Interesting day.. Started out by cleaning the whole front entrance way..   I carried all the skis, snowboards, sleds and woodstove stuff up to the attic..   at least 20 times up and down the three floors of stairs for a nice mornign work out..    I figure now tat I have the winter stuff up and out of the way it has my permission to finally really be summer.. It’s probably in the 50’s here again tonight.. it seems like real summer weather still isn’t on the horizon. (no complain from me.. it never needs to be abouve 60 to make me happy) .

The cool weather is having all sorts of wierd effects on people. For example,  Gabe woke up sporting a great new sheriff style mustache.. that boy is growing incredibly quickly.

We had soem great visitors in for breakfast.. first up was y freind Paul Z. who’s in VT visiting his daughter and grandaaughters. Paul used to be the ringleader at bread and puppet .. then was on TV for several years as Beekam.. the crazy scientist in Beekman’s world, the scince show we loves so much when our kids were young. Paul is now workign on a new show abotu the brain. I’m lookign for ways that we can collaborate.. He’s such an amazingly smart and funny guy.. A little later on , friends Larry and leah showed up.. also smart and funny.. the 5 of us all sat aroudn and brainstormed abotu Paul’s brain idea. It was really fun and thoughtprovoiking. I think we cae up wiht soem cool things to work on together !.

Later on in the afternoon, Larry. Leah, Diane, Gabe, Will and I headed downtown just to hang out.. we did a little shopping, a little exploring, a little swinging a little eating.. and a lot of great talking.. We love having them up to visit..

around 9 we said good bye ot Larry and Leah and headed home. As we walked through the parkign garage I noticed this license plate.. which reminded me of Sam.. It’s funny.. soemthing told me that I had to go bakc and take a look and snap this picture..

We then got in our car and drove down to overlook park to pick up Gabe and Will.. they wanted to show us a cool tree house thtat they’d discovered in the park.. Check out the name.. Isn’t that strange and cool ? !

Gabe took us over and showed us the SamStone he’d wedged into the roof of the treehouse.. a great place for a stone.. !

forever young… guess so.. we love you sam.. nite all !
-me

Great relaxing day which I very much needed.   We started off iwth a nice run while it was hot and sunny.. then we went over to friends Chris and Kim to see chris’s  work. He’s an excellent stone carver .. and I’d liek to find a way to work together..

Later in the afternoon we headed downtown. Today was the day of the Iron Pour.. Thats when my freinds at the Pine Street Studio get together and melt old radiators and cast them into new and interesting objects. I’d really wanted to cast soemthign this year.. but a combination of lack of time, inspiration and money (in that order)  prevented me from getting my act together enough to design anything. My inability to do that really got me thinking abotu how time constrained I am again.. if anythign, I’m beusier than when I left for the colony.. I was hoping that wouldn’t happen so fast. It jsut means I need to be more mindful of syaign ‘yes’ to so many things, again..

We did make it down in time to see the last pour.. which was great.. !

Seeing the hot metal pour out is such a cool sight !

The ladel takes abotu 100 pounds of white hot metal.. the crew then carrys it over to the sand molds and pours it in… lots of sparks, smoke and steam

Several old freinds were there.. Thea was doing a great project in whch sh cast wierd dools on to the handles of cast iron skillits.

Adrianna did another beutiful had scuplted form.. last year it was a beutiful nude.. thi year it was a mans face .

There were some other great peieces around.. like this bowl

Matts puzzle (from last year)

and his suit and tie from this year

Here’s louie about to uncast

I liked this winged wrench !

and an iron glove

As soon as the last pour was complete it started pouring rain.. it was great seeign the raindrops explode as it hit the hot molds and metal…  We said goodbye and headed to the inn and essex to meet up with aour good friends lary and leah who are up for a few days from pittsburgh

we sepnt the evenign hanging out with them and eating thai food in their room. We can talk for them for hours and hours.. Their coming over tomorrow to talk more…

OOppps.. looks liek that’s it for my batteries.. more tomorrow.. nite all, nite Sam !
-me

Today is the 150th anniversary of the birth of Nikola Tesla.. one of the most amazing and strange inventors of all time.  Google recognized the date by putting a tesla coil in their banner !

I recognized the event by firing a Tesla coil in the sanctuary of an orthodox jewish synagogue … Which I suppose is a bit ironic since tesla was a bit of an antisemite.

I was there doing a show for the lubavitch kids summer camp. One uniqe thing that happened.. This kids fringe (tzitzis) on his prayer shawl (tallus) got into the action and stood u when I hooked him u to the vandegraaf generator.

My sort-of-cousing biully g accomanied me to the show.. then we went back to his house to look at all of the cool things that he’s built. He loves to build exoctic sundials. heck these out !. Heres one he built that tells the time to the minute by reflecting a ban dof ligt on a helical slider.

It was exact to the minute !

This one adjusts itself..

THis one is made of aint stone..

here’s a digital version !

This one rints poetry with sunlight ..

Bill and Deb’s house has a wonderful setting .. check out this view of the lake !

this one uses a comlex nomnagrah to get accurate times.. freind Homer etched the granite for this.

Bill even has a freind in the garden.. a life size  stature of uncle Albert..

I couldn’t resist either… he just looked so freindly !

Here’s another sundial.. this one lights a fire at noon

here’s another one.. though this one fires a cannon

and yet another !

And yet another.. this one tells world time by positioning your fingers shadow on a articular point.

Here’s Bill and Deb

Bill also collects old clocks and sliderules

and layer ayanoes.. This one is from 1920 and sounds great !

they also have a tun of music to play.

What an interesting visit … I’m really enjoying getting to know billy and his family better. I think we’re going to build some cool things together.. Right now.. I’m building u a huge sleep debt.. so.. time for sleep. More tomorrow. Nite all.. Nite Sam
-me