We met for coffee, both a little early, picked out some BBQ sauce and a bag of charcoal. It’s the first farmers market of the season, lots of radishes, early garlic, asparagus and spring salads available. Ooh a basket of snow peas lets get some of them. Next stop Salvation Army, I found a screen roller I’ll need, a long handle spark lighter needs flint, a drill missing a plug and key. Raven got a book. We stopped in Geyserville, me to the mercantile for a plug and key for my drill, then met Raven across the street at the antique store where they have chalkboard paint. Basically water base paint with clay and chalk in it, would be easy to make as I have betonite clay powder for sand casting. To home.
I fired up the charcoal in the chimney starter, marinated the O chicken tenders in BBQ sauce, pulled the silk from the TJ’s corn leaving the husks on and wet, set up the steamer with the stringed snow peas. I hosed down the newly cut grass just in case, using Joe’s old grill I retrieved from Elliot’s after assembling his new gas Weber. Chicken and corn on, slathered BBQ sauce on the chicken, fire up the steamer peas. Set the table in the back yard room with a view, butter on a butter plate, salt, pepper, seasonings. It’s ready, so good, sweet corn dripping butter, moist done chicken tenders, and spring peas with nothing on them, perfect. So good, the cats even waited until after for pets.
Raven back to work on staining and painting the sandwich sign. I started turning more spokes for the last small wheel, figuring turning will make less dust to get in the paint. She found the masking tape and taped the birch plywood to stain the outer frame. I removed the A hinge so she could cover. Three sawhorses to hold the sign up in the middle, she stained the inside too, then finished the last spoke, touched up the ends of the few turned ones as needed. The chalkboard paint is strange stuff, thick gel (mud) and dries really fast. She used the same tape to mask the frame, already cut to length. Two or three coats, then using a pin to get into the edges with this thick stuff.
It will need to be primed with chalk, looks good. She darkened the top end grain cuts, even better. I used longer 1″ screws on the A hinge, picked up at Harry’s. I finally finished turning all the hub tenons, my legs tired from standing that long. I sanded one more fellow, enough for today. This is the last wheel, 80 spokes done now. Six more fellows to sand, then drill eight, weld a tire. It’s close.
Friday I talked to friend Kurk at work, he has a diesel truck and is willing to help us haul the vardo in to the DMV next Friday to register. This will be a big deal. Stay tuned.
8shotoflove8 