Welcome to
The Vautier Family Home Page

SOME PERSONAL THOUGHTS

You can find information on my soul mate Cynthia.  She was a great writer, mother and wife.  God, I wish there were more women like her.  Maybe I can get her replicated. 

I try to collect things about our family and put them in a presentable way.  Check out any or all of the table of contents.  I plan to do bigger things as time goes on but as my mind continues to deteriorate, and as the kids begin to leave home and as dogs die.  But as I do age, things seem to get better in some ways -- more perspective maybe.  After all I'm officially retired and have nothing else to do except kitchen, laundry, cars, kids still at home, each with cars, some with associated boyfriends and girlfriends, each kid having the usual personal problems and struggling to get educations and stay out of debt (with my help of course).

LESS IMPORTANT THINGS

Here is my latest rendition of Point of Order by Stan Freberg. I think it's awfully funny especially in these times, and those times too where there was a commie lurking behind every bush.  Now there's a politician lurking behind every bush.
I began to wonder why Music is Disappearing or at least my kind of music is.
I managed to get together a version of Early American Popular Music, the only book which I will ever write.
Here is an essay on the Pacific Northwest and how we got it and I think it's worth a read.
And also I did a page that has some Old Song Sheets and believe me song sheets are rare.
I continue to talk about My Former career but I have a new one now which is making trouble.
I did some stuff on The History of Computing because I taught it. I dare you to read it.

Null Points
How to set Anti-skating
How I Digitize Records.
Some Hints on Digitizing
Here's how to build the perfect turntable 
Some ideas about records
Early Memories on LPs
Phono Cartridges
What is sound recording - Analog vs. Digital
Anyway how do I play a warped vinyl record
Ever wonder how records are made? I did.
Turntable Rumble
LP Pop Removal
Return adjustment for Technics turntable
Turntable Hum
What to do about Record Mold. not much.
Tonearm Fixing
a real Pro-ject project
Mysterious Record Player Hum
MySansui

CARS

My Last Brake Job (I hope)
Some thoughts on fuel pumps
The tire from hell
The Ranger Canapé
My Little Car Subwoofer
Radio Replacement for Ford with CD Changer
My Ford Ranger Radio
on Motor Oil
Headlights
Manual clutches
RVs and wheel seals
Focus Alternator Replacement the hard way
Blower Motors
The beauty of replacing a Power Steering Line
ZX2 motor mounts
Blower Fans

TECHNICAL STUFF      

How to make web pages more presentable on other devices like tablets and cells.

I updated my page on building Home Internet Sites.  It was, like me, really old, but now it's better.

Here's an essay on electromagnetic waves. Deep stuff.

Just Where Do Numbers Come From anyway?

My Resume (long out of date) just to show how smart I used to be.

Skills (mostly for making trouble)
All about molly-bolts

My ZUNE. So why did they stop making them?

What is a TCC solenoid? I don't know either.

LG DLG2302R main board

Finding my Location on Earth is an essay that explores my early adventures in navigation when I was just a kid. 

Watch out for those Sleeping Dogs.

What is ZWEISAMKEIT?

ARTSY FARTSY

Got to see the Sistine Chapel exhibit in Seattle.

I Did an essay on the Four Quartets. Deep stuff!

MEMORIES

It was so fun being a little kid.
All our Christmases together since like forever.

JUST MUSIC PLEASE  

The GREATEST song ever? IMHO
So what happened to all the Big Bands?
My really Old Record Collection.
Some stories about early Popular Music
Do you wonder why Music is Disappearing?
What's with the Three Minute Song Barrier?
The First Rock & Roll Song - honest
Gilbert & Sullivan - the greatest ever
Psychoacustics
You know what a magnetophon is?  I do.
My Beatles collection will be soon featured.
The White Album

HOME IMPROVEMENTS

Some time ago we got our carport converted to living space.  It gave us a bathroom, hallway, small cook area and so everybody's happy except the cars which get to remain outside.  Some features include additional washer and drier as well as new shower, so if any old washer breaks there's another one and  I will have time to fix it.  I don't exactly see paying property taxes on garage space for cars, not it Bellevue.  The cars can just pay their own taxes.

We put a new French door in the living room.
My son Val helped me build a set of front stairs.
How to really clean a toilet.
I got a sewer liner.
Replaced the old shed roof.
After 40 years we got a brand new roof.
We put in a nice shower.
House Painting
The Floor
French Doors
My sewer - root of the problem
Laying Tile
The Roof
More Roof

THE SALESIANS

I was a Salesian Brother from 1961 to 1964.  Here are some of my experiences.

Richmond
More Richmond
Novitiate
Newton
Camp Don Bosco Newton
Joe Herzog
My Last Recitative
The Hound and Hare Hunt
Moving Music
Blue Water Line
The Mikado

VACATIONS

Crater Lake
Moses Lake
Our Millennium Trip
Ocean Shores
Hamilton
Montreal (2004)  
Solar Eclipse (2017)  
DC
Val's Big Airplane Trip
Dublin
2017 Eclipse what a trip!

Did the Columbia Gorge with my son. then we went to Oregon to visit Sisters and Crater lake.

PROJECTS

The Mound
Apple Tree
My gas fireplace
Central Vacuum Systems
A Brand New Tree
Cyn's Roses
The Great Snake
Bed frames and wrestling
CENSE
My hanging lamp base
A great grate
Installing a security system

FUNNY THINGS  

 
  The Great Crash
  The Tub
  Our Poor old Doug Fir  
  Val's motor scooter
  Luci's new do 
  Val goes out for Football
  The Perfect Kitchen
  The Perfect Bathroom
  Ballast Replacement
  Zune Socket Replacement
  Installing throttle plates the hard way
  weltuntergangsstimmung
  On Flappers
  Imperious Inturruptus
  My really bad jokes 

PETS  - woof woof bark

OLD DOGS

The Basset    
Phoebus
Pumpkin  
Black dog

and here are the NEW DOGS

Black Dog2 - Smokey
White Dog - Sophie
Brown Dog - Moses

Running the Dogs  

MY LIFE -- SORT OF

General
  Life Summery
  Resume
  My Career

Places I have lived
  Bellingham (page to be done later)
  Everett - Grand Street
  Portland
    On  S.E 17th
    Lincoln Street
    The Irving House
    The House on Citadel
    The Auburn House

  St. Edwards Seminary
  for 7 years I was a Salesian student and brother
  My Many Army Experiences
  Friends
  Lifetiming

 

ROOTS  

  
  Where I came from

  The Family
  Genealogy
  My Mother
  My Dad
  The Vautier side of the family
  The O'Rouark side of the family
  My little sister
  Brother Frank
  Brother Mike
  The Jessups
  Paul Jessup
  Postcards
  Pop's Scrapbook
  Gallery
  Other Miscellaneous Postcards and Pictures

  The Farm
  Christine
  Rachel
  Uncle Bud

SOME of MY RANTS

  
  Here is a collection of my latest complaints
  against  the world, the flesh, the devil, God, the
  Government, and anything else I can think of.

  Back disk brakes - beware - a mystery
  The Great Toilet Seat Debate
  Tensioner Replacement
  Fire Alarms
  Motor Oil
  How to test a CO alarm 
  Changing Transmission Oil
  Making a really safe oven hood
  My sweet Maytag
  Dryer Timers
  Two Californias
  Micro switches
  Hot Water Heaters
  Two Dishwashers? Really!
  The trouble with door handle locks
  My rain gage dun broke so's I fixed it
  Sleeping Dogs
  on Smoke Detectors
 

ANYTHING ELSE THAT I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO PUT

Cuz' there's still a lotta drinks I ain't drunk
and there’s lots of pretty thoughts that I ain't thunk
oh yeah
And Lord there's still so many lonely girls
In this best of all possible worlds.

          Best of all Possible Worlds (1966) Roger Miller

  And much more as I get older and I think I will

ACTION PLEASE        

Gabriel decides to kick the football:   Opps -- right into the phone line.
Val doing a trick of two with his skateboard on his new rail -- well sort of anyway.
And here comes Sparky the Basset wagging  her way through life.
See Pumpkin run -- the fastest thing around on four feet.
Cyn is handy with a brush.  She now will attempt some faux painting in the bedroom.
And Val goes out for a pass -- and he's going... going... going...
Here is Gabe, our star chef cooking up a fine Denver omelet.