Blog du Wren

Quarry Tour...Kind Of

I talk about the Quarry all the time, or at least it seems that way. I'm either talking about my or some event that is about to happen or has just happened. But I realized that I've never done a more general post, so many of you don't really have an idea of what it's like out there. Well, I recently had to go out and take a bunch of pictures for a prospective quarrior so I thought I'd present said pictures in this here post. Hopefully that will at least partially orient all ya'll who have never had the opportunity to come out and visit (and maybe kick you in the butt to do just that.)

The (pictured above) is where most of the activity goes on. There's the , the airstream , the , the yoga/music yurt, and the . Usually, the convoy of [live-in] school buses, ancient RVs, and gypsy trailers are also parked out in this general area which makes it the hub of activity.

The "Back 40" is where the quarry is, in all it's . The only water access point is at the entrance, where there is a dock, a tightrope, and rocks for jumping off. Much of the rest of the Back 40* is undeveloped* at least in terms of living space. There are, however, lots of hidden treasures. The often hosts events and in a few years of letting the grass and fruit trees get established, it will be a paradise. Then there is the Dreams Come True Pavilion, Bluff 69, the Soap Box Derby course, the Meadow*, and more.

It's only now, putting this post together, that I'm realizing how big a project documenting the place well enough to accurately convey it is. Perhaps this post can serve as a start. In the future, I'll try to augment this more pictures and explanations. Until then, come visit us, and be sure to bring your bathing suit!*

Monday April 23 2012

File under: quarry

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FC 165 - The Immutable Laws of Science

Sometimes I have a hard time bringing myself to keep making these Friday Comics. The couch is so comfy and it's not like I didn't already spend all day dinking around on the computer*. But then there's always some reason that reminds me of why I do it. Occasionally, ever so occasionally, I make a comic that makes someone giggle. In my daily dinking yesterday, I found evidence of just such a causation; I saw that someone read every single one of my comics start to finish....on an iPhone! I didn't see where they came from or have any idea where they are from*, but seeing those page hits back to back to back sure made me smile.

So with that thought in mind, I proudly present you this week's Friday Comic. And even if this one doesn't elicit giggles out there on the interweb, I laughed. Good times. Happy Friday!

Friday April 20 2012

File under: comic

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Winedow

I couldn't be more proud to present...my Winedow, the product of many months of pondering, pent up enthusiasm*, experimentation, and hope. It turned out great and I can't wait to get it installed in my cabin and see it in the wild.

As you might have guessed from the ever-so-clever name, it is a window made of wine bottles. I have heard of (and even seen) a few of these in the real world, but nothing exactly like what I wanted, so I had to just wing it. I've briefly outlined the steps I used below. If you are wanting to try this yourself, please feel free to contact me with more questions.

Get a bunch of wine bottles. I tried to get a variety of colors with different thumb indentions.
Cut the bottles. The method I used for cutting was to score the outside of the bottle in a jig, then to pour a thin stream of boiling water over the score followed by a thin stream of cold water. This causes a nice cut.
Get a frame. I used cross-section of a metal 55-gallon barrel, about 1 foot tall.
With the frame sitting flat against the ground, fill it with sand, which allows for positioning of unevenly cut bottles, and holds them in place while filling in the gaps.
Once the bottles are arranged in the sand, fill in the gaps with expanding foam, up to 2-3 from the top surface*.
Fill the rest of the way up on the gaps with mortar. I( left about .5-1 inch of the bottle exposed.
Let set and dry for a couple days and voila!

The project is only half done, really. I still have to finish the , which I plan to do with a solid piece of frosted glass, edged with a decorative piece of rope(?). Then, of course, I have to install it. Once in place, I'm sure it will warrant another post with lots of pictures, but in the meantime, it is [in all it's glory].

Wednesday April 11 2012

File under: misc

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FC 164 - Believe Everything You Read

This comic makes me smile more than most. Not only do I think it is pretty dang funny, it relates to my world. I always find myself starting off statements with exactly that phrase (or "I heard an interesting piece on NPR recently") just to try and get away with something. In most cases, I actually did read/hear said interesting note, but still.

For you doubters out there, I offer you these links: beds, Prius*, and wine. The booger one, however, I made up. Too bad, though. That would be an interesting article.

Anyhoo, happy Friday! And happy Easter! You know, I read an interesting article recently that said chocolate eggs are actually better for you than real eggs. I'm just saying...

Thursday April 5 2012

File under: comic

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Beard - Pony Boy Edition

It's been a long time since I've done a beard post here at BdW*. The reason is simple: it's been a long time since I've shaved my beard. In fact, this last stint was the longest I've ever gone and I have to say it produced a pretty rad beard*. (The time previous to this with an epically long beard was 8 or so years ago and let me tell you, it was skeeeeeetchy. So sketchy in fact, that the good folks at Cape Kennedy in Florida barely let me by to watch the space shuttle launch*.)

But all good things must come to an end. As always, however, there is fun to be had along the way. My fashion consultant/barber and I came up with a great plan for this shave, but you'll have to wait until all the filming and editing is done before you can see it (hopefully within a week or so). In the meantime, here's a scary picture of the halfway point.

Monday April 2 2012

File under: beard

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Spring Back to Work

The Northwest winter got me down more than usual this past year. For one, I didn't take a trip to warmer climes*. But that wasn't that bad. I kind of enjoyed staying put for a while, getting into routines and doing the indoor things that people in the Northwest do in the winter.

No, the real reason winter was hard was because I've been brimming with excitement to work on my cabin at the quarry, but the prospect of outdoors work out there in the winter is less than desirable. So instead, I've been scheming, researching, collecting materials, and lots of day dreaming. But now that the weather is warming, I'm rarin' to go.

Today was merely a pre-game, an equipment check. I stopped by for quick peek so that the next time I stop by, I'll have everything I need and make progress. The goal is to get all the stonework done by mid-May at least, with the thought that the framing and roof will come together quickly thereafter. If all goes to plan, I'll be sleeping in it for festival season (Circus Campout Aug 17-19 through Soap Box Derby Sep 8.) Needless to say, stay tuned to BdW for field updates.

Tuesday March 27 2012

File under: quarry

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FC 163 - Sprung!

Guess who has to mow the lawn today? Go ahead, guess. I'll give you three tries...but the first two don't count. But seriously, I don't mind mowing the lawn, esp. on a gorgeous day like today. And besides, our mower is battery powered electric, so no gas fumes for me!

For this week's Friday Comic, I brought in a protege, the person I hope to take over for me once I move on to bigger and better things*. Punksto had a stab at today's comic theme and was the result. Perhaps there are a few more years of apprenticeship necessary. Anyway I really like the whole two different takes on the same comic idea (tried once before here) and hope to do it more in the future.

(Speaking of Punksto, I blame her for the lateness of this comic. Instead of busting out the comic on Thursday night so it is available for everyone first thing Friday morning, I was instead catching up* with my favorite niece.)

Friday March 23 2012

File under: comic

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Quarry Fools Event

I'm sure you have all heard me talk ad nauseam about the [Lookout Arts] quarry, about the finances, the structure, the plans, and the history. Well, if you haven't gotten enough, I invite you to come to Quarry Fools Day! It will be a day of food, fun, celebrating, and learning. There will be talks on master plan, ownership structure, financial reports, and all the other seemingly tedious but actually really interesting stuff on the nitty gritty of the quarry. It will also be a chance to ask questions, suggest direction*, or even buy yourself a share or two [hundred]. Schedule for the day can be found .

If the shareholder/details stuff isn't so much for you and you just like to have fun, maybe you just want to show up for the . It's free, it's open to all, and it'll be a hoot! There will undoubtedly be lots of hanging out (and probably dancing and juggling) afterwards too.

I hope to see you there!

Wednesday March 21 2012

File under: quarry

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A Holiday For the Mathes - Pi Day 2012

Happy Pi Day!! For the (few) uninitiated of you, today is Pi Day because of the date (3/14). But since I've posted about it three times before, it is safe to assume you all are in the know.

The traditional celebration of Pi Day (besides annoying everyone you know by telling them it is Pi Day) is the baking of pies, of course. I pulled pie duty this year with a pecan pie* and a quiche*. I guess that means I'm pulling double duty on eating too. C'est la vie.

(In looking back at previous Pi Day posts, I found it a rather amusing way to track self-portraits. Hopefully, come ultimate Pi Day (in either 2015 or 2016, depending on how you round the digits), I'll have a great little Pi Day photo album to reflect back on.)

Wednesday March 14 2012

File under: holidays, food

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Community Involvement 2012

By no means would I consider myself an active civic participant in my community. I vote, I'm vaguely aware of issues, and I'll occasionally knock on a door or two for a cause I support. But it is an area I often wish I did more, make my voice heard and initiate action on a local level.

It is with that in mind that I've been starting to dabble in community goings on. The first such excursion took me to the Citizen's Action Committee for Skagit Transit. I'm a frequent rider and constantly notice things I think could be improved upon. I feel my e-mails fall on deaf ears and face to face suggestions are harder to brush off. The experience was a good one, although I had to duck out of the meeting early. The group was appreciative of me coming and we had a valuable discussion of my idea. I felt heard and hopefully something will come of it.

Secondly, I've been agonizing over the amount of electricity consumed (and therefore money spent) on street lights quite a bit lately. The idea was reinforced by an episode of This American Life and spurred me to action. I contacted my local city councilman* and we talked about the idea. I'm planning on putting forth a proposal at the next city council meeting.

While neither thing really means much in the grand scheme of things, it feels good to start to understand how things do get done, where to start. Hopefully I will follow through on the ideas I have and see them become a reality. But even if not, I am trying and that matters (at least to me).

Tuesday March 13 2012

File under: Anacortes

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