Long Awaited "Door Table"

OK, it's been a year since I got the old throw away door from a church yard sale. Then in this year's yard sale I found a long cabinet that looked like it had been used in a shop. I could tell because it had some holes in the top of the it that looked like it had held a vise. I'd struggled for a few months last summer trying to find the legs I wanted for the table. Said another way, I didn't want to spend money on the legs I eventually found that would be appealing and functional for the table. The cabinet would provide just what the creative recycling artist desired!

I've learned along the way a dining room table should be around 29-30 inches in height. Plus I wanted lots of room for a plate, plus plenty of room below the table for feet and knees. The plan is to add some tile in the insert areas & Monica and I are now working that out. I'm voting to leave the holes in the door from the door know and lock, though I may not prevail in that. After all it's still a door, right?! I still need to sand, stain, place tile, etc. but here's an updated picture of the table just in time for Mother's Day.

Oooh wait, was that 2008 or 2009 I was supposed to finish this?

UGA Iron Horse in Greene County

I had to drive close to four hours on New Years Day to pick up one of my son's friends in Watkinsville GA. We had lived in the Greensboro/ Madison area a couple of years ago, and still have many wonderful friends from that region. And there are LOTS of wonderful characters and stories from the area that we still enjoy.

Do you know about the Abbott Pattison Iron Horse?

It sits in a field just off Highway 15, just across the Oconee River yet inside the Greene County area just before you cross into Oconee County. In the winter it is relatively easy to see. In the late summer it is a fun challenge to find as the farm usually has tall corn in the field where the horse stays.

Originally the horse sat on the UGA campus in the mid '50's, but the students didn't treat the horse well. So, it was moved rather quickly after it's debut at UGA, and by the late '50's found its home on the farm of a UGA professor. Check out that picture again. Can you believe this thing was THAT controversial?! If I think much about the 1950's in Georgia and the world I realize there may have been any number of more important happenings to engage our energy and emotion.

I've always been curious about this sculpture/relic of a different time. Was it really just a few drunk fraternity boys that caused the trouble or more of a mob mentality against the horse? Was this merely a common ignorance of that time and place, or more about the ignorance of the sculptor as to how his art would be received by the locals? And to make this a more current discussion, are we any different today?! Are there Iron Horses today that consume our energy and emotion, yet which in retrospect will seem a rather ridiculous waste of energy. Even in 2009 I suspect there may be some Iron Horses among us.

I'm curious what you make of this odd story from the recent past. I'm curious if you see any Iron Horses in our world today?

Find the whole story at http://excursia.com/destinations/USA/GA/athens/stories/20010406/att_ironhorse.shtml

A Rainy Day Off & Renewal of Creativity

I don't know about you, but I start to feel a little beat up by this point in the fall. Too much work, not much time off, and not enough rest and reflection drain my batteries!

It's a rainy day in my part of Georgia which gives a great chance to do NOTHING!! This is a really under utilized activity. After not doing much of anything (except playing with the "new" dog [another story for another day]) I got on the internet for a moment in search of someone to spark my creativity. Isn't it renewing to see the creativity of others to jump start the imagination?

I found http://thesmartestfish.blogspot.com/ today and have really enjoyed the various artistic expressions found there. Check it out for yourself and see if something isn't sparked in you.

Clean Like New

Remember that door project. Yeh, that's it, the old throw away door I'm turning into a table.

This weekend while the family was gone I turned the kitchen into a laboratory. I realized that the painted over door hardware wasn't steel but brass. I tried the magnet and it didn't stick so I knew it was something worth trying to reclaim. What could be underneath the ugly?!

A little research and I found that white vinegar brought to a boil and then allowed to simmer would remove the paint. Then a little elbow grease with steel wool would bring about a transformation. Unfortunately I needed a pan (not aluminum-- hmm, wonder what that would do?) and pair of tongs that could never be used in the kitchen again.

It's a hard thing to explain to your wife why you need to confiscate kitchen goods. Even harder to explain to the family why the house, not to mention the neighborhood, smells like boiling vinegar. My teenager and two friends showed up unexpectedly in the middle of my chemistry. I'm not sure they'll ever come back.

Yet it's all for the good of reclaiming old thrown away items and turning them into something practical and beautiful. The picture shows one item that is still a little blotchy though not the ugly brown painted piece I started with. The others show the power of the chemical reaction and the transformation.

All it takes is an eye for the hidden, the right catalyst, and a little bit of elbow grease.

A Day "Off" & Doors as Art

Finally, a day I get to do other work! I'm at home and catching up on a few projects today. Ah, the beauty of needing to vacuum but finding other distractions to pursue!

Since last November I've had a thought bubbling around in my mind to make a dining room table out of a door. Not real sure how this percolated to the top of my wee brain, but it's there and continues to occasionally pester me. I've got an old door in hand now and have it ready for something. If you Google making a door into a dining room table you will find some nice useable options that are also unique and beautiful.

As I kick this thought around today, instead of washing dishes or clothes, I'm drawn to all the symbolism a door conveys. Before the day of mass produced generic doors humanity has perhaps been more aware of this than we are today. Waste a little time with me. Let your mind drift as you check out http://www.flickr.com/groups/doorart/pool/