Author Archives: admin

Flowerpot Island Cruise (part 1)

This is the first in a three part series, depicting a tour of Fathom Five National Marine Park, including Flowerpot Island.

As always, click any photo to view larger on Flickr.

Tobermory

Guess where I was today?

Blue Heron Cruises, Tobermory

Blue Heron Cruises offers several choices of vessel, plying the waters of Fathom Five National Marine Park, near Tobermory.

Flowerpot Express Jetboat - full complement aboard

This jetboat is a new addition to the fleet, called the Flowerpot Express. It’s basically a water taxi out to Flowerpot Island. If you take the larger Blue Heron V to Flowerpot, you still have to transfer to one of these jetboats to get ashore.

I was watching this boat running at speed out on the Bay… it zips along pretty good… but the passengers were getting pretty wet from the bow spray, it looked like.

Blue Heron V - Little Tub Harbour

This is a medium sized craft called the Blue Heron V. It does a tour of the sunken wrecks in Big Tub Harbour (This is Little Tub we see here) and then does a run over to Flowerpot Island.

Great Blue Heron approaching dock

The flagship vessel of Blue Heron Cruises is the Great Blue Heron. Which makes sense, ornithologically speaking. This was to be my vessel of choice this day. I sat topside, starboard, forward-most seat. Ahoy, mateys, I know some jargon.

Flowerpot Island Cruise(part 2)
Flowerpot Island Cruise(part 3)

View all the photos from all 3 parts as a slideshow on Flickr.

Cherry iPad Stand

This is a stand for the iPad2, made from Cherry. That is, the stand is made from cherry. Not the iPad.

Cherry iPad Stand

I had previously made, and deployed, a very similar stand for the original iPad, but the iPad 2 has buttons on the side that made the old stand problematic. This new one addresses that by having a shorter support piece. The switch just hangs over empty space now.

Cherry iPad Stand

The joinery is stop-routed mortises and offset tenons. Offset because I routed the mortises in the wrong place. But you’d never know that, so I’m not sure why I mention it.

Cherry iPad Stand

The iPad belongs to my wife. Actually so does the stand, as soon as she pays me for the wood.

Grape Futures

Our grape vine takes over more of our little patio every year, providing shade for sitting, and shelter for barbecuing in the rain (up to a point). Looks like we’re in for a bumper crop this year, prompting the eventual debate: “Jam or Jelly?”

Grape Futures 1

Grape Futures 2

Grape Futures 3

Grape Futures 4

We Stand For Plants

These are some outdoor plant stands, just made out of contruction lumber and pine shelf boards from Home Depot. They still need to be painted – my wife will take over from here. She doesn’t hate painting.

Pine Plant Stands

Pine Plant Stands

A single coat of Benjamin Moore’s highest quality outdoor paint, should stand up to weather and watering for a couple of years at least…

Painted Pine Plant Stand

Chillin’ by the pond

Steamy hot day here at Barkwhistle, bullfrogs are in full voice, dogs are moving kinda slow.

Chillin' By the Pond - Bell

Chillin' By the Pond - Frog

Chillin' By the Pond - Silver

Yes, those are the Muskoka Chairs I built, lurking in the background.

Roofer Madness

Due to some minor water infiltration in the sunroom and garage, we decided to deal with it now before the complete economic collapse of Western capitalism. Sorry, just watched “Inside Job“.

Roofer Madness 1

Roofer Madness 2

Roofer Madness 3

Roofer Madness 4

Fountain Pen



Fountain Pen, originally uploaded by rgdaniel.

I just made five of these beauties. One has gone to my wife, who is sophisticated enough to actually use it properly, I expect. Two are going off in the mail to my sister, who has a buyer for one already. Leaving two to have for sale here. I won’t be using one myself, I’m not optimistic I would manage it without making a big mess.

I”ve just learned that you can install either the cartridge, for the self-contained thing, or else this little pumpy thing, which draws up ink from an inkwell, for that traditional writing experience.

The wood is Bethlehem Holy Land olive wood (certificate of authenticity included), the pen style is "Sedona" (same as the Rollerball pens I’m so fond of) and it’s gold plating.

(view Large size on Flickr)