Beautiful music, made the old way - real old

Shaping up the Cello
Photo: Gabor Degre, Bangor Daily News

  In the City of Bangor, Maine a craftsman plies his trade the old way.  Nathan Slabodkin has made violins, cellos and violas in a time honored fashion.
  The cello being built now is made to a plan formed by Giuseppe Guamen del Gesu in 1731.  In musical instruments doing things "the old way" is found to be best.  The cello here won't be an exact replica but the plans are being used "to do things right".
  Please use the link to view the entire process: http://bangordailynews.com/slideshow/bangor-violin-maker-creates-unique-new-instruments-using-very-old-techniques/

Closer to the finish
Photo: Gabor Degre, Bangor Daily News

Watch out! Danger!

Taking a huge risk
Photo: www.pak101.com

  You see that guy?  He is not a real electrician.  Someone else I know also wanted to be an electrician, he work with electricians every day for years, but he couldn't pass the test.
  My friend Roger is a licensed Master Electrician, my brother Lysle is a licensed Master Electrician.  Those two could be trusted with projects that would scare the crap out of the rest of us.  Both are now retired but keep taking the test and paying the License Fee.
  The wannabe?  No such luck.  He just goes around pretending to be whatever each day.

Illustration: www.cafepress.com

Wanders!  see it's already gone

Somebody could get hurt

First of all Happy New Year.  I have some hope of progress this year, I might have more hope if it were a wee bit warmer - but this is January and it ain't going to happen.

Norton was a bit upset when he arrived yesterday at coffee.  Roger asked him if he'd seen any flying objects.  What Norton really wanted to do was jump out of a high window.  But fearing he'd get hurt he decided to go to the basement and pull himself out of one of those windows.  It wouldn't hurt!

Enjoy the day and we'll all hope for something better for this year.  Maybe the U S Congress will do something, anything in harmony.  That's a crazy thought right there.

He called it The Flash!

A Meteor during the 2009 Leonid shower - click to enlarge
Photo: www.wikipedia.org

  Yesterday at coffee Norton came in.  He was all excited about The Flash.  He claims to have been walking his dogs in the field at his home when he saw it.  He told us it was 100 feet off the ground and as big as a battleship!  It would have been about 4:30AM he said.
  In all truth a meteor was seen in some parts of Maine about 6:30PM the previous evening, but that's not what he saw, nor is it what he said.  Norton has a way off putting news items in the first person if you will.  Or, often, he just makes things up.
  Now, I'll also submit that a large hole opened on Hammond Street in Bangor (just in the area of yesterdays blog) early in the morning yesterday.  Public Works officials blame a sewer pipe or collector from the 1800s.  I wonder if The Flash fell to earth seconds after being seen in Glenburn.

News Article on www.cnn.com - click to enlarge

Fire traps and eyesores

The Hayford property at Hammond and Franklin
Photo: Courtesy of Dick Shaw via Bangor Daily News

  The people in the City of Bangor, Maine were worried in 1914 about the condition of some buildings in the City which were dilapidated and a danger.  The City had experience a terrific fire in 1911 and people were jumpy.
  The property in the photo was a topic of discussion among some.  Owned by the Hayford Estate, a wealthy family of the former Mayor, the property had already had a shed burn and people were nervous about the remainder.  The Hayford family responded by moving in a couple of sons of the family so it would be secured as a residence.  It didn't work.  The buildings were torn down, eventually, and replaced.
  That corner became the home of the District Court which is now the U S Post Office, the court having moved to new digs in 2012.
  I should note that the City of Bangor is once again in the process of tearing down firetraps.  There's a cycle you know.
  Read more: http://bangordailynews.com/2014/12/21/living/downtown-fire-traps-eye-sores-bothered-bangoreans/

Dependability is 100 years old

1914 Dodge Brothers Model 30
Photo: Dodge Photos

  Dependability has been a word for 100 years.  Really.  The word was "coined" by an advertising man, Theodore McManus, in advertising for the Dodge Brothers new model.
  Using a process known as anthimeria Mr. McManus combined the words depend and ability and the new word was born.
  My own experience with Dodge was in the Navy and a fleet of delivery trucks (like bread trucks) with the slant six engines.  My men weren't easy on the trucks but they lasted and lasted.  I've owned 3 or 4 Dodge cars my favorite ,a Neon, was totaled by my lovely wife Linda one winter day.  All of those were good cars.

1964 Dodge Dart - click to enlarge
Photo: Dodge Photos

Naked fishing to start Winter Season; and more.

Sunset in the Bangor area for the Winter Solstice
Photo: Mark Silk via Bangor PD Facebook 

  Mark Silk works for the Maine State Police as a photographer.  He also carries a personal camera and he has some free time too.  He took this photo as a "start of Winter" series.

And some people tried to fish naked
Photo: AdamDanielson via Bangor Daily News blog

  And for others there were a variety of starts.  The naked fishing seems to be the most outrageous.  We also had a number of "polar dips" as fund raisers on the first day of Winter.  Maybe I'll try this only in August.