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!
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