Workbench Project

When we bought the minivan it became obvious that the garage would need reorganising as it is a very tight fit, and it’s almost impossible to get at any tools while the van is in the garage. We’ve got a lot of carpentry to be done in the not too distant future, so a workbench with easy access, and one that I can mount my power tools on is needed.

The Plan

Over the past couple of months I’ve designed, what I hoped would be a practical fold away workbench. Last week I settled down to actually make it.

The plan (produced with Google SketchUp)

The Materials

We went to Lowes to get the stuff needed to build the workbench; though of course, nothing is that simple. Before I’m finished I’ve got to fit two new receptacles (mains sockets) one half switched for the lighting over the bench and the other half for the garage door opener. This means I’ve had to learn from scratch how electrical work is done in the US. And it is completely different from the UK. Not a screw terminal in sight.

However, My biggest problem shopping this time was finding screws. They just don’t have any sort of a selection at Lowes. I feel really stupid and very demoralised when such a simple a thing as buying fastenings takes over an hour and I come away with what I feel is substandard items. This is a constant an unexpected aspect of emigrating. It’s undermining, depressing, and very unsettling when you come to realize that things most people take for granted one has no knowledge of. It is quite literally like being a child again. There is so much that has to be unlearned and learned over. At least the van proved that it can (just) take 8′ x 4′ sheets.

Back to the screws: we later went to another store, which has reassuring B&Q looking colours and lo and behold, they had a stock of decent screws (German). So at least I now know they do exist.

Construction

Not only did the workbench have to be made, but while I was working on that, Ginger filled holes in the wall, tidied the wall up and re-painted it.

The first thing I had to do was make a temporary workbench so I could build the workbench. Then cut all the lumber (as timber is called here) to length ready for the big assembly job. My two roller stands weren excellent, allowing me to handle eight foot lengths of 10″ x 2″ timber with ease. They’d be worth the full price, but fortunately I bought the pair for $5 at a Garage sale.

Setting out ready for gluing. Note the nice newly painted walls

Almost finished. I must take a picture of the completed bench

16 November 2009 |

Alas poor Nikon we knew him well

With the mirror locked up it is easy to see the jammed shutter leaf in my camera. I am resisting the temptation to poke it. The local camera shop doesn’t do repairs – so it’s off to Nikon land. Fingers crossed it will be fixed quickly. I also enquired about getting my OM1 fixed (sticky shutter too). They don’t know of anywhere

This could have been worse as I was supposed to shoot a Christening last Sunday, but I wasn’t informed until after the event. Whoops! I have another Christening to do in a couple of weeks. I’ll have to borrow a camera. It won’t be the first time.

Cutting wood & splitting logs

I’ve spent a couple of Saturdays helping my friend Tom cut wood and split logs for his wood burning furnace. To get through the winter he needs a lot of wood. We couldn’t go back to place where we were cutting wood last week because (of all things) they are using the cleared area besides the woods for helicopter rides. Tom had hoped to get down there today, but we couldn’t do that either because today they are practicing landing and taking off.

Luckily he found someone with a downed tree on a building plot just outside of Springfield, so off we went. The morning was spent cutting up the small stuff, and clearing the brush away. We had quite a few problems with the chainsaws, the chain kept coming off of one and the other kept cutting out, but we managed to get the small stuff cleared and three quarters of a pick-up load. We needed a bigger saw to cut the main trunk, so we took what we had back to Tom’s, picked up his bigger and more reliable saw, and came back for a second load.

We took Alek along to help out, as school was out today. He did a great job clearing away brush, loading the truck and he split a few logs too.  Tom did ask him if he wanted to move the truck, he didn’t want to, and I don’t blame him either.  Neither did I, as it meant reversing it with a trailer attached!

Tom’s been cutting wood for years so I should try not to beat myself up too much when I miss with the axe, or fail to split the logs. Tom has loads of energy, and seems quite happy to show me how to do things right. I ‘m learning a lot thanks to Tom. Despite only going out cutting wood three times,  I’m better with the chainsaw, and I can, on occasion, manage to split logs.

Alek splits a log

Considering it is November, it was hot, up in the seventies, today. I even managed to get a slight sunburn. It was really good to be working outside, and I enjoy Tom’s company. I even enjoy the aches afterwards. I just wish I could follow through with some exercise time at the YMCA gym, so that I really felt some benefit. Anyway, another three or four days cutting wood should get enough wood to see Tom through the winter. Tom says he’s going out again tomorrow. Tomorrow I won’t be able to help as I’m going to be helping close down the Church camp for the winter, and we have Fireworks night in the evening to look forward to.

Busiek State Forest and Wildlife Area

I went cutting wood with Tom yesterday; he’d found a place about 25-30 miles South of Springfield on Highway 65 where there were several trees that had been brought down in the ice storm two or three years ago. Despite the terrain being difficult and the wood hard to get and split into logs, we did quite well, with the truck full to the point that the springs were flat, and the trailer Tom’s friend ‘Hooker’ brought along was two thirds full of large logs we couldn’t or didn’t have the energy to split. On the way back I noticed a state park which looked like a good place to visit.

At home I did some investigating and found we had some details in our hiking guides. This (Sunday) afternoon, waiting for the bus with the Youth Group kids (and Katie) to arrive I was chatting to Mike, who it transpired, had visited the Park the previous week, and that convinced me we should give it a try.

It took a bit to persuade Ginger to give up a Sunday afternoon nap for a hike, but I succeeded and off Ginger, Lanie and I went.

Busiek State Forest and Wildlife Area is 18 miles south of Springfield, so it’s nice and close, and has what the guides call ‘primitive’ camping facilities. It looked good to me. All of them were near the creek and had cleared areas and a fixed fireplace. Knowing the going would be wet, I decided to stick with sandals and hope there was no poison ivy or such to walk through.

We found the creek very quickly, and despite the recent rain it was very clear, and there were clear signs that the banks had overflowed. We discovered later that the two bridges over the creek had been washed away in September.

The trails are color coded, and quite well marked, though the recent rains had brought down most of the leaves so the paths themselves were covered in places. We found one place to cross the creek where the river ran over bare rock. But the bank opposite was quite steep so we went on to the place where the bridge should have been and crossed there. No problem for me in sandals, but as Ginger had to take her hiking boots off, she had problems with the very sharp stones in her bare feet.

Where we should have forded the creek

After crossing the Creek the trail went up into the hills rising about 2-300 feet, and we had a long walk along the hillsides, occaisionally having to make way for people on horseback.

When we finally got to the creek again, back at the parking lot, we discovered that there should have been a bridge there too, but that had been washed away as well. The creek bed was stony again, so I went ahead and got Ginger’s sandals from the van. Of course that meant I crossed the creek four times, while one lucky couple got a horse ride across.

The hike proved a bit long for Lanie, but Ginger and I enjoyed it. I think we’ll be going back as there are still plenty of trails to explore.

Glade Top Trail

We’ve been planning to ‘do’ the Glade Top Trail for most of the summer. It is supposed to be especially good once the fall color has started. The weather’s not been co-operating recently, and it looked like this would be our last chance to see the trail before the leaves dropped. Also the trail is near Ginger’s parents, and Carol had asked for some help setting up her new computer, so a visit was required. We packed the girls in the van and set off for the day. Before we left we managed to acquire another kid in the form of Abi, from down the road.

The Glade Top Trail starts just south of Ava, so a lunch halt at the Subway in Ava seemed sensible. I took advantage of our short break to get a picture of the ‘Ava Blog’ sign I’ve been laughing at for months.

We had a bit of difficulty finding the start of the trail, but that was down to us rather than any problems with the instructions or a lack there of. The trail itself is around thirty miles of unmettled gravel road running along hill ridges in the Mark Twain National Forest

At the first stop on the trail

The kids had a run around while Ginger and I took pictures. The fall color, reds, browns and yellows seemed very impressive to me, though I’m assured that the color this year is not as good as in previous years.

There are several stopping places along the trail, and each one offered further photo opportunities.

It also seems that Lanie couldn’t resist a dancing session either.

Lanie Struts her stuff

Some views along the trail

Despite appearances this is not the trail of the lonesome pine.

According to the guide, there was a cave at the Caney Picnic Area, so we went off in search of it. A very kind family gave us a torch so that we could explore the cave, which despite a very low opening was high enough to stand up in and about 30 yards deep. At the very end we found a solitary bat.

To my surprise there were warning signs for bears at the picnic area; that should put people off camping. However, as I keep telling Lanie, we’d be alright, as we can run faster than she can.

We then  headed round to Ginger’s parents, where we sorted out the computer and sat and chatted the remainder of the afternoon away. It was well past dark when we’d finally driven the eighty odd miles back to Springfield.

Of course the above idylic scene skips over all the whining, pouting and arguments that took place between siblings, and the point at which I lost my cool and insisted on silence. Or was that another trip? They are all scarily similar in this regard when it comes to transporting kids.

High School Orchestra Concert

The High School Freshmen Orchestra

What with Lanie’s PTA and Musical on Tuesday, Choir, youth group and KFC (Kids for Christ) on Wednesday, Thursday saw us at the High School. So it’s been quite a week. We were watching Katie in  a Concert by the Freshmen followed by the main School orchestra. It was very good, I’m really impressed by the investment the school and the kids put into music here.

PTA & Musical

Lanie, appropriately, played an Actress
in a musical about careers

This evening was Lanie’s school PTA meeting, which was mercifully short, followed by a fun musical about careers by the kids. It was well organised and performed, and also mercifully short. I’m told previous years’ events have been a bit drawn out and excessive. Not so this year.

I enjoyed it.

Council of the Churches of the Ozarks fortieth anniversary celebrations

Arriving at Drury University

After breakfast with Jim we had a brief wait at the Church before taking the girls to Drury University, where the Church Choir was joining forces with other childrens’ choirs to sign at the Council of the Churches of the Ozarks fortieth anniversary celebrations. The combined choir had never sung together so proceedings started with some rehearsals.

Breaking for lunch

After lunch it was straight into the formal part of the celebrations with lots of speeches, and the kids singing their bit.

We wait for the ’show’ to commence while a very fearsome
Ceiling Cat presides over the event.
The children sing and Lanie had a brief solo

That would be enough for any day, but we had to dash off to drop Lanie at the movies while we arrived late for a friend’s Eagle Scout Court of Honor. All in all a long day.

Breakfast Flickr Meet

Our Flickr and Facebook friend Jim detoured down to Springfield to say hello on his way home from a wedding shoot. We left the girls to do their choir duty and set Jim up for the drive home with a hearty Ozark breakfast at Aunt Martha’s.

Ginger has known Jim online for over three years, and I’ve known him via Flickr and Facebook for over two and a half years. It is a great honor to be able meet the people we’ve be-friended online in real life.

After breakfast we went back to Church to surprise Lanie and see Jim off on his way home. As old 365 days hands (some of us lapsed), of course we couldn’t turn down the opportunity of a multiple self portrait.

Here’s Gary’s picture:

Here’s Ginger’s picture:

A Saturday afternoon outing

Lanie had a birthday party to go to this afternoon, so we took her to the party and then ‘did’ a couple of Flea Markets to pass the time while she was off enjoying herself.

We arrived back at the party a few minutes early so Ginger got out her knitting, and I listened to a CD and took a quick Self Portrait while we waited.

For some reason my choice in music, TLC – Crazy Sexy Cool, was met with mirth.

Rather than go straight back home we decided to try out a short hike from a book we picked up from a recent garage sale. So off we went to the Sac River trail. It is supposedly primarily for mountain bikes, and so the trail is quite narrow and doesn’t fear crossing small creeks.

We’ve had several inches of rain in the past few days, so our walk was very wet with some slight flooding, and a lot of small creeks running. Fortunately we thought ahead and wore water / wet feet friendly sandals.

The Sac River Trail zig-zags around a lot, and what are probably normally dry creeks had water in them. We managed to cross the same creek several times in the course of our walk.

The best part of crossing the creeks is that is washes the mud off your sandals.

I waded a short way down the creek to take a couple of pictures. Fortunately the water wasn’t too cold. The second picture (above) was taken from a different vantage point by Ginger.

Ginger constantly spots cool things, and tries to teach me and the kids the names of all the plants. Unfortunately I have the memory of a sieve and promptly forget them.

It really was all very pretty on a cool-ish fall afternoon.

“Gary, can you carry these rocks, leaves, galls, fossils and a nut in your bag?”
Lanie asked Ginger first, but it seems I carry the purse in this family so Ginger told her to ask me.

After a while we started climbing and looping away from the river. It was still very wet and muddy but the landscape and plants changed rapidly.

At the top of the hill were several cedar glades. We got an introduction to way more ecosystem biology than we bargained for.

The last part of the trail; which circumnavigated the entire park, ran down alongside the I-13. While it looks peaceful, with trucks and cars running full speed about 100 yards away it wasn’t very quiet.