Bow

More from Alan the gin pole maker who really is known as the Bow Maker from Hillsboro. One of our neighbors purchased a bow from Alan this spring. Check it out...

Message in a Bottle

Message in a bottle, now that was a great song.

This is a great spray bottle. My favorite. I have three. One in each car with a roll of paper towels to clean the windshields and a third we use around the house for cleaning. Unlike the cheap american spray bottles these from Japan actually last.

B & V House

Out of the archives. Beginning pictures of the second Straw Bale house I built here in town. This was a tricky foundation to form up. So much rock we had a hard time driving in stakes. Ended up using a hammer drill and boring holes in the rock for staking all the bracing.

Always a big day when the concrete is placed

Now the curing begins

Ready for the steel 

Erecting the steel frame. Rule number one: never use a Back Hoe as a crane. Rule number two: wear a hard hat........

A big day when the trusses go up

Half way there

Installing the trusses is the easy part

Framing lookouts for the overhang, the slow part.

Perimeter sheathing

Let the roofing begin

First Winter

2 SS's

So here is my spelling story:

I once took a spelling test in 5th grade, of course I couldn't spell, still can't and to old to learn, now I just ask Satomi.
The reason I was given a big X on my test was not that I probably missed them all but at the time I had one of those multi colored pens so all 20 words were in a different color. She was one mad teacher.

Cat Door

Satomi and I have talked about installing one of those cat doors, but why? Boo Boo has his own way to let us know he wants in. Amazing he can climb a panel door.

snow

Winter officially starts December 22nd. I beg to differ. We had our first snow yesterday afternoon.

 As some of you know I have been dealing with a sore neck. I live with a hot pad or ice bag and three or four soaks a day in our hot tub. Two visits to a new chiropractor was scary. I called him a bone cruncher, not the gentle adjustments I was accustom to. I keep trying to stretch but my posture needs help. Time to visit our local massage therapist but that gets expensive especially since I have not been able to work for others.

Easy to draw but harder to make. Yes the treads have been MILLED and now waiting for sanding. Milling and routing were not the smartest thing to be doing so for now our Alternating Stairway is on hold.

Milling around

Usually when one thinks of milling around wood would not come to mind. I tried making a router template but this is Hard Maple and the 2 inch long bit just tore up the wood so I needed a solution.

So why not use my Mill. Slow but worked like a charm. Nice and controlled, no chatter and 20 pieces are now identical.

One of 20

This is operation #2. The first op as they say was to mill the short leg. Then I had to re fixture the clamping arrangement and mill the longer length.

Maple chips have a nice fragrance

What are these 2 inch L shaped pieces for any way. Stair treads for our alternating stairway up in our Timber Frame Cottage.

Boo Two

Come on down and join the party!

Suppose to be blurry!

Our Hostess

The Bar

Little miss cream puff?. You had to be there.

Still at the bar?

Was it something I said?

Food

It's all a joke

That beer looks about done

This guy really spurred us on

A scary couple for sure

Was that the Texas Two Step we heard?

You don't say.....

Just hanging around

Pit a full

Sparklers anyone?

Let there be light

My favorite prop

Not so scary

Now of course I wish I had taken more pictures, unfortunately I left a few folks out but you get the idea, Kingstonites just like to party.