The good news is we finally got some much needed rain and I'm really happy about that. The temps have been back around the 80 degree F mark and I'm ready for fall temps. I've been on CPAP for a month now and the difference in my daily life is significant. I stay awake all day now, I feel like getting things done, I feel more rested, and I'm thinking better. I may not look any better but I do feel better.
I didn't get much done this past weekend as I had family stuff to do as well as talk with my daughter and son-in-law about house design, layout, and what's involved in building your own house. I feel that this will be a project in the making for a few months while they sort things out.
That's it for me, so what did YOU do this past weekend?
Minor detail: Alyssa and Jesse are not in Maine. They are in the Idaho panhandle, but they did spend some time a while back (in April, IIRC) at the Shelter Institute in Maine, learning about timber framing. I don't do Facebook, but if you search YouTube for "pure living for life" you will find lots of interesting videos on their home build.
I met some wonderful people and caught up with some old friends, spent way too much money and got too many new ideas to take up my spare time! I won a great block of Katalox in a drawing - I've never even seen that wood before. (Janka Hardness: 3,660!)
There were some amazing turners and artists - quite inspiring. I was especially impressed by Graeme Priddle and Melissa Engler and the ways they used carving, burning, color and more on wood surfaces. Incredible in both design and execution - just hearing stories about their own inspirations was inspiring! Here they are with the other John Jordan showing off photos of his new grandbaby, the cutest baby in the world - just ask him! They went home with genuine JKJ magic wands guaranteed to solve all their problems. (not!)
I went a little early to visit Frank Penta and play in his shop before the symposium. Frank continues to do creative things with small pieces of wood combined in unique ways. He brought a small lathe to the vendor's area for impromptu demos and even let me turn a little on it. He liked my horse rider's crops and immediately turned a handle for one from a multicolored glued-up blank.
I got to chat with Mark StLeger, Rudy Lopez, and Harvey Meyer, and some turners from WC (and other forums).
The opportunities to go broke were all around. Ruth Niles was there with new bottle stopper designs. J. Jordan and Doug Thompson (and others) were selling tools. World Timbers brought a truckload of exotic turning blanks at fire-sale prices, and Sauers Veneers have some tempting veneer including beautiful birdseye maple. Other vendors brought huge stocks of highly figured maple, ambrosia maple, beautiful box elder, and amazing burls. I'm afraid my resolve failed and I contributed to the retirement of some of these good people.
I somehow resisted buying artist's turnings and filling my car completely with new tools.
Thank you, Bill, my mistake. I was led to believe they were in Maine for the build. Anyway, I have followed their build since last April each morning on YouTube.
The frame they helped build in Maine was not for their house. They are still working on the foundation. I think the Shelter Institute timber framers are planning to come out to Idaho this month (IIRC) and help them build the frame for their house. If you haven't followed them from the beginning (and I haven't), it is easy to get confused about what is happening where and when. If they can find the time to record the process and post it on YouTube, while doing the framing, it should be very interesting to watch.
