Tuesday, June 16, 2009

I Can See The Barn Door

For the past few weeks, I have been meeting weekly with Bethany, who is making a viola and Jen who has started making a violin. It's nice to have time set aside to socialize and work on our instruments. Here is what I've got done on the neck. Next step is to prepare the finger board and glue it on.




This is what I've done on the F-holes on the front. They're coming along nicely. 



Now I shall introduce you to my next project. Last week, I cut out the back of my viola, I figured if I'm able to varnish my violin at my course this summer, I can work on the viola in between coats. Isn't the wood stunning?!

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Early Mornings

I can't imagine why anyone doesn't love early mornings. This was what I saw
this morning, just before 7:00.


These lazy loons were just floating around preening, and occasionally looking underwater.

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Friday, June 12, 2009

Back in The Blog-fam

After a lengthy absence .....

Devon's back ... she's at devonsmiles.blogspot.com.

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Thursday, June 11, 2009

The Home In$pection

When we put the conditional offer in on the house a week or so ago, the realtor strongly recommended a home inspection. We figured that he knows his stuff and if he strongly recommended it, we should take his advice.

I was expecting a half hour walk through and a bill.

Was I ever wrong.

There were two men who went over the place like a CSI team with their flashlights, shining in every nook and cranny, inspecting absolutely everything. They inspected the brick work, and looked for evidence of settling, water leaking, and various other brick related stuff that we knew nothing about. They climbed up on the roof, looked at chimneys and inside chimneys. I was amazed at how they told us all kinds of stuff before we even went inside.

They tested everything, all the appliances that are included, all the outlets, checked for stuff that we would have noticed over the course of the first month of moving in. They pointed out anything that wasn't building code compliant.

We were thoroughly impressed. Our half hour hour and a bill became three and a half hours and a binder full of reports and information about all kinds of stuff.

Well worth it and highly recommended.

We found out about a few minor expenses that we would be facing right away. They told us a few inexpensive ways of saving a bunch of money on heat. Nothing major at all at all was wrong. As a matter of fact, for the most part they were really impressed with the everything from structure to stove.

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Thursday, June 04, 2009

Stuff

Just bad timing Froggie!




The Glam Girls

CG and I decided an up to date picture would be in order.


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Giggle, Snort, Guffaw

CG arrived yesterday morning late in the morning. We had coffee and did some Scrabble tutoring before lunch. CG brought a terrific chicken vegetable soup and grainy bread for lunch. After lunch we hung out, chatted, and did some more Scrabble instruction. We kept impatiently watching the clock and when the clock struck five, the libations came down, and help us stay calm while we waited for Susan.

She arrived at about 6:30 and I think we may have been noisy from then on. Here's a picture Ken took of us chatting after supper.




I can't remember what time we went to bed, it was somewhere between the wine and the scotch. 

As I lay in bed, I listened to Susan and CG chatting and laughing helplessly, in the other bedroom. I was enjoying the sound of it and debating whether I should go into the room with them, but before I decided, I woke up and it was 6:00. I guess I missed the boat on that one.

What a great time ... and nobody but me is up, so we still have the morning to goof around.
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