Hepcat Model: Complete!

The Hepcat is complete! Hallelujah! 

I finished up on the windshield edging and installed a safety switch on Friday. The switch is so that all the power can be shut off to the plane so that no one can accidentally (or intentionally) bump the controller and set the propeller in motion while you are working on the plane.

As long as the weather cooperates, she should have her first flight this Friday. I am not holding my breathe as the weather went from gorgeous to crappy in just 2 days...

DIY: Yarn Wreath with Felt Flowers

I have a new obsession called Pinterest which I discovered when looking for do-it-yourself projects. I saw these wreaths on Etsy, as well, selling for anywhere between $30-$50 each. I decided to take a stab at trying one of my own. This one was for my sister's birthday, she chose the colors. Not bad for a first attempt!

Hepcat Model

The windshield turned out to be a bit of a nightmare. It took several days of work to finally finesse the plastic into the correct shape without bowing or contracting in the wrong spots. Once I dry-fit it with plastic tape, I used model airplane glue to attach it to the plane. I also put together the fuel tank, installed the engine, screwed on the muffler, attached the pushrods and hooked up the fuel tank to the engine. All that is left to be done is to get some striping tape from the automotive shop so I can outline the windshield to be more atheistically pleasing. I received my Academy of Model Aeronautics membership this morning so I should be ready to fly either this Friday or next!

Archaeology Job

The archaeology job lasted for a total of 8 days before we (myself and 2 other new hires) were informed that work has slowed down enough that we won't be needed again until about two weeks from now. This was honestly welcome news, I had developed an upper respiratory infection just a few days before the dig began and have been miserably sick and on antibiotics for most of the time. My body needs to recover both from the dig and from the illness.

We traveled to three different sites over the 8 days, 6 of those days were spent in Lake Oswego OR, 1 day in Vancouver WA and 1 day in Camas WA. All 3 sites were prehistoric in nature and all of them in urban, well developed areas. On the final day our supervisor took us around the block for lunch, wanting to show us the reason for all the slag we were finding in Lake Oswego. For those interested, here is information on the area and its history.

Willamette River

Spring is finally here and gosh is it beautiful!

George Rogers Park and the Iron Furnace

Hepcat Model

My goal has been to get the Hepcat finished by my birthday. That didn't happen since the dig took a couple of weeks off my modeling schedule (more on that later). I realized, however, that I still have several weeks worth of photos to catch you all up on. The Hepcat is ALMOST finished (I swear)!

We ended up adding a piece of wood to the front to support a windshield 

and also to support the dowel that will hold the wing in place.

The putty type substance is called Microballoons, we use it 

to mold the wing to the fuselage so that there is a tight fit.

See the dowel sticking out the front?

Once some upgrades and repairs had been done to the top, I covered it.

Than I started glueing the tail section together...

and I painted the now puttied area blue to match the rest of the plane.

See how nicely the wing sits on the fuselage now!

Than I glued the tail section on permanently...

and I also glued on the tail skid permanently.

And finally I installed the landing gear.

The body is almost officially done, just have windows and windshield to install and of course,

 the inner workings: fuel tank, battery pack, engine and connect all the wiring!!!

Now I have to sign up to be an AMA member so I can legally take her out for a spin... 

Silly Schnauzers

 Trudy spends an inordinate amount of time on blankets and pillows :-)

Sleeping with Dad

Trudy in baby socks!

The sweetest schnauzer face ever!

Archaeology Job

Back in November I interviewed with an archaeology firm up in the Portland area. It is a firm that Hubby's company uses from time to time and my connection to him and his job garnered me the opportunity to interview with them. The human resources director at first seemed skeptical, seeing as I had only broken my hand a few months prior. We both agreed to wait until the new year and allow my hand to make a good and complete recovery. He called the other day to line me up for a dig in about a week. I sense he is still wary of hiring me, now he claims that I might be "too tiny". I told him I felt confident I could do the work. We ladies sometimes have to fight to do jobs that have been male dominated for so long!

I know I would regret not grabbing this opportunity. In the end the worst that happens is that they aren't happy with my quality of work and don't call me back for another dig. The best thing that could happen is that I have a job from time to time that eventually might lead me into a permanent position in the field of study I went to college to do. Either way, I am going to learn some very valuable lessons in the coming month!

I won't be able to update the blog the way I did last summer because there is a confidentiality clause that prevents me from discussing the dig, who the client is who hired us and the location. No pictures or discussion is allowed until after the dig is complete. Sadly, if word got out via by mouth or over the internet about where and what we were discovering, there would be "pot-hunters" out there at night digging up the area before we had a chance. Hopefully I will be be able to regale you with some cool stories in April!

DIY: Star Trek Mirror

I discovered a really cool blog the other day and got inspired to do some geeky do-it-yourself stuff around the house. I have had this mirror since I was a little girl but haven't been able to figure out what to do with it. It is missing the frame and isn't in the best of shape. 

I used some left over faux leather contact paper I had been using to line the kitchen shelves. I freehanded the image since my printer is currently out of order. Not a bad result, although if I decide to keep it, I might take my time and redo it with an actual stencil.

Emblem from Star Trek TNG

More Snow Pictures and Video

The snow is almost all melted, the half inch of rain in the past 24 hours has certainly helped it along. The excitement about the snow was almost palpable on Thursday, people were pumped. On Friday, everyone was outdoors playing in it! We even had neighbors over to our house to sled down our driveway. On Saturday most people were inside, exhausted from the previous days events. By Sunday, the reality of how much snow had fallen was setting in and people were beginning to realize that getting to work on Monday was going to be terrible. Sunday morning we were out bright and early trying to clear our driveway with a shovel and rake (we Arizonans lacked proper equipment) and soon the neighbors were joining us, trying to clear the private road we all use to travel out of the neighborhood. The major Portland roads were plowed but the side streets were still a mess and the Monday commute was epically slow. I guess we weren't the only ones who were unprepared!

My snowman -- about 4 feet tall

Here is a video of the dogs in the snow, 

keep an eye out on the right hand side. 

I caught Trudy bouncing in the snow and it is adorable!

Something You Don't See in Tucson

Snow is uncommon in the Portland area. We have seen it several times in the past few years but nothing beyond maybe half an inch. An arctic blast moved into the area yesterday and started bringing us some amazing snow! The snow is so soft, almost like powder, but not overly wet so we could stay out in it for awhile this afternoon.

1:00 pm yesterday afternoon

9:30 am this morning

3:00 pm today -- Our driveway! 

Hubby had a snow day, couldn't get to work.

34 years of life and I had never done this before!