$25 Gift Card Give-A-Way

 

You've got to start somewhere, so here we go! 

Get out the wood cleaner, the stripper, the scrub brushes, the sandpaper and the elbow grease.

It's going to be a labor of love. 

April 2nd is our 37th Wedding Anniversary.

In celebration we want to spread the love with a 

"Give-A-Away".

The prize will be a $25 Amazon gift card,

and all you have to do to get in on the drawing

 is be a follower to my blog and leave a comment 

between now and midnight (my time) April 15th.

   

  

Connie has already named her "Gypsy Rose".

Right now she looks a bit like a "Weed", 

but we have every intention of changing her to a "Rose". 

I'm looking forward to hearing what you think
 about this new project of mine.

Smooth Sailing,  Steve

Restoring Gypsy Rose

Connie and I found this old wooden sailboat while out for a drive one day.  We have been sailors for many years and have owned 3 different sailboats.

Being woodworkers we immediately saw the potential of how beautiful this boat could be.  Having the name Rose as a family name for 4 generations, Connie named the boat Gypsy Rose. 

Boy do we ever have a lot of work to do now!  The plan is to be finished and sailing her by June.

We will take it in small bites and keep at it until she is done.

Here is the main hatch cover.  This is where I have decided to start while Connie gets busy with sanding other parts of the boat.

Check in from time to time to see the progress Connie and I are making on this project.

Please leave your comments because we absolutely love hearing from you.
 

Welcome To My Kitchen

Everybody's got a favorite spot,
and  this one is mine.
Come on in and let me show you around.

If you watch HGTV you might think 
you can't afford to do this, 
but with a simple plan and rough lumber 
it doesn't have to cost an arm & a leg.  
We love our backyard space.

Here is our outdoor dining area.  
We went for a sort of  a Tex Mex theme for the 
dining room and kitchen. 
Note the chalk board menu.

 Here is the bar and saloon doors we built that separate the kitchen and dining area.

 The wooden box is actually an ice chest.

 Now let's check out the kitchen.

 Here are my two pellet grills.

 The cold water sink.

 Here is the Big Green Egg charcoal grill.

 Double propane burners.  
Some HOT..HOT chilli has been cooked on these as well as wok cooking etc.

 I told you it was Tex Mex.  Cool huh?

I wish you could sit down and stay a while.
I'd fire up a grill and start cookin!

Thanks for checking out my blog. 
 
I would love to hear your comments
 and if you're in the neighborhood stop by for some good food.

Steve (and Connie) 

Something that you may not know about me . . . 
I am an avid reader.  I always have two or three books going on at the same time.  My love for reading started as a child when our TV broke and my Dad introduced me to the public library. 
Thank you, Dad . . . this has been a gift that I am forever grateful for. 

My sister and me with 

our mom and dad.

A few years ago I purchased a Kindle  . . . I recommend this little piece of technology to any and all of you that love to read.  Once you own one you will wonder how you ever got along without it.

The reason for this post in to introduce you to a website that I discovered this morning.
It is a site filled with a list of a gazillion free kindle books. 
They are cataloged in to categories and very user friendly.  
If fact all you need to do is click on the book you like and it takes you right to Amazon.
There you can read the first few pages and decide if you want to order it.
Next just click and order . . .
AND THEY ARE ALL FREE. 

Check it out at:
http://www.freebooksifter.com/

I think you are going to love it :)

Happy Reading, 
Steve

Hula Whirliygig

Even though Christmas is over I'm still playing in my woodworking shop.
However these photos were mostly shot in my brothers shop. He and my sister in law love Hawaii so I made this for them.

Here are a few shots of the construction.

Here is a close up of the mechanism that makes the hula skirts move when the wind starts blowing.

Just as in my other whirligigs, the green block has skateboard bearings inside that the propeller shaft runs through.  This makes it spin with barely a puff of wind.
I love making these things.  
Thanks for stopping by my blog, please leave a comment.

Whirligig Alligator

Christmas time is coming, so I'm back in the workshop.
Sorry that I've been away so long,
but life happens and blogging has to take second place.

This is my gift to my two granddaughters.
Their Mom fixed them both
 a great garden space for next spring
and hopefully my gift will 
keep the birds from eating their garden seed.

The alligator's body/legs, propeller blades and palm tree are 1/8" plywood. 
The jaws and tail are 3/4" pine

The propeller shaft is a 5/16" X 6" bolt.  

The shaft then runs through the red block.  

Inside the red block I have mounted 2 skateboard ball bearings

 that the shaft runs through.  

With the shaft mounted in bearings,

this baby spins like a top when out in a good breeze.

As the propeller spins the jaws will open and close rapidly.

What fun! 
Just don't stick your finger between those gator jaws!

The palm tree acts like the tail on a weather vane 
and keeps the propeller blades headed into the wind.

When building a homemade gift, be sure to always sign and date it.
You never know what memories this toy will
bring to those you love  . . . in the years to come.

  

*************************
This is the week of Thanksgiving,
my favorite holiday  :)
I'm counting my many blessings,
A good wife, (and no, Connie didn't make me say that) a darling daughter, 
two beautiful granddaughters, a great job, 
a warm and cozy home, 
and food on the table.
What more could a man want :)

Happy Thanksgiving,
Steve  
*************************

Dollar Saving Ideas

How do you like my utensil rack.
An old garden rake makes a great place 
to hang your equipment or pot holders.  

I built these lamp holders out of scrap fencing 
and inserted those little solar garden stakes. 
 They don't give a lot of light, 
but they do light your pathway 
and provide a nice ambiance. 

Just another view of our solar lights. 

My crafty wife surprised me 
with this menu board. 
She used chalkboard paint 
and built it from scrap fencing 
and a scrap of plywood. 
We enjoy using it when we throw a dinner party. 

We have a family motto,
"Never throw out scrap lumber",
You would be surprised at all the things 
we have built with wood from our scrap bin. 

Have a wonderful day!
Keep improving your home and making it you,
and please leave a comment.

Steve