Christmas present

 And now for something completely different...

My wife has complained about her 90's vintage computer station for years. It was inexpensive chip-board, ugly, big enough for a tower computer, a printer, fax machine and a rack-full of CDs, boxed programs, etc.  And it took up a lot of room.  And when the original keyboard tray broke, my replacement had sharp corners and was difficult to extend/retract, and it was ugly.

I thought about just replacing the tray (again), but that still didn't address the core issues (ugly, big, and dated).  In the end, I decided to try something new and maybe do a live edge table since I've got access to all the tools, the CNC for flattening a slab, good sanders and hand tools, plus folks who could provide a little expertise if needed.  

After checking the prices (and sizes) of local 'urban wood' slabs, they were either extremely large, overly
expensive, or still wet.  I posted a note on our makerspace #slack channel looking for a slab, and wow - one of the members had a pile of rock elm slabs.  I picked one out, paid a small (but very fair) ransom, and carted it away.  

As you can see in the picture, there was a good sized defect in the slab that I'd originally planned to leave in place, but I decided to 'let the slab tell me' what sort of table it would make after I'd machined it flat.

The first step was to clean it up.  Most of the bark had been removed, but there was still a layer of inner bark and dirt to remove, plus anything loose that could be pulled from the bark inclusions and knots had to be cleaned out as well.  

This was pretty easy - a plastic abrasive brush (Harbor Freight) was perfect for gently cleaning the surface without damaging the texture.  It took me about 30 minutes to do both sides.

Picking out the bark inclusions and cleaning out the voids was a little more effort - I used a screwdriver and dental pick, plus compressed air and the shop vac to get all the loose stuff out.  I was not super aggressive for this step  - I knew that more material would loosen up when the slab was surfaced, so it didn't matter too much if I got it all right now.

After staring at the slab for a while, I had an idea of the general shape, and struck a line across the cleanest end as a reference line.  This also allowed me to use the tail for clamping, knowing that I would not need to clean it out and that my tooling would be safe.

I used a 2" steel rule and put parallel pencil lines on the surface along the whole slab simply as visualization references. 

And then it was time for the first clearing passes.  

Since the slab had a bit of cupping and bowing, I blocked it up to ensure it was as flat and stable as possible, and clamped it down from the ends.  The clamps were not super tight, but between the weight of the slab and the clamp pressure it was not going to move.

I bought an inexpensive 2" surfacing bit, but with the variability of the surface, I started out with a .25" end mill to take off the high spots.  I used a simple pocket routine that I could easily adjust the pattern to mill away the highest spots and to complete a rough cleaning pass. This took a while... 

quite a while...  Watching a CNC mill cover a large slab and cut mostly air is, well, not the most fun you can have in a shop, but it has to be done.  Yes, I could have zoned it in small sections, and in fact once I had first contact and actually knew where the highest spots were, that's what I did.  But the first cuts were mostly for profiling.  

After that, it was a matter of making passes.  I started out removing material from the notable high spots - there was about .5" of 'cup' to the slab, plus some sawyer's variability from the chainsaw mill, so by setting the pocket to be 10" wide I was able to speed up the first few passes.  Eh maybe.  In hindsight, I think I would've been fine with just running the program and not taking downtime to reset zero, increment the cut depth and reposition the boundaries.  

After the first few cuts with the 2" mill, I started making full size cuts - taking off .050 per pass with a 50% overlap.  This was probably too much.  I think I would've been better off taking .025, 25% overlap and running a faster feed rate to prevent the little bit of burning I incurred.  

You can see how much material had to be removed (pencil for reference).  

Once I had the slab milled flat, it was starting to speak to me about dimensions and finish.  I really wanted to keep the full branch feature and defect, but it would have made a very awkward/not very functional computer table, plus the most dramatic live edge was on the opposite side.  To fill the entire void would have taken at least 2 quarts of resin!  Since my goal was to *not* do an epoxy flow table, I didn't want huge features made of resin taking focus away from the grain patterns in the wood itself.

Using the track saw (sorry, no pictures - not sure what happened), I squared off the end and then ripped the side.  The waste bit went to a guy who makes spoons and handles, so hopefully some nice bits come from that. 

I clamped a frame to the slab to fill the main voids with epoxy (West 105/205 plus a bit of black dye).  The first pour went well, but the second apparently found a blow through path that leaked resin under the first pour and made a bit of a mess.  No biggie -it was going to get milled off anyway, but it was pretty ugly.  
I filled all of the defects, leaving them a little high to account for contraction and slump as the epoxy cured.  

Once everything hardened up, I went back to the CNC and milled it all flat again, removing all of the overflow.  The result was a nice clean finish, but still with the CNC cut lines showing.  

Once that was flat, I did one more fill pass for all the small defects, this time with Starbond thick CA just to ensure I had all of the surface defects frozen in time.

Then, it was back to the CNC to machine in slots for the C-channel.  This was a simple CAD program I set up to inset the C-channels and legs, but not try to measure the hole placement. 

I used threaded inserts (1/4-20), marking and drilling 9mm holes for each insert to ensure accurate placement.  

The inserts used a hex key to screw them in - I used a bit of wax on the threads, and they went right in.  
Note:  I would never even bother with the slotted/phillips type inserts.  My experience says they would chip and strip before you got the thing in.  

Note as well that I chose not to countersink the holes.  The inserts had a very thin and small lip, and they imbedded nicely to the surface.  There was no need to try and countersink them.

Once this was done, it was off to sanding to polish up the works.  I used 150 grit to get everything flush and smooth, and then 220 to get ready for finishing.  

After consulting with folks at the shop and with much watching of youtube videos, I settled on doing the finish with Osmo Polyx Satin and little rectangles of white scrubbies.  This worked exactly like the videos said it should and the results were exactly what I was hoping for!

The branch inclusions on the live edge were pretty neat and the Osmo really made them pop.  I used a chip brush the ensure I got finish back in the cavities.

The legs C-Channel and keyboard tray were attached with 1/4-20 button head screws.  They aren't going anywhere.  The C-Channels are slotted, and can shift as needed.

The results.  My wife was very surprised by the table.  And now her computer is sitting on a bespoke bit of art if I do say so myself:)

Teardrop Travels - Episode #1

 The teardrop is finally on the road.  I won't say 'finished', because there are still 40 or 50 items on the punch list of things yet to be done.  Mostly they are pretty minor - finish the trim around the shelves, add a cap strip, wire the charge ports, build more storage - and they'll get done in their time.

But we are using the trailer.  Going places.  Travelling in comfort.  Driving at freeway speeds.  Basically it checks off most of the boxes that the motorhome didn't.  You know - speed, comfort when driving, being able to hear, getting 18MPG (instead of 6).  

It's dry, the fan is sufficient to keep it cool and as we get more comfortable with power consumption/charge curves, it can likely run all night.  The heater also works, which we found was a good thing last weekend (not enough blankets!).  

I did a short weekend trip to Cuyuna to ride with friends, and to do an initial check on how the trailer worked.  The basics were good - it tows well, in fact I don't really notice it's there until I look in the rearview mirror and see a wall of white.  Having full size wheels makes a huge difference.  I'll get the brakes wired up next, which should be beneficial in stopping and slowing on long grades.  The suspension/wheel/tire combo makes it a joy to tow.

One of my biggest hopes was that the mattress would be comfortable. A major reason for wanting to quit 'ground camping' was that my back did not like sleeping on a flimsy mattress.  Well, 6 inches of foam mattress really addressed that!  I sleep pretty well on this.  My shoulders aren't tormented by it, my back is fine with it, my wife likes it, and the dogs - well the dogs do as well.  They are still coming to terms with having their space restricted a bit, but two adults and two Labs can successfully co-habitate on a queen size mattress!

Storage is a work in progress as well.  We're figuring out what we need, what can stay home, what gets transferred in/out of the car when parked, and so on.  The shelves are big and deep, and the overflow for light, less used items in the headboard is just waiting to be filled up.  Paper products, rain gear, dog towels, and the like can be stored there, out of sight and mind.

Our first 'real' night on the road was at Lake Itasca State Park, the headwaters of the Mississippi River.  We made a conscious decision to do our first couple of trips to state parks, at least in part to ensure we had access to running water, and if needed.  And I was really glad I had caulked all of the seams before we left.  That first night out, it *poured* - and everything stayed dry!  

We also learned a little about solar charging.  On cloudy, overcast days, the charger keeps up with the fridge consumption (about 60 watts), but not a whole lot more.  On bright days - it'll fill the battery to capacity.

Cooking was another 'not quite done' area, as is the galley in general.  The mount for our 11lb propane bottle did not arrive in time for the first trip, so we used a tank to stove solution and just carried everything.  For the second trip, I was able to get the tank mounted and hooked up to the heater and stove.  I tested the heater, but forgot to ensure that the stove worked (well it did last week...).  Sure enough - no gas.  It turns out the fitting i used to connect the stove line to the hard line had a check valve in it, and that valve was backwards.   A quick trip to Wally World to collect a 1 lb bottle, and we were 'cooking with gas'. 

One comment about Walmart.  In general, I hate what Walmart is - the wages they [don't] pay, their impact on reshaping small town America, and the general quality of merchandise.  OTOH, their grocery is pretty amazing, both in breadth of line and depth of stock.  They don't house label, so it's mostly name brand.  Produce is fresh, their meat/deli is well stocked.  And it's consistent.  I can go into pretty much any Walmart and find groceries, basic camp/hardware stuff, health/first aid supplies, plus a clean bathroom.  Yeah it's not perfect, and their pay scale is poverty line for most people, but it is what it is, and it's darn near everywhere.   Also, this past weekend, both the Tractor Supply and local True Value store were very well stocked and were doing consistent business while I was in them.  Wally World doesn't carry it all.

Until next time...

The Gift

 For those who don't know, sprint kayak racing is not a huge sport in the US of A.  There are actually more sprint kayakers in Halifax, Nova Scotia than in the entire US.  Most of the elite racing boats come from Europe, and since Canada orders about 10x what the US does, it's much easier to order them through our Canadian friends than to wait for the once a year container coming to the states.  

This weekend, I made a solo road trip to Ottawa Canada to pick up new boats for our racing club.  It's about 2100 miles round trip, 3.5 days of windshield time.  I'm happy to report no issues with the trip or the boats.  The Vajda container arrived in Montreal late last week, and I cleared the decks to go to Ottawa to retrieve our boats.  I arrived Friday night, took in the Canada Day fireworks, had a beer at my favorite Ottawa brewery, and got to Rideau Canoe Club bright and early Saturday morning to load up.  After visiting a few minutes with friends, it was time to start that long drive home.  Ottawa is one of my favorite 'world cities', and I'll do a separate post about it at some point.  

But that's not what I'm writing about today.  On my way back from Ottawa, I chose to take the 'Northern' route, bypassing Toronto, Detroit and Chicago.  I headed west on the Trans-Canadian Highway with Sault Ste Marie as my intended overnight.  No worries - just a 10 hour drive.  En-route, I needed a break and left the route in Mattawa, Ontario, intending to stop for a nature break and sandwich.  As I was driving through town, I saw a sign that said ¨Canoe Building 10-4:00¨, and could see an outdoor demo area.  Thinking that this was far too good to pass up, I stopped.  Sure enough, there was a 20' canoe being built in the shed.  

I stepped inside and admired the boat - birchbark, white cedar and spruce root.  That's all. The technique was the same as itś been for hundreds of years, the tools traditional and hand-made.  As I stood and watched, and asked a few questions, the builder started to talk a little more.  

From this point, I want to pre-apologize if I screw up a spelling, or misunderstood anything I heard.  While I have read a small amount about the history of the fur trade in Canada, I gained a new appreciation for the indigenous people of Canada and the border region.  

The master builder is Marcel Labelle, a Métis who grew up in Mattawa, attended university, and who found his calling to build traditional canoes and educate people about the story of his people.  Marcel has been building birchbark canoes for the past 30 years.  His work can be found in the Peterborough Canadian Canoe Museum, the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian and others.  Listening to Marcel talk about his growing up and the path to become a canoe builder was fascinating.  I won't try to cover that here - it deserves first hand knowledge and I'd get it wrong.  

The boat under construction now is 'The Gift' to recall the gift passed from the Anishinaabe to the French voyageurs who came to North America in the 1600s.  Without the canoe, the fur trade - and much of the history of Canada would not have been possible.  Once finished, Marcel plans to paddle it downriver to Ottawa, hopefully for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.  

Marcel mentioned that this will probably be his 'last canoe'  When I asked who was continuing the tradition, he pointed to his
grandson Alex who has been apprenticing with him, and is already an accomplished builder.  Alex has done all the stitch work on The Gift,  and will undoubtedly continue to learn and teach the art - and more importantly, the story of his people.  

I turned off the less-traveled road to take a break, and found much more.  I will always value the side-roads and serendipitous events that occur in life, and I consider it an absolute privilege to have shared a few minutes conversation with the Labelles.  I'm already trying to figure out how to go back for a longer visit.

BTW, a serious plug for the Mattawa museum where Marcel builds.  It's like many other community history museums, but has some amazing exhibits.  Well worth the couple of dollars admission!

That one song... (1952 Vincent Black Lightning)

 I love music of many genres, rock, blues, red dirt, old school country, americana, reggae, even some rap, hiphop and pop.  And I have some fairly strong opinions on what I don't like - misogenistic music of any genre, bro-country in general, and autotune anything.  If I had to pick a favorite genre, it's Americana and more the traditional singer-songwriter acoustic flavor.  And there's that one song - Richard Thompson's 1952 Vincent Black Lightning - that stands above them all for me.  

The central character in the song is the holy grail of motorcycles - a 1952 Vincent Black Lightning.  Only 31 of these bikes were produced, and only 19 are known to survive today.  The last one to appear at auction in 2018 sold for 929,000 - a record for motorcycles.  The Vincent Black Lightning was [in 1950] the fastest production motorcycle in the world as well, setting a land speed record at Bonnevile Salt Flats of 156mph in 1950.  Rare even in its day, this would have been a motorcycle to treasure - and in the mind of James, worth stealing to acquire.

One of my favorite literary comments is that the 'author paints with words'.  I assign this happily to writers like Barbara Kingsolver and Larry McMurtry, and to songwriters like Larry's son James McMurtry, Ian Tyson, Joni Mitchell, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Tupac, Guy Clark, Hayes Carll, and Robert Earl Keen among others.  And Richard Thompson.  From his days in Fairport Convention and all through the years as a solo artist, he's been a masterful singer, an incredible guitarist, and one heck of a painter with word and melody.  If you can listen to this song and not be transported to a working class neighborhood in England in the rebellious 1960s, I'm not sure there's much hope for your musical soul :)

If you aren't familiar with the song, it's the story with all the elements of a 15th century ballad - a rouguish highwayman in love with a beautiful town girl, ill-gotten gains, fast horses, swords, a lawman, gore, death and heaven.  Oh wait... how about a bad boy, a girl, a motorcycle, guns, a lawman, gore, death and heaven.  And sung in the traditional style of any good Scots/Irish/English ballad.  The difference is that Thompson is in the here and now, writing about contemporary (60s) characters in a typical English town, as he does on many occasions.  This could've been set in the American "Wild West'' with a stagecoach robber, the rancher's daughter, a favored stallion, in Feudal Japan, Mexico, Spain - almost anywhere.  

The song is rich with allusion to the motorcycle culture of England in the 1960s, leather jackets, pubs, and of course pretty girls.  Imbedded in the last verse of the song are references to several other British bikes of the era - Triumph, Norton, Greeves, and in the final stanza the Ariel.  He often changes the mix in live performances to include other bikes.   I won't delve too deeply into the lyrics beyond that - American Songwriter has a good article about the song and the lyrics.  

The original!

What I *did* want to mention are a couple of noteworth covers. The first is by Del McCoury - a high tenor bluegrass singer with a great band backing him.  Del tweaked the words a little, placing it in Tennessee, and it's given a bit of bluegrass treatment - like son Ronnie's mandolin break.

The other is Reckless Kelly's amazing cover from Cain's Ballroom, video by Red Dirt Nation.  Aside from being an incredible cover, the intro by David Abeyta is something very special.  While paying homage to the original, it stands on its own building tension in the room before turning the song over to Willy Braun's vocals.  There are other covers, but to me this stands as the standard against which others should be judged.  Reckless Kelly has used this as their closing or encore song for years, and while I've heard it in the middle of the show lately, it's still amazing.

Reckless Kelly's version

Hats

 Those who know me know that I have thing for brimmed hats.  This started years ago when I was refereeing cycling, and was often standing out in the sun for hours.  My 'go to' back then was a Stetson Panama (no idea what model).  Over the years, I had a number of Panama style hats, but they were work hats - never fitting just right, and never something that I would consider wearing 'downtown' unless it was with the ref blazer. 

When I started coaching kayak racing, I again needed a brimmed hat - yep, time for another Panama.  Unable to find a Stetson that wasn't a "cowboy hat", I started looking at online providers of 'real' Panama hats.  (Did you know most of them come from Ecuador?  I do now...)  

Five or six years ago, that led me down a rabbit hole to look for a felt hat - not a cowboy hat, per se, but something with a fairly flat brim and some character.  On a road trip and on a whim, I stopped at a place called Hatwerks in Nashville.  It's definitely one of the larger providers of hats for people who are in the music business, and can't really afford the services of a custom hatter (and they do make some of their own).  I wound up with a real authentic Akubra, an Aussie brand, and definitely a favorite of Australians.  It's a great hat, and I don't hesitate to wear it when the occasion calls.

Fast forward to last summer, and I've two or three hats, including an Indiana Jones replica that was closer on hitting my head shape (x-long oval), and would be especially well suited for cosplay.  It's become my "I don't care if it gets crushed" hat to wear to the shop, lumberyard or what have you. 

About the time the pandemic started up, I started thinking about a bespoke hat that fit my head, could be worn 3-seasons, and had a certain amount of style - without being a freakin' cowboy hat.  (Haven't earned that - I don't ride, rope, or own a pickup.)  At the end of the day, my choices came down to one of about 3 hatmakers around the country.  And to be honest, I'd have been proud to wear any of them.  But serendipity conspired to have me pass through Santa Fe the end of June last year, and I paid a visit to the O'Farrell Hat Company.  Scott O'Farrell showed me around, took time to understand what I thought I wanted, asked a bunch of questions, and put a bunch of hats on my head.  As time went on, his comments were more like "something like this, but with the brim down a little in front" or "needs to be a little taller" and helpful thoughts about the color, finish, hatband and so on.  And finally used the conformateur - which looks like a medieval torture device that sits on your head, but actually replicates your head shape onto an index card that will later be used to shape your hat.  

And after all that, I handed him a small ransom, and with the expectation that my hat would show up sometime this spring, headed on to Minnesota.

Last week, I got a call from O'Farrell saying my hat was ready to ship.  Six weeks shy of a year, but I wasn't expecting otherwise.  UPS dropped it off yesterday, and I hustled back inside to nervously open the box.  Would it fit? Was the color what I remembered? Would it be 'right'?  After washing my hands, toweling off my shiny head and very gently cutting the tape on the box, I pulled the lid back - and then pulled the hat box out of the shipping box.  Another moment's anxiousness, and I opened the hat box revealing my bespoke headgear in all its upside down glory.  Carefully extracted from the packaging, I pulled it out, admired it, and with both hands put it on my head.  Fits like it was made just for me...  

Buying a hat of this quality was never something I imagined doing, but I am happy I did.  This hat and I will have to get used to each other.  Scott O'Farrell noted on the Panama I wore into his shop that I "wore it well" - which considering how much I'd worn it better have been the case.  Now I get to start the process of doing the same with this piece of very wearable art.  

If you are interested in learning more about O'Farrell, their website is https://ofarrellhatco.com/, and they are located just off the square in old Santa Fe.

Connections

 I was reflecting last night on friendships, partnerships and how a single event can change the course of your life/career for the better.  And this morning as I was fumbling in my desk for something, I spotted a pin that again reminded me of this special bond.  

In 2011, our sprint racing club was attending its very first Nationals in Georgia.  We were sort of 'deer in headlights', but the organizers had put our tents next to the Washington Canoe Club and asked them to 'look after us'.  They helped wrangle boats, helped make sure we learned all the protocol, cheered for our athletes and made us feel welcome.  We've been staked next to/near them for every Nationals since then, and the same has held true.  I've looked after their athletes at camps and regattas and they've looked after mine.  We've shared boats, and the coaches have shared more than a few meals/libations.  When I'm in the DC area on business, I generally stay with a couple of their members (more meals, more libations).  When my son died, Jim Ross sent me an email with a positive message every single day for nearly 6 months, until he was sure I didn't need it.  When I left my first club and we started from scratch, WCC was our partner, giving us nearly a dozen of their old boats to help get our fledgling sprint canoe program off the ground.  I owe a lot to my DC ohana.

James Burke hosted a show called "Connections" that explored some of the seemingly minor links between events that can alter the course of humanity.  This bond I have with the WCC ohana recently exposed one of those connections.  Earlier this week I learned thru Instagram that Ian Ross and a couple of other elite international paddlers had been doing drives into Ukraine to get people to safety. 
To be honest, I don't know whether these folks were paddlers families, friends of friends or who.  That doesn't really matter to me - it's the fact that these [struggling for the right words] twenty-somethings would risk their lives driving into a war zone to rescue people they didn't know and deliver them to safety in another country. No funding other than PayPal donations to cover costs, no government contracts, no official sanctions, just people doing the right thing for people.  Pretty much the definition of hero in my book.  

While on the subject, another example is Jose Andres' wonderful World Central Kitchen.  I learned about Jose thru a mutual connection, and started to follow his work as he's moved from successful chef and restauranteur to humanitarian.  This started as one guy who created a network of cooks and restaurants who are now present at natural disasters and humanitarian crises with a simple mission - feed people.  They do it by networking the local chefs to prepare the comfort food that people eat.  WCC does what the big NGOs can't - serve cooked meals to exhausted workers, scared hungry kids and adults - not just arrange supplies of ingredients to be delivered en masse to staging points within the country.  I encourage everyone to follow and support Jose.  In my mind, he should be a Nobel laureate.

Banh Mi

 There are foods that become benchmarks for comparing restaurants as you travel, or explore new eateries in your own city.  BBQ, phad Thai, French fries, apple fritters - it can be almost anything.  And virtually everyone has their list - unless you are one of those that view McDonalds as 'good hamburgers', and see Dominos or Chipotle as 'haute cuisine'.   

One of my favorite sandwiches is the Vietnamese Banh Mi.  For those who don't know, there are basically two kinds - hot and cold.  Both start out with a French baguette, and both usually contain vegetables like Daikon radishes, cucumber strips, shredded carrots, cilantro and jalapeno pepper.  Cold - to many, traditional - is a 'working man sandwich', with the veggies supplemented by ham, 'mystery meat' (like a pork loaf), and a smear of paté.  Hot versions substitue grilled meat (most often pork for the lunch meat.  Figuring out what you like is the key.  My preference is (no surprise here) grilled pork, and I use that much like ordering Phad Thai to try out a new Thai place.

Unlike twenty years ago, the greater Minneapolis area is fortunate to have a number of excellent choices in this regard.  I won't pretend to be an expert, I certainly won't pretend to know all the top spots.  I will update this list as I try new places!

The list is somewhat ranked, but pay attention to the words.  What may be tops on my list may not make opening day!  Also, my personal ranking system does not include places I didn't like unless they somehow deserve special mention.  I generally assume they had a bad day, and just don't go back.  

Pho 400 - New Brighton

Generally pretty good food there.  but it can be a little hit or miss.  It's nice having a place here in the 'burbs, and the Banh mi is consistently inconsistent, but acceptable.  Nothing special, but I go back fairly often, hoping they will hit it out of the park for me.    Flavors are good, but - and they aren't the only ones I call out on this - the meat can be a bit fatty at times and in large/chewy pieces.  Food - B, Service - friendly

iPho by Saigon - St Paul

Pretty OK.  iPho is in the heart of a whole string of ethnic restaurants and groceries on University.  You can get hot or cold Banh mi, with a range of proteins.  The grilled pork was tender, pretty tasty.  The veggies were a little soggy, but overall tasty.  Food - B, Service - busy friendly

Trung Nam Bakery - St Paul

Right across the street from iPho, (and my mechanic), Trung Nam is an institution.  You can stand in line with people from all walks of life, ages and incomes.  They are in what I would guess at one point was a Rax - drive-up window, greenhouse dining area, tile floor, and make the best baguettes and croissants in town!  Their almond croissants are legend, and the coconut ones are superb.  Oh yeah, banh mi.  These are traditional - wrapped in butcher paper on a demi-baguette, with the right balance of meat, pate and veggies.  Hands down, my favorite traditional Banh mi.  Food - A+.  Service - consistently friendly, even chatty.

Lu's - Nordeast Minneapolis

In a word - good.  Fresh bread, freshly cooked meat, good veggies, good flavor and balance.  And darn near a weekly stop for me.  I do wish they paid a little more attention to the prep on their meat (again, sometimes a bit large on the chunks), and they can have a sometimes heavy hand on the mayo spreader.  The latter is *such* a Minnesota thing, where mayo is almost like an extra topping instead of a condiment to provide a flavorful barrier between the bread and the juicier parts of the sandwich.  My repeat online order has the instruction "more jalapeno, less mayo'' accompanied by a decent tip!  Food - B+, Service - electronic.

Mi Sant - Brooklyn Park and Roseville

Two locations, and I really, really wanted to like this family owned business, but I just can't.  The food is OK, just ok, the service is inconsistent, and I thought the prices were a bit high for what I got.  But I found that in addition to the other two sins pointed out above, the meat was simply devoid of flavor.  Disappointing.  Other palates may find them great, as there is truly nothing wrong with the food.  But in a world where taste and quality matter to me, I'll take my taste buds elsewhere.  Food - C+, Service - inconsistent.

Vellee Deli - skyway - Minneapolis

I miss being downtown for lunch.  I especially miss Vellee Deli...  They bill themselves as 'Asian Fusion', whatever that means.  I think the BBQ pork is more Korean than Vietnamese, but the rest is traditional Banh mi.  They top my chart for consistently excellent meat, a great sauce, and the ability to add 'kicks' to up the spice level.  Friendly service, they remember their regulars, which is a trick since they serve hundreds a day.  Food - A+, Service - consistently excellent.  

Stone Pho - Blaine

Another of the 'mayo is a food group' stops.  The jury is still out on Stone Pho.  It's tasty, but there was so much mayo that it hides the other flavors.  A little more attention to the meat prep would also be nice, but it's pretty OK, and I'll give them another go.  Very much a family run business.   Food - B-, Service - friendly

Gonna build me a teardrop trailer

 If you haven't seen it already, I'm building a teardrop trailer.  One of my friends asked me 'why'?  So here's a short narrative of the why question, and a little on how as well.  

This started from a desire to have a vehicle for camping and riding.  This desire predates COVID-19, and really involves a couple of things.  

- I can't comfortably sleep on the ground any more.  Between various injuries, ailments and conditions, one of which being age, I am in absolute agony by the time two nights have passed.  

- I want to be able to travel both during the ideal times of the year, and also during the less traveled (read not many tourists).  That might mean hitting the desert in the wintertime, or the mountains in the fall.  That also means having heat/AC for creature comfort. 

- And I'm nearing retirement, we want to be able to travel with the fur-kids, and they aren't really adapted to hotels.  (hint: warning us that someone is outside is ok in the house, but isn't really welcome in a Hampton Inn).  Also, most hotels impose a non-refundable pet fee, even for truly well mannered dogs who won't poop on the rug.

I've been researching the costs, pluses and minuses of doing a sprinter van conversion, and had really thought that 2022 would be a good year to buy one and outfit it.  And then COVID upset all our lives.  The price of a reasonable used sprinter went from 15-18K for an eight year old truck with 100K miles, to 24-30K for a 10 year old truck with 150K miles in the course of a year.  That pretty much put it out of reasonable range unless I wanted to sell the Volvo and drive the sprinter as a daily driver (*not* happening).  I also looked at other conversions and build projects, like U-hauls and Airporters.  The chassis for those is a lot less, but there are lots of negatives.  

The next avenue of investigation was a full-blown motorhome.  I'd love to say I had done all the research I should have, and waited for just the right one to come along, but I'll confess that I jumped in a little before I should've.  I bought the proverbial pig-in-a-poke.  And honestly, the price was such that if it had burned up on the side of the road driving home from Phoenix over the 4th of July weekend, I'd have been irritated, but not damaged.  Inside was remodeled, the engine and suspension were strong, but the outside... Lipstick on the pig wasn't going to make this a pageant contestant.

I took care of the odd bits - new radio, fixed the roof leak (*every* older motorhome has these), fixed up a few odds & ends, and we took it on a road trip a month later.  It was an interesting trip.  Aside from stranding us in the Walmart parking lot in southern Iowa with a starter issue, it ran fine.  But my wife did not like the noise, the speed (or lack thereof), the noise, the speed, the lack of mobility, and the speed.  Did I mention the speed?  At 55mph, most small Class A motorhomes get somewhere around 7-8mpg.  At 70, that drops to 5-6.  So you drive at 55-60 and get passed by everything - semis, big motorhomes, school buses, etc, etc.  Yeah - we agreed to flip it.  A couple of months later, it was out of the driveway for about what I paid for it.  Worth the cost of the lesson.  On the way home though, we played 20 questions about what was on her 'list' of requirements.

• 70mph
• SUV or Suburban (she really liked my old Suburbans)
• Small enough to not be in the driveway
• Does not chain us to an 'RV park' 

I have no problems with any of the above.  We talked about a teardrop, and I started to research those.  Like anything that enables independent vacations (bicycles, motorhomes, trailers, camping, etc), COVID has hit the price and availability of Teardrops.  And yet, one of the appeals of a teardrop has been the abilty to DIY your own.  More research.  Assess my abilities as a builder of toys.  Ummm - find a frame.  They don't readily exist, and a professionally built frame would cost nearly what I paid for the stupid motorhome!  So I spent 18.99 on a book - Tony Latham's most excellent ''Building a Teardrop Trailer", started sketching out ideas, and realized that I have access to a full panel CNC machine at TC Maker, plus access to a full welding shop, wood shop, and more.

  

The more I thought about a teardrop, the more I liked it - and the more I thought that our requirements were not met by most of the commercial packages.  Having a comfortable place to sleep, escape rain/heat, and the ability to camp in a civilized manner when off-grid (like BLM lands), plus being able to power up an Insta-pot or campstove and have a refrigerator were definite requirements. Oh, and access to a shower, porta-pottie, were definitely points in favor.  The size decision was pretty easy - a 4x8 is too small.  With two Labs, a queen-size is not 'optional'.  Having a kitchen out back, heat and batteries had to go someplace, so 10 foot was the requirement.   

Did I have all those skills?  Eh, in a word, no...  But I've been drawing in CAD for the past year or so for 3D printing, and CNC is just removing material instead of adding, so I figured the skills would transfer.  Welding?  How hard can it be?  I'll take a class and practice.  The folks on YouTube make it look pretty
easy.  Here's a clue - it's a *lot* harder than the YT pros make it look.  Stack of dimes?  Uhh, how about a jumble of pennies mixed in peanut butter.  Yeah, not smooth.  But with some practice, I actually did get to the point that I am reasonably certain that my welds - if not beautiful, are functional.  And with that, I'll direct you over to the other blog - https://Swampwerks-teardrop.blogspot.com.  

(And for those not aware, "Swampwerks" is my 'business' - I design and market bespoke watch holders for paddling, fenders for mountain bikes, and other odds and ends for industry.  I sell enough to pay for my printers, and that's about it.)

What am I listening to?

It's been approximately forever since I posted a playlist.  I got out of the blog habit, got lazy, and oh... there's been this COVID thing that pretty much shut down live music.  That didn't stop me from listening to music - thank you Hayes Carll, Corb Lund, Jamie Lin Wilson, Tom Snider, Emily Scott Robinson and others who had regular concerts from their living room, bedroom closet, office or studio.  I think many artists have struggled to make it during the pandemic, and here's hoping they are all able to get back on the road and in front of their audiences soon.  

Also, good music doesn't have an expiration date.  I go back and forth over the years and genres, and some of these are insanely obscure.  Sorry, can't help it.

So what have I been listening to?  In no particular order, here's a sample:

Rose Queen - William Clark Greene.  If you haven't found him, please give him a listen.  One of the best young red dirt songwriters.

Someday Soon - Suzy Bogguss.  To be clear, this is an Ian Tyson song that's been covered by virtually everyone in country music, but IMHO, she still does it the best.  (A young Ian Tyson isn't too bad either!)

Evangelina - Colter Wall.  This is a classic Hoyt Axton song, covered from the bunkhouse/tack room.  When I first heard Colter Wall, he was _dark_.  Gritty, edgy songs, a voice that came from somewhere deep, but he was *good*.  It's taken a while for him to catch on, and his later albums have lost some of the voice quality that got my attention to start with.  I've read in interviews that he forced that voice, and I find I like his newer stuff better.  Much more Marty Robbins, less Johnny Cash with a dose of Paul Robeson.  At any rate, I don't think he's released Evangelina yet other than on Youtube, and it's fantastic.  

Brothers in Arms - Dire Straits.  This is still one of the most moving anti-war songs ever crafted.  Mark Knopfler's voice, guitar work, and the band are so tight and the lyrics are simply spot on.  If you aren't moved, you aren't listening.

Long violent history - Tyler Childers.  Ignore the album.  He's still learning to fiddle, and the fiddle tunes are just so-so. Watch his intro to the song and then *listen* to the song - and read the lyrics.  We need more artists like Childers, Sturgil Simpson, Rosanne Cash and Jason Isbell that are willing to stand up.

Under Pressure - Queen w/David Bowie.  Two of the absolute best artists who ever graced rock.  One of the best duets ever, from any genre.

Fantasia - John Dowland.  The album is from the early 1970s, ¨Lute Music from the Royal Courts of Europe¨ by Julian Bream.  I had this album when I was in high school, and this particular song is absolutely beautiful.

Old Gods - Emily Scott Robinson.  Her new album is excellent, and now that she's signed with the late John Prine's Oh Boy Records, she's getting a lot more (well deserved) notice.  If you like what you hear, check out Traveling Mercies.  I love that album, but it addresses much, much darker stuff.  And she's absolutely a wonderful, genuine human being!

Jessica - Allman Brothers Band.  One of the most amazing instrumental pieces ever.  Who needs words?  Dickey Betts' guitar does all the talking.  

Pizza and beer, #3

It's 2022, and I'm back with another edition of "Five people I'd like to sit down with for pizza and a beer".  Again, the criteria are pretty straightforward:

• I like what they are doing/saying/singing or I want to learn more about them
• I think they would actually be interesting to talk to
• They have a KB # less than 3. (Kevin Bacon number - no more than 3 degrees from me)

So with no further ado:
1.  George W Bush - Politician.  President Bush's politics aren't my cup of tea, but he's always seemed like a reasonable guy, and _always_ struck me as someone I'd like to know. He rides a bike, drives a truck, and generally seems like a decent sort.  Question - Looking back at your career, what one decision would you change?
2.  Lena Headey - Actor.  I've absolutely no idea what Ms Headey would be like to talk to, but after hearing her on "Wait, wait", she seems to be exact opposite of the character she plays on Game of Thrones.  Question - How do you get yourself into character to play Cersei?
3.  Kikkan Randall - Athlete.  There is no doubt in my mind that a huge part of why the US Nordic team has been having success over the past 15 years is Kikkan.  Kikkan has retired, but she'll always be a star in my eyes. Question - how do we capture what you accomplished and apply it to other sports?
4. Ken Jennings - GOAT (at least on Jeopardy.  Why not?  He's obviously intelligent, has a biting wit, and seems to be a pretty neat guy.  Question - what's the toughest non-trivia competition for you?

5. Dan Price - CEO, Gravity Payments.  Not many CEOs making 6 figure incomes are willing to chuck it and work for 'salaryman' wages.  Fewer still would ever consider setting base pay for all workers at 50,000+.  His company not only survived the pandemic, but has thrived.  I want to meet this guy.  I want to buy him a beer, buy him a pizza, thank him for being insanely bold.  Question - WTF were you thinking?!?!?