Tuesday, August 17, 2004

Perseid Meteors/Ochocos

So I had this idea... why don't we all pack up and run over to the Ochocos and take in the Perseid's meteor shower, do some prospecting and get back in 24 hours!. And.. Jerry and Spencer agreed! We left Salem at about 3:00pm and drove about 150 miles, had dinner along the way, made camp in the dark and sat in chairs staring heavenward to enjoy a wonderful meteor display (about 5 an hour). The satellites were cool, too.



Jerry and Spence take in an incredible view of the Ochoco Mountains. As we walked onto this site we startled two grouse who exploded into flight. This place was very near our Thursday night campsite at a breathless 6200 feet. After a morning of flapjacks, scrambled eggs, sausage links and steaming fresh brewed java we wallked here to check out an abandoned thunderegg claim.



This monstrocity is known as Stein's Pillar. It should be Steen's after the man who discovered it, but it had been mispelled soo long no one wanted to change the name. Standing 350 feet tall this monolith proudly basks in the last rays of a hot eastern Oregon summer's eve.



Here Cindy, Bob(retired army chef), Spence and Jerry stand outside Kop's shack on the Lucky Strike mine. These guys were cool, with tons of stories about strikes, claim jumping and little known spots just waiting to be discovered. Kop was in town selling a ton of large thundereggs and came back with a fist full of dollars. He is quite a character. At 6 foot and weighing in at 128 pounds this strapping lad is a dynamo for an 86 year old.



Pardon my driveby shooting, but the Crook County Court House is not only the place where we miners file claims, but is also just plain pretty to look at.

Saturday, August 07, 2004

Mediaeval Book



Here's a book I've just finished. It was a commission to be the Grand Prize in a HackMaster's game contest. Inside is the player's handbook of rules for HackMaster.

The book contents were perfect bound so I modified that to a more permanent kerfed channel linen laced binding. Outside the cover is binders board with raised panels covered and formed with split suede. Onlaid in the corners are triangular pieces of rawhide. The design in the middle is of a Phoenix rising from the sun. The Phoenix is black pig and the sun is gold tipped rawhide.



One of the fun things with this binding was to include train squashed pennies riveted through the corners. This allows the book to raised from the table surface. I had to beat the flat copper nails in a vice to "age" them.



The clasp I formed from #12 copper house wire. Then it was lamiminated between the boards with the receive being stitched for extra strength.

All and all it was tons of fun doing this and wish I could have more of these fun projects!

Monday, August 02, 2004

Antique Powerland at Brooks

Antique Powerland is at crossroads just north of Salem. The famers from near and far come to see mostly farm related machinery including tractors saws, water pumps and a variety of both small and humongous motors. Some are steam and some "one lungers" are gas. This train depot now serves as a museum.

This old guy must have been a hundred! He had the biggest smile in the whole crowd. I will bet he's older than the tractor he sits on.

The old steam tractors puffing all in a row. At high noon they all let go with their whistles and it is deafening. I couldn't hear for half an hour!

Abel's Departure

The three host families that had Abel in their homes gather for his "party of the goodbyes". Here seated are Martha Deutch, her husband and family, Glenda Melton, her daughter and family, and Dawn and our munchkin.
The Last Supper ... Abel couldn't leave the country without another hamburger for the road. It was a double patty double cheese! (1,000,000 calories)
Security was tight at Portland Airport. I've been to the airport so much this summer that I am thinking of writing my name on a reserved parking spot. The security guard checked the papers carefully and sent Abel through the metal detectors. On the other side he stopped for a moment caught our eye and gave us a big wave bye. He's a good young man and I hope we see him again.