an infrequent repository of mostly new stuff
Unboxing the Log
For the first post of 2011, I thought I would say a long overdue thanks to a few people. This will be a start, anyway.
Back in August, when I was in the middle of the mad push to get ready for MASCF, a big box arrived from Lafayette, Indiana. Inside were a several t-shirts and a note from Roger Rodibaugh.
Snowy River
Fresh snow got home before we did on Christmas Day. After dinner with family in DC, we drove back south, headlong into waves of a big storm as it broke over the hills on the way north. The last hour of driving was spent tacking back and forth in the dark, looking for cleared roads. We’re getting used to this by now, and the novelty has definitely worn off.
On the left, my offsets lofted; on the right, Chapelle’s
Winter is surely boat building season, or at least boat dreaming season. Over the last few days I’ve heard from three people making plans to start their own Melonseed projects: Guiseppe in Bari, Italy; Kirk in Colorado; and Bob in Hobe Sound, Florida. I completely sympathize, as I’ve been reading a lot about boats lately, too, while Winter makes itself at home. This is what it looks like here today (note how disturbingly diminished the wood pile is):
Aeon gets coaming trim
Rain and cold, freezing mist. A long lazy weekend, spent mostly by the fire with a good book. Been reading a lot lately, I’ve missed it, and have quite a backlog of good stuff to last all winter. It’s rather nice to spend a morning drifting in a story where boats play some part – a little history, some adventure, or just plain good storytelling – then take a hot mug of coffee downstairs to do a little work on one. Adds a little spice to the process, like a gumbo versus plain soup.
Side coamings clamped up
Between holidays, Terri’s role in a local theatre production, both of us getting nasty colds, and such as that, the boat building pace has eased a bit lately. Besides feeling under the weather, we’ve already started to get some weather, too – snow flurries coming over the mountain Friday, and a light dusting covered everything by Sunday morning. Epoxy has started to thicken in the jugs again, and with the cold it now takes a week or more for a batch to cure. No point in rushing now, I suppose.
Old Walnut Planed Out
Work finally resumed in earnest this weekend, but it will take a while to get back in the groove. Take a few weeks off and, when you return, you spend a lot of time wandering around scratching your head.
Mirror Pond
Our house is surrounded by over 300 acres of woods and overgrown hay fields. The land was bought by a big-time developer just days before we moved in, but has laid fallow for almost 30 years. We’ve savored the quiet it provides, a buffer between us and the rest of the world, and it’s a haven for all sorts of wildlife. We frequently take walks there in the evening. Continue reading “Room With A View”