Chebeague Island Fisherman's Wet mitten. (after fulling)

Chebeague Island Fisherman's Wet mitten. (before fulling)

I just knit up a pair of these. Bartlett's 2 ply yarn purchased at the Maryland Sheep and Wool festival. Pattern from Robin Hansen's excellent Favorite Mittens. They knit up very fast, over a weekend , more or less and about an hour to do the fulling (scrubbing in hot water and then plunging in cold water repeatedly). Hoping they will provide some much needed comfort in the winter riding ahead. The fishermen wet these in cold water and wring them out before going out for the day. We'll see how well that works. I suppose it's a bit like a wet suit. I wonder how these would stand up to the famous Dachstein mittens? From what I can tell they seem to be a bit thicker than these. Anyone out there own a pair?

Francis Rogallo, and his wife Gertrude, inventors of the V-shaped flexible "parawing."


Test flight of the parawing.

The Redstone booster carrying the spacecraft is mounted for testing in Langley's Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel.

Lunar Orbit and Letdown Approach Simulator.

Langley engineers check out the interior of the inflatable 24-foot space station in January 1962.

The "Whole Earth" as photographed by Lunar Orbiter V.

photos courtesy of NASA.

For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn only by doing them. Aristotle

Gossamer Albatross

Preparing for the first flight, July 16, 1978


Assessing damage, March 12, 1979


Shafter, California. March 13, 1979

Over the English Channel, June 12, 1979.

photos coutesy of Donald Monroe

From Wikipedia: The Gossamer Albatross was a human-powered aircraft built by American aeronautical engineer Dr. Paul B. MacCready's AeroVironment. On June 12, 1979 it completed a successful crossing of the English Channel to win the second Kremer prize.

Very interesting Paul MacCready interview here.

Gossamer Odyssey: The Triumph of Human-Powered Flight by Morton Grosser gives a detailed account of the project.

Library of Congress. Indian Bone Game on Fourth of July

Hoping everyone has a happy Independence Day.
I'll be making some cole slaw and bags.

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Perhaps a bit past its expiration date, but this is the bike I cobbled together last summer before the job ended, and boy am I glad I did. Picked up some of my favorite parts, and put together a bike that serves nearly all my needs. A joy to ride, and hopefully, one I'll have at least as long as I've had my Trek (25 years). She feels a tad slow out of the gate, but once we get going, very nice. 4 gears, but I have to stop if I want to change; a chance to take a short break and ready myself.

Whoever has Cold Mountain's poems
is better off than those with sutras.
Write them up on your screen
and read them from time to time.

Han-Shan, fl. 9th century (translated by Red Pine)

Do you have the poems of Han-Shan in your house?
They're better for you than sutra-reading!
Write them out and paste them on a screen
Where you can glance them over from time to time.

Han-Shan, fl. 9th century (translated by Burton Watson)

Two translations of the same poem. Wish I knew some Chinese to see how I feel about this. I like them both, but can't help feeling that reading things in translation is, well, secondhand. One always has the feeling that possibly something is amiss. I experienced this when reading "The Magic Mountain". I'd read the H.T. Lowe-Porter translation several times, but wanted to read the John E. Woods translation, which I found slightly disappointing. Was it the translation or my familiarity with the earlier version? Which is "closer" to the original?

and to complicate it further:

Poems of Han-Shan?
Better than the sutras.
Post them on your screen
and remind yourself from time to time.

"Thomas Mann and Proust were lucky in their translators." Cocteau.

One more for the road:

In a tangle of cliffs, I chose a place -
Bird paths, but no trails for me.
What's beyond the yard?
White clouds clinging to vague rocks.
Now I've lived here - how many years -
Again and again, spring and winter pass.
Go tell families with silverware and cars
"What's the use of all that noise and money?"

Han-Shan, fl. 9th century (translated by Gary Snyder)

I've been busy sewing and have a few tote bags made of waxed cotton and canvas with a zippered pocket on the inside. bag dimensions: 16.5" w x 14"h. pocket is roughly 9" w x 5" h. Etsy store should be up soon, still working out some details. If you're interested send me an email: franklinstreetbags(at)gmail(dot)com. Perfect for the market, rain or shine.