A long week (with COVID) and some small projects

August 9, 2022August 9, 2022 ~ Chuck ~ Leave a comment

It has been a long week already, and it is only Tuesday. It feels like Thursday at least.

I started feeling symptoms on Saturday night and tested positive on Sunday. Luckily it has so far been mostly mild, but I have had no energy. I’m stuck isolating until Friday at the earliest. It has been a long journey since the first lock down in spring of 2021, and I was hoping that it had passed me by. My luck ran out this week, though as far as weeks go, it wasn’t too bad of a week to get sick and have to isolate. Will is mostly in his room in the loft above the garage. Ben is at his mom’s house. Susanna and Izzy are six hours ahead in Sweden. I get the whole second floor and my workshop to myself all day. I just haven’t had energy to do much for the past few days.

Today I’m starting to feel better, though my energy is ebbing by the time I’m writing this. It is almost time to give into watching YouTube and Netflix for the night.

My weekends started out well. I got up early on Saturday and took Hoagie for a walk. It was hot, so I picked an easy 2 mile hike in Ledyard, the Pine Swamp Wildlife Corridor Loop. It wasn’t a very nice trail, and there was a section that I had to pass through some construction by the local power company. I’ll be avoiding that trail again.

The not so scenic Pine Swam Wildlife Loop.

Over the past few days I was able to finish off a few smaller projects that I had started last week. I didn’t get any work done on the house, but I was able to get some time in the workshop. I completed the sides and brass reinforcement on the holder for my #4 smooth plane. I also made a simple holder for a try square that I put above the chisels. I’ll probably make additional wooden holders for my other squares.

Most of what I did when I got tired of sitting in bed and watching TV was to just clean the shop a bit. And yes, I am bored. My workshop is probably more organized than it has ever been. there is hardly any crap left sitting on my tablesaw. My goal this week is to entirely clean the junk off the horizontal work surfaces and put everything into a home.

Welcome to 2019

January 1, 2019January 1, 2019 ~ Chuck ~ Leave a comment

Independence Day Parade, Groton, Connecticut

July 5, 2018 ~ Chuck ~ Leave a comment

I finally got around to editing the last of the pictures from yesterday:

Watching the Independence Day Parade, Groton, CT

Keeping cool…

July 1, 2018 ~ Chuck ~ Leave a comment

A couple of pictures of us making the best of a very hot weekend. The mini-pool was a great idea – thanks to Susanna!

Ben and his little sister playing in the pool.

Izzy, keeping cool on a very hot weekend.

Sunday at Mystic Seaport

June 24, 2018 ~ Chuck ~ Leave a comment

This morning I dropped Ben off at the Seaport for his first day as a junior volunteer. Susanna’s dad, Dan, joined Isabella and me for a morning at the museum. It was the wooden boat show weekend, so the museum was packed. We arrived at the museum more than 30 minutes before opening to drop Ben off and there was already a line to get in the door.

Dan, Isabella and I spend a few hours walking around enjoying the show, although all Izzy wanted to do was meet dogs and throw gravel into the river.

Boats, Mystic Seaport Museum

At the water table, children’s musuem, Mystic Seaport

Weekend Pictures

June 18, 2018 ~ Chuck ~ Leave a comment

A few pictures of Sunday. We spent the afternoon by the pool to escape the heat.

Enjoying a cool dip in the pool on a hot day.

Plus a few of Izzy at the Mystic Seaport from the previous weekend:

Isabella in a barrel at the cooperage, Mystic Seaport Museum

Checking out one of the sawhorses at the shipyard at Mystic Seaport Museum.

Workshop time with Benjamin

June 11, 2018 ~ Chuck ~ Leave a comment

Tonight Ben decided to head out to the workshop to work on his chess set. We have milled lumber for half of the pieces (the white pieces) and glued up the wood for the board. He put tape down on the board tonight, and I helped him mark out 2″ x 2″ squares. He cut out the individual squares and then used black spray paint to paint the dark squares. The light squares will remain natural wood color.

In the meantime, I spent some time cleaning up window trim (so I can paint it tomorrow) and picking up the workshop.

Cutting out the chess squares on the board.

Another Sunday morning at Mystic Seaport

November 26, 2017 ~ Chuck ~ Leave a comment

I enjoy taking a few hours on Sunday mornings to get away from the house. We needed to get a membership at the Mystic Seaport for Will to volunteer last summer, so why not make it a destination when the weather supports? It is a great place for Izzy to walk around, and the boys don’t mind going on the weeks that they are here. I get lots of pictures while we walk around. The boys don’t like to have their pictures taken, but Izzy isn’t old enough to get a choice yet (and she loves looking through pictures of herself on the computer).