These are for my mother-in-law, delivered today. Just a quick record shot before I loaded them up to take over to her. They look pretty much exactly like the two I built for us, with one exception: I put a small curve in the arm rest support. Next time, if I build any more, I’ll probably put a curve in the front stretcher.
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Click here to view the original size, so you can see the details in the wood grain, especially that maple burl, it’s quite awesome. Forgot these in the recent inventory photos, the last of the hand made pen and pencil sets, for now. Zebrawood and Maple Burl. Let me know if you’re interested! These are all the hand-made pens I have left in stock at the moment — let me know if there’s anything you’d like… View original size (so you can read the teeny tiny tags) View original size (so you can read the teeny tiny tags) I finally decided to add just a single coat of marine spar varnish, thinned 50-50 with turpentine so it would soak in more, and better to protect the wood. I elected to stop there, rather than build up a “film” finish, because such a finish WOULD eventually break down in a way that would require scraping or sanding to remove, whereas the more deeply penetrated finish of the single thinned coat would be less likely to break down in an unsightly way… That’s the theory anyway… we’ll see how it goes in a year or two… I managed to finish these two Muskoka chairs (also called Adirondack chairs) in pretty good time. We haven’t deployed them yet, though… it’s hard to let go. I MAY still want to consider applying some kind of finish. The two chairs I built last year have weathered to a nice grey, so maybe we’ll just go with that again. Nothing lasts forever, and once you add a finish of some kind, you begin the process of DEGRADING that finish, and in two years, tops, you’ll be sanding and RE-finishing… So I’ll probably just let them be…. When I get some more of this lovely Western Red Cedar, I can start in on the next two — for an actual paying customer! Okay so I’m a little behind on my Flickr uploads… these are a couple of shots from a bit of a photo jaunt I took back in the spring…
Keppel Quarry, near Owen Sound, Ontario, is the subject of some local controversy as they seek to expand their enterprise. Valid concerns have been raised, on both sides. Not sure where it stands. The gate was open as I drove by on this photo shoot day back in the spring, so I parked and walked in. Trespassing I suppose, technically, but the gate was open. I managed about a half dozen shots from just near the gate before I saw a company vehicle speeding my way. I high-tailed it, gave them the slip, scrammed outa there in a jiffy. Investigative photo-journalism is very stressful.
Much of Grey and Bruce Counties, particularly Bruce County, consists of solid limestone beneath a thin layer of topsoil. Trees in some areas take only tenuous root, and can be pushed over by hand. Consequently, drainage is a bit of an issue, and flat areas tend to pool, especially in the spring. So I can’t tell you for certain that the shot below is of a wetland, per se. It is wet, I’ll say that much…
Wetland or not, it is representative of the area surrounding the quarry, part of what is at risk. Or more neutrally stated, part of what would be re-purposed for excavation. There’s a kind of a conflict here: Hundred Mile vs NIMBY. The Hundred Mile idea is that one should only eat food, for example, grown within a hundred mile radius. Less gas trucking it around, and better quality. Good idea. NIMBY (”Not in my back yard”) is a more venerable notion, probably needs no explanation… and is also a good idea when something viewed as undesirable is threatening one’s back yard. So the next time I want some nice limestone pavers for a garden path in my back yard, do I want to support a local business? Or do I want to truck them in at greater expense to me — and to the environment — from somebody else’s backyard, far away where I don’t care what happens to their wetlands? Dunno. But I had to ask… Following on from the previously posted collection of these items (click here for that collection), and in honour of our recently departed friends Tiger and Lucy, who provided as much as half the inspiration for these quips, here once again, as Triumph the Insult-Comic Dog would say, "for you to poop on", my collection of this year’s "Signed, the Dog" status updates. This may be it for these, so enjoy. Don’t call me slow. I just make different time-choices. –signed, the dog. (The slow one.) I’m not over-excited, you’re UNDER-excited, so ramp it up, two-legs! –signed, the dog. "And you will know me by the trail of poop". –signed, the dog. Of COURSE I’m not a-scared of no thunderstorm… I’m just sitting on your foot in case YOU’RE a-scared. –signed, the dog. You’re up because I’m up, that’s why you’re up. Any more questions, morning-breath? –signed, the dog. I chew, therefore I am… If it falls to the floor, it’s MINE! –signed, the dog. I just went 0-for-4 in the Table Scrap Toss event. I’m a disgrace to my race. –signed, the dog. Actually, I’m dribbling. Not drooling. There IS a difference you know. Dribbling has a much lower saliva content. –signed, the dog. You can call me an ungrateful cur all you like, I’m not going to love you any less. Lick, lick. –signed, the dog. I’ll pee when I’m ready to pee, and when I find the perfect spot. Telling me "hurry up" is not going help either of us. –signed, the dog. Dude, it was a CAT, I had to try. It’s what I do. That arm should pop right back in the socket. –signed, the dog. I’m really more of a licker and a farter, than a boxer. –signed, the dog Dude, thanks for picking up my poop. I’d do it myself but, you know, no thumbs… –signed, the dog. Never mind what that used to be… it’s gone now, that’s all you need to know. –signed, the dog. If I test positive for curry, you’ll know you didn’t sterilize the container for long enough. –signed, the dog. Well, if you don’t like my bony elbow in your kidney, maybe it’s time you got up. –signed, the dog Then don’t think of it as kissing, think of it as me tasting your face. Still no, huh? Fine. –signed, the dog. Are we really going for a walk, or are you just yanking my chain? –signed, the dog. Why yes, I AM ignoring you. I just didn’t think "Farty McPiss-Bag" was a name I should respond to. –signed, the dog. Thanks, but I don’t need the whole bed, just the part where your legs are… –signed, the dog. Incredibly, there is more sad news today… After having lost our bulldog, presumably to old age, just this morning (see previous post) word comes that our German Shepherd Lucy had to be put down. Lynda, who is in the city for a few days, had tried to see Lucy earlier in the week, but was told she had a sore leg and they wanted to keep her off it. So she thought she’d try later in the week. Well today, they had Lucy in to the vet, and it turned out she had cancer, and it had spread into her bones. There was no choice. Lucy was my first dog. I’d been around them, Lynda had dogs, but never had my own dog. Lucy was intended to be a companion for my mother-in-law, but proved to be more than Doreen could safely manage. Having been abused as a puppy and reclaimed by the breeder, Lucy was quite skittish and difficult. But I won her over with cheese, and she was my best friend for ever after. She pretty much adopted ME at that point. She was always so gentle and timid with us, that it was surprising that she became as aggressive as she did towards other people. Fiercely protective, I guess, of her hard-won family stability. Which made it that much more painful to have to send her away. I just said to Doreen this morning that when Lucy finally does go, it will be like mourning her loss all over again. Who knew it would happen the same day as Tiger… funny how these things go… Not a good day for this dog-loving family…
A couple of months ago we lost Lucy, our German Shepherd. See Goodbye Lucy (May 14, 3010). But she’s still living on the farm and we can visit her from time to time. But this morning we lost our dear sweet bulldog, Tiger. For real. She’d not been well the last couple of days, but gamely rallied for pee breaks, tackling the stairs (slowly) to join the other dogs for a trip out back. Last night, with some encouragement, she managed to hop up into her favourite chair to go to sleep. This morning I found her under the bed. She was gone. Sadly, my wife Lynda is out of town, but Doreen (my mother-in-law) and I saw Tiger off to the vet, and arranged for her cremation. On the ride home, we recalled when Tiger was just a little puppy, and we were sitting on the deck at our old house, playing pass-the-bulldog, handing her around from person to person like some precious artifact… which of course she was… There is a limit of three dogs per household in our municipality, so we had to license Tiger under Doreen’s name, since she lives in a different municipality (albeit just down the road). So I’m glad she got to see her off. They were the best of friends. So very sad. Going to miss her so much….
Hard white maple with purpleheart racing stripes so they go faster. Vrooom… |
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