Simplicity is the hallmark of good design

I started with a block of plastic,
About 3" by 6" high, 1/2" thick.
A design  first for this beautiful thing,
It isn't  a necklace, nor even a ring.
I made it long ago , not for a friend,
But just to have it, not even to lend.
I cut it out, and filed it until,
 i  polished, polished, I polish it still,
Until even the tiniest flaw, 
Not 

New project

A friend of mine in a house close by,
One day said here's something to try.
So here I go to Walmarts again,
 To buy some new goody its approval to win.
It is called wood burning, and it really is fun,
It's just a soldering iron with more tips than one.
I learned something new the very first day,
Don't leave the iron "on"and then walk away.
It does get real hot, much better to draw things I guess,
But if you leave it turned on you could make a mess.
The very first day I came up with a fish that looks like a horse,
On one side it is gold and the other it is green of course.
Now on to a little tree, that uses a wood cutting,
A die cut I'm sure for thay are real cheap but they really are something.
Well I have decided to finish an art piece asap,
It looks like a guitar, and the wood is all burled, and all that crap.
I need to sell it and then use the cash,
To buy a new dobro as quick as a flash.
It's wood is all natural real shinny and fresh,
With a Walterman reso, that must be the best.
    Good night, and good luck

Fan Base?

I am practicing on some songs for the singing,
To entertain all the ladies while dining.
Christmas carols they all know,
Even though we will have no snow.
I hope they will like the way I play,
I have worked so hard every day.
I like them all, those songs from the past, 
I know them by heart, whether slow or fast.
Pick one and I'll play it,
 Maybe I'll have to fake it.
But here is what really does it, 
All you need is 2 fingers,
One for rhythm is the ringer.
The other for melody, well maybe 3 fingers.
But when they get together on the Lowery,
You can really sound like an orchestra.
Wish you all could be here in December,
I'll do my best to please you.
 Good Night, and Good luck.
Mister Phil

Ahhhh Turkey day at last

Twas turkey day in all Florida,
What a lovely sight to see.
All the stores were open,
Except for the one that we need.
WALMART was open as usual,
Kmart, and Penneys too.
But the one store that we yearned for,
Was closed and we said boo hoo.
What power decided to close it,
Was it all the way to the top,
Or just because some yokel,
 Decided himself to deny us,
 The one most wonderful treat,
Why in the world close our DQ,
They know ew just neede the best,
The one best way to finish the day,
 Was a thing with a curl on top.
Good evening and good luck,
     Phil

If it looks like a guitar, and other good stuff, is it a guitar or art

It shines like glass, the wood it seems,
 to be almost 12 inches thick.
 The iridescence of the burls in any light
Oh how the pretty stuff gleems.,
 How much time did it take you ask in awe
  How much time it took for that grain to pop out
  To get that classy look,And that real deep shine to appear
  Burled cherry it seems to respond like a dream,
, Just rub, spit, rub, spit and rub some more.
I don't know where it came from, just a little tin of wax,
Cabinet wax it says,  right on the tin, it is amber in color,
and tough to spread thin, but keep on rubbing, when at last you've put on the last coating.
Then you look again and hear yourself say, "Just one more coat, then I'll be finished," RIGHT!!!! Let Me hear
 your comments,
Good night and Good luck
     Phil

Good fortune or Smarts which will you take?

Well, we just do not know about life until it is almost over, and then it is too late.
   Success is ?
A great big house with many rooms,
No need for a path in the back.
Rep Tevya said it would need so many brooms,
The old blind man couldn't carry the stack.
The fiddler on the roof it is said,
Is a harbinger of an ill wind.
But I believe that crooked old man,
Plays about things that must end.
Just think of that old Stalin,
Nikita, and Molotov too,
Who did not heed the fiddlers story,
Now they drink the devils' brew.
So if you hear a man playing a tune on your roof,
You better hope his first name is Charlie,
With a Daniels after that so he can play and howl at the moon,all night, and run and play with the kids.
GOOD NIGHT and GOOD LUCK
    Phil

Sadness creeps in like a thief in the night when one of us passes.

Well my friends , one more has heard Good bye and Good luck for the last time. Lynn Holmes Bigley is the latest on the ever expanding list of our classmates who have gone on to their reward. I have a very difficult time trying to adapt to losing so many and so soon it seems.
   She handled things through all these years,
   Without so even so much as the slightest protest.
    Her face not changed that much,
    Her hair style was her trademark,
    Her smile seemed almost infectious,
   Always ready to give it her all.
   Now she has gone where there is no pain,
   Or worry to pull against her.
   We will soon enough see her,
   Just standing there waiting with patience,
   And we will run to see her, and give her a hug,
   We will all be together, and maybe sing a song
   that started...Of all the many High..................
   Bye Lynn
Good day, And Good Luck
   

Yesterday

Yesterday, Makes my troubles seem so far away.....
I sometimes wonder what kind of inspiration it took for Paul to have written songs like that, must have been awesome. That is why I write some of the things I do. It takes a hurt, or some personal change to be able to make words rhyme, not just words really, but ideas.  I recall a class I taught in the Army, that stressed how a person's basic value system is set by 11 years old, and it would take a major event to change it. 
   I started my class by telling a short story," Herman was walking to town when he noticed an old friend walking towards him from the other way. As they came nearer to one and other, Herman saw the Omer was pulling a 20 foot log chain behind him". He called out to Omer, What in the world are you doing pulling that heavy chain down the road. Omer Replied,"Did you ever try to push a chain?" Well it got a big laugh back then.
     Good day, and Good luck
           Phil

There"s nothing like new strings.....

And at these prices, how can you refuse?
   Just finished re stringing my Black lap steel guitar, and boy what a difference some strings make in the way it sounds. I ordered a couple sets for my newest 8 string electric lap steel, and they were delivered, in just 3 days.
    Well I am sorry, it is late, and I have to get some sleep

The hurrier I go, the behinder I get!

Well it has been awhile, and there are some changes being made. Projects, Projects, I guess that is what makes the world go around. 
    Dr. Krull, the owner of the house Gary has been renting for the last 2-3 years, has agreed to have a ramp built for Alitza to get in and out of the house, and he asked me if I would build it. Naturally, I said sure, no problem, well no big problem. I made a drawing of the proposal, and took it to Lowes, and they ran it through the computer, and came up with a price, not too high, but still pretty high. We have to deal with a code that calls for a 1-12 pitch, that is one inch of rise for each 12 inches of length, hard to do, you bet, so back to the drawing board. I think I will try a long ramp next to the west side of the house and extend it towards the street. 
I think I will finalize the lift table idea, and price it out and compare. To me it makes a lot of sense to go that direction instead of a ramp.
    More later, yeah right.
Good night and Good luck,
    Phil

Friends, AH Friends!

Good morning Friends,


Without Friends what would life be like,
Even the Quisach Haderack needed a friend.
When all seems lost in the sea of indecision,
With nowhere to turn but inside ourselves,
That person we trust with our most inward thought,
Comes rushing into the fray with a helping hand,
Or just that knowing smile, that gets us through.
At times it is perspective we need to put something back aright.
And there he is like a Knight upon his steed,
With a kind word or stern, that helps us learn,
The simple fact you see, the best friend is always with us  sometimes carrying us along. But there he is beside us,
Jesus is with us, our Best Friend indeed. If you turn around real quickly you might see him but He is much too fast for me, so I just know he is here right now, he is the Best friend we all really need.
Good Morning, and Good Luck.:) :)
   Phil
  
   

Ain't It Funny How Time Slips Away.

Hi Ho everyone, 
   In reference to my earlier post, It seems yesterday was the 4th of July, and here we are in Sept, and the time has flown even faster/
    Been working on some new songs for the Manasota jam session in Sept, it seems to be more difficult to concentrate on learning anything new, just old age I guess.
   Well more surgery on the 19th of Sept, a small spot on my forehead, must have it cut out, it is a squamous cell cancer, so we can't mess around. 
      Mary had a multiple person conference call on the '56 class`reunion, and got all of the name tags finished, WOW those twins do not waste any time.
    Talked to Tom Pickett the other day and offered to loan me a guitar for the reunion, but I think I will pass, no interest, imagine that.   
   Well going to re-hab this morning so better close for now, but read on; Allways remember and never forget, no matter where you go, there you are. Ah yes, just one more; When this life is over and my time has come to pass, I hope they bury me upside down, so the world can kiss my FOOT, Ha ,Ha  fooled you.
Good day, and good luck. 
    Phil, Mister Phil To you.

And all that Jaaaaz!

Hello world, this is how I see it today, Thursday evening held a pleasant surprise, as we had tickets to see the opening performance of "CHICAGO" put on by the Manatee players company.the lead players were mostly great, and the chorus was above average. All in all, a very good performance. BTW, it was sold out with folks sitting in the aisles.
More later

Some times happiness comes in small packages

A great phone call from a grand daughter brought tears of joy to hear what Jocelyn is doing in school. In the 4th grade, she has applied for the Lego robots program where they design, build , program a task, and make the robot work, WOW am I impressed, and proud. Cant wait to see some result if she is accepted. 
   On a more somber note, the fish are not biting! But played golf for the 3rd time since surgery, and did better than before surgery.
   I will add some more activity later today, THE APES ARE BACK!!!
   GOOD DAY, and GOOD LUCK.
    PHIL

My life as I see it is great.

Well  hello world,
   Wednesday evening certainly was great, for somatimes the Parkinsons medication works, and soma tima she don't, but yesterday she don't, that is until I had dinner at Catfish Johnny's up at Panasoffkee attending the Florida Steel guitar meeting. My hands loosened up to the point that I could at least get through my set, and it went over very well.I tried to play some new fast songs that I am learning, and they worked pretty good, So thank the Lord for even small blessings. I cannot remember names now, but one of the players that plays a Zumsteel, was interested in my Georgeboards Stealth, and my Red Rajah bar. After he played it for a bit, he allowed me to sit down at his guitar and play a little bit that I know, felt real good.
   Well better close for now, and Goodbye, and Good luck.
PHIL
   

Boy does time fly

I made an observation one time that after the 4th of July, summer is basically finished, and now as we get older it simply flies by. Here we are in August , and it is almost time for our 55th class reunion. Fifty Five, how could that be, it seems only yesterday that I was flying down 25th st with a city policeman in close pursuit, OOOps. Thought I would forget that by now.
    Had a nice visit from Richard Briggs and wife on Thursday, but he didn't have guitar with, but a nice visit anyway.
   TH,TH,That's all folks
           Phil

To those whom might be concerned

Aloha loved ones,
   Well what do you know, someone does read this. As I said in the addendum, I am OK, just the Parkinsons medications raising their ugly side effects, so don't be worried. Love you all,
      PHIL

EEnie, Meenie, Minie Mo Tonight might be as far as I go

I suppose that some folks have an idea when they are going to make their final entry in the blog of  life, and something tells me this might be it for me. Nothing is wrong, just an odd feeling of finality. All of a sudden there are so many things to say and no time to say them, so just say nothing but Goodbye and good luck.
    Phil , Love you all
Well what do you know, Still here, and on the right side of the grass as well. So much for intuition. Now to say some of the things that need to be said, Later.
PB

What are the 3 words required to get your groove back?

Well, what is the answer? Give you one clue... Not practice,Think about it, answer on Sunday.
   Saw an awesome movie this afternoon, "TRANSFORMERS 3", Wow what a flick. Good Effects, good story, Nice scenery!
Have you heard this limerick?
There was a young girl from ST. Paul,
Wore a newspaper dress to the Ball,
The dress caught on fire, burned her entire,
Front page, back page, sport section and all.
Good night folks, and good luck.
PEB

When the blue of the night meets the gold of the day

Aloha All,
   Well almost another week is gone, and we are still on the right side of the grass.  Took a short ride to Sarasota this morning, and stopped in at Harbor Freight, to pick up some saw blades for the Multi Master tool. One of which is a diamond coated type, should cut anything, we will see.
   Working on a sketch of Cinque Terre from a picture from Martha, it is pretty close to what I remember.
   Also working on tuning changer drawings, not finished yet.
   PB
    Good Night, and good luck

Plop, Plop Fiz, Fiz

Oh what a relief it is,
Mary is going to be OK. The surgery went by the book, with no complications, Whew, I was worried about that one. She will still have Afib, but without the rapid heart beat, and  without the new meds that made her so sick. 
   I probably Shouldn't have, but I went to the Manasota guitar meeting, and as it turned out, it is a lucky thing that I did. There were just two of us, and we played as many songs as we could think of, and then some. Both hands did pretty well, as I didn't drop the bar one time.
     Well today is Wed, and I will have a time keeping Mary down, she just wont quit.
    Will add more as the day progresses. 

I feel a song comin on

Gooood Moooornin' Vietnam,
  In 1968 it was in early May The President did decree,
I have been looking for a few good men to come and join up with me.
There's a place I've seen that needs our help  for a little while I think,
We have been over there since 59, Ike said,"Back in a wink"
Now it's been a wink or two, and 25,000 have died,
Now they have called me up, and Johnson said,"I tried".
To end that war in Vietnam, We need that plane called the 119,
Boxcar was her nickname, first built in 19, HMMMm, 19,
I can't remember when, but it flys again, fighting fires out west,
Lordy how that airplane flew, all loaded down it was the best.
So thank you Mr. President, who ever you might be,
Remember us, the 71st Special Ops we were,
We served you well when you said,go on over there.
Good day, and Good luck
PB

Safe and sound

Well the kids made it down here OK yesterday morning at about 7: AM, with only one problem, a passing truck jarred
a wire under the hood loose and blew a fuse. Well a cop saw them, pulled them over, and gave them a warning.  Don Conn came over to look at our cart, and helped Mike figure out what was wrong. Now that is fixed and they are leaving Sunday sometime.
   Talking to Todd, and after a long talk, he says, I put my application in at Cummins Engine co in Columbus,IN Friday ..WOW
Later, Good Night, and Good luck
PB

TGIF

Yes, Thank God it's Friday,
   I'm glad you are here to listen, My spirit is troubled as I try to sleep tonight. You see I had this nightmare the first night after surgery, and it keeps coming back, well it's back, and here I am trying to stay awake.
More later,
      PB

How do I love Thee, Let me count the ways

Here it is Thursday, and I am still in awe looking at you sleeping, watching you fold the laundry, and just sitting there reading your book. We have experienced so much, in such a short time, we still are not at the end, but then who knows?
   We are still in the process of increasing the rating on my disability with the VA, still don't know anything, We completed the evaluation yesterday, and now we wait
   We thought we had been soooo good yesterday, that we  stopped at the Dairy Queen for a treat, a Medium Ice cream cone,,,
   Well we are in a state of anxiety, as we are expecting to see Christi on Friday, as she and Mike are driving down today, and we can hardly wait.
   More later, PB Well it's later, and I'm back. As a matter of fact, it is almost 8:30 on Friday.
Chris and Mike left Myrtle Beach at about 7:00, so they should be here about 6-7 A.M. on Friday, I am so excited.
    I am still working on the tuning changer, to get a friend a set of part drawings for his inspection, but you have to complete the assembly to make sure it all fits. And do what it is designed to do...Later ......and, I forgot something important, For the last several months, I have been making regular stops at the local Vietnamese nail shop for a pedicure. I am telling you son, my feet have not been in as good shape as they are right now. The girl remembers me and what she can and cannot do because of my diabetes, my lower legs have very thin skin, and cannot be rubbed very hard, so she knows how to watch out for the red spots,,,, hooray, almost bed time, so better close for now, Good night, and good luck  PB  

Now Sunday has passed

Now Sunday has passed, and maybe you'll see,
What I meant when I said "so what" about Friday, 
Now try to follow me.
When We are working and raising the kids,
When time off is very special, and for flippin our lids.                                                                                     You see I have seen folks say "NO" to overtime, 
But took time off when it is WEEKEND", they say"THATS MINE"
Since my heart went KABLOOOIE , I've said every day,
A second chance I'll take trying to do things right, not just my way.  Try being thankfull for traffic, after Viet Nam, it really is easy, try it, ISAID TRY IT!  That's the way I see it. Good Night and Good Luck.

So, It's Friday;

So, It's Friday, so what,
It has rained this whole day,                                                  And I'm wet through Oi vay
Went fishing again, caught five,
But  I can't eat 'em guess why,
They stocked the lake once a long time ago,
 And they just want to keep 'em says I.
That's the way I see it...

Week no. One is go

Well I always said that when July the 4th was over, so was summer. Now that seems like a good thing, for now it is only a matter of a few weeks until all our friends start coming back, YIPPEE YAHOO. So lets see what can we put to rhyme,
A Snow bird is an awesome creature,
 That migrates twice a year.
They have a trait in their persona,
Extremes in  weather they fear
When Florida hits the very first 90, 
They load  their car up quick,
And in a flash they are on I75.
 They are faster than Helen Szewc. More on Friday

A note from Jaclyn

Aloha Grandpa,
 
I loved your poem! I am so sorry that you couldn't have any cake or any traditional 4th of July food. But, I would much rather have you around than have you eat a doughnut and something bad happen. It is for health reasons, make sure that you remember that you have many people who love you and want you to stick around for awhile. I hope you had fun and got to watch the fireworks. We did, and they were beautiful! It is important to remember all of those troops who were not watching fireworks but really the rockets red glare and bombs bursting in air. Most of us don't want to think about what the fireworks really represent, but there are those of us who have no choice. I love you Grandpa and I will talk to you again soon!
 
Love,
Jackie

It's Independence Day

I feel like writing a poem for the troops wherever they are, but alas I am not a poet, but I'll write one any way.
This day used to be the best day of the summer,
But this year some people say it's really a bummer.
You can't eat the hotdogs, or drink any beer,
Can't have any popcorn but really who cares.
Can't have any cake because of the carbs,
Potato salad's out for I just had open heart.
I guess I will just drool, with a sad look on my face,
And wish for a donut to take tofu's place.
So here we are, all safe and sound,
While our loved ones deal with small arms and rocket rounds.
So let's all pray for Matt and the rest,
That they will be home after passing the test.

There, as Porky pig would say, Th-th-th-that'all folks.
Later, PB

Surprise, surprise,

Where is the time going, it seems that yesterday was the first of April, and here we are clean out of June, WOW.The day did start out very well, what with practicing at church for Saturday, and Sunday. It is funny that the first place that I played in front of anyone was at church, and will probably be the last. Practice went very well , and we got it down to 5 songs on Saturday and the same on Sunday. We are using a very small amplifier, and putting a mike in front of it, sounds pretty good. 

   After lunch the surprise reared it's head up out of the swamp. Mary was talking to the park manager, and said for me to stop by the office and I did. A couple of weeks ago, I helped him out when the fellow that locks everything up late at night had to be  away for a couple of weeks, and I said that I would take over for him, and John said hello,and handed me  an envelope with my name on it. What do ya think, it had a fairly large sum of cash. Just in time for a side trip to Harbor Freight store, need some supplies.

    I feel another picture coming on, so need to look for a new subject, maybe a picture from Mary's computer, that is always good for a new subject. We will have to see what comes up, more tomorrow.

   

Been a long day,

Wednesday started out very early, as the Parkinson's medication has a few side effects that aren't nice at all. Woke at about 4 AM in a reoccurring dream, more like hallucinations. This one took up just where it ended while still in the hospital, wasn't a fun thing, and has me bummed at times.
    But on to the rest of the day, Talked to friend Don about a project we have been working on for awhile. It is the modified guitar tuning changer, that allows a player to change the tuning on his guitar without touching the tuning pegs. Some of us, players that is, change the tuning for every song in a set, and it is very distracting. We may be on to something that is really different.
   I am learning how to cook without using meat, and today I tried chili, turned out pretty good, but no pasta.
Well enough of that stuff, it is getting late and must get to bed, more later.

The last of Monday

Ah, here we are at last, some of the pictures that I have finished in the last few months. The first pic is of a cathedral somewhere in Spain, I tried it in acrylic paint, pastels, and finally watercolor pencils. Although they are all very muted, you still get a feeling of the size of the building, and the vivid colors of the flowers. The second picture is of course, Venice, where we can get an idea of the diversity of the style of the buildings, but most are like the one on the left. The last picture is taken from an original oil, displayed in the home of my wife's brother-in-law in California. As soon as I can get some of the other works, I will post them from time to time. I will close out Monday on this note, and say see you in the morning.

More Monday

Just a little bit more, 
    Let's look a little bit into the art works that I have been working on. A lot of if not all of the material I have been working on is from the 3 month trip my wife and her twin sister took 2 years ago, covering France,Spain, Portugal, Italy, and England. They must have taken 5000 pictures or more, and that is a lot of  pictures to work on. Now I will try to upload some of them on to this blog. Well I will have to get Mary to email me some pics. The latest painting is of a wooden draw bridge in France, 

Projects

Monday June 27 2011
It seems that I have always had a project going on something or other. My most ambitious  has been building solid body lap steel guitars. The attached photo is of the first guitar I ever built.It is made out of 1" x2" hard maple lumber. It is very strong and stable, as it seldom needs to be tuned. This guitar was the first in a series of 6 instruments of which 5 incorporated a 4 tuning changer, that is the set up of the strings could be changed to suit the song being played. 
    For the sake of getting this blog up to date, here are a few of the projects undertaken.
I got reaquainted with art during a trip to Wisconsin4-5 years ago. My daughters mother-in-law is an accomplished artist, and gave me some supplies to get started. Snce that time I have been commissioned to paint a mural on the wall at church, and a wall at the home of a friend. 
   Without sounding bored, here we are at another Monday, and so it begins anew.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Ah Sunday, just like any other day, woke up early and figured out what to eat for breakfast, then write it all down, and then take my medicine. Now for the meal, right now it consists of oatmeal, strawberries, and a cup of Cap, good start.
   Been working on a new idea for a tuning changer for a steel guitar. It is a new concept using cams to increase or relax the tension on the strings to change the tuning. Have already proven out the design, but needs to be refined, meeting a little resistance, but may work out yet.
   Back to Sunday, and it seems the days run together, I suppose that is just part of getting old.
    New at this blogging, it may take awhile to get into the swing of things, I have a long list of interests, and will share them with you all as time permits. A short list would have to include, the steel guitar, writing, painting, golf, and fishing, not in that order of course. I guess that is enough for now , signing off.