Sunset against the clouds

As the sun was setting yesterday, this photo op appeared for but a few moments. From where I was sitting, talking with my peeps (the dogs), I grabbed my iPod touch and caught this image with the old 2404 IH tractor in the foreground. The old tractors on the farm here help to identify us, just as a significant part of what we do. The darker mass of the tractor combined with the tree line in the distance forces the iPod camera to add the proper amount of light in a low light situation such as this was. Just one of the once in a while shots we find here at home.

Open Source Ecology Project

http://www.npr.org/2012/02/19/147110017/building-a-village-one-home-brewed-tool-at-a-time

Designed and built on Marcin Jakubowski's farm, this tractor cost far less than a commercial tractor.

     As a small scale farmer, I tend to fabricate many implements and tools for the tractor or bull dozer on my own farm. This stems perhaps from an early exposure to shop work and repairing farm equipment on into high school shop class and FFA, and these skills along with the sheer desire to weld and use a cutting torch have carried over into real life experience as a part of the day to day workings of a farmstead.

     This is a great article on NPR highlighting the Open Source Ecology Project of Marcin Jakubowski with a goal of blueprinting 50 different machines or tools that can be fabricated in the home or farm shop for far less cost than a production version.

Baby Ace

EAA recently made the old MI Mechanix Illustrated plans for the Baby ace available for download on Facebook. We grabbed them up and have had many a look at them with intention of perhaps building one of our own. A fitting light aeroplane for an early morning tour round the countryside.

The Road to Bonneville

The road to Bonneville, the fastest place on earth, appears to be a long and arduous one to travel. Speed Week is the one hot rodding event to perhaps top all others while providing for participation beyond spectating only. It's sure to be a rewarding and worthy achievement to mark our hot rodding adventures. Time will tell, but we keep a trip to Bonneville in our future vision. 

     The February issue of Street Rodder magazine highlights the journey of two street rodders who put together their own cars to drive to Bonneville. If you're interested in street rodding and/or Bonneville then check it out. 

iBooks

Writing and publishing have long been on my list of to-do's and it seems closer now than ever. The path to publishing for me has lead to self-publishing and specifically iBooks for the Apple i-devices. I am currently reading an iBook titled "Publish Your Own iBook" which is proving quite informative on the subject.  If you have any advice or constructive input which you feel will be helpful, please comment as I would appreciate any help.