Peter A. Klein's Blog, page 11

Should You Chase a Positive Return-on-Investment for Your Remodel?

Some homeowners look at a remodel with an eye towards a positive return-on-investment, or ROI, when planning a remodel. Is this a wise decision?

For many years I have relied on data from Remodeling Magazine for up-to-date information to answer this question. As recently as 2019 there were remodeling projects that would pay for themselves when the home was sold one year after the project was completed.

On the Road Again –Finding Things to Explore in Your Area

Many of us enjoy traveling to places away from home. Travel does get expensive and takes time as well. There may be a less costly and less time-consuming ways you can explore close to home to have fun, discover nearby points of interest, and possibly learn a thing or two.

The San Diego Community College District has a program entitled “Rediscovering San Diego.” Each week the instructor meets the class of retirees at a different local or point of interest around San Diego County. Some places are well known. There are other places many in the class never knew about before the class. After a couple years the class became a bit repetitive. When I retired we decided to explore San Diego on our own.

On the Road Again – Be a on Your Best Behavior While Traveling

Most of us who have spent time traveling, have run into fellow travelers who, for whatever reason, have no regard for others. Several years ago, I was in a room at a Hilton Hotel in Oakland, California on a business trip. In the middle of the night, the occupant(s) of a room across the hall get extremely noisy. It took a couple visits by hotel security to get the people to quiet down. An example of bad traveler behavior.

An acquaintance of mine was a flight attendant for American Airlines. She retired after 9/11. She said that unruly behavior by travelers has been on the rise since before 9/11.

Semiannual Time Change Tasks and Preparing for Winter

Benjamin Franklin is credited by most people as the person who originated the idea of Daylight-Saving Time. It was first used in the United States during World War I. It has been praised and panned since then. Arizona appears to be the only state that does not observe Daylight Saving Time. However, you feel about it, Daylight Saving Time can be a useful trigger.

Each year I use the start and end of Daylight-Saving Time to remind myself to do a handful of chores around the house that are easily forgotten. With one exception, I do them in the Spring and again in the Fall. They are

The Big Question: Do It Yourself or Hire a Professional?

Regardless of how well you maintain your home and how careful you are, things will break or wear out. Unfortunately, it goes with home ownership. When something needs to be repaired or replaced in your home, how do you decide whether you should try to do the work yourself or call a professional in that field?

One of the first things to consider is if you have the tools to accomplish the job. As mentioned in a previous blog, every homeowner should have a minimum set of tools. See https://www.peteraklein.com/blog/what-tools-should-a-homeowner-own.

On the Road Again – A Relaxing Day at Sea on a Cruise Ship

There are many reasons to take a vacation. See new places, visit family, get away from the daily routine, and relax. A cruise lets you see new places, get away from the daily routine, and RELAX. Days at sea are supreme opportunities to relax.

If you have never been on a cruise, let me give you an example of a relaxing day at sea. Basically, you can do as much or as little as you like. The options available vary from ship-to-ship and by cruise line.

On the Road Again – Things to Consider When Booking a Cruise

As you can tell from my last blog, I enjoy taking cruises. If you are thinking about taking a cruise for the first time, allow me to make suggestions about booking a cruise.

To start, I would suggest that you use a travel agent. If you have never taken a cruise, a travel agent should be able to answer most, if not all, your questions about cruising. I have used a travel agent for all the cruises I have taken, and it was worthwhile.

On the Road Again – Why I Like to Take Cruises

Most of us have our favorite types of vacations. Some that come to mind are camping, amusement parks, National Parks, tours of specific places, and cruises. I am not a camper. My idea of roughing it is Motel 6.

I do like cruises. I like that you can select cruises that go to so many different places. Some to far off places and some to places closer to home. You can select cruises that have themes such as food or wine themes.

Let’s deal with COVID up front. Cruise lines got a lot of bad press at the start of the pandemic. I do not think all of it was deserved. Nobody knew what we, as a planet, were dealing with. Now, most, if not all, cruise lines require that ALL passengers and crew be fully vaccinated. A family member is about to embark on a Viking river cruise. Their vaccination record is in their vaccination card, with a digital copy on their phones as well as on Verifly. A COVID test was required prior to leaving home. While onboard, daily COVID tests are mandatory.

With COVID in mind, buffets have been totally altered or eliminated. Ships have had their HVAC systems upgraded so that there is less “shared” circulation. In many cases masks are required in public areas of the ships.

Cruise lines have a wide variety of ships to meet various customer preferences. For people with children, the Disney cruises would seem ideal. If you are someone who gets seasick, try a river cruise. The river boats have very little of the motion that ocean going ships have.

As far as rough seas go, I have been on five cruises and have never experienced the heavy seas I encountered going through two typhons while I was in the Navy. Also, there are bracelets that you can purchase that help curb, or at least temper, motion sickness.

There are many cruise lines, and they seem to target different types of passengers. For instance, NCL owns three cruise lines Norwegian Caribbean, Regent and Oceania. Norwegian has large ships, around 3,000 passengers, and they are more geared to families. At the other end is Oceania. It has two sizes of ships, 680 passengers and 1,200 passengers. Oceania has great food and terrific service. In the middle is Regent Cruise line. Their ships are similar to Oceania’s however their service and pricing are higher than Oceania. For instance, on Oceania customers may purchase a drink package for alcoholic beverages. On Regents it is included.

Another advantage of cruising is that once you are onboard and, in your stateroom, you do not to pack your bags again until you get off the ship. In my mind that beats a road trip. And I like road trips.

This is not a paid advertisement. I do prefer Oceania Cruises. I find being on board is relaxing, the food is great, as I mentioned before, and you can be as active as you want. We always meet some interesting people on board, from all over the world. On one cruise we met a couple from Australia. Turns out he was also a Vietnam veteran and gave me his keychain which had an Australian bush hat ornament.

My last cruise was Miami to San Francisco, via the Panama Canal. Oceania arranged to have a retired teacher on board to give a few lectures about the canal a few days before we transited the Canal. The lectures made the transit so much more interesting.

I know that cruises are not for everyone. If you are interested in trying one, give Oceania a try.

Before you hit the road, check out Can’t Travel? Go Virtual! for ways to find places to visit. 

Happy travels!

15 Steps to a Successful Remodel - Fixing a Leaking Water Fountain

Many months ago, we purchased a fountain for our yard. We placed in what we call out Zen Garden. The whole area is peaceful and relaxing. I enjoy hearing the fountain when I meditate.

Originally, we placed the fountain on the Trex deck. In that location it attracted every animal and bird in the neighborhood. Most mornings would see water on the deck from the local coyotes. Then we realized that some of the water that fell out of the fountain was due to one of the small pipes that drop water from the upper pool to the bottom pool was not properly aligned. Shims in the front helped a bit.

National POW/MIA Recognition Day - September 17, 2021

Take a moment on Friday September 17, 2021, to remember those Americans who were or are still a prisoner-of-war (POW) or missing-in-action (MIA).

Many of these brace individuals made the ultimate sacrifice while serving our country.