Weird weather day yesterday – a little of everything. Cool morning, then heat and humidity, then rain/thunder, then back to cool and sunny. Three seasons in one day; classic KY or Scotland weather

Not much left on this KY stay – birthday action for grandson Jesse today, then a 36-hour trip to eastern TN and back Monday-Tuesday. Back to Socal Wed, a few days there and then off to the UK. Kind of an intimidating schedule.

The basement project is…evolving. I keep changing my mind about how I want to finish it; I’m probably driving my contractor crazy. But at least the project hasn’t started yet – changing requirements before project start is OK – it’s changing them after the start that is deadly. Right now I’m leaning toward no drywall on ceiling (preserve what little ceiling height we’ve got, plus preserve access to plumbing and electrical run through basement ceiling), plus no vinyl flooring. Just use pads and big area rugs on the concrete floor. Both those moves should save some money and another contractor friend tells me basement refinishes seldom result in a commensurate increase in home value.

Had my first DOA vintage receiver yesterday – an Onkyo TX-1500 Mk II got delivered damaged and inoperable. I actually saw the FedX guy dump it hard on my concrete porch, so. may have witnessed how it got damaged. So I promptly repacked it (better than the seller’s packing) and filed for a refund. Looks like eBay and the seller will honor my refund/return. Here’s the front panel damage – big dent and a popped side panel.

All things considered, I’m happy with the eBay purchase experience. Vintage gear prices are way up, but…you can take a risk on equipment and get your money back if the buy goes bad.