I suppose I have covered the longest hop today (and yesterday) mainly with the help of British Airways. BA is very good the only think I could criticise is the quality of the breakfast.
The flight was a bit bumpy in some places but never the less was excellent. The journey home due to the Rail Strike was a bit 'fraught in the planning' but in fact was just as swift as a normal day, I wonder what that is saying,
I am fairly exhausted (is exhausted a binary, exhausted / not exhausted?) and waiting for the final lift home.
Sleep in my own bed tonight.
Friday 10 July 2015
Thursday 9 July 2015
Peace Dale RI to Boston Loagan Airport.
Last day in the USA today.
As the person I was staying with had a very early start , I also had a sharp start. I only had about 70 miles to drive today and as I started at 8 am and as my flight from Boston is not until 9.15 pm I have had quite a lot of time to use up. I decided to go cross country, instead of taking a major road and this has proved to be very good in the times I have done it over the last few weeks, today was no exception.
Quite a poor breakfast on the way, one of the worst I have had so far. I have usually done very well with diners this was applying however you take the rough with the smooth. However opposite the diner was a clock shop so I spent a pleasant 30 mins talking clocks, running a clock business and general trade with a fellow clockmaker, it was a good conversation, we both have similar issues with customers.
I also passed a small garage and inside were two series two land rovers, this resulted in a u turn and another chat with the owner the garage specialise in British cars and had apart from a few land rovers, jags and rollers and de-lorian which did look a bit sad.
I spent an hour wandering around a Mall, on the edge of Boston what a horrid place that was.
I got to the airport at about 3pm far too early but there was not much I could do about it. I handed the car back to Alamo without a scratch, a dent, a scrape, or a ding, which I think is pretty good for over 6000 miles on the wrong side of the road with an automatic car.
After I got to the terminal I realised I was shaking with released stress after giving the car back, which was a bit of a surprise. Now I have a few hours wait, until I fly back courtesy British Airways to Heathrow.
I am perhaps too wound up to write much more. Perhaps I need a small snack.......
As the person I was staying with had a very early start , I also had a sharp start. I only had about 70 miles to drive today and as I started at 8 am and as my flight from Boston is not until 9.15 pm I have had quite a lot of time to use up. I decided to go cross country, instead of taking a major road and this has proved to be very good in the times I have done it over the last few weeks, today was no exception.
Quite a poor breakfast on the way, one of the worst I have had so far. I have usually done very well with diners this was applying however you take the rough with the smooth. However opposite the diner was a clock shop so I spent a pleasant 30 mins talking clocks, running a clock business and general trade with a fellow clockmaker, it was a good conversation, we both have similar issues with customers.
I also passed a small garage and inside were two series two land rovers, this resulted in a u turn and another chat with the owner the garage specialise in British cars and had apart from a few land rovers, jags and rollers and de-lorian which did look a bit sad.
I spent an hour wandering around a Mall, on the edge of Boston what a horrid place that was.
I got to the airport at about 3pm far too early but there was not much I could do about it. I handed the car back to Alamo without a scratch, a dent, a scrape, or a ding, which I think is pretty good for over 6000 miles on the wrong side of the road with an automatic car.
After I got to the terminal I realised I was shaking with released stress after giving the car back, which was a bit of a surprise. Now I have a few hours wait, until I fly back courtesy British Airways to Heathrow.
I am perhaps too wound up to write much more. Perhaps I need a small snack.......
Wednesday 8 July 2015
Haddham CT to Peace Dale RI
Quite a short trip 65 miles today, as this was my penultimate day in USA. After a slow start from my B and B I drove down to Rhode Island to meet up with the chap who has been most helpful in facilitating my WCMF trip. We spent a very pleasant afternoon in his workshop looking at, and discussing wood wheeled clocks.
We went out for a very pleasant meal in the evening.
Tomorrow a gently drive up to Boston for my 9 15pm flight to the UK.
Haddham to Old Sturbridge Village MA
After a very good nights sleep, I drove to OSV in MA about 70 miles away. This is a very good living museum which has moved various old houses and workshops from all over the area. There is an excellent wood mill and a blacksmiths shop as well as tin smiths and other craft places. The shops are all staffed and the staff seem good and knowledgeable.
I was particularly interested in the clock collection and I was not disappointed, this is a first rate collection with some very good examples of early clocks with wood movement. During my visit I became very taken with a particular clock which has a very old unnamed wood wheeled movement in a most interesting case. The case and the movement may not be original to each other but both were very thought provoking. There was also a very interesting tall case clock with a reverse painted dial, the clock is unsigned but looking at the movement with the roller trunnions, one has to think this was an Ives movement.
There was a very nice 'wag on the wall' timepiece clock which was single handed hoop and spike iron posted frame with brass verticals the dial was simple and immediately reminded me of the quaker clocks while the dial did not really have any North Oxford Quaker marking there was something about the clock which was very attractive.
I was very lucky to be accompanied on my visit to the clock gallery by one of the curators who had been with the OSV for over 25 years he was able to get me a complementary ticket for the rest of the museum, which was kind.
We were able to take off some of the hood of the clocks in the USA some people call them bonnets and look in detail at the movements, which was excellent.
I was particularly interested in the clock collection and I was not disappointed, this is a first rate collection with some very good examples of early clocks with wood movement. During my visit I became very taken with a particular clock which has a very old unnamed wood wheeled movement in a most interesting case. The case and the movement may not be original to each other but both were very thought provoking. There was also a very interesting tall case clock with a reverse painted dial, the clock is unsigned but looking at the movement with the roller trunnions, one has to think this was an Ives movement.
There was a very nice 'wag on the wall' timepiece clock which was single handed hoop and spike iron posted frame with brass verticals the dial was simple and immediately reminded me of the quaker clocks while the dial did not really have any North Oxford Quaker marking there was something about the clock which was very attractive.
I was very lucky to be accompanied on my visit to the clock gallery by one of the curators who had been with the OSV for over 25 years he was able to get me a complementary ticket for the rest of the museum, which was kind.
We were able to take off some of the hood of the clocks in the USA some people call them bonnets and look in detail at the movements, which was excellent.
Monday 6 July 2015
Haddham CT to Bristol and then to the AWCM
Good nights sleep, and an early start to visit the workshops of a highly skilled repairer of wooden wheeled clocks. He kindly demonstrated how to cut wooden wheels on a machine made by his father , many years ago. The machine has two cutters in a circular saw form, (not single point) one of the cutters has an additional cutter which creates the root of the gear. He also demonstrated the finishing of a pinion to me. We discussed cleaning methods and detergents and cleaning procedures. He also showed me the various forms of bushing that was possible. His experience suggests that some of the clocks were fitted with brass bushes from the factory as a sort of sale gimmick.
This man has repaired over 4000 clocks during his time at the bench and he clearly know what he is doing. It was a most interesting visit, and I have learnt a great deal from it. It was nice to be invited into a working clockmakers workshop, during a busy day and to be given so much of his time.
It might very well be that a highlight was going to Dunkin Donuts in his 1922 Dodge Brothers car, this was a real treat (not just the donut), but to be driven in a 1922 car in 2015 traffic was interesting. He has no fear.
I had a very nice omelette in a family diner, I travelled cross-country from the workshop back to the AWCM. The few cross country drives that I have done are much better than the drives on express ways. I feel I have seen much more of the houses and every day things, during my cross country forays.
At the AWCM I had a talk with the executive director about the ideas of collection versus museum practice. It transpires that perhaps a lot of collections struggle with the idea of conservation and setting things in a museum context with a collection philosophy is not really working, or has not worked.
I also had a very good conversation with one of the foremost researchers on wood clocks, she is a specialist on the sociology of clockmaking, we were able to share some good information it was a most interesting and stimulating visit.
Back home to the Air B and B
This man has repaired over 4000 clocks during his time at the bench and he clearly know what he is doing. It was a most interesting visit, and I have learnt a great deal from it. It was nice to be invited into a working clockmakers workshop, during a busy day and to be given so much of his time.
It might very well be that a highlight was going to Dunkin Donuts in his 1922 Dodge Brothers car, this was a real treat (not just the donut), but to be driven in a 1922 car in 2015 traffic was interesting. He has no fear.
I had a very nice omelette in a family diner, I travelled cross-country from the workshop back to the AWCM. The few cross country drives that I have done are much better than the drives on express ways. I feel I have seen much more of the houses and every day things, during my cross country forays.
At the AWCM I had a talk with the executive director about the ideas of collection versus museum practice. It transpires that perhaps a lot of collections struggle with the idea of conservation and setting things in a museum context with a collection philosophy is not really working, or has not worked.
I also had a very good conversation with one of the foremost researchers on wood clocks, she is a specialist on the sociology of clockmaking, we were able to share some good information it was a most interesting and stimulating visit.
Back home to the Air B and B
Haddam CT to Bristol CT AWCM
I had a very good nights sleep and a good drive 25 miles to the American Watch and Clock Museum near Bristol CT, As it was Sunday, traffic was very light and it was a joy to drive on nearly empty roads.
This is a very good museum and I enjoyed a very nice wander around before I met one of the curators who showed me around. He was able to point out things in much more detail, and also let me see the reserve collection of wooden clock movements. There were some very interesting wooden tower clock movements which I found very interesting. They tend to date from about 1820 so do not predate the wood wheeled movements found in tall and shelf clocks.
We spend some time discussing the manufacture and painting of a dial and considered where the materials which went in to dial painting originated. When you consider a painted dial in some detail there are a large number of elements to it. From the dial paint ground right through to the materials needed for colours and gesso. All of these things needed to be sourced, and very few records remain, or have been so far found, that give any indication from where they came.
Nice drive back to air b and b
This is a very good museum and I enjoyed a very nice wander around before I met one of the curators who showed me around. He was able to point out things in much more detail, and also let me see the reserve collection of wooden clock movements. There were some very interesting wooden tower clock movements which I found very interesting. They tend to date from about 1820 so do not predate the wood wheeled movements found in tall and shelf clocks.
We spend some time discussing the manufacture and painting of a dial and considered where the materials which went in to dial painting originated. When you consider a painted dial in some detail there are a large number of elements to it. From the dial paint ground right through to the materials needed for colours and gesso. All of these things needed to be sourced, and very few records remain, or have been so far found, that give any indication from where they came.
Nice drive back to air b and b
Saturday 4 July 2015
Drive from Bird in Hand PA to Haddam CT
Quite a long drive, and I was a bit concerned that if I had just put the final destination in to the Sat nag it would demand that I went via New York City, which after my last experience, I was very keen to avoid. This meant that I had to do a bit of jiggery-pokery to make sure I went up, and along as opposed going down and along. Highly technical mapping technique there.
The weather was not good it rained pretty all the the way. I left Bird in Hand at about 8.15am and arrived here at 5.15pm , I did have a few back tracks and false decisions, in fact at the end of the journey the sat nag and I are barely on speaking terms. However, being a saturday not very many trucks on the road which is a great advantage.
I suppose one of my memories of the very many over 4.5K miles I have driven so far, is 'trees', there are millions of trees everywhere is wooded even the pasture places I have driven through are well wooded it is very beautiful.
The other think I have noticed recently is the places selling fire works to be let off tonight 4th July. I drove across country to day and there were many of theses pop up shops in covered tents, selling fireworks I did not really stop to look in detail but the size of these fire works seem huge. I am writing this at about 20.58 on July 4th and the sound of the fireworks is all around, I suppose being a Brit I had better keep my head down.....
I am off to the American Watch and Clock Museum tomorrow.
Day three in the library NAWCC
Another very good day in the Library, If you like Clocks, books about clocks, Tools, books about tools, and not only that Clocks, Books and Tools all in the same place than the NAWCC is a good place to visit.
I read all the back issues of the Cog Counters Journal as well as loads of other interesting stuff
Back to my Air b and b and they had still not sorted out the lack of internet, which is very frustrating to say the very least.
Long days drive tomorrow up or across to Bristol CT.
I read all the back issues of the Cog Counters Journal as well as loads of other interesting stuff
Back to my Air b and b and they had still not sorted out the lack of internet, which is very frustrating to say the very least.
Long days drive tomorrow up or across to Bristol CT.
Friday 3 July 2015
Day 2 NAWCC museum
Spent a very good day in the museum, It is amazing how much time you can spend reading if there is nothing else you want to do, and there is a room full of books that you are keen to get your hands on.
The Cog Counters are the chapter of the NAWCC who are particularly interested in wood wheeled clocks and their news letters going back to 1974 are a treasure house of information. I am just about to start volume two there are six more volumes to go.
Sadly the air B and B have not sorted their internet out, which means that evenings are spent reading the kindle, which is ok but when the place promised wi fi and does not deliver I feel slightly cheated.
The Cog Counters are the chapter of the NAWCC who are particularly interested in wood wheeled clocks and their news letters going back to 1974 are a treasure house of information. I am just about to start volume two there are six more volumes to go.
Sadly the air B and B have not sorted their internet out, which means that evenings are spent reading the kindle, which is ok but when the place promised wi fi and does not deliver I feel slightly cheated.
Thursday 2 July 2015
Day 1 at the NAWCC Columbus PA
I was staying in a Comfort Inn last night, which not bad apart from the fire alarm, where we all left the building and stood around for 30 mins until someone arrived with the keys to turn off the alarm, no one said a thing to the guests, we just gradually filtered back in.
The NAWCC museum is very good with a wide selection of clocks watches and tools, very interesting there were also a few very old wood clocks and a few modern ones so that was a real result.
I had a very good meeting with the the Museum Director and the Museum Curator both were very welcoming. We discussed a number of matters and agreed that there is a need for a training course with a qualification for people working with in a horological collection environment. The concept of conservation being at the heart of this. There is the problem of balancing the need for visitor foot fall over the need to protect the artefacts and to make sure that the environment where they are displayed is both accessible to the visitors but also protects the item.
I had lunch in a very nice pharmacy shop and cafe not far form the museum is was very interestingly laid out.
Back at the museum in the afternoon, I was able to take lots of photographs and the curator even went as far as to remove some items from display so that I could photograph them, which was kind. The NAWCC librarian explained the layout of the library, so that I could go to work tomorrow
I had a very good chat with the new editor of the NAWCC magazine and we agreed that subject to a few agreements over rights and possible payments, I might do some writing for her.
I am staying in Bird in Hand which is very close to Intercourse some 17 miles from the museum. The village used to be called 'Cross Keys', until they changed the title to 'Intercourse', as they say round here 'enjoy' there you go!
Sadly the Air B and B has got internet problems and so that was a bit of a pain.
The NAWCC museum is very good with a wide selection of clocks watches and tools, very interesting there were also a few very old wood clocks and a few modern ones so that was a real result.
I had a very good meeting with the the Museum Director and the Museum Curator both were very welcoming. We discussed a number of matters and agreed that there is a need for a training course with a qualification for people working with in a horological collection environment. The concept of conservation being at the heart of this. There is the problem of balancing the need for visitor foot fall over the need to protect the artefacts and to make sure that the environment where they are displayed is both accessible to the visitors but also protects the item.
I had lunch in a very nice pharmacy shop and cafe not far form the museum is was very interestingly laid out.
Back at the museum in the afternoon, I was able to take lots of photographs and the curator even went as far as to remove some items from display so that I could photograph them, which was kind. The NAWCC librarian explained the layout of the library, so that I could go to work tomorrow
I had a very good chat with the new editor of the NAWCC magazine and we agreed that subject to a few agreements over rights and possible payments, I might do some writing for her.
I am staying in Bird in Hand which is very close to Intercourse some 17 miles from the museum. The village used to be called 'Cross Keys', until they changed the title to 'Intercourse', as they say round here 'enjoy' there you go!
Sadly the Air B and B has got internet problems and so that was a bit of a pain.
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