Showing posts with label of. Show all posts
Showing posts with label of. Show all posts
Sunday, December 25, 2016
A Collision of Worlds
Once, I was surveying one of my favorite marshes and a dad and his two sons came out of the brush. They were geocaching*. We had a very brief conversation where I pointed to the beaver cut stumps that they almost tripped over and the large lodge that was just off shore a dozen yards. At this point, "dad" looked at me like I was a space alien. He asked me if I knew where the box was hidden.
"That direction", I said pointing south. I know this only because I pay attention to where I am and find the boxes fairly often. It would do him no good anyway. The box was on a small island 50 yards from shore. The satellite derived maps in the GPS were in error showing lily pads as dry land. He had absolutely no idea where he was standing.
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| barrel (removed) |
People are increasingly wandering into wild places with the mistaken belief that technology will be their guide. They watch a tiny TV screen as they wander from waypoint to waypoint, cell phone in pocket in case they get hurt... or the batteries run out. The more adventurous carry their SPOT emergency beacons. Few know how to "see" and remember landmarks. The matching of a map to the land you are standing in is a dying skill. The spirit of wild places doesn't step forward when it has to compete with the distraction of electronic marvels. Take the tame world to wild places and all you have is a tame and unspirited world.
There is a new osprey nest in a tree on tiny Watch Island. The flush as I come near, not yet used to people, who will be paddling under them all summer. I spot what seems to be a loon except that for too much white on it's body. It lets me very near, maybe 10 yards. It seems to be grooming, twisting its body around with one leg dangling high. I watch for a few minutes. A second new osprey nest is on an overhead structure on someone's dock. The rest of the 30 some nests on and around Great Island are occupied.
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| new nest on Watch Island |
I head up the Black Hall River to the hidden pond. Then I return via the Back River (not really a river). I find that loon just before I get back to the Lieutenant River. It is sitting on shore and this time I get within a couple yards, a sign of trouble. I finally can see a short bit of mono filament fishing line. It looks like it has snagged a fishermen's hook on its body. It swims off...nothing I can do except hope that it will shake it free. At least it isn't one of the huge treble hook lures that I collect all too often. It is an unfortunate collision of the tame and wild worlds.
*The process of geocaching
1. buy a GPS receiver.
2. obtain coordinates from a geocaching website and load into GPS receiver
3. go where the GPS device tells you to.
4. find box (the geocache)
5. imagine that you know something about wilderness travel...cuz you don't.
Friday, December 9, 2016
Ceuta – A little piece of Spain in North Africa
17 March 2013
I think I have mentioned before, the most important thing to remember about cruising plans is that they are just plans, not a must follow to the minute schedule for strict adherence with no flexibility. I raise this again because our plans have changed again.
We arrived here in Ceuta on the North African coast on Thursday planning to stay until Monday morning before heading east. We had intended on lifting Alcheringa out of the water week after next in Almerimar on the Spanish coast for a hull wash, new coat of anti-fouling and to replace a seized seacock valve we haven’t been able to free up. Unfortunately the marina there informed us yesterday that they would not be able to do the work until after Easter. However, we have discovered a very well equipped boat yard right here in Ceuta and after a chat with the British manager we have decided to get the work done where we are.
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| Karen using one of the beautiful hand painted ceramics that are plentiful in Ceuta to point out our current location. |
As a result we will now be spending an extra week in North Africa which we don’t expect to be too hard to take. The boat will now come out of the water on Monday morning and, all going well, we will disappear over the border for a couple of days in Morocco on Tuesday while the work is being done. Definitely sounds like a better idea than sitting around Almerimar while the boat’s out of the water anyway.
We spent Friday getting all this arranged, cleaning the boat down after our crossing from Gibraltar and discovering what’s where close by the marina. We dropped into a fishing store and discovered the fish around here must be extremely dangerous going by the range of automatic weapons on display freely available for sale.
Of course we also needed to establish just which establishment in the vicinity looked good enough to warrant our business and discovered our most conveniently located ‘local’yet in the form of ‘Café Madame Pots’approximately 15 metres from the stern of the boat. Great friendly atmosphere, excellent coffee and a very nice bar with very cheap prices, what more could we ask for.
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| Nothing like great coffee for just One Euro only metres from the boat |
On Saturday we ventured a little further into Ceuta to explore its charms. Ceuta is a small peninsula of just 7.1 square miles (18.5k) whose strategic position on the southern shores of the Straits of Gibraltar has made it an important commercial trade and military way-point for many cultures, beginning with the Carthaginians in the 5th century BC. It was not until the Romans took control of the region in AD 42 that the port city assumed an almost exclusive military purpose. It changed hands again approximately 400 years later, when Vandal tribes ousted the Romans and has been fought over by the Byzantines, Moors, Portuguese and Spanish ever since.
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| Click on any image to see larger versions |
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| Ceuta with mountains of Morocco in the background |
In July 1936, General Francisco Franco took command of the Spanish Army of Africa and rebelled against the Spanish republican government; his military uprising led to the Spanish Civil War. The troops were transported to mainland Spain in an airlift using transport aircraft supplied by Germany and Italy. Ceuta was one of the first casualties of the uprising. The citizens of Ceuta were repressed by the rebel nationalist forces led by General Franco, while at the same time the city came under fire from the air and sea forces of the republican government. Sometimes you just can’t win.
When Spain recognized the independence of Spanish Morocco in 1956, Ceuta was considered an integral part of the Spanish state remained under Spanish rule, but Morocco has disputed this point.
The government of Morocco has repeatedly called for Spain to transfer the sovereignty of Ceuta drawing comparisons with Spain's territorial claim to Gibraltar. Both the national government and local population of around 75,000 reject these claims by a large majority and of course the Spanish government insists it's a totally different case to that of Gibraltar. We can't really see the difference but they can.
Ceuta’s architecture is an eclectic mix of styles but combine to make this a very attractive small city. It is well laid out with a number of attractive squares and the harbour front had been developed with extensive parkland and promenades. There’s the usual cathedral and churches but there are also a number of mosques as a significant proportion of the population are Islamic descendents of Berber heritage. Much of the historic fortifications still stand and the ‘Royal Walls’ with their navigable moat reaching right across the peninsula are particularly impressive and quite interesting to wander around. We discovered a military chapel within the thick walls which had been converted to a beautiful café/bar and decided it was a great spot for afternoon communion. Well we had the wine part of it anyway.
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| This moat stretches right across the peninsla's narrowest point opening to the Mediterranean on both sides and would have been all but inpenetrable. |
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| A chapel that becomes a bar, what could be better place for a nice wine |
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| Now that's a big pot. |
A quick trip to the supermarket saw us top up our food and drink supplies with enough for three main evening meals plus half a dozen bottles of wine and a couple of bottles of ridiculously cheap spirits producing a complete bill of 29 Euro ($37 Aus). Yep it’s good to be away from Gibraltar prices again.
After a fantastic meal of Corsican Chicken that Karen whipped up back on the boat, we headed back onto the streets later that evening for Rob to get some after dark photos of the city and to join with the masses of people out and about. Teenagers were socialising in the squares and promenading along the waterfront, while the cafes, bars and restaurants all seemed to be very well patronised. The streets were also full of children happily running around as their parents enjoyed a stroll in the city. It’s such a different atmosphere to anything we’ve experienced at home in Australia.
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| While Gibraltar is unquestionably the northern, Ceuta is believed by many to be the southern pillar of Hercules and the city obviously backs that claim. |
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| We found Ceuta to be an extremely friendly, clean, attractive city. |
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| Hercules Marina at night. Alcheringa is second mast from the far end. |
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| The House of Dragons is a building known for its Moor influenced arches, Spanish balconies, and the infamous dragon statues on top of the roof. |
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| Impressive architecture at every turn makes an evening stroll in Ceuta a delight. |
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Wednesday, December 7, 2016
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Tuesday, November 29, 2016
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Properties of Insect Diseases and Infections Infographic
The infographic contains all the properties of those insects which causes harmful infections and diseases. This infographic will provide awareness to many.
Kelvin Roger the owner of the blog American Home Improvement Ideas is providing the users with the latest information of home improvement techniques and guides, he has been working closely with Insects Control Company, Charleston, South Carolina
Kelvin Roger the owner of the blog American Home Improvement Ideas is providing the users with the latest information of home improvement techniques and guides, he has been working closely with Insects Control Company, Charleston, South Carolina
Monday, November 28, 2016
Bob and Carol visit the Gulf of Mexico oil slick an unfortunate series of events occur
Bob and Carol were watching their favorite news channel, and listening to stories that were saying the oil slick wasn't that bad, and drilling for oil was "Good for America". We remember this insensitive, and not so bright couple, Bob, and Carol from the story about buying their new boat. So Bob, in a very rare display of initiative, tells Carol, "lets load up the boat, and go out and see what this oil slick business is all about". Bob, Carol, and the kids make sure they have all of their important marine gear. The kids grab Ipods, and video games, Carol makes sure there are plenty of chips, and dip on board, Bob gets a back up case of beer, and off they go on their Magnifico 50' yacht. It doesn't take long for Bob and Carol to see the first signs of the slick from the bridge. Bob says "this isn't that bad", and Carol says, "look at the pretty colors, but it does smell a little funny".
Bob and Carol, comforted by the fact that things don't seem that bad at all, carry on. Bob wants to see where the oil leak is, because he saw on TV cool pictures of things burning there, just like it was the Fourth of July. After a while, the kids emerge from the dark cool cabin complaining that it was getting a little warm. Bob says "well stay out here in the fresh air, it will do you some good". The kids wrinkle their nose at the odor, and disappear back below. Bob yells out after them, "just turn the thermostat down". Bob thinks about this for a few milliseconds, and decides the strainers haven't been cleaned for a while, and he will have his boat maintenance guy check it when they get back.
Bob is watching his favorite TV news show, on his chartplotter thingy, and isn't paying attention to the engine gauges. The temperature gauges, on both engines have started to climb slowly up. Bob asks Carol to get him another beer. Just as Carol hands him a new cold one, Bob feels a thump, and the generator shuts down. Seconds later the port engine shuts down, and alarms start squealing on the bridge. A moment later the other engine shuts down, in conjunction with a very loud clanking noise. Carol says "Stop all that high pitched noise, I'm trying to read my Cosmo". Bob turns off the engine ignition switches, and all of the alarms stop, except one. Bob frantically scans all of the gadgets on the bridge, and sees an outline of his boat, with lots of little red lights on it. The one that is lit, is marked "High Water Alarm". The kids come running up to the bridge screaming, "the floor is wet in our cabin". Bob runs down, looks into the companion way, and sees two inches of water over the carpet in the forward cabin. He also smells some exhaust fumes in the cabin.
Bob now has an inkling there may be a real problem now, and he should get some help. For the first time on the trip, he turns on the VHF radio, and starts to yell "Mayday, Mayday". The Coast Guard answers, and starts to ask questions. One of the questions is, "where are you?". It takes Bob some time to figure how to get the TV off of the chartplotter thingy, and get it on a chart page with his position. He tells them the position, and seconds later, all power on the boat disappears. Bob thinks maybe they need those orange floating jacket things, but he doesn't know where they are, and besides, Carol wouldn't get into that black greasy water anyway. One of the kids suggests that the raft in a fiberglass box behind them would be useful. They all rush to the back of the bridge and stare at it. A cord is spotted, and one of the kids jerks it, and it explodes open just in time. The water is now at the bridge, and they all pile into the orange raft, just as the vessel gracefully sinks away underneath them through the thick black goo.
Bob now has an inkling there may be a real problem now, and he should get some help. For the first time on the trip, he turns on the VHF radio, and starts to yell "Mayday, Mayday". The Coast Guard answers, and starts to ask questions. One of the questions is, "where are you?". It takes Bob some time to figure how to get the TV off of the chartplotter thingy, and get it on a chart page with his position. He tells them the position, and seconds later, all power on the boat disappears. Bob thinks maybe they need those orange floating jacket things, but he doesn't know where they are, and besides, Carol wouldn't get into that black greasy water anyway. One of the kids suggests that the raft in a fiberglass box behind them would be useful. They all rush to the back of the bridge and stare at it. A cord is spotted, and one of the kids jerks it, and it explodes open just in time. The water is now at the bridge, and they all pile into the orange raft, just as the vessel gracefully sinks away underneath them through the thick black goo.
A helicopter shows up, and Bob, Carol, and the kids, are saved, but the Magnifico 50' yacht has now been added to Bob's "Museum of Shattered Dreams" vast collection.
This scenario is possible, although most likely not as Bob and Carol experienced it. I'm not going to turn this into a science fair project, but I will layout in general terms what is in the oil slick, and what impact it could have on your boat, should you encounter it. I will also add some links for further discovery, if you are so inclined.
The goop in the water can be generically described as "Sweet Louisiana Crude" A crude oil is described as "Sweet", if it has less than .05% sulfur content. Crude oil is a hydrocarbon soup, that is processed into fuels (gasoline), solvents, and many other products. In its raw form, there are many materials naturally present such as Butane, Methane, Ethane, and many more "ane's" are on this list. All of these hydrocarbons can attack, and damage materials that are not designed to withstand contact with them.
So what does this have to do with with your boat. The chemicals present in the oil slick can attack gasket materials, and hoses that are not specifically designed to resist these hydrocarbons. Go to West Marine, and check out the cost differential between 10 feet of fuel line hose, and 10 feet of water line hose. There is a huge difference in price (400%), because materials designed to withstand degradation from hydrocarbons are much more costly to manufacture.
In Bob and Carol's case, I blamed the air conditioning system for sinking the boat, although I can certainly add many additional contributing causes. As the AC cooling water was pulled into the boat, the oil in it started to stick to the strainer basket, slowing the water flow, and hence the less cooling. The oil caused the raw water pump impeller to soften, and the hoses attached to the pump softened as well, and started to swell. With enough time, and pressure, the softened hose from the AC pump burst open, and the system starts to pump oily raw water into the bilge. This would run for a while, until the AC systems start to shut down, due to slow water flow, and the relays automatically turn off the pump. But by now the damaged impeller allows water to bypass it, and water still flows, but at a slower pace.
The generator suffered from a similar scenario, but in this case, the strainer just got plugged up with oil, and it did a high temperature shut down. It survives this time, but the entire cooling system will have to be flushed out, and the impeller replaced, at the minimum. This could be lot worse, depending on the type of cooling system it had.
I didn't talk about the head system, but if salt water was used for flushing, the oil can eat , or damage gaskets such as the joker valve, and hoses.You should also hope that manual heads had a vented loop above the water line, or this could have sunk the boat just as easily.
Now for the engines. In almost all cases, oil in the cooling water can go from just plugging things up, causing shutdowns, to destroying the engines. This goes for gas, diesel, and don't forget outboards. There are a myriad of scenarios here. In Bob's case, remember he smelled exhaust gas in the cabin? It could have come from a failed rubber exhaust elbow, that oil laden cooling water was passing through. It's tough enough job to keep cooling water away from the insides of engines, and transmissions with out worrying about all the gaskets that do that job, failing because of hydrocarbon degradation.
Can it get worse? Sure it can. How about coating your zincs with a nice thick film of oil, rendering them useless. Your ground plate for the single side band radio will also suffer the same fate. The pretty vinyl boot stripe won't like the oil, the hull can stain, and how about the water lubricated dripless stuffing boxes. I'm not sure, but I suspect cutlass bearings most likely won't like the oil either. The list here is almost endless. It's hard enough to keep a boat operating in a highly corrosive salt water environment. Add this nasty hydrocarbon goo to the mix, and you will really shorten your vessels life, and spend a lot of extra money. Did I mention the potential for a fire? A burst hose, or failed gasket spraying crude oil laden water inside a hot engine compartment, does not bode well if an ignition source was available.
The birds, and marine life aren't surviving it, and your pleasure boat won't either!
If you go down into the oil today
You're sure of a big surprise.
If you go down in the oil today
Your boat better be in disguise.
For ev'ry skimmer that ever there was
Will gather there for certain, because
Today's the day the BP Oil has their picnic
.
The goop in the water can be generically described as "Sweet Louisiana Crude" A crude oil is described as "Sweet", if it has less than .05% sulfur content. Crude oil is a hydrocarbon soup, that is processed into fuels (gasoline), solvents, and many other products. In its raw form, there are many materials naturally present such as Butane, Methane, Ethane, and many more "ane's" are on this list. All of these hydrocarbons can attack, and damage materials that are not designed to withstand contact with them.
So what does this have to do with with your boat. The chemicals present in the oil slick can attack gasket materials, and hoses that are not specifically designed to resist these hydrocarbons. Go to West Marine, and check out the cost differential between 10 feet of fuel line hose, and 10 feet of water line hose. There is a huge difference in price (400%), because materials designed to withstand degradation from hydrocarbons are much more costly to manufacture.
In Bob and Carol's case, I blamed the air conditioning system for sinking the boat, although I can certainly add many additional contributing causes. As the AC cooling water was pulled into the boat, the oil in it started to stick to the strainer basket, slowing the water flow, and hence the less cooling. The oil caused the raw water pump impeller to soften, and the hoses attached to the pump softened as well, and started to swell. With enough time, and pressure, the softened hose from the AC pump burst open, and the system starts to pump oily raw water into the bilge. This would run for a while, until the AC systems start to shut down, due to slow water flow, and the relays automatically turn off the pump. But by now the damaged impeller allows water to bypass it, and water still flows, but at a slower pace.
The generator suffered from a similar scenario, but in this case, the strainer just got plugged up with oil, and it did a high temperature shut down. It survives this time, but the entire cooling system will have to be flushed out, and the impeller replaced, at the minimum. This could be lot worse, depending on the type of cooling system it had.
I didn't talk about the head system, but if salt water was used for flushing, the oil can eat , or damage gaskets such as the joker valve, and hoses.You should also hope that manual heads had a vented loop above the water line, or this could have sunk the boat just as easily.
Now for the engines. In almost all cases, oil in the cooling water can go from just plugging things up, causing shutdowns, to destroying the engines. This goes for gas, diesel, and don't forget outboards. There are a myriad of scenarios here. In Bob's case, remember he smelled exhaust gas in the cabin? It could have come from a failed rubber exhaust elbow, that oil laden cooling water was passing through. It's tough enough job to keep cooling water away from the insides of engines, and transmissions with out worrying about all the gaskets that do that job, failing because of hydrocarbon degradation.
Can it get worse? Sure it can. How about coating your zincs with a nice thick film of oil, rendering them useless. Your ground plate for the single side band radio will also suffer the same fate. The pretty vinyl boot stripe won't like the oil, the hull can stain, and how about the water lubricated dripless stuffing boxes. I'm not sure, but I suspect cutlass bearings most likely won't like the oil either. The list here is almost endless. It's hard enough to keep a boat operating in a highly corrosive salt water environment. Add this nasty hydrocarbon goo to the mix, and you will really shorten your vessels life, and spend a lot of extra money. Did I mention the potential for a fire? A burst hose, or failed gasket spraying crude oil laden water inside a hot engine compartment, does not bode well if an ignition source was available.
The birds, and marine life aren't surviving it, and your pleasure boat won't either!
If you go down into the oil today
You're sure of a big surprise.
If you go down in the oil today
Your boat better be in disguise.
For ev'ry skimmer that ever there was
Will gather there for certain, because
Today's the day the BP Oil has their picnic
.
(With apologies to Mr. Hall for stepping on "The Teddy's Bear's Picnic)
Want to help? Here are some sources
What is crude oil, and what's in it.
Want to help? Here are some sources
What is crude oil, and what's in it.
Bill Bishop
A small postscript about the story.
I received a flurry of comments today after I posted this. They range from they liked the beginning, but not the technical end, they hated the beginning, but liked the technical end, they liked it, and they hated it, it was too political, it will discourage boating, and it just made some people uncomfortable. I have fooled around with this story on and off today. It is what it is, and it will now stay this way.
This is a simple story. Bob and Carol, are the foils. They are the Eddie Haskell's of the world, and provide the set up for a general discussion of how the oil slick could affect a vessel. If the subject matter makes people uncomfortable, I'm ok with this, it should. I live In Sarasota Florida, a place with world renowned beaches, and a community whose primary income depends on these pristine beaches, boating, and fishing. It is also a community in denial. No task forces are looking into what to do if the oil gets to us. No planning is going on. We are advertising the fact that we don't have a problem, come visit, but no one is looking forward into the future, and we should be.
Tens of millions gallons have already spilled into the Gulf, and if you accept the the more conservative number of 35,000 barrels a day now being released into the Gulf. Thats 42 gallons in a barrel * 35,000 barrels = 1,470,000 gallons per day (NOAA estimate). Now lets just assume that the relief wells won't cap this problem until mid August, lets say 60 more days. The total gallons of crude oil released just over the next 60 days would be 88,600,000 gallons, or around ten times the Exxon Valdez spill. We can argue about the numbers, but they are staggering at any level. Now if you don't think this problem is going to impact Sarasota, and communities in the down stream flow of the Gulf Stream, including the eastern US coasts, you must have your head in the sand. Just ask someone from the coastal areas of Louisiana, what life is like now. Was it a bit political, yes. Did I try to make it a bit pointed, yes. Did it make you a little uncomfortable, I hope so. "
"We have met the enemy, and it is us". Walt Kelly.
Bill
A small postscript about the story.
I received a flurry of comments today after I posted this. They range from they liked the beginning, but not the technical end, they hated the beginning, but liked the technical end, they liked it, and they hated it, it was too political, it will discourage boating, and it just made some people uncomfortable. I have fooled around with this story on and off today. It is what it is, and it will now stay this way.
This is a simple story. Bob and Carol, are the foils. They are the Eddie Haskell's of the world, and provide the set up for a general discussion of how the oil slick could affect a vessel. If the subject matter makes people uncomfortable, I'm ok with this, it should. I live In Sarasota Florida, a place with world renowned beaches, and a community whose primary income depends on these pristine beaches, boating, and fishing. It is also a community in denial. No task forces are looking into what to do if the oil gets to us. No planning is going on. We are advertising the fact that we don't have a problem, come visit, but no one is looking forward into the future, and we should be.
Tens of millions gallons have already spilled into the Gulf, and if you accept the the more conservative number of 35,000 barrels a day now being released into the Gulf. Thats 42 gallons in a barrel * 35,000 barrels = 1,470,000 gallons per day (NOAA estimate). Now lets just assume that the relief wells won't cap this problem until mid August, lets say 60 more days. The total gallons of crude oil released just over the next 60 days would be 88,600,000 gallons, or around ten times the Exxon Valdez spill. We can argue about the numbers, but they are staggering at any level. Now if you don't think this problem is going to impact Sarasota, and communities in the down stream flow of the Gulf Stream, including the eastern US coasts, you must have your head in the sand. Just ask someone from the coastal areas of Louisiana, what life is like now. Was it a bit political, yes. Did I try to make it a bit pointed, yes. Did it make you a little uncomfortable, I hope so. "
"We have met the enemy, and it is us". Walt Kelly.
Bill
Friday, November 25, 2016
A pack of Running Dogs and Cat
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| Cat in her Fremont Seattle workshop |
Green Lake is in Seattle. Its shores once graced by the open canoes of Seattle natives are now circled by a track that keeps active Seattleites fit and trim. Runners, walkers, mothers with strollers and kids on skateboards circle this once pea-green lake whose waters are nowadays so clear you can see fish on the bottom. That's good news for the eagles that hang out in the trees of Duck Island and drop by for a snack of fish or an unlucky coot.
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| Canoe and kayaks are stored above the workshop kitchen |
Paddling one day on Green Lake I ran into a family in a green canoe and stopped to chat. Cat with a quirky smile explained she had crafted the canoe's wooden gunnel herself. Later I discovered she has a workshop ideal for that kind of thing. She's a luthier. Actually she's not just a luthier; she's an exceptionally good and well-respected luthier. She repairs instruments, mostly guitars and she's in demand for repairing rare and valuable ones. Her workshop, Sound Guitar Repair,is in Fremont, Seattle.
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| Cat outside her workshop within a workshop, "Sound Guitar Repair" |
Rick sat at the other end of the canoe, quiet and confident. He eventually revealed that he also works in wood; he too is a luthier. He describes himself as a work in progress, learning how to build acoustic guitars, but that's only because as a true perfectionist he cannot be satisfied with the best. He moved to Seattle from Vermont where he played with race cars, built kayaks, instructed skiing and as a woodworker began building "Running Dog" guitars.
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| Cat Fox and Rick Davis |
Rick Davis is no amateur. Author Tim Brookes wrote his book "Guitar; An American Life" around him and his guitar building. Rick used to be the Executive Director for the Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans (ASIA). He was featured in the recent April 2012 Acoustic Guitar magazine in a double-spread article by Thomas M. Lell.
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| Rick's "Running Dog" guitars are masterpieces of custom workmanship |
He is a talented artist in wood. He can tap a board of wood and know its prospects as a guitar top from the sound it makes. He can then transform the rough board to release its full potential by tapping and chiseling, tapping and chiseling until the sounds from bass to treble ring out, and the board begs to be played. Then he'll bend all the other pieces of carefully selected wood together to create an instrument that plays like a dream and looks incredible!
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| Rick in his Fremont workshop |
Rick and Cat have their workshops together in a modern industrial building close by the Fremont Canal. Cat's space is built within Rick's shop, allowing each to work undisturbed when they wish. That is undisturbed when people like me don't come barging in to visit.
Today Rick is working on small parts. His binding and inlay work is impeccable. He indulges me when I ask to see a baritone guitar he has already completed, and he open up the velvet-lines case to reveal a long-scale instrument with an oval sound-hole. Releasing a chord that breathes deeply into air I'm astonished at its rich sonorous voice.
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| Rick demonstrates the rich deep notes of his "Bear-itone" guitar |
Sometimes Rick builds a guitar just for himself that he's reluctant to sell until his relationship with it has had time to mature. But mostly he builds custom guitars for others, tailoring the sound and the desired appearance to the customer's playing style and desires. Each piece of wood is specially chosen for its qualities with the desired end in mind. I'm fascinated.
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| Somebody who canoes, kayaks, plays guitar and drinks espresso can't be bad! |
When he's not kayaking or canoeing, Rick keeps fit by fencing. That's not the pounding stakes into the ground type; it's the skewering of opponents with a foil. He leaks from various ouch places in his legs where he's failed to be quite as nimble as he'd like to be.
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| Cat keeps her rubber corvid muzzled... |
Cat Fox in her box; in her room within a room, is preparing for an upcoming presentation she'll give on keeping chickens… a fowl past-time of hers that seems decidedly wrong for someone with her double-predatory name. On her bench beside a life-like black rubber crow is part of an old Gibson harp-guitar, probably almost 100 years old. She opens up a large case and takes out the reddish full body of the instrument itself, minus its strings and a few other bits. It'll take time and patience to repair and reinforce this giant and to tune it back to its original state, but she'll do it.
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| One of Cat's current restoration projects, a Gibson harp-guitar |
Instruments that pass through her hands are as good as new, and in some cases look and play better than new.
I have to leave Cat and Rick to let them work, but I leave with the rich sound of the baritone guitar in my head. It's a wonderful instrument I'm drawn to not only for its voice but also for the wonderful inlaid portrait of a bear that glows like ice from the guitars head. It is as Rick points out the "bearitone" guitar.
And I leave with a taunting aside from Rick… he'll soon have a used Running Dog mini-jumbo passing through for sale… at an insanely reasonable price. He turns his head sideways with a quizzical look to see if I'm tempted. Of course I'm tempted… I'd love to have a room-full of his guitars! Dreams, dreams, dreams! But I am already proud owner of one Running Dog guitar… maybe I should work toward a pack?
Sunday, October 30, 2016
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