February 27, 2004

RunnerDuck Home

WELCOME BACK:   Last weekend we told you about our plans to go watch the Kalakala ferry boat leave its Lake Union moorage and head out through the Hiram Chittenden Locks for Neah Bay. Well we went for a boat ride on the M/V Fremont Avenue but only to go look at the old boat. Here's a picture of our tour boat, the M/V Fremont Avenue.

Even though she looks old it was built in 1984 after the classic lake ferries from back east. The boat was purchased in Cleveland, Ohio and trucked to Seattle, but that's another story!

Apparently there were some more complications with the Coast Guard and the state Department of Natural Resources regulations that prevented the Kalakala from moving. While the owner won't commit to a new date he is hopeful that they will be under way by next Monday, March 1st. Even though we didn't get to see her leave the moorage we did get within about 30 feet of her.


Talk about your major projects! This beautiful art deco old boat has a very long way to go. The long term goal is not to make her operable but restore her to the original look and turn it into a restaurant and meeting center. The final resting place is still up in the air but the first choice is Port Townsend. This could be a nice fit since Port Townsend is a really old sea town that has lots of artists and interesting works of art. We'll keep you informed as we learn more.

We spent the rest of our time acting like tourists cruising around Lake Union. We saw lots of interesting things including the many house boats populated around the lake. Amongst the 600 some house boats we saw the house where Sleepless In Seattle was filmed. We saw dry-docks, beautiful views of the Seattle skyline and Dale Chihuly's Lake Union studio/home. If you don't know, Dale Chihuly is probably the most famous glass artist in the world. If you ever get to Seattle take a cruse around our many waterways to find out lots of interesting things about the Seattle area.


We keep telling you about our craft site but have you actually gone and checked it out? We currently have Wood'n Wares, hand made maple kitchen utensils and Ron Godin's Adirondack art signs on display. These are some great crafts that would look great in your home or make great gifts. Check them out at www.runnerduck.com/craft.htm.
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Thank you,
Ken and Marilyn

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What's New This Week?   Leap Year! We were watching the news and heard them mention something about leap year. We checked our calendar and sure enough there are 29 days in February this year. Can you believe we almost missed it? So the big question is what are you going to do with your extra 24 hours this year? It seems funny but in the big scheme of things this event just sort of goes unnoticed. We think that since this is sort of a gift of time you should do something special with it. It only happens once every four years so start making plans. We will probably work in the yard or the wood shop, depending on the weather. Woops wait, that's what we usually do. Since that's pretty normal for us I guess we need to start making some plans also.

DigiTalk

      A good friend of ours, Ron R., phoned the other evening with a computer problem. I just happened to be in the middle of trying to rebuild one of my computers that had gotten bite by the LoveJoy virus. 515 files were infected and needless to say I ended up reformatting the hard drive and reinstalling Windows. I still don't have that box working but that's another story.

Ron was getting some funny warnings and his email in Outlook Express was acting up. After we tried a number of things we decided that he must have a virus also. He has McAfee but somehow something had gotten through. He made the comment that the red "M" (for McAfee) on his start bar had turned black. He said that it had been that way for quite a while. Well now I think I know how the virus got through. When the "M" is black that means that it is disabled. Ron should have gotten help as soon as he noticed that it was off.

All of this to say pay attention to the clues on your computer and if you see something funny check it out because it could turn into something else. Unfortunately I was unable to help Ron out because we kept getting an error message when he tried to reinstall his firewall and virus scan software. I told him to get a hold of McAfee to see what they suggest. I haven't heard back how things worked out. Like I always say, keep your shields up Scotty!


SITE OF THE WEEK

     As many of you know we like visual web sites where you can get lost for hours looking at neat pictures. Well this week we found a site that really fits that bill. The Micropolitan Museum takes a look at the microscopic world with some really beautiful and interesting photographs.
For several centuries artists have depicted the human figure, still-lifes, landscapes or non-figurative motives. One subject has been widely neglected all those years: Micro organisms!
The Micropolitan Museum finally exhibits these often overlooked works of art which are only visible with the aid of the microscope. Curator Wim van Egmond has collected the finest microscopic masterpieces nature has ever produced during eons of natural selection and other life-sculpting mechanisms.
Visit the Micropolitan Museum at www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/micropolitan/index.html to get a different point of view.


MARILYN'S CORNER

Bird Nesting Wreath

     It won't be long and the little birdies will be building their nests. Something you can do for them is give them some nice soft material to help them out. You could spread some dryer lint around and that works pretty good but if you want to make your yard look nice during the process then this wreath is just the ticket. Be sure to help your children with this project since it uses hot melt glue.

Here's what you'll need:

Small Grape Vine Wreath
Hot melt glue gun
Spanish moss, green moss
Excelsior
Wool
Raffia

Glue bunches of nesting material on to the wreath.
Wrap Raffia around the wreath and tie it into a bow at the top.
Hang it outside on a tree and the birdies will love you!

     We hope you enjoy Marilyn's Corner and look forward to all the fun things she brings you each week. If you have a fun project that would be suitable for our newsletter we'd love to share it with our readers. Just contact marilyn@runnerduck.com and we'll do the rest.

Remember we have all of our past projects archived on our web site at www.runnerduck.com. Just click on the Projects or Kids Only Eggs.


Kids Stuff

Now that the birds are busy building their nests they are going to be very hungry. This nifty bird feeder should do the trick.
Precut wood, a plastic window, screws, nails, and easy-to-follow instructions let you breeze through construction and knock yourself out on décor with this bird feeder kit from Home Depot. All you need is a hammer and a Phillips head screwdriver to get started. The feeder fills from the top and spills food to the ledge as needed. The window allows you a view of the feeder's contents. Paint it, varnish it, sticker it, or do whatever you think says "Eat here!" to the birds of your locale. [Review by Ava Natov]

Click Here

The Tempos
News and CD of the Week

We've brought you many musician jokes from our friend Jeff F. in Texas. Well this week it's no joke, Jeff is offering his entire library of over 6,000 big band arrangements for sale. This is a ready made business for someone. He copies and sells these arrangements to people all over the world. His family is requiring more space and something has to go. So if you are interested in a really big music library just drop us a line and we'll put you in touch with him.


     The Tempos big swing band is available for hire. If you have a special event that could use the wonderful music of a classic sixteen piece big band be sure to contact thetempos@runnerduck.com. We perform all over the Seattle area for all sorts of events.

Album Pick of the Week

"In Other Words: The Songs of Bart Howard "
By KT Sullivan

We lost a great music composer and arranger this past week. Bart Howard pass away at age 88. Who's Bart Howard you ask? Have you ever heard the tune "Fly Me To The Moon"? That's Bart Howard. Other well-known songs include "Let Me Love You," "My Love Is a Wanderer," "Year After Year," "Welcome Home, Angelina," "Perfect Stranger," and the lyrics for "Don't Dream of Anybody but Me."
KT's renditions of Bart's songs are wonderful. Although a little biased KT's sister Stacy had this to say about this CD. "Let me say right out that I adore KT Sullivan as a singer and a sister! Her CD "In Other Words: The Songs of Bart Howard" just hasn't been reviewed yet by a customer on Amazon.com and I wanted to be the first to say that it is one of the finest CD's I have ever heard. Her rendition of "Fly Me to the Moon" (otherwise known as "In Other Words") is in itself worth the price of the Dafter hearing her version of it, I felt as if I had never actually heard the lyrics before. A close personal friend of Bart Howard, KT has given him a wonderful tribute, full of delightful stories of the man and his music."


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CONSERVATION TIP

      This is sort of a conservation/safety tip. When you are driving one of the most wasteful things you can do is step on the break. That is because you are wasting the energy it took to get you up to speed. The next time you are on the freeway check out how many people drive up on someone and slam on their breaks. Believe me it's a bunch! If you pay attention and drive further than a few feet in front of your car you will be able to slow down without touching the break. In other words, don't tail gate the person in front of you!

If you have a conservation tip please send it to conservation@runnerduck.com and we'll post it in our newsletter.


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JOKE OF THE WEEK

This week's joke came from Marilyn's dad Frank.

Fatherhood

A little boy got on the bus, sat next to a man reading a book, and noticed he had his collar on backwards. The little boy asked why he wore his collar that way.

The man, who was a priest, said, "I am a Father."

The little boy replied, "My Daddy doesn't wear his collar like that."

The priest looked up from his book and answered "I am the Father of many."

The boy said, "My Dad has 4 boys, 4 girls and 2 grandchildren and he doesn't wear his collar that way."

The priest, getting impatient, said, "I am the Father of hundreds" and went back to reading his book.

The little boy sat quietly thinking for a while, then leaned over and said, "Maybe you should wear your pants backwards instead of your collar."

   THIS WEEK'S FREE RECIPE

Excellent French Dressing

With many people getting on the low carb bandwagon they are eating more and more salads. Of course you need a really good tasting salad dressing on that salad and we think this one is tops! It comes from Marilyn's sister Sandy.

  • 3/4 Cup Sugar (Woops!! so much for the low carb :-)
  • 1 teaspoon Dry Mustard
  • 1/4 Cup Water
  • 1 teaspoon Paprika
  • Juice of 2 Lemons
  • 4 Tablespoons Vinegar
  • 1/2 Cup Catsup or Chili Sauce
  • 1 Cup Salad Oil
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1 Small grated Onion
  • 1 Tablespoon Celery Seed
Cook the Sugar and Water until bubbles are the size of a dime.
Cool.
Add remaining ingredients and beat with an electric mixer.
Serve cold from the refrigerator.

We think you and your guests will really like this one even if it is loaded with carbs.

Remember, if you have a recipe you'd like to share please send it to marilyn@runnerduck.com.

     Every month we post a new recipe on our web page. Be sure and check out the New March recipe this Monday at the RunnerDuck Kitchen Store.
We'd be happy to post your favorite recipe there or in our newsletter and give you credit. Just drop a line to marilyn@runnerduck.com.


COOKBOOK
SUGGESTION OF THE WEEK

"100 Great Salad Dressings"
by Sally Griffiths

Brimming with quick and easy recipes, 100 Great Salad Dressings will transform a plain salad into something special. As the most delicious results depend on a cunning combination of the finest ingredients, you are guided through the uses and properties of an array of oils, vinegars, and flavorings.
The recipes include not only the classic vinaigrettes, but also a host of tempting hot and cold dressings, like Sun–Dried Tomato, Toasted Sesame, Parmesan, Caper and Anchovy—even Champagne and Pine Nuts and Chorizo and Watercress. There are also luscious dressings for fruit, including Apricot and Almond, Blood Orange and Clove, and Lemon and Thyme. A bonanza for salad lovers.
Click Here

Be sure and visit the RunnerDuck Cookbook Store for other great savings on cookbooks and cooking supplies.


PROJECTS

Garden Tool Organizer, Step 2

We started this project last week by building the base for our tool organizer. This week we'll build the grid separators and finish it up.

Here's what you'll need:

  • (4) 2" X 4" X 8' Cedar
  • (3) 1" X 4" X 8' Cedar
  • 3' X 3' X 1/2" Plywood
  • Deck screws
  • Glue
  • Stain/finish
Here's an exploded view of this project. Click on the picture for a bigger view.

We are going to make two identical grids and then cut one to fit near the bottom of our organizer.

Cut the 1" X 4" boards into 1" X 1" strips.
Cut six pieces to fit one direction in your stand and six to fit the other direction. This may vary depending on how accurate you were when you made the stand. Do the same for the second grid.
Set your dado to cut a 1" groove half way through the grid pieces. My dado does not go to 1" so had to make two passes for each notch.
Lay out the cut marks evenly with one piece on the outside of each side.


If you are lucky enough to have a Delta Unifence or a Biesemeyer fence you can set it up in combination with your miter to set your dimensions as shown here.

Otherwise mark out your dimensions on the wood and saw away.
Dado one end then the other of each piece. Set up your saw for the next cut and do it again. Set up your saw one more time and finish the dados.
Glue the pieces together. I used Gorilla Glue and it seemed to work great.
Repeat these steps for the bottom grid.
Cut a notch in each corner of the bottom grid to fit between the legs.
Position the bottom grid about 5" up from the top of the bottom 2" X 4". You may have to persuade it a little bit to get it in place.
Pre-drill and install a screw through each leg into the grid.
Put the top grill in place and screw it from the bottom into the sides, this will hide the screws. I just put four screws in, one in the center of each side.

That's it! Now get out there and clean up that messy shed. Everyone will wonder where you got such a cleaver idea. Be sure and tell them that it came from RunnerDuck :-)

Download, Build and Brew!



Here's a nice free little gift from the fine folks at Rockler, a Coffee Mill Plan. Just click on the picture above to download your free plan. Shop at Rockler for Great Tool Prices/Great Selection!

If you have a project that you would like to share please send us an email and we'll help get it published in the RunnerDuck review. We are looking for woodworking, gardening, crafts and kids projects so send us your thoughts at projects@runnerduck.com .


     If you want to talk about something just drop us a line at duckmaster@runnerduck.com any time, we like to talk about most anything. We are always looking for content for our newsletter so if you have something to add we'd love to publish it. Assuming it meets our strict family oriented requirements!
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