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| Jody and Garry arrived late Tuesday afternoon. |
47 degrees/partly cloudy/breezy
Pentoga Road
Mississippi Brother Garry and Jody arrived later Tuesday afternoon and we haven't stopped talking since. An added plus is that Garry's internal clock keeps the same time as my own. FINALLY, I have someone to talk with in the dark, early-morning, hours when I normally sit downstairs alone. Consequently, little writing is accomplished... and that's okay. A break every now and then does everyone good.
Garry's an accomplished woodworker. I'm sometimes proud of my work, but then I get next to someone who really knows what he's doing and I realize I'm a poor imitation of the real thing. Check out Garry's bowls and pens in the pictures below.
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| A few of Garry's pens, all turned on a wood lathe, each hand crafted. Body's consist of several types of wood, corn cobs, pine cones, and laminates with various designs. More pictures of Garrys' work in later entries. Garry sells his pens and bowls and you can contact him at: garrymeador@comcast.net |
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Mississippi Brother Garry, showing Yooper Brother Mark, his collection of pens that he's made on his lathe. He had Mark choose out his one of each of his favorites as gifts for him and Sheri.
I was busy Tuesday before the folks arrived.
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| I finished boxing in the top of the shop on Tuesday morning |
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| ... and helped Neighbor Mike with his back porch |
What's the story behind Garry and Jody and our friendship? Garry and I graduated from the same university, Southern Mississippi, in Hattiesburg, MS, although at different times.
We were both band directors and over thirty years ago, "met" on a bulletin board sponsored by one of the large sheet music companies of the time. Internet was brand new, email nonexistent. Since we both graduated from the same university, one of us, noticing the other was a fellow alumni, left him a message. That began a daily (without fail) exchange of messages and later, emails, that has continued for almost thirty-five years.
Garry and Jody have visited in Maine and the Upper Peninsula and I've been a visitor more than once at their home. My son, Matt, chose to attend the University of Southern Mississippi years ago, partly because Garry and Jody lived nearby. In fact, he became a frequent weekend couch potato in their home during his collegiate years.
We've been planning this leaf peeping visit for sometime and when Garry said to find a project on which we may work, I suggested the solar heater. It requires a little more eye work than a normal construction job. The boy grew almost excited at the prospect of building something that is purely experimental and without plans.
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| The beginning of the solar heater. We found all the lumber we needed in my scrap pile. |
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| The outside frame built, Garry is caulking the window, an old patio door I purchased from the local Habitat for Humanity store. |
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| Styrofoam sheeting, painted black, to attract the sun's rays, will be mounted in the back of the heater behind screen and glass. |
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| Jody worked her kitchen magic by producing some real southern faire such as boiled peanuts. WARNING!!! HIGHLY ADDICTIVE!!!! |
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| ... and one of my favorite food groups, sweet potato pie. Jody also made a fantastic creamy cheese potato soup. Cornbread smothered in butter and maple syrup completed the meal. |
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| No opportunity to get a word in edgewise here! |
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| The heater nearing completion. It will all make sense once it's mounted. (I hope!) |
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| The back and sides. Both were eventually painted with flat black. |
We're fairly certain the ladies will want us to quit later so the four of us can take a drive and look at the area's leaves. They are hitting their peak today and tomorrow.
It's time to start the day. After all, we have a few more of the world's problems to solve. After all, a man's work is never done.
So are the tales from Pentoga Road...
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