Lamp Post Envy

Matt and Allison Peabody bought a nice granite lamp post for their Dad, Jim Bob Peabody. Tommy O and I helped Jim and Matt to raise it and it really looks great in front of their house.
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Now, guess what?
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Joanne wants a new lamp post.
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I should have seen it coming.... but I have to admit, it is a good idea. She picked out this Azek PVC model which I like too. I may decide to buy the stock and build it, using the extra stock to build a cuppola from the Azek as well.
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I'll build another cupola for Jim-Bob so that he doesn't think that we're trying to steal his thunder.

Success

To laugh often and much;

To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;

To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;

To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;

To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;

To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.

This is to have succeeded.

---
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Memorial Day Weekend

I'm a litttle ashamed and embarrassed at myself.
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All I could think of looking forward to this weekend is three days off.
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But the ability to enjoy those three days in peace and freedom, without having a German, Japanese or Russian telling me exactly what I could do with them is the true focus for this weekend.
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What a different, and dark world it would be today without the extraordinary actions and sacrifices made by the past generations of Americans in the Armed Services. The fact that I am writing this Blog in English and not German, and can say whatever I want without governmental repression.... this alone is testament to their services to us and America.
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I think of my father, who was blown off a ship in World War II, and spent a year in the Veteran's Hospital, my grandfather who was gassed in a trench in World War I, and my father -in-law, who was wounded by a Chinese artillery shell and held as a prisoner of war in Korea.
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It was the actions and sacrifices of these and millions of other men and women, who have given me the audacity to expect three carefree days of peace and relaxation this Memorial Holiday weekend.
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Have a great, fun, peaceful weekend.... but take the time to remember exactly why you are able to do so.... and give some thoughts and prayers to those who sacrificed for you.

Tuna Lips said...

and don,t for a minute think that Hassan the camel trader would like nuttin' better than to have your lilly white tookus muling around his figs and carpets whilst he watches good ole made in the USA porn. Cant have one without the other.

Help a vet, and pray for thems that fell so we might have our days in the sun.

Adjustments

I made a major change in Will's Toychest design today. The base that seemed so right in my head made the chest look too bulky and tall when I actually built it. So I eliminated it and simplified the design. It looks much better, and now I'm progressing to final sanding.
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The discarded chest base was used to create a display shelf for the antique bottles that we excavated ten years ago from the original Sundance Pre-School site, which was an apothecary, then a clam shack before becoming the florist shop that we demolished to build the school.
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It would be possible to get all of the toychest sanding done tomorrow, apply a sealer coat of clear epoxy and be ready for spray varnish when the Tender is ready next week or so. But I have to carve Will's initials on the inside lid and that will take some time.
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I don't want to cut any corners on this project, and have taken every step I know to strive for perfection. This one is turning out well, but they'll be other chances to build chests for grandkids yet to be born.

Three Day Weekend

I'm only a few conference calls and some accounting work away from a long three day weekend. The weather report is aces. Looks like summer temps are kicking in.
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The WhaleEye hasn't been launched so that we'll be giving quite a few fish a stay of execution until a future weekend. Then all bets are off, because fish will die this season.
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I'm just going to lay low and stay around the hood. Both Mike and Kate talked about dropping by, and we have Little Will on Sunday and Monday. Looks like there is a great chance to get all of the sanding done on the Tender and Will's Toychest so that I can begin the spray varnishing next week.
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BTW, yesterday, I completed my second running workout on the tread mill with NO KNEE PAIN!
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If I can get some quality workouts in over the weekend, then maybe I can salvage the attempt at the Marine Marathon this October.

Week 20 - POTW

A huge day for Nanepashemet Telecom.... picked up a nice contract from one customer and a long awaited purchase order from another. The big one is right around the corner. I can sense it.

Announcing...
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 20th week of 2008

• Jon Lester
• Rich Berliner
• Will Murray
• Kelley Clark
• Bianca de la Gaza
• Ray Allen

Can't wait to check my email tomorrow.

Return to Normalcy

So Kristi Yamaguchi emerged victorious in Dancing With The Stars. I called that one episodes ago. I'm glad it's over though. Time to resume my manly role as a manly man, untainted by attention to a ballroom dancing diversion.

Tuna Lips said...

You call a jap winning anything on Americanish tv normalcy? What next, you gonna open up a 'gay care center' so all the chilluns can get learnt up on not being normal?

Cause for Concern

Peeps...
There are a couple of points of concern that I have to bring to your attention today.
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First... I did not throw a No-Hitter yesterday for the Red Sox against the Kansas City Royals. It was Jon Lester, not John Nestor. The fact is that I've never even pitched for the Red Sox. So stop all of the congratulatory emails and voicemails. You know how annoyed this makes me.
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And Second.... I've just recently found out that Dale Johnson, aka "Buck", was noted as the best marksman in his Army battalion. Buck with a rifle. That is definitely cause for concern.

Coming Together

Day Two of a diverse and busy week at Nanepashemet Telecom. Several completely different projects are coming together at the same time - pretty weird.
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Of course it all won't pan out as I imagine it. If it did, I'd be looking for loft space with a loading dock near a water put in for my ultimate Nanepashemet Boatbuilding business pretty soon.
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That will happen sooner or later... but sooner is definitely preferable.
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BTW, Will's Tool Chest is already finished... mentally in my head. I'm happy with the design. Now all I have to do is complete it with some solid craftsmanship. Since I'm not working with a printed plan, the mental part is the hard part.

Finals

Between the Celtics going to the Eastern Conference Finals, and the Finals of Dancing with the Stars, I'm afraid that I might go on overload this week. Too much excitement and pressure!

Convergence

The lid for Will's Toy Chest came out very well and the design of mahogany and oak accents was successful. I borrowed this design element from the breasthook of the Herreshoff Tender and the hardwood seat that I had to re-fabricate after Jim Peabody inadvertently karate chopped the original cedar one.
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The mahogany has some stress cracks, but these will be sealed by the absorption of the first coat of epoxy.
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I also sanded out the dovetails but was less than 100% satisfied because the fit was not as precise as I would have liked for a project of this importance. The gaps were filled with a glue and sanding dust putty that will cause the flaws to disappear, but I know that they are there and a juried woodworker will see them.
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The vast majority of you Peeps won't have a clue, so I guess I shouldn't get pissed off with myself about it.
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The project will be completed well before Will's birthday in mid-June, but I'm rushing it because I want to spray it with multiple coats of marine varnish while the Tender interior is also being varnished, and I'd like to launch the Tender as soon as possible.
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Both projects will be completed with the varnishing at the same time.

Clean Up Your Act

My Mother use to say that "Cleanliness is next to Godliness." Not sure where she got that from.
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But if cleanliness is next to Godliness, then my garage must be right next to Hell.
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That is one filthy place.
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I glued and clamped the dovetails on Will's Toy Chest today, but the bulk of the day was spent trying to clean and get order in the garage. It looks pretty good to me now, but to the untrained eye, it still must resemble a chaotic pigsty.
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The day ended right though when Tommy and Linda O'Shea came over with some natural casing hot dogs that we grilled with chicken wings and kielbasa... chased down with some Dark and Stormies.

POTW Week 20

We finally broke down and had our cat Roenick groomed. He was really gross with clumps of fur that contained who knows what. So he spent the afternoon at the Kitty Spa. You can tell that he feels pretty hot right now.

ANNOUNCING...
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 20th Week of 2008

• Sarah Crawford
• Ted Bruschi
• Steve Spillane
• Stacey Butler
• Charles Sheen
• Nick Herz

I could use a decent grooming myself one of these days.

Tuna Lips said...

Comes to groomin', whatsoever you does, dont lets em shave your man parts. Why once, I was passing time with some some seemingly decent gents, and we took to tales of grooming and what passed for fashion at the time. This after several white wine spritzers. Next thing I knowed I was garbed in latex and gettin' my nuts shaved by a tattooed feller with a pierced foreskin named Reggie. Castro district has got nuttin'; to do with Fidel. Jeepers.

Cancellation and Obsession

Both of my morning meetings were cancelled today, and I was already out past route 128 when I got the first cancellation. So I used the time to go to Rockler Woodworking in Danvers and picked up the safety closers and piano hinge for Will's Toy chest. I also got a great deal on some Freud router bits, that I really didn't need.
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It's true that I am dangerous in a tool store or on Amazon at night. I have no idea why I have bought some of the tools that I have. I suppose that irrational tool buying is a better vice than most obsessions but it's still bad.

Asian Catastrophes

What's with the massive loss of life from earthquakes and hurricanes in Asia? 100,000 dead from a typhoon in Burma... 20,000 dead from an earthquake in China.
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Doomsday prophets might give this as evidence that we come closer to the "End of Days".
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I think that's hogwash.
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As the earth has become a global village via the Internet and other communication media, obscure provinces in China become next door neighbors. In 1916, a meteorite hit Siberia with the force of 1000 nuclear explosions. Nobody knew about it for 10 years. That could never happen today.
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At any rate, thousands of people dying in natural catastrophes seems to be more of a 3rd world phenomenon. Katrina in New Orleans left 1800 dead.... a relatively low number compared to the carnage in Asia.
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The only thing I can think of for the exponential Asian loss of life is a difference in building codes between the two cultures.

Project Progress

In between some great Nanepashemet Telecom calls today, I sanded the panels to Will's chest and cut the dovetail tails on the front and back panels. Tomorrow I will rout the pins and assemble the carcass.
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I showed the panels to Joanne with the combination of oak and mahogany. She was impressed. That's good because she normally has no trouble telling me if something that I've done sucks.
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I also received the Epiphanes Varnish from Jamestown Distributors. That gives me no excuse in finishing the Tender refit.

Project Status

I'd appreciate it if you'd slack off a little on all of the annoying emails asking me how the projects are coming. I'm happy to keep you informed, but the constant inquiries are starting to get on my nerves. Yesterday, I even snapped at Katelyn!
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Yes, Will Nestor's Toychest is coming along fine. All of the side panels have been have been cut, biscuit joined and glued. The next step is to rough sand the panels, then cut the dovetails. The rough assembly of the carcase should be done by the weekend. Then I have to figure out what the lid and base assembly will look like. I've got a month to get this project done... so no problem.
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The Herreshoff Columbia Yacht Tender seasonal fit out is also progressing nicely. Yesterday, I epoxied all of the seat seams and touched up any areas where the epoxy failed. I also epoxied some reinforcing fiberglass to some stress points in the bottom of the hull. Three quarts of Epiphanes Clear Gloss Marine Varnish is on order from Jamestown Distributors, and I will spray this on the interior when I have scraped and sanded the epoxy touchups. Then I'll turn over the hull, attach the brass bar to the keel, and spray a few coats of varnish on the outside hull. Can't see the launch happening before June, but it has to look good so I can impress all of my new friends at the Boston Yacht Club.
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The Chamberlain Marblehead Gunning Dory is another story. I keep promising to join the frames to the bottom, and I have them all laid out, but I haven't progressed due to the urgency of the top two projects. When I get some receivables from Nanepashemet Telecom, I'll buy that 8 HP Honda 4 Stroke Outboard from Ryan Marine, and the project will gather some steam, because the engine will require some design modications in the Dory plan. I want the motor to tilt up into the hull and will need to check the mounting and make provisions for the gas tank. I realistically can't see any movement on this until mid-June, after Will's chest is complete.
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So now you should be happy enough. You're completely updated on the status of the projects, so ease up on the emails.

Dr. Jim

Jim Bob Peabody came by yesterday and told me that my knee problem is probably a torn ligament. He must be right. After all, he is a trained respiratory therapist.
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I was really hoping that it would work itself out. In fact, it starts to feel fine when I regularly bike on the Cybex. But running brings that pain back.
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Surgery can't be an option if I'm to make it to the Marine Corps Marathon this October. I've got to figure this out.

Piscabo said...

Don't look at it as a problem. It can and is empowering if you let it. For instance, that pint of Cherry Garcia and that Kettle of Mac n' Cheese, those go unattended if you are out there training. The boat? Same thing. While your knee injury may shut one door, it opens so many others. Seize this opportunity. You can do it.

Mother's Day Wish

Happy Mother's Day to all of my Peeps who are mother's. I know that a whole bunch of you are pregnant as well. All of Ryan's friends seem to be entering parenthood as well as a number of Katelyn's.
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I suppose you want me to say something profound here concerning the "Circle of Life" or something like that.
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That's just too much pressure.
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This is a Blog.... it's not inspirational philosophy on demand!!!
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Granted, I know that every once in a while, I make a point to ponder. But this isn't one of those times. Plus I'm watching an episode of "Yankee Workshop", and it's hard to have deep thoughts while watching Norm Abram sand a piece of teak wood.
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So a wish of "Happy Mother's Day" will have to suffice for now. Joanne is in a great mood. All of her kids are home, and we'll have a clambake at the end of the day. Ryan has the Lobsters, and I have to come up with some Clams. For Joanne, every day is a Happy Mother's Day when her kids are around... and grandkids are the frosting on the cake.
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BTW, if you regularly come to the Nanepashemet Blog for your helping of inspirational guidance, then you must be mentally starving by now.

Tuna Lips said...

I echo those sayings, and give a mega dittos to the praise for mommas around the globe. Though she is singin' with the angels, my mammy is near to me in my time of need, and utters her loving words which were really only meant to learn me things. I recall them frosty nights, her setting down after a long day of driving the plow, and then dance lessons with the local preacher, and after she served us little ones a fricasee o' possum and crow, her sittin' by the firelight, mud smear on her chin, hair all mussed up, blushin' as pappy serendaded her with "I'll Pass You my Moonshine if You Shows Me Yer Jugs". Many rivers have been crossed since those halcionic days, but this remains true: momma kept our feets shod and our tummies full, our neighbors at bay and the coppers on her side the law. Blessins to you momma. Little TL is now growed big, with white in his hair and unnatural emulsion from my unmentionables. But I will abide, for I knows you loves me and will make it all okay.

Bonus Saturday

Today looks like a bonus. It was supposed to rain, but instead, it will be cloudy and forty degrees.
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I'll take it.
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My plan is to glue up some panels for Will's toychest, then powerwash the Tender, then get a workout in on the Cybex..... all before noon. Then I'll see how the rest of the day plays out. Maybe I'll epoxy the frames on the Dory bottom.