The Carter Boat Company completes its 1st order!

Miracle of miracles, they do exactly what they are supposed to do when in the water!

The Three kayaks took us the better part of a year and a half. They each had at least 9 coats of epoxy, and 9 coats of varnish, with drying time and sanding between coats. Mine and Deans are 17 footers, and Mary's is a 14 footer. They weigh less than 50 pounds apiece.

Mary's is the slickest and best looking one of them all.

We saved the workbench and holders in case we want to do a strip built in the future. I'm not ready for it right now, and Dean is too busy with his wedding plans.

The Carter Boat Company completes it order!

Lesson 3 of one easy lesson.

Admire it!


Varnish it.


Paint it.

Admire it again, it's done!

This was Dean's 17 footer, and the first of three

OK! So this is lesson 2 of one easy lesson

You lay it out.

Stitch it together.

Glue all the seams.


Sand it, sand it, sand it, sand it some more!

Then, comes the fiberglass!

How to build a Kayak in onr easy lesson

First get a son who is deluded with the sales literature, and believes that this would be a great project, to be easily done in the 80 hours quoted in the sales pitch!

Then order the kit!

Read the instructions.

Build the work bench!

It's been a long time!

Hi again...It's been quite awhile since I've been here to do any thing. Procrastination has always been my long suit!

Much has been going on for the last few years, the Kayaks, cruises, Dean's wedding plans, visits from old friends... I'm going to try to catch up with a series of photos and posts.

Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy???

I see in the news today that Bill Clinton says that the "Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy" is now gunning for President Obama. The vast right wing that he mentioned seems to be everyone who does not agree with the way that the democratic party is headed and dragging the country behind it. That's why I have changed my party affiliation to "Independent". Several others have now done the same. I believe that the political parties are the problem. Both are hung up on their pet issues, and do not have a clue as to what the people want or need. It is great to see them arguing vehemently...that way, maybe they won't pass legislation and we'll all be better off.

Racist?

I disagree vehemently with my Party's stance on many of the current issues, for example, Obama-care. I have served my country for 45 years in various capacities. I went to the vietnam wall, and took names of those I served with, liked and respected... fully a third of those names were of African-Americans. My memory banks are full of the Vietnamese soldiers that were in the battalion that I advised. Now, because I oppose the policies of a black president, I am a racist. Because I oppose those socialist policies, I am a thug. Because I oppose those policies, I am anti-American. I am appalled at the ignorance of our present regime, and I resent their attitudes toward the citizens of this nation.

I believe that the Democratic Party is now a threat to this country and its well being. The likes of Obama, Emmanuel, Pelosi, Reid, and all of the "Czars" need to be removed from their offices at the earliest possible election. They are well on their way to making the country that I fought for a third world country.

Obama's Health Care Train...

There are several reasons don't have "National Health Care" now.... Any one with any experience with Government programs can stand on the railroad tracks and see the train coming...If they are deaf, they can see the light... If they are blind.. they can hear the horn... If they are both, they can feel the ground vibrate. If they are the current Democratic party, they apparently don't have a clue

1. The doctors: Most doctors in a government system will be employees of the government as opposed to private practitioners. I have dealt with government agencies and employees for 49 years. They range from the brilliant to slugs. Take MEPS for example... they are contract physicians who are paid by the hour. Their attitude is nearly identical to that of the custodian... "If I don't get it clean today, I'll get it tomorrow" There is no incentive for efficiency, and no sense of purpose or urgency. Most contract doctors are on contract because they can't find a job anywhere else.

2. The administrators: Remember the people who use to compute your pay and ensure you were paid on time when you were in the Army??? Do you remember their success rate??? Do you want these people to be the ones to authorize your heart transplant?? The story in the Army was that every Government agency was staffed with bureaucrats in Pay Grade GS-5, who were angry, underpaid, lazy, and inefficient. Each agency, however, had one little motherly old lady GS-6, who spent a lot of time on sick leave. Normally your paperwork would get screwed up by one of the GS-5's, but if you were very, very, very lucky, the little matron would handle your case and you would be assigned as the Rest & Recreation Officer in Kuala Lumpur.

Now, all that was facetious, but really, the same sort of thing is happening now with Medicare and Tri-Care, two of the government run health care programs. It is not only governments, but look at HMO's on the citizen side... advance authorizations are the order of the day. It can only get worse if we screw around with it!!!

3. Congress: The Program Planning and Budgeting System, (PPBS) and Congress will soon destroy the intent to avoid health care rationing. The "Crisis du Jour" will rear its ugly head, funds will be cut, and rationing WILL happen... just as sure as congress will vote themselves a pay raise.

Surely, health care needs work, but the "Meat-Axe approach" can only result in fiscal disaster!

Obama isn't what he seemed...

There's an Irish song that describes Mr. Obama's performance as an elected official...

"I thought she was the girl of my dreams...

But in the morning she wasn't what she seemed...

The drinkin' has a tendency to weaken your quality control...

and you wake up next to "Mary on the Northolt road!""

"The Biblecode Sundays"

An Independent voter who has no ties any political party, I was skeptical about Mr Obama, but was happy that we had, as a country, apparently gotten over the race issue. He came across as a nice guy, a family man, and as smart and savvy as a whip. Personally, I was an advocate of Colin Powell, but knew that he is too smart to take the job. I was simply glad to see the back of the Republican administration.

"Be careful of what you ask for... you might get it!" It appears now that Mr Obama is a classic socialist who is trying to develop a "cult of personality". History is full of national leaders who have done so with varying degrees of success. Many were successful in gathering all the reins of power to themselves, to the detriment of their subjects... see Kim Jong Il, for example. Now our own "dear leader" has the support of socialists such as Pelosi, Reid, Frank, and others who will provide willing support to the idea that "Government is for the good of the people, and only Government knows what the people need".

In order to prevent congress, and his own cabinet from providing a check or balance to his radical ideas, he has em-placed a number of "Czars" to create and implement policy... in spite of the fact that we already have cabinet members heading departments to handle the policy and enforcement issues. I believe that this practice in not only inherently dangerous, it violates the constitution. I believe that if he and the leadership now in congress is allowed to continue its present course, that we will be a third world country by the next election, and that the constitution will be a dead issue.

Snowed In

Winter Wonderland 2008 is for the Birds...

Ford Motor Company : Forget Customer Relations!

The Ford F150 is great truck! Lousy Customer relations. I contacted them to ask a a question about a problem that the dealership couldn't answer. At last, after several tries, I got a final answer: Contact the dealership! The reply was from a person named Liz in the Customer Relations Department.

Not only was it stupid, it was couched in arrogant and downright disrespectful terms.

Unfortunately, I was considering a Ford Explorer as my new prime mover. These are great vehicles, but due to my treatment from the Ford Corporation, I've decided there are no more Fords in my future! Maybe an Audi A6 is the answer!