Boston

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One If By Land
Two If By Sea
Three If By Delta Flight 188 From Detroit Metro Airport






And we're off!


The view from our hotel on Broad Street in downtown Boston.


The venerable USS Constitution, undefeated in battle. It's in dry dock being fixed up - they do this every 20 years or so. Many of the parts were removed, and the hull was surrounded by scaffolding.


Here are parts of the masts of the USS Constitution.


Next to the USS Constitution is the USS Cassin Young, a World War II-era battleship. It is the last US ship to have been hit by a kamikaze pilot. This is the galley.


The USS Constitution's restoration involves replacing thousands of copper strips that protect the wood on the hull. K is shown here signing a copper strip with a vibrating engraving pen - we all signed it. These strips will be placed on the hull during this round of restorations. Our names will all be on the USS Constitution soon!


I took this picture from our tour trolley - surely this woman knew that she was standing in the right place for a picture. The statue is of Bobby Orr scoring a goal in a Stanley Cup game.


The entrance to the Boston Public Library.


Inside the Boston Public Library - this is the main staircase.


A statue on the outside steps of the library. This woman is amazed at how round the ball is.


A view from the Prudential Building's observation floor. Near the middle of this picture is a red circle I added - it surrounds a yellow stripe that goes across one of the streets. The stripe is the finish line for the Boston Marathon.


In this picture, the domed building is the original Christian Science Church. The green-roofed building up and to the left is the Boston Symphony Hall. Near the top, slightly to the left of center, are the letters "YMCA"; this is the location of the first YMCA.


The New England Aquarium was home to a giant central tank, many amazing and delicious-looking fishes, and these tiny, colorful frogs. Which are all poisonous. Just when you find a cute frog you want to hold in your hand, you discover it can kill you.


The aquarium is well-known for its giant sea turtles.


K watches the penguins frolic during feeding time, and wishes that he, too, could live the carefree life of a flightless waterfowl.


We took a harbor cruise. This picture shows the mix of new and old buildings - the steeple of the Old North Church is visible in the middle.


Speaking of the Old North Church, here is the plaza leading to it, with a statue of Paul Revere himself.


Here's the balcony and organ of the church.


This is Paul Revere's former home. Historians are divided as to whether the late-model Hyundai parked out front belonged to him.


This is Paul Revere's currrent home, the Granary Burying Ground.


This stone marks the final resting place of Mary Goose, better known as Mother Goose.


Some of these old tombstones were very wordy. This one says:

Here lies deposited the remains
of Mr. Thomas Webb
who died very suddenly much
lamented ye 8th July 1769
Aged 33 years
He was born in the city of
Glocester in England
This stone the Hand of Social Friendship rears
Whose generous Griefs supply a Parent's Tears.
Could friendly wishes stay ye transient Breath.
A Kind companion had not tasted Death




The venerable Samuel Adams' gravestone.


This is Faneuil Hall, a famous meeting place during Revolutionary times, as well as modern times.


Steps inside Faneuil Hall list the 13 colonies in the order in which they ratified the Constitution.


Alas, our short but sweet Boston trip has come to a close. This is a building on the Boston Harbor.

Explosive News!

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This looks more dangerous than it actually is.

K and I just finished a project together - it combines a "defusable" timer K built from a kit, combined with some dynamite I made as a sort of stand for it.

The dynamite is a broom stick sawed into pieces, with red construction paper covering. The lettering was created with pencil and stencils.

K ramped up his soldering skills for this one (it's been awhile!) and is already working on another, more advanced electronics project.

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Links
Take a few minutes and visit Paperholm. All the models are made of paper and glue.

I'm currently reading Locks, Safes, and Security. It's really big, so I'm not reading the whole thing. Just the good parts.

I really like Tom Gauld's work. His take on the biblical David and Goliath story (called "Goliath") is thought-provoking.

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Status Report: August, 2015

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Meadowbrook on Friday night - here to see Jim Gaffigan, one of our favorite comedians.


This is my great picture of Jim Gaffigan on stage.

Mouse and Chipmunk News
We've had mice in the basement occasionally for quite a few years, and we even had a chipmunk get into the house a few months ago (he met his untimely demise in one of the mouse traps). After talking with a pest control person about it, I put up some 1/4" wire mesh in some places where we suspected these critters were getting in.


Here is a mesh "curtain" that comes down under the fireplace and goes about 12" underground. There is a 4" section of mesh that extends out from the bottom of that curtain away from the house - that extra mesh stops them from just digging down and under the mesh.


In another area, I put strips of mesh in the corners where the mice can find small gaps to crawl in. I made friends with lots of bugs and spiders while doing this.

In the Garden

From right to left: chives, basil, and parsley.


We've already gotten some good tomatoes this year, and there are a lot more on the plant.

K's Latest Project

Here's the progress so far on K's latest electronics project - he has already completed one, and I am adding something to it. I'll post pictures when it's done.