Planes, Not Planes

Since he retired almost 12 years ago, hubby has collected wood-working planes, usually Stanley's (American-made!), and the older the better.

Some, like the rare Stanley #1 I bought him last year, are kept all neat and tidy in his den. But others that he intends to use in his woodworking projects - like his 4th Stanley #4 - were piled on a shelf in the garage.

So this week he took down some shelves, cleaned off a section of wall,

and started building a home for his treasures,

complete with moveable shelves

and their own lighting system.

Now he can find what he wants, when he wants it. (In theory.)

And as a bonus - it looks great too. Not bad for a week's work.

 

Pumpkin Power

Last Sunday's pumpkin search was a bust, so Marie came to our rescue with a couple of giants that her store had on clearance ($5 each, whoohoo!)

The girls gloved up

before grabbing their Sharpies

and drawing faces (portraits??) on the punkin' of their choice.

These beauties were too thick for the safety knives the girls normally use,

so Pop broke out the big guns -

power tools to the rescue!

A bit of gut-scooping, a bit of cleaning,

and presto change-o! Halloween jack-o-lanterns are ready for business.

Happy almost Halloween, y'all.

 

Salvage

Hubby has been collecting architectural salvage for awhile now. 
 
He brings home pieces he likes, especially wrought iron, and figures they will tell him what they want to be, eventually. 
 
Apparently, this one - and the hinges - wanted to be a gate. So pretty.
 
But I'm still curious how he's going to use all the giant mechanical gears lying on the floor of the garage . . . .

No Pumpkins

We met up with Matt's crew last Sunday, planning to get Halloween pumpkins and maybe have a hay ride and pet some animals. 
 
Turned out the lot is now charging $3 per person to get in, and $1/ticket for rides, with most rides/attractions costing at least 7 tickets each. Yeah, we won't be going back there again.
 
But the girls and friends had a great time with multiple bounce houses, 
 
petting zoo 
 
(the baby goats were a big hit), 

and hay ride. 

But we still need to get pumpkins . . . . . 

Better Late Than . . . .

Finished!

Started this well before Halloween last year, then put it away with only the hanging sleeve and one side of the binding left to sew. Very happy to have it done and hung for this year's festivities. 

Master Isaac

Look who decided to show up 3 weeks early - a new grand-boy*!

Mom was having some complications, so her doctor decided to induce her last Friday. Master Isaac was born at 7:15 pm on October 14, weighing a very respectable 6 lbs, 5 oz. Mom, dad and big brother, Travis, are all doing great.

And speaking of Travis, check out his newborn pic compared to Issac. They could almost be twins! Can't wait for my chance to snuggle the new arrival!

 

* Technically, Isaac and Travis are our grand-nephews but we're claiming them as grandsons. They go very nicely with our four grand-girls.

 

Woodworker Trainee

Pop was showing us his latest flea market find - a Stanley 26 wood plane - when Leia piped up with, "I saw that at Camarillo House today" and "Can I try it?"

Of course you can!

She was fascinated - look at that concentration.

I think Pop may have found himself an apprentice.

 

 

Big Cats

Not this one.

More like this -

Photo by Steve Winter

 

The T.O. Civic Center has begun a new series with speakers from National Geographic Live! and we were lucky enough to hear Steve Winter, an incredible photographer, discuss his work with big cats - tigers, snow leopards, jaguars and more. Truly amazing photos and stories. (click the link above to check out his images.)

There weren't many people in attendance, which was unfortunate for the venue but worked out well for us. We were upgraded from Mezzanine to Founder's Circle for the evening. Nice comfy chairs and more leg room. Sweet!

Leanne was a bit bored (although she loved the cats), but hubby and I were entranced. Hope the next one, in February, is as good. We'll definitely be attending.

 

This and That

Farewell, Old Friend:

I bought this suitcase in Ireland circa April 2009, after Delta destroyed my original bag on our trip to Dublin. It's held up amazingly well for 7 years - and I've never seen its twin in all our travels - but the seams are starting to fray and, sadly, it's time to say adieu. I'll miss you, buddy.

Bathroom Time:

I wasn't quite sure why Leanne insists - every time - on accompanying Leia to the bathroom. Turns out, Leia is a multi- tasker. She reads to Leanne while taking care of business. Hooray for a new generation of (bathroom) readers!

Fridge Art:

Leia's card for Pop reminded me of this card she made me last year. It has pride of place on our fridge. I may never take it down.

She also made this one -

Yep, that's my awesome little Monkey!

 

Birthday Boy

It's that time of year again - Pop is officially another year older.
 
We celebrated in batches - 
 
a fun lunch at Stacked 
 
with the boys and their families,
 
along with Leanne and JacJac (who was a good sport about playing Pass The Baby).

 

While we waited for Marie to get off work for Birthday Round 2, Leanne gave PopPop his birthday present -

 
since she didn't have $$ for a gift, she decided to teach him to sew. (Awwwww)
 
Pretty sure that - and the handmade cards from Leia - were his favorite gifts of the day.  
 
Then it was dinner at Mama's Hummus with Marie's crew
 
and finally a movie for just the two of us - our second viewing of Magnificent 7 (which we will be seeing many more times. Love that flick.)
 
Happy birthday, PopPop - hope you had a great day!