Workshop Wednesday-Spring Has Sprung?

 I haven't talked much about work lately. We had some very warm weather last week and that made things pretty dang busy around here. Everyone was rushing around trying to get ready for Spring. I'm about three projects behind and it's the same story with each tech in every corner of the shop. Add to that the fact that some of us need to balance landscaping projects with shop work. Then there are customers in the store front that demand attention. On top of all that we are having a big sale next week and have to prep for it. Luckily, it cooled back down to near normal temps and it has been raining. That bought us more time.
 So enough whining, ya we're busy but not so much that we can't take a minute to add some fun to our day. This guy showed up on my bench the other day.

I'll keep him around for now.
 I was visiting my Dad yesterday and he showed me a few of his most recent wood carvings. I've featured some of his pieces on this blog and they amaze me. Here is a vase that really blows me away.

The light colored wood is poplar. When I first spotted the piece I thought it was marble. I can't believe how polished and deep the appearance is of this wood. This pic only hints at its true beauty. The old man really has got some talent.

Later.

It's Official

 The new bike has been accepted as part of the fleet and received its very own GSR sticker.

 I'm getting much more comfortable on the bike. I'm just over the 2000 mile mark. My wife and I have gone on a few short rides together including a "dinner date" Friday night to our favorite mexican joint.
 I ran into a couple at the gas station that were on a '14 Limited. We talked for quite a while about the bike and I told them I just bought one. His question was "then why are you on that sportster?" I told him I thought it was gonna rain that day and the new one was clean and the sporty needed a bath. Hey I like having more than one bike to choose from even if the sporty is slower and handles worse. They're all fun to ride!
 In the pic above you'll notice the long vertical openings on each side of the fender. There are companies that offer lights to fill these up and offer more warning to people behind you. They can be wired as tail/brake/turn or any combination of the three. I may just order a set.
 You may also notice the skid mark on the floor. I came into the garage a little hot the other day. The anti-lock/linked brakes don't kick in under 2 or 3 mph.

 Yesterday my dad, brother and I went down to Iowa to a wood carving show. Dad had a piece in the show.

 It's the swan on this end of the table. I think I posted some pics of it before in the early stages. It really is a nice carving and it did place. I was so impressed with the amount of talent exhibited here. You can see the hours and hours of time it must have taken to finish some of these works of art. If you ever get a chance to go to a wood carving show I suggest you do it.
 Happy Fathers Day to all the Dads out there. My wife and I are gonna spend the day on the bike. If the weather holds out it should be a fun day.

Woodshop Wednesday-Swan Carving

  I posted in the past that my father likes to do wood carvings. An example and some links can be found here. Here are a few more.

 Excuse me if I posted these before, I just don't remember.

 Earlier this year he showed me this project he was working on.

 It's just an old stump he thought had some interesting grain patterns. He always has an eye out for chunks of wood with special grain and tries to incorporate that into the finished project. I found out he even has people dropping off odd pieces of wood for his carvings.
 Now half a year later I got to see the swan again. It's still not done but it's coming along nicely.

 It may look rough in the pictures but it is quite smooth. I think he said it was sanded down to 400 grit and he still wanted to go to 600. I've done a few wood carvings when I was young. They were nothing as detailed as what Dad creates and I know how much work it took to do them. I'm very impressed with his carvings.
 It kinda makes me wanna whip out my jack knife and whittle something.

Fly Like an Eagle

 I got a chance to mess around with the sissy bar over the weekend. I squirted some paint on it. Nothing hi-tech here, just a rattle can paint job.

While that was drying I took a look at my rear fender. It fell victim to my cut off wheel.

 After a coat of black paint and some clear I decided I would try out an idea I had.

I'm not done painting it yet. Can you see where I'm going here? Hey, if it looks like total crap I'll sand it down and squirt it black.

Uh, ya. I wish I had painting talent. I don't like sanding either so who knows how long it will stay on there. Maybe I can get one of my kids to do something with it.

 This seems like a good time to add a pic of some wood carving my father did a few years back. This piece has a 3 or 4 foot wing span. This is just one example of some really awesome work he does. A few more examples can be found here, here and here.