A VERY DIFFERENT SUMMER

It has been a very interesting summer.

When I say summer I really mean August and September. In mid August Cindy and I joined Laura's family on a picnic/tubing trip to Golden, CO. It was a really nice sunny warm if not hot day. I really was up for it since I have had fun in the past tubing down rivers. We started out with a picnic and had a nice time. Then it was time to tube. The tube I had was really too small. It is the kind of tube that you take to a swimming pool to float around. The tubes other people in Golden had were much bigger more substantial. Cindy stayed back with Jackson and Ryan and off we went. 

I got out into the creek and the water was flowing pretty fast. The others got in before I did and took off. I sort of knew where they were going so I wasn't worried that they were ahead of me. I expected to keep up with them. I really wanted to keep up with him. Honestly I had my doubts about making this work but I didnt want to be left behind. When I attempted to get unto the tube my fears were realized. It really was too small which meant that it was very tippy. All this time while the others were floating downstream I was debating whether to go or not. Well I sat on top of the tube and started off. Right from the beginning I knew I was in trouble. I was more worried about drowning then keeping up with them. 

When I was a boy all of us kids would go swimming at the swimming pool in Redwood Falls. I distinctly remember when my brother and I decided to jump off the diving board. I don't know my age but I was pretty young and I had never done it before. My brother Don assured me that he would be there for me. I jumped off and panicked. I was in the deep end of the pool and really did not  know how to swim. I was flailing around underwater when Donny jumped into the water and saved me. Then years later when I was in Las Cruces, NM I was part of  "Float the Rio" race with Andrew Lerdal from our church. Each team created a raft on which to race down the Rio Grande. We had fun. We used a lot of milk cartons. 

During the race I fell off the raft. My life vest was a joke. I was being dragged by the raft because I was attached to it. The water was fast and now I was underneath the raft. I was able to grab the raft from underneath and pull myself up but I could not get on the raft. Andrew was not aware that I was in trouble. Anyway once again I was in trouble in water. The long and short of it was I was able to hold on to the raft so I could breathe and then finally return to the raft at the Finish. It had been very scary.

While tubing down that creek in Golden I decided I did not want to drown and it was time to get out. I had bumped into some rocks and somehow hurt myself. A young guy helped me get out of the water. I noticed I was limping but didn't really think much about it. After recovering my breath I tracked down the others and headed back to the picnic area. My foot hurt and I was still limping. For the next two weeks I limped around on that foot but it wasn't getting any better. I finally went to a doctor and had an x-ray and it turns out I have broken my foot. So now I had to wear a funny shoe that prevented my foot from bending so that it could heal.

Now fast-forward a few weeks and Cindy and I were on our way to Virginia to visit Matt and AJ and kids. We were so excited about going. We had a great time there. We went there for a couple of reasons - to see those wonderful grandkids and to help make Matt and AJ's lives just a little bit easier. They are so busy just like Laura and BJ. We really enjoyed our time with the grandkids and Matt and AJ. There was a lot of laughter, drama, good conversations, good times and late-night brownies. Cindy and I would drive the kids to school and pick them up every day. Cindy discovered how to best keep them occupied and calm during the ride home. She had to sit in the back seat close to the kids and entertain them. So we sang songs and looked for flags, elephants in the woods and anything else we could think of to distract them. Close to home there is the town of Waterford which was established in 1733. It's a nice little town with narrow streets. And all through the town along the main road there were American flags flying. We distracted the kids by asking them to help us look for flags ever time we got to Waterford. They got really good at it. Every day we would look for flags. They even looked for flags after we were gone. Anything to keep them busy so they wouldn't cry or bother each other.

During our visit I was able to mow the lawn two times. I enjoyed mowing with the riding mower. I also did some other jobs that needed to be done. Cindy did her jobs and I did mine. The last night we were there we watched a movie and then it was time for bed. I was hurrying down to bed when I slipped and fell down the stairs. The next thing I knew I was on the ground moaning and groaning because I hurt really bad. Cindy and Matt heard my moans and the thud and came to investigate. Matt took charge and called 911. The next thing I knew I was being talked to by EMTs.  They asked me how I was doing and so on and so forth. Anyway they moved me onto a gurney and wheeled me out the back of the house in the light rain and up the lawn to the ambulance. Then there was the 20-minute ride to the hospital. Every bump hurt. I don't remember much about the hospital. I remember having an IV then waking up at Matt's house back in Lovettsville.

An x-ray showed that I had broken my humerus bone up by the shoulder in 3 places.

So with my arm in a sling and my foot in a funny shoe Cindy and I flew home. Here I am 2 weeks later laid up at home hardly able to do anything which I have found very frustrating. Every day I notice some improvement so I know I am healing.

It has been an interesting summer.

LIGHTHOUSE POTTERY

My last pottery project was a lighthouse for Cindy.It was fun to work on. 

I rolled out a slab of clay so I could make a cone first. The pottery lab has press that can take a block of clay and flatten it out as thin as you need. After that piece I rolled out another piece to wrap around the bottom of the cone for the stonework. Once those two pieces were melded together I worked on the copula. Altogether the lighthouse was in 4 pieces. The copula was in 3 pieces. 

I dropped and broke one of the copula pieces after it was fired and fragile and had to make another one. I textured the section of stones and around the main body like I wanted. I used a piece of plastic that I believe was once a toy part. There is a whole bin of different things that were re-purposed for the texture. Then when the texturing was all ready I glazed it. 

To glaze there are a great number of colors to choose from. You choose the color you want, stir up the bucket containing that glaze and when it is the right texture you dunk your piece in it - a quick in and out.

The copula was all black while the main body was to be white. Once all the pieces were fired I found out that the glaze ran a bit so it looks like it is partially cover in snow and ice. No problem. It is simply winter. 

I brought it home and was excited about giving it to Cindy. She was out of town so I had time to finish it. IT WAS THEN I BROKE IT INTO 3 PIECES. I wanted it to sit flat and not lean but some glaze had dripped unto the bottom and fuzzed there creating a bump that caused it to lean.

I found out that a hack saw doesn't cut through glazed pottery. Using a hammer and chisel wasn't a good alternative. One too many taps broke it apart. I was in the process of finishing this present and I BROKE IT INTO PIECES. Now what?

It just so happened that I had purchased epoxy to glue the copula to  the top of the lighthouse so I mixed it up and glued everything back together. It worked. Now using acrylic paint I touched up the cracks, added the yellow for the light and black painted dowels to finish the copula. I made some doors out of plastic and glued them inside. It was work but fun. 

I got the lighthouse to sit flat before Cindy got home.
I believe I'll do more pottery next Fall.

MOAB, UTAH GETAWAY

A getaway out of town seemed in order so Cindy and I decided to go to Moab, Utah to visit Arches and Canyonland National Parks. It turned out to be a great decision.

It is a 7 hour drive from here west over the mountains. We drove through slushy conditions in the mountains in to a beautiful day driving through some beautiful country.

We got there around 4pm and decided to right to Arches National Park 5 miles or so from Moab.

On the way to Moab

They were rappelling down the side.

The next day was supposed to be windy and overcast but was not bad at all. We spent a number of hours in Canyonlands NP. It looks very much like the Grand Canyon. It was a great day.

On the weekend Moab filled up with bikers, hikers, people in jeeps and ATVs plus some RVs. The place was bustling. We visited some shops and just enjoyed ourselves.

Our trip home was great. We left warm sunny skies and around Vail, CO ran into snow and cold which was the case when we arrived home.

We had a nice getaway.

MANTEL CLOCK

This Arts n Crafts Mantel Clock is my latest project. 

Cindy and I were sitting with our laptops doing our own thing when I came across this clock design on Pinterest. I immediately showed Cindy and we both agreed that we liked it. So I visited the website it came from and ordered the plans.

It was fun to make. I believe it turned out great.

The hardest part was staining it. I decided that staining can turn out nice but it is messy and you have no guarantees it will turn out how you envisioned it.

My wall-art wooden geared clock really looks nice but at the moment it does not work. Having said that I continue to tinker with it and plan to start a different design wooden geared clock pretty soon. 

A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN FEBRUARY

Today is Saturday, February 17 and it is beautiful outside.
It is a day of warm 55 degree breezes with a clear blue sky.

I had a bad cold for most of the week and didn't really feel good enough to get out. By today I felt like I needed to get out. So out to lunch at Fazolis and then for a walk along the South Platte River which winds its way through Littleton a 10 minute drive from home.

Cindy and I love walking here along the river. Along with the river there are a couple of lakes to enjoy. There are almost always bikers and hikers out strolling the same paved trail we are on. 

Today we saw a number of bikers and hikers. There were also fisherman trying their luck. A few had waders on and stood out in the midst of things. There were ducks to see, shimmering water, a rabbit or two, brown vegetation and a bit of snow in the shadows  but a promise of new life to come once the Spring comes. It is still February after all.

It felt good to get out.

JACKSON EVERETT THOMPSON

It certainly is true that babies come when they are ready and usually not before.

Grandson #4 or grandchild #7 better known as Jackson Everett Thompson decided it was time finally to come and introduce himself to his family but he certainly was a bit stubborn about it. 

His due date was Feb. 2. Well, I put Feb. 2 in my calendar to remind me of his birthday since babies come when we want them to come, right? He decided not to come then. Back home from the hospital Laura and BJ went. They waited and waited and still no Jackson. He wasn't ready. Teachers at Lily and Ben's school were asking, "do you have a baby brother yet?" and the answer was "not yet." Laura and BJ conferred with the doctor and decided that  they would give him a few more days to make up his mind BUT he was going to come that next weekend.

So back to the hospital Laura and BJ went. I should mention that Cindy and I were babysitters for the other grandkids while everyone waited.

Finally on Saturday, Feb. 10th at 9pm, Jackson was ready. He came and has already made himself at home.

Welcome to the family Jackson. We love you.

Ben & Lily are so proud.

Ryan is curious.

Grandpa J is getting comfortable.

 

POTTERY 101 - SESSION 3 - ROPES

In 5th grade we rolled out clay into ropes to wind into bowls. In this class we used an extruder which oozed out the clay into long ropes. Much easier and uniform.

Once Amy gave us some ideas off we went. By this class each of us had a bit more confidence in what we could do.

Using a mold ropes were then placed over the top.

Slowly building.

An example of what can be done.

When you attach clay to another piece of clay you use what is called "scratch to attach." The following is an example.

This ruffs up the surface so that the pieces attach easier. You can also use a mud made of clay and water that acts like a mortar. 

If you start your bowl inside a mold it can be left there to dry. Drying clay shrinks. Since the bowl is inside the mold it will simply get slightly smaller and be fine. Projects done on the outside of a mold have to be removed right after completion to dry.

I decided to venture out a bit and worked on a bowl made of rolled ropes. It was fun but a bit tricky. I had to scratch to attach each of those rolls to each other.

This picture is from before I put on a bottom. I hope it stays together and dries well.

POTTERY 101 - SESSION 2 - PINCH POTS

Pinch pots. That is what we worked on today. It is really simple. Even YOU can do it.

I took about 1 lb. of clay and made it into a ball. Then I stuck my thumb in the center as far down as I could. Then with my thumb in that hole it was a simple matter of pinching the clay to form the sides of a bowl. It really is that simple. By pinching around and around a bowl is finally formed.

Now is when you decide what shape you want your bowl. The shape is controlled by how you pinch. By pinching with a lifting motion your bowl will elongate up. By pinching up and out your bowl will start to flair out.

Do you simply want a bowl like a cereal bowl found in your cupboard or more of a drinking glass? Your chose.

Instructor made

Instructor made - cute

Student made

Mine - the neck WAS 2 inches longer then I moved it. A mutant giraffe.

Maybe you want to be a bit more creative.

A mirror I created for Cindy. NOT a POT.

DRONE

Ever since seeing my first drone I have been intrigued. They fly so steady and many can take pictures. You see them more and more now a days. I remember seeing a couple of them at the 4th of July fireworks Cindy and I went to.

Well I got a small one for Christmas. I was so excited. How would I do? Would I be able to use the controls or would it be too difficult for me? I don't play video games since I find it a bit difficult to handle the controls. Lily and Ben both got the same drone and they can fly theirs and they are 8 and almost 6 so I was determined to fly mine.

Well I charged it up and turned it on (or at least I thought I did) but nothing happened. That was discouraging. I worked on it a while and but finally put it aside. The next day I tried again. Upon further inspection I discovered a tiny switch on the side of the drone I had missed. Upon switching it on lights started blinking and I got the drone to fly.

I was like a kid again. Woohoo it is fun. I thought our kitten Callie would go after it but she was more wary of it much to my relief. I'm having fun learning to hone my skills. Maybe I can get a job delivering packages for Amazon in a few years.

POTTERY 101

Today I joined a pottery class.
I've wanted to try my hand at a number of things over the years but the time was never right. You know how that goes. I would like to learn how to line dance or ballroom dance. Maybe I could learn how to paint. My mom showed me how to knit and crochet way back when. Sister Barbara does some amazing stuff with gourds, needlepoint, quilting.  Now that I am retired I have the time. So when Cindy was reading through a publication from the rec centers here in Highlands Ranch telling about various things we could sign up for I was interested. Now was my chance. I signed up for Hand Pottery For Beginners.

I was all excited about my first class. We meet 4 Mondays for 3 hours. I didn't know what to expect. Remember how in grade school we made little pots by rolling out cylinders of clay and then connected those cylinders in such a way that they became a pot? I expected we would be doing that since I am a  beginner and this was hand pottery. I was wrong.

There were 9 of us - 8 women and myself. Each of those women already had experience and many knew each other so I got a lot of individual attention from Amy, our instructor.

It was fun. We were shown how to roll out clay with a great big press that would really be nice to have when rolling out lefse. Once our clay was rolled out we were shown how to put patterns in the clay using various things. One woman used pine needles and small pine cones pressed into her clay. It was beautiful. Amy showed us how to drape clay over a small balloon to help shape it. We used various tools to work with it also. I ended up making 2 bowls.

Next week we will fire them I believe. At some point we will learn how to glaze them. I know I'm missing a step or so  but I will write about that after next week's class.

Bowl 2 shaped in bowl

Bowl 1 shaped around balloon

Giant press

Hedgehog one of the women had previously made