Best Wood working Project so far

 

It doesn't even matter what we were making, a plane incidentally, what matters is that my 3.5 year old grand son is in my workshop, using my old Stanley Block Plane to make shavings and enjoying it.  A fifty years ago I worked in my Grampa's work shop and now my grandson is spending a little bit of time each visit in my shop.  There can't really be a happier wood worker out there.

Little Truck

  Good Morning all, excuse me as I blush deeply and clear my throat in embarrassment.
    It has been sometime since I put anything on this blog, and yet there are still visits.  I can't help but admire people's patience.  I hope that you have been visiting my more active efforts at blogthetoolstore.blogspot.com and blogjessemtools.blogspot.com.  Currently I am writing five blogs per week in other places and so have given this blog less attention.  But, since you all have hung around it is time to get back to this blog too.

The truck in the photo is one that I found on the Internet, I can't take credit for such a cool idea.  As Christmas grows near it is time to think of those little projects that are personal, and this truck qualifies. This truck could in fact be a gift of a grown up as well as a play on the floor type, it could sit on a desk and hold pens or be used as a recipe box if the bin was the correct size.  
   While I don't generally like plastic, I can't think of a better box to put on the back of a truck, this truck can haul anything, and be cleaned out in the laundry sink when necessary.  I foresee a small fleet of these.

Home from Sweden

  We got home from Sweden late Friday night, our bodies thought it was Saturday morning.  The jet lag from travelling is getting tough on my old body.  Saturday was bit of a write off but by Sunday things were back to normal, whatever that is?


   Our time is Stockholm with Joanna and Family was quite nice, setting aside the serious upset that came from me losing my wallet three days into the holiday.  It turns out that Stockholm is battling an invasion of pick pockets, so there is a chance that it was not irresponsibility but bad luck.
  
   We arrived on Tuesday around lunch time and discovered that the apartment that we had rented for the week was bigger than our house.  We rented an apartment through an agency called Cocoon and it was a very good deal considering there were four adults and two small kids.  A typical hotel would have cost a fortune, and not really be flexible enough to accommodate little kids, their playing, diet and nap times. 

view out the apartment windows at 4 am.  The boat is actually a youth hostel

K's room at the apartment.  Each of the rooms featured one of these ceramic fireplaces,and at least one of them was in current use.

Scott Sub 10

   About eight years ago I bought a pretty good bike, a TREK 520 touring bike.  The bike has lots of KM on it and was pretty much worn out, the bikes were a bit of a crap shoot and the gears slipped if I stood on the pedals hard.  After a frustrating spring riding season I gave up and bought the Scott Sub 10.
   The Sub 10 is not a touring bike but then I'm not a touring guy any more.  I have been able to ride for a couple of hours on the Scott and that is about the limit on my knees now so it is a good match I think.
   Interestingly, last week's bike cost almost the same as the Trek, bike technology has moved ahead in eight years and the the costs have come down.  Good for the consumer.

Stockholm Sweden

   At this time my family and I are in Stockholm Sweden staying in an apartment on the old city island Gamla Stan.  Our windows overlook the harbour so we can see the ships come and go and watch the ferries leave the dock every 15 minutes.  We have seen just about every kind of boat/ship from a canoe to cruise ship.  The weather has been very good and the old city is charming beyond description, you know the routine, cobble streets, four hundred year old buildings, ancient iron work and fantastic heavy wooden doors.

   This photo is of a very important store on Ostelanggatan St.  The store carries very nice children's things and some souvenirs and that sort of thing, but more importantly last night a very fine person was working there and she went above and beyond the call of duty for me.


  Earlier in the evening I lost my wallet, credit cards, money all id except my passport.  In a panic I tried to call and get my credit card cancelled, our cell phones could not access the 800 number necessary to get the cards cancelled.  I was in a hot panic, for all I knew someone had picked up my wallet with its Gold Card and was buying themselves a new car, and I couldn't get through to cancel it.  Finally we decided to go looking for a  phone booth, they are almost extinct all over the world.  We went into this store and asked where we could find a phone booth, I explained why, the lady just asked for the number to call, dialled it and handed me her phone and let me take care of things right there.  If you have ever tried to cancel a credit card you know it can be complex, we actually kept her a few minutes after closing time while I talked to agents in Sweden and then Canada.


   She was a classy person that helped us out for no reason other than she a decent human being.  My experience of Sweden has been the folks are good people and the country is lovely.  If you get the chance, make the trip and enjoy the boats, food and cider, and visit this ladies store and buy something.

Fried Clams

   This is not the exact plate of fried clams that I had for supper last night but it is as close to, as makes no difference.  Eva and I went to Kream & Kone in Dennis Mass. for supper last night, she had excellent fried scallops and I had the fried whole clams.  

   This was my first time having fried whole clams. They were wonderfully cooked in a light batter and served with a mound of onion rings and fries.  Fried Clams are a local delicacy, and a traditional favourite, for me....not so much.  The clams have a distinct flavour that could be acquired but when the scallops and lobster rolls are so good in the area I will stick to the lobster roll.

On Tuesday evening we went to Seafood Sam's and had lobster salad rolls.  Seafood Sam claims that they've won some sort of endorsement as the "best" lobster salad roll in town.  I don't know who said "best" but the roll was fabulous and the best I've ever eaten.  

Cape Cod is an interesting place to holiday.

Block Plane

Block Plane 101

This is a good little video explaining and proclaiming the virtues of the block plane.

Good Neighbours, make for Happy Happy

  Eva and I moved into this house 3 1/2 years ago and every day there is another reason to be pleased to have moved here.


  We have created new gardens from nothing but clay and building debris, my work in finishing the basement is very nearly complete and the work shop down stairs is my sanctuary and playroom.  We have space for the kids to visit, a great view of the conservation area from your deck and more than enough room for all they luxuries that have been gathered.


  Aside from the material advantages we have realized in moving here there is an intangible advantage we had not expected, but appreciate, and can not begin to place a value upon. 

  
   The intangible resource and source of pleasure is our neighbours.  We are surrounded on all sides by excellent neighbours, they are good and helpful folks and today was a further demonstration of our good fortune.


  That photo is 2 cubic yards of river rock spread between our's and our neighbour's home.  That area between the houses does not get enough good light to grow grass and so last year we planted some low light plants and our neighbours had a stepped walk way put in.  Today the stone arrived to fill in that space and I set to work moving it the length of the house two buckets full at a time, it was slow, heavy and muscle grinding work.  When my next door neighbours arrived home at lunch time and saw what I was doing they joined in without hesitation and helped.  Their help meant that the job was done in less than half the time and without me breaking  my back.


  We are so lucky to live in a neighbourhood where neighbours with snow blowers help clean driveways and there are people to look after pets when you travel and people jump in and help with plain old hard work, it is hard to express how happy we are.

Kieran in the Garden

Last weekend Kieran was down to the family farm for a visit with his Great Grandmother, Aunts and the dogs.  Kieran likes to dig in the dirt and this video shows his desire to develop innovative  new crops in Ontario

Spring has Sprung

The signs of spring are many and varied.  Traditionally we look for the first robin or the news that the Toronto Maple Leafs are out the the playoffs. The boys of spring have been the ball players that collect in Florida for spring training and the exhibition season.


Now in my life spring starts when I get my Honda Silverwing out of the garage and go for my first ride of the season.


Today was that day. Hooray.


 

Home Again, Home Again Jiggidy Jig

This was the view we saw each morning as we walked from the ocean to the dining room for the last week.  One week in the sun and surf with the grand children and their Mom.  One of the best holidays I have been on, great resort and super company.

The Know It All

   A couple of birthdays ago my kids gave me a copy of "The Year of Living Biblically" by A.J. Jacobs. It was a very interesting read and raised a variety of questions and spurred discussions among the family.
   "The Know It All" was actually written before "A Year of Living Biblically" but I only recently encountered it at Chapters/Indigo on the discount shelves and so I bought it.  "The Know it All" is a semi autobiographical story featuring  his insights  and commentary while he tries to read the entire Encyclopaedia Britannica.   Jacobs is a writer with an easy to read style and a dry wit that makes the book quite entertaining in places. For me the author's enquiry into the knowledge vs. wisdom, information vs. knowledge dichotomy in of much greater interest than the stories about his friends and family....but that I guess is what keeps the content from becoming too dense.

   The central thread of the book is Jacob's reading the entire Encyclopaedia  Britannica, all entries, every page.  He takes over a year and has many interesting comments and experiences related to his quest.  
   I think it is a book that I will keep around and dip into again when I have a little time  to kill.  I am also thinking that I need to get a set of Encyclopedias to browse when there is nothing pressing on my time.


http://ajjacobs.com/books/kia.asp   This is his site and what he says he was doing.

The Latest Photos of Up and Coming Woodworkers.

What can I say...they are my two favourite little people. Kieran already knows that Opa's workshop fixes things and pretty soon his baby sister Clara will come to know the same thing.  I have to think there is a doll house in the future.

Sherlock Holmes "The House of Silk"

     I have read all the Sherlock Holmes stories, all the stories, those written by Conan Doyle and all those written by all the folks that have tried to sound like Doyle, many times.  Many long years ago I was a  "boot maker" and still own all the stories in e-books and paper format. (actually I have two paper versions).

   We "Boot Makers" have to admit that Conan Doyle was not a great author but he did create two enduring characters and he wrote with  a distinct and recognizable voice.  Anthony Horowitz has captured that voice better than anyone before him and I feel that he has recreated it to virtual perfection.  

   I recommend this book to all Holmes fans.