Charlottetown Docks in Winter

We had a couple hours to spare before getting to the airport and the sun was out, although the wind was chill. We went down to the waterfront to get a few winter photos. I used the Pinhole effect from the Art program option and followed this with some photos using the Beach and Snow effect from the Scene program option.

Restoration of an old hand grinder

I've always been interested in old hand tools, although I mainly use power tools for speed and ease. However, with no electricity in the garage/workshop space in New Jersey, and likewise in the coffee land workshop I have been forced back on greater reliance on tools that are strictly powered by hand. At the same time, I have been freeing up a bit of time for small hobbies and projects, and one that I got interested in recently was locating and restoring some old hand powered bench grinders.

We found a couple on eBay. I took one to Mexico and got it into operation with a quick clean up and nothing more. It's time will come. The one I kept up in New Jersey was in grotty condition. The handle was bent, it was clogged up and obviously hadn't been used in a long time. I don't know how old it is and cannot find any brand name or other indications of its identity. I took it apart and soaked it thoroughly in a petrol bath for a couple of days, and then scrubbed it down with a small nylon brush and reassembled it. A couple of teeth were chipped on the main gear, but apart from that it was intact and the mechanism hummed beautifully after the petrol bath and acrub and with a bit of light oil added through the oiling points.

I found a few remnants of red pain on the grinder face, so decided to paint it red, and then use black on the parts that were originally chrome plated. A full and proper job would have involved chroming, but I am only up here a few days at a time and wanted to get this machine working. So I forewent the chrome and used paint instead. Since apartment living is not conducive to spray painting I just used small artist's brushes with rust-proof enamel paint. This was definitely a case of not gilding the lily.

It's finished now and will get a work out later, after I have tidied up the makeshift work area in the lounge. I tried out the macro function on my new SLR camera and captured the finished job as best I could.

Atlantic City

I've just got a new Olympus SLR camera with a couple of lenses and was keen to try it out beyond the confines of the apartment in New Jersey. So we made a day trip to Atlantic City on a (for winter) lovely day. It was sunny, but with a chill wind. The first stop off was at the Absecon lighthouse, the 3rd highest in the US, at 171 feet. I took a few shots there, some using the pinhole effect under the "Art" option. The rest were taken walking along the boardwalk and on the beach in the downtown casino area. I was more than happy with the first efforts, and but for the chill breeze would have taken more. It'll be nice to return in warmer weather and look a little further afield.