popeye the sailor

well.....well.....well.........not enough time for the ship, eh ? it understandable your on vacation.........a road trip of emense proportion. way too much to think of.....and do.......to be able to settle down enough for ship building. your not in any place long enough to feel any sort of normalcy. It's OK.........don't feel bad......keep us up to date with where you are on your trip.......if you take some cool pictures......we'd love to see them. remenber.......you can mix business with pleasure......but, you can't mix pleasure with pleasure

Happy was a child.....he understood us and we him......with or without the need for words. having him for the 12 years that we had him, were the best years.......because he was in them. it's funny........in the beginning, I didn't care for the idea of having a dog....too many bad memories {it's all in my mini book}. all it took though, was one stupid episode......the rest is history. the things we did together.....the admiral thought we were crazy......more-so, some of the things I was doing. the mini ice rink.......the snow paths in the backyard......the snow mound.......we had fun.....and he enjoyed it very much. we had to put him to sleep due to a nurological disease that affected his hind legs. it got to the point where he could hardly walk.......we knew it was time. Gibbs is quite different.......he's a half pint.......I think he was the runt of the litter. he sure acts the part. the lash couple of years was a trial....he seemed to have a dislike towards the admiral. he would go after her.....sometimes quite meanly......biting at her and tearing at her clothes. I still have a leash tied to my build table, where I would put him whenever he displayed this behavior. I have some pictures of him, where you can see the devil in his eyes. we couldn't have mats on the floor, or give him any toys at all...he would just tear them up. I did find a couple of balls that were indistructable that he plays with. when he was on the leash, I made it a point for her to take him off of it, and created games that she could play with him. he has mellowed out a lot now that he's four, but he still tried to show dominance.......we are able to stop it with touch, or I just turn him to direct it at me, and then I calm him down. I think he was taken away from his brood way too soon......he never learned to cope.....and he developed his own way of doing it. of course, it's the wrong way......so we had to show him the correct way. as I mentioned, he does comunicate with his 'lip service' and from there we have come to be able to decipher what he wants. he is a good boy at heart.......his rough edges are rounding out.

I'm pulling for you Sjors........hoping you can find some relief hello Alex. it took me a moment to figure out what you meant....when I did, I felt like such a dur. I followed the plans...that's the way they show them they are all like that........the relation between the walls {bulkheads} and deck are done in two different shades of Annegre {two variants of mahogany}. to look at them now, it's hard to see the difference. I have to stain the bulwarks and the outer hull....staining the deck and bulkheads at this stage is going to be hard to do, so I will do them as well. I hope the different shades stand out. redoing them would be a pain at this point......trimming to fit the bulwark edge, and of course, the close quarters.......I think it's best to leave them as they are. I need to scratch make the doors....parts missing in the kit. everything seems to hinge now on getting the hull stained and painted, so I still have some work to do yet, till then.

best wishes for a fun filled birthday........hope you dont have to work {like I'm going to have to}

mmmfmuif, {takes mask off} yepper Andy, looks like I'm donning the mask a bit longer...Sjors had to go and find the resistant strain. thanks for the congrats......glad my work week is over

don't be too hard on her.....what breed is she? both of my dogs were puppies when we got them. Gibbs is our second American Eskimo. our first one.....Happy...was a handful. one day we left him alone to run a couple errands. we came home to a house with toilet paper from one end to the other..........he had gotten into the package {about six rolls} and chewed them apart. he grew to be a wonderful companion and friend.......had to be everywhere I was........we lost him too soon. I have so many stories about what he and I did, I wrtote a book {somewhat}....it isn't finished.....I haven't the heart to do so. Gibbs on the other hand, is very demanding.....and very vocal. he does a sort of 'lip service' that I have come to understand. he's definitely a daddy's boy. both of these 'boys' would stay near me when I worked on my models. the big difference is that Happy would stay with me until I went to bed, and he would not chew anything. gibbs will settle down in another room if he gets bored......and he does tend to chew thing that fall to the floor, if I don't calch it right away.....mostly small parts. he's four now......grown out of many puppy traits.

oh......my! I guess the chew toy wasn't enough.....huh. don't be discouraged {I'm not} I'm sure you'll spark it up again......I'll just keep my eye out until you do. I do hope your puppy didn't swallow any of it.......he won't like what nature has in store.

awwwww, when you put the catheads back on.....just touch it up with whatever finish you used......that'll take care of the white, I think. I wouldn't be able to do that on the Goth........they are nailed down! hee......hee {perhaps a wee bit 'o sand'in too}

thanks Michael.....good 'ole american beer took care of that I'll be back here shortly.

you started it....cool! that signature die cut look......like the parts were cut with a dull blade {puckered wood}. I remember it well yea, sanding will bring it down quick.....careful not to use too aggressive a grit. looking good though......are you going to do something with the view of the gundeck below, through the opening on the spar deck?

it'll be a pleasure....Sjors thanks Edwin!

thanks everyone......I still don't know anything yet. I will wait til tomorrow evening to call....I was kind of hoping that he would call me, or the O.P.P. {Ontario provincial police} might call. it was quite unnerving.......writing about muffins one moment....the next fielding a call like that! all I can say, is he definitely was NOT himself, and very agitated. I miss so much of the old days.....when I was young

you didn't waste any time.......it's good to see the dragen again

thanks everyone.......I still haven't heard anything. perhaps I'll find out more tomight. I remember the old days......when large patches of these berries could be found......blackberries, black rasberries, rasberries....and even blueberries. as kids we used to pick them and bring them to mother.......and wait for the reviews. another nut we had around our area, was hazel nuts......we used to pick them, and put them in the hay loft in paper bags and wait fore them to turn brown. then peel the dried covering crack and eat...... there was so much to be found in the wild.....the only thing one had to worry about when venturing in these areas .......was bears

you take your medicine.........or I'll help you! I wants yas ta fell better Ak-k-k-k-k-k-k! thanks anja.......I absolutely LOVE it! I'll save it to my folder of popeye stuff. perhaps it will be my next avatar thanks Mobbsie and John......I'll try to get some progress done soon.

very nice frank........weren't your catheads attached to the ship.............OK.......what have you done with it?

thanks Mobbsie and Bob......I think I'll stay on this build a while oh Frank......I can only work on one build at a time....although the Goth and the Half Moon are the only builds on the tables. I quickly took a picture to my space {that's one dead soldier} to give you all an idea of how I work them. this will answer your question as well, Tom. the drafting table is the main table....the goth is not leaving this table unlesit is finished. I have some mast dowels in the Half Moon......I did it for my grand sons. I let them pick up things with the tweezers. I think it's about time I introduce them to snap together stuff [it'll drive their father {my son} crazy} ....hee..hee I try not to involve too many builds, unless something needs extended drying time {that's another dead soldier}. I have had a hankering to pull out the United States gun deck and start planking, but if I do that, I'm going to want to do more.......and I don't want to muddy the water for the Gothenborg. so, I'll just play with these two builds for the moment. I have also been in serious conversation with the admiral. I told her of my thought not to put sails on the Gothenborg.....she thinks otherwise I don't need to be my own worse critic.......I have her you are correct though.......so much to do, sometimes I get confused, but it is obvious that I need to get the masts in place before I can go any further. more progress soon the muffins was a bit of a interlude. I went out with Gibbs and brought back a fairly decent amount of black rasberries. I came in and asked the admiral where the recipe was. she looked at them and told me I didn't have enough........so, she went to the local store and bought some. they were larger than the ones that I picked. it was quite funny working together....I can see why she prefers to do this by herself. I poured the flour in the measuring cup........of course she doesn't do that.....and she looked to make sure I poured the right amount. when I poured it into the mixer.......I found the scoup that she uses....didn't even notice it in there! Hee.....Hee {another dead soldier}. the mix made twelve of them......I tried to remove them from the muffin pan, but the big berries had settled to the bottom and stuck there.......there were voids in the bottoms of some of the muffins.........and there I am with a fork, eating the berries and muffin that had stuck to the bottom. there are only three of them left now, I will probably take them to work tomorrow. they came out very well.......and they tasted great! my grandsons liked them as well. no, I didn't take any pictures of them. perhaps I should have this post took longer than I expected......it was interupted by a disturbing phone call from my friend in Canada.......it prompted me to call the provincial police......I don't know what is going on....he wouldn't tell me. I hope everything's OK.

beautiful work Daniel......very pleasing to the eye!

I think I better get some more work done on the Half Moon

thanks Augie

I did a little more last evening........today, between the grand kids coming over and lawn care, I didn't get too far, bassically, it was just to rig the lift blocks on the main mast, and trim the rest of the ends on the mizzen blocks. more progress soon

that's what I thought too Andy.......but you'll be here before you know it thank you Sherry and John.......here's to hoping that the fleet doesn't get any bigger.......I seen a few that I like, and I'm starting to get that twitching again {must concentrate on the Goth)

good that your doing a log on this build Popjack. I'd like to do a larger scale of this ship in the future, and a head's up on thing would be a great help. you'll do well on this build........more than enough folks to lend a hand, if the need arrises

thanks every one! I made sure that I posted the 2000th post on Augie's build.......here's hoping that he makes it at least to 150 sure Andy.......but I'm wearing a face mask when I do.........scuba gear perhaps??? Billing's kits aren't too bad as far as kits go........I think that all kits are generic in one way or another. the instructions leave a lot to be desired, but I've learned to adapt. I tend to look at the assembly as a whole, and plan my own system. although I've only built one other manufacturer's kit, I see enough on the site here to know that there are short commings with every kit. if a kit is based on a given period of a ship, it's a given that there will be problems, due to the builder wanting to portray the ship at an earlier......or even later time in it's service. the economy of the kit as opposed to production.......they have to gett'em on the shelf as quick as possible. also in turn, there is always something in the kit, that the builder isn't satisfied with. so, there is a degree of bash involved.....and this distincts it from the true 'out of the box' build. so, it depends on the builder.......heck, I still figure myself to be quite a novice, compared to others on the site here. I like the 'advanced beginner' kits...and to me, an expert would find just as much enjoyment from them......more functional look.......cleaner construction...and sharper lines. most kit supply basswood strip stock, and I'm sure that the plywood panel billets are all of common stock.......I think it's the production and method of laser cutting that makes the difference. so Pawel.......what we are buying, is only the basis for a great looking build......it's our imagination and creativity as builders, that's going to turn that box of trinkets and sticks, into something so much more than that. I run for mayor next week........

hey, Augie........I had one more and this looked like a good place for a finish line gee, if I had the extra cash........I'd get me one too! I have plenty of paints, but it would be interesting to see what type they carry. are there any crime scene photos since you got on the case?