Train Storage

Trying to figure out where to store our Christmas train.

Review: "Hell, I was there!"

"Hell, I was there!" by Elmer Keith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Adventures of a Montana cowboy who gained world fame as a big game hunter. The dean of American gun writers, Elmer Keth tells his own story, cowboy, broncbuster, hunting guide and rancher, Keith maintained an abiding and active interest in firearms, here he takes you from Alaska to Africa on his big game hunts.

View all my reviews

Review: The Devil and Tom Walker

The Devil and Tom Walker by Washington Irving
My rating: 3 of 5 stars



View all my reviews

Review: The Sky-Liners

The Sky-Liners by Louis L'Amour
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Sackett boys weren't out to make a reputation; it just happened that way. They had crossed Black Fetchen and lived to tell about it.

Now Fetchen was coming for them with the most expensive hired guns in the country. But the Sacketts were no strangers to trouble. They knew what guns were and how to use them, and one thing was sure: when the showdown came, the Sacketts would be ready, and someone was going to die.

View all my reviews

Review: A Game of Thrones

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Summers span decades. Winter can last a lifetime. And the struggle for the Iron Throne has begun.

As Warden of the north, Lord Eddard Stark counts it a curse when King Robert bestows on him the office of the Hand. His honour weighs him down at court where a true man does what he will, not what he must … and a dead enemy is a thing of beauty.

The old gods have no power in the south, Stark’s family is split and there is treachery at court. Worse, the vengeance-mad heir of the deposed Dragon King has grown to maturity in exile in the Free Cities. He claims the Iron Throne.

View all my reviews

Friends Train storage

I really like how my Friend is storing his Christmas Train.
It just makes since to me.

2017 Reading Challenge

2017 Reading Challenge

As 2017 winds down I feel the pressure to complete the 2017 Reading Challenge I have set for myself on GoodReads.com of 30 books. 4 more books to go as of right now. I will be able to make it.

30 books a year is just about right for me. It is enough to challenge me, and not to much that I can not do it. Ive been challenging myself since 2012.

Ive read a lot of good books in that time.

On average, I like western books the best, but this year my favorite book was The Amulet of Samarkand by: Jonathan Stroud.
You should check it out. I guess it is more of a teens type book, but I like those.



I read a few good Star Wars books this year as well. I really like the Star Was books by Jude Watson. I need to check out some of her other books.


Im currently reading A Game of Thrones by: George R.R. Martin 


look me up on GoodReads.com let me know what you like to read. Im always looking for good books.

Review: Lando

Lando by Louis L'Amour
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

For six long years Orlando Sackett survived the horrors of a brutal Mexican prison. He survived by using his skills as a boxer and by making three vows. The first was to exact revenge on the hired killers who framed him. The second was to return to his father. And the third was to find Gin Locklear. But the world has changed a lot since Lando left it. His father is missing. The woman he loves is married. And the killers want him dead. Hardened physically and emotionally, Lando must begin an epic journey to resolve his past, even if it costs him his life.

View all my reviews

Christmas Ornaments

Whats better than Saint Nick in green on a Train with clovers on it?


Here are a couple of my Favorite ornaments.












Father Christmas

Review: Rip Van Winkle

Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

What would you do if you met the Strange Men in the mountains?

Would you dare to pass the haunted tree in Sleepy Hollow at midnight?

Read about what happened to two men alone in these wild haunted places.

View all my reviews

Review: Pleasant Jim

Pleasant Jim by Max Brand
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The bounty on gunslinger Charlie Rizdal was high--eight thousand for bringing him in alive and five thousand for his corpse. Jim Pleasant remembered the difference just in time and stopped himself from putting a bullet through Charlie's heart. He'd take him in alive and collect the eight thousand dollar bounty. But soon after collecting the reward, Jim discovers that Rizdal's brother, Long Tom, has put a price on his head! Now, Jim is fair game to every outlaw in the territory.

View all my reviews

Review: The Amulet of Samarkand

The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Nathaniel is a boy magician-in-training, sold to the government by his birth parents at the age of five and sent to live as an apprentice to a master. Powerful magicians rule Britain, and its empire, and Nathaniel is told his is the "ultimate sacrifice" for a "noble destiny."

If leaving his parents and erasing his past life isn't tough enough, Nathaniel's master, Arthur Underwood, is a cold, condescending, and cruel middle-ranking magician in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The boy's only saving grace is the master's wife, Martha Underwood, who shows him genuine affection that he rewards with fierce devotion. Nathaniel gets along tolerably well over the years in the Underwood household until the summer before his eleventh birthday. Everything changes when he is publicly humiliated by the ruthless magician Simon Lovelace and betrayed by his cowardly master who does not defend him.

Nathaniel vows revenge. In a Faustian fever, he devours magical texts and hones his magic skills, all the while trying to appear subservient to his master. When he musters the strength to summon the 5,000-year-old djinni Bartimaeus to avenge Lovelace by stealing the powerful Amulet of Samarkand, the boy magician plunges into a situation more dangerous and deadly than anything he could ever imagine.

View all my reviews

Review: Frankenstein: The 1818 Text

Frankenstein: The 1818 Text by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This edition is the original 1818 text, which preserves the hard-hitting and politically charged aspects of Shelley's original writing, as well as her unflinching wit and strong female voice. This edition also includes a new introduction and suggestions for further reading by author and Shelley expert Charlotte Gordon, literary excerpts and reviews selected by Gordon and a chronology and essay by preeminent Shelley scholar Charles E. Robinson.

View all my reviews

Review: Milo Talon

Milo Talon by Louis L'Amour
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Milo Talon knew the territory and the good men from the bad. He had ridden the Outlaw Trail and could find out things others couldn't. That was why a rich man named Jefferson Henry hired Milo to hunt down a missing girl. But from the moment Milo began his search, he knew something wasn't right. Three people had already died, an innocent woman was on the run, and a once sleepy town was getting crowded with hired guns. Suddenly, Milo Talon realized that there were still things he had to learn?about the woman he was trying to find, the man who had hired him, and the murderer who wanted him dead. But most of all, Milo had a few things to learn about himself. And he would have to work fast, because one mistake could cost him his life.?

View all my reviews

Review: The Young Forester

The Young Forester by Zane Grey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Pearl) Zane Grey (1872-1939) was an American author best known for his popular adventure novels and pulp fiction that presented an idealized image of the rugged Old West. He became especially interested in the West in 1907, after joining a friend on an expedition to trap mountain lions in Arizona. Grey wrote steadily, but it was only in 1910, and after considerable efforts by his wife, that his first western, Heritage of the Desert, became a bestseller. It propelled a career writing popular novels about manifest destiny and the aconquest of the Wild West. a Two years later he produced his best-known book, Riders of the Purple Sage (1912). He became one of the first millionaire authors. Over the years his habit was to spend part of the year travelling and living an adventurous life and the rest of the year using his adventures as the basis for the stories in his writings. His other works include: Betty Zane (1903), The Young Pitcher (1911), The Border Legion (1916), Wildfire (1917), To the Last Man (1922) and The Day of the Beast (1922).

View all my reviews

Review: The Deadly Hunter

The Deadly Hunter by Jude Watson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Nobody knows her name. Nobody knows when she will strike. All they know is that she is a deadly bounty hunter--and her latest mission has taken her to Coruscant, home of the Jedi.

Her target: an old friend of Qui-Gon Jinn's.

Qui-Gon and his apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi, make an attempt to catch her...and fail.

Now they are her targets, too.

View all my reviews

Review: The Warrior's Path

The Warrior's Path by Louis L'Amour
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When Yance Sackett's sister-in-law is kidnapped, Yance and his brother Kin race north from Carolina to find her. They arrive at a superstitious town rife with rumors — and learn that someone very powerful was behind Diana's disappearance.

To bring the culprit to justice, one brother must sail to the exotic West Indies. There, among pirates, cutthroats, and ruthless "businessmen," he will apply the skills he learned as a frontiersman to an unfamiliar world ... a world where one false move means instant death.

View all my reviews

Review: The Road to Oz

The Road to Oz by L. Frank Baum
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Meet Dorothy's new friends, the Shaggy Man, Button Bright and Polychrome, as you travel with them to the Emerald City. Share their adventures with the Musicker and the Scoodlers. See how they escape from the Soup-Kettle and what they found at the Truth Pond. Find out how they are able to cross the Deadly Desert and finally get to the Emerald City of Oz.

View all my reviews

Walk

Ive been trying to walk more.

Review: The Picture of Dorian Gray

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Written in his distinctively dazzling manner, Oscar Wilde’s story of a fashionable young man who sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty is the author’s most popular work. The tale of Dorian Gray’s moral disintegration caused a scandal when it first appeared in 1890, but though Wilde was attacked for the novel’s corrupting influence, he responded that there is, in fact, “a terrible moral in Dorian Gray.” Just a few years later, the book and the aesthetic/moral dilemma it presented became issues in the trials occasioned by Wilde’s homosexual liaisons, which resulted in his imprisonment. Of Dorian Gray’s relationship to autobiography, Wilde noted in a letter, “Basil Hallward is what I think I am: Lord Henry what the world thinks me: Dorian what I would like to be—in other ages, perhaps.”

View all my reviews

Review: Deceptions

Deceptions by Jude Watson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

As an apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi is blamed for the death of another Jedi student. With the help of his Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan must fight to clear his name. But even if he is found not guilty, he has gained an enemy for life--the dead boy's vindictive father.

Twelve years later, Obi-Wan is a Jedi Knight, with his own young apprentice, Anakin Skywalker. Anakin doesn't know about the secrets Obi-Wan is hiding. But as the past comes back to attack them, Obi-Wan and Anakin must fight deception with truth--and face off against enemies both new and old.

View all my reviews

Review: The Proving Trail

The Proving Trail by Louis L'Amour
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

They tried to tell him that his father had killed himself, but Kearney McRaven knew better. No matter what life had dealt him, his father would go down fighting. And as he delved deeper into the mystery, he learned that just before his father died, the elder McRaven had experienced a remarkable run of luck: he’d won nearly ten thousand dollars and the deed to a cattle ranch.

Not yet eighteen, Kearney was determined enough to track down his father’s murderer and claim what was rightfully his. Now, followed every step of the way by a shadowy figure, Kearney must solve the mystery of his father’s hidden past—a past that concealed a cold-blooded killer who would stop at nothing to keep a chilling secret.

View all my reviews

Review: The Blue Fairy Book

The Blue Fairy Book by Andrew Lang
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Blue Fairy Book was the first volume in the series and so it contains some of the best known tales, taken from a variety of sources: not only from Grimm, but exciting adventures by Charles Perrault and Madame D'Aulnoy, the Arabian Nights, and other stories from popular traditions. Here in one attractive paperbound volume - with enlarged print - are Sleeping Beauty, Rumpelstiltzkin, Beauty and the Beast, Hansel and Gretel, Puss in Boots, Trusty John, Jack and the Giantkiller, Goldilocks, and many other favorites that have become an indispensable part of our culture heritage.
All in all, this collection contains 37 stories, all arranged in the clear, lively prose for which Lang was famous. Not only are Lang's generally conceded to be the best English versions of standard stories, his collections are the richest and widest in range. His position as one of England's foremost folklorists as well as his first-rate literary abilities makes his collection invaluable in the English language.

View all my reviews

Review: Basic Audio, Vol. 3 - Norm Crowhurst/Rider Publications

Basic Audio, Vol. 3 - Norm Crowhurst/Rider Publications by Norman Crowhurst
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



View all my reviews

Review: Basic Audio, Vol. 2 - Norm Crowhurst/Rider Publications

Basic Audio, Vol. 2 - Norm Crowhurst/Rider Publications by Norman Crowhurst
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

basic electronics. A good compliment to volume 1

View all my reviews

Review: Basic Audio, Vol. 1 - Norm Crowhurst/Rider Publications

Basic Audio, Vol. 1 - Norm Crowhurst/Rider Publications by Norman Crowhurst
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Interesting info on electronics in the 50's

View all my reviews

Porch Swing - 4

Yesterday, I finally got back to do some more on this project. I still need to finish the car port roof...

I started putting the pieces together.

In this picture Im using my calibrated measuring tool to get the distance I want from the back brace (One fingers width). I do the same on both sides.

For the rest of the slats, I found a piece of scrap wood that I used as a spacer.

scrap wood spacer

And there you have it, I ran out of wood.

Once I get the back rest slats on, I will put in the center supports. I also made a few blocks to add as extra supports. I will get a better picture of blocks that next time. 

Who knows I may start on the car port. You can see the old shingles I used for paving under the car port. Im pretty happy how that worked out.

Tell me what you think.

Porch Swing - 3

I put the supports together. So far I have not  had to purchase  anything for this project, but looks like I will need to pick up some wood to finish. We also may need some paint or stain depending on which finish we settle on. 

Porch Swing - 2

Since I used a jigsaw, there will be a lot of sanding to get the pieces more uniform. Next time I may cut at least 2 at a time by clamping the boards together. That might save on sanding.

You need to find a common denominator or like, when sanding a number of pieces that you want to be uniform in shape. Look the pieces over to see where that could be. On these it looked like the front would be the best to align them on. This is where the front board will connect to them together.

Once I sanded that edge, I was able to hold them against a block for support and see all the high and low spots. 

You can see that they are pretty far from being uniform.

Porch Swing

We have been waiting a porch swing for some time. Just Never got around to building one.

Im roughly following the instructions from this video.

April Wilkerson

Build a Porch Swing!

 

You can print off templates for this swing off of her website. You should watch her video and give her a thumbs up.
This is her website;

https://www.wilkerdos.com

This is what I got so far. I just used a jig saw since I don't have a ban saw.

I will post more pictures as I go.

Metal Detecting

We did a little treasure hunting in the back yard today.

We found a few pull tabs, A Dr.Pepper and Pepsi twist bottle caps. The chassis of a toy truck.
A 1997 Nickel and a 1968 Penny. Some other chunks of metal.

Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It's no longer safe for Harry at Hogwarts, so he and his best friends, Ron and Hermione, are on the run. Professor Dumbledore has given them clues about what they need to do to defeat the dark wizard, Lord Voldemort, once and for all, but it's up to them to figure out what these hints and suggestions really mean.

Their cross-country odyssey has them searching desperately for the answers, while evading capture or death at every turn. At the same time, their friendship, fortitude, and sense of right and wrong are tested in ways they never could have imagined.

The ultimate battle between good and evil that closes out this final chapter of the epic series takes place where Harry's Wizarding life began: at Hogwarts. The satisfying conclusion offers shocking last-minute twists, incredible acts of courage, powerful new forms of magic, and the resolution of many mysteries.

Above all, this intense, cathartic book serves as a clear statement of the message at the heart of the Harry Potter series: that choice matters much more than destiny, and that love will always triumph over death.

View all my reviews

Review: The Iron Marshall

The Iron Marshall by Louis L'Amour
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Street fighter in Kansas. Young Tom Shanaghy was hardheaded and hard-muscled. Back in New York he could handle anything from a blacksmith's anvil to knuckle-and-skull street brawling. Now Shanaghy was a stranger in a small Kansas town, a town desperate for a marshal. He pinned on the badge, but facing down a vengeful trail driver and a murderous gang of gold thieves would take more iron than even Shanaghy could pack into two fists.

View all my reviews

Review: The Mountain Valley War

The Mountain Valley War by Louis L'Amour
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Holed up in a cabin in the Idaho hills, the mysterious man who called himself Trent wasn't looking for trouble. It came looking for him. A trigger-happy kid named Cub Hale emptied his gun into an unarmed man. Then he came swaggering after Trent. The girl who ran the gambling hall tried to get him to hightail it. But Trent wasn't buying. Even in that forsaken back country, he knew when a man had to speak with his shooting iron.

View all my reviews

Review: Fair Blows the Wind

Fair Blows the Wind by Louis L'Amour
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

His father killed by the British and his home burned, young Tatton Chantry left Ireland to make his fortune and regain the land that was rightfully his. Schooled along the way in the use of arms, Chantry arrives in London a wiser and far more dangerous man. He invests in trading ventures, but on a voyage to the New World his party is attacked by Indians and he is marooned in the untamed wilderness of the Carolina coast. It is in this darkest time, when everything seems lost, that Chantry encounters a remarkable opportunity. . . . Suddenly all his dreams are within reach: extraordinary wealth, his family land, and the heart of a Peruvian beauty. But first he must survive Indians, pirates, and a rogue swordsman who has vowed to see him dead.

View all my reviews

Review: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Aquaponic Gardening

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Aquaponic Gardening by Meg Stout
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Aquaponic Gardening is a comprehensive guide to aquaponic gardening, from choosing a setup to selecting fish and vegetables. In addition to everything one needs to know to run a healthy aquaponic garden and care for both the vegetables and fish, there are step-by step plans with photos for building different size systems. The expert author fully explains how to garden indoors and how to resize and move a garden inside or outside, depending on the season, to produce an abundant supply of edible, organically-raised vegetables and fish.

View all my reviews