Concrete Countertop Experiment

Stage 500,004 of the remodel job we are doing on my home. It seems no matter how many steps forward there is always another step back and todays hurdle came in the form of to roof repair we did to fix the cause of our problems was not as final as we had hoped.  A quick fix will mosty likely have to step aside for a complete reroofing.
Todays project was a concrete countertop. After buying all new cabinets I was tempted to get a premade top but cutting cost at this point was a nice change. for a 12' by 2' countertop with a 20" by 31" hole for a sink. only cost about 10$ for the wood top we used as a lid for the cabinets.Then we used scrap wood we'll pulled out earlier in the remodel to build our frame. Then stapled a layer of chicken wire I had in the barn to the inside of the frame. Three 80pound bags of quickcrete and a few cups of portland later we were adding color. After the area was set enough (about 3 hours after we started ) we drizzled some drops of water based paint on the surface and stricked it across until we had the effect we desired.
Now we let it set 2-3 days then we remove the forms.

Autumn Sky Watching.

 I have had my telescope out for a few months now and I am very excited about the upcoming Hartley Comet that will be visible for a number of weeks throughout September with the naked eye and for weeks now I've enjoyed stargazing at Jupiter, Venus, and Uranus. I really havent been able yet to differentiate between Venus and Uranus they have been so close together in the night sky.I am missing my lost pieces to my larger and more powerful telescope. The one I've been using is good for viewing the moons surface but lacks the light filters a extra power of some the lenses used in my nicer scope.
I havent posted much lately but plan to document some of the stargazing I've been filling my free time with lately.

Adventures in Amish Country or Site Seeing at Seip Mound

In the Appalachian region of Ohio there are found a number of small villages and towns. The Amish have a number of communitys and even a couple markets in the area. We decided to take a day while in town to visit these places as well as a Hopewell Indian mound site that was about half way between the two markets.
The one located in Frankfort is a farmers block away from the second job i ever had at the local IGA. Frankfort is located along the North Fork of Paint Creek about 15 minutes north of the former capital and current county seat,  Chillicothe.

 

The Market we hadnt been to prior to this trip was located in Bainbridge. The area was beautiful and the drive was nice. After the grouling Thirteen and a  hour drive  we had just made days before we both totally enjoyed our little day trip.

Only a few minutes from my mothers the Seip Mounds were a completly free and very lovely place to spend a day. I only wish I had packed a small picnic but wasn't expecting to want to hang around as long as I did. I have always found the earthworks and mounds amazing . The last time we had went to one of the mounds nearby it had been raining and this day was beautiful!
According to Ohio History Central .org :
"Seip Mound is one of the largest earthen mounds built by the Hopewell culture (100 B.C. - 500 A.D.) of prehistoric Native American people. It is 240 feet long, 130 feet wide, and 30 feet high. Originally, this mound was surrounded by a large, semi-circular enclosure that was connected to smaller circular and square enclosures. In all, the earthworks enclosed 121 acres with 10,000 feet of embankment walls. The walls were up to ten feet in height.
The Ohio Historical Society excavated Seip Mound between 1925 and 1928. The excavation team discovered more than one hundred burials associated with a variety of artifacts crafted from exotic raw materials such as copper and mica. At the conclusion of the study, the mound was restored to its original dimensions.
Between 1906 and 1909, the Ohio Historical Society explored a smaller structure, composed of three connected mounds, located a short distance to the east of the large Seip Mound. This mound also was called "Seip Mound," but to avoid confusion it is now referred to as the Seip Conjoined Mound. Sometimes the larger Seip Mound is called the Seip-Pricer Mound."

Janet Huckabee Arkansas River Valley Nature Center and Surrounding Areas

  Having the day off together we wanted to make the most of it by at least not sitting around the house all day and going for some adventuring. We have only be over to the Janet Huckabee Arkansas River Valley Nature Center once before and decide to go nose around.  As with most outing we found some interesting spots between point A and point B.
 There was and good mile long stretch of road with numberous old rock stairs leading up to barren patches of land long ago cleared and grown over.
  Being as interested in Fort Smith history as I am i feel the need to research for some old pictures of the area.

  The sceanic trail around Wells Lake and the Beaver Creek  are nice. The trails that extended out further were beautiful and even the few muddy parts of the trail were easily navigated.
  We made a light lunch out of some kipper snacks and pickled eggs with cheese and crackers.  I climbed a tree and we lounged  in a clearing full of daffodils.
 We even startled a deer at one point and it stopped and watched us until i tried to walk slowly to it and it of course bolted. Other than that the only wild life we managed to see this trip was a beaver, bullfrog, and some hawks.
  All in all i have to say that for how close it is to our home that The Nature center makes for a pretty nice outing. 

 

                                                                                                 

Mic Burns Was Here

 It only takes me moments to get homesick after leaving my mothers home outside Chillicothe, Oh. Its been nearly a year and I am ready to get back to Ross county to visit the family and get some of that Paint Valley wind in my hair.
 Everytime I go to visit now I take hundreds of pictures of the woods line. The papermill in Chillicothe. The roads I grew up taking anytime we left the house. When I lived there I longed for here and as I lve here I long for there.
 With the recent collapse of my job i am looking into the options of going a back to school and I will be focused on computers. I will retain hope that eventually I can get a job that will allow me to travel more often so that I could make Ohio a destiantion I can visit more than every year of so.
 I love living in the River Valley here in the outskirts of Fort Smith. The friends I have here I've known as long as I knew my friends I grw up with in Ohio but The friends there where there for my early formative years and hold a sentimental attachment that makes me feel like I 'm missing out not being able to see them more often. Not to metion all of my step cousins I was raised with since I was about 3-4.eeing there is nothing more interesting for me to post about now I'll just take this opportunity to take a trip down memory lane in anticipation of my upcoming trip back tothe old stomping grounds.

Its interesting being back in Amish Country. I would love it if there were little Amish Markets around here.  I love going there and we make it a point to load up on goodies everytime we are there. You may think going to the Amish for goodies is strange and it may well be but we do have strange tastes and I dont see how anyone can argue with the freshness and quality of all of the goods they have for sale. I will be defiantely stopping back by and this time i will not make the mistake of not getting bacon cut from a whole side of hog. Last time i told myself I'd come back for it but I never did. :(
 I wonder if the Amish we seen in Cincinnati  were from the same region as my old hometown of from any of the numerous Ohio communitys.

I grew up in these woods and it has a call that makes me muck about in the woods everytime I visit.
It always manages to take me back to my earlier less cinical days where I could spend hours in a tree reading books and enjoying the nature.

Yoctangee Park

Alright Friends and Family. If all goes as plan I'll be back to visit in early May. 

C Bean Transport. C as in coffee and Bean, also like coffee.

Well, I've always had a way of getting jobs at independent buisnesses that inevitably go belly up. I am not surprised that this job was no different. I admit that in a lot of ways it was a crappy job but by compairison with a lot of my other jobs I've had this one worked for me well. The pay was good by my standards. When I started and was working full time I had more cash than I knew what to do with but soon as my job was downsized i ended up with 24-25 hours a week and the cash well dried up but I still was bringing home for 2 days work what i could make working 5 days waiting tables or working back at the Theater.  It did really sneak up on us at C Bean Transport. We all knew at work that our days were numbered. When the company wide 5% pay decrease came we should have jumped ship. That would be reasonable but reasonable I am not. Now a year after that daddy came home and the party was over! Well, almost over. I still have to work this weekend but after that....OVER!.. . Simply click  here for a much more informitive article.

 Now its time to see what the future holds for me. I've always looked at loosing a job as an opportunity to better myself. I feel bad for the various men and women who worked there that were working to have health insurance for sick family members and those who were simply supporting familys. I'll be fine. It's them i worry about.

Local Heroes at Heros

 Fort Smith's scene has changed over time much like its inhabitants. It wasn't that long ago that every weekend someones house would fill up with an assortment of some it the towns more colorful personalitys and  massive amounts of alchohol would begin being consumed. Many times when lack of a local venue became an issue these house partys would become the venue and the neighbors would cuss Fate for providing allowing us to move in. With those days a fading memory the scene now luckily has at least one bar owner who is willing to let the old punk scene invade on occasion.
 Most of the musicians who were playing in hardcore and punk bands a dozen years ago seem to now either be playing country inspired rock in the tradition of Social D or Wilco or are making hip hop or other uncategorizable brand of weirdness .
 Once a year or so local legend Jason Garvey puts together an old punk night bringing back an old local favorite and a slew of other notable acts. On that night the Bar is standing room only and in sure the liquer and beer sells are through the roof. This night was NOT one of those nights but luckily we did manage to pull out a full house and put out a  powerful set that managed to impress our awesomeness to those who made it out that didn't already know us from previous shows.I Love playing Heros.
 Jim Dick and the Pocket Aces booked this show but Jim singing back-up with us made it no surprise when we were lined up to headline. Not wanting to miss the fun I got there early and as always enjoyed the JD&TPA set.

  With the crowd in the mood to groove after the JD&TPA set all we had to do was turn it out and success was guaranteed. Nothing beats really getting a strong response from a crowd when performing.

I am so looking to playing more shows with our expanded drumline.