Thursday, November 5, 2009
BMW Off-Road Training Day 1
Day one was great! Can't wait to get to day 2. No time for write ups but wanted to give some teaser photos until I can write more. Enjoy
Monday, November 2, 2009
Winding thru the South
Monday morning I awake to Joerg's alarm clock, poor bastard has to report to work. After Joerg has gotten ready and left for work I quick shower and then grab a breakfast in the hotel restaurant. After a fill of coffee and food I pack the bike and get into my gear and head out in search of winding, twisting tarmac with great views. The states of Georgia and Alabama did not let me down today. My first find was this water fall in the Little River Canyon National Preserve. The road then skirted the distance of this canyon. Of course that is the road I took and the views were excellent.
Next up was a nice area that you could see both sides of the canyon stretching for miles.
Then this is were the ride got interesting! I see the road I saw on the map and wanted to take getting closer on the gps and then the big brown warning sign. I did not stop and take a picture of it but it pretty much warned of everything but death. The main warning that didn't sound that bad was the steep grades, but proved to be exhilarating. I turned down the road and could not believe what I got myself into, immediately the road plunged straight down. It reminded me of dirtbike days as a kid going over edges of cliffs seeing if I could ride down, that's how steep these were, then and in super tight switchbacks in the middle of the decline. Here is a shot of a little decline and the picture doesn't do it any justice.
I proceeded to wonder until I found the town of Leesburg Alabama, were I stopped to get gas and some snacks. I referred to the map and chose the next direction to travel. I wanted to get back at a reasonable hour to meet Joerg and Becky for supper so I took some familiar roads from previous trips and captured one of my favorite views.
Heading out for our night entertainment now, if I still have energy later I will post about them.
Later,
Paul
Next up was a nice area that you could see both sides of the canyon stretching for miles.
Then this is were the ride got interesting! I see the road I saw on the map and wanted to take getting closer on the gps and then the big brown warning sign. I did not stop and take a picture of it but it pretty much warned of everything but death. The main warning that didn't sound that bad was the steep grades, but proved to be exhilarating. I turned down the road and could not believe what I got myself into, immediately the road plunged straight down. It reminded me of dirtbike days as a kid going over edges of cliffs seeing if I could ride down, that's how steep these were, then and in super tight switchbacks in the middle of the decline. Here is a shot of a little decline and the picture doesn't do it any justice.
I proceeded to wonder until I found the town of Leesburg Alabama, were I stopped to get gas and some snacks. I referred to the map and chose the next direction to travel. I wanted to get back at a reasonable hour to meet Joerg and Becky for supper so I took some familiar roads from previous trips and captured one of my favorite views.
Heading out for our night entertainment now, if I still have energy later I will post about them.
Later,
Paul
Escaping Winter
Woke up to perfect riding weather, slightly overcast keeping the temps mild (41) and dry. I headed the 25 miles across town to the meeting point. As I was filling up Joerg & Becky showed up and fueled up also, then it was hit the highway hard. There wasn't any site-seeing on this trip, the mission was "get to Chattanooga ASAP for Sticky Finger Ribs" and that is what we did. Seven hundred sixteen super slab miles later we were belly up to the bar drinking frosty beers and devouring savory ribs. After all those miles, beers and ribs we all were ready for bed, so we retreated to the hotel and called it a night. I am going to pretend I wrote this last night, and repost a Monday report in another hour or so... including some pics so stay tuned.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
BOO!!! I'm back!
Hello All & Happy Halloween!
Well after my extended absence (what else is new) I am back (for the moment). Its been a pretty busy summer and fall with some new stuff going on and I just haven't used the computer much. I won't get into it all now but there has been motorcycle rides, visits from family, yard work, day trips...etc..etc..
So, if you land here and realize I am back, stay tuned. The ole' scooter is packed and the electronics charged up, there will be posting and bloggin along the way. I am leaving at 06 hundred tomorrow morning and not stopping until I get to the sunny and warm south, Chattanooga TN to be exact. From there I will travel to more destinations so keep checking back.
Later,
Paul
Well after my extended absence (what else is new) I am back (for the moment). Its been a pretty busy summer and fall with some new stuff going on and I just haven't used the computer much. I won't get into it all now but there has been motorcycle rides, visits from family, yard work, day trips...etc..etc..
So, if you land here and realize I am back, stay tuned. The ole' scooter is packed and the electronics charged up, there will be posting and bloggin along the way. I am leaving at 06 hundred tomorrow morning and not stopping until I get to the sunny and warm south, Chattanooga TN to be exact. From there I will travel to more destinations so keep checking back.
Later,
Paul
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Sunday Sketching
Friday, July 24, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Can we make it?
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Ride!
Friday, July 10, 2009
Got Grip?
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Stained Glass Saturday III
The past week I spent a couple nights down in my workshop working on my next stained glass project. I designed a candle holder in Autocad and decided that I would make the panels during the week so I could bring them to the class this week and get help and tips on how to make a three dimensional project. I didn't want to just make any old candle holder, I wanted to use my imagination and make a unique one. Well, my design proved to be a little tricky for a beginner so its not quite as high quality that I was hoping for. Instead of keeping it simple, with maybe just four sides, I went with the six sided hex. I cut all the pieces, foiled and soldered them before packing them up to bring to class. Once there I got a piece of mirror for the bottom and prepped it for soldering. This is when the fun started. I think I managed to use about a 1/2 pound of solder before getting the hang of it and all the tricks needed to pull this off successfully. In the end it looks very good, just don't get too close and examine the solder, it's a little messy. I brought it home and added a candle and wallah! works like a charm.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Phone-Call Friday
Okay, rewind to Friday afternoon. I am trying to survive the last couple of hours in the office before heading out to enjoy what is suppose to be a great weekend. I have made plans to ride on Sunday with Joerg and not sure if I am going to make it that long. Then out of the blue my phone rings, "excuse me, did I just hear you correctly?" "you have twenty something new motorcycles that need to be ridden." "Hell yeah I will be there!" The smile instantly forms across my face... I have to get up and move around, then bounce around... I have to go out side and let out a huge "Hell Yeah!!" Then come back in and try to focus on my work. It was also difficult to sleep Friday night, I just don't know why.
Saturday morning I was up early, showered, and loaded the jeep with my riding gear. The sun was up and shining, it was forty-something degrees when I left the house. I pulled into the shop lot and they already had most of the bikes I was to ride lined up. Hmm, decisions, decisions... Oh, it wasn't that hard, my first choice was the new K1300S loaded up with all the goodies, then came the K1300GT, followed by a F650 GS, then the HP2 Sport, back to a R1200GS and one final F650 GS before I had to head to my stained glass class. The weather was perfect for the first ride of 2009 and the selection of bikes was to die for. I brought my camera but then got so excited and never stopped to take any pictures.
And that was my Saturday morning.
Saturday morning I was up early, showered, and loaded the jeep with my riding gear. The sun was up and shining, it was forty-something degrees when I left the house. I pulled into the shop lot and they already had most of the bikes I was to ride lined up. Hmm, decisions, decisions... Oh, it wasn't that hard, my first choice was the new K1300S loaded up with all the goodies, then came the K1300GT, followed by a F650 GS, then the HP2 Sport, back to a R1200GS and one final F650 GS before I had to head to my stained glass class. The weather was perfect for the first ride of 2009 and the selection of bikes was to die for. I brought my camera but then got so excited and never stopped to take any pictures.
And that was my Saturday morning.
OMG! I am Alive!
YaHooo!!! What a weekend! I am refreshed, blood pumping, no more winter blues. I am not going to spill my beans now, but I am working on three posts for you with pictures and all. Please stay tuned. I will be back later.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Missing, No! not me
Whoa! Where did the past two weeks go. Once again I apologize for not blogging. Its been on my mind alot but then it becomes so late and I crash before typing something entertaining for you all.
I have to say that winter is screaming by and I haven't really suffered from "SIDS" yet. Gwedo and I have been attending our stained glass classes on Saturdays and I am really enjoying it, so much that I have been working at night building myself a little workshop next to Betina's art studio. I invested in some tools and have been making stained glass projects each night. Yes, yes, I realize that you are still waiting for an update on my first real project. The Orchid project for Betina went very well, I suffered thru some real tough cuts and lots of grinding but in the end it all fell into place and soldered together perfectly. See the photo below (just waiting to get some chain for hanging).
Here is my little workshop I built to do my glass projects at home.
Mainly I have been a cellar dweller since my last post, but I should be out riding this weekend and I will be sure to document the first ride of the year. I have a feeling that I will have a partner in crime with me too... I am not sure who is chompin' the bit harder, Joerg or I.
Take care and check back soon.
I have to say that winter is screaming by and I haven't really suffered from "SIDS" yet. Gwedo and I have been attending our stained glass classes on Saturdays and I am really enjoying it, so much that I have been working at night building myself a little workshop next to Betina's art studio. I invested in some tools and have been making stained glass projects each night. Yes, yes, I realize that you are still waiting for an update on my first real project. The Orchid project for Betina went very well, I suffered thru some real tough cuts and lots of grinding but in the end it all fell into place and soldered together perfectly. See the photo below (just waiting to get some chain for hanging).
Here is my little workshop I built to do my glass projects at home.
Mainly I have been a cellar dweller since my last post, but I should be out riding this weekend and I will be sure to document the first ride of the year. I have a feeling that I will have a partner in crime with me too... I am not sure who is chompin' the bit harder, Joerg or I.
Take care and check back soon.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Winter Projects
Welcome, Welcome, my loyal stalkers and ocasional visitors I am here today to give your second blog this week, yes you heard me right, second. To be honest I figured if I am going to attract anymore followers I better get my behind in gear and blog more so each night I thought of blogging but ran out of time. So before the week runs out and it begins to look like every other week on this blog I figured what the heck, folks just want to see what I am up to so I will give you that.
This week I have been keeping my winter blues at bay by taking on a couple projects to keep me busy at night and let me tell ya, they have been keeping me busy.
Project #1: We are slowly converting the shop to be RoHS compliant and lead free. To help in the transition I made two distinctively different portable solder stations so that there will be no cross contamination. This project mostly was made up of painting but also included some woodworking and gluing. Below you will see a photo of the stations.
Project #2: At the BMW shop we picked up some floor display signs from a local store going out of business. I made custom inserts out of frame matting's for the inside so we can just insert a standard 8.5 x 11" sheet of paper. I haven't taken pictures yet but will tonite and get it added here.
Project #3: Also at the BMW shop we are looking into getting new carpeting for the showroom. I have been working on making a drawing in AutoCad of the floor area and the carpet squares so we can color them in and decide the pattern to put on the floor. Once we get it all hammered out I will post a pic of that too.
So there you have it, another winter week here in Michigan.
This week I have been keeping my winter blues at bay by taking on a couple projects to keep me busy at night and let me tell ya, they have been keeping me busy.
Project #1: We are slowly converting the shop to be RoHS compliant and lead free. To help in the transition I made two distinctively different portable solder stations so that there will be no cross contamination. This project mostly was made up of painting but also included some woodworking and gluing. Below you will see a photo of the stations.
Project #2: At the BMW shop we picked up some floor display signs from a local store going out of business. I made custom inserts out of frame matting's for the inside so we can just insert a standard 8.5 x 11" sheet of paper. I haven't taken pictures yet but will tonite and get it added here.
Project #3: Also at the BMW shop we are looking into getting new carpeting for the showroom. I have been working on making a drawing in AutoCad of the floor area and the carpet squares so we can color them in and decide the pattern to put on the floor. Once we get it all hammered out I will post a pic of that too.
So there you have it, another winter week here in Michigan.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Stained Glass Saturdays
Two weeks ago our good friends Starr and Gwedo invited us out to Lowell to walk the downtown area so Betina could see all the little art galleries and shops. During our walk-about we entered one gallery named Glass House Designs. Once inside we found all sorts of glass artwork, and a large workshop area. As I browsed around checking out all the neat glass objects I heard Gwedo sparking up a conversation with the Owner/Artist Susan Molnar. When I made my way around to the workshop area I saw this twinkle in G's eyes and he was gathering information. We said good bye and followed our wives into the next shop. This shop was not so exciting for G and I so we sat in the front windows discussing the stained glass shop. Gwedo produced the paperwork he acquired regarding the stained glass classes and we looked it over while considered attending classes on Saturday afternoons. Gwedo called during the week and made all the arrangements for us to attend the class.
Upon our arrival Susan, our instructor had all the work areas ready to go with all the tools we would need to make our first glass project. She started by explaining all the tools involved and how we were to use them. The tools used consist of a Cutter, Breaker/Grozer Pliers, and Running Pliers to get started. First she had us cutting straight strips of glass to get use to the technique needed for the cutter and running pliers. After we mastered that we moved to cutting curved pieces. That proved to be a little trickier and took some patients. After approximately and hour of practicing we then moved on to make a five part piece of work from start to finish. This project would be made from inexpensive regular window glass to get the hang of all the tools and to take a project from start to finish. After cutting the paper pattern out and tracing the pieces on to the glass we cut all our pieces out. Then Susan taught us how to apply the copper foil to the glass pieces using the fid. Once all the pieces where foiled we then could lay them into position and solder them together. The next step was to wash our projects and apply the Patina to turn the solder black. The last step of the day was to wash our art and polish it. It was a very enjoyable day and we immediately signed up for another class.
Upon our arrival Susan, our instructor had all the work areas ready to go with all the tools we would need to make our first glass project. She started by explaining all the tools involved and how we were to use them. The tools used consist of a Cutter, Breaker/Grozer Pliers, and Running Pliers to get started. First she had us cutting straight strips of glass to get use to the technique needed for the cutter and running pliers. After we mastered that we moved to cutting curved pieces. That proved to be a little trickier and took some patients. After approximately and hour of practicing we then moved on to make a five part piece of work from start to finish. This project would be made from inexpensive regular window glass to get the hang of all the tools and to take a project from start to finish. After cutting the paper pattern out and tracing the pieces on to the glass we cut all our pieces out. Then Susan taught us how to apply the copper foil to the glass pieces using the fid. Once all the pieces where foiled we then could lay them into position and solder them together. The next step was to wash our projects and apply the Patina to turn the solder black. The last step of the day was to wash our art and polish it. It was a very enjoyable day and we immediately signed up for another class.
This is my first project, nothing special but a great learning experience.
It's Saturday again, time for more stained glass projects. G and I arrive a little early to pick out the glass we will be using for our first "real project". I have chosen to make an Orchid for Betina since she loves those flowers. I select my glass with a little help from Susan and settle in to our worktable. Once G has selected his glass (I can't divulge what he is working on, it's a secret) the two of us were gleaming with excitement, just itchin' to get started. That's when Susan brought us back to earth by giving us some scrap glass and suggested we trace some of the parts of our pattern to practice a few times before trying it on our expensive glass. Ha, this proved to be disastrous, we thought we were professional already and realized these beginner projects where much harder than we thought. Finally after screwing up all the practice glass we move on to our good glass. We both got off to a very poor start but managed to finally get some of the tricky pieces cut out. At the end of class we just looked at each other and chuckled, we thought we would be bringing finished goods home again this week but learned that it is quite the process. Of course we signed up for next Saturday and will hopefully finish them up and then try another one. Below you will find some photos of the start of my Orchid project.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Thoughtless...
ummm... ummmm....
Okay, to tell the truth, I never realized this could happen to me, but I am being "cyber-bullied". Yup, that's right, I have one fan that is stepping over the line, stalking me, making demands that are just unrealistic.
Can anybody out there believe that I got an email yesterday stating "Blog! Blog tonite or else" and then it went on to explain the consequences, and trust me, they are nothing I can post here. I tried to gently persuade this individual to understand that blogging is an art form, and you can not force it, but he seems to think otherwise. So here I am, in a panic after a great night of partying typing this garbage just hoping this satisfies his request so I do not get harmed.
While we are on this subject, if you are a fan, follower (stalker) or just an occasional visitor could you please drop a comment so I have an idea how many of you are out there waiting for me to post again...
Thanks!
Edit: 1-17-09 Great! Two days have past and the only comments I have gotten are from my two hemorrhoids. I guess having two pains in the arse is much better than having nobody read my garbage! Please, if you are just reading this for the first time post a comment.
I suppose if I posted more I would have more fans. Lets see what I can scrounge up for a real post.
Okay, to tell the truth, I never realized this could happen to me, but I am being "cyber-bullied". Yup, that's right, I have one fan that is stepping over the line, stalking me, making demands that are just unrealistic.
Can anybody out there believe that I got an email yesterday stating "Blog! Blog tonite or else" and then it went on to explain the consequences, and trust me, they are nothing I can post here. I tried to gently persuade this individual to understand that blogging is an art form, and you can not force it, but he seems to think otherwise. So here I am, in a panic after a great night of partying typing this garbage just hoping this satisfies his request so I do not get harmed.
While we are on this subject, if you are a fan, follower (stalker) or just an occasional visitor could you please drop a comment so I have an idea how many of you are out there waiting for me to post again...
Thanks!
Edit: 1-17-09 Great! Two days have past and the only comments I have gotten are from my two hemorrhoids. I guess having two pains in the arse is much better than having nobody read my garbage! Please, if you are just reading this for the first time post a comment.
I suppose if I posted more I would have more fans. Lets see what I can scrounge up for a real post.
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