a mess

Well, it's been a minute, and stuff's been going on. Here's a few pics from lately....

 Woodturning class has turned out to be awesome! I didn't expect to be into this as much as I am but it's really fun. One of the class assistants brought in some of his own segmented turnings, and they are insane...

 closer - can't remember how many hours he said it took to glue this up, but it was ridiculous. this is actually turned in two pieces, top and bottom sections, and then glued together once finished. can't tell where the seam is though - this is crazy looking in person.

 a few smaller guys, equally cool

 cool idea of having thick walls and parting out these lines. the then let it warp on purpose, but it didn't warp as much as he thought it might. cool effect though to let things warp

 burls, bowls, vases, and mugs

 here's a bowl i turned recently. it started developing a bad crack through the top middle, so i kinda V cut it out to get rid of it and figured 'd see how that tured out. came out cool!

 end before removing the inside of the bowl

 scariest part - parting off the bowl from the lathe - hoping it doesn't fall, or break in any way on this last step.

 finished, but no oil or anything on it. i should've showed this bowl before, the assistant's turning above. this doesn't look so great, ha

 Here's some work from the internship - sanding lots of wood these days. it really is more fun to sand pieces that go to a lamp/fixture that you think looks cool, rather than one that is just ok in your mind

 pieces oiled, and attachments/wiring being assembled.

 Then the acrylic boxes and outer pieces go on. I got to assemble a couple of these one day, which was pretty fun

It ultimately become this guy - really really cool looking. this is big too, just shy of three feet in diameter I think

 And other days, I'm routing a ton of the same piece.... not overly fun, but getting good at routing. :)

 routing pieces to make this lamp fixture

lots

 which ultimately becomes this - it hangs and looks pretty cool. I like this fixture

 Then clamp and glue them up

Then to deal with this open corner issue,  they taught me this cool trick: wipe it down with a water and rag, and then mash the wood at slight angles using the rod of a big screwdriver 

 wiped with water and mashed along the edge. the water raises the grain, slightly filling the gap, and then running the rod along on each side of the corner, basically mashes the wood together, and then it dries, adn the corner is closed up and nicer looking. cool technique, but it does take a while to do this to every corner of every fixture

 closed up!

I was finishing this piece, and it just had some awesome quilting on it, so I figured I'd take a pic

 Made these fins for Mike for his birthday in November. they are cool, but definitely have some mistakes

 Mom came to visit last week, and we got out bodysurfing with her. super super fun. she had a blast

 mike going left

 mike going right

 mike prepping for a tube?

newest bowl I'm turning. keeping the bark on this one. it's olive wood which smells like green olives as you turn it. pretty cool, but kinda strong actually...

Austin, TX

This post is about a month late now...oops.

Neither Matt or I had been to Austin before and were eager to visit friends, so we took a long weekend trip there. Both of us had spring break and squeezed it in between work. We had no idea of what to expect from Austin, and the only time I had been I Texas was driving through it and that was rather unimpressive. Austin is an awesome town and our friends were wonderful hosts! The weekend consisted of hiking, canoeing, strawberry picking, tons of games, and even more food.

Jet Blue is the best

Pros

This guy belongs in a canoe 

Watch out!

Fields of strawberries, for the picking

Sweet tooth

A hell of a Easter breakfast!
Vegan biscuits and gravy, pancakes, fresh juice and good company.

New Friend

We encountered a dog parade, which is not helping with my puppy fever

Happy

Action shot

Sean trying to teach me how to throw

It looks like I learned, though the football didn't go too far

Still trying

Feast

Oh yes! No vacation is complete without icecream

Sean liberating this bike

Our awesome guest lent us their bikes and we rode around the lake

View of downtown Austin 

Armadillo! 

Garden Time

Matt thinks I write too much and that people only want to see photos. I agree with him completely, but I refuse to change my ways.

The winter season has been far more successful than summer, though I did experience some failing. I am extremely fortunate that I live in a place where I can garden year round, because I might loss it otherwise. So here are some updates:

Lettuce Mix

Lettuce is really easy to grow from seed and has been doing really well this year. I buy the mix "Farmer's Market" mix which include a delicious variety of lettuce. I am no lettuce connoisseur but but I find this mix to be delightful. Also a perk is that you can just cut what you need and it grow back. 

Sugar Snap Peas

Peas are fairly easy to grow from seed, though I did have some trouble getting them to sprout. Thankfully rain help me out with that process. The other problem I encounter was their inability to climb. Matt's made very nice trellis at the community garden but the peas refused to climb and preferred to just clump up in a tangled mess. The other day though a fellow garden was walking by my plot and asked how everything was growing. I shared my frustration with the peas and she in turn suggested to string wired or twine in between the trellis so that the peas could actually grasp. Genius! Matt and I added wire to the trellis and now the peas are reaching for the sky! 

Kale
I currently have two types of kale growing, Lacinato and Russian Red. The Lacinato was from seed and had a slow start but now it substantially bigger with every visit. The Russian Red was a transplant and after a couple stationary weeks seems to be growing. This is my first time growing kale and I am looking forward to harvesting it.

Red Cabbage
These guys are big and slow growing. I noticed the other day that they start forming and when I took a closer look I discovered that they were cover in aphids. I panicked and started spraying them off with the hose. I even peeled the smaller leaves back to get rid these nasty pest. I check them today and I didn't see any on the plants but if they return I may have to use a soapy spray. Though the soapy spray is still an organic method to the pest problem I don't like doing it, but I've been waiting for so long for the cabbage to grow. I would hate for my patience to not be rewarded.

Fava Beans
Fava beans are another plant that I have never grow. They take a while to sprout up but once they did they flourished. The flowers have bloomed and I just discovered the beans are forming. I have actually never eaten a fava bean but am looking forward to trying my first in a few days time.

I grew a few other thing such as spinach, chard, radishes, and romaine lettuce. The radishes grow quickly and with no trouble, now I wish I just liked to eat them more. I've never had luck with spinach, this year was no exception. The chard is growing rather well, but what else would you expect from chard. Lastly, the romaine is doing really well and am enjoying eating it.

Now with Spring upon us it's time to start planning and working on my summer garden. I love the changing seasons and the feeling of newness.