Inconvenient Truth Pt. 2

As a follow-up to the earlier post - here's information about an extremely environmentally friendly house:

Designed by an architecture professor at a leading national university, this house incorporates every "green" feature current home construction can provide. The house contains only 4,000 square feet (4 bedrooms) and is nestled on arid high prairie in the American southwest. A central closet in the house holds geothermal heat pumps drawing ground water through pipes sunk 300 feet into the ground. The water (usually 67 degrees F.) heats the house in winter and cools it in summer. The system uses no fossil fuels such as oil or natural gas, and it consumes 25% of the electricity required for a conventional heating/cooling system. Rainwater from the roof is collected and funneled into a 25,000 gallon underground cistern. Wastewater from showers, sinks and toilets goes into underground purifying tanks and then into the cistern. The collected water then irrigates the land surrounding the house. Flowers and shrubs native to the area blend the property into the surrounding rural landscape.

And who owns this antithesis to this house profiled earlier (Al Gore's)?
Click to continue...

Grandma and Christopher

Quick Update

I haven't done any website updates lately. I've been down sick for the last week along with battling some dental difficulties.

Last Thursday we got a surprise visit from Emily and the grandkids. I got a couple of pictures of LaRue with Christopher which I will post later. He is really cute. He just beams when you smile at him. And thanks for Brighton there is no chewing gum left in Liz's stash in her bedroom.

I also added a link on the right under Family Sites to my brother George's Photo Blog.

Inconvenient Truth

In light of Al Gore winning an Oscar for his documentary, here's an "inconvenient truth" for you courtesy of the Nashville Electric Service -

The average household in America consumes 10,656 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year, according to the Department of Energy. In 2006, Gore devoured nearly 221,000 kWh — more than 20 times the national average.

Last August alone, Gore burned through 22,619 kWh — guzzling more than twice the electricity in one month than an average American family uses in an entire year. As a result of his energy consumption, Gore’s average monthly electric bill topped $1,359.

Since the release of An Inconvenient Truth, Gore’s energy consumption has increased from an average of 16,200 kWh per month in 2005, to 18,400 kWh per month in 2006.

Gore’s extravagant energy use does not stop at his electric bill. Natural gas bills for Gore’s mansion and guest house averaged $1,080 per month last year.

“As the spokesman of choice for the global warming movement, Al Gore has to be willing to walk to walk, not just talk the talk, when it comes to home energy use,” said Tennessee Center for Policy Research President Drew Johnson.

Road Sign

Every since the kids were little there was a running joke in reference to a common road sign.
The sign is the Do Not Pass sign you see everywhere.


We always thought it would be fun to add the word "GAS" to the bottom of the sign. The other day LaRue spotted a magazine ad for an anti-gas medicine that used this image:

LOST pt.2

As mentioned in a previous post, we're catching up on LOST.
Last night we watched "In Translation" from Season One. The back story is about Jin-Soo Kwon and his working for his father-in-law. In the scene where he goes over to a man's house to deliver a message we see the man's daughter TV. And on the screen is this shot:

So, we're wondering - what's Hurley doing on TV??
If you know, don't spoil it for us. But I am wondering if his story puts him on some sort of television program before becoming LOST.

Valentine's Cards

I scanned the covers of our Valentine cards to each other and the one LaRue received from her friend Roslyn.

Here's the one I got from LaRue:


Here's the one I gave her:


And here's the card from Roslyn: