Sargie's whipping up a large batch of her super duper peanut butter/chocolate chip/coconut cookies on Sunday afternoon.

January 30, 2017 - Monday

1 degree/clear skies/calm winds

Pentoga Road

I'm having a difficult time this morning.  My day is only twenty minutes old and already, I've stubbed my toe, walked into the coffee table, one eye doesn't want to work, and now, to top it all off, I've got a nose bleed. Geesh, what a great way to start the week. I look at it this way, there's no where to go but up.

Sunday began in the shop where I started turning another bowl, this one from maple. In this very early stage of turning, birch is my wood of choice, but if one wants to make something small with delicate features, a harder wood seems to be the best medium, thus, maple.

Even with it's superior strength, I still managed to snag a chisel that caused a crack in the very thin wall. Thankfully, it was nothing that a bead of glue couldn't fix. I'll give it a light sanding and in the end, the crack should do nothing more than lend the bowl a bit of character.

I gently clamped the bowl until the glue could dry, assuring the two sides would permanently hold together.

The new dust collector works well. I'm really happy with it and I no longer have to wear a dust mask while sanding.

The next step is to buff and polish the bowl, then separate it from the stock.

Sargie and I departed for town early in the afternoon. 

We purchased a few groceries then spent a couple of hours driving to the area lakes by way of the back roads. Snow squalls were frequent and often caused poor visibility.

Sargie made a large batch of cookies once we arrived home. I cleaned the drive of snow and played with Brutus. After, we snuggled on the couch under a blanket and watched television.

Grandson, Coleman, placed 3rd in a wrestling tournament this past weekend against eight others in his weight class. I told his daddy not to let him near any open water. He's getting so much metal that if he'd happen to fall in, the poor little guy would go straight to the bottom.

In fourth grade, this is Coleman's first year on the mat and we're really proud of him. Way to go, buddy!

Speaking of buddies, who's this guy all dressed up in a tuxedo?

Yes, your eyes aren't deceiving you. That's Yooper Brother Mark getting ready for mass Sunday morning. It was Corporate Communion for the Knights of Columbus and Mark was dressed with bells on.

That boy cleans up pretty good, eh?

Last night continued to be a lazy affair with neither of us moving very fast.

Sargie opens today. I'm going for my walk then will either go ice fishing or head to the shop. The slush on the lakes appears to have frozen and I'm beginning to get the itch. 

Still, there are three projects currently going in the shop and I enjoy spending my days out there, working, carving, cutting, shaping, and making, while listening to classical music accompanied by Brutus's snoring and other noise making.

I guess I ought to stop being so romantic and philosophical and get this day going.

After all, a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

It will be a while before any boats use this dock. To answer a question, the piers are removed from the water so the ice doesn't do major damage during ice-out in the spring.