RC AIR BOATS TWO ENGINE TEST RUNS -- A BLESS YOUR HEART DEFENSE SPECIALIST AND A KID WHO CAN RUN A GUITAR

Dad's air boat set up for first engine test run.

Son's air boat set up for engine stand and engine mounting.

Youtube video of engine test runs on August 01, 2018

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WORLDLY STUFF

"Why am I excited about this bomb?" Gather around boys and girls (that use to work, probably not so much now; regardless) and lets all get excited about this new bomb and the problem it is going to present for the bad guys. Oooohhhhhh goose bumps.

Allison is a defense specialist; bless her heart. She is giddy and using her best party voice and hand gestures to get us on board with a new bomb coming out. With a side smile and “a no” head shaking body language, Allison tells us why this new bomb is now to our advantage. Then she uses several examples about bad guys who can no longer hide in bad weather.

Allison, bless her heart, (yes, she get a double bless your heart this week) brings us such great news that I want to get up and give group hugs and snuggles.

Kiss your safe places goodbye buttercup!!

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PUT ON HEAD PHONES. JUMP THE VOLUME UP A TAD.

If are thinking of becoming a defense specialist, spend a little time here today with Miguel Montalban.

SweetChild O' Mine. 

Sultans of Swing. 

Stairway to Heaven. 

Can get lost in this kid's guitar and music for hours on end. The music and talent with a back drop of every day people living everyday lives. Good stuff!

More at his website if you like. http://www.miguelmontalban.com/

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SOME FINAL THOUGHTS THIS WEEK

The air boat projects have been a wonderful distraction. I have had time and taken the time to get back into the shop and immerse myself in a project. Son jumped on board making the projects something to share and for both of us to revisit this hobby.

I have spent time thinking of nothing else and mind 100% in design/building/problem solving. It is very healthy to get away from a mad mad world. Time to be thinking of more new projects. Maybe a few more bird houses this winter and an old time glider build with electrics.

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Get out, enjoy, have fun and watch your six. Stay away from crowds.

Thanks for the visit this week.

RADIO CONTROLLED AIR BOATS - HOBBY TIME - OTHER STUFF

A month ago, son and I found ourselves reminiscing of the days when we hobbied boats and planes. He recalled the local town's yearly summer-in-the-park festival where we would take our RC air boats, join other boat hobbyists and play as onlookers watched. We both agreed those were fun times, building boats and playing with them in lakes and ponds. We also built many line- controlled air planes. Affordable and fun to fly. 

With his time off work this summer and my busy doing much of nothing, we decided to visit the hobby again. I stayed old-school and, of course, son has gone the extra mile. The kid has vision and talent in building and repairing anything. 

Many videos/photos from the net and articles helped in basic hull shape and scratch building design. NODDRC cad-designed air boat photo was of great help with my final hull shape. I tried to up size somewhat. Rib designs different, placements different and building materials different. CAD design versus old school scratch building. Won't know how it will run till it runs. Both approaches work just fine for RC hobby air boat  building.

Electronics are new to me so I went with advice from a local hobby store. Site listed below.  

First few ribs and major stringers set over the lofted plans. 

   

More ribs are added along with the curved top gunwale. Once set in place and the parts matching the drawn loft design, they were glued in place.

The chines were cut from bass boards left over in the downstairs wood bin. They were soaked in water for a few hours and easily bent in place until dried.  Five minute epoxy used up to the point of construction. 

The frame completed, it was pulled off the lofted drawing and represents the major components to further build on. 

Four millimeter marine plywood was used for the bottom and afterwards, I realized that if I kept using this kind of material, the weight of the boat was going to quickly become too much. Glue for this part of the build was water proof Gorilla Glue. It has a tendency to ooze in the curing process. 

One-eighth bass was used for the side of the boat. Also wet for several hours, pre-bent and then Gorilla Glue. 

The motor mount was mocked up, electric engine installed and unit set generally in place for the next stages of the build. 

I have decided to go with electric power, a 10" 4-pitch propeller and a two channel radio control. Specifics on electronics next post. 

SON'S PLAN

Many compound curves to achieve his unique design minimizing surface area running on the water and some assist with air flow running under the length of the boat. Again, his plan lofted on a piece of wood and ribs preset in place. 

Compound bends starting to show with the major center stringers set up and three ribs in place. 

Two major stringers detail. 

Major pieces set on top of lofted design.

More ribs and stringers in place and first final gluing. He is using thin CA glue after the frame is set in place. This type of glue finds its way between mating parts and is strong. The final gluing of surface sheeting will complete the  over all strength of the boat. 

Major structures glued in place and all compound curves achieved.

Son is now mocking engine stand and rudder design. Sheeting the bottom and sides soon. He is using a 4-stroke, single piston engine turning a 14" 8-pitch propeller.

He is kicking my ass in all aspects of design and building. I am soooooo ok with that!! 

More progress through completion and first runs to follow over this next month. 

A lot of help and supplies for both of our builds from ABC RC & Hobbies in Windham, NH.

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WORLDLY STUFF

**Good story of surfer kid out of South Africa. Great drone and Go Pro video. 

**Restoring the Rule of Law. A true story. It has happened before and chances are, considering the times we are living in, it seems ripe for history to repeat itself. 

**The Kid can dance!!

**Mr. Bojangles  One of the best performers ever and a favorite of mine. Natural talent and a great story telling through song and dance. 

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VEGGIES

Weeks of warm, wet humid weather here in New England have set local gardens into overdrive. Friends are finding much more nestled in the greens on their grounds and phone calls are inviting friends over for grab bags. 

We just set zucchini and yellow squash into the dehydrator this morning. Excellent in cold season soups and stews. Surprisingly these veggies reconstitute and taste like fresh from the store. 

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Stay away from crowds and enjoy this summer and warm weather. 

Thanks for the visit this week. 

BUG BIRD - STUFF

Earlier this month, this little bird headed straight for me from the wood shed at full throttle. He threw on full flaps, one wing up and one wing down and picked up a lone roving black ant at my feet. The ant never knew what hit him. There was not one flight maneuver in the bird flight book that this little fellow did not accomplish on that three-second flight. 

He landed gracefully, killed the ant with a few pecks on the branch and life went on. Since then I have noticed this little guy has no interest in any of the bird food I put out for the horde here. He does though put on quite a show of picking bugs out of the air, off nearby tree branches and the ground. Gotta a keen eye and skill set. 

He is by no means under nourished. His mate (or her mate) often pair up on the same branch taking turns and then they scurry off to another location. They must have a small route they work in during the day. Regardless, when I sit down to survey the kingdom here, one or both of them show up with the same song and dance.

Surprising what goes on around us if we only take time to watch along with a little added curiosity.

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ELECTROFLIGHT; FULLY CHARGED  

I came across this video awhile back surfing drone flying videos. I think it may have been click bait, but was a great choice for learning what kind of technology is on the horizon in the field of battery powered electronics.

In all honesty, I have poo-pooed all of this electronic technology change. Cars, self-driving vehicles and in-home devices that are invasive to say the least. Add some of the advances in AI and it is quickly overwhelming. 

My ways are quickly being phased out and much faster than I realize. I really do not realize how far behind I am in many of the comings of tomorrow. I do realize though that I am not in Kansas anymore. I am but a relic of days and eras gone past. It is lead, follow or get the hell out of the way. I am getting the hell out of the way.

If the capabilities of my DJI Drone are any indicator in my quest to learn and have some fun, it is obvious to me that my getting the hell out of the way means stepping further back. I am no longer as quick as I use to be. Regardless, the youngsters in this country are in for one hell of ride and future in technology.

The video above gives some very good insight into some of the progress in battery powered possibilities. I remember some of my first electric tools too thinking they were a novelty.

After building my woodshed with all battery powered tools, I realized the convenience, light-weight and efficiency of these tools made the whole construction process easier. Tools could be taken to the top of a structure w/o electric cords attached. The power was sufficient and in those early days, several extra batteries were on a constant charge station at the work site. Easy and quick swap out kept everything running and my only new practice was putting the spent battery on the charger.

I think you will enjoy the video and demonstration near the end of the video. Battery-powered is a wave of the future.

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HOMEMADE LOW CARB YOGURT.

If you are a yogurt person and tired of reading ingredient labels, try this. Simple beyond simple. Flavor marvelous and you can adjust to taste. Add any fruit in the house. Serve to guests. Enjoy as a free treat. Fool children into eating healthy.

Recipe from the net.

https://www.heyketomama.com/low-carb-yogurt-keto-friendly/

1/2 cup sour cream

• 1 tbsp heavy whipping cream *3 tsp sweetener of choice (I used powdered sugar)
  Optional:
  vanilla or other flavoring (I used lemon)
  low carb berries
  nuts

Mix cream and heavy whipping cream together. Add sweetener slowly, tasting as you go until desired taste.

My wife used a pint of sour cream and 4 TBL spoons of heavy cream and three packets of sweetener. She used vanilla flavoring to taste and fruit on hand.

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MORE FLYING

I have lived long enough with the promise of this future. Now, I believe I can add this to the things I have seen in my life time. Full screen, sound up and enjoy the ride. Some promises of tomorrow are very exciting and closer today because of technology and the wanting. 

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HIRAETH

I found this wonderful video on americandigest.org dated July 13, 2018. There was a wonderful poem and two great photo's of a yesterday and a today with the video. 

I am a fan of good story tellers and the mediums they use. This quick video with voice overlay is powerful. More powerful for the older generations I think. I search for perspective and reasons for sharing with you. Should be a reason, but I am at a loss for the words. But this video touches deeply and I find goodness in the trip.

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Take care of the home front and enjoy this summer season. Thanks for the visit.

GOLDEN OVERWATCH - - A TRIP TO MONCTON, NEW BRUNSWICK - - CAJUN SPICES

The memorial to our three Golden Retrievers is all but complete. The Golden overwatch is in place. Ashes of all three will be spread soon near their markers. Fifteen years here with three Golden Retrievers have set deep roots of wonderful memories. They have been a core part of this family. Not a day now will go by where we will not continue to see the impact they had on our lives. They lived their years happy, free of restraints, giving as much love as any Golden can. God we miss them but are so thankful they came and spent time in our lives.

*Standing in a litter of puppies in 1997, Lucy chose me. Of all the puppies running around, she came right over to me and stood on my foot. I set her back in the pack and she came right back again to sit on my foot. I was the one chosen.

*Peaches (aka Star Feet Commander) was Lucy's aunt and came to us on a long flight from Washington State to New Hampshire. Poor girl did not take one pee on that long flight till she got off the plane in Boston. Three steps out of her cage, in the middle of the airport, she could hold it no longer. I swear she peed for 5 minutes. Never have I seen the look of relief as at that moment on her face. Never caged again.

*Baby came to us from a small litter just down the road from where we live. She was the one we wanted from the last two remaining, but the family son had first pick of those two. He chose the other one. Baby came home on a cold snowy November day on my wife's lap, all wrapped in warm puppie blankets.

None of us ever looked back.

The passing of Baby over Memorial Day weekend set us back as the loss of any family dog will do to a family. After a few days, my wife set off on the net looking for a Golden statue to stand overwatch in the memorial setting here. The only one she found was located in Canada, weighing in at 100 pounds. To ship it here would have been prohibitive, not to mention all the work to build a special shipping crate. We decided a road trip was in order.

The owner/maker said he could save us three hours one way driving if he drove the statue to Moncton, New Brunswick. “Would that work for you?” It did, we ordered the statue and set a date for pick-up. It meant a three-day road trip into Canada and about 1500 miles round trip. A road trip is one of the most enjoyable times for the wife and me and it has been years since we have ventured far from home. We use to travel and go quite a bit when we were riding motorcycles.

Crossing into Canada at Calais, we noticed that our cell phones and GPS quit working. Poor planning, but it was too late then. Old time map reading skills, and stopping to use someone else's phone put us a ¼ mile from our destination. A stop to ask for specifics from an older gentleman who knew exactly where we needed to go.

Simple instructions put us in the driveway of our destination within minutes. I hate fist bumps, but felt it was a thing to do with the wife as we did the Canadian portion of the trip the old fashion way w/o any technology.

Three days, just the wife and me, no news, no radio; just us. We had uninterrupted time to visit about everything under the sun. Small talk. We slept two nights next to the Atlantic ocean with a sea breeze coming in through the open window. Life has always been a little bigger and a little brighter for me when is spent near lakes and oceans. 

Boats at anchor and a dock slapping against its moorings all night long was music to our ears. Sun rise started at 4 am and peaked over the Canadian horizon at 4:45.

Hash and eggs for breakfasts, the most wonderful find of fried chicken at a Shell Gas station just south of Moncton; lunch and seafood dinners in diners nestled next to the Atlantic Ocean. It was good. Nice, helpful, polite people the whole way coming and going. (Who knew) One nice gal at a Walmart near St. Johns wondered and commented why our government leaders had such a hard time getting along.

The restraints of having to stay so close to home to take care of dogs are gone now. It will take a little time for us to just up and take off. Old habits and worries have to be overcome. But this little trip on behalf of our hearts, love for our dogs and years lived with them has many lessons. It was all good; very good!

Here is a quick video.

COOKING WITH A WOK - CAJUN SPICES

We are enjoying cooking with a wok these past weeks and the simplicity of some olive oil with meats and veggies tossed in. Spices from salt/pepper to this past week's experiment with shrimp, Kielbasa, a variety of vegetables and two tablespoons of my wife's home made Cajun spices. An explosion of flavors and textures that is so easy to achieve. I am not a fan of hot for the sake of hot spicing. Foods that are are too spicy all but kills the meal for me. Spicy is flavor with a hint of heat.  

With the cast iron wok, it is in with some olive oil, in with meats til about all done, remove and finish up the vegetables. 

        Homemade Cajun Seasoning              Cajun Shrimp and Sausage

We used the largest (un-cooked) shrimp the supermarket had in the freezer.  Followed the two sites listed above. Cooked the sausage in olive oil with a table spoon of the seasoning pre-mixed in a bowl. Set aside after browned. 

Then cooked the veggies with olive oil, a table spoon of seasoning and a splash or two of water. Set a lid over the mixture twice for about a minute each time. Stirred as needed. Vegetables still had a slight crunch. 

Mixed all together with raw shrimp, stirred and a minute or two with lid on till shrimp turned pink.  Shut off the heat, stirred and served. 

Give this a try. A little work in prepping the veggies and making the seasoning. The up-side is that we have Cajun seasoning that is flavor over heat. 

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Thanks for your visit this week. 

WORKING PROTOTYPE & DJI MAVIC PRO PRACTICE

                  

Working squirrel-proof bird feeder up and running. Followed several ideas from YouTube videos. Two bags of quick dry cement holding a short PVC tube in a 5 gallon bucket. One-inch conduit cut to 7', three-inch PVC pipe with cap hanging on a short nail drilled and placed through the conduit. It is squirrel-proof but not bear-proof. Because the bear is due through here at least two more times before winter sets in, time will tell the fate of the new bird feeder.

While I was sitting and taking these photos, a hawk flew over the house and circled twice. I took a quick shot of the bird before it disappeared over the garage roof.   

No surprise that during the several circling over flights, not a small creature could be seen any where here. They went dark and quiet instantly. I suppose we are a target-rich environment for hawks. 

***** Two weeks have passed and damn if the grey squirrels cannot climb the small brown PVC pipe. A light coat of Vaseline did the trick for a couple days, but a short, larger bell of 6" PVC at the top of the current one ought to be a final fix. 

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Short Mavic Pro DJI drone video

I am way behind on the learning curve on all this little drone can do. Way behind. The opportunity to follow my son around on a near by lake presented itself along with wide open spaces to practice. 

Good practice for me but the drone was not properly set up nor did I have a video flight/photography plan. Son could not ride the jet ski for just a couple minutes in gentile wide circle so I could film (no, not his fault) but I did get some footage and ultimately realized how much homework I need to do learning basic camera and flight set-up. 

I am still amazed at the technology, potential of aerial photography and flying a remote aircraft from a phone or table screen. 

Here is the video.

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A week behind in post and only excuse I have is that it is summer, outside play, going/coming and chores are taking precedence. 

Officially summer now and the days are getting shorter. Yea, who needs to be reminded of that? Heads up and put the cell phone in your pocket. 

NEGLECT AND OVERGROWTH

Neglect and time have a way with things of man. It seems just a year or two ago we put up a few of these homemade bird houses trying to add some personality to the outlying areas here on the hill. 

I had all but forgotten these bird houses and fence nailed to a tree alongside our back yard. I was surprised at how much has been erased and covered these past  years.   

Today it is completely obscured and a new normal prevails.  Suffice it to say weather, creatures and seasons have left their mark. If I do nothing, it will  become forest dust. 

The wood shed was finally cleaned out these last few days and winter wood completed. The earliest I have ever gotten the wood in and stacked. It helps to hire a young 18 year old home from college. 

Two of these "new bird houses with fence" survived the past years much better stored in the shed rafters.

Time for them to take their turn and run their course here on the outlying areas. 



AT WAR WITH THE LOCALS

We have all coexisted here well. Humans, birds, squirrels, pets, one bear and other night-roaming animals. 

Bird food is usually put out daily, an allotment for all. Bird varieties, squirrels, chipmunks have all been fairly friendly and somewhat respectful of the others at the table. 

But a grey squirrel has moved in along with too many chipmunks. They clean up the offerings in a few minutes and let no one else near the feeders. I found the big grey had actually opened the lid to the metal garbage can in the garage and was feasting on stored seeds. How he got the lid up is beyond me. I think he is the one taking down the other feeders.

I could take up arms and take care of this but would never do that. I am, instead, building a squirrel-proof feeder (pictured at the right). The war will continue for awhile. 


I have not been interested in getting wrapped in any of the worldly follies this past week. Weather has been nice and time outside playing in the yard has prevailed. 

Stay with the taking care of yourself program. 

THE EARLY MORNING SUN

We lost our Golden over Memorial Day Weekend. Suffice it to say there are holes here in our hearts and the places we walk and look. It is a part of life and these things are easy to say until it happens to you. I will not go into more than sharing this with you. Note that I do so in helping me and her heal and admit writing this brief note is more for us. 

We have had three Golden's here since the early 2000's. They have given us so much that neither words nor time will ever be never be enough. 

In our healing process, we are building a memorial to the girls.

The early morning sun shines on the ground where the girls will be remembered. Three stones with their names and time on earth. 

The place has been chosen, cleared and leveled. The final hanging basket found itself in place on day one. How could we bring that home and not hang it?

Maybe a day or two left to complete with a few hostas in the back, red bark mulch and then the spreading of ashes behind each stone, setting the girls free for eternity to roam this land they lived and loved. Never a day on a leash nor mandated behavior training. 

THE WEEK HAS PASSED

The pressure inside of us has eased some, in large part of our connection and work on their garden. Progress.

Found this just yesterday on ACE and a great way to end this blog.

Thanks for the visit this week.