a busy week

Keeping Track May 29 2022

Computer issue: The DELL tower wanted to download and install updates.
I started that and went to do other things. It would not restart. It seems funny to me but the diagnosis is that the power supply failed. Coincidence or not – it is what it is. Because it is under warranty the entire tower has to be shipped off to DELL. Travel and fix time is estimated at 2+ weeks.
Thus, I am using a 6 year old DELL laptop with features I dislike – mostly the single screen of 13.3 inch diagonal and a keyboard that I find difficult use, as in touch typing. With the tower I use two screens of 17 inch diagonal, total about 320 sq. inches of view. The laptop gives me 74 sq. in., less than ¼ of what I am used to. The bottom line is that everything takes more time and is more difficult. Bummer.

Tuesday the CWU Retired folks had a dinner followed by a presentation regarding the continuing rebuilding of I-90 east of the Cascade Crest.
Here is the latest video (20 min.) of the just completed section. This focuses on the critter crossing aspects rather than the engineering and construction. This was done in 2021.

The next phase west of Easton is under way and next year the Vantage Bridge over the Columbia River will have a complete re-do of the deck. That is expected to be a 3 year project. More work will be done on I-90 in Kittitas County through 2029.

The Easton Grade is being realigned. The small town of Easton is just off the lower right corner in this image.
First, all traffic will be on the north side of the current island. That’s the space between the east-bound (near) and the west-bound lanes – between the town of Easton and the “CC- pin”. CC is short for Critter Crossing. The long axis of the pink oval is 2 miles, and the elevation change is 500 feet. Kachess Lake is north of the site.

The south side will be rebuilt as 3 lanes each way – without having to deal with traffic.
An over-the-road critter bridge will be near the top of the grade and several under the road passages will be constructed. The video (link above) shows these things, now part of the corridor just to the west. The under-the-road passages cannot be seen from the roadway although the critter-directing fences can.

Wednesday there was an awards/graduation event at the Geography Department. There was food for all, various certificates for many students, and announcements of financial support for selected individuals. There are five sources for the money ($30,000 this year) restricted to departmental students. See here: https://www.cwu.edu/geography/scholarships
Nancy began providing “current use” gifts in 2010. Since then, including this year, awards have been given to 23 students. In contrast to an endowment, current use funds are given out in the year they are taken in by the University. Endowment money is invested by the University Foundation and only returns are available for awards. It will take several years for that to happen for the Hultquist Endowment started this past January. [The recent plummet of markets is painful in this regard.]

During La Nina years, sea surface temperatures off the West coast are usually cooler than normal, and those cooling effects spread inland. This pattern is continuing. Going into June, our weather remains relatively cooler than average, windy, and damp. The Snow Peas and especially the yellow beans are very unhappy. I should have planted spinach.

Oh, Annie the last Brittany was born in March 16 years ago.

From the Naneum Fan
John