The Apple blossoms are just coming on this week. The last two years we have eaten apples from this tree.
Hopefully we will make it three years in a row. We did not plant these trees, but are more than happy to reap the harvest. The trees that were felled over the weekend were pretty close to one of our apple trees. Robin was very impressed that we didn't damage the Apple tree or the two tulips right in front of the last tree. Now maybe I can sneak off for a little fun at the lathe!
We have been admiring this big Maple for as long as we've been here, and this weekend we decided to go ahead with our plan to take down the two evergreen trees in front of it.
All went very well, with the help of extra hands, and today we finished cutting up the trees.
Robin worked this week on the Rasberry patch, and this area will be Blueberrys. She has always heard the stories of picking on Blueberry Hill from my mother and aunt, and decided to start our own, in memory of Gram.
This is a job well done and our muscles are telling us so right now.
Hiacynth and the first Tulip. I think every one will agree it has been a fantastic spring.
New mushroom from the wood my Brother-in-Law gave me. Love the grain, don't love the blurry picture though. There will be more of these to follow.
Robin's latest creation.....Grungy Candles. As you remember from the Barn takeover she was drilling out these pillar candles to accept an electric flicker candle.
She melted down one candle and the shavings and then added the spices. Then she poured the mixture over the other candles and rolled them to achieve the grunge.
Small votives were also on the menu.
The great thing with these candles is you can "burn" them for approximately 300 hours and then replace the battery or the whole flickering candle, and you don't have to replace the pillar.
A bit messy but totally worth it. These pictures don't show how well the candles came out, you just have to see them in person. Speaking of that, you can find these at Ryder Road Farm on Rt 4 between Fort Ann and Whitehall.
I found this long blank of Cherry downstairs today, and decided to make it round!
First I round the blank...........
Then layout where the handles will be using Robin's rolling pin as a guide.
With a coat of mineral oil, it is finished.
Robin's is on the top, mine on the bottom. Major differences are shape of handles and Robin's handles are hooked to a rod that passes through the pin's body, and spin freely. Mine is all one solid piece and you let it spin in your hands. We watched the movie Julie & Julia last night and the rolling pins Julia Childs used did not have handles, they were just a rounded, tapered stick. I suppose like all of my latest turnings these will all differ some, part of the uniqueness of handmade.
Robin is getting too used to my power tools.
This drill press is used for drilling wood, not candles! It's all in good fun, Robin has an idea and this is just the start, don't worry I will show the end result.
But the barn does smell a little "girly" right now. Robin is planning to melt these shavings down into something, I'll keep you posted.
This will not be a bowl for use in the kitchen. It has some nice spalting and will be a decorative piece for maybe an electric candle and potpourri.
Robin and I made two more candle holder boxes today, she will be putting her finishing touches on these, and I will post completed photos later.
I also got to turn two more garden dibbers. As you can see the Rhubarb is coming up fast now.
We went to Kyle's senior show last night and here are a few photos of his piece entitled Short Summary.
He was very pleased, as we were, to have his sculpture be the first thing you see when coming through the door. Actually it was very visable even before you entered the building.
This is the fifth piece in the series he has done with no torso. You can find other photos, of other pieces, on this blog.
As you can imagine, his piece generated alot of discussion, and being able to stand by and listen to the praise was neat.
The artist and his family.
It was a great night for a great kid and a talented sculptor.
OK so this is ALOT different than the picture I took of this candleholder. When Robin does some "finishing touches" she does it right!
Neat containers painted and deco'd.
Here are a couple of Robin's creations from the barn. (Yes I let her use my tools, just don't tell any of the fellas out there).
She did a great job with this, all old "scrap" pieces of wood. I think she's starting to understand why we don't get rid of anything, or maybe that's my wishful thinking.
We've waited so long for the splash of color, first the crocus, and now the daffodils.
Beauty in the small things.
This vase is made from a piece of wood that my brother-in-law gave me when we were at his house for Easter. I believe it is Mulberry, as I have turned it in the past, but I'm not 100 percent sure. The ladder it is sitting on is another project Robin and I finished yesterday.
Very interesting grain pattern, I have added a poly finish and will post final pics when it's done.
And finally, a new garden dibber. It is used for planting seeds or bulbs and the lines are 1" apart for easy reference to the depth. More to follow as time allows.
Robin had the idea of this bench yesterday, so we scavenged around for some material, and this is what we came up with.
