New Uses for my Worksman Bike!

 

Well, some research reveals that what I have is a Worksman 2620 Stretch Industrial Mover! Worksman means it is made by Worksman.  They have been making a  wide variety of bicycles and tricycles mainly for industrial use since 1898.   They even currently operate in a solar powered factory!  If you've ever been in New York City, and seen those delivery people with the bicycles with the huge delivery box built in, it was probably made by these folks!  2620 means that the front wheel, with a built in drum brake ( none of those wimpy caliper brakes will do on this thing) is 26" in diameter, and the real wheels are 20".  Stretch means it is very long - I haven't measured the overall length yet, but that rear platform is 38" long x 26" wide.  My "basket" is 23" x 23" by 16" deep - plenty of space for a three year old with all his stuffed animals, etc.... and even room for his 5 year old sister - see below!  Industrial Mover needs no explanation - they are rated at 500 pounds capacity, so 70 pounds of grandchildren is no problem!  Even with grandpa included there is room for over 250 more pounds!   Price new is $1200.  I paid considerably less, and the little rubber string thingys from the molding process are still on the wheels, so it is not very old. Despite the "leaf spring" mounting of that rear platform, CJ declared the ride "bouncy" and we added a foam pad, and his blanket in the bottom for today's ride. I've put over 25 miles on it so far, and while I plan my rides to avoid "big" hills, it has very hill friendly gearing!

 

Besides possible use for craft/art show display, I'm fantasizing about  building a neighborhood Ice Cream vending thing, or possible other ventures..... maybe I could even deliver pizzas for our neighborhood pizza place or add a nice love seat on that platform, and start a pedicab business?  For now, carrying grandchildren is a great option that they seem to greatly enjoy.  Too bad the snow will fall soon --- :-(     I'm  even thinking that riding in the snow might not be too bad because with the wide stance of the rear wheels, skidding or sliding over into traffic seems less likely than on a regular bike!

License Plate teaser!

Just the plate for now on my latest addition to my license plate picture collection. 

 Will reveal more info on this tomorrow or the next day?  

Guesses welcomed as to what may be revealed?

December assortment

Haven't posted in a while, so here goes an assortment of December 2011 stuff.
Above - a bottle tree Mom and I found in Fairport, NY on one of our Tuesday "just wander around and take lots of left turns" drives. Actually, this particular Tuesday drive had some method in the madness. I wanted to see if I could get Mom to confirm some information I had about places she lived in Fairport many years ago. We couldn't confirm anything, but we had a great time. We hit some streets that I had never been on, despite living in Fairport area for pretty much all of my childhood! As we sat looking at this bottle tree, I spotted a cemetery behind the homes on the other side of the street, and we then drove around and found
Mount Pleasant Cemetery
Civil War Monument in the cemetery.

Above - CJ at the diner, and below, Maya trying a violin at preschool.
Grandchildren are an important part of any month!

Below our 2011 Christmas ornament of the annual holiday party at the Palmeri home.
This year a top that doubles as an ornament! Not a great picture, but I loved that spinning the top in the lid to the cookie tin yielded a view of the other color on the bottom of the top!

Below, a creche puzzle created by our friends Russell and Sue Greenslade graces the mantle at the Sams household! The missing palm tree piece on the left has since been found!

Happy New Year!
Maya - always on the lookout for a project to do - wants to make a bottle tree!
Past Bottle tree posts...
Bottle tree in the neighborhood and Bottle Bush

Community Puzzle with Maya's PreSchool Class

Grandpa Don took some Community Puzzles to Maya's Preschool class... morning and afternoon sessions.

Above - the Community Puzzle partially completed during the morning session.

Below (and below that) the completed puzzle toward the end of the afternoon session.

Somewhere around 20 years ago, I created The Community Puzzle. I subsequently sold the product to a friend, who has since sold it to someone else, etc., until it is now owned and distributed by California Paper Goods Company.

Maya and Grandpa made one at home a while back.

Opal & Twig

Earlier this year, a new customer came to us looking for a container for her magical potions. Who wouldn't enjoy designing a carrier for Goblin Snot, Troll Sweat, and Mermaid Tears? I can't find the pictures I took quite a while ago, so these are borrowed from the new Opal & Twig web site.

Who are Opal and Twig? Go to Opal & Twig to learn more, and to find out what magical powers there may be in Troll Sweat?

Got a product you'd like some special container for? Call us, e-mail us, snail mail us, (fax still works, but is so 20th Century!) Right now I'm working on a three pack of some great salsa/tomato sauce flavors!

Patriotic Sales Technique

I won't add much to this, and will keep the event where I saw this unidentified, but food (or candy?) for thought!

Main Street Armory - Rochester, NY

Exterior of our old armory - built in 1905
picture by Matthew D. Wilson

They don't build them like this anymore!

I think this is the second nicest bathroom I've seen. Number one is still at The Madonna Inn. Picture below - guys pee in the waterfall at the right, keeping in mind that women may come in at any moment to see this unique urinal!
Back to the Armory.

We went to the Mayday Underground Indie Crafts & Art Show this afternoon!
Bus man's holiday!

Some quite interesting and creative things. As old timers on another era of craft shows, we noted that there were no booths with any walls - even people with paintings or photographs had them propped up on easels on a single table. Only about 6 booths made any attempt at lighting! It certainly would make set-up and tear down a lot easier, but for people used to a different style, it would take some getting used to. I think that next year, I'm going to try some of these local venues with my mechanical pieces. Will do on weekends when Cheryl is not away at some of the "bigger" shows, and see what happens. Lower cost, less travel, probably lower sales, but possibly a better percent return on the time and $ invested?

Black Hearts and Bearded Ladies

The Wayland Cohocton Central School Drama Club presents Black Hearts and Bearded Ladies A wonderful comedy wonderfully presented by my nephew Wyatt Olney, and a large supporting cast of fellow students! Seriously - they are all great, but of course in my view Wyatt stands out. If you are a relative or friend of another student in the cast or on the supporting behind the scenes cast, feel free to comment, and I will readily agree that your relative was great too, because they all deserve kudos. You still have a chance to get there to see it tonight at 7PM.

Thank you to the universe for all the great kids coming up to take over our troubled world!

Halloween 2011

Happy Halloween!

Great Grandpa Mel above.

What more to be said? Halloween is a great event in our neighborhood. Pretty much never any "tricks". Lots of kids.... lots of families..... lots of bigger kids - I really don't mind the big kids.... my favorite tonight - three young men, maybe 16?? - with no costumes, but with the presence of mind to roar very loudly while receiving their bounty! I love it!

Our front porch above!

CJ from the back and from the front!

Wonder Woman Maya.... little does she know how true it is!

And our neighborhood (across the street) magical pumpkin carver is back after a few years retirement! (see below) She and her next door neighbor set up a magical and very scary back yard! Every few minutes a new batch of kids come screaming out the driveway, watched by the kids on the sidewalk still trying to work up the nerve to check it out. Most decide they aren't scared! , and venture back, only to come screaming out a few minutes later - usually when a kid in a scary costume comes bursting out of the skirt of the huge witch statue standing in front of the garage!

Below video of one of the two clowns guarding the backyard of horrors!


124th daily post in a row (4 straight months) if anybody but me is keeping track?

Tops in the New York Times!

Title of the article -- "All That Authenticity May Be Getting Old" (?) Question mark mine. It seems to me that authenticity is never out of style!

The article mostly discusses items made to look handmade, or possibly handmade by hundreds of pairs of hands in a Chinese factory, and sold in huge quantities. I guess that might get a little old!

I don't know how long it will stay on-line, but here is the article

Guest Photographer - Maya Louise Sams - Part 2

More pictures by Maya Louise Sams - this time some of the people in her life - again from the perspective of a shorter person - age 4! I've always sort of wondered what people look like from down there!
Above - brother CJ - the only close person in her life who is shorter!
Below - Mom - Deanna Sams.

Above - Grandpa Don
Below - Grandma Cheryl

And - last but not least - self portrait!

Creative Hue show at Williams Gallery

The Creative Hue show at The Williams Gallery has been up for a while, but we had a very nice and well attended opening last night. These pictures aren't my best - gallery lighting is designed to highlight the work, not photography - but you get the idea. The Williams Gallery is at the First Unitarian Church on Winton Rd., Rochester, NY.

Creative Hue is a collective of artists of color who do a wide variety of work from felting to bead making, from photography to painting, and from creative matting to whatever it is we do? The tags next to our work called it "Wood Collage". I'm not sure that is what I would call it, but Cheryl and I both still stumble and mumble a bit when somebody asks what we do, after almost 15 years!

Check it out - The show is open until November 14th!
Most of the work is for sale.

Guest Photographer - Maya Louise Sams

Maya spent some time with Grandpa's camera Wednesday afternoon. For this post - some things around the house from a 4 year old point of view. (later - some portrait work)

Above - a nice old push button light switch near the front door!

Below - their doll house - hand built by the photographer's great grandfather for her mother!

Below - a kid's eye view of the kitchen table!

Below - a view out the kitchen window adorned with stick on fall decorations!

And below - Salad

Not a bad eye for an 4 year old, and while these were picked by Grandpa Don from a pretty large batch of photos, who of us hasn't thrown out all but 15% of our shots, or if we were honest - should have! Coming soon, some views of the family members from about 4 feet off the floor!

The closing of yet another craft gallery.

Cheryl and I went to the "renewment" party at The Creator's Hands on Sunday afternoon. That's our friend Carleen Wilenius standing between Cheryl and I. She has been operating The Creator's Hands for something like 30+ years. Carleen has always displayed a collection of fine quality American made art and craft items, including items from The Toycrafter, and Louise's Daughter. But like so many of our friends, both makers, and sellers, she has reached the age of "renewment" as she calls it, and has shut the doors. A great many of our customers have similarly closed the doors. The economy hasn't helped any, but all three components of the craft industry are reaching or have reached the age of "renewment". Most of us "Craft/art makers" are around the age of 65 - give or take a few years, and of course there are exceptions, but the "most of us" part of the equation stands. The same line can be repeated two more times, substituting "Gallery/shop owners", and "Craft/art buyers". Around this age, we all think about changing direction, renewment, downsizing, etc. and simple demographics are changing our "industry". The "makers" are getting too old to keep on working this hard, and the "gallery/shop owners" are in the same boat. Our customers have just filled their homes with wonderful things, and just don't have room for more!

Cheryl and I love to design and make things, and will undoubtedly go on doing so! Carleen will enjoy her "renewment", and Shelly Carithers - the woman on the left in the photo - will take up the mantle of "The Creator's Hands". She is looking for a new space, and "The Creator's Hands" will re-open soon. Our friend Chris Maxson - once our biggest gallery customer - is enjoying her retirement in California. Our friend George Landino - fellow artist and craftsperson - has downsized a lot due to some health concerns, but continues to teach children, and make lots of great stuff. I could go on all night, but you get the point. Life and business changes, but creativity goes on.