North Bros. Tree Stands

So a while back I had picked up a box of pre-1947 North Bros. Christmas Tree Stands.   I just though they were so cool. Well I finally got around to refurbishing them.   It was fun except for the sand blasting, I hate sand blasting.  I refinished 13 all together and they came out really nice.

I tore them down and ran them through the bead cabinet, then was ready to move to the next step.   I boxed them all up and brought them over to the house and cleaned them all up.  Then it was just a matter of priming and painting.   I hung up a makeshift clothes line and then cut wire that I used as hangers.   I primed and painted each one, letting it hang to dry.  This process in itself took me two weeks painting off/on.

Once they were dry I moved into the house where I used a paint marker.  Yes a paint marker, who know they made such a thing.  Well it worked great for this application.  I taped up the legs and then added the gold paint.  For all the rest I just free handed with the marker to add the gold paint where needed.

I used a paper plate and stuck the bolts through it.  Then I could spray paint the heads black to match the rest.  That worked great and didn't make a big mess.  then it was just a matter of final reassembly.   I struggled a bit with the first one, but that allowed me to see what I needed to and the order that I needed to put them back together.

All in all I am very pleased with the outcome. I see these listed on eBay for $65.00 to $250.00 depending on condition.  For me they will become pieces for other items I may want make.

You can see below that I have already repurposed two of them and made lamps.  I found some old ceiling lamps at the flea market and bought three of them for a dollar.   The base was white and required some modifications, but I loved the glass globes that were on them.  I did some research and bought wire, off/on switch and the lamp socket and put it all together.  I made two and have them on my desk at home.

Next I was going to see if I could use some old cameras and wire them up, so that the light will be where the flash bulb is currently.   I'll keep you posted but think they will be pretty cool when done.

Welcome Little Buddy

As one Robinson left us a new one joined the family.  On May 21st. we welcomed Lachlan

Ray Robinson to the family.   This was also the same day that his Great Grandfather passed away.  Lachlan or Lach as I have nicknamed him, sure is another cutie.   I can't wait, actually Candy and I can't wait to get back down to see him and his big brother Aemon.

Looks like we will be able to get back just after Christmas for a couple days.  So looking forward to it.   It's been to long and I wish I could get down there more.

It was nice that the kids chose their Grandfathers middle name to give to Lachlan.   That was a very emotional day for all of us.

Seems like the kids are doing well.  They just purchased a new townhome a year back and are getting all settled.   I had forgotten how much stuff you need when you have little kids.   It all takes up a lot of room.

Love You Pops

I dedicate this blog post to my late father Dennis R. Robinson Sr.   Dad passed away earlier this year, May 21st to be exact.    The poor guy had been sick for about a year and he did a pretty good job hiding it.   I spent a lot of time this year being back in Wichita to visit and help out where I could.

I pretty much traveled by car, train and plane on some of my trips back and forth.  Honestly a lot of it is a blur.   It was some very emotional times and I am thankful that I did get to spend as much time with him as we did toward the end.

For my part I had forgotten all about COVID during this time as we were spending a lot of time in the Hospital and Doctors offices.

I really miss him and at times find myself wanting to pick up the phone and tell him something or ask a question.  I know it has been tough on my Mother as well.   She is now by herself and has some of her own health issues and there is not a lot I can do being 500 miles away.

"Dennis Ray Robinson, 75, of Valley Center, Kansas passed away peacefully in the comfort of his home on May 21st, 2021.  Dennis was a loving father, husband, grandfather, great grandfather, and friend to everyone.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Earl Robinson and Jennie (Kabler) Robinson Cowdrey; Step-dad, William Cowdrey; brother, Edwin A. Robinson

Dennis is survived by the love of his life, Goldie Robinson, of 57 years; son, Dennis Ray Robinson Jr. (Candy); daughter, Angela Marie Montini (Tony); grandchildren, Eric (Shannon) Robinson; Clark Robinson; Katie Montini and Natalie Montini; great-grandchildren, Aemon and Lochlan Robinson; cousins, Linda Kabler, Brian Kabler, and Brenda Kabler.

Dennis had a love for aviation and built and flew numerous aircraft through his life.

He worked for the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad for 43 years, retiring at the age of 60.  Through his career with the railroad, he was a Carman, mechanical supervisor, and safety supervisor in La Junta, Colorado and Newton, Kansas. Dennis had served as safety assistant for BNSF's mechanical, car, and locomotive team in Newton, Dodge City, Hutchinson and Wellington, Kan. Dennis helped the team surpass 14 years without a Federal Railroad Administration-reportable injury — one of the best safety records in the railroad industry, according to the Association of American Railroads.  In 2004 Burlington Northern Santa Fe Carman Dennis Robinson was named recipient of the 2004 Harold F. Hammond Award, which recognizes an individual railroad employee for outstanding safety achievement.

After Dennis retired from the railroad, he spent his free time working on his airplanes and flying in/out of his own airstrip. He was known for his Karaoke singing, sense of humor, and savior to any furry critters that may have crossed his path."

Not Even Sure

Greetings All,

Guess it has been a while since my last post.  A lot has happened since I last made an entry in the blog.  Some good and some not so good, but that is life.   Happy to report that as a family and our extended family have all faired well through COVID.  Know knock on wood.

Honestly I am not even sure what to share as it has been so long.  I have been sitting here thinking about it now for 10 minutes.  Time to move on.

So I  am still building balsa wood airplanes.  Last count I have 15 hanging in my office at work.  Yeah I am a goober.  But hell, no one ever comes into the office accept for maybe four of us, so it's not a big deal.  My last post I was still working on my Gee Bee.  Boy it seems like forever ago.

I have managed to complete a few more since then.   Below are photos of the following that I have completed.

Gee Bee

USCG JF4-1

Beechcraft Staggerwing

Hall's Bulldog

Laird Super Solution

So in this picture I am holding the wing I built for my Citabria that I am building.  It has a 70 inch wingspan and will be a RC airplane when and if I ever get it done.  I finished the wing and then put the project away for a while.   It was a rough spring for the Robinson's that I will explain later.

I'll be back tomorrow and share more about my father and a close friend of mine who passed away this year.   Be Safe.

Stay Busy

Up early and made my way to the hot tub.  This is pretty much a daily ritual for me.  It's nice to soak in the tub and I can read the news and sort that morning's email, review my to-do list.  Jumped out and got dressed and turned my attention to the driveway and porch stairs.  Grabbed the snow shovel and went to town.  It wasn't bad, we had maybe four inches or so.  Took me about 45 minutes.

When finished I came in and got Candy.  She got ready and we headed out for a walk with the dogs.  It was still early so we were some of the first people on the trail, so we got to make the tracks.  The dogs had a blast running through the fresh snow.  We only did 1.8 miles, but it was nice to be out and even though the temperature was around 28 degrees, neither of us felt cold at all, it was really nice.

We talked about going out for breakfast when we returned, but unfortunately, the place we like to go to is closed due to COVID.  So being me I whipped a creative breakfast with some leftovers.   I already had the guacamole and leftover bacon.  English Muffin, 1 slice Cheddar Cheese, 1 Fried Egg, Guacamole and Bacon.  Bam, there you go and it was awesome.

Headed down stairs and got on the treadmill.  I needed another 1.5 miles to get my steps in for the day.  Once I had that knocked out, I started working on my Gee Bee, to see if could get the rudder and stabilizer done today.

I laid out the Gee Bee plan and started pinning things down and cutting and fitting pieces.  It actually moved pretty quick this afternoon.  I was able to get both completed and then sanded.   Added the paper cockpit cover to the fuselage.  

More to do

Woke up this morning and it was snowing.  Not a lot and it has been snowing most of the day but hasn't really piled up.   Should be a pretty easy driveway shovel in the morning.  I did get up and get 4 miles in on the treadmill this morning.   I am thinking with the fresh snow, I should try to hit the trail in the morning.  Bet I could get some nice pictures.

We got out for a bit this morning and went to the store.   Had a few items to pick up.   I was making Garlic, Lemon, Shrimp, and Angel hair pasta for dinner and needed a few things.  I did make dinner and it came out great.

Last night Candy made toast with guacamole, egg, and bacon for dinner last night and that was awesome as well.  With COVID, I find that we cook a lot more at home.   Even this evening Candy made us ice cream, banana, pineapple smoothies for us this evening, man they were tasty.

I was able to spend a little time on my Gee Bee today and managed to get the airframe done.  I Will start working on the tail and wings tomorrow, but they will take me another week/two to get completed.   I will take pictures along the way.

Trumped

Oh Boy, what a day in America yesterday.  A bunch of people who don't have a clue followed a man who only cares about himself and really made us all look stupid.  I would not be surprised if they all follow Dip Shit Don to Guyana and drink the kool-aid.  Probably the best thing that could happen to America.  If you don't understand what I am talking about, just google Jim Jones.

So let's see what else is going on.  Started a new project this week, building a balsa Gee Bee E5.  Should have it done in about a month.  Takes a while as you spend most of the time waiting for glue to dry, so it is a slow process.  Looking forward to having another hanger in my office.

Speaking of the office, wow it has been busy, busy and I hope it stays this way.   I feel bad for all those who are struggling but am thankful that I and both boys are still working.  Keeping our heads down and staying focused and hope to return to some normalcy at some point.

Even with COVID we had to say what the fuck and just get out of town.  Candy, Clark, Haley, and I all went to Florida the day after Christmas.   We all flew and for the most part, I wasn't too worried.  I would say that flying was the closest I have been to other people in while, but everyone whore their masks.

We had a great time.  It was nice to get out of the cold for a week and spending time on the beach, eating out, and riding bicycles.  Being that Florida is flat even a fat boy like me can get out and ride the bicycle.  

Candy and I spent most of our mornings out collecting seashells.  We would hit the various beaches early in the morning about an hour before low tide.   Most days we were out before sunrise and were able to enjoy the spectacle of the sun rising.  What a beautiful site coming up over the ocean.

This is the best time if you are a serious shell hunter.  The water didn't seem too cold and I was out in it looking for shells.  Not sure why we both have such a fascination for seashells, but I think it is the hunt for that perfect shell that makes it so fun.  I would say that we are shell snobs at this point and only looking for those that are perfect.

We would get back to the Condo around 10:30/11:00 and then grab the kids and we would hop on the bikes and head out for breakfast or lunch depending on the time.  Candy and I would then head out and try to catch Pokemon and the kids headed to the beach.

I would say that we drank too much that week.   Cocktails started anywhere between noon and two and we would be celebrating the rest of the day.  Nothing like drinking frozen pina colada's in December/January in 80-degree weather when you come from temperatures in the 30's.  Luckily none of us got pulled over for a BUI, but I will say we should have been on a couple of our outings.  What is a BUI, well bicycling under the influence.

If I could figure out how to do it.  I would move and live on Sanibel for the rest of my life.  It is just a great place to be, the weather is beautiful, and being Florida the people on the island are actually friendly.

In addition to all the shelling and biking, I was able to get a little fishing in.  Nothing major was caught, but I did land a few small fish.   I would fish in the evenings in the canal behind the condo.   This is where the grille was located with a picnic table and a couple of lounge chairs.   We would hang out in the evening and grille, fish, and of course have a few more cocktails.

Coming from Colorado, it was great to see everything so green and even flowers in bloom.  Just a much different climate than what we are used to.  

Being that it was close to Christmas the bike paths were illuminated with lights and made it
fun to ride through.   I am guessing we probably got at least 100 miles in on our bikes while we were there.  On the island, it is really the best way to get around.  Even when going to the grocery store we would ride our bikes and load the groceries in the basket on the bikes.

One day we headed out by car and went to Ft. Myers and played some miniature golf.  It was an awesome course with water, trees, and some challenging holes.  I have not played mini-golf in years and I think everyone had a really good time.  I know I did, well I won so of course, I did.

With the weather being so nice we also spent some time out on the Kyacks.  We had them for a couple of days and would sneak out and go for little trips in the canal.  The girls reported that they saw some large iguanas. 

All in all, it was a great seven days, and am already looking forward to making our next trip.  Below are all the photos that I couldn't squeeze in above.

Happy New Year

Well race fans, we for the most part have survived 2020.   What a crazy year for all of us.   I know it has been a while since I have made a post and one of my resolutions for this year was to get back at it.   So here I am.

At this point not really even sure where to start since has been so long.  So I guess I will just start from today.

I managed to get off my ass and walk to work.   Being that it was 29 degrees out, I still made it.   I need to get back to my daily walking outdoors.   I have been doing the treadmill, but in all honesty, it is really not a work-out, but I do get steps in.

Not a lot of people out this morning, which is always nice.

I didn't walk home this evening as Candy was out and she called and asked if I wanted a ride home and of course I said yes.   Will try to get the round trip in tomorrow.  Even so, I did get my steps in today.

I sat down to watch the news this evening and that lasted about 5 minutes.  I can't stand to hear about Trump, what a fucking asshole, crook, thief, and a little cry baby he is.  If you follow him you are just as stupid. (comments welcome).

Let's see, I have spent most of this year building balsa airplanes.   

When and if we ever all return to the office I will need to find a new place to hang them all.  Currently, I have nine hanging in my office.  Starting to look a little crowded.  My last project was a Curtis Sparrowhawk and I am about ready to start another.  I cleaned up the dining room table this evening so I can get ready for my next one.

Here are a couple pictures of the Sparrowhawk.   This was a fun little build and took me about 3 weeks off/on to get it completed.   It was a bit challenging with the wings, but overall looks pretty good.  All of mine are rubber band powered.  Maybe someday I will get out and fly them, or at least attempt to fly them.   My experience is that they are good for at least one attempt and once they hit the ground they are done.

I was trying out some new music for the walk today.  New to me, but has been out for a while.   I was watching a show the other day and they had music from a group called Cyprus Hill.   It is rap music, not one of my favorites but I made it through.   Here is one of the songs that I liked.

If you want to sing along here are the lyrics.

Livin' on phat pockets on flat wit that gat
Rollin' around nine deuce Cadillac
Still got my homies to watch my back
And they'll smoke ya ass if ya wanna come chat
That's why some pigs and the kids come sweatin' they follow
A hollow-point shell's hard ta swallow
Why wallow when ya come ta roll on I put that clip and dust
Bring ya ass on, kickin' dust on ya head as the gat busts
My grip surrounded I'm about ta get rushed I brushed wit death
How many shells stuffed in my closet?

When tha shit goes down ya better be ready (when tha shit goes down)
When tha shit goes down ya better be ready (when tha shit goes down)
When tha shit goes down ya better be ready (when tha shit goes down)
When tha shit goes down ya better be ready (ya better be ready)

I told tha boyz get tha sawed off glock and tha rest of tha gats
As I strapped on tha bullet-proof vest
Boom! I think I got one to tha chest
Hot damn I didn't want to kill a man shit
I still stand tall with tha hill clan y'all better stand back
Niggas bout ta fall I'm comin' out blastin' like Yosemite
Sam get tha cheese an tha bread for tha ham

When tha shit goes down ya better be ready (when tha shit goes down)
When tha shit goes down ya better be ready (when tha shit goes down)
When tha shit goes down ya better be ready (when tha shit goes down)
When tha shit goes down ya better be ready (ya better be ready)