DWH Does NOLA

Two weeks ago we played a packed house in down town New Orleans. We also rode the ferry, ate crawdads, drank Abita, and savored beignets. And payed way too much for parking.

Best Scout Campout Ever

A very generous patron donated his land for our Scout troop last weekend: both sides of Onion Creek for probably a mile stretch. Great weather and some fall foliage made it the perfect campout. Zero injuries and dinner from Poke-e-Joe's were the icing on the cake.

Christmas Time!

Thanksgiving was great- had good time with the family, and a little time to make the yoke for the canoe's sailing rig. Now, bring on Christmas! Two years ago a good friend (whose name I will not mention without permission, as is my policy) had the pleasure of hosting a party featuring a traveling bard of the Yule, Julian Koster, who had achieved world-wide notoriety playing with the Neutral Milk Hotel project. The evening was magical, and the performance was spell binding, combining music, storytelling, and magic tricks. The next year was a great year for us- luck, or something more? Either way, it was the perfect start to a season usually filled with consumerism and void of brotherly love.
This year our friend was again chosen for the honor of hosting Julian, and this time the Music Tapes also. The set was of glowing plastic lawn decorations, an old film projector, and a mystical piano playing automaton. More music, stories, and magic (still don't know how he does it!). Two short videos to give you the idea of the sounds we heard. The first is of the banjo played with a bow (there is a digital blip in the sound at one point). The second is the musical saw played over sweet old-timey music (and me giggling- those musical sheep were just so gosh-darned cute!). The camera captured some sort of spirit orbs on this one. Not surprised.

East Travis County

I've very seldom been to Eastern Travis County, and had never been on the stretch of the Colorado River that runs through it until yesterday. The family and I took out the canoe to enjoy each other and the Indian Summer. There were a few tiny rapids, and after paddling upstream (and at times upwind) to lunch on a small island, it was fun to ride them back down. We moved at times 4 mph without paddling, according to the GPS. The trip and this book made me want to plan a bigger canoe trip even more than I had before. I HAVE to finish the sailing rig first, though. My idea is to spend 3 days in the boat from Pace Bend to Grelle Nature Area and back, and I'm not paddling the whole 27 miles if I can help it.

Halloween

There is no other time like it. Especially when you're 12. I've always loved Halloween, even the year I was Wolfeman and it took 30 excruciating minutes for my mom to dispatch all the fake hair we had glued to my face. It is the epitome of childhood: creative, free, exciting (a little scary- the good kind), and mischievous. These things are lacking in adulthood. This is Miles as "Stick Man. A Glow-in-the-Dark Homage to Popular Flash Game Heroes".

We're Famous!

This is where we played last Sunday: the farm. Folks were plotting the field with little blue plastic surveyor flags that flickered in the sunlight when the wind blew through them. It looked like a stadium of flashing cameras, and there we were on the edge of the field under two ancient pecan trees playing to nature (and nature's folk). This was a good time, and it made it to the (online version of) the local newspaper. That still counts, right? And if our drummer's wife happens to be a photographer for the Austin American Statesman?

Check it out: http://galleries.statesman.com/gallery/johnsons-backyard-garden-potluck/ , and click here to see more about the local organic farm that hosted it all: http://www.jbgorganic.com/ . I learned that over half of the drummer/photo couple's diet is grown right here. Order you up some grub today!

Time to introduce the band:

The Dark Water Hymnal is: (from left) Mike Huebner, guitar/bells; Brandon Bunch, piano/bass/percussion; Jeremy Ballard, acoustic guitar/vocals; Andrea Couch, violin/vocals; Bryan Blanton, drums. Photo by the magical Kelly West.

Priceless...

Saved an Independence Brewery "OU Sux" amber all year, in hopes it would raise the '09 mojo like a pheonix from the ashes. It did not. It did actually taste ok, though, and earlier in the day I was able to subvert a poor young child, cruelly born unto a Sooner "friend" of mine.

Lots O' Shows...

ya'll should come to one! Check out TheDarkWaterHymnal.com . Here's our next one:

Another Fine Day...

except for the rain. You'll usually never hear a Texan (or this one, anyways) complain that it rained a bit. But rain it did, and cut the sailing short. This week I was aboard a Melges 24, a very fast boat that can get you very wet. The 2 coolest things were the foresails: a furling jib (a front sail that kind of winds itself up when you're not using it) and an asymmetric spinnaker (the big colorful sail that one uses when sailing downwind). The spinnaker was attached to a bowsprit (a spar that sticks out straight ahead from the bow, like the nose on a sword fish) that was retracted, and shot out of the "nose" of the boat when you needed it. It looked like something an evil mastermind would come up with. No pictures of it, but here's some more boats on the water. I know ya'll are getting tired of those, but I never will.

Texicanus odocoileus virginianus

Commonly known as "Hill deer", this native Texan has been known to cross streets in Northwest Austin without warning. It feels most comfortable near propane and propane accessories. Diet: Luanne Platters at Luby's.

The New Year

I kind of see September as the beginning of the new year. New school clothes, new class mates, new subjects- a clean slate. There's nothing about January that says "new", except new toys from Christmas. It's not the solstice, and it's not even like we're bored because we haven't had a holiday or a day off in a while (why not move it to February?). So September it is, for me. This is the rainbow that was showing off on the last day of August. I think it's a good sign for a good year to come (especially since it hadn't rained more than a trace since July). You'll notice the higher end of the spectrum seemed particularly burnt orange.
Happy New Year.

Regatta 1

Great weather for sailing on Sunday. Another class at Austin Yacht, and a great race afterwards.
The wind was calm for "morning lessons". Got a pic of one of the four C130's that flew right over us in formation while we were out. Then the wind picked up a bit, I got on as midshipman on another J-24, and raced in the afternoon. These guys are sharp: 24 ft boats coming within a couple of feet from each other, brushing against one another's sails, and not one collision. It was crazy being in the fray with so many boats around (the pic shows them all spread out 20 minutes before the start). I would have taken more pics, but was too busy helping win!

The Dog Days

This next week will be the worst- the last of the Summer. Highs will continue to be in the 100's and the start of football will remain just out of reach. This would be a good week to sit, scheme, and review my designs.
Work on the canoe finally reconvened yesterday, and almost a full ounce of hops were harvested from my vine and brewed into a pale ale. Not a bad weekend, for the dog days.

Miles says...

"That's the nice thing about sunsets: the colors always kind of go together."

Off the balcony after this evening's storm.

Silly Project #489

But really, spending time with your kid making something cool out of old toys is never silly. This was our proof of concept model: using an RC toy connected to other things to make them work. After we get this boat tweaked, we're on to the RC blimp. Then, the world!
Sorry for the poor video quality- I was trying to juggle the camera and the remote at the same time.

HMS Investigator Found

Parks Canada went looking for one of the famous ships of Arctic explorer Sir John Franklin this summer- and found it, 150 years old. One down, two to go. You should also check out the links to descriptions of the voyage on the website:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100729/ap_on_re_ca/cn_canada_franklin_ship_found

BOAT BIKE

The Boat Bike concept was one of those wild hairs that crop up when you're staring down a Texas Summer that will need plenty of excuses to be in the water, and waiting for UT football to start. I had seen one before while canoeing Town Lake a few years ago- a craft made out of a modified bicycle with pontoons attached, just paddling through the water. The idea of having the thing be able to ride from land into the water was my friend Bryan's. He likes to think big, and he was enthusiastic about the idea (but unfortunately is in New York for the summer). So I thought up some plans, sold an old laptop at Rex's garage sale for $18, bought a bike on craigslist, and recruited some friends to help assemble. Flip had some leftover plywood, I have a million screws and lag bolts from previous projects, Emily brought the beverages, and Brandon & Marie had the perfect place to build (and a lot of good ideas about the construction). 8 hours of labor and a little time on the water with friends was a great way to spend the weekend. Maybe next year we'll think bigger (a boat-bike race, perhaps?). Watch the vid. Also, see the craft pass the "Blanton Test".

Sucks To Be These Guys

...or maybe very lucky.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38339576/ns/world_news-africa

Austin Yacht Club

Sounds pretentious, doesn't it? It was far from it.

I responded to an ad on craigslist for free sailing lessons, and although I was expecting them to try to sell me something after the supposed lesson, I went for it anyways. I showed up at Austin Yacht Club a half hour early, having left my house in plenty of time not to miss any action. It was almost 100 degrees, and wind was a mere 5 knots at best; I was armed with sunscreen and Dale's Pale Ale (have I mentioned I love Dale's Pale?). I took a look around the docks and trailers at some beautiful boats before the class and was getting excited.

It finally came time for the class, and there turned out to be quite a few people in attendance (maybe 15). The first part of the lecture: "We aren't selling anything- we just like to sail!". I was relieved. I spent the next hour listening about parts of the boat, how to use the wind- all the basics I already know but have to go through to get to the next level. Yep. They have levels. I can go every month, learn more and more, and crew in a race on a J-24 (or some other boat) for free! Man, I am loving this. To race, these boats need 5 people. So the owners/skippers are looking for good folks to hang with and be good sailors. Sign me up!

The gentleman with whom I sailed after the lecture part of the class had a trimaran, or as he called it, a "cat-and-a-half". The wind picked up a little, I got in some good time on the tiller, and shared some beer. Of course: the owner/captain turned out to be a home brewer. Like I needed another sign that I had reached Nirvana.

The larger boat was fast and exciting- and expensive. I'll put it this way: the main sail was about 10x the cost of my entire Sunfish and trailer. The hulls on the outside folded up easily so it could be put on a trailer, and it had a daggerboard (like a retractable keel) to make it even simpler.

Well, my hat is off to the Yacht Club and the nice people I met. I will be back every chance I get.

Attached cellphone pics: trailer lot, trimaran ready for boarding, main sheet (view from the back moving at about 7 knots)

BP Caps Well (Well, Maybe)

Whew- glad THAT'S over.

Can we have our gulf back now, please?

200 Year Old Ship Found at Ground Zero

Whaaaat? Yep. Check out the link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/15/world-trade-centre-hull-ship

Wonder whose it was. Maybe there will be some buried treasure on board. What would you do with a million doubloons...

Buy some of these (big beers, I mean), clearly, but then what?

Mark Twain, Dead for a Century

Check out news on his autobiography coming out: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/10/books/10twain.html?_r=1&emc=eta1
I am going to start starting off entries with some Mark Twain quotes. Here are a few favorites for now (and I only got through the 'F's!):
"Action speaks louder than words but not nearly as often."
"All you need is ignorance and confidence and the success is sure."
"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt."
"Civilization is the limitless multiplication of unnecessary necessities."
"Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first."
"Facts are stubborn, but statistics are more pliable."
"Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it."

More Diversion

Well, another day off to work on projects, and still no work on the canoe. I think I'll wait until end of summer to keep going.

But I did get some things started: a trailer hitch bike rack almost done (those things are expensive! Even on craigslist they're $75. I bought $18 worth of steel and fasteners, welded one joint at my folks', and used some scrap wood- voila! Ghetto rack!), and almost done with a cheese press for hard cheeses (this is another item that is ridiculously over-priced, even on ebay. PVC, cutting board, springs/bolts and a little elbow grease: under $12. Enjoying homemade aged cheddar: priceless). Attached are cell phone pics of each of these projects at their current stage. Will post for-real pics when they're done.

A Quick Thought

Maybe some of you linguists or anthropologists can help me out. I'm thinking that if words that represent positive ideals, attributes, etc. were easier to say than negative ones, we may be a happier people- a kind of extension of the "it takes fewer muscles to smile than it does to frown" type thing. "Smile" and "laugh" can stay. Words like "hate" and "fear" would be changed to "hopplefluffengraas" and "farkleschtuumpf". Any ideas?
p.s. All the negatives don't have to be German/Swedish hybrids.

Prehistoric Whale-Eating Whale Found in Peru

I love this kind of stuff. They call it "Leviathan melvillei".

The Dark Water Hymnal Records Again!

We spent 13 hours recording our next album, Chandeliers, last Sunday. 13 hours, and we're not even half-way done. Below is a pic of Brandon (bass, piano, percussion) strategizin' to go on and get his folk on. Check out our website to see who we are (or, who we were last year).

Hop Harvest

Oh, happy day! The first hop cones are mature and ready for harvest. There are several others still on the vine, and lots more just starting to bud. I think it's a race: will the cones mature before the Texas heat completely withers the vine? Stay tuned to find out!

Formulas for Sailing Town Lake

I know it's Lady Bird Lake now, but I don't know if I'll ever get used to it.
I shirked canoe building for a day of sailing the Colorado River in the Sunfish. The Sunfish is a 13ft. sailboat built in '68 with 1 sail , and I'm only going to have it for the rest of the summer, then our friend and part-owner (and person housing the boat) wants her garage back. We're going to miss the old boat- lots of great memories; hopefully we can make some more before she's gone.
Today I made it from Fiesta Shore to Red Bud Island in under an hour. It only took 4 hours to tack 50,000 times to get back. The wind was gusty and tricky, shifting from east to south and back constantly. It made navigating around all those canoe/kayak/paddle board renters an adventure, and the rowers kept eyeing me anxiously. The bridges were the worst: for both 1st street and IH-35 I had to take down the sail and paddle through. It was a great day, and I learn something every time I go out. For instance, if there is little wind and things are calm, open a Dale's Pale Ale. It's like washing your car to make it rain. The wind gods take notice when you are fumbling to control the rudder with one hand and using your other hand and both feet for the main sheet and cracking open a beer.
I have thus created "Captain Hammer's Proofs and Postulates for Sailing Town Lake (or Lady Bird Lake). Some are universal to sailing, but some are specific to sailing Town Lake in a kick ass sunfish:

1) sail area x wind speed = velocity of your sailboat

2) bottles of water imbibed /opportunities you'll have on your trip to pee = how many beers you can have

3) degrees Fahrenheit x number of the day (Monday being 1, Sunday being 7) / the Sunfish constant = how many times some kayak cutie will see the Sunfish and say "That's, like, awesome!"

I Hate to Waste

Anyone who knows me knows that I hate to waste things- I have screws and washers from things I took apart 9 years ago.
So, I'm sitting here at work looking out the window, watching all this wind go by, and I don't have a damn thing with which to catch it...
All wasted.

Things I Have Learned

Been busy: wedding, bachelor weekend, another San Diego trip, etc, etc, no excuses, I'm a slacker. I have some catching up to do- on the canoe and on the blog. Canoe work will continue this weekend (the boy is leaving for scout camp, and I'm taking Monday off. Perfect weekend to work). Blog catch up: things I've learned since last post

1. caterpillars like peppers
2. it only takes some rented tuxes and a thousand dollar camera to make you and your friends look like Reservoir Dogs bad asses
3. it only takes one asparagus spear to make my pee smell weird

Pictures I've taken since last post:

1. huge sailboat in San Diego bay; the one in the middle is at least twice the size as your average boat (black sail)
2. inside Enchanted Rock cave
3. "Pepe, the Pepper Eating Caterpillar". That bastard was as big as a finger after decimating my serranos.
4. Groomsmen at Lee's wedding. I'm second from the left, Mr. Blonde. Which Reservoir Dog are you? Find out.

Simple Diagram

Here's the big picture as promised. The sections in black are "phase I", meaning this will be made first and is the minimum I need to get this thing moving. "Phase II" is in red- these are things I will add later to make it faster. Phase II includes adding some square footage to the mainsail by making it a lateen sail, making a jib sail, and making pontoons (attached on arms to the sides, called "outriggers", like Polynesian canoes)(not shown in the diagram). These additions will double my sail area, and the outriggers will make it easier not to flip over when the wind gusts into my awesome new double-sized sails.

Fern Sex

Not alot of progress this week. Got to go to San Diego again, but didn't get to go to the bay. Instead I went to the San Diego Zoo- or, as I call it, the Sex Zoo. I enjoyed it, and admire and appreciate all the conservation they do. But all the sex signs were out of control. I also have a short video of the Bonobo chimps, but won't post it for fear of inclusion in some FBI list of perverts.

Email me if you want a copy.

Next installment: crude copy of boat diagram!

Daggerboards have finally started taking shape. Time to start the yoke on which to hang them. Looking forward to getting some good work done on everything this weekend- not alot planned now, but you know how that goes.

You can see from this angle the profile of the daggerboards- a wing shape. For the most part things that are aerodynamic are also hydrodynamic, the two fluids (air and water) behaving in much the same way. Also pictured is half of a 1/2" PVC pipe that will be fitted to the leading edge, to prevent substantial scarring if the soft pine daggerboards run aground.

Who Doesn't Like Peanut Butter?

I was talking to someone about this the other day, and thought it'd be a good subject on which to test the "take a poll" gadget. Seriously, who doesn't like peanut butter? It's universal. People who are allergic still like it. I don't even know a zoo animal that doesn't like it. It's not just cross-species, it's cross-class (taxonomically): mammals, reptiles, birds, and fish love it. Maybe even invertebrates.


Because there are (currently) too few followers of this blog to make any poll statistically significant, I am expanding the question to include people you know. This also makes the identity of the unholy butter-hater blinded to me, which is how I prefer it. I don't want to lose any friends over this, but if you don't like peanut butter then let me refer you to some counseling. Really. How can zoofulls of critters be wrong?

No work on the boat this last week, but I did do a little maritime research in San Diego. Their bay hosts the oldest active sailing ship in the world, the Star of India. Check out its history:

http://www.sdmaritime.org/star-of-india/

Pretty cool stuff. It's fascinating how much rigging is on one of those suckers. I don't know if I could ever remember which line is for what. And the thing has an iron hull, weighing up to 1,318 tons when loaded. And it's been around the world 21 times! A true testament to wind power. Wonder what the sail area would be, fully rigged...

Does This Tortilla Look Suspicious?

Some people see Jesus in their IHOP short stack. Others get La Virgen impressed into their gordita. This is what I get: a sign from the TexMex Gods- and I don't think it's a good one. Is Mamasita trying to tell me something?

It took me almost five minutes to dispel this bad joojoo. The only way to do it is to maul the Mal Tortilla de Calavera and chase it with 2-3 good tortillas. A "healthy" slathering of queso helps 'em go down quicker.

My dad has a lot of great tools. And a lot of great know-how. If a trip ever takes me to my folks' place, you can bet I get a lot done on any one of my ongoing projects. And a lot did get done this weekend: daggerboards have been cut and have started taking shape.

It may be time to take a moment and discuss these, the first parts of my sailing canoe. Daggerboards are keels- the middle part of the boat that hangs down vertically into the water. They help a boat from tipping over, and are crucial in sailing ships to keep them going forward while travelling in any direction that's not directly away from the wind. Most people who haven't sailed wonder how a boat can go anywhere but where the wind is blowing. There's plenty of good information out on the internet, but I'll try to briefly explain the function of the keel. Imagine you are in a boat at the center of a clock, and the wind is blowing at you from 12 o'clock. Your sailboat can actually go in any direction from around 1:30 to around 10:30, thanks in large part to the keel (your sail is, of course, playing a huge role, but I won't talk about this now). If you are in a boat without a keel and you are going, let's say, towards 9 o'clock, then the wind will simply push you side-ways (towards the 6). The keel is like a vertical wing that keeps you slipping through the water 90 degrees from the wind. Take a small boogie board into a pool and test it. If you put it under water and try to "flap" it, it will tend to "slice" through the water perpendicular to the force you apply on it (it will try to "slip" to the side). Same with the keel.

Small boats with a "shoal draft" (boats that don't stick into the water very deep, and can get into shallow water) have ways to make sure the keel doesn't run aground. Nicer boats have a "swing keel" that can be retracted under the boat. Smaller boats have a "centerboard" keel, or one that can be simply pulled up through a well in the middle of the boat. These are sometimes called "daggerboards".

To make sure I have enough keel surface to allow me to maneuver my boat (enough to keep it from blowing side-ways), but keep the daggerboards short so I can get into most of the usual "canoe spots" (shallow water), I am using 2- one daggerboard that hangs on each side of the boat exactly half way between bow and stern (front and back). They will also be able to retract (swing up).

I don't have any pictures of them, and they wouldn't be much to look at in their present state, so here's a picture of one of my hop vines instead- 2 inches tall already! (It looked like a 5 inch long stick, planted horizontally 1" under the soil surface, just 1 week ago!)

Full On Springing

Don't you love it when you request a day off 2 weeks in advance, for no other reason than just needing a day off, and the weather turns out to be the best in months? Friday was gorgeous. I hadn't taken the Li'l Longhorn (the canoe) out all winter, and her spring-time debut was perfect. I paddled my lady and myself from the Walsh landing to Laguna Gloria where we had lunch on the little dock. The weather continued throughout the weekend, and graced all my spring rituals: brewing a batch of hefeweizen with Bryan, planting 3 hop rhizomes, and an evening of poker and drinks on Governor T's veranda.

The canoe is in perfect shape, and ready to be outfitted with a sail. It was good to paddle around and remember both how maneuverable she is, and how lazy I am and how much I'd love to harness some of that free wind power to save my paddling arm.

Next weekend starts the construction in ernest. The challenges, obstacles, and goals are as follows:

1. No part of the original canoe will be altered in any way. Every component to make her sail will be removable without leaving any sign it was there.

2. It has to be easy. Not simple to make, but easy to tear down, transport, and set up.

3. And, as always, it has to be cheap.

A Blog is born, I reckon

The first wildflowers are here- pink ones in the median. I remember ’07: a wet winter and a mild summer left the usually-scorched road sides lush with all kinds of color, even into August. I can’t remember much about ’08. Or was ’08 the good summer, and ’07 the forgettable one? I forget.
There’s at least one instance a week where I stop and realize that my memory is getting duller, or that my emotions are getting muted compared to when I was a kid. These things go hand-in-hand: memory and emotion. Maybe there just isn’t much new stuff in my life to surprise me anymore, things in the recent past just get mushy in my mind, and so the years just roll by. If this is the trend, I am determined to change it.

Resolution #1: Be surprised more. Do more cool stuff.

I also think writing could be an important part of this phenomenon. Every Wednesday my eleven-year-old son brings home a folder of his week’s work: pages of writing and analysis, thoughts and descriptions. I don’t write anymore. I’ve never come into work on the first day of fall and had my boss say, “I want a 3 page essay about your summer on my desk by close of business today. Be sure to include your three favorite things, and at least one thing you didn’t like about it.” And so the summer and my memories of it slip away, and life has just become that much shorter.

Resolution #2: I will write in my blog at least one time a week, and include at least one picture.

The more stuff I do, and remember doing, the longer life will be. Or, seem, anyways. So my plan is basically to stay a kid- a perpetual Tom Sawyer. To keep imagining, exploring, planning adventures- and then be sure and complete my self-imposed writing assignment.

My first adventure: to make my canoe sail, and then to see where it takes me.