is banned here?

John, Hope it is easy to strip off. If it is in Home Depot and marketed as "easy", every DIY homeowner will be using it.

Shane, Hey don't complain. It's better than 1 or 5/4 x 6 decking. We see too much of that. 2 x lasts a lot longer. Nice digs, that golf course makes me want to retire!

Shane, Real nice house and an attractive designed deck. Like the Baker's color on that SYP. Too bad it was not a mahogany, ipe', or WRC deck, it would have been even better!

Blake Sheldon - "Boys 'Round Here" Never cared much for most country music. My main guy Dave plays a Pandora country station much of the day on his smartphone. This song comes up often. It is hilarious with a catchy tune. And the refrain, "Chew tobacco, chew tobacco, chew tobacco, spit" is unforgettable!

Ryan, That is very hardcore, certainly not typical camping out in the boonies. Spent 4 yrs. undergaduate school in Denver. Did a few snowcave winter snowshoeing trips, but miserable, cold, wet, experiences and never ate grubs. Freeze dried cuisine tasted and worked out fine. You and your friend are a bit crazy. Good for the both of you.

^ Well that is real positive. Fishing should be fun when first starting out at a very young age. Ryan's suggestion of simple bluegills or sunny's is a great idea. Little fish, usually bite on most anything, and easy and fun to catch for a little guy. Don't remember being quite that young and never had children. But would imagine a few hours without a catch or action would be a bit of a boring stretch for a youngster. Time spent with a small child is important. Fun time spent is more valuable and ingrained. Back to the thread about hunting. Long story, will try and be short. 2 Thanksgiving's ago, we spent some time with my (inlaw) nephew and family in central NY state. Arrived on Wednesday afternoon, and as soon as out of the truck, my nephew declares, "We're going deer hunting early tomorrow morning". Well OK, I'm up for something new and unusual. Problem is, I've never hunted and the last time I shot a gun was around the age of 12 with a 22 long at YMCA camp. He takes me out on his property, hands me a 30 ought(?) 6 rifle, and gives me 5 rounds to hit a target at ~ 80 yards. I did manage to hit it around the edges with 2 rounds, and thought my right shoulder was permanently damaged. Next morning, at friggin' 5:00 AM, we up and at it. Private property of a friend of his. Sit in a tree stand and gaze over the woods. See a few white tails running out of range, and after 4 hours go back to the house. Beer time. Next morning, drags me out of bed before the sunrise. "Let's go again!" Cracks a big smile, hands me a beer. People do not act like this in suburbia. Same place, different tree stand. Quiet. lovely morning, warm when the sun comes up. Peaceful, almost meditative., but I'm watchful. I swear that this deer appeared right in front of me, like it was "transported" from space. Maybe 70 or 80 yards away. Never saw it browsing through the field right in front of me. Took a shot. Went down to the ground, struggled up, and ran like a bat out of hell. We tracked the blood for about 300 yards and it was down. Never heard the report of the rifle, or felt the recoil. Maybe an instinctive genetic memory when man really had to hunt for food or starve.

My nomination for the TGS post of the year. Make that decade.