The wine rack

 I just noticed it has been a while since I posted an update. I have finished the wine rack, it came out pretty nice, unfortunately it is to big for the client so I am building another one, at least it will keep me busy during the winter. I am selling the other one, so if your interested drop me a line.

As winter approaches I always try to stay positive, I love the holidays but it is the long stretch from New years eve and April that is a long time. I don't partake in winter activities because I don't like the cold, so I will be building some tables and spice racks and other things to keep busy. I will be starting college in January which is another thing to look forward to.

Here is hoping everyone had a great thanksgiving, and you have a great Christmas. Be good to each other.

The rain barrel

So you want a rain barrel to use for watering around the house and the garden.  First you need to find a container to hold the water.  There are many ways to do this, from a trash can, to a farm container.  We decided to use the latter, because they are bigger and come already plumbed.  Now finding one can be a challenge.  Using Craigslist we found a lot for around $100, which was more than we were willing to pay.  Finally we found a farmer that was selling them for $20.00...BINGO...So after driving to pick it up the next step was to level the ground.  Now if you are going to do this, you need to ensure the ground is Level (reasonably speaking) or you build a platform for it.  The next step was to alter the down spout to direct the water into the bin, then seal it with some steel wool to keep mosquitoes out.  Then we waited for a rain...and rain it did.  We filled the tank with one overnight rain, of course when you do this you need to put an overflow pipe on it so that when it is full it does not come out the top.

Now we are able to capture 275 gallons of water, and reuse it for watering.  There is pretty good pressure in it when it is full, due to the fact the drain is on the downhill side.  Next spring of course I will have to build a box to hide it, but fortunately for us it blends nicely into the hill side.

Life after the trip

Well I survived the 4,000 mile trip to Texas, and there were only 2 casualties my parent's table and a trailer tire.  While there, the temp was in the mid 90's each day which was real hard to take...

On the way back we had to stop at a couple places that were featured on DDD..

And did they have GREAT Hot Dogs...if your in West VA it is worth the stop.

I will be updating the wine rack real soon.

Be kind to everyone.

Southern Texas

Well we made it to McAllen Texas, 98% OT my folks stuff made it with no problem.  We had one small issue, we blew a tire, thank god for duel wheels.  It is a large country, we drove three days and never left this great country.  2000 miles in three days is a long way to go, but a beautiful ride.  We are going to Mexico today, sight see and rest before hauling tail back.

Well that's all for now, I will update when we get back.

Another project

So what's been happening since I last wrote?  Well a friend of mine asked me to make her a wine rack, so I have been working hard at getting to the point I feel comfortable putting the project aside while I go to Texas. Of course being the good business person I did not settle on a price, no contracts, nothing...but it is for a friend, I am sure it will all work out.

My folks left NY several days ago, and now are back in their new home state of Texas.   I will be leaving Monday to take their stuff to them in a Chevy Silverado, with a 12 foot trailer on the back, should be great on the gas mileage.

Here are some pics of the wine rack in progress:

The 'X' is a visual for me, have to figure out how to make it all fit together and look good at the same time.  So that's what I have been up to.  I will update folks on my trip across country, looking forward to a nice 4000 mile round trip.

Be good to one another.

The Blog

I was reviewing the statistics today on who is reading my post.  I wanted to see if anyone was viewing the post and where they were from.  Of course the US had the most page views, but to my suprise Russia was in second place.  When I was young, I had the opportunity to go to Russia and let me tell you, the people are great and the country is beautiful.  I know much has changed since I was there, but I would love to go back.  Germany was in third place, and having been stationed in Zweibrucken for three years all I can say is WOW, the beer was great the people were welcoming and friendly and it made for a great experience.

I am going to ask everyone a favor, could you drop me a note telling me a little bit about yourself, where you live your intrest and anything else you would like to share.  This will allow me to add more content.

Thanks and have a great day.

Moving on

Well I completed my first spice rack today of course using 100% reclaimed materials.  Just stained it, and will put on the sealant tomorrow.  One thing that I notice, the longer you make an object the less objective you become.  I guess it came out ok, but I am hoping someone would like it enough to buy it and take it to their home to give it new life.

 I talked to a friend today, and she asked if I could make a wine rack that would hold about 60 bottles of wine, have a top and she wants a place to hang glasses.  Of course I said sure, not 100% sure what I am going to do, but I do have some ideas.  I also heard from another friend who would like me to make a table. Once I hear back from him as to what he wants that will give me something else to work on.  If I get these things stacked up, by no time it will be Christmas.

Dropped the trailer off for the folks, getting ready to move them to Texas in about 2 weeks.  Should be a fun time.  Just hope that the price of gas drops, because I am going to use a couple of gallons along the way.

Well that's all for now, hope everyone had a good and safe weekend.  Talk to you soon.