tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43162865624590842802024-02-17T00:48:38.693-08:00unschool plusunschoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05638020820430345739noreply@blogger.comBlogger141125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4316286562459084280.post-14750011708774113762014-12-19T13:21:00.000-08:002014-12-19T13:21:05.970-08:00santa hats for everyoneOur local fabric shop was promoting fleece this holiday season. One of the patterns was of my son's favorite football team. It was also red. Red fleece...Christmas...my <a href="http://unschoolplus.blogspot.fr/2011/12/making-santa-hat.html" target="_blank">Santa hat-loving son</a>...hm.<br />
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I've finally learned that using a good pattern saves time. <a href="http://www.fleecefun.com/santa-hat-how-to.html" target="_blank">This pattern</a> worked well, though even the largest size was too small for C. I cut it about 1/2" larger all around for him.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkzCpwTKBUxjODkW232X2FHqcdnzkLPjbAH2OrZxkzoLQ4P8nXGfgVeNco1pyLShurgC9XXa0bnxyRxhxPP5OxsmuV3dowWBPebr3h4PDYNe7V8y_MhFPtoRiNRNdnOxHEmOiLAq39px7O/s1600/9ershat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkzCpwTKBUxjODkW232X2FHqcdnzkLPjbAH2OrZxkzoLQ4P8nXGfgVeNco1pyLShurgC9XXa0bnxyRxhxPP5OxsmuV3dowWBPebr3h4PDYNe7V8y_MhFPtoRiNRNdnOxHEmOiLAq39px7O/s1600/9ershat.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
Realizing that any red print fleece pattern personalizes a Santa hat, I looked for and found music-themed fleece for ukulele friends.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD7mzZ-Uc20oWhcu8Qsqle7A5jBHj7BmRxVpl6CT49fEqlSN89VvsqlY-oEF4nEKENGLMjbPkHUmJuYHqHShHR8xHOImot1pctO0elMqWV3sRNyhFT9KL31NGUBEfC6EyOcQZIwjeb3h7G/s1600/music+hats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD7mzZ-Uc20oWhcu8Qsqle7A5jBHj7BmRxVpl6CT49fEqlSN89VvsqlY-oEF4nEKENGLMjbPkHUmJuYHqHShHR8xHOImot1pctO0elMqWV3sRNyhFT9KL31NGUBEfC6EyOcQZIwjeb3h7G/s1600/music+hats.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
Do you know people who love cats? fishing? books? travel? soccer? Almost certainly there is a printed fleece for it.<br />
<br />unschoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05638020820430345739noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4316286562459084280.post-31735378513621048362014-12-08T16:15:00.001-08:002014-12-08T18:04:55.325-08:00felted sweater purse and coffee sleevesYears before I had a blog, I made a felted purse. (It was <a href="http://www.blacksheepbags.com/booga-bag/" target="_blank">this pattern</a>, extremely easy to knit in a gorgeous Noro yarn and I'm not kidding, I have never had so many strangers stop me on the street and offer to pay me to knit for them. I always just pointed them to the web page, but it's a testament to the pattern and the yarn.) <br />
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I thought about this little handbag as winter was setting in and the <a href="http://unschoolplus.blogspot.com.tr/2014/07/a-whole-new-bag.html" target="_blank">summer bag</a> no longer seemed appropriate. However, I've got another knitting project going right now and really just wanted something quick and functional. Hence:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ6_k1A4PgxIHk5xzoWyFJcIKXCgrAc2svDGtGgVt6WIPhe2K7XSJ02JO8sCadyUpJqhyphenhyphen8elLzry1br3aAHzicuM7C0t551JFtfwAa2oXxBJBe7bW9QkneYI6qRA5Nf5kStlDQqrS5eIeT/s1600/wool1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ6_k1A4PgxIHk5xzoWyFJcIKXCgrAc2svDGtGgVt6WIPhe2K7XSJ02JO8sCadyUpJqhyphenhyphen8elLzry1br3aAHzicuM7C0t551JFtfwAa2oXxBJBe7bW9QkneYI6qRA5Nf5kStlDQqrS5eIeT/s1600/wool1.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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(Please pardon my unprofessional photo retouching. The handles don't really glow like that. Unfortunately.)<br />
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This was an almost fully-salvaged project. The body of the bag is an old boys' sweater that had been felted in the wash. I felted it further to bring the size down and to add strength. It also added thickness, which made it a little trickier to work with—something I'll have to remember next time.<br />
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I think you can just see the remains of the ribbed waist at the top here:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh2sp5Dv_ltmavagM8Ro5O0b4Ok_lkLpkPi2a9m7LOzbuOEz-RrR-8Kux9oLXhpFDwXS5VyophwzYa3cZkmWt-at07n0L5nTbSSFMfTTwu6OXcqZyYI-4xzPvkODXEdJjLFCRs8KbaP7v2/s1600/wool2rib.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh2sp5Dv_ltmavagM8Ro5O0b4Ok_lkLpkPi2a9m7LOzbuOEz-RrR-8Kux9oLXhpFDwXS5VyophwzYa3cZkmWt-at07n0L5nTbSSFMfTTwu6OXcqZyYI-4xzPvkODXEdJjLFCRs8KbaP7v2/s1600/wool2rib.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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The two-way zipper is from a carry-on suitcase that had fallen apart.<br />
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And the lining is my aunt's old jumpsuit, which had shredded after one too many washes. It already had a pocket, which now holds a phone or wallet. I added the requisite iPad pocket, as well, and in retrospect wish I'd added interfacing to make it firmer. It's just a bit flimsy for my taste.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEKG2JoZSa3eWQZEIY1ZWyrxr8WA8gXk3Cfda1jcrj92yLdTyslCO5Ma7JXI44ObxCiumCEL9m77AGJsAjxTeXEAwnpCBzZrIHN9i5StMM0RfpUdYcDW8_KRy3g8HgsilqmqY8xCMWG8qF/s1600/wool3lining.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEKG2JoZSa3eWQZEIY1ZWyrxr8WA8gXk3Cfda1jcrj92yLdTyslCO5Ma7JXI44ObxCiumCEL9m77AGJsAjxTeXEAwnpCBzZrIHN9i5StMM0RfpUdYcDW8_KRy3g8HgsilqmqY8xCMWG8qF/s1600/wool3lining.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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As for the straps, I have S to thank. He wanted to make himself a belt. While we were looking at necessary supplies, I saw that I could get a length of leather strapping material that seemed like it would just work. Cut in half and riveted to the body of the bag, it did.<br />
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In learning about leather finishing, I came across <a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Make-High-Grade-Natural-Beeswax-Leather-Pol/" target="_blank">this recipe</a> for a homemade wax. This was rubbed into the straps after dyeing, and it brought them from being rather stiff to feeling softer and more pliable. D asked me to fix the old broken dog leash* and after riveting the two snapped halves together, the wax also worked wonders as a reconditioner.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirR1h8hI2RYXHOXLMakvnikKmU4ysKNYryK-qyW2iKvcMGpfFuukZqqsiQc71F4-ehnGCCrDkaLa5AwUlJ-We01CDOypwDOM8ghFPSIxuivLILWCEvrHRT35dxlklKiqzYCt2HWR_UBrT_/s1600/leash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirR1h8hI2RYXHOXLMakvnikKmU4ysKNYryK-qyW2iKvcMGpfFuukZqqsiQc71F4-ehnGCCrDkaLa5AwUlJ-We01CDOypwDOM8ghFPSIxuivLILWCEvrHRT35dxlklKiqzYCt2HWR_UBrT_/s1600/leash.jpg" height="400" width="332" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>leather dog leash before (top) and after wax conditioner</i></td></tr>
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And that was it. Not a fancy project at all, but it suits my needs right now. I really appreciated having a more winterized purse the other day when I was caught in a sudden downpour without an umbrella. Between the leather wax and the wool's natural water repellency, the purse came through just fine.<br />
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But my favorite part of the project is not the bag, it's the pair of reusable coffee cup sleeves cut from the felted sweater sleeves and roughly (<i>very</i> roughly) embellished with glow-in-the-dark yarn.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUT1pSb7W2otOmYzQy7qvZQNin9-hB_hPzvAO7nK-FL5zNgubdonA0Oz9AY05ONZ6M3p-bSwxWSJzl6GuiCP1l2rtK9GYyN0zNtOGNCles2896K6w6Ye21ZAThWAVkqmTQg8F0cYFfzsVL/s1600/wool6cups.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUT1pSb7W2otOmYzQy7qvZQNin9-hB_hPzvAO7nK-FL5zNgubdonA0Oz9AY05ONZ6M3p-bSwxWSJzl6GuiCP1l2rtK9GYyN0zNtOGNCles2896K6w6Ye21ZAThWAVkqmTQg8F0cYFfzsVL/s1600/wool6cups.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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The glow feature is more fun than practical. But the felted wool is a perfect insulator.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnkcjK9iCM_S0NMDCsYh93q2YsCoYadlVJrAsPaqf_XdBuamjra6m13E8Qohtz2dfrv_Z9ono2KjAQZOXGLoWiSfkpw5VHCvlDagRZLEvZH8dPKZlUGWWCL5H81rysSTWcJWxTAaIVUOk1/s1600/glowsleeve.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnkcjK9iCM_S0NMDCsYh93q2YsCoYadlVJrAsPaqf_XdBuamjra6m13E8Qohtz2dfrv_Z9ono2KjAQZOXGLoWiSfkpw5VHCvlDagRZLEvZH8dPKZlUGWWCL5H81rysSTWcJWxTAaIVUOk1/s1600/glowsleeve.jpg" height="247" width="320" /></a></div>
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I plan to carry the coffee sleeves with me at all times. And now I have a bag to keep them in.<br />
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*<span style="font-size: x-small;">This particular post is revealing us to have some unsavory hoarding tendencies. Please ignore.</span>unschoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05638020820430345739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4316286562459084280.post-32040952543455771912014-11-15T10:36:00.001-08:002014-11-15T17:42:41.424-08:00guitar in, featherweight out: music in middle ageThis blog saw me pick up an ukulele for the <a href="http://unschoolplus.blogspot.com/2012/01/blog-gameukulele.html" target="_blank">first time</a>, create a <a href="http://unschoolplus.blogspot.com/2012/01/blukulelesor-how-to-form-group-to-learn.html" target="_blank">group</a> to start playing with friends, and mess around in a million different ways trying to make instruments and cases and crazy headstock hats for ukes.<br />
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The <a href="http://yoloyukes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">group</a> is still humming (strumming?) along, and some of us have even started music lessons. There is a whole genre of literature on <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/573006.Never_Too_Late" target="_blank">taking</a> up a musical <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/382778.Piano_Lessons" target="_blank">instrument</a> later in <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11797453-guitar-zero" target="_blank">life</a>, all of which I'd like to read some day. Meanwhile, it is clear to me just from a casual survey of friends that there is a special pleasure in learning music after years of raising children a/o focusing on work.<br />
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It could turn into a real problem.<br />
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This summer my teacher casually mentioned that I might enjoy playing tenor guitar. I didn't know what a tenor guitar was; Bob explained that it was a transition instrument originally made for tenor banjo players in the 1920s and '30s, and tuned CGDA like the tenor banjo. It had multiple tuning options, though, one of which was DGBE, like a baritone ukulele.<br />
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Hm.<br />
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Last week an old tenor guitar popped up on craigslist. You know what happened next.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPyWOAFL2dbMXDsxpwClw5IM8evNDQVbb4pKT5kdnrLKbINpHEkTtTI7iePJoU9wmrOCBvsdo9fboG83T68LBkOZIyGQCzR_GOm4guGYyUb7uKgB3ptZOALNpPftkCLGiNjEWHdM6AWjBG/s1600/stella.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPyWOAFL2dbMXDsxpwClw5IM8evNDQVbb4pKT5kdnrLKbINpHEkTtTI7iePJoU9wmrOCBvsdo9fboG83T68LBkOZIyGQCzR_GOm4guGYyUb7uKgB3ptZOALNpPftkCLGiNjEWHdM6AWjBG/s400/stella.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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It's a 1950's Stella, sold in catalogs at the time for around <a href="http://harmony.demont.net/model.php?id=240#" target="_blank">$23</a>, less than a quarter of what I paid for it 60 years and several scratches and dings later. The neck has been reset, and the tuners have been replaced; but it still plays fine as far as I can tell.</div>
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Elvis played a Stella tenor in the movie Frankie and Johnnie (1966). It's a brief segment of this clip from about 0:10 to 0:20.</div>
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The only catch for me is that age is also inspiring me to pare down; and a guitar, even a little one, hardly fits into the downsizing spirit. So I went to the same craigslist and sold the Singer Featherweight.<br />
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There were good memories tied to this machine. My older son named her Betty and learned to sew (and to oil and adjust machines) on her. He made quilts, pajama bottoms, and Halloween costumes over the years; but his interests have changed, as well, and I prefer sewing on the <a href="http://unschoolplus.blogspot.com.tr/2011/08/facelift-for-old-sewing-cabinet.html" target="_blank">201</a> and <a href="http://unschoolplus.blogspot.com.tr/2011/04/buying-singer-301.html" target="_blank">301</a>. So the Singer is gone, and the guitar is here, and that seems to sum up for me how what we value changes over time.<br />
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Or there's this: the night before S was born 16 years ago, I stayed up late talking with my childhood friend Rel. A few hours later, my water broke and I called another friend, Carey, who came to be with 5yo C during the home birth.<br />
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As it happens, I saw both of these friends in the last week. Rel now plays fiddle and mandolin. Carey and I play ukulele together.<br />
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unschoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05638020820430345739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4316286562459084280.post-30467723929364599502014-10-06T15:45:00.000-07:002014-10-06T15:45:16.773-07:00recent and future knitting projectsClearly I've lost the habit of blogging. The boys are growing quickly, and I feel keenly aware of the passing of time. These days when there's a choice between doing things and the recording of doing things, I tend to opt for the former. I don't even have the patience to document the processes; S now uses my digital camera, while I take spotty pictures with a phone.<br />
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Yet I appreciate having this log of life and projects over the past five years. Without it, for instance, I wouldn't have remembered that it was a full three years ago (!) that I bought the <a href="http://unschoolplus.blogspot.com.tr/2011/10/day-in-carmel.html" target="_blank">yarn</a> which finally became a pair of socks.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVw3AtodRnQ7vzF_6Kg3QNMalBph62OE5eNHMyzjdNEwvfeEmwPY32ILsDIedtgvwc4CgORHSLbS7voxZ4HAVEjJ9wcgGxXkeIT5SoW74GVhOtBcH7t7gATojaQXSw17f9fOeCkYJgKk-5/s1600/wavesocks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVw3AtodRnQ7vzF_6Kg3QNMalBph62OE5eNHMyzjdNEwvfeEmwPY32ILsDIedtgvwc4CgORHSLbS7voxZ4HAVEjJ9wcgGxXkeIT5SoW74GVhOtBcH7t7gATojaQXSw17f9fOeCkYJgKk-5/s1600/wavesocks.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/making-waves-socks" target="_blank">Making Waves</a> sock pattern by Pam Gordnier</i></td></tr>
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When I had finished this project, S asked me to make him a necktie. He wanted it in navy, and he wanted it in seed stitch. This <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/seed-stitch-tie-recipe" target="_blank">pattern</a> worked perfectly.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My favorite part, however, was adding the keeper loop in the back. S chose his <a href="http://unschoolplus.blogspot.com.tr/search/label/maker%20faire" target="_blank">Maker Faire</a> exhibitor wristband out of the ribbon box, thus reinforcing all my tendencies to hoard bits of material that "could be used for something."</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlnCR91icaZ-1x_CnB4xuTMGaxc1STYgbhe1A5NgetC6AY2FA2jghsYrFnlPhezQLcELIlhR-7EqqCp-sqBm5s9no9ElkLfP7WD6ey467RRZHcN7ZiKHZNo6iSwjet-DldcP43wcyNmhU8/s1600/tie2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlnCR91icaZ-1x_CnB4xuTMGaxc1STYgbhe1A5NgetC6AY2FA2jghsYrFnlPhezQLcELIlhR-7EqqCp-sqBm5s9no9ElkLfP7WD6ey467RRZHcN7ZiKHZNo6iSwjet-DldcP43wcyNmhU8/s1600/tie2.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Next up is another request from S: a cardigan with cables and a shawl collar. He's given the nod to <a href="https://store.vogueknitting.com/p-1690-mans-cable-cardigan.aspx" target="_blank">this pattern</a>. Let's hope it's not another three years before it's finished.</div>
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unschoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05638020820430345739noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4316286562459084280.post-16065528302024771642014-07-08T17:06:00.002-07:002014-07-08T17:12:58.811-07:00a whole new bagWhere does a year go? I have no particular excuse for not blogging since May of last year, just a general impatience with sitting down at the computer these days.<br />
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Both boys are now in public school, C at the community college and S at an alternative charter high school. More time is going with the family <a href="http://youngmakersyolo.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">here</a>, and with friends, <a href="http://yoloyukes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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The <a href="http://unschoolplus.blogspot.com/search/label/vintage%20refrigerator" target="_blank">old freecycle fridge</a> was moved and works just fine, save for a tendency for the tiny interior freezer compartment to frost over.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAom-D1IVpFnUzB6Ms5MV33OCWPZThhs8qN_np903t1SmfNGsxdrplzvKbH5LV7gwm7mNvLXJM9L_sLfqO7IAYw-KuaWNpSHe9v_JMbUTCf29uxUt7NDme4_EWKGk0MhSUtobxuzzP3bv-/s1600/fridge+in+place.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAom-D1IVpFnUzB6Ms5MV33OCWPZThhs8qN_np903t1SmfNGsxdrplzvKbH5LV7gwm7mNvLXJM9L_sLfqO7IAYw-KuaWNpSHe9v_JMbUTCf29uxUt7NDme4_EWKGk0MhSUtobxuzzP3bv-/s1600/fridge+in+place.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
And there are always new projects.<br />
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Most recently, I decided to make myself a bag after looking fruitlessly for one that wasn't: a) huge or b) expensive. My old purse had fallen onto decidedly hard times—<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAr8ua7h9b_EzJRDDFaGWUeSxkT0e1ZJt3Jpl_m4_6T9qa_9rylhmq0HmjcLi58dipJ-T5__UJ8otzdIj3G0GuDIdy2SgI9ahNrenqM7DAliVl43v32ELm5ZREYcRYHWoVrHhp90p2BOQa/s1600/old.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAr8ua7h9b_EzJRDDFaGWUeSxkT0e1ZJt3Jpl_m4_6T9qa_9rylhmq0HmjcLi58dipJ-T5__UJ8otzdIj3G0GuDIdy2SgI9ahNrenqM7DAliVl43v32ELm5ZREYcRYHWoVrHhp90p2BOQa/s1600/old.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
—and I wanted something a little brighter for summer, anyway.<br />
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The dimensions were determined from the size of my iPad2 (with a little extra room on top, this was approximately 11"X9"), and wallet (about 4" deep).<br />
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Since it was cobbled together rather than planned, what I have here are a few notes, many of which come from the experience of making the <a href="http://unschoolplus.blogspot.com/search/label/Weekender" target="_blank">Weekender bag</a>.<br />
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The sides went together first, with pockets (one zippered, one gathered) and straps in place. The main material was a heavy home decor/canvas-y print I'd originally hoped to make the Weekender with, and the straps were from a remnant of aqua-colored vinyl. Every piece was backed with heavy duty fusible interfacing (Pellon 71F). The sides are approximately 14"X12" with 1/2" seam allowances. The finished straps 1"X48", with about an inch eventually disappearing into the seam.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6v6ed3QxGY54XROgw52ARfmUGK3nus_3rd_U9lq9Pcp49JajAs5pwzeJtMJRhgPCBDap8qLWVut1It0gJBWCZzr4bsQ795HNDyd8GHDisMnUxh95tMFou9P3l68q8uiphcrVSFG_Dv3DI/s1600/sides.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6v6ed3QxGY54XROgw52ARfmUGK3nus_3rd_U9lq9Pcp49JajAs5pwzeJtMJRhgPCBDap8qLWVut1It0gJBWCZzr4bsQ795HNDyd8GHDisMnUxh95tMFou9P3l68q8uiphcrVSFG_Dv3DI/s1600/sides.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
Sides and bottom went on next. It would have been easier to do this as one 4"X29" strip, but I didn't have that option and instead pieced it all together from more vinyl scraps.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifEbGtq4ZqNVrTW93GfKLdAqsZqXQbWtTyr0GCKSFYAYKUnP-ZFs8cHf-bWMF6ZxORdi2Sm8W_LjmoLjYSCZpRtsNlscv_0K1iTAb6dOk68UJIopBTxPnR8CQWBzH323VaxgsLZHKpFmrn/s1600/bagwrongside+out.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifEbGtq4ZqNVrTW93GfKLdAqsZqXQbWtTyr0GCKSFYAYKUnP-ZFs8cHf-bWMF6ZxORdi2Sm8W_LjmoLjYSCZpRtsNlscv_0K1iTAb6dOk68UJIopBTxPnR8CQWBzH323VaxgsLZHKpFmrn/s1600/bagwrongside+out.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
Right side out:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYG_xdrxOqqS3kAdg4j8JjlRRX27YGM7o50ZGF0_cgCRdbW7i1GJWltm4qExPtHc_qb2Oi71isg9n4XW6NhgmxwDO8pdHvIdVUPTKp6XGvf6S3O7hqhDoQRll0_WWrTyOhNCPaAqNzr1Qc/s1600/shell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYG_xdrxOqqS3kAdg4j8JjlRRX27YGM7o50ZGF0_cgCRdbW7i1GJWltm4qExPtHc_qb2Oi71isg9n4XW6NhgmxwDO8pdHvIdVUPTKp6XGvf6S3O7hqhDoQRll0_WWrTyOhNCPaAqNzr1Qc/s1600/shell.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
Finally, there was a lining (quilting cotton with a lighter interfacing, made to the same dimensions as the outer shell—no photos of this part, unfortunately) and a zippered top. I used <a href="http://sewingnovice.com/2012/10/23/recessed-zipper-tutorial/" target="_blank">this tutorial</a> to make it and if I ever do this again, I hope I remember to leave the zipper open at one end so that the lining can be sewn to the bag by machine instead of by hand.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLTMaUvl3jSgTjopCPRXarG34cj0bmeSg9pacp7SdpKPpv0yUVRIX7czBatCqIOYtml11jr0xqLeNdKGxIWj1B2EVtYX5WTfh0l47TeblorlQsOFW95FfCNVwbLizieArBXHatQcv8oORE/s1600/zipper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLTMaUvl3jSgTjopCPRXarG34cj0bmeSg9pacp7SdpKPpv0yUVRIX7czBatCqIOYtml11jr0xqLeNdKGxIWj1B2EVtYX5WTfh0l47TeblorlQsOFW95FfCNVwbLizieArBXHatQcv8oORE/s1600/zipper.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
I'm liking this little tote more than I would have thought. By customizing it, I could put in just what I need and no more. It holds wallet, phone, hairbrush, keys, paper, pen, and hooray, my iPad in a barely noticeable zippered pocket. As simple as it is, it is my favorite feature.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidhDy-X0Lr9ZYrVs9ekCykHFSkfyFDQqy03euP9m75f-oPNFzFj8vgy6JuvLIrt9wihKpqSAq-L6fGZczNP7ItEZyUcmCIyXYr8jKud9jqn1KGYOipUWAyWywMDVC9MR_1YU_C5T77O2xl/s1600/ipadinpurse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidhDy-X0Lr9ZYrVs9ekCykHFSkfyFDQqy03euP9m75f-oPNFzFj8vgy6JuvLIrt9wihKpqSAq-L6fGZczNP7ItEZyUcmCIyXYr8jKud9jqn1KGYOipUWAyWywMDVC9MR_1YU_C5T77O2xl/s1600/ipadinpurse.jpg" height="179" width="640" /></a></div>
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All of which has me wondering what it is that makes a good bag. Do you have a favorite daily carrier and if so, what is it that you like about it?<br />
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<br />unschoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05638020820430345739noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4316286562459084280.post-16825844008159247602013-05-15T16:58:00.000-07:002013-05-15T16:58:42.587-07:00frozen bananas à la Bluth<div style="text-align: left;">
What are you going to be eating on May 26? This has been the topic of many conversations in our house. On that date, Season 4 of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrested_Development_(TV_series)" target="_blank">Arrested Development</a> will be released, all at once, on Netflix. </div>
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We talked about a few possibilities for our family viewing party: hot ham water, candy beans, juice...but really, there is only one sensible choice, and that is frozen bananas. The banana stand is at the heart of the Bluth Company, after all. And while no one in our family would really enjoy <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ps6mpuJuF54" target="_blank">cornballs</a> or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tO1k2Y3o-iM" target="_blank">mayoneggs</a>, there is no one who doesn't like frozen bananas.</div>
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Chocolate-Covered Frozen Bananas</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkFXMIJPGf4bld_HwwFjHYiFaxzMc3dJzHRzZuKLkxVE7ja3ayuOu8fLzzTTqeGTu6vY-FVp-SmI5LSbuEoNDKF4kpOBAox659ejagGeRQRImWpNc9nPZNInpf2_lI9PZIrhuAz7_zbjrP/s1600/ingredients.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkFXMIJPGf4bld_HwwFjHYiFaxzMc3dJzHRzZuKLkxVE7ja3ayuOu8fLzzTTqeGTu6vY-FVp-SmI5LSbuEoNDKF4kpOBAox659ejagGeRQRImWpNc9nPZNInpf2_lI9PZIrhuAz7_zbjrP/s400/ingredients.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">You need: bananas, chocolate, butter, popsicle or caramel apple sticks and (optional) nuts. Ideally, the bananas would be slightly riper than shown here. The stick will split a green banana, but will sink in nicely to a lightly freckled one.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">We have one child who loves almonds, and one who doesn't like nuts at all, so I alternate between both plain and crunchy bananas (ie, nuts and no-nuts).</span></div>
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<img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixXnIW1UL5IQYkaPg4KTS-DXCGK4C7fw-RKk-nh30kVjlDQ0P73yKlCAhOPNiS0723ctQEIkXMLy6rtK03b3bRd_k_gyOyfsLjvraXa_8rmiKcr_SyHvYl_RuO2zRigH11tkgar949j6z0/s400/halved.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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Cut the bananas in half, push the stick up the base, and place them on a tray to freeze for at least half an hour, and up to overnight.</div>
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Meanwhile, chop the nuts. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYSUhAdLUuobwE7K4pHDEbLQhFzO67A3hMBUNAXZot3ualYoF2_a7W0OlneUR_kSgYClU0V5GQ3Hx2XXIPjxn2pTOdLtSwvmT_EY0xr2zCunuljb8rAFGnTofv2jPQ-tJjmZwJ8GRPWqJq/s1600/nuts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYSUhAdLUuobwE7K4pHDEbLQhFzO67A3hMBUNAXZot3ualYoF2_a7W0OlneUR_kSgYClU0V5GQ3Hx2XXIPjxn2pTOdLtSwvmT_EY0xr2zCunuljb8rAFGnTofv2jPQ-tJjmZwJ8GRPWqJq/s400/nuts.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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When the bananas are frozen, melt the chocolate over a double boiler (or in a pot nestled in a larger pot) and add enough butter to bring it to the consistency of, say, mayonnaise. Chocolate melted alone will be too thick to coat easily.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYUpRA-ORyOFQCmTTrVZnsEGBsCdPFebW5W6yVwcIZRQSDu-L7Al8cmOsDSW2p3WLcmy66O3FJBVDNDePSZd-btHreiGd0p8KxgTmp81Nf36ERMnJXSJsCrvQF0NXuL-mdbTTkSwCZ1RF8/s1600/chocolate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYUpRA-ORyOFQCmTTrVZnsEGBsCdPFebW5W6yVwcIZRQSDu-L7Al8cmOsDSW2p3WLcmy66O3FJBVDNDePSZd-btHreiGd0p8KxgTmp81Nf36ERMnJXSJsCrvQF0NXuL-mdbTTkSwCZ1RF8/s400/chocolate.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Because I don't have a dipping pot, I spread the chocolate on the bananas with a frosting spatula, seen above. Then, depending on your preference, you can either roll the banana in nuts or place it back on the tray to freeze again. But work quickly, as the frozen banana starts the process of hardening the chocolate almost immediately.</div>
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That's pretty much all there is to it. Whether or not you watch Arrested Development, a frozen banana is just about the perfect treat on a hot summer afternoon.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxCuuJR7N1dMb44kc9e31bZ-6xvfXWFiUJx4ltnpx0Lkp9z_VP9W17PXSwUaeQm80-K4SQiY4tCQLQ361CuLZxeYxx-_jMd7ws93SyX02jTtaauEWrVlxpxMi_uavLNDPl8hhjyvKQOiXF/s1600/frozen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxCuuJR7N1dMb44kc9e31bZ-6xvfXWFiUJx4ltnpx0Lkp9z_VP9W17PXSwUaeQm80-K4SQiY4tCQLQ361CuLZxeYxx-_jMd7ws93SyX02jTtaauEWrVlxpxMi_uavLNDPl8hhjyvKQOiXF/s640/frozen.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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unschoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05638020820430345739noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4316286562459084280.post-9912712048033958072013-05-11T12:45:00.002-07:002013-05-11T12:45:26.822-07:00old refrigerator (part 2)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
After sanding and repainting, I though I'd just wipe down the gasket. Unfortunately, the dirt was more embedded than I realized, so the gasket had to be removed. This is the point where one thing led to another...</div>
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First the interior panel had to come off—</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIWpP4lNcxdooaugHarcG9DK8VDsHjTcTze-GiWxgg0gjj8xbidhT9pi8VWHVEiBMScjC4rrLH3EDnckVlrLp5ctZCfhPcNAoyeEUFKnVEY56GqPxlG8EOVwLEiRVy_q5LcLlFhyj8UZ3G/s1600/paneloff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIWpP4lNcxdooaugHarcG9DK8VDsHjTcTze-GiWxgg0gjj8xbidhT9pi8VWHVEiBMScjC4rrLH3EDnckVlrLp5ctZCfhPcNAoyeEUFKnVEY56GqPxlG8EOVwLEiRVy_q5LcLlFhyj8UZ3G/s320/paneloff.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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—which revealed the insulation. It looked fine, except for that lower left corner:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyBuaBKuU7lJ-zPrGhDjfzBdBrougA7_ii33L0c7mYjDuPHoWi7TzHJzwOcgTnRutguKl4wX7xW2duB8bEHJokbXfRg_vE5lopr3fD1sNRpec-n8FY93O1gbX2r5gSsWoymsg9tqwYEoNA/s1600/insulationbefore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyBuaBKuU7lJ-zPrGhDjfzBdBrougA7_ii33L0c7mYjDuPHoWi7TzHJzwOcgTnRutguKl4wX7xW2duB8bEHJokbXfRg_vE5lopr3fD1sNRpec-n8FY93O1gbX2r5gSsWoymsg9tqwYEoNA/s320/insulationbefore.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Which led me to look more closely at the bottom bracket:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw1kytn_IrjSlAswN4Yi6tW1IuzaovrXkKobMRhhMYMJ_GwHOYHsjv1i-9XqM6QOqaZ2oRX4ewALMSEgk11cK2jHhMw445N6BgtB80TzcmB83ZgW7Bs4HKqKJ3TDK4KrmnzGkxTsKB5NOb/s1600/corrosion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw1kytn_IrjSlAswN4Yi6tW1IuzaovrXkKobMRhhMYMJ_GwHOYHsjv1i-9XqM6QOqaZ2oRX4ewALMSEgk11cK2jHhMw445N6BgtB80TzcmB83ZgW7Bs4HKqKJ3TDK4KrmnzGkxTsKB5NOb/s320/corrosion.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>gasket pulled away from bottom bracket, revealing rust and corrosion</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-RspAQ5ZreIx46fcW7rzmNqzxRHwXFZxJANC53trh_9FW7s2VUhSPiq9_B84WXkUHpiCix-eFajVRjVIGFaZbEGkC4H4LB5eEY6h9LDTDFb-5LKH4zVM7bIW7KlMQM8UJv-IzFq_S-C84/s1600/bracket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-RspAQ5ZreIx46fcW7rzmNqzxRHwXFZxJANC53trh_9FW7s2VUhSPiq9_B84WXkUHpiCix-eFajVRjVIGFaZbEGkC4H4LB5eEY6h9LDTDFb-5LKH4zVM7bIW7KlMQM8UJv-IzFq_S-C84/s320/bracket.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>bottom bracket removed</i></td></tr>
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What do you do in this case? Do you take out the insulation and repack it? I hadn't figured on getting this deep into an old appliance. While trying to decide what to do, the insulation began to flake off by itself. Finally, I gave up and just removed the cross brackets, letting it all fall out.<br />
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Surprise: more rust.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJinaeBsoGoughjIqDPPiwXBzeN8steVqPNW54lclmzm8ze3M62W1gQrwrnztHUt2CZFxWNYYhIOQ2mUzE0EAvNQPXeSG1MFJBjXVR-5ulVm1PY-YEAepcifQH-PRuqRuMr7UiKGFs4582/s1600/rust.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJinaeBsoGoughjIqDPPiwXBzeN8steVqPNW54lclmzm8ze3M62W1gQrwrnztHUt2CZFxWNYYhIOQ2mUzE0EAvNQPXeSG1MFJBjXVR-5ulVm1PY-YEAepcifQH-PRuqRuMr7UiKGFs4582/s320/rust.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Which meant more (rust-inhibiting) spray paint:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUBfWNvwriEQUOO76Mo6pxFDXyR82DM4v_0d0WhO2jjCq4rxT_FL5PoUXQiwP3YuL3gHh2Wr6jOQzAAdcNAv6USorJrs_I80kz3ACXjtWRKRuA4k6Upd57N-5e-DTWNBU7hEz9Gxf7BZBj/s1600/painted.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUBfWNvwriEQUOO76Mo6pxFDXyR82DM4v_0d0WhO2jjCq4rxT_FL5PoUXQiwP3YuL3gHh2Wr6jOQzAAdcNAv6USorJrs_I80kz3ACXjtWRKRuA4k6Upd57N-5e-DTWNBU7hEz9Gxf7BZBj/s320/painted.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
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And new insulation. One consolation: the new <a href="http://unschoolplus.blogspot.com/2013/04/projects-simple-and-not-so-simple.html#scissors" target="_blank">giant scissors</a> were perfect for cutting the batts.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwkYOAR89WpQ1vDbFXJ1vfLfHcAvwDY0jgWAFbFstPacnWWc3ltvSBCD7qIE6VH7d2zZilrRvttOclmpLpWAKada2t1URwxJrBi9YjlhA3bN4ol5VTp1XbkAhjBe6i9MpGhfK8J5tN9IZc/s1600/cuttinginsulation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwkYOAR89WpQ1vDbFXJ1vfLfHcAvwDY0jgWAFbFstPacnWWc3ltvSBCD7qIE6VH7d2zZilrRvttOclmpLpWAKada2t1URwxJrBi9YjlhA3bN4ol5VTp1XbkAhjBe6i9MpGhfK8J5tN9IZc/s320/cuttinginsulation.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And the modern paper-backed batts went in easily:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH3SVAeDmH0dnsqLoNWs8tXaOBZbU0QDR5hA_SK236lSxTRn2GNFckPYpm_YKoMSzv-JWjtLyDjQWi5EqrsZm2auc8a2ccCsAS6Eebz6HVCuR1qu3V684B01CbZNPKgRoEnxawnPUMt-1A/s1600/reinsulated.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH3SVAeDmH0dnsqLoNWs8tXaOBZbU0QDR5hA_SK236lSxTRn2GNFckPYpm_YKoMSzv-JWjtLyDjQWi5EqrsZm2auc8a2ccCsAS6Eebz6HVCuR1qu3V684B01CbZNPKgRoEnxawnPUMt-1A/s320/reinsulated.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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(Note for next time: don't leave the insulation unattended.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD6A4xQ1Y1RKFYVjrV_JRYM2EmiZbP4Aua2RYkQfK69VG7_o7-UDuAMA-qv-wq9lz7EH6qhlnkSUQ8sxBQImkyeJ6GaNDNXnmi68e04XVOoJlcihzZdZCowF3Di-GZ7W46Z2_Rb3O-tZv1/s1600/Maggie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD6A4xQ1Y1RKFYVjrV_JRYM2EmiZbP4Aua2RYkQfK69VG7_o7-UDuAMA-qv-wq9lz7EH6qhlnkSUQ8sxBQImkyeJ6GaNDNXnmi68e04XVOoJlcihzZdZCowF3Di-GZ7W46Z2_Rb3O-tZv1/s320/Maggie.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The sanded and repainted bottom bracket:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSh-yj6DPdrP7sSuzmsEHFAhficw1fV7n02oH_zap1THpdnPOZZicEHgP5nzBfpUdYOuNgSwo-lANZMNE9S-nvMH8nzpkvIjCTnqSHmV-WdShNBYo8rsfS1b0j9pIl2z75XpUM7T6RTixh/s1600/paintedbracket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSh-yj6DPdrP7sSuzmsEHFAhficw1fV7n02oH_zap1THpdnPOZZicEHgP5nzBfpUdYOuNgSwo-lANZMNE9S-nvMH8nzpkvIjCTnqSHmV-WdShNBYo8rsfS1b0j9pIl2z75XpUM7T6RTixh/s320/paintedbracket.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The gasket was soaked and scrubbed:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijNBUFoLiw_WYV6Snt4KLhNRu_IENHXJSjU6ulqER_1GSjOd_JPUfx5sBuTRk2w2lYDSXtnuAHtR-BNLoPJ0Rqwir8huTu8CeeDPS-ADc1xD7RbJB_ovaZd8SKx0wOwMt64rfb4-kXBIod/s1600/gasketscrub.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijNBUFoLiw_WYV6Snt4KLhNRu_IENHXJSjU6ulqER_1GSjOd_JPUfx5sBuTRk2w2lYDSXtnuAHtR-BNLoPJ0Rqwir8huTu8CeeDPS-ADc1xD7RbJB_ovaZd8SKx0wOwMt64rfb4-kXBIod/s320/gasketscrub.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And then the whole thing went back together:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBgPFZYgiWgwnBzwFTsLDQ9ApJfHFma8gqCL2PDA4r6K6nh_6jOReIBG8CQYnPLKoY-P9s-0CtWaOWGlGYLw8V-p_HrzESq2_w-YeVW680wb07NP4WmxU8XsRVGWQ0dugw6UOsXDcAQ2cM/s1600/panelon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBgPFZYgiWgwnBzwFTsLDQ9ApJfHFma8gqCL2PDA4r6K6nh_6jOReIBG8CQYnPLKoY-P9s-0CtWaOWGlGYLw8V-p_HrzESq2_w-YeVW680wb07NP4WmxU8XsRVGWQ0dugw6UOsXDcAQ2cM/s320/panelon.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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In this photo, the butter dish still needs to be reinserted and wired, and blue tape is holding the botom gasket on while the adhesive sets, but it is mostly together. I hope. It still has to be moved, plugged in, and tested. Part 3 of this project may be awhile in coming.<br />
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<br />unschoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05638020820430345739noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4316286562459084280.post-30771678951966262082013-04-29T18:04:00.000-07:002013-05-05T00:04:05.421-07:00projects simple and not-so-simpleSometimes projects skate along just as you imagined them, and sometimes—most times, I've come to believe—the project seems to grow in both breadth and depth the farther you get into it.<br />
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<h3>
<a name="scissors">The Straightforward Project: Old Scissors</a></h3>
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Last weekend DH and I decided on a whim to visit a flea market. We never do this, so it was extra fun browsing tables full of old dishes, board games, car parts and aloha shirts. On our way out I spotted this pair of giant scissors and bought them on a whim. They were old and rusty, but they were the largest pair of scissors I had ever seen. I wondered if they might be brought back to working condition. For $2, it seemed worth a shot.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizrBNVVBVeKqbrSQ10BrLSHqT7N04FWkCABjgkOgvV3L1jpfRAy6v_cctEm4kq1vHM1jA1UT4g5GiPcLxLE12TXpdkS_O006HQsnGYw6pvzKwyDXfBiKwMIzdijAICWqlKemOdYjImLTjt/s1600/shears.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizrBNVVBVeKqbrSQ10BrLSHqT7N04FWkCABjgkOgvV3L1jpfRAy6v_cctEm4kq1vHM1jA1UT4g5GiPcLxLE12TXpdkS_O006HQsnGYw6pvzKwyDXfBiKwMIzdijAICWqlKemOdYjImLTjt/s400/shears.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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A little steel wool, and some marks began to emerge:</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9VarEsBjLjaDyWkT0FZHgS6ty33NnlM_5063xah_En-A1nOvJQ35NioqYl6S13SpEpO5KbinrPNU0VQJtbaEDKCGjX21b6b2NTuB5aq_R6bQh1mQkZ_ORR3iSl4wd-nuCNZVUd7fzVPwG/s1600/RHeinischmark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9VarEsBjLjaDyWkT0FZHgS6ty33NnlM_5063xah_En-A1nOvJQ35NioqYl6S13SpEpO5KbinrPNU0VQJtbaEDKCGjX21b6b2NTuB5aq_R6bQh1mQkZ_ORR3iSl4wd-nuCNZVUd7fzVPwG/s400/RHeinischmark.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>R. Heinisch, Newark, NJ, USA</i></td></tr>
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And on the reverse...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnV6tBJzIpAoRa3tXEZj-Bf68IeF-H4vS1Ei2GRr6DlUDv8rzPjkHaFeiA-oK6CDpXU9CWFvI4tQJFtNqzdxbhT8oDWJW4MzJtl0mTFQHgsDKctq5KSYrZ_PUxJLGHw7ZQuD7mzMFYd-pv/s1600/Detmer1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnV6tBJzIpAoRa3tXEZj-Bf68IeF-H4vS1Ei2GRr6DlUDv8rzPjkHaFeiA-oK6CDpXU9CWFvI4tQJFtNqzdxbhT8oDWJW4MzJtl0mTFQHgsDKctq5KSYrZ_PUxJLGHw7ZQuD7mzMFYd-pv/s400/Detmer1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>before sanding</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlxPLfhJV6XyUc3JO9OcSrQcct5z0hXHpkExs-pq0M_cF7RcXPeK2SroRweNgbHQIa-hayOWtudVp-HLOTqcl3c15l3ve8H0ktLvNZZdEsgDjs16jklt1b96u8pOpXd_ZGOinLQphkk4EQ/s1600/Detmer2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlxPLfhJV6XyUc3JO9OcSrQcct5z0hXHpkExs-pq0M_cF7RcXPeK2SroRweNgbHQIa-hayOWtudVp-HLOTqcl3c15l3ve8H0ktLvNZZdEsgDjs16jklt1b96u8pOpXd_ZGOinLQphkk4EQ/s400/Detmer2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>"IF IT"S Detmer, IT'S THE BEST"</i></td></tr>
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I think that's what it reads. Not so sure about the last letter of Detme-.</div>
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A web search on R. Heinisch mentions <a href="http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/collection/database/?irn=367017" target="_blank">production between 1835-1914</a>, when the company was bought by Wiss; and a glance at a <a href="http://jwissandsons.com/1910s/1915catalog.pdf" target="_blank">1915 Wiss catalog</a> confirms that the Heinisch name was not retained. These scissors are around 100 years old.</div>
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After I had done all I could with the steel wool and chrome polish, I took them to a sewing machine repairman to be sharpened. His charge was only $9, but the scissors turned out to be for paper, not cloth. The difference, apparently, is in the angle of the bevel: dressmaking shears are angled at 30-45 degrees, while paper scissors are angled at 15 degrees. This is why one never cuts fabric with paper scissors and vice versa. Who knew?</div>
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In any case, it was a straightforward little project, just a bit of elbow grease and a visit to the repairman. Now what will I do with this humongous pair of office snips (shown here with our regular scissors for comparison)?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQqUO10D1zTIcLJaGvTu9aeai_0AgW0eE0rU-7P6_wI4S2Gn1j2CUrGL1llSd9wF8rBBxP5VkPYFzD92iBH5lo5og_25HgIbW-MY3bFpqwVirAHZrNk0Z3ZaCtEA07rANzENilZstasnOb/s1600/13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQqUO10D1zTIcLJaGvTu9aeai_0AgW0eE0rU-7P6_wI4S2Gn1j2CUrGL1llSd9wF8rBBxP5VkPYFzD92iBH5lo5og_25HgIbW-MY3bFpqwVirAHZrNk0Z3ZaCtEA07rANzENilZstasnOb/s400/13.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4316286562459084280" name="fridge1">The Expanding Project: Old Refrigerator (part 1)</a></h3>
<div>
Another <a href="http://unschoolplus.blogspot.com/2011/02/freecycle.html" target="_blank">Freecycle</a> find. I saw the listing once and ignored it; but when it was relisted, I couldn't resist saving it from the dump. The woman who offered it assured us that surface rust aside, it worked just fine. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTkl9QLBo31pcFUmlo0y0dWxV8f5yhubAWoIHoPMs0GUOKYSsdMyZLWUZfl5GZTW2iq1EKto63LajAajNNgM1PdDN6oZQcpKZT26ND16LK2abAlUT9DUVx2RAeTzryImuU3hx7i6Vlcrv9/s1600/closed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTkl9QLBo31pcFUmlo0y0dWxV8f5yhubAWoIHoPMs0GUOKYSsdMyZLWUZfl5GZTW2iq1EKto63LajAajNNgM1PdDN6oZQcpKZT26ND16LK2abAlUT9DUVx2RAeTzryImuU3hx7i6Vlcrv9/s400/closed.jpg" width="267" /></a></div>
<div>
Indeed, the inside was quite clean:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBN9KPRbMTW8nAA_vCq2UQGNzgGEUQoi_8rbTWW7fOX79nAs2nMnHDFllHlqTsns5Keq50TZ3jthdguj6qwAs6Hi2R8KcV9t2im-kFxOwrptXcYSBpnYCzkcTu8IkROtqdZMGGEtv3IrIr/s1600/open.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBN9KPRbMTW8nAA_vCq2UQGNzgGEUQoi_8rbTWW7fOX79nAs2nMnHDFllHlqTsns5Keq50TZ3jthdguj6qwAs6Hi2R8KcV9t2im-kFxOwrptXcYSBpnYCzkcTu8IkROtqdZMGGEtv3IrIr/s400/open.jpg" width="267" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I assumed I could sand down the rust and give it a new coat of paint; and my first efforts seemed to bear this out (color differences are due to photographing before and after photos at different times of day in a poorly lit garage):</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-KU6RvY_aVA_9RXXibCgvNKDc1UKaGize6vFj5O-7oKnG1LM8CTLrRPg5dPwGmaU5-uZpE4I2RZq-ioA1k5V6Ar3ozPoBcsVyN05JrCEhAf1J47MNk_rh_HBg5QmD3_b9uV2dRx8HlZcq/s1600/b4aftersanding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-KU6RvY_aVA_9RXXibCgvNKDc1UKaGize6vFj5O-7oKnG1LM8CTLrRPg5dPwGmaU5-uZpE4I2RZq-ioA1k5V6Ar3ozPoBcsVyN05JrCEhAf1J47MNk_rh_HBg5QmD3_b9uV2dRx8HlZcq/s320/b4aftersanding.jpg" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>the front</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNTc_msQ7AAiUX5SEftosUQyeMcde7_MBhfxMGEyHZG2zuj9hwZ0B4JTN31m8HX6MNPCDRy4Z-a1KUEOdlCrN5m4TeOfEEAlD-pkI1NAZGSh8KiM1IHzckz-JqVbGt2nsSzbm0EEH18EfW/s1600/doorb4after.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNTc_msQ7AAiUX5SEftosUQyeMcde7_MBhfxMGEyHZG2zuj9hwZ0B4JTN31m8HX6MNPCDRy4Z-a1KUEOdlCrN5m4TeOfEEAlD-pkI1NAZGSh8KiM1IHzckz-JqVbGt2nsSzbm0EEH18EfW/s320/doorb4after.jpg" width="257" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>the latch</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyRIhr-qDX41CYVbZNkbn6HbhUkvxXBNhSbpEXIYK58K9QD9wnHXm1-lYH5DNWUdNBKudvVB8bATpODd1az_67WszPMqhX1-9ZMJayIpju7Uz1BIiEMq9-nsYxrhNJdUsgtrHrl2QNx72T/s1600/sideb4after.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyRIhr-qDX41CYVbZNkbn6HbhUkvxXBNhSbpEXIYK58K9QD9wnHXm1-lYH5DNWUdNBKudvVB8bATpODd1az_67WszPMqhX1-9ZMJayIpju7Uz1BIiEMq9-nsYxrhNJdUsgtrHrl2QNx72T/s320/sideb4after.jpg" width="280" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>the side</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Several coats of paint later, the fridge seemed good to go:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigpfaAmXKF6pAhg-KrOYIdNWetEKC0P1vrd3n2lSfuc-_tR7mVuVtOqF9k02uL_dExsrZj4isjIFp6pOjvQQ43LjAKGw5mYDtLRrIitFt2iRQlTtAW8C8aw4sKijU2kFhIhwZyayGhp4LE/s1600/after.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigpfaAmXKF6pAhg-KrOYIdNWetEKC0P1vrd3n2lSfuc-_tR7mVuVtOqF9k02uL_dExsrZj4isjIFp6pOjvQQ43LjAKGw5mYDtLRrIitFt2iRQlTtAW8C8aw4sKijU2kFhIhwZyayGhp4LE/s400/after.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>
<div>
DH replaced the frayed power cord and I figured a good wipedown of the inside would do the trick.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Then I got to the gasket.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>To be continued...</i></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>unschoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05638020820430345739noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4316286562459084280.post-83516085930917627042013-01-27T16:24:00.000-08:002013-01-27T17:14:19.715-08:00violin case to ukulele case<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAe7ru4dl_cV08Nx-hJpL-uN1kSsNEb1xZCKJ6y__Z-Bby1XA965GFT23CZF06A46rryqRqYPE32KT-ZUq2VQsnCU2nchTISAmxnntVST3ggrSC1P58mnopn0elFWtQX2CnqYuksEygpw7/s1600/caseexterior.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAe7ru4dl_cV08Nx-hJpL-uN1kSsNEb1xZCKJ6y__Z-Bby1XA965GFT23CZF06A46rryqRqYPE32KT-ZUq2VQsnCU2nchTISAmxnntVST3ggrSC1P58mnopn0elFWtQX2CnqYuksEygpw7/s400/caseexterior.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Once the <a href="http://unschoolplus.blogspot.com/2013/01/grizzly-ukulele-kit-daisy.html" target="_blank">Grizzly</a> was made, it needed a case. My first plan was to try and revise the <a href="http://unschoolplus.blogspot.com/2012/03/ukulele-bag-1.html" target="_blank">Gaspar gig bag</a>, but then I lucked into this old violin case on freecycle. It turned out to be a perfect fit for a soprano ukulele.<br />
<br />
As with the Grizzly, my documentation is spotty; but it's a fairly straightforward conversion. The old lining comes out and a fitted, padded lining is glued in its place. I used wood glue to attach fabric to plywood, but Super 77 made a smoother, stronger adhesion whenever foam was involved.<br />
<br />
Some notes if you make your own version:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>try to keep the nap of the fabric running the same direction</li>
<li>dry fit all the parts before you commit to glue</li>
<li>don't be afraid to revise along the way (pictures below show how much revision I ended up making to the neck support before I was happy with it)</li>
<li>feel free to substitute your preferred materials or what you have on hand.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>materials used</b><br />
wooden violin case<br />
1/2" velcro strapping<br />
piled fabric (mine was a scrap of Minky), about a yard<br />
1/2" high density foam, about a yard<br />
particle board or thin plywood scraps<br />
wood glue<br />
Super 77 spray adhesive<br />
leather scrap from an old belt<br />
short wood screws<br />
corrugated plastic scraps<br />
decorative paper<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Mod Podge<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5B0CrjHlNr8YaywcxbDYmUWCMwAyk1UHdsqx5zhrWTGs_FYDLgLjhFyt285idImCM7CeipfTK-2CO_piPac8iNeldbngT-Z2KQIC2hBJhJzciXTcFKvvfEHDZoiBDRV37eP4GPbMgwEMo/s1600/case1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5B0CrjHlNr8YaywcxbDYmUWCMwAyk1UHdsqx5zhrWTGs_FYDLgLjhFyt285idImCM7CeipfTK-2CO_piPac8iNeldbngT-Z2KQIC2hBJhJzciXTcFKvvfEHDZoiBDRV37eP4GPbMgwEMo/s400/case1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>lining removed from bottom half</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz2yXGsJxbrg6YJjna-6REqIn4M2yfHCjp-wqmHhMbgHSffFKEk1s1x_o7W0J-yuIqu6UJe5fPel2St_7pE9oNniB5boe-_DYTRXBtbpfNdLRjJPvWb3QJ4tgaX_tOgZ8M_1XPil3o17wI/s1600/case3a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz2yXGsJxbrg6YJjna-6REqIn4M2yfHCjp-wqmHhMbgHSffFKEk1s1x_o7W0J-yuIqu6UJe5fPel2St_7pE9oNniB5boe-_DYTRXBtbpfNdLRjJPvWb3QJ4tgaX_tOgZ8M_1XPil3o17wI/s400/case3a.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicYbH6EBmjL9C8EVhvsZQIP4Q5Z1Ipb_AP2I9DoNbXS7LgHHTPiggiakKBPauGbTAoBP2An2D5yEhdULcwH9OkdMJPxNFLOSbZ0Xwxq4gd0W7xK5FXKbwtxd95knN_Dzo8jhI1XS2r-lz7/s1600/case3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicYbH6EBmjL9C8EVhvsZQIP4Q5Z1Ipb_AP2I9DoNbXS7LgHHTPiggiakKBPauGbTAoBP2An2D5yEhdULcwH9OkdMJPxNFLOSbZ0Xwxq4gd0W7xK5FXKbwtxd95knN_Dzo8jhI1XS2r-lz7/s400/case3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>cross-section: fiberboard, foam, fabric</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsUQxbeas6yOS27qOMXgKvJbYu9qccQRsNRQyA0sZeHOIkm4tgzVUa0JG3KQaCP808UyxH5D6bck8DQmsNU0L-DLdo8tctzNopUk41yP6OMGl6bTwuRbJmPkN3VlOP1j8VhntJJOinQ6G8/s1600/case5a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsUQxbeas6yOS27qOMXgKvJbYu9qccQRsNRQyA0sZeHOIkm4tgzVUa0JG3KQaCP808UyxH5D6bck8DQmsNU0L-DLdo8tctzNopUk41yP6OMGl6bTwuRbJmPkN3VlOP1j8VhntJJOinQ6G8/s400/case5a.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>wood glue brushed inside case</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggRa-8TXqj_UDYq8bH4nlfE3hsGNhYo5gxKG4xEuajGEnnjnZDuRpdaSv1mYDntkXWGNoCvaCMMjLd5yNh9Paw32U2JbRf_KaL5dyEyJnxcB7mUoTSDpejor42qf8E04bGrTZjyWNQNUD0/s1600/case6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggRa-8TXqj_UDYq8bH4nlfE3hsGNhYo5gxKG4xEuajGEnnjnZDuRpdaSv1mYDntkXWGNoCvaCMMjLd5yNh9Paw32U2JbRf_KaL5dyEyJnxcB7mUoTSDpejor42qf8E04bGrTZjyWNQNUD0/s400/case6.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>new lining added around edge</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDA1b7LeJahlaQPFjOyu7l-Zj1JY7nXm2dme-ipcV12Gh7-rcDd7vTJZQm_z6GaWM2IWDuzeAxNCWSQGIwewTAG6aaNl_UFgK5qnqFtwVRDpjtb_EfhAjSDW8Dzjfy5fRWD_qGmeWG0VQ5/s1600/case9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDA1b7LeJahlaQPFjOyu7l-Zj1JY7nXm2dme-ipcV12Gh7-rcDd7vTJZQm_z6GaWM2IWDuzeAxNCWSQGIwewTAG6aaNl_UFgK5qnqFtwVRDpjtb_EfhAjSDW8Dzjfy5fRWD_qGmeWG0VQ5/s400/case9.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>the old lining pulled out easily</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxul_bYRIuyGbL-vgdV8bxHUcTAnDse0vemWXMeZheAoMO4hNuNKHMWrkCuxasaFRMRle6_6QGANcXUCX0VbSut_7jJ4K39872k66vvwDyrvx1zYX731cIWR0nPckpOGqcaV8hxeK-7Qj2/s1600/compartment2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxul_bYRIuyGbL-vgdV8bxHUcTAnDse0vemWXMeZheAoMO4hNuNKHMWrkCuxasaFRMRle6_6QGANcXUCX0VbSut_7jJ4K39872k66vvwDyrvx1zYX731cIWR0nPckpOGqcaV8hxeK-7Qj2/s400/compartment2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>small compartment under neck; lid is pressure fit</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFUNuMt1NpgeKqQj_UzsBNI7jeVyR56yxCe6R7SMTcdLzjzmL602C00dJ0jDOhZFvAfP4VRsbTZbuk7DwlP5hS25DkBHdqPQvUi3IR11iNcAG1l82ZFgJOvid-4gb6BP0L5y-7wEI6QDNN/s1600/case7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFUNuMt1NpgeKqQj_UzsBNI7jeVyR56yxCe6R7SMTcdLzjzmL602C00dJ0jDOhZFvAfP4VRsbTZbuk7DwlP5hS25DkBHdqPQvUi3IR11iNcAG1l82ZFgJOvid-4gb6BP0L5y-7wEI6QDNN/s400/case7.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>a broken belt used for the compartment strap</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZg8217gwGQBqUpaxh2ems_GnhJ9MdHoPFUwFEqrQ1JMwMRWmcpsRZ7VHc6_4JReog4eCQYvBXtagXfDpSJqC9sb4GCcd1wUlWq0CX6vdk120WqNHutSwYL3m_iYdiAhuI4mCEnbzbrW3y/s1600/compartment1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZg8217gwGQBqUpaxh2ems_GnhJ9MdHoPFUwFEqrQ1JMwMRWmcpsRZ7VHc6_4JReog4eCQYvBXtagXfDpSJqC9sb4GCcd1wUlWq0CX6vdk120WqNHutSwYL3m_iYdiAhuI4mCEnbzbrW3y/s400/compartment1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>belt cut down and attached with short wood screws</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQSQeAE4jYRSJZE1kPgB7d_cDQe1dlRvP5CfwQ2mTl0ilL791e-Yw2WxNcOosjsKQFpEw1svxfU6svXSzSG3Wf-ln1hSoIvEThQp-suKL_4elWWhKtSyCQf-4rXmkTZWUa-IhSZTfdkj_4/s1600/body+cushioning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQSQeAE4jYRSJZE1kPgB7d_cDQe1dlRvP5CfwQ2mTl0ilL791e-Yw2WxNcOosjsKQFpEw1svxfU6svXSzSG3Wf-ln1hSoIvEThQp-suKL_4elWWhKtSyCQf-4rXmkTZWUa-IhSZTfdkj_4/s400/body+cushioning.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>the fully padded body area</i></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwNaoTF05geSv0iH2RN1T6WntYlFqy3IwcVhr3j1GDcKaaLmEV-YdpoW_JJ2qi5XTjSpV-aGINmFMGjW4jeQMI-xAYdsATW_eQtU0eODIywOqi66tNIa3j4G3Wn758qKJOP6fYMYUstoPw/s1600/snackbox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwNaoTF05geSv0iH2RN1T6WntYlFqy3IwcVhr3j1GDcKaaLmEV-YdpoW_JJ2qi5XTjSpV-aGINmFMGjW4jeQMI-xAYdsATW_eQtU0eODIywOqi66tNIa3j4G3Wn758qKJOP6fYMYUstoPw/s640/snackbox.jpg" width="472" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Above the headstock, a removable container made from coroplast scraps and covered in origami paper </i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_lggKfm2y5bTQQ8-nyNCxyIr4hF-fcmgKDItesB-mUiwP1AOQLUqclRK9WTfYwCqxye_6l76sZPvHsn0VX4LKEIfbewg636eJuNK0gwBkxH_Enex9kxaFfflPlQAIGE5pex3lMKRmM8mJ/s1600/lidcompartment.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_lggKfm2y5bTQQ8-nyNCxyIr4hF-fcmgKDItesB-mUiwP1AOQLUqclRK9WTfYwCqxye_6l76sZPvHsn0VX4LKEIfbewg636eJuNK0gwBkxH_Enex9kxaFfflPlQAIGE5pex3lMKRmM8mJ/s640/lidcompartment.jpg" width="489" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Another compartment in the lid can store spare strings and papers</i></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMH05qsMm9sSTKFOKVTwJr6rn82kUEJ7cg-8ULOGlEJhPEkq9faMtkRR0r37tDLACgrscf_er-pgHcJYvLVyJ_XcmCFGyNw-TXLjEa1uKDpDdrj0gA17KRVz7jD4HnbxWhc4m6nLougOjh/s1600/complete.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMH05qsMm9sSTKFOKVTwJr6rn82kUEJ7cg-8ULOGlEJhPEkq9faMtkRR0r37tDLACgrscf_er-pgHcJYvLVyJ_XcmCFGyNw-TXLjEa1uKDpDdrj0gA17KRVz7jD4HnbxWhc4m6nLougOjh/s640/complete.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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If you do make your own case, please consider linking to it in the comments below. I'd love to see other designs and ideas.<br />
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In other ukulele news, my <a href="http://unschoolplus.blogspot.com/2012/01/blukulelesor-how-to-form-group-to-learn.html" target="_blank">ukulele group </a>has grown over the last year, so I started a new blog for us <a href="http://yoloyukes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. If you enjoy uke talk, I hope you'll visit.</div>
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unschoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05638020820430345739noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4316286562459084280.post-57248365031898949372013-01-23T18:42:00.000-08:002013-01-23T18:42:50.555-08:00grizzly ukulele kit (daisy)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPxz6uvlLOjlomDnK3oEz0VgqyE_P8bdKkuLG6twfqXFfrUX-Vh_DE6fppTsjOeOnDl2Fg3H6_L5Qs54Ir9pjgUDx4GV9llSB3VRZgs8beZN6k915o44DWIQPy7kzSm7XMio7s4g8GzZdy/s1600/Grizzly1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPxz6uvlLOjlomDnK3oEz0VgqyE_P8bdKkuLG6twfqXFfrUX-Vh_DE6fppTsjOeOnDl2Fg3H6_L5Qs54Ir9pjgUDx4GV9llSB3VRZgs8beZN6k915o44DWIQPy7kzSm7XMio7s4g8GzZdy/s320/Grizzly1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">instruction manual on top</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
In December 2011 I had just begun playing uke and was also home with a nasty cough. The two converged together into a rush of web browsing, and eventually I came across this <a href="http://www.grizzly.com/products/Ukulele-Kit/H3125" target="_blank">diy ukulele kit</a>, on sale at a price that was far lower than the cheapest starter instrument. Of course I ordered one.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcjktxGbJWAVdivzqY4j3MOH34u0bAVDQhRKn2O2K4dsYW49SbXYyftYNoa4SB_W061KRfWPDtjg-OEAcc0FEsHMASn3V4WjBudODzaSROHw4wxioKhAQH8EnjafRwUCiz5Q8Wgu0QGgzY/s1600/Grizzly2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcjktxGbJWAVdivzqY4j3MOH34u0bAVDQhRKn2O2K4dsYW49SbXYyftYNoa4SB_W061KRfWPDtjg-OEAcc0FEsHMASn3V4WjBudODzaSROHw4wxioKhAQH8EnjafRwUCiz5Q8Wgu0QGgzY/s320/Grizzly2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">neck, body, miscellaneous pieces</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Basic as it was, it sat around for many months before I dared to try and assemble it. I don't know much about wood, and it felt incredibly daunting to turn pieces of wood—even pieces that were precut and partially assembled—into a playable instrument.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJITMpTqqlRELjCreOSpMRwKMy6RNsE6l5I9MXSm3cX0d2KprmRPY1Qj5jV5K2VEjNj74cjcG3wQUqBWxrvv0t6lzhxp5nRccVb5SwZ0WlHRNj1wZ1lYPp3ot7HzzHjhSUP9zCVMwI0fAd/s1600/Grizzly3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJITMpTqqlRELjCreOSpMRwKMy6RNsE6l5I9MXSm3cX0d2KprmRPY1Qj5jV5K2VEjNj74cjcG3wQUqBWxrvv0t6lzhxp5nRccVb5SwZ0WlHRNj1wZ1lYPp3ot7HzzHjhSUP9zCVMwI0fAd/s320/Grizzly3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">step 1: gluing the neck to the body</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">But I eventually started, and soon after I ran into David Iriguchi of <a href="http://thehappyukulele.com/" target="_blank">Iriguchi Ukuleles</a>. I confessed with much embarrassment that I was starting a kit. Way back in March at the <a href="http://playuke.net/" target="_blank">Reno Ukulele Festival</a>, David's concert keystone uke was the first to make me realize what a truly fine instrument sounded like. So it felt akin to telling a sculptor I was going to make a dog out of Playdoh.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNi0QW7CU1GT5MuSSHl2R0jDP851v4iuid42N1mSUnjAU1w1SpUupGlU5iqp3a8ZvhvqV95iH8H7i9LUWBzLdoc5ggCUIjj7Y8_wSScrZ8kwhyjG7BG0kthpQhisq-RxKwNde4EIeC4EWi/s1600/Grizzly4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNi0QW7CU1GT5MuSSHl2R0jDP851v4iuid42N1mSUnjAU1w1SpUupGlU5iqp3a8ZvhvqV95iH8H7i9LUWBzLdoc5ggCUIjj7Y8_wSScrZ8kwhyjG7BG0kthpQhisq-RxKwNde4EIeC4EWi/s320/Grizzly4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">step 2: gluing fretboard to neck</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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But David was characteristically kind and encouraging. He advised looking up other people's chronicles of their kit builds, and said not to worry too much about precision because it would probably turn out okay.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9TYMC1ArahX-SneU_0e-SyPV51x2YVRzdBm8abt4WqoasaYkX9ZZEE1RD2UWifBxfUUiSsLH7YGzzbb0q78iZScx-n9ZU2wtUJ0sMUDMaR822aKlBKRpTVScPlyUkQTmoTGkWqJi5NEHT/s1600/Grizzly4a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9TYMC1ArahX-SneU_0e-SyPV51x2YVRzdBm8abt4WqoasaYkX9ZZEE1RD2UWifBxfUUiSsLH7YGzzbb0q78iZScx-n9ZU2wtUJ0sMUDMaR822aKlBKRpTVScPlyUkQTmoTGkWqJi5NEHT/s400/Grizzly4a.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">drying</td></tr>
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The instructions directed that the fretboard be put on before staining, but the bridge put on after. If there's logic to this, I don't understand it. I thought afterward that I would have rather put the fretboard on after staining, as it was hard to tape up the bottom curved edges well. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj37_-9sTUjhp1r0hk3wlp6vqdtsor6sSCzoRfNi_1YWQzjWMHDZFYX2X4FpCwaqaUE1Bv2RbaXhNiT1YRuSINMOKuAnlYZBS52KvPYO3zQ_DWWY3-LRb9XwfBsweo38j0SVxutdpUt5tlM/s1600/Grizzly5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj37_-9sTUjhp1r0hk3wlp6vqdtsor6sSCzoRfNi_1YWQzjWMHDZFYX2X4FpCwaqaUE1Bv2RbaXhNiT1YRuSINMOKuAnlYZBS52KvPYO3zQ_DWWY3-LRb9XwfBsweo38j0SVxutdpUt5tlM/s320/Grizzly5.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">clamping the bridge to the body with the only tool bought for the project. Cost: $3.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The only modification I made was adding a sound port to give me some direct sound feedback. This is a feature that many of <a href="http://thehappyukulele.com/2012/07/30/california-golden-tribute-to-the-golden-state/" target="_blank">David's ukes</a> have, and I really liked it when I tried them last year.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixFQE5JPuPPEZ6vTzmFejMXMOJoBfI_nOjbvYnWFOoja65N7uKpWU5lJkl97FDxFZ9sMpsCzCS69EBkrcJ_nshLV4SdvvuLp-BXU9Ezmw6vDx7BR6E87q7lHS7cnjCsld40O88u2mitdeK/s1600/Grizzly6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixFQE5JPuPPEZ6vTzmFejMXMOJoBfI_nOjbvYnWFOoja65N7uKpWU5lJkl97FDxFZ9sMpsCzCS69EBkrcJ_nshLV4SdvvuLp-BXU9Ezmw6vDx7BR6E87q7lHS7cnjCsld40O88u2mitdeK/s320/Grizzly6.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">holes stuffed with wadded newspaper and other surfaces wrapped with painters tape for finishing</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">What's not documented here is all the sanding and finishing. I had thought it would end with the fine grit sandpaper, but then I read about filling the wood grain and sanding that down, too. Then there was staining, cleaning up the leaked areas, drying, and finally spraying several light coats of lacquer.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwQBuJ30BgO70flmmgA560bEUHLVy12OpNFCsD5im1HEilmRrBE8xWQj33HYCaOiA5crtQvLms1HJVyt6Ku7GKP7dDrkeJpy9e1zyc1ExwTwaDENA8rlI3KEJeLHS7q40-mm5u3ISqelYr/s1600/Grizzly7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwQBuJ30BgO70flmmgA560bEUHLVy12OpNFCsD5im1HEilmRrBE8xWQj33HYCaOiA5crtQvLms1HJVyt6Ku7GKP7dDrkeJpy9e1zyc1ExwTwaDENA8rlI3KEJeLHS7q40-mm5u3ISqelYr/s320/Grizzly7.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ready to add tuners and strings</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">It was rather tedious toward the end, but worth it for the smooth finish on the body. The stain's not perfectly uneven, but in a way that I can live with. Overall, I'm happy enough with how it turned out.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6GZAmwJt8Iwn9vY3dgik8Gbmuqf1hnnb8ac-xSM9uPImy7gILq11haTj13bO1zGO6J6gVgesY8IRpMQpqP-LSot7GNTcWunaYVPtjdvvAqHx1jverpvxKsxhA82DaW8qfilDyWVCt003y/s1600/daisyhanging.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6GZAmwJt8Iwn9vY3dgik8Gbmuqf1hnnb8ac-xSM9uPImy7gILq11haTj13bO1zGO6J6gVgesY8IRpMQpqP-LSot7GNTcWunaYVPtjdvvAqHx1jverpvxKsxhA82DaW8qfilDyWVCt003y/s400/daisyhanging.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the daisy uke</td></tr>
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The kit is branded with the Grizzly name. I wanted to put a bear sticker on the headstock, but couldn't find anything suitable. What I did find was a sheet of daisy stickers. It was S's idea to put a daisy in the sound hole, as well. Now it feels a little like overkill, so I'll probably remove the stickers eventually. Meanwhile, we've gone from calling it the Grizzly to calling her Daisy.<br />
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I can't finish this post without mentioning DH's huge contribution to it. It initially sounded a little thunky to me, so he used a tuner and some filing instruments to bring it to a better intonation. This is not something I would have had either the knowledge, patience or courage to try myself; but I'm very grateful that he did. I sold the Dolphin in October, so this is now the main soprano I reach for.<br />
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Every time I play it, I remember how I was afraid to start, and how it turned out okay.<br />
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Do you have any projects like that?<br />
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<br />unschoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05638020820430345739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4316286562459084280.post-72519592644920066812013-01-04T15:30:00.000-08:002013-01-27T16:26:10.558-08:00downton abbey trivia quiz<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Downton_Abbey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="Downton Abbey" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="226" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/0c/Downton_Abbey.jpg/300px-Downton_Abbey.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 300px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Downton Abbey (Photo credit: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Downton_Abbey.jpg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</i></span></td></tr>
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How many ways can one dork out to Downton Abbey? Season 3 is just about to premiere in the States, so we are learning that there are many, many ways indeed.</div>
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There's the Downton Abbey cocktail series at The Kitchn (the <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/downton-abbey-cocktail-recipe-the-mr-bates-bittersweet-cocktail-the-10-minute-happy-hour-182236" target="_blank">Bittersweet Mr. Bates</a> came out this morning).<br />
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The <a href="http://downtonabbeycooks.com/" target="_blank">Downton Abbey Cooks</a> blog.</div>
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And the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Agent-Gates-Secret-Adventures-Devonton/dp/1449434347" target="_blank">Agent Gates graphic novel</a>.</div>
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There are old favorites like Downton Abbey <a href="http://www.dogster.com/the-scoop/if-the-characters-in-downton-abbey-were-portrayed-by-canine-actors-what-breeds-would-they-be" target="_blank">portrayed by dogs</a>, the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmL3z-zNQFo" target="_blank">Fresh Prince of Downton Abbey</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFEabHQWntg" target="_blank">Downton Sixbey</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5dMlXentLw" target="_blank">Uptown Downstairs Abbey</a>.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
There's a list of Downton Abbey <a href="http://sharetv.org/shows/downton_abbey_uk/goofs" target="_blank">goofs</a>.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
And then there are quizzes, quizzes galore. Google "Downton Abbey quiz" and see how many of the 1.5 million results you get through.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
But yes, I made one, too. The show just calls out for a trivia quiz, what with all the richness of detail in the costumes, setting and storyline. I was scribbling down interesting facts as we watched it through once, then started to formalize it for team trivia when it was rerun. As it turned out, we didn't end up playing this one at New Year's so I offer it here for a few series-besotted friends, and perhaps for you, as well.</div>
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<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Downton
Abbey Trivia Quiz</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="color: black;">1.
What is the name of the real castle where Downton Abbey is filmed? </span>
</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">2.
Who is the first character Julian Fellowes wrote, after reading a
history set in the 1880s and 90s?</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">3.
In which month and year does Season 1 begin?</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">4.
Who is the first character we see in the first episode of the
series?</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">5. What
is the name of the pub in town where Carson meets the other Charlie?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="color: black;">6. Who
invented the swivel chair? </span>
</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">7. Which
Downton Abbey actor shares the same name as a former US President?</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">8.
Where does the first scene of Season 2 take place?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">9. What
is the name, and breed, of Robert's beloved dog?</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">10. Complete
the Lady Violet quotes.</span></span></div>
<ol start="9">
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
</ol>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="color: black;"> What
is a ___________? </span>
</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="color: black;"> I
couldn't have electricity in the house. I wouldn't sleep a wink. All
those </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">___________</span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="color: black;"> Your
quarrel is with my daughter, Rosamund, and not with me. So </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">___________.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="color: black;"> "I'll
take that as a compliment." </span>
</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="color: black;">"Oh, </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">___________.</span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="color: black;">"</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> Don't
be defeatist, dear. It's very </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">___________</span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Printable <a href="https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B17u4dX23lUAQy0xZHJ6X1BHMEk" target="_blank">here</a>. Answers <a href="https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B17u4dX23lUAYTc2M0xfV0U5b3M" target="_blank">here</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;">
<img alt="" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/pixy.gif?x-id=0f8ec3f6-90d9-449b-95d6-8121124436f3" style="border: none; float: right;" /></div>
unschoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05638020820430345739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4316286562459084280.post-62032118984177115832013-01-01T16:17:00.000-08:002013-01-01T16:40:11.187-08:00happy new year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilhK6jWp1PPbnLYNwCm9Gwowpxod1Zkag9_lMJkLSrQBMv1VHvTPLMMZCB30JnxsykffJOVykUb0Jvqr-bKz4oUYs1jEN1A7Zx3jb74L1igZ_i7gP5XRpnrfJ2xQQasPrI6daqrF83dcNb/s1600/HNYuke.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilhK6jWp1PPbnLYNwCm9Gwowpxod1Zkag9_lMJkLSrQBMv1VHvTPLMMZCB30JnxsykffJOVykUb0Jvqr-bKz4oUYs1jEN1A7Zx3jb74L1igZ_i7gP5XRpnrfJ2xQQasPrI6daqrF83dcNb/s640/HNYuke.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This blog needs a new header, perhaps a new name. It needs a lot of things, but for today I'm just going to sit and play my Flea, still in its party hat from last night.</div>
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We had our usual New Year's Eve party. It has changed shape greatly over the years, from the first year playing board games with friends all night long to last night's more lively rounds of team trivia and group singing. This morning I looked at the piece of butcher paper we taped to the wall.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwYBbioJRHTSYp94wxJDlPPfcOmGjzajIpiDw7kU1LhDP-bqks3eVsdBqmIctBtXaixBulTBuQaR6AZcmamJZ3Srb_VMFnIgxsh4BhL7ZkFd846P8tx_068V7Q4h1fntKJDS3Rf8kjYDWC/s1600/nyeposter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwYBbioJRHTSYp94wxJDlPPfcOmGjzajIpiDw7kU1LhDP-bqks3eVsdBqmIctBtXaixBulTBuQaR6AZcmamJZ3Srb_VMFnIgxsh4BhL7ZkFd846P8tx_068V7Q4h1fntKJDS3Rf8kjYDWC/s400/nyeposter.jpg" width="382" /></a></div>
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The kids went to town with it, but amongst all the silliness are some genuine resolutions: a couple about learning ukulele (we had all the ukes out last night, just as we did last year when the idea of an <a href="http://unschoolplus.blogspot.com/2012/01/blukulelesor-how-to-form-group-to-learn.html" target="_blank">uke group</a> first hatched), others about pets, reading, sports goals, travel and having fun. And one very sweet: "Not be so shy." I have no idea who wrote any of them, although I have guesses at a few.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My resolutions are not on the paper, and I can't think of any I would write. When I start the New Year with friends, it's hard to want to change much. Instead, what I want is to remember to be grateful for the days I have and the people around me. With any success at that, I believe it could be a very good year indeed. I hope yours is, too.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy42QwuMW1Vh6mQ8NwEhx9SNyj9WOGCk97-SHHlWpMJItMUnxBxpKCahC6UXuEu5cIhsbJJnDSw4gBoq4nLpLVpRt9a9ZBV8Btu1rXXhMV3CrT9d4gebUvvknFnmX1465JLvRyTcGThGmW/s1600/nye.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy42QwuMW1Vh6mQ8NwEhx9SNyj9WOGCk97-SHHlWpMJItMUnxBxpKCahC6UXuEu5cIhsbJJnDSw4gBoq4nLpLVpRt9a9ZBV8Btu1rXXhMV3CrT9d4gebUvvknFnmX1465JLvRyTcGThGmW/s640/nye.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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unschoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05638020820430345739noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4316286562459084280.post-25066279431318268112012-12-22T14:14:00.003-08:002012-12-22T14:48:58.458-08:00ukulele reindeer antlers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
If only I could stop at the <a href="http://unschoolplus.blogspot.com/2012/12/ukulele-santa-hat.html" target="_blank">ukulele santa hat</a>, I wouldn't feel quite so insane. But no ukulele Christmas is complete without a round of <a href="http://www.alligatorboogaloo.com/uke/xmas/xmas_rudolph.html" target="_blank">Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer</a>, and that calls out for a matching headpiece. </div>
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Uh, doesn't it...?</div>
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This was just a couple of chenille stems wrapped around the headstock and with a glittery red pom-pom glued to the front. I wanted to be able to take it on and off, so started with a little hook, which was formed around a ruler.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwYuzAfYuIQBeoztf5flYr_Hnc4vNHpyZdgsIrDJFuQ9qpQmb4ar-D4zUcdVS0ZHZ_my0MCm5Bohjg_RfLNQcQb2_4YaD_GERFI02MOnerS6S32Fkxh7GH4R5nAMmdsqowBIwex1YALago/s1600/rudolph1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwYuzAfYuIQBeoztf5flYr_Hnc4vNHpyZdgsIrDJFuQ9qpQmb4ar-D4zUcdVS0ZHZ_my0MCm5Bohjg_RfLNQcQb2_4YaD_GERFI02MOnerS6S32Fkxh7GH4R5nAMmdsqowBIwex1YALago/s400/rudolph1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
The chenille was wrapped around the headstock horizontally, caught on the hook, and bent up and over the top—<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-5hvqdkc5F5OuoZEKi2GduJGgFssO-fkU660wpgtFygvkSh9tO3H2qLjXEe5aSWC2IFlC3uP7RsEpaar0XCKocdoIbGOKU95hWWYkYyxfIU8wVya9DXqew6xlx6G_XPZNvzP9HYvFLdsa/s1600/rudolph2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-5hvqdkc5F5OuoZEKi2GduJGgFssO-fkU660wpgtFygvkSh9tO3H2qLjXEe5aSWC2IFlC3uP7RsEpaar0XCKocdoIbGOKU95hWWYkYyxfIU8wVya9DXqew6xlx6G_XPZNvzP9HYvFLdsa/s400/rudolph2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
—and twisted around the other side.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6KVCOLQchrN2ioScaHWSrVW9g5rYv6agcTrm_xxLiJdDRgfYW2k5safj-YvVN42yonZlZuHpwSmAh_mNrdaE_ZmxszRVq2p84hgxikjOGEweSMlvNZGwzcFs9qIfRgU0x8pP_V6tdlG3G/s1600/rudolph3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6KVCOLQchrN2ioScaHWSrVW9g5rYv6agcTrm_xxLiJdDRgfYW2k5safj-YvVN42yonZlZuHpwSmAh_mNrdaE_ZmxszRVq2p84hgxikjOGEweSMlvNZGwzcFs9qIfRgU0x8pP_V6tdlG3G/s400/rudolph3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Nose glued on.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr1N3MufnhwSk5VC9iNHYGcKdCM_VDPX1qPKCKbW5CCy-gXPhY8S3_IcVuCH7PQHEKW-oKoRKkylvu26VpJgrBva4ydRNDmfqYuzgAc-GINhGLTffKwISV2wkJNWtwo8_L4UY-clUnF68O/s1600/rudolph4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr1N3MufnhwSk5VC9iNHYGcKdCM_VDPX1qPKCKbW5CCy-gXPhY8S3_IcVuCH7PQHEKW-oKoRKkylvu26VpJgrBva4ydRNDmfqYuzgAc-GINhGLTffKwISV2wkJNWtwo8_L4UY-clUnF68O/s400/rudolph4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Antlers formed from another stem any old how.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvjMYqOdxr1VCSmI2YY3aWm87KRcG6EGtpHTLJSSq7yb0YphIHBuGdxLNJdW1-MCllSSk-GO2i9vhso8JdOgRKSSHRnwqfvwEXXJYDBz2l9qQ_rcUulGkPTLRZRFxq8XcH_EpW7eqmFuIA/s1600/rudolph5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvjMYqOdxr1VCSmI2YY3aWm87KRcG6EGtpHTLJSSq7yb0YphIHBuGdxLNJdW1-MCllSSk-GO2i9vhso8JdOgRKSSHRnwqfvwEXXJYDBz2l9qQ_rcUulGkPTLRZRFxq8XcH_EpW7eqmFuIA/s400/rudolph5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
The Flea headstock is rectangular, but the majority probably have this pointed tip in the middle. For those, a different configuration might work better:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNbouGOJ6ejQC-MA9GbD8yVZZ1qujhzhztuGZ2PwoW5JsNxs3GRTiJd02yjcaPoZzhNAyGztZv2sicWUCd3NSdtUx0GKR0WHZBBCvvf6n6D0vuKqxuNFCPLYzODR7ZxImCA5VfYR9KeTMv/s1600/rudolph6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNbouGOJ6ejQC-MA9GbD8yVZZ1qujhzhztuGZ2PwoW5JsNxs3GRTiJd02yjcaPoZzhNAyGztZv2sicWUCd3NSdtUx0GKR0WHZBBCvvf6n6D0vuKqxuNFCPLYzODR7ZxImCA5VfYR9KeTMv/s400/rudolph6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
DH saw these and cautiously asked if I were planning on making ukulele hats for every holiday. He said it in the tone of someone who has their foot halfway out the door, so I reassured him: No, of course not. These are just for the party.<br />
<br />
But we'll see.<br />
<br />
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<br />unschoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05638020820430345739noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4316286562459084280.post-32932447398596140772012-12-22T13:56:00.001-08:002012-12-22T14:15:03.999-08:00ukulele santa hat<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNF8C2FhZbq9N8AxyZcdwIogzXKqj61MpKfXD5i10a9KJX5kToIn2RxrcdAv5_FdmDKgIp1HocFBSX2VFbADPhFLTUBngU1Y8ql3YSdTa6WNv_kqq8loIIaOD0yQCHrAZWu0ftK6PimY-w/s1600/santaflea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNF8C2FhZbq9N8AxyZcdwIogzXKqj61MpKfXD5i10a9KJX5kToIn2RxrcdAv5_FdmDKgIp1HocFBSX2VFbADPhFLTUBngU1Y8ql3YSdTa6WNv_kqq8loIIaOD0yQCHrAZWu0ftK6PimY-w/s400/santaflea.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
When opening the Christmas decorations box this year, I noticed a little Santa hat that probably sat on a doll's head in years past. This year it looked perfect for the ukulele, so that's where it went.<br />
<br />
And then I realized I couldn't stop there. We had an ukulele club Christmas party coming up.<br />
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I didn't think to start photographing the process until I was nearly done, but it isn't brain surgery and I'm sure you'll be able to adapt it to your own needs.<br />
<br />
I eyeballed the hats into isosceles triangles, making them roughly 3" wide, which was the width of my headstock. I was using leftover knit fabric from the <a href="http://unschoolplus.blogspot.com/2011/12/making-santa-hat.html" target="_blank">Santa hat </a>I made last year, but it should be about the same whether you use fleece or felt or fake fur—anything that has a small amount of stretch to it. Running the warp of the fabric vertically from the peak to the center of the brim will help with the stretch (in other words, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selvage" target="_blank">selvedge</a> should run parallel to the silver ruler, below).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS0DTHXOLr2hKMo7tR8docZN91IDLtt-99H8HlYLDSsGF_O9r9C-NylYdfAPEG547yJi8CXJf3NCwnsLj6DqsL-nq_gMYrX0zu5lufKUCPydLQDwAFaynt8QVhqtlPJejXXXTHvixXEDV-/s1600/hat1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS0DTHXOLr2hKMo7tR8docZN91IDLtt-99H8HlYLDSsGF_O9r9C-NylYdfAPEG547yJi8CXJf3NCwnsLj6DqsL-nq_gMYrX0zu5lufKUCPydLQDwAFaynt8QVhqtlPJejXXXTHvixXEDV-/s400/hat1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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A quarter-inch seam took the width down to where it would fit snugly.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWObsgGJMTpjuOVeXbpl_p_DJuS9mrzwI7sPPXjNSUWMhaScBvgZRa1FcbjqPfIOOKBnYoX0DKV5qwc2p0vTo4rviURK0jTsAvkRrPrK0cY3WPEc8Pu4BIIVP-Qdjb29y7rsOZ-F9_Fo2U/s1600/hat2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWObsgGJMTpjuOVeXbpl_p_DJuS9mrzwI7sPPXjNSUWMhaScBvgZRa1FcbjqPfIOOKBnYoX0DKV5qwc2p0vTo4rviURK0jTsAvkRrPrK0cY3WPEc8Pu4BIIVP-Qdjb29y7rsOZ-F9_Fo2U/s400/hat2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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All the trim was glued on. I used fabric adhesive because it gave me a little bit of extra control winding that feathery trim, but you could also use a glue gun or anything else that can attach fabric to fabric.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfoic79MBd9WGlf7_i0hyphenhyphen3l8S0cNZjjetaGHFXPxgcPGGTcoMPM1WRKUS6LzMC95aiVVMZC2qvbfmWToXiYSTX7x2jhl8qh0N3cnRRJm1m0BPegjfAMtNzwpDkczpddNlrV32sm9z52JO6/s1600/hat3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfoic79MBd9WGlf7_i0hyphenhyphen3l8S0cNZjjetaGHFXPxgcPGGTcoMPM1WRKUS6LzMC95aiVVMZC2qvbfmWToXiYSTX7x2jhl8qh0N3cnRRJm1m0BPegjfAMtNzwpDkczpddNlrV32sm9z52JO6/s400/hat3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit0YLQD6kEZmc9cFtZRYZN0uKTY7dH0vGWvOnOJ4Ur9RQaNDWHfW5YHXzJc12bXCXSK6cwV2qW2CoGEw3aaHcI9z2lFbgnIZ_-Jyu7GeHN0xVjUd0i5XC9067QXgHd8j5LPOIYjXa-REx-/s1600/hat4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit0YLQD6kEZmc9cFtZRYZN0uKTY7dH0vGWvOnOJ4Ur9RQaNDWHfW5YHXzJc12bXCXSK6cwV2qW2CoGEw3aaHcI9z2lFbgnIZ_-Jyu7GeHN0xVjUd0i5XC9067QXgHd8j5LPOIYjXa-REx-/s400/hat4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The final, and I think somewhat critical, step was gluing the tops down so that the hats could sit compactly on the headstock when the ukes were in playing position. I folded right over the seam and just added a dab of glue above the trim.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrtjxmgYLHNJAcFPjOk_QmU2ToXZuG6EbcMyqlGUDksXgifI54Fw7vY_D7ajg1YxB9NPiemf24oup47PJswMmN6-OKvfLmPUOOFF5SWnx2NoP6GPe5Fplo02bSj0duHnBQkIsnm3xGTaq2/s1600/hat5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrtjxmgYLHNJAcFPjOk_QmU2ToXZuG6EbcMyqlGUDksXgifI54Fw7vY_D7ajg1YxB9NPiemf24oup47PJswMmN6-OKvfLmPUOOFF5SWnx2NoP6GPe5Fplo02bSj0duHnBQkIsnm3xGTaq2/s400/hat5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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And here's the new, mass-produced version for my club friends. I actually like it a little better than the original due to the softer materials used.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Oj5x8zobICMOwlbA_DQxXbG6slHeYRhn257UQJNmJmnHS3eY7YDSxCtFUDxbjpKNFCXc5WxT9pYw5ypJOWFdJ3Sce0kZo8kueMzGI8mzCqcioLcdETNnTL-769IPfAqbhZaCGCpmnIiG/s1600/hat6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Oj5x8zobICMOwlbA_DQxXbG6slHeYRhn257UQJNmJmnHS3eY7YDSxCtFUDxbjpKNFCXc5WxT9pYw5ypJOWFdJ3Sce0kZo8kueMzGI8mzCqcioLcdETNnTL-769IPfAqbhZaCGCpmnIiG/s640/hat6.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Corny? Very. But also fun, and fun is what we're after when we play.<br />
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<br />unschoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05638020820430345739noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4316286562459084280.post-91881854406596591782012-12-18T23:43:00.000-08:002012-12-18T23:43:28.406-08:00hawaii wedding trip<div>
Somehow I didn't manage a single post in November. The highlight for us was a trip to Oahu for the wedding of one of my baby cousins. Because my mom was the eldest in a family with a large age spread, most of our cousins were born when we were already grown and I still think of them all as babies—even though they are now in their 20s and 30s.</div>
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The trip was notable for being the first time in 10 years we've gone to Hawaii for something other than a funeral. And my own baby, S, turned 14 while there.</div>
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So it was a different, and memorable, trip for us. We started with a day canoeing.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0sH_wmMqosJmhF2ulQSoSPu5Iyjf6n-I9i53fRR3F5v10KVpmA_nqqK3IlArhygXA06HStKd7OWiAOiQc9kl0o3Kiic8iW_rSAH1CYXT46EDIGvsqeV84j37ZYKnG660AqswABY8fDVfN/s1600/canoeingKS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0sH_wmMqosJmhF2ulQSoSPu5Iyjf6n-I9i53fRR3F5v10KVpmA_nqqK3IlArhygXA06HStKd7OWiAOiQc9kl0o3Kiic8iW_rSAH1CYXT46EDIGvsqeV84j37ZYKnG660AqswABY8fDVfN/s400/canoeingKS.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>photo by Karen Soon</i></td></tr>
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That night there was a pre-wedding dinner for some of the family.</div>
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The wedding was outdoors and beautiful, poignant for the absence of my cousin's dad.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwZ2WJahrVJMT297y8ohsZbgrk3vvl7PwiVdIng663hFh5S_PbwWl5rEW33Mz_ClRsYkvYhN83VfHaMyuUzd11pq1PKl2w7Z8OoErYQW__vl9tBKY6v1Bzj0_Id8KQxnfKcalQ-4XzJXgp/s1600/weddingKS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwZ2WJahrVJMT297y8ohsZbgrk3vvl7PwiVdIng663hFh5S_PbwWl5rEW33Mz_ClRsYkvYhN83VfHaMyuUzd11pq1PKl2w7Z8OoErYQW__vl9tBKY6v1Bzj0_Id8KQxnfKcalQ-4XzJXgp/s400/weddingKS.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>photo by Karen Soon</i></td></tr>
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Here are my boys at the reception wearing their kukui nut leis.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWpthcu7mH9ZMseT6l_hw9MZf418D_Cv0MDsCUGeEneKNxaROZm6qYm15ErKgroXEGLNrFxyavbo7OFrOq-z2_Poxh7ojuWATdD1s5v8PKq3NXRUjCYKVJowSraQ18Cur5LES0MDKnan4O/s1600/photo-5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWpthcu7mH9ZMseT6l_hw9MZf418D_Cv0MDsCUGeEneKNxaROZm6qYm15ErKgroXEGLNrFxyavbo7OFrOq-z2_Poxh7ojuWATdD1s5v8PKq3NXRUjCYKVJowSraQ18Cur5LES0MDKnan4O/s400/photo-5.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>photo by Stephanie Lee</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></td></tr>
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DH wasn't able to make the trip with us and C had to leave after the weekend to get back to classes, so S and I went alone the North Shore for a few days.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzqlVC0MTUGxGY2Ccsi8A0svvvcP42y3yfm5sVNQ2VHHGXBC3-LuhOPQu77SuztBqHotyDRx-mvoaXqvpvsraVMvb-tRkvxEDcbOMEjVJdNs72-TK4J-GqxI81YZJaISETwC6TP6ddtQeT/s1600/Waimea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzqlVC0MTUGxGY2Ccsi8A0svvvcP42y3yfm5sVNQ2VHHGXBC3-LuhOPQu77SuztBqHotyDRx-mvoaXqvpvsraVMvb-tRkvxEDcbOMEjVJdNs72-TK4J-GqxI81YZJaISETwC6TP6ddtQeT/s400/Waimea.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waimea Valley</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCkSq6GIr_x4J3icCRkabDM_Ln9CqfO6brPZB6Mj5FHfsFuUvS4LEUjkxoZGZwxaw79lqiOIPNFpaGjuC7Km-aJDcmLCcUtvdOg1u75CEThknaHpnKAcW91NIJIt-_Mb1M-GPuSuRrQqTh/s1600/aoki.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCkSq6GIr_x4J3icCRkabDM_Ln9CqfO6brPZB6Mj5FHfsFuUvS4LEUjkxoZGZwxaw79lqiOIPNFpaGjuC7Km-aJDcmLCcUtvdOg1u75CEThknaHpnKAcW91NIJIt-_Mb1M-GPuSuRrQqTh/s400/aoki.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aoki's Shave Ice in Haleiwa</td></tr>
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We spent the time hiking, snorkeling, watching a surf competition, and eating <i>ono</i> food. But for us, Hawaii always comes down to family, the reason behind every trip we make. We have a large family, so I'm only mentioning a few here.</div>
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My cousin Karen and her husband Randy took fantastic care of us from beginning to end, arranging the aforementioned canoeing trip, driving us to the fish market for lunch, meeting us for a last dinner, and giving us photos to remember the visit by.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQOLU81AK03K3P5ih4PrdzG9IRcl2br_0WFPf-hMr6o7-DmMQZn20K35lKv44qK6OVRnmT5pZvtIAlLklsFmuwf6p0cmOwiIX94nx2lCHdhru-jmYLpuqmClyL73etwZN2iZcboMxHKKra/s1600/Soons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQOLU81AK03K3P5ih4PrdzG9IRcl2br_0WFPf-hMr6o7-DmMQZn20K35lKv44qK6OVRnmT5pZvtIAlLklsFmuwf6p0cmOwiIX94nx2lCHdhru-jmYLpuqmClyL73etwZN2iZcboMxHKKra/s400/Soons.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Randy, Karen, Jason, Kanani</td></tr>
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This auntie is special to S. He loves her cheerful, easygoing personality.</div>
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And then there is my grandma, 97 years young, grandmother of the bride, and the one who has taken care of so many of us there that day. I absolutely love this photo taken by Karen. Looking at it will always remind me of the joy around this wedding and how lucky we are to have the family we don't get to see nearly often enough.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaFumQE1TXKZASMu1FYOEEJiIMkBf56bz8tZDsM3hKcMWyF_Jcw3ZB9t_GnVxTzGdLXaCTMp2q5nUaqccc4Xavvy-qduEZEfr7GQB3UTdNO_mOnoJvKzSNRz7jBXHPmaYapAwcRPwACqck/s1600/GmaKS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaFumQE1TXKZASMu1FYOEEJiIMkBf56bz8tZDsM3hKcMWyF_Jcw3ZB9t_GnVxTzGdLXaCTMp2q5nUaqccc4Xavvy-qduEZEfr7GQB3UTdNO_mOnoJvKzSNRz7jBXHPmaYapAwcRPwACqck/s640/GmaKS.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>photo by Karen Soon</i></td></tr>
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unschoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05638020820430345739noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4316286562459084280.post-89090732993870651542012-10-31T00:03:00.000-07:002012-10-31T00:10:00.938-07:00other people's projects, part 2Remember me mentioning a young mom who had questions about the firetruck costume? Well, Lora created her own version and has graciously allowed me to share her photos. I love what she's done and am including her notes here knowing they will be of use to someone at a future Halloween.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKzLOLoAa56Ut_bIzhV5MNoqzm9eUAh-nGbOjP8wDUqtdvbmKUh6FySXJZV7jq27prRSXL_rJUgL5zJfF0K90qZPbqRAmKwirrQZ_ow5yKqFQ6CUjA58lJC1uLgwLkibJcG6dpxC9xGp_s/s1600/truck1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKzLOLoAa56Ut_bIzhV5MNoqzm9eUAh-nGbOjP8wDUqtdvbmKUh6FySXJZV7jq27prRSXL_rJUgL5zJfF0K90qZPbqRAmKwirrQZ_ow5yKqFQ6CUjA58lJC1uLgwLkibJcG6dpxC9xGp_s/s400/truck1.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">We used felt, cardboard box and cut outs.</span></i></blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpjy_xvGlZC6j2L3NGDPLPzc9Os3dEhwZ544qr9Wt8muDoRn4DqqbytjvhllOPMf565kTzI0b2Z7pTtfO8I-kjVHB_B32RI4KIO1K2nFsIFyU6CEL9qpwEoEVj83G29Dv78HQLBxHjZV0z/s1600/truck4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpjy_xvGlZC6j2L3NGDPLPzc9Os3dEhwZ544qr9Wt8muDoRn4DqqbytjvhllOPMf565kTzI0b2Z7pTtfO8I-kjVHB_B32RI4KIO1K2nFsIFyU6CEL9qpwEoEVj83G29Dv78HQLBxHjZV0z/s320/truck4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Headlights are Starbucks frappucino lids wrapped in foil with electric tea lights.</span></i></blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyAKAYKXSiqxkf5Ah41tioxBzeSpVFok58JJfYkYh_N3flHhHMIQ0xwuGURd1wIxrWO_2JixhZiSv_znb3OOyJYtu9LIcHh0zMS6qVfpdj1AldB1bc_p6dYEqVDPawAfjauTzuSfzvynZ2/s1600/truck3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyAKAYKXSiqxkf5Ah41tioxBzeSpVFok58JJfYkYh_N3flHhHMIQ0xwuGURd1wIxrWO_2JixhZiSv_znb3OOyJYtu9LIcHh0zMS6qVfpdj1AldB1bc_p6dYEqVDPawAfjauTzuSfzvynZ2/s320/truck3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Siren has buttons for flashing lights and fire engine sounds. It's a
Bruder truck attachment my husband found. It's got a built in battery
pack so we just wedged it into the top, worked like a charm and of
course is the highlight of the costume.</span></i></blockquote>
<br />
Did you catch that? This firetruck has a flashing lights and fire engine sounds! And I love the ingenuity of using tea lights and coffee cup lids.<br />
<br />
But wait—there's more:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjvFCu09UuV0MI1MbTTqinGgfF-Xtis8aO2EHv1SvS2riacaWfIeMGbHm7-9Slrhcd2rO_mOFklXWzjDyj4Q-Y0rmAl3_eYe2YBdYqs6UO7POIwKCWjXSarYn89Ewyd_ca_Q6c-QkCeNPF/s1600/truck6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjvFCu09UuV0MI1MbTTqinGgfF-Xtis8aO2EHv1SvS2riacaWfIeMGbHm7-9Slrhcd2rO_mOFklXWzjDyj4Q-Y0rmAl3_eYe2YBdYqs6UO7POIwKCWjXSarYn89Ewyd_ca_Q6c-QkCeNPF/s640/truck6.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Penelope (3.5) and Maceo (2)</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Lora made both these costumes from scratch, continuing her mother's tradition of creating Halloween costumes every year for five children. How lucky are her kids?<br />
<br />
I know my friend Jen is also making a firetruck this year and am looking forward to seeing her adaptation, as well. In this our first year without Jack O'Lanterns or scarecrows at the porch, it's truly a treat (bad pun—sorry) to see everyone else's projects and costumes.<br />
<br />
Happy Halloween!<br />
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unschoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05638020820430345739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4316286562459084280.post-32811702150055602342012-10-11T12:31:00.000-07:002012-10-11T17:00:21.312-07:00other people's projectsI guess it was inevitable, and all signs have been pointing this way for awhile: S is not interested in Halloween this year.<br />
<br />
Pumpkin patch? No, he doesn't think so. Costume? "Don't you think I'm getting too old, Mom?" Party...? Corn maze...? All politely but firmly declined.<br />
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Given his entry into the school system and the amount of work he has each week, it's probably just as well. I have no idea how we'd get around to all the things we used to have time for, anyway. And yes, typing that sentence made me sad.<br />
<br />
The irony is that one of this blog's most popular posts has consistently been the one about S's <a href="http://unschoolplus.blogspot.com/2010/10/homemade-halloween-costumes-iphone.html" target="_blank">homemade Halloween costume</a>. Recently I had a brief email correspondence with a young mom who had seen the truck costume and asked for construction details.<br />
<br />
A few days later, I received a note from Gonzalo in Spain, mentioning that he and his wife were planning to make iPhone costumes for a birthday party. I love how theirs turned out—the accompanying Steve-Jobs-with-iPad is a nice touch!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ1hz65h6LY1gy1WFdVhvaRVuPcNsZDgVlRsrf-1VHx6Fk3K-_TpDhsYIYuSHKXy4oMyGeFWizb4xOqKLmUMPRx2QyF_EcB1BIwsNWsm0znwOaqbclxXJ-isdGQGECjpuDqH-luGdTWx3F/s1600/IMG_5674.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ1hz65h6LY1gy1WFdVhvaRVuPcNsZDgVlRsrf-1VHx6Fk3K-_TpDhsYIYuSHKXy4oMyGeFWizb4xOqKLmUMPRx2QyF_EcB1BIwsNWsm0znwOaqbclxXJ-isdGQGECjpuDqH-luGdTWx3F/s400/IMG_5674.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>image courtesy of Gonzalo Aragues Rioja</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
In this same period, my sister and niece created their own interpretation of a project from the blog, the <a href="http://joss8.blogspot.com/2012/09/sun-jars.html" target="_blank">sun jars</a> (<a href="http://unschoolplus.blogspot.com/2011/05/how-to-make-sun-jar.html" target="_blank">themselves</a> a version of many other people's work). Be sure and check it out—the colored paint and marker-drawn faces are the perfect adaptation for doing this with a small child.<br />
<br />
These emails, photos and blog posts came at just the right time. We are going through a lot of change right now: the kids not only are giving up Halloween, they are both in school and very, very busy. Our days are newly scheduled and in trying to rebalance to all this, I haven't been doing much that seems worth blogging about. So I'm grateful to hear from those who are, or who take the time to ask a question, say hello, or connect in any way. Thank you, all.<br />
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unschoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05638020820430345739noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4316286562459084280.post-27676234409928428702012-09-12T19:56:00.001-07:002012-09-13T13:35:09.564-07:00silverIn September 1987, DH and I took a train to the American Embassy in Tokyo, where a consul performed a quick and simple ceremony. Afterwards we had lunch at the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Hotel,_Tokyo" target="_blank">Imperial Hotel</a> with the two friends who had been our witnesses, then DH and I flew to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sapporo" target="_blank">Sapporo</a> for the weekend.<br />
<br />
Thus were we married.<br />
<br />
Fast forward 25 years and low key is still the name of the game around here. We talked about ways we might celebrate this purported milestone, but nothing really appealed. The kids both had classes, and we were all in the middle of a busy month.<br />
<br />
In the end we went out for <a href="http://www.paragarys.com/sacramento-restaurants/cafe-bernardo/cafe-bernardo-davis/" target="_blank">breakfast</a>, browsed books at the <a href="http://www.yolocounty.org/index.aspx?page=256" target="_blank">library</a>, made lunch and worked on projects around the house. Then we sat and played ukulele together. I showed DH what I'd learned at the recent <a href="http://winecountryukefest.com/" target="_blank">Wine Country Uke Fest</a>, and we tried a couple of basic duets.<br />
<br />
Dinner was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sapporo#Cuisine" target="_blank">miso ramen</a>, a nod to our honeymoon city of Sapporo. And after dinner C, who a few summers ago was "ordained" through the <a href="http://www.themonastery.org/" target="_blank">Universal Life Church</a>, officiated as we renewed our vows on the deck. S brought the rings, now a couple sizes too small, and <a href="http://unschoolplus.blogspot.com/2011/02/freecycle.html" target="_blank">Maggie</a> played the part of the rude and noisy guest.<br />
<br />
It was just right.<br />
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</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGb8R-lyjrqhGG1uWqutfFQDf0mJQlS1jWRaKdwpMzMBS5J9wSV1F14HKxJkPwuYwhKujQjqfVVwIMY5cAO67CIJKOQBJM-GIEVEhRAqkOKoxMSOS_buKh8FgQuO85pLZK8X_yYSpi_V2i/s1600/minister.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGb8R-lyjrqhGG1uWqutfFQDf0mJQlS1jWRaKdwpMzMBS5J9wSV1F14HKxJkPwuYwhKujQjqfVVwIMY5cAO67CIJKOQBJM-GIEVEhRAqkOKoxMSOS_buKh8FgQuO85pLZK8X_yYSpi_V2i/s320/minister.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">C in impromptu clerical collar, trying to look priestly</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4GMR_g5u_miJ35owBIliWya0Eyj2ZNhWU7vkrqUtCcK2u3Wzvjgvi4lvn0cdzn1VOFww7atdourT3QeFZsn2_Ma8vJparwB0_RMyBMA5RX3n3sFulc3JfUByI6950XOq1bYjV1MplZgHH/s1600/ring+bearer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4GMR_g5u_miJ35owBIliWya0Eyj2ZNhWU7vkrqUtCcK2u3Wzvjgvi4lvn0cdzn1VOFww7atdourT3QeFZsn2_Ma8vJparwB0_RMyBMA5RX3n3sFulc3JfUByI6950XOq1bYjV1MplZgHH/s320/ring+bearer.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">S the ring bearer</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After dinner we sat around and reminisced about what 25 years had brought us. In addition to the boys, we can mark our marriage by having:<br />
<br />
traveled in 8 countries<br />
lived in 3 of those countries<br />
bicycled the perimeters of 2 of them<br />
rented 4 apartments<br />
slowly fixed up one house, and then another<br />
kept 5 dogs, 5 cats, 1 goat, 1 sheep and countless chickens<br />
<br />
And of course, the Silver Anniversary is so named because of all the silver hair, right?<br />
<br />
What are the numbers in your life?<br />
<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>unschoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05638020820430345739noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4316286562459084280.post-58773183759639689712012-09-09T11:11:00.000-07:002013-01-27T16:28:55.315-08:00ukulele family<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Have you ever seen Uke Minutes? They're great, and they often have an easy diy sensibility:</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/uz1xvqyOtvw" width="560"></iframe></div>
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My version was made with an old fence plank because we had a pile of them in the backyard. Screws we had, as well, and it was an easy trip to the hardware store to get a handful of tool hooks.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmDAyG4bhsySv5TmTw98W8Rb463uAZIoEd__Nig9pEK29kjmtfTP45qvJIvPyFpIybfKBt4vAJL1vNuf5eAN_0HlaQw5Ux35-LMmvB2BJ57aVKFkM3e2jJD72uGbFAYOfBMKwYjLnGP2Xy/s1600/hanger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmDAyG4bhsySv5TmTw98W8Rb463uAZIoEd__Nig9pEK29kjmtfTP45qvJIvPyFpIybfKBt4vAJL1vNuf5eAN_0HlaQw5Ux35-LMmvB2BJ57aVKFkM3e2jJD72uGbFAYOfBMKwYjLnGP2Xy/s640/hanger.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
This is how the resident ukulele population has grown in the last several months. There's the <a href="http://unschoolplus.blogspot.com/2012/01/blog-gameukulele.html" target="_blank">Duke</a>, and the <a href="http://unschoolplus.blogspot.com/2012/01/louis-gaspar-ukulele.html" target="_blank">Gaspar</a>--both of them relics of my mom's collection. Between them sits the blue <a href="http://unschoolplus.blogspot.com/2012/01/blukulelesor-how-to-form-group-to-learn.html" target="_blank">Dolphin</a>, now quite chipped and battered from life with two teen boys. The <a href="http://unschoolplus.blogspot.com/2012/04/bookulele-cigar-box-ukulele.html" target="_blank">bookulele</a> and a Lanikai that was a birthday gift from DH round out the little party.</div>
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Nobody needs five ukes, but I like playing all of these—they each sound and feel a little different. The Gaspar is extremely lightweight and has a soft, sweet tone. The Duke is bright and punchy. The Lanikai is ornate, sturdy and solid. It's a concert size, which I'm still getting used to. And the poor old Dolphin has quickly become the resident beater uke, easy to pick up and walk around the house with, or take in the car if I know I'll have to pass the time somewhere. I love it the way you love a favorite teddy bear.</div>
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Do you suppose I could fit a sixth hook in there...?</div>
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unschoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05638020820430345739noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4316286562459084280.post-5580248822220286932012-09-07T11:11:00.000-07:002013-01-27T16:29:27.015-08:00wikis<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>This past summer I noticed a handful of unpublished posts still sitting on this blog. After going back and forth, I decided not to dither any longer but to either purge or publish. This is the first one I looked at. If memory serves, I was waiting to incorporate some additional material but never got round to it...so now, a full year (!) later, it is just going out as found:</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXlPjP0-rA_qrTtQ0R-ZgDiHlDYkUJ6GHQwYI7l2mZOYWj18UFwwo7uJ9vjdR8LWk-Ms4DnU6quQuGwbmxrtI2syePPf8hW6RNRxYqnoGK_CQakGX2SzH2ItWqwS09afeB3Jhv5KmzomRj/s1600/laptop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXlPjP0-rA_qrTtQ0R-ZgDiHlDYkUJ6GHQwYI7l2mZOYWj18UFwwo7uJ9vjdR8LWk-Ms4DnU6quQuGwbmxrtI2syePPf8hW6RNRxYqnoGK_CQakGX2SzH2ItWqwS09afeB3Jhv5KmzomRj/s320/laptop.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Some time back I started compiling a list of all the interesting wiki pages I ran into, thinking...well, I don't know what I was thinking, really.<br />
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<br /></div>
<div>
My interest was probably piqued because I live in a place which generated one of the earliest city wikis:</div>
<blockquote>
<a href="http://daviswiki.org/" target="_blank">Davis, California</a></blockquote>
<div>
There are several more city wikis—and of course, where better to find a list than good old <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>:</div>
<blockquote>
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_wiki#Largest_city_wikis" target="_blank">largest city wikis</a></blockquote>
<div>
A lot of wikis are hosted on <a href="http://wikia.com/" target="_blank">Wikia</a>: <a href="http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page" target="_blank">Harry Potter</a>, <a href="http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page" target="_blank">The Office</a>, <a href="http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page" target="_blank">Lord of the Rings</a>, <a href="http://camerapedia.wikia.com/wiki/Camerapedia" target="_blank">cameras</a>, <a href="http://coffee.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page" target="_blank">coffee</a>, <a href="http://vintagepatterns.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page" target="_blank">vintage sewing patterns</a>, to name just a few. Pick a popular movie, a game, or a tv show, and see if you can't find it here.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Homeschooling? Try <a href="http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Wikijunior" target="_blank">Wikijunior</a> or <a href="http://en.wikiversity.org/" target="_blank">Wikiversity</a>.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Interested in the world and its people? There's <a href="http://wikitravel.org/" target="_blank">Wikitravel</a>, <a href="http://nativewiki.org/" target="_blank">Nativewiki</a>, and one whose name made me laugh when I first stumbled across it: <a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/" target="_blank">Sikhiwiki</a>.</div>
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<div>
Like anyone reading this, I suppose, we use the computer for a lot of instant research. And let me add that I'm aware there is controversy over the dependability of the web in general, and wikis in particular, as reliable information content. But with appropriate caution in place, we've had fun wandering the stacks of these wikis when a particular question arose relating to:</div>
<blockquote>
<a href="http://www.wikirecording.org/" target="_blank">Audio Recording</a><br />
<a href="http://chickipedia.wikispaces.com/" target="_blank">Chickens</a><br />
<a href="http://theiphonewiki.com/" target="_blank">iPhones</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jamesbondwiki.com/" target="_blank">James Bond</a><br />
<a href="http://knitting-and.com/wiki/" target="_blank">Knitting</a><br />
<a href="http://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Minecraft_Wiki" target="_blank">Minecraft</a><br />
<a href="http://wiki.secondlife.com/" target="_blank">Second Life</a><br />
<a href="http://www.wikicha.com/" target="_blank">Tea</a></blockquote>
<div>
I have even started two wikis in the past: a general wiki for our local homeschooling group, and a specific class wiki when some of our kids were learning about countries of the world together. Wikis are a great community learning tool, given that their very nature is based upon community input; but they are dependent upon people being willing to learn to use the site and taking time to share their knowledge, whatever it may be. Here are a few sites that let you create your own wiki:</div>
<blockquote>
<a href="http://www.google.com/sites/help/intl/en/overview.html" target="_blank">Google Sites</a><br />
<a href="http://pbworks.com/" target="_blank">PBworks</a><br />
<a href="http://www.wetpaint.com/" target="_blank">Wetpaint</a><br />
<a href="http://www.wikidot.com/" target="_blank">Wikidot</a><br />
<a href="http://www.wiki-site.com/" target="_blank">Wikisite</a><br />
<a href="http://www.wikispaces.com/" target="_blank">Wikispaces</a><br />
<a href="http://www.zoho.com/wiki/" target="_blank">Zohowiki</a></blockquote>
<div>
If you have a hosted site already, you can also use software to create a wiki:</div>
<blockquote>
<a href="http://www.dokuwiki.org/" target="_blank">DokuWiki</a><br />
<a href="http://www.mediawiki.org/" target="_blank">MediaWiki</a><br />
<a href="http://moinmo.in/" target="_blank">MoinMoin</a><br />
<a href="http://www.pmwiki.org/" target="_blank">PMWiki</a><br />
<a href="http://info.tiki.org/tiki-index.php" target="_blank">TikiWiki</a></blockquote>
<div>
My favorite wikis, however, are not information wikis but project wikis. What's better than to see cool things that people have made themselves?</div>
<blockquote>
<a href="http://www.instructables.com/" target="_blank">Instructables</a><br />
<a href="http://makeprojects.com/" target="_blank">Make Projects</a></blockquote>
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How about you? What are your favorite wikis?</div>
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unschoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05638020820430345739noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4316286562459084280.post-72752705328102651592012-09-05T07:11:00.000-07:002013-01-26T16:11:43.410-08:00keith builds an ukuleleC and I went back to <a href="http://unschoolplus.blogspot.com/2012/08/keiths-workshop.html" target="_blank">Keith's workshop</a> over the weekend. He and C talked about C's lap steel guitar project, specifically about setting up the homemade bandsaw Keith gave him to use for it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijQWp4_8TxE7mkLctd-JinaHnpZzuyBhuwV6fW7i7uUcimTWTN5pgd5U1QcKWmBw7WxGgkxlC8aBtuyAsQImXo7aMFboGOX8aVoOmkw14S6JiaKLmYT5xFVV3FA6B08HmVo9XDhc-WLjA4/s1600/bandsaw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijQWp4_8TxE7mkLctd-JinaHnpZzuyBhuwV6fW7i7uUcimTWTN5pgd5U1QcKWmBw7WxGgkxlC8aBtuyAsQImXo7aMFboGOX8aVoOmkw14S6JiaKLmYT5xFVV3FA6B08HmVo9XDhc-WLjA4/s400/bandsaw.jpg" width="267" /></a></div>
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Keith was in the middle of an ukulele commission for a Canadian client. He was about to start the bracing, which he planned to model on the unbuilt Martin he had acquired years ago. The Martin stamp is faintly visible above one of the braces.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitbc7gqgBlyIqYAMEk9M1srIO4CqQPMhnmF1x5YSsUkw9Vmc0FdeggZMlgRTUh32sn_8bBUkUwnH3wcxS4KiPimGPSIa136VzxKwJQjs9JctOJqSJTBFJSquMfxJ8NbGhM7mBV_MaDKDFv/s1600/Martin+pieces.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitbc7gqgBlyIqYAMEk9M1srIO4CqQPMhnmF1x5YSsUkw9Vmc0FdeggZMlgRTUh32sn_8bBUkUwnH3wcxS4KiPimGPSIa136VzxKwJQjs9JctOJqSJTBFJSquMfxJ8NbGhM7mBV_MaDKDFv/s400/Martin+pieces.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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We also got quick demonstrations on neck shaping:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih2ZsgW2G1h5HJcd9hgid6qLbpA879iPgczUrFjX7coTKMJNK0gqyIBkgPmD4rvdZqtXTN95kh9tXSlt7lckNiv2ob6LVWONnQxWr-bVDh-dqG80AllZx2jog0F06IsCTGx0aoynGhvNyd/s1600/shaping+neck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih2ZsgW2G1h5HJcd9hgid6qLbpA879iPgczUrFjX7coTKMJNK0gqyIBkgPmD4rvdZqtXTN95kh9tXSlt7lckNiv2ob6LVWONnQxWr-bVDh-dqG80AllZx2jog0F06IsCTGx0aoynGhvNyd/s400/shaping+neck.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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and wood bending:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOOr_Raa50Ca33wba04DOqjrHK7O0eRYXyV7PA4Q8Ym5bhMMfYw0Dv2ufvagn5sobZ7hQR-1w3baCSy0BEuuwcdRzRlBRxp7yotWXarCOdGbIeS2eUhOjHAl4bQ8Bj4Ke0p4SFxw9nk3ls/s1600/bending+wood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOOr_Raa50Ca33wba04DOqjrHK7O0eRYXyV7PA4Q8Ym5bhMMfYw0Dv2ufvagn5sobZ7hQR-1w3baCSy0BEuuwcdRzRlBRxp7yotWXarCOdGbIeS2eUhOjHAl4bQ8Bj4Ke0p4SFxw9nk3ls/s400/bending+wood.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The last time we visited, Keith showed us a chunk of black walnut. Now it is quickly taking shape:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqYBzP6pCH8cIc8TykegFPp8U2H3DNkFBwKhspmVc2YcuoIZsyIfHCqZUgabjA26jULvBi2T6KVv7l977nrf0XeM-_7FwbQory_vG-1PASowIMkkGLfkEsXh1ykbm09DjHVRds_DLcHD7P/s1600/inside+workbench.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqYBzP6pCH8cIc8TykegFPp8U2H3DNkFBwKhspmVc2YcuoIZsyIfHCqZUgabjA26jULvBi2T6KVv7l977nrf0XeM-_7FwbQory_vG-1PASowIMkkGLfkEsXh1ykbm09DjHVRds_DLcHD7P/s400/inside+workbench.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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And maybe I'll get to show you the finished instrument someday. Or perhaps Keith will put it up on <a href="http://keithcary.com/" target="_blank">his own website</a>.<br />
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<i>January 2013 update: The finished ukulele can be seen <a href="http://yoloyukes.blogspot.com/2013/01/cary-armstrong-custom-ukulele.html" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">here</span></a>.</i><br />
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unschoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05638020820430345739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4316286562459084280.post-20802350244267360652012-08-19T15:44:00.000-07:002013-01-27T16:30:00.671-08:00summer project #4: instant diy stadium cushion<div style="font-family: inherit;">
How many projects are borne from a combination of procrastination and cheapness? In my case, many, if not most.</div>
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<b>The procrastination:</b> while shifting in my rock hard seat at the <a href="http://unschoolplus.blogspot.com/2011/08/where-weve-been-ashland-for-one.html" target="_blank">Oregon Shakespeare Festival</a> last year, I swore I would not return without a stadium cushion. And we are scheduled to leave...tomorrow.</div>
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<b>The cheapness:</b> I zipped out to the local sports store, only to find stadium cushions priced anywhere from $15-25. Multiplying that times 3 of us, I was simply unable to pull out my wallet. <i>They've got to be cheaper somewhere,</i> I thought, <i>perhaps at Target.</i></div>
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<b>The inspiration:</b> at Target, the first thing I saw were these 99¢ polypropylene shopping bags:</div>
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Foam seat pads were $6 each (with coupon) at the fabric store:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj6WaW80wqMawStT0WhhHuA4WF_oxFb0_FmEa_c7UHEPj1CpUdvSVrC3Pb-JRO-cFG3ddSJes9KvtLCdM8H3yMgUZtkvnJPawn_ZYDIVlyC3tzoaawXGsHljyuLY19KR3mvG4_OkNhTHsY/s1600/foam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj6WaW80wqMawStT0WhhHuA4WF_oxFb0_FmEa_c7UHEPj1CpUdvSVrC3Pb-JRO-cFG3ddSJes9KvtLCdM8H3yMgUZtkvnJPawn_ZYDIVlyC3tzoaawXGsHljyuLY19KR3mvG4_OkNhTHsY/s400/foam.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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They had to be trimmed; thus, the serrated knife in the picture.<i> </i>The secret to cutting foam is to <i>pull the blade across in one direction—don't saw back and forth.</i> I took 3" off the length, and 1" off the width for a finished size of 14"X14"X1". Wrapped back in its plastic wrapper, the foam slipped easily into the shopping bag:</div>
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That was it. $7, and 5 minutes: my favorite kind of project. By leaving the top open, we can add a light blanket or a program, and the pocket on the side is perfect for holding tickets, snacks or handwarmers.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghKWN9n5HrTlSo8vACY8K6VvDPxbp9CXC7h9X4EUBLnjAdRwK2sEJ05AonrFEvzuB1vRNG-OmByQM96iNv0nEUy7NrgIbzBKlq0wNp1aqGG0p0yM1dhOUSFIFQ54PKcF2eH5-6dAohmter/s1600/finishedfromtop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghKWN9n5HrTlSo8vACY8K6VvDPxbp9CXC7h9X4EUBLnjAdRwK2sEJ05AonrFEvzuB1vRNG-OmByQM96iNv0nEUy7NrgIbzBKlq0wNp1aqGG0p0yM1dhOUSFIFQ54PKcF2eH5-6dAohmter/s400/finishedfromtop.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Now to finish packing and then Ashland, here we come!</div>
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unschoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05638020820430345739noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4316286562459084280.post-10483928913335546652012-08-15T06:00:00.000-07:002012-08-15T09:31:10.693-07:00happy birthday, julia child<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-OyAoRMfTbV2yB4h8hvRArKH5x5OcCuR6z7l2P-HFMcOf6L-D-KhUE_uQY8ZgUc0eKrpcntGPOb79bgULQV1OBBRaH0ifh4lrrWh1DANQ2AIfTIX3rRfJNh6RwQhCpoeUVQeIZ9Mqbdi4/s1600/julia1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-OyAoRMfTbV2yB4h8hvRArKH5x5OcCuR6z7l2P-HFMcOf6L-D-KhUE_uQY8ZgUc0eKrpcntGPOb79bgULQV1OBBRaH0ifh4lrrWh1DANQ2AIfTIX3rRfJNh6RwQhCpoeUVQeIZ9Mqbdi4/s1600/julia1.jpg" /></a></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook—try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun!</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">~ Julia Child</span></div>
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She may have gone to Smith, but Julia Child had the heart of a born unschooler. Today would have been her 100th birthday and if there were ever a reason to eat a good meal and appreciate every bite, this is it.<br />
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I don't own <i>Mastering the Art of French Cooking</i>, nor any other books by Julia Child. I love her mainly because I have memories of coming home from school and watching her show. She fascinated me because she was both extremely knowledgeable and kind of silly. She was sloppy and playful and skilled all at once—a reassuring model for any child.<br />
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During this same time my neighbor was going to college in Cambridge, where Julia lived and worked. She remembers occasionally catching glimpses of the green VW Beetle with a spoon or a spatula (she doesn't remember which) wired to the antenna; everyone in town knew it was Julia's car. She and her friends gathered every week to watch <i>The French Chef</i> as it was broadcast, then again on the weekend to cook the dish Julia had made on tv. Apparently Julia's favorite corner butcher shop always ran out of the cut that was featured in the recipe, so savvy Cambridge residents would get there as soon as possible after the show.<br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; display: inline !important; float: none; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><i>Remember, 'No one's more important than people'! In other words, friendship is the most important thing—not career or housework, or one's fatigue—and it needs to be tended and nurtured.</i></span></span></blockquote>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"> ~Julia Child</span><br />
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I suspect that cooking was merely a medium for Julia's particular <i>joie de vivre</i>. She loved food because she loved living. She loved to cook because she loved eating with people. And likewise, we love her not for her<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> beef bourguignon, but for her huge and inquisitive spirit.</span><br />
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Last night some friends and I paid our own kind of tribute. The movie <i>Julie and Julia</i> played in the background while we assembled <a href="http://www.ochef.com/r189.htm" target="_blank">salade niçoise</a>, warmed up <a href="http://www.thegardenpartyblog.com/2011/02/perfect-quiche/" target="_blank">quiche</a> and mixed <a href="http://www.utahmixologist.com/2009/08/upside-down-martini-recipe-for-julia.html" target="_blank">upside-down martinis</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgratwU5P0zT3rPsTRByMZ-cmHXV66JwXMWjAnyP5swbXuhtZiXG8iAWRHWqtuVCPfW9mHm_Cgqcd7OKprqhpeYd5F_0zKwYcQ4DTjJxk8KipnXlGQPy9_RprjUCKttd-tHntDODgukr30e/s1600/quiche&salad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgratwU5P0zT3rPsTRByMZ-cmHXV66JwXMWjAnyP5swbXuhtZiXG8iAWRHWqtuVCPfW9mHm_Cgqcd7OKprqhpeYd5F_0zKwYcQ4DTjJxk8KipnXlGQPy9_RprjUCKttd-tHntDODgukr30e/s640/quiche&salad.jpg" width="427" /></a></div>
Dessert? There were two: <a href="http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2008/05/perfect-chocola/" target="_blank">chocolate mousse,</a> and <a href="http://blog.seattlepi.com/recipesyndicate/2012/06/12/reine-de-saba-chocolate-almond-cake-recipe/" target="_blank">reine de saba cake</a>, complete with birthday candle and singing.<br />
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Whether or not you are inclined to make a special meal, I hope today that you eat well, try something new, tend to friendship, and above all, have some fun.<br />
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And if you do any one of these things, give a little nod to Julia Child.<br />
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<br />unschoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05638020820430345739noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4316286562459084280.post-85869717599339996272012-08-13T22:20:00.000-07:002013-01-27T16:30:39.416-08:00summer project #3: fixing the bookuleleIt's mid-August, and we're only on project #3? Drat, I had such big plans, too.<br />
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I guess it was yet another summer where the calendar looks so promisingly empty in May but gets filled up day-by-day with friends, movies, house and yard work, and a certain amount of heat-induced laziness. And the one project I did manage to do lately is really just a refinement:<br />
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Although the <a href="http://unschoolplus.blogspot.com/2012/04/bookulele-cigar-box-ukulele.html" target="_blank">bookulele</a> played fine initially, over time the cardboard body began to bow from the tension of the strings. I also felt dissatisfied with the neck, which was not even with the fretboard but stuck out just enough to feel wrong.</div>
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So this weekend I took it apart and put in some very rough bracing cut from scrap wood.</div>
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Then I filed down the neck so it was more even with the fretboard, sanded it smooth, and started the stain/finishing process all over again.</div>
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This was the 5-minute rig for spraying lacquer on: a wire clothes hanger, a paint stick, a bike stand, a plastic dropcloth. Not very professional, but it worked for this purpose!<br />
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Here's the reshaped and refinished neck:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixEdry50K5Ks_TEgM8dkFZIAojIrJomJHv5A8QeeIG_hsB5NscdsPleg4iqpU2L0CgZczG7heWfKzQThbJySjTfzQt1JzTKf4JJ2eVGGyrQQJ8YOA647FV68nO-5FQhvWNVniyKrNl6mP3/s1600/finished+neck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixEdry50K5Ks_TEgM8dkFZIAojIrJomJHv5A8QeeIG_hsB5NscdsPleg4iqpU2L0CgZczG7heWfKzQThbJySjTfzQt1JzTKf4JJ2eVGGyrQQJ8YOA647FV68nO-5FQhvWNVniyKrNl6mP3/s400/finished+neck.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
And here's the bookulele, not looking a whole lot different than it did back in April but feeling better in my hands:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBIzf6HW6mL9YXPsJJUezUnFsH_kZkLblXm3Cl7xL_qVw5Un2Ni7r6IH8n4wfcyiX7QP46OxrR2j-vqmsVdnAdisi0BFPCtFP4Ln__eSxJZrNZ8HyhV-fXA4nilL4v2GsCFPFKijc4mSLp/s1600/remade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBIzf6HW6mL9YXPsJJUezUnFsH_kZkLblXm3Cl7xL_qVw5Un2Ni7r6IH8n4wfcyiX7QP46OxrR2j-vqmsVdnAdisi0BFPCtFP4Ln__eSxJZrNZ8HyhV-fXA4nilL4v2GsCFPFKijc4mSLp/s400/remade.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
I didn't trim the strings because, frankly, I'm not sure how much I'll be playing this. The action is unpleasantly high, even after taking the saddle down a little (not a lot, as I was afraid to go too far). And it just doesn't have the sound that makes me want to pick it up. It's a cardboard body, after all. I imagine that within a year I'll be reusing the strings, bridge and neck for something else.<br />
<br />
But as crude as this little uke is, I learned a lot from doing it—not just about the build process, but also in some way about music, as well. It's always that way, isn't it? Making things is an approach from a different direction.<br />
<br />
With that in mind, I want to give a grateful shout-out to the friend who passed her old bass body to the boys. C talked with <a href="http://unschoolplus.blogspot.com/2012/08/keiths-workshop.html" target="_blank">Keith</a> about it, bid on a used neck on eBay, and helped his brother clean up and make the bass playable again. They've had their hands all over this instrument and now have a better understanding of how it plays than if they had purchased new. That, to me, is the perfect outcome of a good project.</div>
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unschoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05638020820430345739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4316286562459084280.post-16910822519522189252012-08-02T20:57:00.000-07:002013-01-27T16:32:33.125-08:00keith's workshop<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Lisa recently wrote a post about the
value of <a href="http://www.lisanalbone.com/2012/08/01/n-is-for-network/" target="_blank">networking</a>, and I can tell you that she lives this. Last fall
when I was visiting and noticed her ukuleles, I asked if she'd
ever thought about learning to play—the idea had just recently
begun to take shape in my own head.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Lisa instantly said yes, mentioned her musician/luthier friend Keith, and picked up the phone to call him right then and there. After
Keith had patched up the <a href="http://unschoolplus.blogspot.com/2012/01/louis-gaspar-ukulele.html" target="_blank">Gaspar uke</a>, he gave us a couple of introductory lessons.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Fast forward 9 months and now
I'm happy to call Keith a friend of my own (thank you, Lisa). He has taught us many
more things since that day, met my music-obsessed son C and invited him to
play trumpet—an instrument C was not at all comfortable on but
willing to do with Keith's encouragement—in his <a href="http://www1.wfol.org/Home" target="_blank">Friends of the Library</a> band, and has of late taken time out of his always-busy schedule to guide
C in building a lap steel guitar.</span></div>
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</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">C and I went to visit this week when I
asked Keith to set up the new concert ukulele DH gave me for my
birthday. His barn workshop is a fun place, because you never know
what you will see upon entering.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBifAjTkNI0c-EU1SuanoHbHGMkheSIB7xJcXHWVdRHvVMnl5Q9mZmr3UYC24_JTqe8_J0nIdFdFid7sx3woMMb1NSpvas8xT8C4J05U-PB6y7xgzFqmhrlI2OsArMqqWV1yhgOgUVSsMO/s1600/workshop6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBifAjTkNI0c-EU1SuanoHbHGMkheSIB7xJcXHWVdRHvVMnl5Q9mZmr3UYC24_JTqe8_J0nIdFdFid7sx3woMMb1NSpvas8xT8C4J05U-PB6y7xgzFqmhrlI2OsArMqqWV1yhgOgUVSsMO/s640/workshop6.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i>cases & necks</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Y-w6u0lXuyNpeipIujX58GLx-JFAVF7L1G1h-e7VbpklxsmIxu9Xu6Tz4q0f1dGh-7EJ2cea6RBFxY8qDsfukiuZmTRZtwdtx3vOBp6lRXRQf22B9CFBsKwL2EzTY3quULUphDMvRb8T/s1600/workshop3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Y-w6u0lXuyNpeipIujX58GLx-JFAVF7L1G1h-e7VbpklxsmIxu9Xu6Tz4q0f1dGh-7EJ2cea6RBFxY8qDsfukiuZmTRZtwdtx3vOBp6lRXRQf22B9CFBsKwL2EzTY3quULUphDMvRb8T/s640/workshop3.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i>tools, bundles of horsehair, vintage radio equipment</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgseS9OhApIYtzS_p8a0PC86E2l7GkJT8H1mKAuz4L7RBAtQkG-uqiK5n1vhPpMrUE5qmXwZIZwABIJK8PporYicLBKgtB9sZmbEWbFHnos8IGdAHu4ZmInCP6xJdbqmTPQbg-RNfEYWyMX/s1600/workshop1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgseS9OhApIYtzS_p8a0PC86E2l7GkJT8H1mKAuz4L7RBAtQkG-uqiK5n1vhPpMrUE5qmXwZIZwABIJK8PporYicLBKgtB9sZmbEWbFHnos8IGdAHu4ZmInCP6xJdbqmTPQbg-RNfEYWyMX/s640/workshop1.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i>banjos, bandsaw, molds</i></span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9KnYYrM9ZFG1Dx_gWeJymH5cScpfSugNgY88K2sRXtUZNjFLBGc1xpI9opyvkOcw205kFo9RdNwZcqCAdOVu96OBsNFymMCLHQlmEJS8iHzJPpWDkqZHFhZmy32yVsnJK0MlhPzSqDBIb/s1600/drumchair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9KnYYrM9ZFG1Dx_gWeJymH5cScpfSugNgY88K2sRXtUZNjFLBGc1xpI9opyvkOcw205kFo9RdNwZcqCAdOVu96OBsNFymMCLHQlmEJS8iHzJPpWDkqZHFhZmy32yVsnJK0MlhPzSqDBIb/s640/drumchair.jpg" width="480" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i>chair seat made from a drum head</i></span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLJEHDd1TeN5wqZ5l1bZDLbMeYKQDpEElbyPRMtNO_VNSSWN4lrvPlredq8bU_yhPSJabQs1lgOpa0vZRPVmk247hsIXrHgEdbcTVCaBzV6PQe756h6Hf5Yf6suQoC_xur_jrby5xcSrQx/s1600/baritone2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLJEHDd1TeN5wqZ5l1bZDLbMeYKQDpEElbyPRMtNO_VNSSWN4lrvPlredq8bU_yhPSJabQs1lgOpa0vZRPVmk247hsIXrHgEdbcTVCaBzV6PQe756h6Hf5Yf6suQoC_xur_jrby5xcSrQx/s640/baritone2.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i>baritone ukulele parts</i></span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMIGdpSbqR-46UBKRXzECBp-6YJ0HYJmTyiUZmnzxQIUHZG00eavN5-SwWBb6e3N9b5zO0ZAqE7HvTCwEGW23j5PrGJdaQsoV9WlPNcaQV2EfpYS7jerx0FIY33OT_4-FOgVdGhGjzcspr/s1600/workshop5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMIGdpSbqR-46UBKRXzECBp-6YJ0HYJmTyiUZmnzxQIUHZG00eavN5-SwWBb6e3N9b5zO0ZAqE7HvTCwEGW23j5PrGJdaQsoV9WlPNcaQV2EfpYS7jerx0FIY33OT_4-FOgVdGhGjzcspr/s640/workshop5.jpg" width="427" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i>an assortment hanging from the stairs</i></span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhANNKudh2e5xDiR8e_VYv-PyLYrg8gQw_ygxX9WcvpWTRmMH5l_bc669JVN2j4VUcLx8cNSAynNHwwfim6HARyi30aD7_8Tqfr2InWJmMircaCq6nDlsIHEGpkXrUs8NlHjGKAw-ZIyz5V/s1600/coffeecan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhANNKudh2e5xDiR8e_VYv-PyLYrg8gQw_ygxX9WcvpWTRmMH5l_bc669JVN2j4VUcLx8cNSAynNHwwfim6HARyi30aD7_8Tqfr2InWJmMircaCq6nDlsIHEGpkXrUs8NlHjGKAw-ZIyz5V/s640/coffeecan.jpg" width="428" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i>3-string MJB coffee "canjo"</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkF3VocuIQwgXznafGdz_U5s_-xkfdRPa20CAnlW96zVFhvBMaM5AnQZgStrlHgzwIFbFfVPs4LWQkU32alKQcpnW7X62CL8lkXe9z1xskr2z15JPY43mam6DeRcZoDBeXoKUdtgBnXu0G/s1600/dutchoven2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkF3VocuIQwgXznafGdz_U5s_-xkfdRPa20CAnlW96zVFhvBMaM5AnQZgStrlHgzwIFbFfVPs4LWQkU32alKQcpnW7X62CL8lkXe9z1xskr2z15JPY43mam6DeRcZoDBeXoKUdtgBnXu0G/s640/dutchoven2.jpg" width="428" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i>Next to it, an 8-string ??? made from...</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3FL4ZqRZo-PlLB0MMKJfRLqzYWFG2SpZAQF-3GnMMRo7L6gyus85Gn1dnenIiceLa7l8yesFu3AgMHrdXvr2FZIjq5vXU7YFdbhPm3t5E4Dy73MfjmhSO1qEeROQZHY7lkT4AkwbF78X-/s1600/dutchoven1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3FL4ZqRZo-PlLB0MMKJfRLqzYWFG2SpZAQF-3GnMMRo7L6gyus85Gn1dnenIiceLa7l8yesFu3AgMHrdXvr2FZIjq5vXU7YFdbhPm3t5E4Dy73MfjmhSO1qEeROQZHY7lkT4AkwbF78X-/s640/dutchoven1.jpg" width="428" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i>...a Dutch oven lid</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOMK0O2iixLZZsHn39eO3FaztOBZ-1ZzjyYua3IESPM6fxfS5Wim96ISuC1lXi1V4GcE-Olq5anVLP6aHdAygcpgKuJgR3bPLGNySeTHp4PoGLzTL8OtlABlgKV7KCpgkRF3Y61GficcNL/s1600/stenciledguitar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOMK0O2iixLZZsHn39eO3FaztOBZ-1ZzjyYua3IESPM6fxfS5Wim96ISuC1lXi1V4GcE-Olq5anVLP6aHdAygcpgKuJgR3bPLGNySeTHp4PoGLzTL8OtlABlgKV7KCpgkRF3Y61GficcNL/s640/stenciledguitar.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i>custom guitar stenciled with a design by Keith's friend, Bob Armstrong</i></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">And these pictures barely scratch the surface. There are rows of violins, a sousaphone modified with parts from the hardware store, a gigantic harmonica, and lots of wood. There was a pot of beeswax left over after Keith had spun off his honey; he also keeps bees.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjisTsUFnk3T4HX-2IBcptNQhwPFFbf3RI5NDOtMtH9ShHBgBKOwklBmg_7mLKiH-sszHf7tzMMZVLGooK8yp3SAouxP-rdxHK9jiX2LtDFVBRfPEdW7Olgd8VMCeEhr28KTc1jPPAPPwdo/s1600/honeycomb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjisTsUFnk3T4HX-2IBcptNQhwPFFbf3RI5NDOtMtH9ShHBgBKOwklBmg_7mLKiH-sszHf7tzMMZVLGooK8yp3SAouxP-rdxHK9jiX2LtDFVBRfPEdW7Olgd8VMCeEhr28KTc1jPPAPPwdo/s640/honeycomb.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
Outside, he had rigged up a solar wax warmer to melt this down into candle wax.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
I've loaded this post with photos even though they're not the best, because it's the only way to convey how rich and amazing Keith's workshop is. Maybe you can understand why C and I love to visit. It looks like somewhere you could discover anything at all, doesn't it?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
Be sure to visit Keith's website, particularly his instructions for making instruments with kids: <a href="http://keithcary.com/">keithcary.com</a></span><br />
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unschoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05638020820430345739noreply@blogger.com2