Fine Woodworking

 

Because it is harder to bike during the winter I usually have some projects to keep me busy. I did list a ride for this past Saturday out of Etra. It was almost 50 degrees but the wind made it a little unpleasant. You have to suffer a little if you want to ride in the winter. 

Last weekend I attempted to summit Forked River Mountain. Yes there is a mountain in Forked River. It's more a mound of about 180 ft but it does provide a view of the surrounding pine lands and the ocean. However the fire road I tried to take on my mountain bike was too flooded. This was unexpected as its all very sandy soil and one of the higher points in the area. 

In my down time one of the things I like to do is a little wood working. In my old house I had a small workshop and enjoyed building some furniture. I like it the hands on nature of it and creating something original. None of the things I make could be considered works of art like the pieces the master wood workers make at Winterthur but they are nice enough and fit the space they are made for. 

The picture at the top of the post is a new clock I made for my office. I made it from some maple and African rosewood. I also used some epoxy resin to put a blue stripe down the middle and also for the final finish. I have been wanted to experiment with epoxy for a while and so this project gave me a chance to try it out. Epoxy finish takes a lot of prep work and is a bit expensive but I like the results so may try it again on some other project. 

 In my new place my work shop is in my garage so I don't have the room I use to. Because of this I got rid of some of the tools I use to have including my table saw. What I learned though from this project is that I can do a lot of what I use to with a good miter saw and router jig. 

On of my other projects was redesigning a bookshelf to better fit into my new office. I had a large bookshelf I made for my old office in my old house which fit perfect in the space. 

My old office was in a 12' X 15' room and the shelf and recliner fit on one wall. My new office is only 12' X 12' and although I was able to fit the bookshelf and recliner in the room it was a little crowded. I also don't need that much room for books anymore since almost all the ones I buy now are electronic. Because if this I decided to take the middle out and just use to curved ends to create a display shelf for the wall in my office between the door and the closet. 

It now fits the room a lot better. 

I do enjoy being able to work with my hands and create some furniture and other things from wood. I recently acquired some live edge walnut. I'm not 100% sure what I will make with it but wood like this is hard to come by so I'm sure I will find some good uses for it.

 

Hiking Instead Biking

It's harder in the winter months to get out on the bike because of the colder weather and the possibilities of ice and snow. That is why I will sometimes choose to do a hike instead of taking out the bike. This winter I will probably do a little more hiking than previous years. This is because one of the people that we have become friends with in our community has a monthly hike and also because there are some good close places to hike where I live now.

Turkey Swamp and Manasquan Reservoir are a quick 10min drive away and during the winter I can hike the local golf course. Before I moved I didn't really walk around the neighborhood a lot but because where I live now is quieter I usually walk a couple time a week. I don't plan to reduce my biking but just want to supplement it with some other exercise. I'm finding that I enjoy a walk after work to help me unwind from a hectic day.

So far this winter I have hiked Turkey Swamp and Brendan Byrne state park. The hike through Brendan Byrne was over 10 miles and the longest hike I have done in a long time. I was stiff at the end but didn't have any blisters or other problems that would prevent me from doing this long a hike again. After the hike one of the people that was with us wanted to stop at the high point of Ocean county as it was on our way home even though it required about half a mile hike to get to. Apparently these people like to visit high points as one of their last hikes hit the high point of Morris county. I guess whether you hike or bike high pointing is a thing you do. 

This past Saturday was going to be cold and windy so I decided to invite the posse over to hike the golf course instead of a bike ride. It is usually hard to get the entire posse to attend any event but I guess I picked a good day because most of them and their spouses took me up on the offer. 

We did this hike around all 18 holes of the golf course. According to my GPS it was 4.4 miles but I've done this hike a few other times where it said it was 5.1 miles so I think the GPS shut off for part of the hike it set for bike mode. During the hike I felt a little like a real estate agent as I was explaining the different type of houses and explaining why this is a good place to live. We also when through the club house a couple of times and I showed them all the amenities we have here. 

It was a good hike as much for the exercise as it was just hanging out and talking to everyone especially some of the spouses who I don't see that often. After the hike we had some snacks and pizza out my house. Usually after a bike ride we all go our separate ways so it was good to have some social time the group. I don't plan to become an avid hiker but it is a good change of pace during the winter months.

Working Four Days a Week

 

I don't make New Year's resolutions. If I want to improve or change something in my life I don't wait for the new year and make some public declaration. I just do it. There are always ways to make life better. This year I decided to cut back my hours at work. I'm not ready to retire but would like more time to relax and enjoy my hobbies. 

It's going to be nice to have the extra day off. It will allow me to get more riding in and let me spend more time outdoors. Most people working four days either take Monday or Friday off but I decided to take Wednesday's off. This way I work two days get a day off and then work two days and get the weekend off. 

During the Christmas break I had the week off. It was a little cold at the start of the week so I did a hike on Monday, the LHT on Wednesday with the pose and another ride on Friday with the pose out of MCP. It was a good break after a long year. 

This Wednesday it felt a little weird going out for a ride instead being at work but it was 60 degrees so I'm glad I had the day off. Its going to be a little bit of adjustment getting use to the mid week break but I think it is a good way to kept a steady income while improving my work life balance.