The busy take on more!

            Well it has been a whirlwind of activity the last couple of months. With Lynn and I both working on starting up new businesses we were busy to start with. Add into that, that I just started a new job with Ethno Science working on the Montana Alberta Tie-Line (MATL-pronounced Matal) Project and we have had to kick things into overdrive.

            The job is only 3 hours from home so it’s not too bad, I’ll be able to come home on my days off, but I’m also not able to be out in the shop turning more items either. L Involving mostly survey and monitoring in the power line corridor, there is some shovel testing involved. The total length of the line is 214 miles, but we are only working on the 133 miles that is in Montana, ending at Great Falls. This is the farthest I have even been east of the Rockies in Montana. So far it’s not as bad as I thought, but I am having some issues with just which way is North when the clouds move in and I can’t see any of the mountains in the distance.

 

            On the other hand, I have time while sitting in the motel room in the evening to finish up some pending paperwork for the Montana Arts Program, an article I’m doing for Rural Montana, and my thesis.

            Keep checking back for updates and always refer to my Flickr site for photo updates. 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rockrabbit/

 

Course is starting soon

            Lynn and I both received grants to repay us for part of the MAP program we are enrolled in through the local college. While we won’t see any of that until the course is complete in ten months, it is nice to know the local business group thinks we have our ducks in a row enough to warrant their giving us that money. They gave us 80% payback minus the cost of one book. I guess they figured we could share a book. Something we have tried in the past with mixed results. Seems that the other person has the book when you need it almost Every time. We will pay the money for that, just to get rid of that hassle. J

            Our first class is this Friday evening and all day Saturday. Should be a fun time and I’ll know more once we have attended and seen the books. I’m sure that after the class we will have “required” things we must complete that will take most or all of our free time until the next meeting in a month. We have been out in the shop most evenings already trying to build up our inventory and figure there will be that and other work that needs to be done, like making up business letterheads, or ???.

            Part of the process is to be on how to price our work, something I know we have both struggled with in the past. When the wood I’m getting is not purchased directly and I have to figure out the value through the cost of the fuel to get the wood and the wear and tear on my pickup and chainsaw, it is even harder to get to that price.

            Keep checking back to this blog and don’t forget to watch our Flickr pages and Facebook pages for postings of new items are they are finished and photographed. My Flickr page is: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rockrabbit and Lynn’s is http://www.flickr.com/photos/lynnette_galloway

            Stop by and let us know what you think of our new stuff as it gets posted.

Busy takes on new meaning!

            The saying, “If you want something done, get a busy person to do it” seems to be holding special meaning for Lynn and I this year. For quite awhile now we have been discussing pushing her art work a bit harder to see if it would generate some income. Along with that I have started selling some of my wood turnings.

            Wanting to take that a step farther we have now signed up for a 10 month course on marketing. Put on by the Montana Artepreneur Program (MAP) it is 10 hours of class time a month along with 35 business goals that we need to meet. Some of those are pretty easy; make up business cards, invoice-receipt-order blanks with our letterhead, etc… There is also a requirement to log a minimum of 120 hours of “studio” time. So, now we HAVE to spend time in the shop making stuff, Darn!

            We have our first meeting tonight at 5:00 to make a grant application to help defray the costs of the class. Along with those costs will be the cost of building up an inventory to use in making our portfolio and display booth. (We are to have “professional” photos taken, think I can handle that?)

            I think this is going to be a very rewarding class and one that will enable us both to start making some income from our hobbies. I’ll keep everyone up to date as we take classes and meet with the leaders of the program.

Curling and thesis.

            I had a chance to try curling over the weekend. I have to say, it is an interesting game/ sport, a sort of cross between shuffle board, bowling and pool. Like any sport, there were people there using “club” equipment and others using custom shoes and “brooms” to improve their scores.

            While I don’t think this is something I’m ever going to get into enough to be competitive, I am thinking about signing up to be a “sub” for all teams so that they don’t have to forfeit a game is one of their players has to miss a game for some reason. One of the main issues for me is that the “early” game starts as 9:30 PM and the late game at 11:30. Way past my normal bedtime! They have to do the games at those times due to the ice rink being used for figure skating and hockey from early morning on through the day. Another factor is the cost, to join the team costs $75 and joining the club costs $40 for a total of $105! Yikes... I could shoot a lot of trap for that amount! For $40 though I can sign up to be a sub and not have to pay anymore. Still thinking on that one and might wait to see if they call on me to sub again first.

            Still no luck on the job search, there are few archaeology jobs at all this time of year and none in the state of MT it seems. Even regular jobs seem to be hard to find here as well, unless I had training as a nurse or IT guy. (I don’t). I’ll have to keep checking and hope that there is something that comes up soon.

            On a good note, I have started working on my thesis again, with Lynn’s help and motivation; I hope to have it completed for review again in a week or two! Check back often to see if I can keep that up!

           

A great visit by family

            Well we had a great ending to our year when Robert and the girls arrived to spend Christmas with us here in MT. After a tiring 14 hour drive they were happy to be out of their pickup and on comfortable furniture!

            Over the next few days we took them over the Continental divide, showed them the flatness of the plains on the east side of the Rocky Mountains. Spent a few hours looking at the country in and around Glacier National Park and they got to stand on both sides of the Canadian border north of Pole Bridge. The girls made pillows with Lynn’s help while Robert found himself hooked on wood turning out in the shop. He made a bowl and a Grimble (a dish to hold all the stuff that comes out of your pockets.) I made a “wand” for Dessi and Britney and MaKayla got a small turned box. Once I got Robert turning, I couldn’t get him to stop! (evil grin!)

            Like most visits there is never enough time to do all the things we would like to do. A quick tour around Flathead Lake, with a side trip to look at Kerr Dam, gave them views of the mountains on both sides. The lake on the West side has a lot of inlets so the road is crooked and makes the lake seem even longer than it is, the East side is straighter, but the speed limit is slower, making the trip about the same in time.

            The weather was mild, meaning we didn’t have the snow they were hoping for, but also making it easier to get out and do things. Any time spent in the house was taken up with reading, doing art work or enjoying each others company.

            After leaving here they made a stop at Elgin to see “Grandpa” where they had not been for some time. We are looking forward to their next visit, hopefully in the summer when we can take them to the Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier NP.

            Any other family or friends that would like to come spend time in the mountains of Montana are welcome any time, just let us know when you would like to come!

Yesterday, Dec 14th, was our "good deed" day. It started on Monday when I drove from Kalispell to Hamilton MT and picked up two dogs for the English Springer Spaniel Rescue group (one springer, one clumber) and returned home with them. After a short night with two strange dogs in the house that wanted out every couple hours we got up at 5 AM to take them on to another foster home in Spokane WA.
An hour into the trip all the dogs were expressing a need to be out, so we stopped on top of the pass near Hot Springs MT and let them play in the snow for a few minutes before loading up and moving on... about 45 min later one of the dogs again wanted out so we stopped at a wide spot along the Clarks Fork and took the one rescue out on a leash... putting her back in, the clumber jumped/ fell out of the Suburban and took off down the parking spot... Lucky for us she did come back with only a bit of calling, begging and very little swearing.
Getting back in I knew I would not want my coat on for the rest of the trip to Spokane so removed it before getting back in (it will be important to know that later-trust me.)
Arriving in Spokane Valley, we stopped at the rest area in Post Falls to walk our own dogs knowing they would not get out at the foster care house. We drove to the foster care home for these dogs for the next two days and had a delightful conversation with the man (Bill Murphy) we met there. A retired military man, he had just recently got into the rescuing of dogs and was having a blast!
We left his house to start our Christmas shopping at Harbor Freight where when I got out, I discovered that I didn't have a phone on my belt anymore... retrace steps to Bill's house, but no phone there. If it had fallen out at the rest area we could only hope it would be picked up by an honest person that would turn it in to the police and we would get it back.
Giving up on any thoughts of bad things, we continued our shopping at Woodworkers Supply, Cabela's, etc.. and headed home. Stopping at the turn out we had walked the dogs and I had taken off my coat, there was my phone, inches from our tracks (I missed it) and a foot from a set of semi-truck tracks.. WHEW! The cold had drained the battery and it died while I was listening to my messages.
Happy that we had found the phone, we headed on toward home. A few miles on down the road we made the right turn at Plains MT and headed for Flathead Lake. A couple miles up the hill a man is standing in the middle of the road (it is now Very dark) and flagging down cars. The pickup in front of us nearly hit him but went on when he saw us stop.
The man told us that his pickup had slid off his driveway and there were two women in it that were hurt, could we call 911? Well, no our phone is dead... obviously upset he headed down the road toward the nearest house.. we told him we would return to Plains and call for help.
From the Subway store Lynn called 911 and we headed back to the scene. Once there we saw another car on the side with the man talking to them. Now Very upset he wants to go to the women and help them. We give him our blankets from our emergency kit and my flashlight and he heads across a field that we know ends at the base of a steep hill.. Thinking "NO WAY" I pulled the Suburban into the driveway of the house (no one home) and shined my lights on the hill.. sure enough, there were tracks down the hill/ cliff!!!He had slid off the road, got the pickup to stop for a second and told them to bail out as he jumped out the driver's door, they did not make it out.. this is a good 1/4 mile hill and too steep to even walk up in the snow on the ground. Had it rolled instead of coming straight down the outcome would not have been as good!
I had just gotten out and was digging out our mag light from the concole when the first ambulance drove by on the highway.. Waving them down with the light I had them drive through the field to the crash sight and left Lynn there to direct the rest of the crews to us..
The two women were out of the pickup by the time I walked over.. one Very serious, one hurt , but not as bad.. Soon there were EMT's and volunteer firemen all over.. we worked fast and furious for a few minute to get the women on back boards and in the ambulance. The first one to be flown out by Life Flight once she was stable and at the hospital. They were SO lucky that the pickup did not roll...
After the two women and the man had left for the hospital we reclaimed our flashlights from the crew and headed on our way with good deed number two done for the day!
Before going the last few blocks to home we stopped to buy lottery tickets, figuring if we had ever gained enough Brownie points for some good luck on our part, this was the day!
If I find out how the women are doing I'll let everyone know.. nothing on the news last night or this morning and nothing in the local paper...

High School turning demo

            Yesterday, November 17 the Glacier Woodturners Association from Kalispell put on a demo for the Flathead High School shop program. Over the course of 4 class periods many projects were demonstrated. Larry made custom file handles from a 1919 plan, Norm made mini tops, a Christmas Bell ornament and other small items, Joanne did finials (the small tops to boxes and ornaments that look like icicles), Al turned bowls from Box Elder and Elm, while I did plates from Maple. (see photos below).

            While this is going on Rich was playing MC, giving introductions, answering questions from the kids and generally directing them to look at the different projects happen. We have another demo planned for December at the Whitefish High School where we will do similar types of work.