Veteran's Day 2009 ... Memorial Day 2026

Although this post from 2009 is titled 'Veterans Day', i think it also works for Memorial Day 2026 ...

I hope you all have a nice holiday to start the summer off on the right foot ... 

My father, in his army uniform, circa 2002, with his college picture in the background over his right shoulder, and service medals over his left ... I flashed on this photo, which was totally unposed, when I was talking with Horst today ... Click it to enlarge it. It is one of my most favorite images ...

Horst, with his painting, 'The Garden', at a show opening a couple of years ago ...

This one is for my family, my friends Horst and Tom, my brother Maurice, and all the many others who have served our country over the years.
Horst came by today to pick up my scrap wood to burn in his studio fireplace, a job he's been doing for, I don't know, 15 years? 20 years? Who knows? A long time. He is friend and our former neighbor at our old house on Red Mountain Road. You can often see prints of his paintings in the background of the photos of my shop. He stopped to chat, telling me he was on his way to visit our friend Tom, another ex neighbor of ours who often would tell us his war stories of being shot down as a bomber pilot in WW II, about being captured behind enemy lines, and about subsisting on mangelwurzels in a German prisoner of war camp for a year or so until he was liberated by Allied forces. They were great and amazing stories. Horst didn't speak much of his service time today, but shared with me that his brother was killed in World War II when the troop ship he was on was torpedoed in the North Atlantic. I didn't know that. He asked about my father's World War II experience, which he knew vaguely about, and we talked briefly about that. My father was in the China Burma India theater, in charge of operating one of the first radar installations anywhere ever, in Chickiang, China, monitoring air traffic, friendly and enemy, flying supplies 'over the hump', (the Himalayas) from India. He never spoke much about his war experiences there except to tell amazing stories of the industriousness of the Chinese people. Two of my favorites were one about runway construction (as I recall now it was 1500 feet long, a 3o' fill at one end, and a 20' cut at the other, many people, many picks and shovels and carts, one month) and the other was about the time a B29 went off the end of that runway and the Chinese people carried the entire plane (in what I recall was a very short time) a piece at a time up the 30' fill at the end of that runway where it had come to rest ... We know our father did a good job there because he was awarded the Bronze Star for his efforts. He was a quiet and peaceful man, like many others who serve their country. We thank them all today for their efforts ....

My father's Bronze Star certificate

Our friend Tom and his wife Ruth, circa 1984

My mother and father and my brother Marce and his wife Edie, spring 2005 ... I've got my brother's picture in a uniform somewhere, but it's not in a handy place ...

those dam beavers!

 i had forgotten about this blog post until i stumbled across it while 

looking for some fishing pictures this morning ...

You’ll probably enjoy this, especially if you are from  Pennsylvania.

This is an actual letter sent to a man named Ryan DeVries regarding a pond on his property. It was sent by the PennsylvaniaDepartment of Environmental Quality, State of Pennsylvania . This guy's response is hilarious, but read the State's letter before you get to the response letter, you won't stop once you start.  This guy is good! SUBJECT: DEQ ... File No.97-59-0023; T11N; R10W, Sec 20; Lycoming County Dear Mr. DeVries: It has come to the attention of the Department of Environmental Quality that there has been recent unauthorized activity on the above referenced parcel of property. You have been certified as the legal landowner and/or contractor who did the following unauthorized activity: Construction and maintenance of two wood debris dams across the outlet stream of Spring Pond. A permit must be issued prior to the start of this type of activity. A review of the Department's files shows that no permits have been issued Therefore, the Department has determined that this activity is in violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Pennsylvania Compiled Laws, annotated. The Department has been informed that one or both of the dams partially failed during a recent rain event, causing debris and flooding at downstream locations.. We find that dams of this nature are inherently hazardous and cannot be permitted. The Department therefore orders you to cease and desist all activities at this location, and to restore the stream to a free-flow condition by removing all wood and brush forming the dams from the stream channel. All restoration work shall be completed no later than January 31, 2010. Please notify this office when the restoration has been completed so that a follow-up site inspection may be scheduled by our staff. Failure to comply with this request or any further unauthorized activity on the site may result in this case being referred for elevated enforcement action.. We anticipate and would appreciate your full cooperation in this matter. Please feel free to contact me at this office if you have any questions. Sincerely,  David L. Price District Representative and Water Management Division.  Here is the actual response sent back by Mr. DeVries:  Re: DEQ File No.. 97-59-0023; T11N; R10W, Sec. 20; Lycoming County Dear Mr. Price, Your certified letter dated 11/17/09has been handed to me. I am the legal landowner but not the Contractor at 2088 Dagget Lane , Trout Run, Pennsylvania . A couple of beavers are in the process of constructing and maintaining two wood 'debris' dams across the outlet stream of my Spring Pond. While I did not pay for, authorize, nor supervise their dam project, I think they would be highly offended that you call their skillful use of natures building materials 'debris.' I would like to challenge your department to attempt to emulate their dam project any time and/or any place you choose. I believe I can safely state there is no way you could ever match their dam skills, their dam resourcefulness, their dam ingenuity, their dam persistence, their dam determination and/or their dam work ethic. These are the beavers/contractors you are seeking. As to your request, I do not think the beavers are aware that they must first fill out a dam permit prior to the start of this type of dam activity. My first dam question to you is: (1) Are you trying to discriminate against my Spring Pond Beavers, or (2) Do you require all beavers throughout this State to conform to said dam request? If you are not discriminating against these particular beavers, through the Freedom of Information Act, I request completed copies of all those other applicable beaver dam permits that have been issued. (Perhaps we will see if there really is a dam violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Pennsylvania Compiled Laws, annotated.) I have several dam concerns. My first dam concern is, aren't the beavers entitled to legal representation? The Spring Pond Beavers are financially destitute and are unable to pay for said representation -- so the State will have to provide them with a dam lawyer. The Department's dam concern that either one or both of the dams failed during a recent rain event, causing flooding, is proof that this is a natural occurrence, which the Department is required to protect. In other words, we should leave the Spring Pond Beavers alone rather than harassing them and calling them dam names. If you want the damed stream 'restored' to a dam free-flow condition please contact the beavers -- but if you are going to arrest them, they obviously did not pay any attention to your dam letter, they being unable to read English. In my humble opinion, the Spring Pond Beavers have a right to build their unauthorized dams as long as the sky is blue, the grass is green and water flows downstream. They have more dam rights than I do to live and enjoy Spring Pond. If the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection lives up to its name, it should protect the natural resources (Beavers) and the environment (Beavers' Dams). So, as far as the beavers and I are concerned, this dam case can be referred for more elevated enforcement action right now. Why wait until 1/31/2010? The Spring Pond Beavers may be under the dam ice by then and there will be no way for you or your dam staff to contact/harass them. In conclusion, I would like to bring to your attention to a real environmental quality, health, problem in the area It is the bears! Bears are actually defecating in our woods. I definitely believe you should be persecuting the defecating bears and leave the beavers alone. If you are going to investigate the beaver dam, watch your dam step! The bears are not careful where they dump! Being unable to comply with your dam request, and being unable to contact you on your dam answering machine, I am sending this response to your dam office. THANK YOU, RYAN DEVRIES & THE DAM BEAVERS

new moon, new year ... artists don't retire ...

so, i was sitting outside a while ago and it started to rain... i went inside and 

randomly picked up one of my 'blog to print' books ...  leafing through it

i came to the post below ... the chuck close thing below is relevant here..

chuck says that 'artists don't retire' ... 

i may have to rethink things, and declare Will's new shop 

just 'one of' my retirement projects! 

 

From January 1st, 2017 ....happy new year everyone!

as we head into 2017 and my 38th year of custom furniture making, 

i'd like to wish all of you a healthy and prosperous new year.  

we had a lovely holiday season here, and after one more day of rest tomorrow, 

we'll be back at it,

as i sometimes do on the new year, i'll leave you with a few thoughts that have 

been lurking around my brain for a while...
click the photos to enlarge them ... 

back in the 90s, for a while i kept a sketchbook/scrapbook.  it came to light a while back from a box in the cellar, and, while there's lots of (dated) stuff in there, i plan to put some effort into sorting 

through it this year.  

while it was living in my drawer this year, i stuck two clippings on the cover, one about lou reed and one on leonard cohen .. 

'i'd go there more often.' ... perfect! ... both are worthy of some further thought ..

as i fast approach the big 7 zero , i am sometimes asked if i will be retiring soon,

at the moment at least, i think not ... 

besides work and my day to day home life with kit and the boys, i seem to be making plenty 

of time for painting, pottery, golf, tennis, and paddle tennis. i don't sit still well ...

this year, i plan to teach myself to paint at least somewhat more realistically.

i am still in touch with and visiting with my painter friend horst, and though he has recently had a physical setback at 92, is still painting from time to time. i had the most lovely visit with him yesterday as i dropped off a book that i had made for him as a thank you for his 'teachings'.

and speaking of late stage, 

there was a recent article in the new york times magazine on chuck close
about the source of ideas and their relation to 'process' ...
it's a long one, and it concludes with some thoughts on 'late stage' work ..

you'll have click it to blow this one up to read it .. the gist of it .... 'artists don't retire' ... 

so, after some fine visits with friends both old and new over the holidays, stories swapped, both new and familiar, it kind of, for me at this point, boils down to mr. marquez's thought below ..

happy new year!

                                                                         20 minutes later .... 

on second thought, i leave you with a poem, 'Cosmolgy' by billy collins.

typically, i'm not inclined to read much poetry, but i like this one ...

some holiday wishes ...

 

          well, better late than never i suppose ... 

it has been a little crazy 

around here lately and i have let my writing slide a bit.

i think we are more under control now and i hope to pick back up with my blogging

after the first of the year ... in the meantime, best wishes for a safe an healthy holiday season 

from all of us here at dorset custom furniture to all of you out there ... 

i was a little distracted by physical therapy and surgeon sessions relating

to my new (and amazing) hip ... and then we had 3' of snow ..

it was 59 degrees on christmas (whiplash!) and all the snow is gone now.

back to work tomorrow ...

happy new year

well ok !!  it's 2018 !!  a new year is underway.

I usually write something thoughtful, but i think this year i'll

just post some appreciative pictures of where i live and work ...

i was looking back through my work photos (which i will slide show soon)

and the nature photos caught my eye over and over again.

i am so lucky to live here even though it was minus16 at 7:00 this morning, and it

is about 8 below outside now .. 

as they say, 'you don't like the weather in vermont? just wait a minute.'

my friend cook and i were reminiscing last week while we were indoor golfing about a

time in january in the early 80s where it went from 10 below to the mid 60s in 

about 30 hours .. whiplash!

anyway, here's some nature for ya from the 10 acres we call home ..

there is beauty all around us ...

click the photos to enlarge them ... 

last 7 days

foliage season

summer

spring

last winter

 

 

10 years of blogging

 

well, here we are .. hard to believe that 10 years and 852 blog posts have gone by, 

but, they have ... will got me started back in 2007, and i have been at it more or less

steadily since .. my peak writing years seem to have passed, but i do still keep at, a post here, 

a flurry of posts there, one or two that month, but still at it.  

it helps me think about what it is i do most days ...

for a quick overview of what i typically say in november, i refer you to this post

entitled '3 years of writing'  ... a history there with photos from the very early 70's.

hard to believe i been building stuff for 45 years ... pull up a chair; enjoy your tour .. 

or drift off and do something else .. i'll never know .. whatever ...

 

here we are today, or as it were, last week.  not woodworking,

but more along the lines of other stuff i do when i'm not working.

if i wrote only about woodworking, i'd lose my mind, so there are quite a 

few 'nature' posts, some 'what i'm reading' posts, categories of 'sam's work', 

and 'will's banjos', and probably the heart of it all

'the slide shows' ...
you may have to be logged in to google to view them ..

seriously, there are THOUSANDS of photos of our work there, and

when working with clients, i refer to that section time after time.

click any image to start the show, and click through the rest of them as 

fast as you can hit the arrow key.

so here's the blog tour/history .. click the photos to enlarge them ...

you've got your slide shows, your popular posts, your archive, and your video tour 

and your visitor history below ...

644,000 + total sessions,  2,345,000+ page views and 378,000 users

kinda humbling when you add it all up ... 

852 published posts, (140 some unfinished or drafts)

and a couple recent ones in the works ..

my most popular post on steel table bases has been view over 30,000 times

and at least some posts have been viewed by people in 216 countries

 us, canada, uk, france, etc. you might expect ..

but yemen? afganistan? sudan?

power of the internet ...

as my ex neighbor, the late tom brennan, used to say:

"just keep everlastingly at it."

will do tom.  thanks to my clients and to readers, and thanks for the platform google ..
it ain't shakespeare, but i bet it's at least as long as war and peace.
happy thanksgiving ...