Voodoo Magic!

Our baseball season is officially over, but Reid told me that he wants to continue to work on his game during the summer.  I am more than happy to oblige.  The first step was an investment in a new bat.  I admit that I fought the trend and didn't think a bat could make that much of a difference, but after watching hundreds of kids swing the new age lighter composite bats, I knew that I needed to step up to the plate and give Reid the best equipment possible for his game.

After hours of research and questioning several baseball Dads, I decided on a Demarini Voodoo 29 inch 16 oz youth half composite / half aluminum baseball bat.  This bat is an even balanced bat with a drop swing weight of -13.  The bat swings really nice and we were able to pick up an inch in length and drop an ounce in weight from Reid's previous Demarini DX2.  I am trying to get more bat speed for Reid.  He has a nice little swing, but needs to drive the ball with more authority.  We un-boxed the bat and headed for the batting cage.

As we were hitting I kept telling Reid to swing through the baseball, meaning swing the bat all the way through the swing and finish hard.  I couldn't get him to understand what I was telling him.  Then the idea hit me.  I took my phone and rigged it up in the netting of the pitcher screen and hit the video button.  This is what I got on the first try.

I then showed Reid the video.  He was able to see what I was trying to tell him.  This next video shows a better swing with the correct adjustments.  (I apologize in advance that it is not as clear as the first one.  Blogger is apparently having issues with video upload.  I had to record a recording to get this to work.)

This was much better!

Does the bat make a difference?  I really think it does.  I took some swings with it and I can tell a difference.  The ball jumps off the barrel with more pop than his other bat and it makes that wonderful pinging sound that I have been longing for.  I hope that with a steady diet of practice and if my arm doesn't fall off, we will make improvements and turn this kid into a feared hitter at the plate!

Look Out Samuel Adams!

The only thing I like about Samuel Adams beer is their history of how they got their start and their commercials.  I have tasted several of their products and its just not my thing.  Growing up in Budweiser country, my college years were spent cutting my teeth on light lagers without much bite.  Samuel Adams is not that kind of beer, but I can definitely appreciate how they have grown their company from very humble beginnings to what it is today.

The guys at Samuel Adams better be watching their backs.  Two friends of mine are after a sliver of market share in the micro-brew industry.  John and Will have taken a hobby that started on a back porch and have slowly progressed this beer making thing to the point of gathering federal permits for marketing and sale of an alcoholic beverage.  They have dreams of moving off the back porch!  In fact, they have moved their operation into their own small brewery which they have named "Colony City Brewery".  They have a small bar set up for their friends to test their products at the new location.  They specialize in what they call "hoppy" beers, or beers that have stronger flavor, but they have made a few kegs of a bock beer that is geared more towards someone like me.  The have blonds, pale ales, bocks and some dark beers that looks like sweet tea in a glass.

The boys make a pretty good beer and with the encouragement of their friends, they have decided to move forward and try to sell their brew at a few local establishments.  Who knows?  That Samuel Adams guy said he sold his beer one glass at a time.  Maybe this crew can follow the Samuel Adams model.  For now, I'll just be glad to keep testing it for them!!

Look what I got for The Gang Spanky!!

With the Memorial Day Holiday, I was able to get in the shop and complete this table for Kevin over at Ducks, Dogs and Downriggers.  It turned out really well and I think he will be pleased when it arrives after its cross country journey.  Not only will he have a very nice antique for the "Man Room", but he will also have a very cool story of how he got a South Georgia boy to search for, refinish and ship this thing from the far South East corner of this great country all the way to the far North West.  I hope there are several glasses of wine and frosty mugs of beer shared in great conversation about this little antique from The Georgia heart land.  I know it has been really fun for me to make this happen!

Josey approves!

Ready for shipping!

I had as much fun making the box as I did doing the actual work!  Kevin, it's on the way buddy!  Have a cold one and pet that new puppy for me when it arrives!

A Little Something for the Gang!

Kevin, from "The Gang" at Ducks, Dogs and Downriggers simply asked me to put my money where my key strokes were.  Kevin has been a loyal follower of my blog for some time and has shown interest in my refinishing work.  He posed a challenge to me recently and asked me to find him a table to be housed in his "Man Room".  It needed to be a certain size and it needed to show some character as this table would be traveling across the country to not only serve as  a TV remote and lamp stand, but it needed to be able to hold its own as a conversation piece.  I think this little beauty will fit the bill!!  I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story as I was able to accomplish a lot this weekend.

Broken down and ready for some TLC

Nice wood under all that red

I had to break out the fine hardware to get into all of those groves

Came out super clean

Getting ready for stain

A lot of leg work

Nice stems

A teaser picture of where the completed project is headed

I am really happy at how this little table is shaping up.  I still have to stain the legs, put everything back together and get some finish on it, but she has moved along quite well.

Kevin, I hope this little jewel will make you happy brother!  She really is going to be nice!

The Brave Eagle has been Snookered!

I picked up this table from a friend of mine who has several in need of repair.  We pulled out three or four different tables and he told me I could choose.  I picked this one.  I liked the overall look and I could see the nice grain of the oak wood under this dark layer of old varnish.  Varnish can sometimes be removed very easily, so I thought I would take a chance on an easy project.  He threw out a price and I told him that I didn't think it was enough (I try to be fair).  To make it a better deal for him, I agreed to fix another table that he had started and had yet to complete.  I was good with the deal and headed to the shop!

I started the tear down process.  So far so good!

I took the top section and applied a light coat of stripper.  Old varnish will turn sort of slick and can be wiped off with a soft cloth.  I was a little curious when the finish starting bubbling up like paint would do, but I really didn't think too much about it.  I began wiping the stripper away and I could see the beautiful grain of the oak wood starting to shine through.  I was all smiles!  That is until I starting wiping off that second coat of stripper!

This is what I found.  Do you see any grain in this wood??  No you don't!  That's because this is not an oak table.  This table is a fake.  I called my local antique furniture guru and he informed me that people would take regular wood and paint a grain on it to resemble oak furniture.  Oak brought more money, therefore they would sell the table as an oak table when in fact it was some other soft wood underneath.  I asked him if this table could still be an antique and he replied that "cheats and con-artist lived back then too!"

So what will I do?  I can still refinish this table and stain it a dark color and hopefully make it look nice enough to sell, but I will not get what I would have had it been an oak piece.

Lesson learned!  Let's go find another one!

Colony City Chase

Activities for the weekend included 3 birthdays, Mother's Day, a wedding reception, baseball practice and The Colony City Chase 5K/1 mile fun run.  My son, Reid had pretty good luck running in his first ever mile race back in March, so when the local Rotary Club put on its annual event, we signed the boy up.  It proved to be a good thing as Reid won the one mile race going away with a time of just over 7 minutes.  He got a medal and a first place trophy.

I just got a new cell phone and I have not quite figured out how to work it, therefore the following video may be one of the worse ones you have ever seen.  If you turn your head sideways, you can see just how much by boy smoked the field as there is not another runner in sight as he crosses the finish line.  I was one very proud Daddy and he was able to give his Mom one pretty cool Mother's day present.



Way to go Reid!  Daddy is very proud of you!

The Brave Eagle is Heading North!

The flight has been booked and plans have been made.  The schedule calls for hunting, hunting, and more hunting, sprinkled with some good fellowship and a lifetime of memories made.  So where is this Brave Eagle off to this time?  Follow this link to see what I will be getting into this fall!

That's right!  This blogger will be hanging out with the Downeast Duck Hunter, President of Duckpower, Inc.. I will be showing those Northern boys how it's done and pounding sea ducks into the Maine Coastline in early October (I have never actually shot a sea duck, so I'm not sure I can really show them anything, but it has wings and flies so I figure I can handle that).  It is a trip I have always wanted to make.  The state of Maine has always been on my wish list of places I would like to visit.  I think it started in high school with my first pair of LL Bean boots.

Now for those of you who may be wondering if this Southern boy can handle the chilly weather in Maine, don't worry, I'm wondering the same thing!  I have been assured by my guide, Mr. President, that the weather should not be that harsh in early October.  I think I can handle it.  I once survived hunting pheasants in Kansas during a snow storm in late November.  I got this!

Now I know some of you are a bit jealous and I don't blame you, but I'm sure the Duckman and I will do our best to fill you in on all of the details of our hunting adventures in some sure to be epic blog post this fall.  In the mean time, you will just have to read the Duckman's summer lobster stories and my furniture refinishing stories to get you by.  I'm sure you can hardly wait!!

***On a serious note, I am thankful for the people I have met and the opportunities that this little blog has given me.  There is no way I would have ever had the chance to hunt in the great state of Maine without the contacts and friends that I have made along this blogging journey, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I am just as excited about shaking my good friend's hand for the first time as I am about bagging that first sea duck!  Life is made to be experienced, but it is better lived when those experiences are shared with good friends!!***

Get ready Duckman!  I'm bringing the cheese grits and boiled peanuts with me!