so, another thanksgiving ... the 41st for kit and i, and we have a lot to be thankful for ..
1. each other ... 40 years ... how could they go by so fast ??
2. our two kids and their girlfriends ..
2.5 our respective families of aunts, uncles and cousins ...
3. the fact that both our boys work here everyday and we get to have lunch with them, and then they go home to their own places ..
3.5. our 3 non family employees whose skill, happy attitudes and dedication we hugely appreciate.
4. a nice place to live and work, in a fantastic small town, with no traffic lights, in vermont
5. our furniture and metal clients and kits jewelry and gardening clients who make this all possible
6. the friends we have been hanging out with since the 1970s, and the new ones who have come to town since.
7. an incredible community of supportive and sharing artists around us
like someone who gets an oscar, i could go on and on but i feel like i should just stop with the highlights ... happy thanksgiving to you and yours ... dan
the traditional share the burner turkey day woodburning event ..
dinner ... just the six of us
the pre thanksgiving event at kits fathers house last saturday ... about 20 aunts, uncles and cousins ..
mini concert for grandpa
will shipped his latest banjo project yesterday afternoon. it was a re-necking of an antique instrument made by W.A.Cole, of boston mass. the client had the original nickled brass pot, head, and tension hardware, but the original 8 string banjo mandolin neck was missing. click the photos to enlarge them...
the client is a banjo collector and w a cole was mostly known for his banjos so she wanted a five string, short neck to go with the diminutive 8.75" pot. will was able to find pictures of w a coles original inlays online and was able to replicate some of them in the new neck ...
heres a close up of the original makers mark on the dowel stick which is now back home in the original pot, which, as you can see below, polished up nicely.
it has a surprisingly loud and robust sound and im sure at some point soon there will be a video online on wills website, seeders instruments, so you can hear it ... great sound ! 12/18/2011 ... the video is up now ... heres a link to it.
this photo shows the 8 string end from its original banjo mandolin configuration which will was able to adapt to the new five string mode.
he had to fabricate a missing, tricky, dovetailed brass piece that tightens the neck to the pot. he had it chromed to match the original by a local electroplating service, vermont plating, in rutland.
in the new case, and ready to ship ... should arrive at its destination tomorrow ...
