$5 Stick Dulcimer Banjo Thingy

I don't know how to play an instrument, so no judging. I knocked this together over a couple of lunch hours and for the cost of strings, just to see if I could. It's fretted like a dulcimer, tuned DAD' (sort of).

Finished Canoe Paddle

I finally finished the laminated canoe paddle. It took six months or more. No real reason. Just got distracted. Painted it to match the Sea Pearl.

Random and Recent: A Photo Blog of Nothing and Something

The weekend.

Our weekend was packed, like usual. Friday evening we hit up a Lebanese restaurant that opened not too long ago, which was awesome. It's called That Lebanese Place and it's on Commercial Street. I had kabobs and Abby had the stuffed olive leaves, finishing with baklava, cardamom chai tea and Lebanese coffee (also with cardamom and very strong).

Saturday, up early for breakfast at Anton's and then off to the Ozarks Celebration Festival on MSU's campus.

There were a handful of wooden boats at the Ozarks Celebration Festival. Kyle Kosovich of Longboat Outfitters was set up in a booth, tying flies and showcasing his Ozarks Jonboat based on Jim Michalak's Ozarkian. Which is based on a Jim Owens style White River jonboat, from before when the White river was dammed. (I think I got that right.)

I also talked briefly with a fellow that builds cedar strip canoes and kayaks.

Gwen got to dance to the bluegrass and gospel bands for a bit.

Then it was off to Mother's Brewery for their early Oktoberfest. Man, it was hot. I wish they did this later in the fall, since there were several other festivals going on that day (Japanese Festival, Ozarks Celebration, Buffalo Celtic Festival, Greek Festival, etc.) and the heat really sucked. The first couple years didn't see quite the crowd this year did. With age, I'm less inclined to be around that many people and even though I love the place and their beer, this may be the last major event we attend there. I don't think we've missed one since their first Mother's Day festival.

Sunday, church and then Gwen's fifth birthday party. Lots of kids and Rutledge-Wilson Farm. Another hot day, but luckily we booked one of their air conditioned party rooms. Gwen got a meet and greet with a miniature horse and a rabbit. Cake pops were provided by our friend Matt's side business, The Cake Bite Place. They were great. No one wants to see a hundred pics of someone else's kid opening presents, so I'll just skip that part.

And to inject some more boatness back into this post, I somehow managed to find time to cut out the bullwinkles for my taller mast cradles I'm building from the same coffee table I built the camp kitchen from six+ months ago. These should allow me to motor, row and camp on my sailboat with the masts down. Right now, the current set is more of a trailer riding set and they are nearly flush with the deck. I'm making some similar to the ones I've seen used by a couple cruising Central and South America in a Sea Pearl 21.

As usual, I need a weekend from my weekend.

A Couple of Short Sails on Labor Day Weekend

I managed to get out on the boat Saturday and Monday. Saturday's trip was solo and on Fellows Lake, just north of town and Monday's was with the family on Table Rock Lake, about an hour south, in the Branson area.

Fellows Lake was hot. Saturday topped out around 97 degrees, but felt more like 105. I explored a few smaller coves that I'd not been able to reach on previous trips on the outrigger canoe and sailing dinghy. In spite of the heat, it was fun. I nearly had the small lake to myself. Just me, the herons and a handful of fisherman. Cows and donkeys could be heard from the surrounding hills.

Table Rock Lake and Monday, were a little cooler. Temps in the mid 80s all day. We sailed out of Indian Point Marina, took a right and up the lake to meet some friends of ours in a winding little cove they were anchored in for the day. Our friends Jon and Michelle and their son Oliver are often very busy with work. Between their shop (Elle's Patisserie) and the farmers' market, they hardly have much free time, so we jumped at the chance to hang with them for a couple of hours.

I've been pretty lucky to get out a bunch, lately. The Sea Pearl has opened up a lot of family and solo fun for me in the past couple of months. I'm certainly getting my money's worth from it.