Jerry's blog

Our World War II Jacket

2008-11-06T07:42:00.000-08:00

Not too long ago, we all went to the local good-will store to see what they had for sale that day. We were in the check-out lane, about to go, when Dad came over carrying a coat of some sort. It was then that I saw that it was a millitary jacket: olive drab green, wool, ect. We did not know what kind of jacket it was (nation of orgin, date of manufacture), but we decided to get it. It was on sale, but I forget the exact price.

When we got home, I began sifting through all of our millitary books, trying to find the jacket. At first, I thought it was Russian; but then as I thumbed through one of our many books on the D-Day invasion I found a picture of it. A few of them, actually. I then consulted some more books, and found that it was British. Not only that, but it is the exact same style that the British Commandos wore.

You can see through these pictures what I mean. It's an original, but we don't know the history for this particular jacket. It is in pretty near perfect condition, so I don't think it is a battle veteran; but who knows? It is a great thing to have, at the very least. Maybe I should start a World War Two artifact collection.

Other than that, not a whole lot is new. I just got finished with my third mohagany box, and a shelf I made for all the plastic self-assemble millitary models my brothers and I make, and with election day passed, we all now know that Barak Obama will be our next president.

Well, that's all, folks!

The Mahogany Box

2008-10-21T18:53:00.000-07:00

Here is the box that I made a few days ago for my sister, Morgan. It is made of Cuban mohagany, and has a glass inlay in the lid. Under the glass, I put some pressed leaves that I had picked up from around the yard the week before. It was actually the leaves that gave me the inspiration to make such a box! I just learned how to use a glass cutter effectively about a week ago, and so at first I had decided that I would make some picture frames. Then I thought about how nice pressed leaves would look under glass, being as thin-if not thinner-than photographic paper. And that is when the idea for this box design came to me.

The box, as seen from above.
The side of the box. You can see from this angle how it is made; small strips of wood "cabin-stacked" one on top of another to make the sides, thicker pieces for the lid, and the smaller guides for the glass inlay.
Here is a better view of the leaves under the inlay.

The box has more of an oriental style lid in the fact that the lid does not have hinges or a latch, but comes right off, much like a tupperware container.

Right now, I am making a second one for a friend of mine. When it is finished, I'll post pictures up of it, too.

The Jungle Hut

2008-10-01T14:04:00.000-07:00

I am terribly sorry that I have not updated in a while. Right after my last post, we got a computer virus, and I have not been on here since. Until now, that is.

And now, the long-awaited pictures of the jungle hut I built.

Here is the view of the hut as you aproach it.

Getting closer, you can see the window on the other side through the front door. This is the grass that I used to thatch the sides with. All of this I obtained from a field by our house. Here is the inside. I made the log table back in may. I topped it off by putting some tiki torches out front.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this post, and I'll be updating soon.

I'M BACK.

2008-09-08T14:52:00.000-07:00

It has been ages since I last updated; I haven't been here since this spring. I have decided, however, to return to the blogworld. So here I am.

A lot has happened this summer; I have taken up woodworking and have built a few shelves, I have been able to capture the nature of summer in many pictures,

And I built a clubhouse for my brothers (no pictures yet; very sorry).

Plus many other small things that have taken place between this entry and the last.

I'll be updating soon!

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.

~Psalm 28:7

Another update.

2008-04-26T20:29:00.001-07:00

It is about time for me to update. I have been pretty busy this past week, as you can see below.

First of all, I have started working on a new hobby. Since a couple weeks ago, I have started making some rustic log furniture. An example of my first practice piece can be seen below.

Hopefully, as time goes by, my skills will improve. I decided to go through all of our Back to Basics and Foxfire books, and I found some plans for some chairs and tables that I will probably be able to put to use.

While I was working, I couldn't help but notice a little ant crawling along the workshop floor, trying to find the way outside. So I put my drill down, got my camera out, and got a couple of pictures.

This one was my favorite.

And another hobby:

Working on maintaining my cuttlery.

I decided to make a new wooden handle for my Bowie knife, and it turned out really nice. I carved out two hardwood handle halves, and then pegged them together.

The handle completed. I will probably replace the wooden pegs with metal rivits sometime in the near future.

I also worked on repairing the handle of my hatchet, which had come loose. On one occasion, I had been chopping up some old scapwood, and the head came right off the handle. So I put a new wedge in, and that really helped. This is my complete collection. Top to Bottom: my bowie knife, my used Kabar fighting knife from the Vietnam War, and my hatchet.

Pictures from after the storm blew over.

2008-04-12T13:07:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the pictures I took of another storm day before yesterday. This one was much worse, and a few tornadoes hit only a few miles from here. Thankfully, however, no touchdowns at our house.

One of the twisters that started forming up, but never got big enough to touch down. Since this was taken right out of the dining room window, you can see how close it was.

The thunderhead as it was leaving.

this picture is not very good for quality, with powerlines and buildings visible; but you now have an idea of how massive the front was.

After the storm left, I got some really good sunset shots.

This one is probably my favorite!

More pictures (and a update).

2008-04-08T20:15:00.000-07:00

Well, time for an update. Spring is finally here, the grass is turning green, and the plants are starting to grow.

Here are some pictures that I have taken of a storm front that moved in a couple days ago. I really liked how they turned out!

Facing east, around 5:00 pm.

Facing west, the same time of day.

Ever since then, it has been nothing but rain, cold, and mud.

I also finished cleaning out our storage shed on Saturday (thankfully I got it done before the storm came), and boy did it need it! My little brothers have been planing to turn it into a clubhouse, so I have cleared it out of all the cobwebs, dirt, and mounds of stuff that dominated the structure.

I also wanted to share this excellent article:

http://www.christianworldviewnetwork.com/print.php?&ArticleID=3325

Winter sunsets

2008-03-21T21:05:00.001-07:00

These are some of the sunset pictures that I have taken over the winter.

This one is probably my favorite!

2008-03-21T20:59:00.001-07:00

Wow, it's been a while since I have updated. Since I have been back, I have decided to make a couple of changes. Now my blog isn't just a photography blog anymore, but a regular one. I'll still be posting mainly pictures, but I might just stick in a update or story every now and then.

Chili Meat

2008-02-07T13:53:00.001-08:00

Here is Arkansas Chili Meat--or, our neighborhood opossum. He was outside just the other day, so I ran out and snapped a few shots of him.

This on is my favorite!

Nature Photography: Winter Wildlife

2007-12-29T14:44:00.000-08:00

Over the course of the past few days, while the snow has been heavy on the trees, I have decided to try my hand at capturing a few scenes of the wildlife who like to call my back yard their home. And here are the results:

One of many cardinals.

Here is the neighborhood corn thief (squirrel),

The local herd of deer,

And Arkansas chili meat! Or, a opossum.

Nature Photography: Creepy Crawlies!

2007-12-29T14:10:00.000-08:00

Here are some examples of my nature photography. I began taking pictures with bugs; they didn't run away too fast, they are very numerous, and therefore make not only good but fascinating subjects. Having a zoom lens really helped.

This was my first one; a ladybug.

Wolf spider

I then tried zooming in even more; this ant was on his way back to the anthill when I got a picture of him.

The Box Elder Beetle: this insect gets his name from the fact that they can commonly be found near almost any Box Elder tree.

After I took the above pictures, I decided to try taking pictures my camera's maximum zoom (x12). I was pleased with the results.

Testing....

2007-12-24T11:27:00.000-08:00

Hello world...