Memorial Day

Poppies in a  Main Street garden

Busy?

Uhhhhh.  Yep.

After seven weeks of piles of key work, this afternoon I could finally say that there are no keys in the shop.  And that's for the duration of a holiday weekend!  We shipped off a set late today and there are no more expected until mid-week.  It does seem a bit odd.  The new sets coming next week include a rebushing, a keytop job and a major key wood rebuilding/tops and fronts/ bushings/re-leading. 

So I just had to keep busy with something!

Here you see the test assembly for the vacation Bible school 'mini' float. 

The blue canvas will be the backdrop for a jungle scene surround.  The second shot shows the interior (back panel not installed).  I'll take more pictures as the scenery is completed.  And of course a photo of the finished product.

(Oh...and we've got the neighbor's barking dog problem again.  Nice weather, windows open, dog has been barking since before 7 p.m. and it's now almost 9:30 p.m.  I've called the dog officer 3 times in the last couple of weeks.  I'm going to call again tonight...or in the morning.  The neighbors aren't home.  Whenever they aren't home the dog barks.  Last Friday it didn't quit until they arrived home at 10:15 p.m. - from 4 in the afternoon!)

I've Avoided This for Years

Today was the 17th annual Cruise Night at Skip's.

Skip's sign at night

This is Skip's 64th year in business, same owners, nearly same location (they started directly across the street).

End of line to the left and order window is nearly the same distance away once inside!

Anyway, we have always avoided Cruise Nights assuming that the parking would be impossible and the lines tremendously long.  Well, parking wasn't bad getting there a bit early as we did and the line was manageable with a slightly early dinner. By the time we were leaving at 6 p.m. or so the line was longer than I would have stood in for a cheeseburger special.

Just some of the cars

There were about 200 cars on display with more expected to be arriving.  I enjoyed walking the lot and taking lots of photos.  I even picked out a couple cars that I wouldn't mind owning...ahemmmmm...with a frivolous pocketbook.

My 1956 Thunderbird!

All in all a fun afternoon and we are talking about cruising on up to Skip's for some future cruise nights.  (Not to mention the trips just to eat - about every other week).  Only an hour drive each way for a burger and fries!

Expect some more photos in another post.

In the Aura of Black Gold

The un-pink flamingo

We hauled four loads of heavy, smelly dirt from the transfer station to our new veggie garden.  The dirt is called black gold deservedly.  It's darn rich stuff, obviously, well, naturally fertilized.  I was challenged to take a photo of that dark stuff before planting in the morning.  A couple problems arose.  First being that it's dark out...dark soil, dark night...must use the flash...except it's foggy out, too, and that doesn't mix right with flash photography.  So I decided to use the 'good' camera.  The one that manages to shoot decent night scenes with no flash.  Problem number three...this tired laptop won't read the images from the new decent camera.

On to the bitty, tired, old camera and some not so hot shots.  Except for the one on this post.  I wonder what is emanating from that black gold that resulted in that shot!

Because 'R' Just Asked a Question...

I now know that someone else is writing a post about today's trip to Home Depot...so I'll write a bit here...the first and last post (this year) from my old laptop where I have stored NO photos to use.

Yes, we made the trip to one of my favorite stores to get more stuff for 'R's office. Other than flooring, which we priced, enough was purchased to complete the construction phase. It's coming along nicely.

However, since this is MY blog, I'll give some of MY news...work.  I'm swamped with it.  Such a change from the first few months of this year and the last few years!  I don't think that there has been more than a day in the last month or so without at least one set of keys in the shop.  Lately it seems as if there are more than two or three sets going at once.  Currently there are four sets and I've got another arriving tomorrow.  Then there is a HUGE key job that is in the works with a big rebuild shop from the southern part of the US.  It'll be fun to work on it although I think I have majorly under-bid the job.  Well...fun counts for something, doesn't it?Even when it is officially work?

Nearly Nonstop

That time of year never came this year.  Surely a good thing.  That is that there has been no springtime work slow down.  Thankfully 'R' is a big help around the shop.  I can't say as I would be able to keep up with things as well if he weren't here.  I'm not having to put in any of those 12 - 14 hour work days!  So not only has the shop work continued to build in quantity, so has the tuning work.  I'm it 'on-island'.  Seems that tech #1 has disappeared, tech #2 has retired and tech # 3 has a bit to be desired...that leaves me (and some that travel from the Boston surrounds).  I'm liking having the work.  I just need to better arrange my schedule.

Schedule...a tough one.  Juggling 'A' back and forth to work and my tuning schedule and Mom's stuff and errands and time for play.

'R' and I did go to the Fisk Open House on Saturday.  It was my third visit and his first.  I always enjoy taking in all the workshop sights.  A couple typical decorative displays are pictured below.

                                                                                       
Then there are the organ parts and the tools and fixtures.

Lots to see.

Tomorrow brings 'that time of year' around for my computer regardless of the not that time of year work-wise.  Tomorrow my computer will head to it's omniscient doctor for it's annual check up.  I'll be struggling with my slowwwwwwwww laptop for a few days.  I'll still be around...checking in and checking up on all of you.

Just Because...

see the previous post first if you haven't been there.

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