Visit to Reicherts - aka Sheep Rescue Story

August 31st, 2016

Kathie and I visited the ranch north of New Underwood on Wednesday - it was sunny and 87 degrees.  After a 29 minute traffic delay due to road construction, and then lunch, Duane and I went for a ride in the ATV to check out the livestock, look at a hollow cottonwood tree and search for other potential walking sticks.

The livestock in the pasture south of the house were a large group of the new lambs and yearlings. We also saw a group of ten antelope running thru the field. 

(NOTE:  Click on any picture to see a slide show of all photos in this blog,)

  Then we drove to the north east pasture across Hay Draw.  There we found cattle and sheep on our way to the big hollow cottonwood log.

After checking out the hollow log, we spotted a raccoon running across the pasture, so we decided to give chase to see where he was going.  He turned and headed back down a steep drop to the water.  So we drove down past the water to check out the group of cattle down by the water where we spotted a group of black cows plus two brown cows.  After getting a few pictures, we headed back west toward the house.

As we came along the top of a berm, we spotted a ewe in trouble, stuck up to her chin in soft clay.  She couldn't move enough to get free of the soft mud.  She had been there a while and was needing water and food.  She was about 150 pounds, and we couldn't get close enough to pull her out without risking also sinking in the mud.

So Duane got out his rope and tried to lasso the ewe's head.  On the second try, he slipped the rope around its head. 

Then we tied the rope to the ATV.  Duane pulled slowly and gently on the sheep.  Without too much effort, she popped out of the mud.    

Then we pulled her up the hill to make sure she wouldn't run back into the mud.  I loosened the rope from her head, and pulled it off.  She just laid there a few seconds.  But then she lifted her head, jumped up and stumbled a few steps, then stood up and walked away.  She was heading towards water, so off she went, muddy but free again!   During the ordeal, and afterwards, she followed the old saying:  KEEP MOVING.

Here's the mud.

After rescuing the ewe, we headed north to see if we could spot some burrowing owls.  They live in the ground in prairie dog burrows.  We drove very slowly and were able to get close enough to get a few pictures of the burrowing owl.

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Visit to the Museum Display - MASTER CRAFT - THE ART OF WOODWORKING

Posted on the museum's website:

MASTERCRAFT:  THE ART OF WOODWORKING - on Display March thru May 21, 2016 in Anaheim, CA

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In today’s tech-driven society, a post-industrial nostalgia for the handcrafted object has experienced resurgence.  Master Craft: The Art of Woodworking features the craftsmanship of California artists utilizing wood and the handmade process to create objects serving both utilitarian and decorative functions.  The exhibit consists of vessels, furniture and sculptures, as well as a collection of antique tools and an introduction to woodworking techniques. Included is a kidzeo area where children can construct wooden objects utilizing instruction cards. 

Artists represented include bill Churchill, Ken Cowell, Dennis Hays, Bruce Lewellyn, Osvaldo Orellana, Michael Rafferty, Ed Rizzardi, Fred Rose and David Wade.

Antique tools on loan from the Straub family and Austin Hardwoods and Hardware. Thank you to our sponsors: West Coast Arborists, Ganahl Lumber, Freeman and City of Anaheim.

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http://muzeo.org/exhibition/master-craft-the-art-of-woodworking

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Kathie and I visited the museum on May 20, 2016.  Ed Straub was a charter member of the Rapid City Woodworkers Association - in fact, he was the first person to make a donation to get the club started in 2008.   Ed Straub passed away last year in May 2015.  Many of his and his fathers, and his grandfather's tool were loaned from the Straub Family to be used as part of this very professional display.  The curator for the exhibit was Sarah, who has worked the Orange County Fair Woodworking and Photography exhibits for many years.  She did a superb job on this exhibit!

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Thread Rack for Jerry K

ORIGINAL PLANS 6-24-2015

EXPLODED ILLUSTRATIONS/BILL OF MATERIALS

SIMPLIFIED DETAILED SKETCHES

MOCKUP OF SPOOL HOLDERS AT 15 DEGREE ANGLE

SPACING FOR THE SPOOLS - 3 1/2" CENTER TO CENTER

 PARTS MILLED - PARTS CUT - PARTS DRY FIT

MOCKUP WITH THREE HOLES AND THREE EMPTY SPOOLS IN POSITION ON RACK

SETUP FOR DRILLING 5/8 " HOLES FOR PEGS AT 15 DEGREE ANGLE

SETUP FOR CUTTING PEGS TO 4" LONG

WILL NEED ABOUT 140 PEGS @ 5/8 " DIAMETER

PARTS CUT TO WIDTH AND LENGTH, PARTS MILLED TO THICKNESS

PEGS WITH 3/16" ROUNDOVER MILLED ON ONE END

READY FOR MILLING,  DRILLING, THEN ASSEMBLY

FRAME PARTS WERE ROUTERED USING A PORTABLE TRIM ROUTER AFTER ASSEMBLY, USING A 3/16" ROUNDOVER BIT TO EASE EDGES.

SOME MINOR SANDING WAS REQUIRED AFTER ROUTERING

TEN HORIZONTAL SLATS WERE DRILLED WITH 5/8" FORSTNER BIT

13 SPACES AT 3 1/2" = 45.5 INCHES

THEN HOLES WERE DRILLED FOR SCREWS TO ATTACH THE SLATS TO THE FRAME.

LETTERS (2.75 INCHES HIGH) SPELLING 'THREADS' WILL BE GLUED HORIZONTALLY TO TOP (OR BOTTOM) OF FRAME.  LETTERS CUT FROM 1/4" THICK WALNUT PURCHASED AT AUCTION IN EDGEMONT, SD.

"THREADS"

FRAME/RACK WAS ASSEMBLED IN SHOP - it will fit in the little red wagon.

The frame was assembled using pocket holes cut with a Kreg Jig - three holes were drilled in the end of each vertical support.  It turns out that three was one too many.  The first horizontal piece was cut from a thick piece of very beautiful blue pine. I had to recut both the top and bottom vertical parts - not once but twice.  Each time the verticals were attached to the horizontals using 3 screws, the horizontals split out along the rings of the wood.  Finally, using poplar for the horizontal pieces and only two screws, the assembly went together.  But to ensure that the frame was strong and would hold 140 large thread spools without failure, I added gussets made from 1/4" plywood, glued and screwed to the back of the frame at each joint. 

GUSSETS WERE ADDED AS A PRECAUTION TO ENSURE THAT THE FRAME WOULD BE ABLE TO WITHSTAND TRANSPORTATION STRESSES.  (Note for next time:  USING A Half-LAP JOINT AT EACH CORNER MIGHT HAVE ELIMINATED THE NEED FOR THE GUSSETS.)

PEGS WILL BE INSTALLED IN THE FIELD - PROBABLY AFTER MOUNTING THE THREAD RACK TO WALL

In use at the NUTS & BOLTS FABRIC SHOP in Edgemont, SD.

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Quilt Projects - Jan-Feb 2016

Here are some of the quilts Kathie has been making since November 2015.

(You can double click on any one of the photos to see a slide show - without the captions.)

 

 

 

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