tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12442125865506920702023-11-16T03:22:01.582-08:00By His HandsRoberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05004541893367154240noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244212586550692070.post-76885795351814319742011-09-08T17:52:00.000-07:002011-09-08T17:52:49.084-07:00Hellooooo!Hey everyone, I just wanted to let you know that I have a new blog dedicated to just my carving hobby, and this blog will be dormaint. The new blog can be found at <a href="http://bhh2.blogspot.com/">bhh2.blogspot.com.</a> See you there.Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05004541893367154240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244212586550692070.post-47603927377098587652009-12-20T13:31:00.000-08:002009-12-20T13:56:11.900-08:00"Gotcha"<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv4vR39g3i7wWet-gfG_6VvQ7F8Nb5nIYd-2DeLSwkf3ZvO1_OFiCyt0gzIydy7qDZcLxUoeBUFE-Rx2vk64X4hUNCu3QlQxFm8W6Td4UObmaZWxs4qj8MIBh2qAoXWftMFU2q9nq1x1b3/s1600-h/IMG_1348.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417436983429288946" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv4vR39g3i7wWet-gfG_6VvQ7F8Nb5nIYd-2DeLSwkf3ZvO1_OFiCyt0gzIydy7qDZcLxUoeBUFE-Rx2vk64X4hUNCu3QlQxFm8W6Td4UObmaZWxs4qj8MIBh2qAoXWftMFU2q9nq1x1b3/s320/IMG_1348.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div>Hey everyone, thought I'd post a carving I did a coupe of months ago, he's sold and headed out the door soon so I figured I'd better get some pictures for my files. He was inspired by a hunting coat my brother has, one of those heavy old wool ones, it even has a tear in the back that I put in the carving. The hunter has been following deer tracks and just spotted the deer. He was fun to do, hope you enjoy him too. (There are more pic's in the Photo Gallery).</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmepjq0lYUAeJD4VE-2F_Va47HMrpnCuqr5kMmonvQ2TmblIu4CF476GcAygqYmraeo8ZH27_4srentKCN-CXYdo0DSpUcbJp0k89pki7TA0islSWJUvpNKxsyuJZT70N3XOOszhh95WYs/s1600-h/IMG_1351.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417437204240814066" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmepjq0lYUAeJD4VE-2F_Va47HMrpnCuqr5kMmonvQ2TmblIu4CF476GcAygqYmraeo8ZH27_4srentKCN-CXYdo0DSpUcbJp0k89pki7TA0islSWJUvpNKxsyuJZT70N3XOOszhh95WYs/s320/IMG_1351.JPG" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqDgfRvXEoF_4zqBmZsKK-iqI7y9KynlplquhmRPCAxQQdp3L514SJBKz9McgQlw1WwJ1vvSYbB8rCnMWo0PVo95ZTbKIunxaIbX9rFQSHAKeHnoqSgcx_TzN2JYsUqGc4pOfrUDr0gVKA/s1600-h/IMG_1353.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417437451284966530" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqDgfRvXEoF_4zqBmZsKK-iqI7y9KynlplquhmRPCAxQQdp3L514SJBKz9McgQlw1WwJ1vvSYbB8rCnMWo0PVo95ZTbKIunxaIbX9rFQSHAKeHnoqSgcx_TzN2JYsUqGc4pOfrUDr0gVKA/s320/IMG_1353.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div></div>Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05004541893367154240noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244212586550692070.post-45855978129261729262009-11-26T17:33:00.000-08:002009-11-26T18:22:42.535-08:00Hello, it's me again!In my last post I told how I had put some carvings for sale on Etsy, well that didn't pan out like I had hoped, so I'm trying a new approach. Next week Saturday, Dec. 5th, I have a booth at an Art Fair in our church in Allendale and am very excited. I am sharing the booth with my daughter, who will have flower arrangements and I will have Christmas carvings as well as some others, (like the fishing guy with the inner tube). I'm hoping for a good turnout and to sell some carvings, but it should be a good time regardless.<br /><br />For those in the area the church is on the corner of M-45 and 60th, the doors open at 9 am I believe.Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05004541893367154240noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244212586550692070.post-53551482363650139772009-06-08T15:15:00.000-07:002009-06-08T15:33:13.828-07:00Remember Me?I know it's been awhile since I posted, but not much has been happening around here that my wife hasn't been posting about. She is very good at covering all the exciting things in my life and letting the world know, (I mean that in a good way).<br /><br />One thing she hasn't let out is that I now have a shop set up on Etsy.com. This is a eBay sort of place for handmade products and covers anything you can thing of. Well I thought I'd try and sell some of my carvings so I set up a shop called "By His Hands" and put up for sale the "Goin' Fishin'" carving I did on my post. Here is the link to my shop -<a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7377996"> http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7377996</a>. Tell your friends, tell your neighbors, and let's hope it sells. Thanks for reading.Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05004541893367154240noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244212586550692070.post-91790051641201949722009-03-17T17:26:00.001-07:002009-03-17T17:44:51.519-07:00Now he's Goin' Fishin'!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFrOra13BjgF5nNTIeV8VcMXbYTRi8okGGcvigI5JVFEbSdGMfJZ2GXuG7O7VNq5h2klWnAeB-NtfVLrbX9MqQQz3VDFvnMfSfzLP6g5-HK-WRr_Prvlfyw8mLWmOdYwUhWbG53vHSCo-p/s1600-h/IMG_0051.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFrOra13BjgF5nNTIeV8VcMXbYTRi8okGGcvigI5JVFEbSdGMfJZ2GXuG7O7VNq5h2klWnAeB-NtfVLrbX9MqQQz3VDFvnMfSfzLP6g5-HK-WRr_Prvlfyw8mLWmOdYwUhWbG53vHSCo-p/s320/IMG_0051.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314318747172743154" border="0" /></a> Well here he is, the finished product, on his way to the fishing hole. He was a fun one to do, every carving has its challenges and with him it was the kids inflatable around his waist, but I think it turned out <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">OK</span>. The shirt was another new one to me, instead of a solid color I gave him a Hawaiian shirt complete with palm trees. There are more pictures in the carving gallery, check 'em out.<br /><br /> So I hope you enjoyed these carving blogs and they answered some questions you many have had, I enjoyed doing them and plan on doing some again in the future.Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05004541893367154240noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244212586550692070.post-18927045493438768092009-03-13T18:15:00.000-07:002009-03-13T18:15:27.387-07:00Still Fishin'<div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><br />I just wanted to let you all know that I haven't forgotten about the carving, I've been busy fixing some internet problems here at home. The nets all running again, but I didn't have time to do any painting, so here is a picture of what I've got so far, hope to have him done soon.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcEM0TzDDVpD1MyVzhiht2OJoC963-Vca73MGln-ZH5ZuzRGHmiwIef0qupj0QU8iHqzin2d69guEeP4-qPRqACOj7O3AeXAW5D8TXH1SinawNDBTIKzKjtGrzucw7MQW0YzlnEUMGta1M/s1600-h/100_3894.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcEM0TzDDVpD1MyVzhiht2OJoC963-Vca73MGln-ZH5ZuzRGHmiwIef0qupj0QU8iHqzin2d69guEeP4-qPRqACOj7O3AeXAW5D8TXH1SinawNDBTIKzKjtGrzucw7MQW0YzlnEUMGta1M/s320/100_3894.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div style='clear:both; text-align:CENTER'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05004541893367154240noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244212586550692070.post-76703943944350448472009-02-24T17:47:00.000-08:002009-02-26T16:03:36.681-08:00Trying to get a Head.Here is the third installment of carving the happy fisherman. In the last blog I finished the main body and started on the head, in this post I'll be finishing it. Just to refresh your memory this is where we left off...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiws9a_Z1e6FJvWolwqDVG4S473N5-0jNdzm7F2I0XLnWM6504UfCjHT0ioZtkV_8JA4DfMjp7FLHF1s_VFM1gQAPwBuQWEjqXG1NzvIwpeX0Yc0ZJF_ze8kEusDgE4V3AXAz90J8mAFfXC/s1600-h/100_3792.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiws9a_Z1e6FJvWolwqDVG4S473N5-0jNdzm7F2I0XLnWM6504UfCjHT0ioZtkV_8JA4DfMjp7FLHF1s_VFM1gQAPwBuQWEjqXG1NzvIwpeX0Yc0ZJF_ze8kEusDgE4V3AXAz90J8mAFfXC/s320/100_3792.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306551583119262130" border="0" /></a><br />Carving the body is always fun, but the head is the part that really give the piece character. If the body is done well but the face is out of shape or lifeless it can ruin the whole piece, so it's important to take your time and focus on the details. I find that small things, like the smile lines at the side of the mouth or the squint of the eyes are what make the face, and bring it to life.<br /><br />So "head" to the photo gallery and check out the rest of the pictures, (some of them are a little out of focus, sorry about that, but you'll get the idea), and thank you all for you kind comments.Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05004541893367154240noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244212586550692070.post-6174265868414932322009-02-19T13:26:00.001-08:002009-02-19T14:05:48.492-08:00Goin' Fishing' Part IIHere is the next installment of "As the Carving Turns". Last time we watched we were doing the preliminary work, getting the idea down on paper and sawing out the form. This is how it looked when we left..<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYqZcHBlwrJd9zK_Nl-98-Xu0smY0dN8OvDbKrPD0rVLeE0jemSAMj7N3QOS7zuuMnNCHAzAIj9dqVHYbfBmsT10ZgOblNuiBCva2wid3zKO5Ef5tBS9izzBSG3xdupfSxd_t_V4XsaImW/s1600-h/100_3690.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYqZcHBlwrJd9zK_Nl-98-Xu0smY0dN8OvDbKrPD0rVLeE0jemSAMj7N3QOS7zuuMnNCHAzAIj9dqVHYbfBmsT10ZgOblNuiBCva2wid3zKO5Ef5tBS9izzBSG3xdupfSxd_t_V4XsaImW/s320/100_3690.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304624262194592498" border="0" /></a>This time we will finish carving the body. I show it step by step to make it easier, but quite often I move around on the piece, I'll work on the hands for awhile then stop and do the torso, and so on. Doing so keeps it from getting too boring working on the same spot for too long, also it keeps the whole piece in proper proportion, so the arms aren't too long or the feet too big.<br /><br />To see more pictures go to the "Favorite Sites" column on the left and click on "Carving Photo Gallery". That will take you to Picasa Web Albums, just click on the album called Goin' Fishin' Part II. Let me know if you have problems going from here to there, I do want it to be easy, thank you.Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05004541893367154240noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244212586550692070.post-79054507298649330532009-02-12T16:09:00.000-08:002009-02-12T18:09:49.703-08:00Carving 101I have been asked by a few of you to show how I do my carvings. While inviting you all over would show things better I don't think you'd all fit in my shop, so I'll try to do my best here on my blog.<br /><br />All my carvings start with getting an idea down on paper. and while I don't carve too bad I 'm not the best pencil artist! A few of my carvings come from books and magazines but most are my own concepts. Caricature carving exaggerates certain body parts but everything still has to be in correct proportion to one another. To do this I start with a drawing in a book I have for the basic form, and using pivot points like the shoulder, elbow, etc, I move the limbs where I need them for the carving I want to do.<br /><br />Here is the sketch for the carving I will be doing, I'm calling it "Goin' Fishin'.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW9IwLHvY2sED8OtnBydiw8VIyfOUDLL9bmmnSeZAzZsfOPgU6kvVacgiI__G3ALMY4NrUT96Lt2bq1y0gb4DaVVN1it_QvzyZGnzNQ4OHISEBk96PyV-F_bEu2bXWO75bdMWil3DS3QEv/s1600-h/100_3683.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW9IwLHvY2sED8OtnBydiw8VIyfOUDLL9bmmnSeZAzZsfOPgU6kvVacgiI__G3ALMY4NrUT96Lt2bq1y0gb4DaVVN1it_QvzyZGnzNQ4OHISEBk96PyV-F_bEu2bXWO75bdMWil3DS3QEv/s320/100_3683.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302079971243376786" border="0" /></a>You will notice that the poor guy has no head, that's not my poor drawing skills, it's easier to carve the head separate from the body, plus you can mount the head on an angle giving the piece the feeling of movement.<br /><br />To see the rest of the pictures for starting the carving go to the link on the side bar tilted "My Carving Photo Gallery", you may have to click on "My photos" on the far left underneath Picasa, that will open all my albums then click on the Goin' Fishin' picture.<br /><br />Stay tuned for more posts where I'll show more of this carving.Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05004541893367154240noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244212586550692070.post-54890707230837687152009-02-01T12:54:00.000-08:002009-02-03T15:51:42.420-08:00No I didn't die, I'm just thinking.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE7Ui60P4SRaezzpVXLXln-Hoy0bG_ExSQXeFLXroooeCQMxcMDKSWp6CVDG-VFz4P9gWlM7KVUWkhQweUtw6Bc22ppTlfNgURFAt9REKFetc2owqwbRbbM6dOCXrvItL1jSmQeKZEEq07/s1600-h/scratch.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE7Ui60P4SRaezzpVXLXln-Hoy0bG_ExSQXeFLXroooeCQMxcMDKSWp6CVDG-VFz4P9gWlM7KVUWkhQweUtw6Bc22ppTlfNgURFAt9REKFetc2owqwbRbbM6dOCXrvItL1jSmQeKZEEq07/s320/scratch.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298723000186617506" border="0" /></a><br /><br />It has been such a long time since I posted that some of you may have thought I died, or left the country or something like that. Well I'm still here it's just that my mind has been running a blank on what to share with you all. While my wife can find tons of stuff to post about, my life is either very boring or I have a bad case of writers block. I am planing on staring another carving soon and hope to take pictures of the process to share here, so stay tuned for that. Until then, if I come up with something I'll let ya' know.Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05004541893367154240noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244212586550692070.post-57217286245884652402009-01-05T18:59:00.000-08:002009-01-05T19:16:27.401-08:00The End of ChristmasOk, it's not the end end but the end of Christmas 2008 for me.<br />Last Friday night we finally got together with my two sisters to do our annual Christmas thing, we always have a great time with them.<br />Last year my sister Diane had me do a carving for her to give to Karla, the other sister, so this year I wanted to surprise Diane with a carving for her. She is finishing a mystery novel and I thought it would be cool to do a carving of the lead guy in the book, Ransom Woodley. The story is set in the mid 1800 England and centers around Ransom who just got out of the Crimean War. He had injuries to his leg so he uses a crutch, but hates it. Anyway, here he is.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaLFFCGButNYpFtrAzyMfHgSo0Jt5yvZ9QHB0wiDJ5W7yXZU19-X9UFFwembCttsDBPF-bbJGLx1QdvsYl-2i4d52-PMrA7a1jssMx5NqicJpK1K29DUJjzFtCb7OJZZzItm60gQquuHAy/s1600-h/100_3233.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaLFFCGButNYpFtrAzyMfHgSo0Jt5yvZ9QHB0wiDJ5W7yXZU19-X9UFFwembCttsDBPF-bbJGLx1QdvsYl-2i4d52-PMrA7a1jssMx5NqicJpK1K29DUJjzFtCb7OJZZzItm60gQquuHAy/s320/100_3233.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288013279721208770" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkI_74LxCuGjaEW7uMI1hqF0ChiK8wkubU1HCwfc_bzvwcs-Xm_1kPQse8zltDc-vJ0I6cA2vT6um3iBczXJ7jwTMuv-8yCW7-1f7nfRRgupdQ5ylpzNRdt7MX18ZFg-2CNEa0rSAGYR-R/s1600-h/100_3234.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkI_74LxCuGjaEW7uMI1hqF0ChiK8wkubU1HCwfc_bzvwcs-Xm_1kPQse8zltDc-vJ0I6cA2vT6um3iBczXJ7jwTMuv-8yCW7-1f7nfRRgupdQ5ylpzNRdt7MX18ZFg-2CNEa0rSAGYR-R/s320/100_3234.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288014205263429906" border="0" /></a>Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05004541893367154240noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244212586550692070.post-10815885663916289322008-12-23T15:47:00.000-08:002008-12-23T16:06:50.376-08:00Here are some carvings I finished earlier this summer but could not show you then because they were both gifts.<br /><br />This first one was of a old Russian lady I seen in a newspaper article, I called it "Babushka", Russian for grandmother. It was a gift to my wife's sister's family, who has two adopted girls from Russia.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLZvmhaOSiVpL4enPySMaHbYOoV-INe8WWlks1-DtScj9tH-4WM98p3XMS0yOlkIKafWiD6obUELlwM4ayMVGSEsvgbYmJh07oYifayjAz1FbrnJUlSYpj_TygmASfpMpLRqQIM4A0JWl7/s1600-h/100_3227.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 229px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLZvmhaOSiVpL4enPySMaHbYOoV-INe8WWlks1-DtScj9tH-4WM98p3XMS0yOlkIKafWiD6obUELlwM4ayMVGSEsvgbYmJh07oYifayjAz1FbrnJUlSYpj_TygmASfpMpLRqQIM4A0JWl7/s320/100_3227.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283136896869115842" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmit9j19IhCAH5gcHwr6NeAPAGg3nH92LjibSxnjWrqbq2c5MJUF-u1EAFXwhgMV1sc9enoycJRIk7CoCPqDrCUdNiCFRoGLb8DTlePCpkwsQsaILuh85WzMdWqIr6rF6okY1FKNzNpiWd/s1600-h/100_3229.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmit9j19IhCAH5gcHwr6NeAPAGg3nH92LjibSxnjWrqbq2c5MJUF-u1EAFXwhgMV1sc9enoycJRIk7CoCPqDrCUdNiCFRoGLb8DTlePCpkwsQsaILuh85WzMdWqIr6rF6okY1FKNzNpiWd/s320/100_3229.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283141247326967746" border="0" /></a><br />The other was for my wife's other sister's family, her husband has firefighter ties.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEB4yLe0WE_2n_P9GnjdO4H_c4TjSOH0_sxAHmIVeTzZLLEnrfDweK6ZB1gyhd5NxKjwQqLAgptz7VuriuqoMuH-E7eSqMOikehu4mJSdheqMm_vzBmdJJ9UDyDssEpmGpwqKuEYMgmFD8/s1600-h/100_3226.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 229px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEB4yLe0WE_2n_P9GnjdO4H_c4TjSOH0_sxAHmIVeTzZLLEnrfDweK6ZB1gyhd5NxKjwQqLAgptz7VuriuqoMuH-E7eSqMOikehu4mJSdheqMm_vzBmdJJ9UDyDssEpmGpwqKuEYMgmFD8/s320/100_3226.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283139401774333954" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip89EUoN44XFKhSKagpFupnjSW-ueQuZUCIf0JIPrWJHJvgW3Y8KUrrR5rZU5Nb75deACp7lm5TV1WIPolUVIrnvkTV3TojlgtUHq0eEq9YYYBE7nq1JNwe_s0QLr7vfK1jE_v8jYofVQN/s1600-h/100_3223.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip89EUoN44XFKhSKagpFupnjSW-ueQuZUCIf0JIPrWJHJvgW3Y8KUrrR5rZU5Nb75deACp7lm5TV1WIPolUVIrnvkTV3TojlgtUHq0eEq9YYYBE7nq1JNwe_s0QLr7vfK1jE_v8jYofVQN/s320/100_3223.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283139696546354658" border="0" /></a>They were fun to do, and fun to give away. I've got some great in-laws and it's fun surprising them.Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05004541893367154240noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244212586550692070.post-62851092517919059592008-12-20T07:30:00.000-08:002008-12-20T08:04:09.203-08:00The Sissies<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUovhpdnnRek7zrR-WOgxxDSYI1pZcoWHJwUixE7RaSEX7O56x5jSqbsY-TgIlRIuLRrFVatG6ThH_VvL4Pt43xBSsOPu_oR-MQ8gN3-FMeT2PfbxjxbTJ1UooLbdfTqZWuEdTGaNRi3PR/s1600-h/000_0415.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUovhpdnnRek7zrR-WOgxxDSYI1pZcoWHJwUixE7RaSEX7O56x5jSqbsY-TgIlRIuLRrFVatG6ThH_VvL4Pt43xBSsOPu_oR-MQ8gN3-FMeT2PfbxjxbTJ1UooLbdfTqZWuEdTGaNRi3PR/s320/000_0415.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281895435807017202" border="0" /></a>Dateline 12/20/08, Allendale Michigan. A "severe" winter storm has hit the state leaving us all reeling and stranded in its wake. HA, sissies, look at me in the picture the snow is not even up to my knees, and they call that a storm?<br /><br />This is going to date me, but I remember the winter of '77, now <span style="font-style: italic;">that</span> was a snow storm. It was a total white out for three days solid, not man nor beast was out in that blow. Ok, so there was some one out; my dad, a co-worker and myself.<br /><br />You see, my dad was one of those people that believed that if it was a work day it was our responsibility to make it to work, so off we went. The other guy, Bob G., picked us up in his truck and we headed for Hudsonville, at a crawl. M-45 was bad enough but when we got to 48th Ave. the road was completely drifted over, but did that stop us, shoot no we're from Michigan and it's only snow! Now 48th runs north and south and had some large open fields, which made those stretches of road even worse and one of these spots was just before the town of Bauer and that's where we got stuck, right out in the open blizzard. We piled out of the truck and with Dad and me pushing we managed to get moving again, only to break the fan belt, which was kind of a good thing because we had to hang out by a warm fire while the truck was fixed. Oh, we did make it to work that day, a little late, but we made it.<br /><br />So anyway, the weather people these days seem to be always shouting doom and gloom when a storm heads our way but remember, it can always be worse, and after all we live in Michigan we can take it!Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05004541893367154240noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244212586550692070.post-38226556735262313862008-11-24T10:09:00.000-08:002008-11-24T10:48:39.202-08:00Ho Ho Ho!I just finished a new carving that I wanted to share with you. Each year I try to do a new Santa, some of them are my own ideas and some are patterns from carving magazines. The one I carved this year is a pattern by Mark Gargac I got in Woodcarving Illustrated. I started with his basic idea and tweaked it to mark it my own. He was a fun one to do and I gained some experience carving beards, hope you like him.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNY56gKpa_VeG0OGSJgrCZ7dGDbT7rHc6-yGSCyaQuxXDpqCNhP1FDEFy2U8QhdMuEadINezQOkxsXp4CZP_gpwn59ZsS_JeYO-_iQB3QNjYlQ_Q6OcONoEnzy-Bz9yCDNRwtMDxIy7A4c/s1600-h/100_3259.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNY56gKpa_VeG0OGSJgrCZ7dGDbT7rHc6-yGSCyaQuxXDpqCNhP1FDEFy2U8QhdMuEadINezQOkxsXp4CZP_gpwn59ZsS_JeYO-_iQB3QNjYlQ_Q6OcONoEnzy-Bz9yCDNRwtMDxIy7A4c/s320/100_3259.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272296462745803714" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfbRdoaQXbvDq8tCAKya61lnZv_Khl-B9TjhczQkh4hglZkT9F4Mskl7QkD2NdOWz6f_EdJPs-GZ78FN2owiipZdDc9T4ClWVRMo45eyGYBHOkAvluroiK8CjnsQ1l9WrYS2ROM0NnBSfl/s1600-h/100_3263.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfbRdoaQXbvDq8tCAKya61lnZv_Khl-B9TjhczQkh4hglZkT9F4Mskl7QkD2NdOWz6f_EdJPs-GZ78FN2owiipZdDc9T4ClWVRMo45eyGYBHOkAvluroiK8CjnsQ1l9WrYS2ROM0NnBSfl/s320/100_3263.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272296631041923106" border="0" /></a>I have some of my Santa carving at Season's Flowers on Chicago Drive in Grandville, this guy is headed there today.Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05004541893367154240noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244212586550692070.post-44549013173124488912008-11-07T15:55:00.000-08:002008-11-07T17:02:23.552-08:00Epiphany<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwO_FGWS6CuvXPQ2bxZlG0pWphiI9-UlXPixfFitQNH0uiCtIrKqereUXYXNsvFfANFzZDvGk9IwjLlNhOvPLNkKRpKNn7zQakUQlCLj_aIPJeGSZ1BqWwV82bA9B3d2iIw6eME6p2Q11u/s1600-h/mechanic.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 231px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwO_FGWS6CuvXPQ2bxZlG0pWphiI9-UlXPixfFitQNH0uiCtIrKqereUXYXNsvFfANFzZDvGk9IwjLlNhOvPLNkKRpKNn7zQakUQlCLj_aIPJeGSZ1BqWwV82bA9B3d2iIw6eME6p2Q11u/s320/mechanic.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266084761953606082" border="0" /></a><br />After being on this earth for fifty years I have come to realize what I can and can't do. It has taken a lot of trial and error but there are certain jobs around the house I simply can't do. God has gifted me with me with many talents but one that is not on the list is car mechanic.<br /><br />Lord knows I've tried, I've fumbled through replacing water pumps and starters, head gaskets, brake pads, thermostats and numerous other parts I couldn't point out on a drawing, only to ask myself, "what am I doing?" Every once in a while someone comes in the store where I work needing help and it soon becomes obvious they have no clue what they are doing and should pay to have someone do the work for them. That's me and cars! The other day the "check engine oil" light came on in my truck,"oops that's not good", I thought, but at the same time I'm thinking "oh no, more car work". As I lay there under the truck the next day it came to me, this is as in depth as I want to get with automobiles, from now on changing oil is as far as it goes, period.<br /><br />Oh yea, one more thing, my truck has been smelling hot up front, is that bad?Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05004541893367154240noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244212586550692070.post-49568567768163179002008-10-29T15:37:00.000-07:002008-10-29T16:02:48.065-07:00WordWhat is it about the English language that some words seem to have more meaning than others? I was just thinking that this <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Saturday</span> is November 1st, October sounds like a fall month but the name November has connotations of lateness, like the year is almost done, and it just sounds cold.<br /><br />And that got me to thinking are there other words that may have similar connotations? I suppose your own personal history comes into play in a way, for example "home" for me is a warm comforting word, but I had a good upbringing, for others it may be different. Does all this make sense to you or am I just babbling?<br /><br />Other words that came to mind-<br />vacation<br />Sunday<br />thunder<br />winter<br />mountain<br />race<br /><br />If this makes sense to you see what you can add.Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05004541893367154240noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244212586550692070.post-18697710787561615352008-10-19T12:15:00.000-07:002008-10-19T18:45:04.972-07:00Point of Change<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ_mzZvuzvgQN89wFKpVkSMkd7n8aQcuvc-PflhsPi6gTrKCln4dTJgi2C1WqAb5ofUeDhMVt2qgN36e4sa4wImp6v8Itix_7rGFO97MsN1H1WIfntmIJINcAyae-xt5sEw7UXKfhbJC-d/s1600-h/100_3090.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ_mzZvuzvgQN89wFKpVkSMkd7n8aQcuvc-PflhsPi6gTrKCln4dTJgi2C1WqAb5ofUeDhMVt2qgN36e4sa4wImp6v8Itix_7rGFO97MsN1H1WIfntmIJINcAyae-xt5sEw7UXKfhbJC-d/s320/100_3090.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259045092344214210" border="0" /></a><br />Two weeks ago my wife and I went on a two day color tour up the coast of Michigan. We had planned the trip back in the middle of the summer and tried to guess when the color would be best, as it worked out we were a little off. The weather did not cooperate and the trees were slow in changing, we did see some pretty trees but it was sporadic. At first I was a little bummed we had done all that planning only to see so little color, but the more I thought about it I realized maybe we were seeing something even more special, "The Point of Change".<br /><br />You see, anyone can go out in the fall and see all the nice color, of course you have to be in the right part of the country, but how often do you get to see the time at which the change is actually taking place? A plant grows in your garden and you marvel at the pretty flowers, but have you ever seen it when the seed first breaks free of the soil and sends a shoot in the air, that's what I'm talking about, "The Point of Change". Mari and I were witnessing that point on our color tour and it left an impression on me.<br /><br />I have always been in awe of God's handiwork in painting the Fall landscape, science can explain how it happens but only God can make it happen! As we drove along admiring the changing scenery it made me think about the point of change God can makes in our lives too.<br /><br />You see, all who believe in Jesus as their savior were at one time like the green trees, blending in with the world around them. Then God, "who chose us in him before the creation of the world" (Eph. 1:4), touched our hearts, our "Point of Change", and we became the trees that were turning color. We do not change all at once but gradually over time, and the change in our lives is not to draw attention to ourselves but to bring glory to God who brought about that change.<br /><br />As I looked at the trees I wondered, what color am I, how far along is my color, do I stand out? I have made it a point to be more intentional about my spiritual life and let my colors show!<br /><br />How about you, are you bringing the glorious color of Jesus to the world around you, or are you just blending in? Are you still green? Get a Bible and read the book of John and ask God to touch your heart too.Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05004541893367154240noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244212586550692070.post-25951892381702151412008-10-12T13:11:00.000-07:002008-10-12T13:38:09.452-07:00People still do that?I had this past week off from work and one of the things I wanted to get done was to split and stack a pile of wood I had cut last summer. Now working at a hardware store, and being a tool junkie, one would think I would rent the latest and greatest powered wood splitter, a pull behind with a small diesel motor able to snap a whole tree in one pass. But no, something in my head said to do it the "old fashion" way, (ok, maybe I'm a little bit of a tight wad), so here's what I used.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTw0BBdzD2Fs-xY9oLvCbxlS3vYTiEAvOjZuPoKNOnAnr5pafeqhoSdvJ3wsvDO1RzavP7U0IfyvsGsJAF2qNzxTtitV90wGE_ZwDiTJs3lvfUePi58X2CGetPUL50o6Vj7LXlQF30bDV7/s1600-h/100_3117.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTw0BBdzD2Fs-xY9oLvCbxlS3vYTiEAvOjZuPoKNOnAnr5pafeqhoSdvJ3wsvDO1RzavP7U0IfyvsGsJAF2qNzxTtitV90wGE_ZwDiTJs3lvfUePi58X2CGetPUL50o6Vj7LXlQF30bDV7/s320/100_3117.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256364963495748738" border="0" /></a>Yea, I hear what your thinking, "people still do that?" As I got the axe out I was thinking the same thing, "what am I doing, this is going to hurt later, am I to old for this?" But I have to tell you, once I got started it was fun! Sure it took a few swings to get the hang of hitting the metal to wood and not wood handle to wood but I soon had split wood flying every which way. It was very tiring, but it took me back to an earlier time when men needed to do this, when men earned a living by the sweat of their brow...and it made me feel good.<br /><br />So here's the finished pile, not a lot of firewood but enough to keep the wood shop warm for a winter. And for you guy out there that are thinking, "that's not a splitting axe!" I know, but my last one broke and this was on clearance for less than a new handle, plus it looks cool!<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGLdwwsBFKxSz0DrLBPA6-xRcNmXYglSCpO4VVxghCrYvjYZfiZcE7Ejsxlp6wqavScOe10Nw5jz1F-D6rq-ed6CvWS0omYBimd5e3FLcWHqoObiwD0ciVyf87Awp8ToezRHch95MEo88z/s1600-h/100_3116.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGLdwwsBFKxSz0DrLBPA6-xRcNmXYglSCpO4VVxghCrYvjYZfiZcE7Ejsxlp6wqavScOe10Nw5jz1F-D6rq-ed6CvWS0omYBimd5e3FLcWHqoObiwD0ciVyf87Awp8ToezRHch95MEo88z/s320/100_3116.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256368819450108178" border="0" /></a>Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05004541893367154240noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244212586550692070.post-62543162736759230112008-10-04T18:25:00.000-07:002008-10-04T18:50:39.255-07:00Run Forrest Run!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3cMZuY3P_IM8kl_1huo9h-yzuq7plDV4Y_5sopOKEZ-C3IYs_Cn-zFZFHLG3N2V_QLoyEq-6PNa8kXePmBOG8XNploYBS_V2TIHmHrhdTwjHsAIQ296TwunmjnbWEtg9_S5z0DSzF674t/s1600-h/gumpx.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3cMZuY3P_IM8kl_1huo9h-yzuq7plDV4Y_5sopOKEZ-C3IYs_Cn-zFZFHLG3N2V_QLoyEq-6PNa8kXePmBOG8XNploYBS_V2TIHmHrhdTwjHsAIQ296TwunmjnbWEtg9_S5z0DSzF674t/s320/gumpx.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253481242296179314" border="0" /></a><br />As I get older I am learning to laugh at things I do that in the past would embarrass me. Well the other day one of those "laughable" times happened.<br /><br />I was leaving for work one day last week, got down the road and around the corner when I noticed a garbage container sitting by the road. Suddenly I realized "oh no, it's garbage day, I forgot to put out the trash! Quickly I pulled in to a drive way and turned around. As I pulled up to the garage I turned the truck off but left the lights on so I could see what I was doing, (it was still dark out). I got out, grabbed the trash can and turned around to pull it to the road. As I started walking I noticed to my horror that my truck was going to beat me to the road! The truck is a stick shift and I absentmindedly left it in neutral! I was so glad it was early and dark out because the sight of me franticly running down the driveway trying to catch my runaway truck had to be quite a sight. I had visions of my little bomber in the neighbors yard or bent around a tree but luckily I stopped it before any of those things happened.<br /><br />So I hope you get a good chuckle out of this, and from now on I think I'll have Heather be responsible for trash day.Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05004541893367154240noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244212586550692070.post-55580373328869500162008-10-01T17:00:00.000-07:002008-10-01T18:10:59.060-07:00Fallen FallIt was a day like all the others that came before it, too much work and too little fun, but this day would prove to be different. The realization didn't take long to set in either, the sleep was hardly gone from my still foggy head. I'd gone thru the motions of getting ready that morning and I was heading out the door. As I stepped outside the cold air hit me in the face like a sledgehammer, it sent my mind reeling, "No, it can't be, not already!" Franticly I fumbled for my cell phone and looked up the date, my worst fears were confirmed, Fall had fell in Michigan.<br /><br />Yea, I know it's kind of corny, but it felt that way, I am not ready for the summer to be over. I had so many plans for this year, a whole list of things to do. This post is also a bit of a confession as well, at the start of the summer I made promises of things I planned on doing for my improvement too.<br /><br />Ok, here goes -<br /><br />Every year I make plans to expand the flower beds in my yard. I love getting out and planting thing and watching them grow. This year I had intended to put in a bed of ornamental grasses in the back yard where the old dog house was. I did get the dog house removed and some weeds pulled, but thats as far as it got. Below you can see the empty spot in the middle of the picture where the grasslands was meant to be.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyG7aZv3d46SLod7C4Nzpcd6Y29pHb9qrkSZOEwMP97nEyt6I3Y4a2L2sTOAppSC3BfiDwD_jerDYuEdOyrvhFv0BBkG_qCcO7Qm25VDUKwgDSMLFJr29X3JeU-2mz2DhO_XKUnvTrR6kK/s1600-h/100_3039.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyG7aZv3d46SLod7C4Nzpcd6Y29pHb9qrkSZOEwMP97nEyt6I3Y4a2L2sTOAppSC3BfiDwD_jerDYuEdOyrvhFv0BBkG_qCcO7Qm25VDUKwgDSMLFJr29X3JeU-2mz2DhO_XKUnvTrR6kK/s320/100_3039.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252348000402242690" border="0" /></a>At the beginning of the summer I made a promise to my self that I was going to get more exercise, (it was also one of my first blogs.) I fixed up my old 10 speed bike and was riding at least two days a week, at first. Then the old Schwinn started to show it's age when the rear derailer cable broke. Yes I know, bikes can be fixed, I could have ridden Andy's bike, I FAILED OK! There, I said it, good intentions and broken promises.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdHQLzikJ976pvNy7UY5l2iydkZALb6xFoLERvGCpogUM_9dej5UGsLJwQfvXBuzKRgjkM4DWZLMeaBbtQOFJ_1wkuudlF8tUxNJxPa4EcN7bn84mlwRh_VmlJvDqnDnBlQR9p6H-5kvnn/s1600-h/fatman.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdHQLzikJ976pvNy7UY5l2iydkZALb6xFoLERvGCpogUM_9dej5UGsLJwQfvXBuzKRgjkM4DWZLMeaBbtQOFJ_1wkuudlF8tUxNJxPa4EcN7bn84mlwRh_VmlJvDqnDnBlQR9p6H-5kvnn/s320/fatman.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252356046503381618" border="0" /></a>There were other things I had planned but I won't get into them here, you get the idea. You are probably by this point wondering what could have kept me so busy for almost five full months so that I had no time for the other things. I had a list, you see, all the plans neatly lined up in a nice column, but one plan one little word had to be the center of attention, that menace was "kitchen". Those of you that visit my wifes Blog, (marislittlecorner.blogspot.com), know what I'm talking about, for the rest of you it's still too painful for me to talk about. Redoing that room took away my whole summer, whoosh gone! Ok, it did need it and it turned out great, and oh yea, the wife is happy too.<br /><br />So I du-know, wasted summer? I don't think so, different than what I planned, yea maybe. There's always next year. Yea, I can see it now...Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05004541893367154240noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244212586550692070.post-45986719917974945392008-09-15T18:26:00.000-07:002008-09-15T19:03:15.624-07:00Tastes Like Chicken?I've been out of school for many years now, many many years, and I think I enjoy learning now a lot more than I did then. I like watching the Discovery and History channels as well as reading about science and history.<br /><br />One of the curious things I learned some time ago was about certain habits of the praying mantis. At the time I thought, oooookay that's gross and tucked it away some where in my head. Well last week I came face to face with this particular action in progress. What was it you say?<br /><br />It happened like this.<br /><br />It was a day like many many other. I was at the store working when I had to got out the back door for some task or other. This door faces east and the brick was being warmed by the sun. I finished my business and headed inside when to my horror what did I see on the side of the building but two praying mantis. Now this in itself was not the frightening part for there were several mantis scattered on the brick, but what these two were doing... oh the humanity.<br /><br />You see, one of the facts I learned and stored away was about the mating habits of the praying mantis, after they do the hokey pokey the larger female grabs hold of the smaller male and makes a feast of him! There before my eyes was large green and brown mantis with a partly eaten male in her claws! My thoughts immediately went to the other mantis guys on the wall. "RUN", I thought, "She's not that attractive". I don't know if any of them fell for her wiles but I did wonder, do they taste like chicken?<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitRbL-6OsxKuqwdpFm0laE-xmeuRgwN7qiklgQuG_5Vfj9Xe0X0L75Dbt2nQHuMGzoeCgCuXUoOZfV-TfTQHlhOlvfDUu6AIFXboPM-wMBfn6p99orfo8uxK1xszYTnWpMuPhqCnT13VFX/s1600-h/praying_mantis_sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitRbL-6OsxKuqwdpFm0laE-xmeuRgwN7qiklgQuG_5Vfj9Xe0X0L75Dbt2nQHuMGzoeCgCuXUoOZfV-TfTQHlhOlvfDUu6AIFXboPM-wMBfn6p99orfo8uxK1xszYTnWpMuPhqCnT13VFX/s320/praying_mantis_sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246433202528230658" border="0" /></a>Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05004541893367154240noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244212586550692070.post-20864422368185237222008-08-27T18:37:00.000-07:002008-08-27T18:56:43.775-07:00This has gone far enough!Ok, here we are in the kitchen re-do, week 592, (or something like that), I've been slaving my life away trying to finish that room so my future grandchildren won't have to and now it's finally happened. Getting a huge scar on the top of my head was bad enough but now I have to deal with the repercussions of this.<br /><br />The other night I started scraping the old linoleum off from the floor, using a scraper on the end of a long handle. It was coming off but some parts needed a little more pressure and by the time I was done and took my gloves off what was on my thumb? Yea, you got it, a great big blood blister.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7UyKterqUtjhk29HYWhMcDyI62iqjh8OqCkvQFtFEjcefrwCl6Enlmu_Vw0LviqXBlOrSCnXRIpNqfP1TLCVYIiPKaRl9UECylchfGcuMufiZxKCLkKVSPeoIBDvf9zUixz7AgqyDz0FQ/s1600-h/100_2979.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7UyKterqUtjhk29HYWhMcDyI62iqjh8OqCkvQFtFEjcefrwCl6Enlmu_Vw0LviqXBlOrSCnXRIpNqfP1TLCVYIiPKaRl9UECylchfGcuMufiZxKCLkKVSPeoIBDvf9zUixz7AgqyDz0FQ/s320/100_2979.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239379429385647426" border="0" /></a>Hideous isn't it. No more hand modeling for me, I'm doomed to a life of menial labor. Thank goodness the kitchen is almost done, this has gone far enough!Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05004541893367154240noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244212586550692070.post-69022999824047218842008-08-16T19:00:00.000-07:002008-08-16T19:12:10.579-07:00An update on my sanity, er, the tile job.I thought you might like to see that I have over come in the battle with the tile back splash. They put up a good fight, cracking every time I looked at them funny, (I know, that's the only way I can look, funny) but in the end I emerged as the victor. Here are a few pictures.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7jpsNp9a_mDsxoUzIMWLjKc1JElcU_Mj5PyCiVLgbGNo9IbO_0vqcibfSEf9B4l-Np_8hXaNMIs7BvippRGOA7Cqa8y2IynUebXT6qBfXw-Lf1nfJiwrj9xEjiAeF-4igadX3aRVryHgR/s1600-h/100_2872.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7jpsNp9a_mDsxoUzIMWLjKc1JElcU_Mj5PyCiVLgbGNo9IbO_0vqcibfSEf9B4l-Np_8hXaNMIs7BvippRGOA7Cqa8y2IynUebXT6qBfXw-Lf1nfJiwrj9xEjiAeF-4igadX3aRVryHgR/s320/100_2872.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235301914183491234" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8lahhiQznTL3tCqru8NNRlQgrsWtWBmyU0VDUUYWB1z1fSWLHEXXAa61pggcPpvOsCniExSZ-excPCyHZgvJjVQBDNjDFmiWDYPxSy-TlU4VgaSCLuxKFy07Ah-NekYX36k_xrohSAiIk/s1600-h/100_2875.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8lahhiQznTL3tCqru8NNRlQgrsWtWBmyU0VDUUYWB1z1fSWLHEXXAa61pggcPpvOsCniExSZ-excPCyHZgvJjVQBDNjDFmiWDYPxSy-TlU4VgaSCLuxKFy07Ah-NekYX36k_xrohSAiIk/s320/100_2875.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235302405209038706" border="0" /></a>I still have to put on the sealer after it has dried for a few days, and caulk the edges, but the worst is done. Now on to the floor!Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05004541893367154240noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244212586550692070.post-31037394543048035672008-08-11T16:32:00.000-07:002008-08-11T17:20:50.642-07:00Ok, this is getting old.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXDa0w_MUXb3ICFjfFr5J-bWZsxttswNj-bMcaHOCZ0RXCV2CmuysXDxa5hC0_eivsOH6eW091KyGNardtPVN8jhp7I9DVmmRS8CJ4FhC2fkulmP-HBGuTC2sKXN_yEtlyyDoU0UuBBAKD/s1600-h/6.13+angry+man.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXDa0w_MUXb3ICFjfFr5J-bWZsxttswNj-bMcaHOCZ0RXCV2CmuysXDxa5hC0_eivsOH6eW091KyGNardtPVN8jhp7I9DVmmRS8CJ4FhC2fkulmP-HBGuTC2sKXN_yEtlyyDoU0UuBBAKD/s320/6.13+angry+man.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233409707226436002" border="0" /></a><br />It's been awhile since I posted so I thought maybe I'd let you all know what's been occupying all my time.<br /><br />If you've read my wife's Blog (marislittlecorner.blogspot.com) at all you know that we've been fixing up our kitchen. The re-do started back in the early 1800's, at least it feels that way, with the floor cabinets being changed to make room for a dishwasher, something we never had. The painting was next, walls and cabinets,which included stripping wallpaper, sanding the cabinets then priming and two coats of paint. Funny, writing it makes it sound so quick and easy but it was not! After the paint came new laminate on the counter then the new sink and faucet went in, with new plumbing to hook up the dishwasher, which is now running praise be!<br /><br />That takes us to the present, and todays fiasco, tiling the backsplash. With every step came a new set of problems, this one involves three outlets in the backsplash. This morning I started lying out and cutting the 13" square tiles to fit the space on the wall. This went quite well thanks to a nice big wet saw and I was done by noon. After lunch I thought, "all I have to do is cut three little outlet holes and I can put up the tiles, I'll be done by supper!" Ha! Should have seen it coming.<br /><br />Well, several dull and broken bits, four cracked tiles and a few more years off my life and the outlet holes still are not cut. Yea, this is getting old.Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05004541893367154240noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244212586550692070.post-28169557250106832872008-07-15T18:06:00.000-07:002008-07-15T18:49:39.508-07:00Chuck Who?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkuDI8VUX8QUaBzet1JxbGyBquVDUMUXp7Lkhq-hi7scVwCa9PBTipfLUW09FRbmmHDTgQqGFcsM7cDngJr-DPseSxdSA1i52J5CWpKu2EYNKWM-PGz9SkPbzjZqzrFAAxUBdoQ1wTbNC0/s1600-h/woodchuck.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkuDI8VUX8QUaBzet1JxbGyBquVDUMUXp7Lkhq-hi7scVwCa9PBTipfLUW09FRbmmHDTgQqGFcsM7cDngJr-DPseSxdSA1i52J5CWpKu2EYNKWM-PGz9SkPbzjZqzrFAAxUBdoQ1wTbNC0/s320/woodchuck.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223413590387855170" border="0" /></a>Sunday's for me are a day of rest, time off from work to be able to go to church and relax at home.<br /><br />Well this past Sunday was not as restful as I would have liked. Oh, it started off nice enough, a good service at church , a good meal at home, I was even alone since my wife and daughter were at work . But shortly after noon the piece and quiet came to an end. I was all relaxed sitting in my chair watching TV when I heard a light scratching on the front door, which was right behind me. I ignored it at first thinking that it was probably the cat, excited that the neighbor cats were outside. But the noise kept up and was getting louder so, getting annoyed with our cat, I got out of the chair with the intent of swatting her away from the door. When I stood up and turned around what should be staring at me thru the full length glass screen door but a woodchuck! Yes, I said WOODCHUCK, <span style="font-style: italic;">Marmota Monax, </span>just like the furry little devil in the picture above. Now what this rabid little beast was trying to do I don't know, maybe trying to beat up his reflection or break in and chew my legs off, only he could tell you, but I new he was NOT coming inside. Soon he bored with his frantic scratching and waddled off the steps and around the corner of the house out of sight, whew! my bony legs were safe!<br /><br />Now, unlike my wife who is the perfect blogger, I was so startled that I never thought to grab a camera, (a gun did cross my mind), so unfortunately I have no pictures of Chucky but I do give this warning - if your door bell rings and you see this face staring in the window<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjseJJt6WhmKkavKNIK2wIKOBE5WIZ0hwVcHfo-hCteppYTRgmnyR_eAswey-gq9HvZRtHQwYH6ryIZ6_XOwxxDLSURtn7wDeR1My1Uc7T1BghEsm3l7NEruo7ujFUFCKyZohArlr3155g6/s1600-h/woodchuckII.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjseJJt6WhmKkavKNIK2wIKOBE5WIZ0hwVcHfo-hCteppYTRgmnyR_eAswey-gq9HvZRtHQwYH6ryIZ6_XOwxxDLSURtn7wDeR1My1Uc7T1BghEsm3l7NEruo7ujFUFCKyZohArlr3155g6/s320/woodchuckII.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223413815659253010" border="0" /></a>close the blinds, turn of the lights and be real quiet, maybe he'll go away.Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05004541893367154240noreply@blogger.com11