I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend. (J.R.R.Tolkien, The Two Towers)

When I carry a gun, I don't do so because I am looking for a fight, but because I'm looking to be left alone. The gun at my side means that I cannot be forced, only persuaded. I don't carry it because I'm afraid, but because it enables me to be unafraid. It doesn't limit the actions of those who would interact with me through reason, only the actions of those who would do so by force.

Marko Kloos "Why the Gun is Civilization"

Thursday, December 22, 2005

Cunning Workman

From the hands of Eleutheros...

Celtic Harp

Solid black walnut neck, pillar, sides and back.
Laminated birch soundbaord.
22 Tynex nylon strings.
Micro-thread tuning pins.
32” tall, 18” deep, 10½” wide.
8.8 pounds.
Natural wood color (no stains).
Tung oil finish.
The range is from G below middle C to g’, the same range as a violin or madolin from the open fourth string to first sring at the 12th fret. The tuning is diatonic and naturally suited for the keys of G and D. The harp can be easily retuned to any key.
The harp was designed around the ideal length and tension of the strings with all other considerations being secondary. This gives the soundboard a graceful curve. The neck and pillar are made of three pieces of solid wood laminated together for strength


Irish Bouzouki


Mahogany neck and sides.
Spruce top.
Padauk fretboard.
Walnut laminate back.
38” tall
14½” wide
25½” scale.
3½ pounds.
Action is low and the tension light so it is easy to play yet it has a surprisingly bright and loud voice. It is tuned one octave below a mandolin.

Appalachian Dulcimer

Made entirely of very old wormy chestnut.
Violin type tuning pegs.
Standard DAD tuning

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Tuesday, December 20, 2005

Weekend Trip

Went to Albemarel Co. Va. this weekend to hunt with my youngest son who is a Virginia State Trooper. One of the troopers he works with lives in the basement of a spare mansion (not the house in the picture...that's where the caretaker lives) owned by one of those people who have so much they really don't know what all they do have. So his co-worker got us permission to hunt the woods at the end of the pasture in the next picture. There were quiet a few restrictions on what we could and couldn't do, where we could and couldn't shoot (guess where we saw the most of the deer). The snow in the woods was about 2-3 inches deep with a sheet of ice on top about 1/4 inch thick. That was a lot of fun, especially climbing back up the same hill you just slid down, twice. We saw over 100 deer, mostly driving to the farm or back out or in the field where we weren't allowed to shoot. Deer aren't stupid, why would they want to fight the ice and snow when they could be in a nice grassy field with lots of extra feed and nice fat cattle to keep them company. I did get one shot but had problems with my ammo. Don't ask...I don't want to talk about it!!! Fortunately I still have some meat in the freezer from the deer given to me by my friend.

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Infestation


OK people, I need some help here...

I go away for a weekend and what do I find when I get back??? I've got an infestation of gremlins, that's what. If you wait long enough they will appear on my blog. Clicking on them sends them off into electronic neverland for a while but they eventually come back. Water doesn't do anything to them but definitely shorts out the keyboard. Magnets don't faze them but now I got little black places shaped like the magnet all over my monitor screen.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

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Friday, December 02, 2005

The Picture Says It All

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