Tank birthday, 47+ years

[Paul B]

Just drive east and bear right at the Statue of Liberty. :D

 

[Scubabeth]

Today we are putting up our Christmas tree. It's the smallest tree we have ever got as we are moving and people are coming to view the house and we want them to be able to walk around without falling into baby Jesus and the sheep and all that.
I finished the outside a couple of days ago which was great because it will snow today. I didn't go as crazy as I normally do but I have to do a decent job because my Birthday is on Christmas Day and I played Santa Claws my entire life. I build all my decorations because I am not a Home Depot kind of guy and like my tank, I like my decorations to be different. I really don't like those plastic inflatable things. They were cool when they first came out, but now they are all over the place.
I built this plane, train and Jack in the box over the last 38 years. The Jack in the Box is the newest. Sadly, after Christmas I will have to get rid of all this stuff as our new condo doesn't have any place to display them.
I will put them out with a sign that says "Free" and hope someone can use them as I hate to see them go in the garbage because I put a lot of work into them. The plane which is about 4' wide has a motor for the prop that spins slow. It needs a new motor but I won't replace it this year. Not much point to that. The train "boiler" is a 20 gallon drum and it comes out to store.

Happy Holidays to everyone.

Paul, I LOVE your decorations, and the heart you have to brighten the Christmas for others!

 

[Paul B]

Thanks Beth. I try. :p

 

[SpartaReef]

Someday Paul. Someday.

 

[Paul B]

Hello Sparta. :D

Tonight I am very happy because all my artwork sold to a gallery in Manhattan except two fish that I want to keep for myself and I got more than my wildest dreams. Well, not my wildest dreams. For that I need a flounder, bowling pin, left rear tire from a 1957 Studebaker and a piece of meat loaf from Lady GaGa's dress. :rolleyes:

 

[SpartaReef]

That's funny. Thanks Paul. I needed the laugh.

 

[Fin]

Congrats! That's pretty cool.

 

[Scubabeth]

Hello Sparta. :D

Tonight I am very happy because all my artwork sold to a gallery in Manhattan except two fish that I want to keep for myself and I got more than my wildest dreams. Well, not my wildest dreams. For that I need a flounder, bowling pin, left rear tire from a 1957 Studebaker and a piece of meat loaf from Lady GaGa's dress. :rolleyes:

Way to go, Paul! That is really great, and I understand their willingness to give you a good price, as your work is so different from the usual run-of-the-mill sculptures--pieces many would love to own!

 

[Sea MunnKey]

Today we are putting up our Christmas tree. It's the smallest tree we have ever got as we are moving and people are coming to view the house and we want them to be able to walk around without falling into baby Jesus and the sheep and all that.
I finished the outside a couple of days ago which was great because it will snow today. I didn't go as crazy as I normally do but I have to do a decent job because my Birthday is on Christmas Day and I played Santa Claws my entire life. I build all my decorations because I am not a Home Depot kind of guy and like my tank, I like my decorations to be different. I really don't like those plastic inflatable things. They were cool when they first came out, but now they are all over the place.
I built this plane, train and Jack in the box over the last 38 years. The Jack in the Box is the newest. Sadly, after Christmas I will have to get rid of all this stuff as our new condo doesn't have any place to display them.
I will put them out with a sign that says "Free" and hope someone can use them as I hate to see them go in the garbage because I put a lot of work into them. The plane which is about 4' wide has a motor for the prop that spins slow. It needs a new motor but I won't replace it this year. Not much point to that. The train "boiler" is a 20 gallon drum and it comes out to store.

Happy Holidays to everyone.

Good morning Paul ... ooh man I would've grabbed the "plane, train and Jack in the box" on a fly if it was close to New Year's Eve. New Year's Eve at Times Square ...

 

[Paul B]

Actually someone on here is taking them. :D

 

[Sea MunnKey]

Actually someone on here is taking them. :D

Oh man ... would love to bring it back to Toronto but hey as long as the "new" owner takes real good care of it, it's all good!!!

 

[dricc]

OMG. We didn't get stressed in Viet Nam..... What was there to get stressed over?
For a year we had no roof, no walls, no electricity, no food not put in a can before you were born, no days when it wasn't raining, no sleeping without waking up with rat footprints all over you, no bathrooms, or rooms, no radio, no plumbing. No cool or semi clean water, no beer, no bed, no females unless you are attracted to monkeys, no cell phones no way to call home or any place else, and certainly, no Stress Cards. :rolleyes:

Oh wait a minute. I just remembered,,,,,,,, after a firefight.......No... I made a mistake,,, still no stress cards.
What we did have was a stand down. They were great. After this battle I was in where we fought for 6 hours and lost a third of us, ( about 50) they put us in a stand down to relieve our stress. And it worked.

They took away all our weapons and threw us into this barbed wire compound. There were VietNamese girls on stages behind ten foot barbed wire singing rock music. They pushed in trailers of hot beer. There were no seats or places to sleep. Fights broke out all over the place. No one to break them up. Rumbles of all kinds. After three days of that. We were cured and we blew another clearing in the jungle and started all over again. It was a lot of fun and I wish I could go back and do it all over. :eek:

And another thing. We didn't need suicide, the enemy took care of that.

I know you've heard it many times but Thank you for your service , your humor and all your great advice.

 

[Paul B]

I know you've heard it many times but Thank you for your service , your humor and all your great advice.

Thank you Dricc

 

[dbraun15]

Congrats on the sale of the steam punk stuff...you have an artistic eye!

 

[Chasmodes]

I also would like to congratulate you on the sale of your steam punk art. That's wonderful! Once you move, will you continue to make them?

 

[Paul B]

Yes, after I move I will have a workshop three times the size of the one I have now and I am custom building it with everything I need so my wife can lock me up in there for 3 or 4 months and I will hardly notice. :p

Today I called my elevator installer to ask him about the problem with the thing not working in the winter. I figured that was a viable question before I fork over $35,000.00 for the thing. He didn't have an answer for me so I asked for the guy who owns the company who makes the elevator. I called the guy and explained the situation to him. He said they don't recommend putting the elevator in this place with no heat.
I asked, what part of it needs to be heated? He said the motor and oil resivour along with the ten foot piston.
I asked if it comes with an oil heater? Yes it does, but not for the temperatures we have here on Long Island. I said, but you are selling the thing here on Long Island, not in the Bahamas.
He didn't have an answer.
So I said can't I just put the motor and oil resivour in an insulated box and heat that?
He said that is a good idea. But what about the 10' piston.
I said can't I just put a heat trace wire around the piston and put pipe insulation on it like we do to prevent pipes from freezing.
He said, that is also a good idea.

I then said, why am I designing this project instead of you?
Like Duh. As I said, I am dealing with Jibonies. :confused:

 

[Paul B]

I am today building the lights for my new condo. They are called Wine barrel lights built "obviously" from old wine barrel hoops. I need three of them for over the Island in the kitchen.
I saw them on line for about $115.00 which is not bad but I would rather build them. I built the white form out of poured concrete and embedded a bolt near the top to hold the hoop as I bend it. I bent the hoops around the cone shaped mold. Later I will put a clear coat on them and add the socket and bulb. I am going for the industrial look.
I am also building our bed. It will be built to look like a big, industrial dolly with huge steel wheels on it. The platform will be re purposed barn timbers and it will be really cool looking and have quite a bit of hidden storage.
I buy very little because anyone can do that. :cool:



This the one sold, mine will look just like it.

 

[dricc]

i would love to be as handy as you Paul but unfortunately I'm a snowflake.

 

[Paul B]

A SNOWFLAKE! Oh No! :eek:

 

[Paul B]

I just read back over a couple of pages and noticed I don't have much fish stuff.
I apologize for having all of this non fish stuff posted. I am surprised they didn't throw me off of here with all this un fishy stuff.
I will try to post some underwater stuff as soon as something hits me.
I cleaned my algae scrubber yesterday, that is fishy. :rolleyes: