Tuesday, 30 June 2015
Warren to Muncy PA and then Columbus PA
I decided to make a pretty early start from Warren OH and was on the road at about 7 am I was aiming for Mauncy PA where there is a very large tool shop that I wanted to visit. I have been trying in the UK to get and insert for the lathe spindle of my colchester, and have so far been unsuccessful. However, I was told that this company have them as a spare part for a lathe they sell, I was told that there were three in stock.
Arrived at the shop at about 1.30pm it was a fair drive.. Sadly some of my information was correct, not all, but some, there were certainly three in stock, that was the good news. However, not at that depot. However, they would post them to me I managed to get a friend in Peace Dale RI to agree to have them sent to him for me to collect.
I then drove on to Columbus PA which is the home of the NAWCC museum and HQ which I plan to visit tomorrow. I think I have driven close to 400 miles today. as I did not get to bed until 2 am yesterday and am looking forward to a good nights sleep.
I am staying in a 'comfort inn' tonight.......
Columbus Ohio to Warren Ohio
Today was a very good day, I drove from Columbus Ohio to Warren which is just on the border with Pennsylvania, the drive took about 3.5 hours.
I met my host for the day who took me to meet a highly skilled clock repairer who now specialises in the repair and conservation on wood wheeled clocks. He has done a huge amount of work in new methods of cutting wood wheels and has even printed some new wheels on a 3D printer in blue plastic which as far as I am aware is pretty new stuff, for us in horology anyway. I am not sure quite how we might use this but the technology is followed by a use, possibly. The clock restorer also uses CNC and a very sophisticated technological drawing application 'solid works' and similar to enable him to create the 3D images. There is much to thing about with this. I was also able to see and Ives movement in bits Ives was the first american clockmaker to use roller trundles in his clock work although Harrison had used them nearly 100 years before......
On the way there and back I was treated to a master class on different housing styles in the area, which has a large Amish community.
Once back at my host's house we spent hours looking at his clock collection,He has a particular interest in clocks made locally to his area, he is also a clock dial specialist and I learnt a great deal, not just about dials but also the furniture of the very local area, and the surrounding 50 or so miles. He and his wife have a very interesting collection, all housed in a historic house, my favourite bit was a pastry cutter made with a wooden clock wheel! , we did not finish chatting to 2 am.
I met my host for the day who took me to meet a highly skilled clock repairer who now specialises in the repair and conservation on wood wheeled clocks. He has done a huge amount of work in new methods of cutting wood wheels and has even printed some new wheels on a 3D printer in blue plastic which as far as I am aware is pretty new stuff, for us in horology anyway. I am not sure quite how we might use this but the technology is followed by a use, possibly. The clock restorer also uses CNC and a very sophisticated technological drawing application 'solid works' and similar to enable him to create the 3D images. There is much to thing about with this. I was also able to see and Ives movement in bits Ives was the first american clockmaker to use roller trundles in his clock work although Harrison had used them nearly 100 years before......
On the way there and back I was treated to a master class on different housing styles in the area, which has a large Amish community.
Once back at my host's house we spent hours looking at his clock collection,He has a particular interest in clocks made locally to his area, he is also a clock dial specialist and I learnt a great deal, not just about dials but also the furniture of the very local area, and the surrounding 50 or so miles. He and his wife have a very interesting collection, all housed in a historic house, my favourite bit was a pastry cutter made with a wooden clock wheel! , we did not finish chatting to 2 am.
Sunday, 28 June 2015
Nashville to Columbus Ohio
This was going to be a long day and it was, but being a Sunday there was not too much traffic on the roads, however the lorries were ever present and all driving at at least 70 mph, some well over 80mph.
I started at 7 am and stopped for a bit of cereal at about nine, I then stopped for a coffee and a couple of biscuits at a Cracker Barrel at 11am . I phoned one of the people who I wanted to talk with and he was more than happy to chat to me today, this was very good as it has saved me about 140 miles drive.
I got to New Carlisle at about 3 pm and we had a very good conversation I put a few of the ideas I have been developing to him and some he agreed with others he did not However we did consider that the DNA of the American wood wheeled clock has a lot of British in it a very small part of German but a surprisingly large element of Scandanavian which I am going to explore further. He kindly showed me some of his vast clock collection.
I was also contacted by the person I had arranged to meet on the tuesday he again readily agreed to meet on monday this is a very good piece of news as it makes the visit that much more effective.
I got to my Air B and b at about 7.30. The room is very nice. I am looking forward to a good sleep.
I started at 7 am and stopped for a bit of cereal at about nine, I then stopped for a coffee and a couple of biscuits at a Cracker Barrel at 11am . I phoned one of the people who I wanted to talk with and he was more than happy to chat to me today, this was very good as it has saved me about 140 miles drive.
I got to New Carlisle at about 3 pm and we had a very good conversation I put a few of the ideas I have been developing to him and some he agreed with others he did not However we did consider that the DNA of the American wood wheeled clock has a lot of British in it a very small part of German but a surprisingly large element of Scandanavian which I am going to explore further. He kindly showed me some of his vast clock collection.
I was also contacted by the person I had arranged to meet on the tuesday he again readily agreed to meet on monday this is a very good piece of news as it makes the visit that much more effective.
I got to my Air B and b at about 7.30. The room is very nice. I am looking forward to a good sleep.
Nashville day two
Another good nights sleep, thank the lord for AC, I wonder if there is a patron saint for AC. Quite a slow start as I caught up on lots of personal admin I had been putting off.
A quick drive to Carter Vintage Guitars to take some more photographs of the wooden clock movement mounted on a guitar shape The clock was hand made by Bill Randle of Cookervill TN and was originally on sale for $1900.
I did however make a purchase of a tee shirt, or two.
I had a couple of swift coffees in the coffee house next door and then I went on a drive. There were a couple of shops that I wanted to visit and I drove some miles out of town to find them.
Back to the air b and b in the afternoon and then out down town for a pizza for tea, found a pizza place which had music, bit of shock that.
A quick drive to Carter Vintage Guitars to take some more photographs of the wooden clock movement mounted on a guitar shape The clock was hand made by Bill Randle of Cookervill TN and was originally on sale for $1900.
I did however make a purchase of a tee shirt, or two.
I had a couple of swift coffees in the coffee house next door and then I went on a drive. There were a couple of shops that I wanted to visit and I drove some miles out of town to find them.
Back to the air b and b in the afternoon and then out down town for a pizza for tea, found a pizza place which had music, bit of shock that.
Friday, 26 June 2015
Nashville day 1
I had the best nights sleep I have had for a long time last night. The Air B and B I am staying in at Nashville is beautiful but more importantly it has Air Conditioning. I had always been rather sniffy about AC, but sleeping in the hot and humid environment is nearly impossible especially if you are not used to it.
It was very hot, it is odd how often I mention the heat in these blogs but the heat is amazing I am just not used to it and seem to be melting. I walked into town which is perhaps about two miles and boy I was dripping when I reached the country music hall of fame and museum which being in Nashville I just had to visit. It was a good experience I saw some superb memorabilia. I did walk along the Broadway where every shop every bar and even the side walks team with Country music it was great and I very much enjoyed it.
However my real intention was to visit the FRIST centre in Nashville to see and exhibition of post cards and work by the Wiener Werkstatte (the vienna workshops) formed about 1897 this is a fore runner of the Bauhaus movement and some of the artists who were WW artist and designers may have crossed to the Bauhaus and most certainly influenced it, the WW movement influenced English and Scottish designers C R Mackintosh and others. Some of the post card work is beautiful if very stark however other work is bright but very figurative.
I had a nice sandwich for lunch and then saw the exhibition, it was stunning and I very much enjoyed seeing the cards and some of the other work.
There was also an exhibition on Italian clothing design which was worth a look.
The FRST have a very interesting gallery designed for children to make and experience art work, it was well worth a visit to see what hands on experiences could be part of a museum provision.
The walk home was exhausting and I had to stop for a gelato to keep the inner man cooled.
It was very hot, it is odd how often I mention the heat in these blogs but the heat is amazing I am just not used to it and seem to be melting. I walked into town which is perhaps about two miles and boy I was dripping when I reached the country music hall of fame and museum which being in Nashville I just had to visit. It was a good experience I saw some superb memorabilia. I did walk along the Broadway where every shop every bar and even the side walks team with Country music it was great and I very much enjoyed it.
However my real intention was to visit the FRIST centre in Nashville to see and exhibition of post cards and work by the Wiener Werkstatte (the vienna workshops) formed about 1897 this is a fore runner of the Bauhaus movement and some of the artists who were WW artist and designers may have crossed to the Bauhaus and most certainly influenced it, the WW movement influenced English and Scottish designers C R Mackintosh and others. Some of the post card work is beautiful if very stark however other work is bright but very figurative.
I had a nice sandwich for lunch and then saw the exhibition, it was stunning and I very much enjoyed seeing the cards and some of the other work.
There was also an exhibition on Italian clothing design which was worth a look.
The FRST have a very interesting gallery designed for children to make and experience art work, it was well worth a visit to see what hands on experiences could be part of a museum provision.
The walk home was exhausting and I had to stop for a gelato to keep the inner man cooled.
Thursday, 25 June 2015
New Orleans to Nashville
This was always going to be a long day, and it was. It was a very hot night and sleep was difficult.
Sharp start up a 5.45am for a breakfast at seven Granola and then I was taken to the Louis Armstrong airport New Orleans, nice wait for the flight, sadly I was not upgraded to premier economy! but all of the seats on the plane were much wider and had more leg room that you normally get, in my very limited experience.
Nice flight, I was given a window seat and the flight being a day time one, I was able to see a lot of the country as we flew over it.
Bit of a kerfuffel finding the correct shuttle bus to get from the airport to the hotel where I had paid for car parking, but eventually reunited with the car which was where I left it and all was fine. eventually left Atlanta at about 4pm
Getting out of Atlanta was a long a very slow process, due to the amount of traffic and the constant road improvements being carried out, but eventually on the road to Chattanooga, which is the way to Nashville, this was convent as I was able to make a short detour and collect an adaptor and lead that I had left behind on my stay.
I got to Nashville at about 9.45pm and had a very nice welcome from my Air B and B hosts. Very nice room with Air Conditioning. I really did not appreciate how important AC in this sort of climate, although I dread to think what is the cost of electricity. Not much to eat today, as I think I have rather overdone the bread over the last few days.
I am looking forward to a good, cool , nights sleep.
Sharp start up a 5.45am for a breakfast at seven Granola and then I was taken to the Louis Armstrong airport New Orleans, nice wait for the flight, sadly I was not upgraded to premier economy! but all of the seats on the plane were much wider and had more leg room that you normally get, in my very limited experience.
Nice flight, I was given a window seat and the flight being a day time one, I was able to see a lot of the country as we flew over it.
Bit of a kerfuffel finding the correct shuttle bus to get from the airport to the hotel where I had paid for car parking, but eventually reunited with the car which was where I left it and all was fine. eventually left Atlanta at about 4pm
Getting out of Atlanta was a long a very slow process, due to the amount of traffic and the constant road improvements being carried out, but eventually on the road to Chattanooga, which is the way to Nashville, this was convent as I was able to make a short detour and collect an adaptor and lead that I had left behind on my stay.
I got to Nashville at about 9.45pm and had a very nice welcome from my Air B and B hosts. Very nice room with Air Conditioning. I really did not appreciate how important AC in this sort of climate, although I dread to think what is the cost of electricity. Not much to eat today, as I think I have rather overdone the bread over the last few days.
I am looking forward to a good, cool , nights sleep.
New Orleans Day 2
Very hot night. Today was museums Architecture and Art Galleries and a few other minor ventures! We had a very good walk in the central park and saw a number of very old 800yr old Oak trees they are still alive in what I would consider such a hostile, if you consider the constant hot temperature, environment. Although as New Orleans seems to be built on a swamp I suppose the oaks after all this time got their feet in the water.
I have to admit that by mistake we visited the Confederate History Museum when we thought we were visiting the one next door. We were watching the welcome video when it dawned on me that perhaps we might be in the wrong place, we were! the museum we wanted was next door. I suppose that for some people the confederate museum is a place of great pilgrimage. Most of the exhibits were as you might expect, civil war related, and were a very sad but poignant reminder of the history of USA.
We then visited the museum next door which was the New Orleans Museum of Modern Art, this was a great disappointment, expensive to get into and a very small collection. Sad.
Slow trip home via a book shop which we were told had a good selection of clock related books, this information proved to be a false lead which was marginally disappointing. A visit to a local stain glass artist 's workshop was very interesting. Out for an early evening meal at a local restaurant very nice.
again a very hot night.
I have to admit that by mistake we visited the Confederate History Museum when we thought we were visiting the one next door. We were watching the welcome video when it dawned on me that perhaps we might be in the wrong place, we were! the museum we wanted was next door. I suppose that for some people the confederate museum is a place of great pilgrimage. Most of the exhibits were as you might expect, civil war related, and were a very sad but poignant reminder of the history of USA.
We then visited the museum next door which was the New Orleans Museum of Modern Art, this was a great disappointment, expensive to get into and a very small collection. Sad.
Slow trip home via a book shop which we were told had a good selection of clock related books, this information proved to be a false lead which was marginally disappointing. A visit to a local stain glass artist 's workshop was very interesting. Out for an early evening meal at a local restaurant very nice.
again a very hot night.
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