Berkshire Carousel again

It is amazing how the project of the Berkshire Carousel just sucks you in. In the few days that I have been involved over the past two weeks, I have gone from watching and listening on my first hour there, then to sawing, gluing and clamping; soon I was carving with a mallet and chisel on the body of a horse I had never met. Today, it was the body of the donkey named Missy who got my attention for the first part of the day, and then the head of Melinda.

First, about Missy the donkey. A Pittsfield man named Kevin O'Hara wrote a memoir "Last of the Donkey Pilgrims" about his pilgrimage around the coast of Ireland with his donkey named Missy. An introduction to this can be found on Kevin's Blog    http://bloggingfromthebog.wordpress.com/tag/kevin-ohara/logging   Blogging from the Bog. It is a great story about friendship between a man and his donkey. It tells of a deepening respect that was mutually beneficial as Kevin grew to appreciate his companion over the weeks and months of travel. I find it fascinating that this particular donkey will have a place on the carousel. It is not just a cute name, but there is a history behind this one. Having had an opportunity to work on this donkey has carved an image and a story deeply into my personal memory bank. I am going to get back to the blog soon, and also get the book, and maybe Missy's hoof print on it from the carousel.

And now, about Melinda. I do not yet know the story behind Melinda. I am sure that will come out.  Meanwhile, I write my own story of Melinda. The day I signed on as a volunteer, Phil, a man who knows his woodworking and carving introduced me to Melinda. It was a drawing on maybe 6 feet by 4 feet paper. We taped it to a viewing board in the shop, and Phil showed me some of the lines on the drawing and what they meant. There were red lines that denoted the sections of the horse that had to be made separately and then carved and put together before the artists go to work at the painting.

Honestly, although I was fascinated by the drawing, I had trouble understanding how the concept became a reality.

My first full day on the job, as I said in a previous blog, involved body work on Melinda. This was cutting boards, gluing them together to make the various parts of the horse- body, head, neck, tail, legs. I took a vacation from Melinda to work on Thunderbolt (still on the carving table). Pieces of Melinda appeared soon in the carving area. I was surprised at the size of her, although I knew she was going to occupy the outside ring of the carousel.

Suddenly, today, I got the call. Melinda needed me again. Because I was so skilled at drilling a straight hole, and thoroughly acquainted with dowel points, I was chosen to drill the holes and match the head to the neck with dowels  Now this requires way more expertise than I thought I had. I saw it done last week, once. And today, I did it pretty much on my own.

That wasn't all. I was then told to get some tracing paper and a pencil and trace Melinda's head, with eyes, teeth and harness adornments, from the large drawing of the complete Melinda. This traced image I then retraced onto the wooden block, labelled Melinda's head. I guess the stunning part of it was that the supervisors tipped in with suggestions, a small amount of instruction, and for the most part let me be. I was so involved that I had to complete that whole operation before I left. I really felt responsible to prepare Melinda's head for the carvers.

Like I said, the Berkshire Carousel sucks you in. The floor managers know their stuff (it is more than woodworking and carving), pass it on and the project becomes your own. I can hardly wait for the day when I take my grandson there for a ride on the great animals that are becoming part of me, and I hope to be able to tell him the story of the Berkshire Carousel.

Joys of a Cold Winter

Baby, it's cold outside. Depending on where you live in the great Northeast, there are wind chills of -24; temperatures ranging from -5 to +8 greet you in the morning. If you are lucky, the furnace is pumping out heat, almost keeping up with the outdoor wind and chill. Now that's rough!

I look around the house inside. Sun is beaming through the blinds in the kitchen, the sign of a clear day.The first joy of the day is doggie, prancing around, stretching, craving a good morning hug (ugh!), and of course ready to take you out into the morning chill. Why not? I grab my heavy coat, warm hat, and thermal gloves, kick off my slippers by the door, and don my bean boots. I slide open the rear patio door, and doggie bounds out, frantic to relieve himself. I carefully close the door, but not all the way. I have a fear of being locked out in the arctic cold, so I compromise with a partially open door, that allows a little of the cold into the back porch. I walk down the five steps to the snowy ground, and almost get mowed down by the dog, bounding back into the house. He is finished, and smart enough to know how cold it is. I tarry a bit to take in the late winter sunrise as it enriches the high clouds reflecting many different shades of red and yellow, so perfect in the stillness of the early morning. My day has begun with this gift that I would probably have missed were it not for the impetuous, playful dog.

He gets his food and fresh water, and then begs for a treat. Who can refuse? As the aroma of fresh Joe (that's coffee, not the dog), tickles my nostrils, I move to the living room, open the blinds, and read for a while, eventually sipping that black tonic that helps to open me up for the day, more so than the blast of cold air I received earlier.

I plan my day around a lunch appointment with a friend, schedule in some writing before lunch, and some exercise after. The rest of the day would be unscheduled reading, relaxing, playing with the dog, and writing some more.
But winter wonders never cease. Again the dog forgetting the temperature wants to go out. As we approach the patio door, we both catch sight of a magnificent flock of turkeys grazing in the field on the few seeds available, but generally soaking up the warm rays of the waning winter sun. As we moved closer, about forty of these awkward flying bowling balls roared into the air, soaring and vanishing into the high trees on the back edge our property, leaving only thousands of forked footprints in the snow.

The dog meanders around the edge of the property, does his duty, and again, and again, and then at his highest speed rushes to the door, and waits for me, trudging at my slower speed, to open it. He then blasts into the kitchen, and sits, waiting patiently to see what I have for him now. I pet him a lot, rub his back forever, kick a ball around with him, and he again returns to that sitting, waiting, anxious position, " where's my treat?" He gets a little chew, and settles down until dinner.

And now for the final escapade of today's winter fun. The sun has set, and darkness envelopes everything, and the dog has eaten, and again wants to go out. I bundle up in my warmest coat, hat and gloves. I turn on the porch light, and open the patio door. A brisk breeze passes through my body as the dog steps out into the cold, and I follow, but it's not darkness. Rather, the snow glowing in the light of the moon's great waxing gibbous. Millions of stars staring down at me, unobstructed by the canopy of leaves that block the array from May to October. The dog relieves himself. I let the dog in. I gaze star ward, and step into the snow, and then walk, warm, into the wind a bit, around the screen house, listening for the screech owls and other signs of winter life.

Only at wintertime in the great Northeast! But for the dog, I may have missed it.

Bodybuilding-My First Day at the Berkshire Carousel

Hi Ho! Hi Ho! It’s home from work we go! I smiled and had a good time all day. Bodybuilding. The body of “Melinda”.

Melinda is a horse that will occupy a place in the outer circle of the Berkshire Carousel. Today was my first day of volunteering at that project which has been going on for several years now. I felt like it was my first day in school, where the world was just opening up for me. It was an adventure that I had contemplated, but was unable to engage in when I first heard about the carousel project. It was supposed to end in December of 2012 with a magical Carousel preened, ready for fun and enjoyment for people of all ages. Apparently there were setbacks that prevented the timely conclusion of the project, so it goes on.

So I jumped into the thick of things today. My supervisor, Phil greeted me, showed me where to hang my coat, and immediately brought me to the work station in the back room. He quickly explained to me some gluing techniques, gave a demonstration, and put me to work next to him doing the same thing on another set of boards, pieces of Melinda's body. We then hustled out to the main work area for a stand up meeting in the middle of partially constructed horse bodies that were being chiseled and sanded by a number of volunteers. I was introduced as the newest volunteer "who was going to make a great difference in productivity", to which I responded that they should "lower their expectations, a lot."
Generally the meeting helped all, the volunteers and the permanent staff, get a view as to what was transpiring on the administrative front..."The lease for the space had to be renewed... The mechanical and structural portions of the carousel would be arriving in a couple of months..."; the production front "Leaving notes about progress for the next shift to continue work...tapes are available that describe aspects of the project... How do you turn on a tape?..", and general housekeeping..."Who should pick up the place? Who should empty the garbage?"

It seems that Phil's job, and therefore mine, is the key to moving the project forward. There can be no horses without our bodybuilding. So we hastily retreated to the back room. He showed me a saw, some boards, told me where to get a pencil and tape measure. He quickly figured out the number, length and width of the boards I was to cut, and let me handle it. He left for a few minutes to check on some details. There I was, saw in hand and what I could remember of the verbal instructions. I glanced at the drawing of Melinda, and noticed a list in the corner of needed pieces. Was this a head or a neck that I was working on. Hmmm! I decided it was the neck, and started to cut like a madman. I had three of them cut before Phil returned, and then ascertained that I had the correct dimensions. I was doing okay. He pointed out that knots in a board were not good, so, I should not use boards like that. Then, I finished sawing the total of seven boards needed to form the neck.

Now the real fun, gluing and clamping. Phil showed me the ends of the boards and how the grain curved. He marked the curve of the grain, and demonstrated that the grain should be reversed on alternating boards in a glued stack to prevent warping. I learned to mark the side of each board where the glue should be applied, mark the front of each stack with a  "V" to align the boards correctly, apply enough glue, but not too much, and also to write the name of the piece "Melinda's neck" on each piece. We then clamped the stacks of wood together, and let drying time do some work. The head, tail, and legs still will have to be done next week.

So Phil was teaching, I was learning, things were getting done, and in between all of this, we had a rambling conversation about teaching, guns, health care, long term care, people, sports and life. It was a good time.

Alan Alda came up as about ten of us bantered in the lunch area, partly because people think I look like him, but also act like him in his MASH role. I sat in a chair at the head of the table, and some one told me I had to run the meeting; what did I have on the agenda. I suggested that we draw up an agenda right there, and get on with the meeting. They all knew who I was because I was introduced to the group at the large meeting earlier in the day. So I made everybody tell me their name. And then I realized that nobody really knew each other’s name except the few people who were regular and important to the project. I then thanked everyone for a very successful meeting, as we finished lunch.

After lunch, I did a little more gluing with Phil. Then, I went into the main work area where I learned what happens to the bodies we were building in the back room. Jim draws on them some of the features that will be prominent as the squared off bodies of the horse become rounded. He then scribbles on areas that need to be removed with a chisel. He then demonstrated his chiseling technique, and handed me the mallet and chisel, and instructed me to take out as much as he had marked. This will be my job next time, making a square shaped body, round. I must admit I was worried about this, whacking away at something with a mallet and a chisel until someone says that's enough. I will get used to it.

Today, I was saved from doing too much of that because my mentor, Phil, wanted me to ride with him to a wood shop to plane down some of the work we had done... my first field trip.

Not only was this a fun day, but it was announced that there will be a party for workers sometime in May. What a way to welcome a new volunteer! What a wonderful world!

The Berkshire Carousel Revisited- Opportunity Knocks Twice

Today, I happened to be in the Berkshire Mall, and I realized that opportunity does knock more than once. The Berkshire Carousel project is continuing, and did not finish in 2012 as originally anticipated. I walked through the doors of the project again, and this time came out a volunteer. Time did not pass me by; the merry-go-round is still running; I hopped aboard. 

I signed on as an volunteer at the Berkshire Carousel. They are building a merry-go-round, carving horses, painting them, carving chariots, and other decor, etc. They have been doing this for a several years. I knew it was happening; wished I could help and learn something; I thought the project was over, but it goes on. So I told Phil (another Phil, also a PJ to distinguish him from his father, married to another PJ) that I would come and saw some boards for him on Thursday. So I will learn how to build these beauties from scratch, gluing pieces of wood together, chiseling, joining, maybe even some bas relief. They can only use hand tools, so it should be a good work out. I got the job.

Phil showed me a drawing of what he was working on, a large horse, a four foot long body, four legs, tail, neck and head joined on separately, all carved to match perfectly. I must admit that perfection has been a rather elusive goal of mine. Maybe I will come closer with this project.

He then brought me to the back work room where he had begun assembling one of the horse bodies. My job would be to hand saw some boards to certain lengths. I told him my grandfather taught me how to do that. Phil was a shop teacher before he became involved in this project.

I then helped him put the drawing up on a huge board in the back room, and a partnership was formed. We'll see. I am excited about this. Reprinted here is my original blog about the Berkshire Carousel.

www.berkshirecarousel.com

I have been thinking lately that I don’t get out much these days, and today was an experience that brought that home to me. Since I was a child, I always liked the carousel at the fairs and carnivals. I was afraid of the horses… they were a little too high, so I often rode in one of the chariots…very safe. I remember always being anxious about getting off in the right place so I wouldn’t get lost. I remember waving to my mother and father as I made the circle. they were always so encouraging, even in this little event. It was sort of like leaving home for 3-5 minutes and coming home again. the world was smaller than I thought, and safer, and the supportive people were always there, not far away.
Several years ago, I visited the old carousel at Caroga Lake. It was closed, but I could peer inside, and even walk into it a bit. It seemed sad to see such an important part of life on the verge of extinction. And a year or so after that, I visited the Sandwich heritage museum, where a working carousel allowed me to step back in time, ride the circle of life on a “pony”, wave to my wife as she patiently and supportively admired her knight, bravely going off into the world and safely returning.

This photo is from the Sandwich Heritage Museum.

But today, I was out and about. We visited the Berkshire Mall in Lanesboro, MA., and there was a real workshop called the Berkshire Carousel. I thought they might be selling the “ponies”, but on more careful observation, they were building them, actually carving them from chunks of basswood. A team of volunteers led by two master carvers were putting together, carving, sanding, finishing, and painting these beautiful, glossy horses for a carousel which is to be built in the city of Pittsfield. There will be chariots for the smaller people, the handicapped, and the timid. They will teach you how to carve. There is an effort underway to design the carousel with artwork from the Berkshires.

And as I read the brochure, I realized how little I have been out lately. The project has been going on for about five years, and is scheduled to be completed in 2012. It would have been fun to be involved in this project, but I look forward to the ride when it is completed, another trip around the world, and safely home. I love it.

Sizzling Apple Pie

That piece of plastic was burning a hole in my wallet. I had to get rid of it, so I ate it, and it was sooo good as Mr. food would say. I had received a $25 gift card to Applebees for Christmas, and I wasn't sure how to use it, so I decided to treat myself to lunch.

You know what, the bill was actually $25.01, but I was sort of good to myself. If I ate what I did today everyday for lunch, I would be close to 250 very quickly. New England fish and chips with plenty of tartar sauce. Very tasty. If MacDonalds fries are a 3 on the 1-10 scale, Applebees seemed to me at about 8 with maybe a tad more sugar. The cole slaw was only okay. I had to have a glass of merlot to accompany the meal. I know, it should have been white, but I didn't know I was having fish until after I ordered the wine. Besides, I don't believe it is wine unless it is red.

I loved it all, but midway through the chips, I realized that I would get the card back with about $8 on it, too much to leave for a tip. So I picked up the dessert menu, ordered coffee, and when Maureen served the coffee, she suggested the triple chocolate melt down. It sounded so sinful and unhealthy. Triple chocolate. I didn't even ask if it was dark chocolate. I simply said, "Isn't there something with apples?" To me apples are healthy no matter what you do to them. If there were apples in that triple chocolate melt down, the deal would have been sealed.
She responded: "Sizzling Apple Pie?" and I said yes. I knew I was on the road to good health. Then she brought out the sizzling apple pie, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream sizzling right next to it, and a small container of butter caramel syrup. This was really good! I felt so healthy rejecting the chocolate for the fruit dish, and I am sure it will pay off. It may have been 50  fewer calories.

I recommend to anyone who is not allergic to some of the ingredients (there is walnut streusel in it) to get this dessert. If some one asks me at the end of 2013, what food touched your soul this year, I think it will be hard to beat this. Maybe a rerun would be better if I skip the fish and chips, and go with a friend.

Sizzling Apple Pie! a monster dessert that touches your soul!

Putting away the tree

Today, I am taking the 300 or so ornaments off the Christmas tree, removing the lights, and eventually, this beautiful 12 foot eco-friendly tree will be put away for another year. It has served us faithfully for thirteen years. Phyllis was the inspiration that brought the tree to our porch those many years ago.

One of our favorite Christmas shops, the Silver Sleigh, in Lenox, MA. was going out of business. The owners decided it was time to have some fun and were moving to Florida, even though business was pretty good. When the store had opened probably ten years before, Phyllis saw the magical tree and loved it. It was worth a trip to the Silver Sleigh just to see the many ornaments and lights displayed on it. We stopped there often occasionally picking up an ornament, or a gift.  

Suddenly, our favorite shop was no longer going to be there. Phyllis, in bargain hunting mode, brought us to the Silver Sleigh with one item in mind, the tree. And there it stood, at the entrance as usual, practically denuded of ornaments and lights, but still splendid in its state of undress. She went straight to the owner. “We want the tree. How much?” The price was $350. “Sold!” and the tree became our tree. I was figuring that is ten years of short, cut trees at $35 per year, so it would equal out, and we had the space.

We panicked a bit when we realized the height and the number of lights and ornaments it would take to adorn the tree. We bought some fillers and garlands to round out our meager supply. Maybe at that time there were a hundred and fifty ornaments. Over the years we were blessed with ornaments from many quarters. Our nieces and nephews would give us a special ornament occasionally. My siblings added to the collection. And our daughter Meg picked about 15 vintage 1940-50 ornaments from the garbage in Boston. Our neighbors would bring us some fresh fragile ornaments each year at the annual Christmas party. And of course there were the ones we bought on our travels, from Newport, Cape Cod, Williamsburgh, North and South Carolina, Disneyland, Sacramento, Denver, and Wyoming.

Ten sets of lights assure that it is bright and cheerful. And of course there is nothing like the mountain of gifts that appear under and around it on Christmas morning.

The tree is the center of life for a number of weeks, from before Thanksgiving until well after New Year’s Day. If I understand the theme of one of our recent books tackled by our discussion group, “The Hoop and the Tree”, our Christmas tree is a perfect example, as should everyone’s. We form a hoop, community around the tree. The hoop includes family, friends, and neighbors. Our bands of community, often overlapping. And the tree represents our aspirations as individuals, to strive, to be better, to be the best person possible.

The longevity of this tree has years of community and aspirations linked to it, and so we are thankful for that as we look forward to putting it up again in November.

Run flat or donut?

Enough of those donut spare tires. They are too small. You can only drive a few miles on them, and then you have to get your other tire fixed or replaced if you have had a flat. You can't just drive around on a donut forever.

So some car manufacturers have heard the complaints of the rabble. No more donut spares. Despite the fact that they are smaller and conserve space; are lighter and save energy; the latest trend is to do away with the donut spare.

And what do they replace it with? A full sized tire that you can rotate regularly with the other four tires? No!

BMW is equipped with "run flat" tires. You can drive up to 150 miles on them while they are technically flat. There is no spare; there is no jack. A dream solution; a nightmare! You are supposed to believe that a flat will never happen as long as you own the car. However, you have those 150 miles in the event that it does. And you probably have to replace the tire after driving it "flat". Cost to the consumer... over $350. Now suppose you drive this magnificent machine 50,000 miles, which is still new for a BMW, and the tires are a little bald. You will need to find a tire dealer who has the tires, or who may order them for you, and who has the equipment to mount them. Four tires could be between $1400 and $2000! I don't want to be an alarmist, but this doesn't necessarily sound like an alternative to a donut tire.

Now, according to Consumer Reports, the new 2013 Chevy Malibu has no spare, but a huge trunk that can expand by folding the back seat down. And lucky you donut tire haters will have a neat 12 volt air inflator and a can of tire sealant to get you through the day or night.

I like progress. I think there are far fewer flats than ever before because all the tires are better, and so are the roads. I remember ads in the 1950s when Firestone or Goodyear began pushing the tubeless tire, the puncture proof tire, and other improvements. It was amazing. You could still drive a little ways on those, but had to resort to a spare eventually. Triple A (AAA) came on the scene, and offered speedy (sort of) roadside assistance if you couldn't change the tire yourself. Now dealers and manufacturers will provide similar services for customers with "run flat" tires, maybe.

The road of progress is fraught with more dangers than our highways. Maybe I am too concerned about the consequences of not having  spare. The donut that was nestled under the back side of my mini-van served me well. It was easy to get at, and I learned to change a tire in less than 2 minutes (practice makes perfect.) And then one day, I looked under there thinking I should add a little air to my donut, and it just wasn't there. It had apparently rusted off the car, probably bounced into another lane, or over a cliff, I hope. I had driven thousands of miles without a spare on regular all-weather tires. How long could I go without a spare? About 15 miles to the nearest junk yard to get a replacement for $15.