Autumn – A Flight of Fancy
December 17, 2022 @ 12:23 am
In Early August
August 10, 2022 @ 1:20 pmCatching up on things – haven’t posted for a while. Today, it’s the backyard – later this week I’ll catch up on some ship building – maybe.
Longboat – ready for floor planks
February 25, 2022 @ 10:09 pmFinished the hull. Decided to stain the outer hull, and just varnish the inside. I’ll add a waterline too, maybe. About to trim/fit the floor planks. I’ll paint the top two strakes, the sheer strake and the one below it, Gun Carriage Red tomorrow. Per the plans. This is a Model Shipways 18th Century Armed Longboat model – at 1:24 scale.
Another Boat – a Longboat
January 27, 2022 @ 10:31 pmThis time, a Model Shipways model of an 18th Century Longboat – I like it because it’s 1:24 scale, not much rigging, and shows the planks from the inside of the boat as well as the outside. And – it’s one I can finish in this lifetime.
What about this boat?
Longboats were the longest boat on a large sailing ship. They were used for moving drinking water, supplies, men, to and from the ship while in port. They were used to weigh anchor. They were used for pulling their larger ships. And they were also a lifeboat (thus the sails).
Some were armed – as putting in for water, on some coast, can sometimes be a dangerous mission. And also, they were sometimes used in battle. The cannon would be on a ramp typically – so they could stow it low, with the other ballast – when not needed.
This kit of a 26 foot long boat was designed based on a contemporary model in the National Maritime Museum in the UK. And this longboat, used circa 1750-1760, was typical of this type of small craft. Seaworthy with butt planked hulls. Plans for the kit were drafted based on the contemporary drafts from the period.
During the 1800s, the navy started using launches for moving gear between ship and shore. They held more – and having a seaworthy longboat was less of an issue for modern ships. The merchant marines kept using longboats for a while longer.
Faces
November 13, 2021 @ 12:36 pm
Just Another Yard Run – with that Drone
October 24, 2021 @ 7:18 pm
Train Wreck Park Ashtabula
September 15, 2021 @ 9:35 pmThis park commemorates an ancient train wreck that happened here – years ago – bridge collapsed. But today, it’s beautiful wetlands – with a magnificent boardwalk going right through it – you get to walk right through/over the wetlands. And there’s everything in there – in and out of the water. And it’s always changing. See for yourself … using your finger or mouse, to change your POV.
An Abandoned Hive …
September 13, 2021 @ 11:17 amWe had let this hive go, a couple years ago, after the bees died during the winter. Then, last month – the empty hive after two years of hosting nothing but a few flies – had some bees milling about. Quite a few – and I wondered … And then this month, a lotta bees – and now – all of these new bees, they are all full bore at work, preparing the hive for winter – with pollen laden bees returning about 1 every second during the day.
They no longer use the original entrance – it’s swallowed up by growth, being at the bottom – but a couple frames up, there’s a gap where the top set of frames had rotated slightly – the stack comes askew – and the bees seem to find this entrance to their liking.
It’s so perfectly lovely – we feel blessed – to see an abandoned hive come alive again. And all we had to to was leave a hive out in the yard, year after year, until …
