Vacation Week...

This morning we awoke to a flat rear tire.  Filled it up and found there was a pinhole leak right in the middle of the tread - sharp rock?   Well, have to fix this!  Called Valley cycle, they have a tire but can't balance the mono-swing arm BMW wheel.  They recommended Duc Pond.  Called Duc Pond and: tire in-stock and they can handle the balance as well so Ducati here we come.

Decision time.  Load the bike and haul it?  Plug the tire and ride?  If we ride follow with the Truck to make sure?  I decided to try and put a plug in and ride it to the shop, no chase vehicle.  Turned out to be the wrong choice :-(.  Made it about half way and the plug started leaking.  Oh, well.

In the Weeds: Flat Rear Tire

Thought the 'in the weeds' picture represents the situation well.  We pulled over into a driveway along Rt 50 and this is what it looked like.  Gotta love technology though. Called for an Uber ride to run back and get the truck so we can haul the bide to the shop.  How nice is that.  At the end of the day it's just a little extra time.  Made me think about how little 'inconvenience' we experience these days.  Overall things generally go the way we plan, amazing really.  Think of all the complex interactions that have to go just right all around us.  We come to expect and rely on it being this way.  Probably good to be reminded we are not actually in as much control as we might imagine.  While waiting couldn't help but take some pictures of the flowers. Spring is really so lovely.

Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my!

The folks at the Ducati shop were friendly and helpful, put a new tire on while we went and grabbed a bite to eat.  When we got done we still had a little daylight remaining so decided to drop the truck and ride a couple of hours.  Stopped by Packs Dairy for a cone then off we went.  On the way back we stumbled on one of those American traditions; a road side attraction.  Unger WVs only Amusement Park.  Certainly amusing!  Isn't it fun that there are those among us who look at life just a little differently than we do?  Can we accept that, and them?  Embrace and support folks who have such a different perspective.  I ask those questions thinking about the 'reaction' this might bring from some well meaning good for nothing home owners association trying to drive compliance to 'norms'; for everyone's good of course.  How dull.  Food for thought.  Check out the map and pictures below, it’s one of a kind and I am so glad to have been able to experience a look into the creativity on display…

Vacation Week...

Well, my work schedule this spring has been totally out of hand between deadlines and travel... Thank goodness personal commitments this month have me home and allows a bit of a respite.  Before it gets crazy again we scheduled a week of vacation to unplug and decompress.  Camping, riding, and some manual labor should be just the thing to put some balance back into life...

 

New way to camp...

Not sure exactly what the blend of activity will be so stay tuned to the posts ;-).  In addition to the obvious enjoyment of being on the road we also have a little planning going on in the background with these trips.  Along the way it is our goal to see what it would be like to stitch these jaunts together to form a 'longer adventure'.  There is probably a good bit I could write about that, but not now - dinner is cooking and I want to get this posted! 

Trip number three in the 'Roads Less Traveled' series.  Our favorite rides are the small back roads through the country, as evidenced by the title and road selection.  Please drill into the map below to get a flavor for the route.  This started out to be a rather utilitarian ride, we were out of toilet treatment tabs for the camper so it was just a 'going to Walmart' ride.  Didn't even grab the camera so just a couple of phone shots and a notes. Check the push pins on the map, looks like Google drops letters for way-points and guitar pics for points I add with descriptions and pictures attached.

------------------

The loop through Capon Springs was oh so nice!  2nd - 4th gear work along rushing mountain streams, sunlight filtering through the trees and making the water dance and sparkle.  Over to US 48 then down the mountain with the idea of cutting over to Walmart in Winchester...  Those that have been around me for any length of time have probably heard me say you really only have two choices: follow the plan or change the plan (right?).  After several 'shouting matches' over the wind noise as we tried to point out scenic spots and points of interest I was reminded of my failure to order a Bluetooth Intercom.

Change 1: Swing by the Ducati shop and see if they have anything in stock.  Closed on Mondays. Change 2: Kinda hungry, so stop for lunch.  Change 3: Stop at the sports store to see about a GoPro.  None, but the friendliest folks ever.  Change 5: Swing by Valley Motorsports, on the hunt for the intercom.  Success!  Change 6: I hate to back track and Winchester Walmart is 'back' so how about Front Royal?  Sure!  Plus when asked where we were going I pointed east and south and said 'that way', and haven't seen Fort Valley in a long time ;-).  Skip the whole change thing, let's just see where we end up....

Hope you enjoy...

Second motorcycle road trip...

Well, trip number two. Went very well, despite some sketchy weather. We intended to head towards Smithfield/Williamsburg to loop the tidal James river but weatherman called for rain in that direction. Less chance towards the mountains so we headed west instead of east from Petersburg.

First overnight...

Well, after years 'off' we are back on two wheels.  Thinking about a larger trip at some point, experimenting with how that might work...  Here is where we went last weekend.



Hope you enjoy riding along!

Todays Project....

So, wanted to find a little two hour project this morning to relax from a long week.   While making pancakes for my grandson he insisted we 'wash beard'.   He loves to pretend to shave with me; perfect project - a toy razor for him.   This was a quick down and dirty kind of thing so no pictures of the build, just the finished product.   In fact, I didn't even go look at mine and as soon as I put them next to each other realized that I cut the 'blade' backwards so I might make another one.   Just doesn't look right :-).  Just in case a safety freak sees this; not to worry it's not sharp....

 

 In words the build went like this:

• Rip a couple of strips of oak out of the scrap pile for the handle
• Rip the center out of an old linoleum transition strip that has been laying in the garage for at least 15 years (good thing I saved it right?) for the blade
• Sand the aluminum blade to take off the burrs
• Sand the wood handle to shape
• Drill holes
• Pop rivet the blade in place and the back with washers for spacers
• Try it out!

An idea for a siphon starter...

While viewing Land-to-House's video about starting a siphon I wondered if this might work:

Black Walnut Project #1

Convergence, like discrete pins in a lock tumbler aligning to allow the handle to turn.  I have a mill, we were going to become grandparents, and the baby's other grand and great grandmothers planned to remove walnut trees from their properties.  Three unrelated and isolated facts?  Perhaps; sans an inclination to provide a tangible link between the little one and three generations of family.

This entry is a bit of a time machine.  The cutting took place a year ago, after the wood was milled then air dried until ready.  Here is the start of a journey from field to home.

Black Walnut Slated for Removal

So, get the saw and get to work.  Funny, in the distance it looked absolutely puny.  Up close, while not large, it was pretty good sized.  Dada was right there lending a hand harvesting the tree with Gramps.

Felled and Ready to Buck

And by the time we got it all limbed and bucked, we had some tired helpers!

Weary Woodsmen

One of the key tools that make this whole venture workable is our log arch.  There is no other way we could move these logs about with such ease.  A toast to combining two simple machines; lever and wheel, into an effective package.

Log Arch for Easy Move

On the way home we pass by this lovely old frame building.  Such a shame that it's being left to rot away....

Log on the Road

First of three logs delivered, two from Great Grandma and one from Grandma.  The last of the batch will be project wood, the tree was damaged in an ice storm when small so had a large 'L' at about the 9' point in the trunk.

Delivered!

Here is number two; the upper log from the first tree ready to cut.  The large limb ended up being the main feature of the project as you will see below.

Up on the Mill

Slab comes off and begins to reveal some beautiful wood beneath the rough exterior.  Any chance there are parallels?

Slab Comes Off

After the boards are cut we put a second coat of sealant on the ends to reduce splitting.

Seal the Ends

Fast forward one year and here are six boards in the shop as we try to figure out what to make and which ones to use.  After some thought, and consultation with momma we narrowed it down to a high chair.   More thoughts, sketches on paper, considering dimensions and we end up with a booster chair.   

Rough Walnut: Which to Use

Some design work in SketchUp with help from Northern Lights Timber Frame Rubies, and viola a plan emerges.

After looking over the available lumber I decided to make the sides 'plain' and put one slice of knot in the center of the seat and another in the center of the back.  The boards were just shy of being wide enough so they had to be joined.   Probably worked better anyway, there was a good bit of cupping and other irregularities.

Plan and Boards for Sides

When rough it was hard to imagine the color and grain beneath the surface.  Nothing quite as satisfying as uncovering that character with a sharp blade.  I didn't realize the newer heartwood was going to be a shade of purple while the older center was a lovely chocolate with nice grain throughout.

Side Glued and Planed

After getting the boards to the right size it's time for a trip through the bandsaw to get the final shape.

Final Shape of Sides

Next is the seat.   Embarrassed to say that I misread the plan (that I made up, and dimensioned) and cut each of the two sides an inch narrow.  

(Most of) The Seat

So, plan 'B', add some sapwood for effect.  I didn't want to break into a new board so found a way to work in pieces from the scrap already cut.   While satisfied with the way it turned out I learned some things that I'll try on the next project that may make it look even better.

Seat Glue Up

Here is the finished seat planed, cut, and rough sanded.  With the crazy grain had a lot of trouble with pull out using the plane so resorted to a good bit of belt sander action.

Seat Ready for Final Sanding

Here is the back.  Notice the significant cup on the center board due to stresses around the knot.

Back Boards Ready to Glue

All that flat stuff was biscuit joined to add a little strength.

Joint Method: Biscuit

Here it is after a rough sand and cut out.

Back Ready for Final Sanding

That's about time that Momma and Baby came to visit and see how things were coming along.  I think it was probably the first time he had been in the garage, his eyes positively lit up.  I could just imagine him thinking 'look at all the stuff I could get into here'.

Making it Smooth as, Well, You Know

The most fun was putting oil on the knots and watching the color and grain pop.  

Assembled with Oil FInish Going On

Absolutely gorgeous. 

Close up of Grain

Decided to put the outside of the tree outside of the chair.  Seems 'right' for some reason.

Back View

Nice view of the back and seam mirroring each other.   Pretty much done at this point.  Will add a couple of coats of oil and rub it down, then put it to work!

Finished Chair