07 August 2011
Allergies Like A Mile Of Bad Road
07/08/11 15:13
Lantzville is literally a one road town. Oh sure there are other roads, Peterson, Oar, Leland, and such that feed into it but to go anywhere in Lantzville or to leave Lantzville you have to travel on Lantzville Rd.
Normally this is not a problem. At the moment though, they are in the middle of a big project to extend the sewer lines along Lantzville Rd. The way they are doing this is actually rather clever. They have several teams. The first that trenches in and lays the pipe started and progressed at good speed. About a week later the second team that installs the manholes set out. About a week later the cleanup crew that runs branch lines under Lantzville Rd, backfills, and patches the pavement set out. This worked well because by breaking the crew into three groups the pavers aren't sitting around waiting for the manhole team to finish and the manhole team is not waiting for the trenching team to finish. It is a very clever way of maximizing productivity on the project.
It's smart on paper at least.
Remember though, that I said that everything ends up passing along Lantzville Rd. Well Harby is parallel to Lantzville Rd and we can get in via Leland or Peterson. One day we discovered that Leland was blocked by the trenching crew. No problem we thought, we'll just take Peterson. Except the manhole crew was at Peterson. Later on we found that Peterson was clear but they were digging in front of Barbara's driveway. Even if we just want to go to the store in Nanaimo, the cleanup crew has been working in the center of Lantzville next to The Pub. Three major roadblocks with flaggers, and lane restrictions, and all that on the main line through town. It's been a mess.
And don't get Barbara started about the noise. Apparently she hand't been around when a construction crew was using soil compactors.
http://www.forconstructionpros.com/print/Equipment-Today/Products/Compaction-Equipment/5FCP14432
I worked around them years ago when I was doing soil testing and I can tell you they do raise a racket. Heavy low frequency vibration that compacts the soil and shake everything within a hundred meters. Her place being partially underground didn't help either. All of her pictures are crooked, a couple of jars fell off the ledge, the cats stayed away during the day, and at at one point this week her phone went out. The shaking had broken a contact on top of the telephone pole in the yard.
As you might expect all of this digging and vibration, and heavy trucks, and moving soil around is raising a lot of dust. There is a haze over the whole town most of the time, except when the breeze comes off of the sea, and there hasn't been much of that this week. The cars are coated but we figure there's no point in washing them yet. We'll wait for the project to complete toward the end of the month.
Road construction is one thing, but have you ever heard of a road being closed for Frogs? Well they do in BC.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/08/05/bc-toad-closures.html
Doug & Marsha
So we're in the rental and things seem to be settling out. The yard is quite nice with lots of plants. It could use a bit of TLC though. Marsha mowed the lawn this week. Not that we had to, but it really needed it. One odd thing though. Back in Minnesota I had a number of allergies, ragweed, grass, hardwoods, dogs, etc. Once we moved out here they went away. The whole time I lived in the Rutherford House I don't think I had a single problem with pollen. However now that we've moved into the rental they've come back and I don't know why.
One odd thing though. Back in Minnesota I had a number of allergies, ragweed, grass, hardwoods, dogs, etc. Once we moved out here they went away. The whole time I lived in the Rutherford House I don't think I had a single problem with pollin. However now that we've moved into the rental they've come back and I don't know why.
I mean it's really strange. Why all of a sudden after four years of feeling great am I sniffling and sneezing continuously.
I've started popping Claritin like jellybeans and keeping kleenex close at hand. It is so weird.
And for the life of me I have no idea why the allergies have come back like this. It's not like this place is that much different from Rutherford House.
Must be climate change.
Normally this is not a problem. At the moment though, they are in the middle of a big project to extend the sewer lines along Lantzville Rd. The way they are doing this is actually rather clever. They have several teams. The first that trenches in and lays the pipe started and progressed at good speed. About a week later the second team that installs the manholes set out. About a week later the cleanup crew that runs branch lines under Lantzville Rd, backfills, and patches the pavement set out. This worked well because by breaking the crew into three groups the pavers aren't sitting around waiting for the manhole team to finish and the manhole team is not waiting for the trenching team to finish. It is a very clever way of maximizing productivity on the project.
It's smart on paper at least.
Remember though, that I said that everything ends up passing along Lantzville Rd. Well Harby is parallel to Lantzville Rd and we can get in via Leland or Peterson. One day we discovered that Leland was blocked by the trenching crew. No problem we thought, we'll just take Peterson. Except the manhole crew was at Peterson. Later on we found that Peterson was clear but they were digging in front of Barbara's driveway. Even if we just want to go to the store in Nanaimo, the cleanup crew has been working in the center of Lantzville next to The Pub. Three major roadblocks with flaggers, and lane restrictions, and all that on the main line through town. It's been a mess.
And don't get Barbara started about the noise. Apparently she hand't been around when a construction crew was using soil compactors.
http://www.forconstructionpros.com/print/Equipment-Today/Products/Compaction-Equipment/5FCP14432
I worked around them years ago when I was doing soil testing and I can tell you they do raise a racket. Heavy low frequency vibration that compacts the soil and shake everything within a hundred meters. Her place being partially underground didn't help either. All of her pictures are crooked, a couple of jars fell off the ledge, the cats stayed away during the day, and at at one point this week her phone went out. The shaking had broken a contact on top of the telephone pole in the yard.
As you might expect all of this digging and vibration, and heavy trucks, and moving soil around is raising a lot of dust. There is a haze over the whole town most of the time, except when the breeze comes off of the sea, and there hasn't been much of that this week. The cars are coated but we figure there's no point in washing them yet. We'll wait for the project to complete toward the end of the month.
Road construction is one thing, but have you ever heard of a road being closed for Frogs? Well they do in BC.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/08/05/bc-toad-closures.html
Doug & Marsha
So we're in the rental and things seem to be settling out. The yard is quite nice with lots of plants. It could use a bit of TLC though. Marsha mowed the lawn this week. Not that we had to, but it really needed it. One odd thing though. Back in Minnesota I had a number of allergies, ragweed, grass, hardwoods, dogs, etc. Once we moved out here they went away. The whole time I lived in the Rutherford House I don't think I had a single problem with pollen. However now that we've moved into the rental they've come back and I don't know why.
One odd thing though. Back in Minnesota I had a number of allergies, ragweed, grass, hardwoods, dogs, etc. Once we moved out here they went away. The whole time I lived in the Rutherford House I don't think I had a single problem with pollin. However now that we've moved into the rental they've come back and I don't know why.
I mean it's really strange. Why all of a sudden after four years of feeling great am I sniffling and sneezing continuously.
I've started popping Claritin like jellybeans and keeping kleenex close at hand. It is so weird.
And for the life of me I have no idea why the allergies have come back like this. It's not like this place is that much different from Rutherford House.
Must be climate change.