Again, too long since last communique

Ok so i have again let too much time pass since the last blog post. Time to change the header, and make some more comments on life. So the new header is heralding spring. April showers, May flowers – you know.

These particular flowers are not mine, exactly. But they kind of are. Becuz i live in New York State.

View shows some of the many beautiful flower bed

See, the original European settlers of this area were from Holland, the Dutch. And so in the Capital of NY, Albany, the city has some amazing flower beds, and – if you love flowers, especially tulips, and can spare the time, the Albany Tulip Festival info is linked below:

https://www.albany.com/event/albany-tulip-fest-57960/

The dates are May 11,12 Sat & Sun. So my daughter took pictures at a previous tulip fest, and that’s where i got the new header. Boom!

So regarding comments on life, um i have something tasty coming soon. as in pictures of some food i cooked. This is the official teaser for another upcoming post. Now i am not a gourmet chef or anything like that. But here are a few hints about it: Big fork. Hot coals. Mustard.

Basement Remodel 02

So here are a few more pics from the basement job:

If u zoom in you can see the awesome, real barn wood from the family barn, over 100 yrs old.

The barn is due to be removed (sold) so this is a remnant of the family history.

 

Peek a Boo!  Mr Culligan Man likes this access to the water treatment filters, so he doesn’t have to crawl behind the wall from the W/D opening.

 

 

And speaking of the family, I send out a huge thanks to this family for allowing me to work for you.  Your understanding, appreciation, friendship mean the world to me.  THANK YOU!

A huge privilege to serve folks like y’all.   What a blessing to use my abilities and have your appreciation for the work done.  Enjoy the space!

 

Basement Remodel 01

OK so here r some pics of a basement remodel job i did this summer.  The basement was partially done b4, with boiler / storage area separated and office added.

The goal was to make the rest of the basement into completely finished space.

It involved moving W/D hookup/drain, gas line modification, framing in new back wall with W/D enclosure, sheet rock , cover center beam and exposed drain with frame/ sheet rock.  Suspended ceilings, Barn wood accent wall and wrap support columns with Barn wood.  The wood came from the customer’s barn, which is to be sold and moved.  Trimming done after customer installed the vinyl floor.  They also did all the painting.

If you compare the shot with the doors open to the picture farther away, you can see the joists b4 the suspended ceiling went in.  The smaller door leads to the boiler / storage area.  Also see how the enclosure of the center beam is wide on the empty side?  Drain pipe covered with the center beam.  The other door on the right leads to a Bilco outside entrance.  That side gets a Ping Pong table.

More later.

More Vacation in NH, 2nd post

This picture from my daughter’s FB.  There are loads of covered bridges in New Hampshire.  We drove over several as we went around the area.

Image may contain: tree, sky, plant, house, outdoor and nature

 

Again, credit to Sarah’s FB for the next photo:

That’s Son Aaron, and his daughter.  The stream is in the valley below the Cathedral Ledge Lookout.

Image may contain: tree, plant, sky, outdoor, nature and water

There isn’t any flatwater in this part of New Hampshire.  So forget about paddling.  Not much is flat at all, hey its in the White Mountains!  They r noted as the most rugged Mts in New England.

Now it’s not positive where the name came from.   But I’m going with the obvious:  Snowy peaks.

 

This Corn will Change Your Life

“Its just sweet corn”  you say?  But have you ever had sweet corn from Hayner’s Farm?  ??

WELL, HAVE YOU??    If you haven’t, you NEED to.

It’s fresh, picked daily M_Sat.  Sunday is the day of rest.

    

You need to get there early in the morning.  It’s put out around 9 am.  And it sells out

E-v-e-r-y DAY!!

Zoom in close to the husked corn – It’s perfect!!

Now get u some, cook it up, LOAD on the butter and salt.

THERE, admit it, your life is so much better now.

Case closed, best corn in the ‘verse!!

 

Vacation!! Granite State

Ok so i haven’t posted in way too long.  Just arrived home from VACATION in

New Hampshire – The Granite State!!

U like rock??  ok then you will like NH.

That’s a shot from what’s called Cathedral Ledge Lookout near North Conway, NH.  One of the natural wonders we enjoyed while staying in Bartlett NH.  I picked this to start posting about NH, because, well it’s Granite.  Huge Granite hunk o mountain.

The day was perfect weather and me and my offsprings were there to enjoy the view, just to be on the mount.  The great thing is you can drive up there.  Now if u r a rock climber, u can also come up “the hard way”.  If u enlarge this pic and look at the middle right side where the green is amid the stone, you can see some peeps doing just that.

But for me and mine, including 11 grandkids, oldies like me n Mar, and the rest, driving to the top made it accessible.  Here r pics of them and us :

Here is a view looking outward:

  The ski area is Cranmore.

So I highly recommend New Hampshire.  If you like nature, you will LOVE it there.

More NH stuff will follow.  But b4 i go, just a shout out to our dear friends,

Kevin and Mary Ellen Canty.  We have known them for eons, and just recently got to see them as NH is a favorite vacation place for them.  Awesome to spend a great afternoon with them.

Corning Barge 05

So here’s the (exciting?) conclusion.  After he attaches and shapes the handle, there is a sharp point where the semi molten glass was cut, or stretched, whatever.  Strategically applied torch melts the point and it smooths out.

Way too hot for hands

You got it ok??

Separated, its free!

Now we need sloooow coooling!

Safely inside

So the glass needs like a day to gradually cool down, they put it into this kiln that is, if i remember correctly, around 1000 degrees.  If it was left out to cool, that would be way to quick and the thermal stress would destroy it.  Anybody ever bust a glass or ceramic item by putting boiling water into something that was too cold?  Ya like that but i guess u could say, in reverse.

So they also make lots of colored glass at Corning, here’s a shot of some

Anyway, working with glass is kind of amazing.

You can buy stuff like you see here from the Corning web site

I don’t know which of the glass you see there is made at Corning, I think some is.  But they sell all kinds of glass stuff from all over the world.  There is a 4th of July sale on now, with free shipping.

Corning – its all about glass!!!!!!

Corning Barge 04

OK so now we need to add once more to our project, here is the master getting more glass for it

Get Ready!

Touchdown!!

Snipped off the right amount:

Forming it

Gravity Assist –

Both ends on

More forming

Voila!  Handle!

Though i have given lots of pics, to see this done in person is really something special.  Remember this guy is an apprentice, with 4 years experience.  Just getting started in his skill-set.  In fact just the show b4, these two dropped the project in a failed transfer – Shattered into a hundred pieces.  I spoke to the learner after and he said this was his first successful pitcher.  Awesome.

June 30, July 1 Little Falls. GO SEE IT

July 3, Ilion Hurry!!

 

Corning Barge 03

This is where it really starts to get cool.  Ya i know it already been pretty cool (well actually its HOT!)

Anyway look as the master gets more glass ready

Now he joins onto the ‘bulb’ with his piece, our apprentice lines it up

Hey look here!  now we detach from the original blowpipe, we have the piece by the other end!

Now reheat the piece, got more magic to perform

Now it time to pierce it!

Then he makes it wider

WIDER

Wider still –

The pear shape is gone!  This will not be a big light bulb.

So did you go see the barge??  HURRY its traveling away!

The 27th – Amsterdam. 28th Canajoharie.

June 30, July 1 Little Falls. GO SEE IT

Corning Barge 02

If you didn’t see the first Corning Barge post, check it first:  Here!

OK so after starting the glass project, our young glass worker starts to add some tool work to the job:

Then more heat, its back to the furnace for a minute

Next its some shaping and more blowing

What will it be??  Decorative Pear?  Light bulb?

Stay tuned for more!

Don’t forget to visit the Barge TODAY in WATERFORD

The 27th it will be in Amsterdam. 28th Canajoharie.

June 30, July 1 Little Falls.  GO SEE IT