Ok, so I haven't posted in a while. Not because nothing's been happening, but because I have either lacked the time or the motivation. With that said, I have something like 18 photos to post. So this might end up being the norm for me. One long post a week, with the occasional one in between.
I've been sick with a fever since Thursday night, so Friday was completely unproductive. Saturday, I did manage to do a bit of work (details farther down). Earlier in the week, on Tuesday, I had a dentist appointment and I skipped the entire morning from work (since it would have cost me an insane amount of $$ to take a taxi twice). So I got a bunch of drywall and small jobs done. Unfortunately, I have another dentist appointment next Wednesday (25th), and probably a few more after (if I can afford it). I apparently need 8 fillings. O_o! My bank account is crying. And no, I have no coverage or benefits at work.
On that morning, just outside my window, I saw a lovely sight. There was a whole bunch of lovely black and orange butterflies on the porch. I counted at least 5 of them. I took photos from inside, but when I tried to go outside to get better shots, they all flew away :(
My friend Gen (who is oddly terrified of moths and butterflies) said that they looked like "Painted Lady" butterflies, but I checked, and those are very similar, but they have a lot more pattern to their wings. These are fairly common, and a Google search shows that these are even found over in Europe (but I didn't find their name).
AHA! Red Admiral.
Here's some of the drywall I did (started). This is in the L Room.
I realized a week ago that I never showed a picture of the fully scraped ceiling in the L Room. This was a lot of work, but I'm a perfectionist, and I wanted to remove the chunky/lumpy coating of mud so that I could straighten-out the old ceiling before installing the new drywall over top. I also moved the light fixture location to be centered with the window. You can probably see all the added screws with washers, which pulled-up all the sagging portions of the ceiling.
On Wednesday, I made a side trip after work to visit a friend at work. It's her last day in town before she moves to Timmins, Ontario (which is something like a 6 hour drive north). I wanted her opinions on what mattress I should buy (since I'll need one once the master bedroom is finished). On the way, I stopped in the nearby woods to photograph the trilliums. They were just starting to open, so I got a lot of nice shots with some that were partially open/fully open, or just starting to open. I also found some Red Trilliums (aka Stinking Benjamins). I had something like 20 photos, but I trimmed them down to 6.
The White Trillium is Ontario's provincial flower. I absolutely love them. I have a photo (somewhere in an album) of my friend Meghan in a forest packed full of large trilliums.
This pair was a slightly lighter red than the previous ones I saw. There are pink varieties, but they are much lighter than these, so these are still Red Trilliums.
Around the same time (Tue-Wed), I received the parts to finish my two incomplete light fixtures. I was happy to finally cross these off my to-do list.
New canopy (I tried to antique the brass as much as I could, but it's still too shiny, so I'll leave the rest up to time (natural oxidation).
This is a random shot of the upstairs hallway shade.
This one was only missing the brass tube at the top, which I also antiqued.
Lastly, yesterday I finished the office built-in, installed it, and filled the voids with insulation. It's ready for finishing or trim.
It looks like it's too short from the top and bottom, but I made it to be the same size as the original window opening/casings would be, to keep things consistent.
I also think it's been a long time since I posted a photo (last year, maybe), so this is me. The photo was taken this morning. I need to shave.
Hello, J.C. (a nice photo of you, by the way),
ReplyDeleteIt's always a pleasure to see the high degree of professionalism in your work. The antique clock on the bureau is a beauty - I don't think you've posted on that one yet ...
And I hope you feel better!
Thanks Mark. Most of my clocks can be seen in detail (some with sound clips) on my clock collection website: http://www.angelfire.com/me5/clockman/main.html
DeleteThe one on the dresser in the photo above is here:
http://www.angelfire.com/me5/clockman/AnsoniaColumn.html
JC, I enjoyed visiting your clock site, and I have to say that the black dial clock that you yourself painted is one of my favorites. You may have missed my own connection to watchmaking, which I wrote about at: allthingsruffnerian.blogspot.com/search/label/Abraham-Louis Breguet
DeleteI definitely saw that post, but you're right that I missed the part about your grandfather. I don't have any huge interest in watches, to be honest, so I skim-read the post rather quickly. I do appreciate their intricacy, and level of detail/miniaturization, but part of my interest in clocks is tied-in with my woodworking interest/profession. There's just something really appealing to me about having a beautifully made movement inside a finely crafted wooden case. There are always exceptions, though. Like skeleton clocks, lantern clocks, etc.
DeleteThanks for the compliments on the Black Dial clock. It turned out rather good, but I'm not entirely happy with how the oak components turned out. If I had the time/motivation, I'd probably strip it, and redo it in a nice amber shellac rather than stain & varnish.
I have a feeling you'd also get a kick out of this:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v473/sooth15/LiveJournal/P6124857.jpg
It's a hand painted, 2-foot wide tower clock dial with a high-torque quartz movement. I made the dial from junk plywood, and the hands are thin sheet metal. The paint job you see in that photo is actually the second attempt. The first try looked like this (with factory supplied hands):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v473/sooth15/LiveJournal/Large-Dial.jpg
But it was too hard to see from a distance.
Thanks, JC. Your second version is of course more readable from a distance, but I like it better just as a strong graphic statement. That the numerals touch circles that are exactly the same weight is a very sophisticated look. You are definitely a many-faceted fellow!
DeleteWe had swarms of those Red Admiral butterflies a week or two ago when it was really warm! Sorry to hear about all of your dental appointments. My wallet would be crying, too. :P
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I love your light fixtures. :)