New Pictures After a Weekend of Work
The boat is unside down. I’ve installed the sides, the bow, the front deck and supports, some rear supports, the center beam, and the first layer of transom. Click on the pictures to get larger views.
SO much done!
I got a lot done today. It’s amazing how much it looks like a boat now! And my mood is so much better. I’ll take some more pictures tomorrow.
Alex found a cute little boat for $200. We are going to go take a look at it. It’s a 10 foot plywood skiff or something. It may be too big for him to cart around, but he is sure excited about having “his” boat! I’ll update you later.
Bryan
Art Boats!
Back at it, with some progress
I’ve done some low level work on this micro-shanty over the last month, but not much. Between home and work, my heart was just not into it. My emotional energy was elsewhere.
But today I basically forced myself into the shop and made considerable progress, going from two to three dimensions. Sitting on the floor of my shop I must say that this thing looks big. I could have made it smaller. But I think when I get out on the water the size will be ok.
Someday I’ll get a real camera,but this shot from my phone will be fine for now.
Dan, of Virtual Joli, has been a good friend, giving me a few nudges to get back on project. It’s helped.
I also ordered some filleting expoxy compound from Duckworks Magazine. I’ve built the boat so far with Guerilla Glue. Seems to be working OK but I am going to use fillets inside the boat to add additional strength. Not sure it is needed.
I’ve gone on a diet and have lost 13.6 pounds as of this morning. Went on two bike rides today in my velomobile. But as a result of my diet, my rarely occuring gout has kicked in a bit. That’s the odd thing about gout…. losing weight often triggers it. I’ve been taking ibuprofin today as an anti-inflamatory. I have more powerful drugs available to me, but I want to save them for a time where it they are REALLY needed.
In my old blog I talked quite a bit about my feelings, especially regarding my son and his operations. Monday we go in to see a specialist in dwarfism, as some of the bone challenges they face may be similar to the challenges my son faces. Nobody really knows, but this doctor will do some examinations to see if he can figure out why Alex’s knees seem to hurt him so much. It would be too bad if his joints were going to have problems, as this may further limit his options to make money in the future. His other challenges have already closed a lot of doors. He is a bright young man, and rather clever mechanically. I think he would be a perfect handyman, as he is building up a lot of experiences, from wiring, to wood work, to plumbing… just in fixing things in our house.
I’ll also go to counseling with him on MOnday after the appointments, as he has some things he wants to tell me… with the counselor there. We shall see what this becomes.
I can’t go into much detail at work, as this is a public forum and I am the manager at my job, but let’s just say that the economy is hitting us, too. I am working hard to make it so we can keep our entire staff. In the next year or two I may have to make some tough choices, depending on what happens with the economy.
Man, my mood has been sour of late. I went on a bike ride just so I could live in the moment of the bike ride… forget all this other stuff. The same thing happened during some of my boat building today. All I was during that time was a boat builder…and that was a good thing.
The last thing I need is a motorcycle, but lately that’s when I’ve been thinking about. I just like the idea of heading up into the mountains… just because. My diet, the one I mentioned earlier, is what I call “the motorcycle diet”. If I lose 50 pounds I’ll seriously consider a motorcycle. In the last three weeks I’ve lost more than 13, so it’s going pretty well. In order to get the motorcycle, if I really decide to, I am going to get rid of some of the other “stuff” that I’ve built up around here. I have too much “stuff”
I’ve sold off some instruments, cleared out a room of junk, and really made the garage and shop much more useable by getting rid of things. But there is more to go. I sold some on Craigslist, and will list some more on Ebay.
Off to drop my daughter off at a party in Pioneer square, then my wife and I will watch the Seattle Sounders soccer team. We enjoy that.
Bryan
