Days 38 and 39: It's Not My Fault!

Day 38

The power was out in the neighborhood last night, so I couldn't do my homework and blog. There was a lightening strike that sounded like it was in the back yard. I heard a really loud, high-pitched scream and realized once I opened my eyes that it was me screaming! I'm okay, though. The five year-old boy in the house was so sweet that he told me not to be scared of the thunder because we are inside and safe. What a good boy!

Yesterday at the shop was wonderful because we got to glue up my first machine! We went through three dry runs, and I'm sure glad that we did. Of course the more that I practice a thing the better that I will be at it. So I really appreciated this repetition. Dwain uses fish glue or hide glue on his instruments in case someone does some damage to it he can get into it and repair it. I'm going to continue this because I want the same thing to happen. This way if someone brings me one to repair it'll be easier to take apart and reassemble.

So we spent the morning doing that, and then moved on to templates. One of the great thing about working under Dwain is that as I build an instrument I get to make the templates for that machine. This is really wonderful and a bonus that I didn't know that I got. I knew I got to take an instrument home, but there are so many extras that I get, too.

I'll get materials for the nut and saddle--I'm learning how to make them out of shank bones. Here is a mess of bones that has been soaking in gasoline so that the grease is removed. It is from these that I'll make my blank nuts and saddles. Too cool. So now I'll have white (bone) and black (the ebony I took from Walt's).

We cut the templates out of some kind of lithographer or printing material. It is just perfect because it can be cut out fairly easily but is really durable. I also started making the jigs to hold the reinforcing wood at the sound holes. Really, there is just so much that has to be done on a machine that the more jigs and templates there are the more consistent I can be. I love that Dwain has a record of all of the instruments he's made, including notes on how the instrument plays, intones, etc. And I get to have all of this as part of the apprenticeship! Score!

I'm not sure what the difference is but I feel like Dwain and I have been less of the deep, meaningful talking that we do when snacking. I'm sure this is not the case because yesterday we talked about love and life and war and death. So maybe I'm just not listening as much as I was. I will, too--listen more. There will come a time when I cannot have these conversations with Dwain, and he is a really interesting guy who's done much in the world. I'd be a fool not to ask questions and listen. We are all fools for not asking questions and listening to those who are in the sunset of their lives. Even if that person has done things that I could not or would not do I can learn from them. Where are our wise ones, our shaman to teach us metaphor? What happened to the apprenticeship?

I've been trying to figure out what to do with the sound holes for my machines. I showed Dwain our logo, and he felt that it'd be fine. So I was drawing it out to see what it'd look like. I think it'll be fine, and it really is from Val and me, which makes it that much better. But I'm going to figure out how to--or even if I will--make the circle around it. Purfling? Dwain suggested that I could use a pyrography pen since I was planning on burning into the surface anyway. But burning a circle is some precision stuff. I don't know if I wan to commit to that now. I'll have an answer after the first few machines are built, I'm sure.

Day 39

This morning is beautiful, and I took advantage of the weather to go to the market for some fruit. I didn't get quite as much this time because I went shopping with Gretchen a couple of days ago. So I have cheese, bananas, and eggs. I wanted to get apples and grapes, which I did. And I saw the pickle vendor again, and so I got the same hot and spicy pickles that I got last time. I am not disappointed!

The market had a bit of a different feel to it today. There were a lot of people, but it was not as crowded as last time. And there are more vendors this time. They had to put tents up outside in the open areas. But it is wonderful to see so much local stuff being made and sold here. There are so many kinds of vegetables, cheeses, meats--you name it there is someone selling it here.

There is a guy who sits at the same place every week and sells water. I always buy one on the way out because it is over a mile to the market. So I drink my water on the walk home.

Then I got home and started doing my homework. But George feels that I've been doing enough homework and not enough of loving him up. So he blocked.

There is a festival, one of the biggest in Rochester, and I'm going to walk over to look at the arts and crafts. Dwain told me yesterday that the thing had turned pretty commercial, and it really had. One great thing that I saw was some artwork in a church. There was one woman who was sketching in her sketchbook, and she had about 20 paintings in a room. There were some drawings and prints, too. They were remarkable to me, and she really had the energy of a great painter in an untrained person, you know, we call them "Outsiders." But I never really did. Those people are so inside of themselves that they talk to god. I call them "Insiders." I'm going back tomorrow to see her work again.



At some point I had dinner, which consisted of a spicy pickle, cheddar cheese, raspberries, and two homemade cookies. The berries were picked out of the back yard, and the cookies where made by Gretchen's middle daughter.





I spent most of the day sitting outside looking at a catalogue of dulcimers and thinking about what mine will look like and how they will be received. I think some people are excited because I'm excited, but I really am working hard to be great at what I will do. I will be. Great.