The REO Lounge

[Robinowitz]

My heart goes out to you and everyone in your area, and all areas affected by this. We've had our own version of craziness here with the worst storm since 2011's Hurricane Irene. We've been without power, phone or internet for 3 days so far, but like you we have a generator so I'm able to continue working and we have heat and water. Nothing like what you've experienced. I can't imagine the feeling that would come of being evacuated...knowing that anything you don't take with you may be lost forever.

I'm so glad you're safe, and the animals. Indeed, a reminder for us all to be thankful for the things we take for granted.

You are loved thanks for checking in and I hope you manage to have a restful weekend!

Thank you so much my friend! This new normal is rather devastating.. One of the photos that is going viral is a couple getting married, beautifully attired, including smoke masks....at one of our famous wineries....

Wow! You've got your hands full too! I never think of Hurricane’s in your neck of the woods. Im so glad you have a generator too. Still disorienting. Take care my friend. I am gonna keep you all in my thoughts for sure. Much love & resilience!

 

[Sloth Tonight]

Thank you so much my friend! This new normal is rather devastating.. One of the photos that is going viral is a couple getting married, beautifully attired, including smoke masks....at one of our famous wineries....

Wow! You've got your hands full too! I never think of Hurricane’s in your neck of the woods. Im so glad you have a generator too. Still disorienting. Take care my friend. I am gonna keep you all in my thoughts for sure. Much love & resilience!

Quite the image, for sure

To clarify, this wasn't a hurricane and you're right that we seldom experience those. But it was close, with 2.3 inches locally in roughly 12 hours and 65mph winds. We were already saturated with tons of rain so there was a lot of flooding, but the winds were the killer. I've grown accustomed to hearing the hum of our generator. It lulls me to sleep at night (sarcasm - can't sleep well )

Much love my friend, so happy you're safe

 

[Robinowitz]

Quite the image, for sure

To clarify, this wasn't a hurricane and you're right that we seldom experience those. But it was close, with 2.3 inches locally in roughly 12 hours and 65mph winds. We were already saturated with tons of rain so there was a lot of flooding, but the winds were the killer. I've grown accustomed to hearing the hum of our generator. It lulls me to sleep at night (sarcasm - can't sleep well )

Much love my friend, so happy you're safe

Got it! Might you send some of that rain our way please?? A double win perhaps. Haha

Im gratefully doing laundry today. Never minded that chore before but actually enjoying it today!

 

[Sloth Tonight]

Got it! Might you send some of that rain our way please?? A double win perhaps. Haha

Im gratefully doing laundry today. Never minded that chore before but actually enjoying it today!

Oh how I wish I could. It's crazy how one side of the country desperately needs it and the other desperately needs less of it. We got more rain in 12 hours than parts of the southwest get in a full year...and it snowed this morning, too

I can't wait to do laundry, our machines aren't hooked up to the generator. Stinky Sloth

 

[Sloth Tonight]

OMG -

After posting my last post, the lights all flickered. "Weird," I thought. Generator still humming, so what gives?

I looked out the window at the nearest cabin - there's a light on over there - what???

The generator then stopped. WE HAVE POWER!!

I hope you're next, @Robinowitz !!! (and I hope this lasts - the wind is picking up, as is the snow)

 

[Robinowitz]

OMG -

After posting my last post, the lights all flickered. "Weird," I thought. Generator still humming, so what gives?

I looked out the window at the nearest cabin - there's a light on over there - what???

The generator then stopped. WE HAVE POWER!!

I hope you're next, @Robinowitz !!! (and I hope this lasts - the wind is picking up, as is the snow)

Yay Electricity! Even though we've had it for a few days again, i haven't taken for granted.....yet. Hahaha. Hope your snow and rain cease for a bit. It continues to be very eerie weather with high 70’s, perhaps low 80’s even over the next 10 days. It isn't unusual for us to get some “Indian Summer” but this is lasting a L...O...N...G time. I guess it could be fun if fires weren't part of the equation.

Take care all. Am grateful for you!

 

[Sloth Tonight]

vaping on a Reaper rda tonight atop my Hammertone P67 - haven't used a REO in quite a while, honestly, but wow - what a timeless vape

 

[Papa_Lazarou]

Yowsa. Sorry to hear of your power challenges, @Robinowitz & @Sloth Tonight.

Freakish winds seem to be becoming more frequent, either doing damage directly or contributing significantly to damage from things like fire. Lord knows we've had them around here. Power was out for most of the day about a week ago due to 90km gusts. Nothing compared to what you all have been going through, but still indicative of the trend. "Biggest storm in a generation" used not to be commonplace, but now seems like an annual event.

I've heard that part of the problem is a slowing Gulf Stream, which apparently causes more turbulence that hangs around any one area for longer.

I think most everyone not living in a city core will eventually need a generator. (or maybe wind turbines would be more apropos)

 

[jifjifjif]

And here I am Florida desperately wanting a break from the heat. Every day is 85 with a real feel of 92.

I'm excited to be tent camping this Saturday night and the temps are supposedly going to at least drop into the 60s at night. Then, right back up to normal heat. I grew up in NJ and what I wouldn't pay for some freaking fall weather.

 

[Sloth Tonight]

So, I hired a new innkeeper a couple of weeks ago, right? Today we're training together and we somehow started talking about vaping. He asks what kind of mod I use. I asked him if he knows what a squonker is. He said no, so I started describing it. Suddenly he looks at me and goes "wait, is that a Reos mod?"



Dude vaped on a Reo himself for a while and just didn't know the term squonking. What a small world! Blew my mind.

 

[oplholik]

Sounds like a keeper

 

[Robinowitz]

Sounds like a keeper

Yep, he sounds like a smart vapor @Sloth Tonight! And yes, it is a small world indeed.

 

[Robinowitz]

Vaping on a Reaper RDA tonight atop my Hammertone P67 - haven't used a REO in quite a while, honestly, but wow - what a timeless vape

Careful or you’re gonna stay over in the dark side again. Haha

I too have been enjoying using my Reaper on one of my P-67.It’s not quite the quality of my O-16’s (its cap is a little lose) but I do like its size, easy build deck for my single coil, great flavor and I haven't over- squonked once....not once .

 

[Robinowitz]

Yowsa. Sorry to hear of your power challenges, @Robinowitz & @Sloth Tonight.

Freakish winds seem to be becoming more frequent, either doing damage directly or contributing significantly to damage from things like fire. Lord knows we've had them around here. Power was out for most of the day about a week ago due to 90km gusts. Nothing compared to what you all have been going through, but still indicative of the trend. "Biggest storm in a generation" used not to be commonplace, but now seems like an annual event.

I've heard that part of the problem is a slowing Gulf Stream, which apparently causes more turbulence that hangs around any one area for longer.

I think most everyone not living in a city core will eventually need a generator. (or maybe wind turbines would be more apropos)

Yes, the new normal sucks. I used to like Fall (now known as “fire season) but not so much with each passing year. I see more people getting generators, even those in larger cities around here due to more and longer power outages by our power company (PG&E). I certainly appreciate ours at our business and at home. The one at home, we don't run all the time but we use it to keep the essentials going (ie a coolish refrigerator/a warmish home). These outages that go on for days really pay havoc on the pocketbook for both businesses and households....
Anyway, tis really good to see some chatting going on here. Squonk on my friends!

 

[Doffy]

I think it was papa who asked about this reserve. Looks better now

 

[Robinowitz]

I think it was papa who asked about this reserve. Looks better now

That is so hopeful! Thank you for sharing them!

 

[Papa_Lazarou]

Yes, the new normal sucks. I used to like Fall (now known as “fire season) but not so much with each passing year. I see more people getting generators, even those in larger cities around here due to more and longer power outages by our power company (PG&E). I certainly appreciate ours at our business and at home. The one at home, we don't run all the time but we use it to keep the essentials going (ie a coolish refrigerator/a warmish home). These outages that go on for days really pay havoc on the pocketbook for both businesses and households....
Anyway, tis really good to see some chatting going on here. Squonk on my friends!

Our power utility is actually a little less draconian about things like outages. Our slightly different law system means they're all but free from being sued and so just focus on trying to keep us in power at all times. They do hero's work when the weather is bad (which includes, as you know, a formidable fire season up here as well), and folks on these islands bring them baking and coffee (plus more, if they'd take it... which they do not ) when they're on the job.

As for generators, we wouldn't live here without one. Two, really - it's all about the backup. No water from the well, no septic pump, no (non-woodstove) heat or light, nothing to keep the food in your fridge and freezer from spoiling. The generator makes all the difference. 4000 people on this island and about that many generators.

 

[Robinowitz]

Our power utility is actually a little less draconian about things like outages. Our slightly different law system means they're all but free from being sued and so just focus on trying to keep us in power at all times. They do hero's work when the weather is bad (which includes, as you know, a formidable fire season up here as well), and folks on these islands bring them baking and coffee (plus more, if they'd take it... which they do not ) when they're on the job.

As for generators, we wouldn't live here without one. Two, really - it's all about the backup. No water from the well, no septic pump, no (non-woodstove) heat or light, nothing to keep the food in your fridge and freezer from spoiling. The generator makes all the difference. 4000 people on this island and about that many generators.

I like the sound of how your electric company serves its customers. I have nothing but respect for the PG&E employees. Talk about troopers. It just seems that it has gotten too big and may be focused more on the dollar than maintenance. (There are other factors like sudden oak death, etc that are increasing the need for maintenance and adding to the problem. And of course, crazy windsthat we havent seen before with such force and frequency). Unfortunately because of several disasters that PG&E is associated with (crazy fires), their stock has declined drastically....my heart aches for their employees’ pensions. There is a movement towards a customer owned utility. We shall see.

Have you gotten any rain yet @Papa_Lazarou? None here yet...

 

[Papa_Lazarou]

I like the sound of how your electric company serves its customers. I have nothing but respect for the PG&E employees. Talk about troopers. It just seems that it has gotten too big and may be focused more on the dollar than maintenance. (There are other factors like sudden oak death, etc that are increasing the need for maintenance and adding to the problem. And of course, crazy windsthat we havent seen before with such force and frequency). Unfortunately because of several disasters that PG&E is associated with (crazy fires), their stock has declined drastically....my heart aches for their employees’ pensions. There is a movement towards a customer owned utility. We shall see.

Have you gotten any rain yet @Papa_Lazarou? None here yet...

Yeah, our power company - BC Hydro - isn't publicly held, so no stock to protect. It's what's called a Crown Corporation - a vestige of our British heritage meaning that it's owned by the government and the people. Employees have pensions and benefits, and because of the reduced profit motive, we pay about $0.083 per kWh (about 6 cents USD).

Another reason the rates are lower is because Hydro sells its surfeit electricity to the US, including... wait for it... northern and central California. The money from this commerce is used, by charter, to reduce the cost of our domestic energy. Information on the whole process is publicly available, again because of the company's structure and governance.

So while everyone sometimes resents any utility company, Hydro does a good job. It's our geography and our weather/climate that are doing us in, just as you say.

We've had rain for the last few days. So good to see the forest undergrowth spring up again. We didn't have a really bad summer, though, as it rained about every 10 days throughout. We only had a complete ban on power tool use for maybe 5 days in total - a new record from what I'm told. Usually, you can't use them outdoors from July (sometimes June) to mid-Sept.

I'm limbing some trees and picking up all the year's detritus on the forested south side of the property. Lovely work this time of year.

 

[Papa_Lazarou]

I think it was papa who asked about this reserve. Looks better now

NICE!!

Lovely to see it come back.