Salt Life Hideout

[LPete3]

Thanks for the welcome. I agree, this is a great place to put a garage together before you really build it. Thanks for the ideas on saving pics for later on. No problem giving credit where it is due. It certainly shortens the learning curve and extends resources by seeing what others have done. Monticello is an amazing place, alot of engineering and thought put into that place.
When we lived in Michigan we had a 28x44 garage and worked out of my dad's 30x50 pole barn that is outfitted pretty well, so we were spoiled. Sooner or later we will end up with a shop that we can start working on our cars in.

Has there been any more progress in your garage?

Lynn

 

[Wingnut65]

Thanks for the welcome. I agree, this is a great place to put a garage together before you really build it. Thanks for the ideas on saving pics for later on. No problem giving credit where it is due. GJ certainly shortens the learning curve and extends resources by seeing what others have done . Monticello is an amazing place, alot of engineering and thought put into that place. I agree fully.

When we lived in Michigan we had a 28x44 garage and worked out of my dad's 30x50 pole barn that is outfitted pretty well, so we were spoiled. Sooner or later we will end up with a shop that we can start working on our cars in.

Has there been any more progress in your garage? Yes !

Lynn

Lynn, Thanks for coming back. I'm sure it would be easy to get spoiled with that much shop space to play in, let alone having two of them... Give it time and you will find the right place settle into. By then, you may have all the ideas to make it perfect the first time through. At least until you find better ideas here...

Thanks for asking about the shop. Yes, I spent the full weekend out in the garage. I am almost done with the Water Heater Cabinet build, but need to make some time to type up that build post.

Until then... I did fix a couple gaps that I haven't liked since I finished the A/C cabinet. When I cut the top of the door off and installed it on separate hinges so it would not hit the A/C ductwork when it opened, I've always had a gap at the ceiling that created a shadow line I didn't like.

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I know, Big Whoop! Who cares about that. Well I guess it bothered me enough to add a 2x4 across the opening to fill the gap. It also added some needed support under the gypsum board ceiling that was sagging due to heavy loads stored above. That and a little paint and, No Gap!

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And the second gap was between the Paint Cabinet doors and the recently installed A/C Cabinet door. Since they are different door styles (panel door to a swinging cabinet) and different hinges (European to fully load bearing), I left the gap for adequate clearances to allow the doors to open at least 90 degrees. This left a 1" gap between the doors. It just created an extra deep shadow line that bothered me.

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So, when I was cutting the plywood for the door panel on the Water Heater Cabinet, I cut a sliver that would fit the gap.

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I first did a test fit with small pieces of scrap plywood to see how much space I needed. Turns out that I only needed 1/16" on either side. So that gap was removed as well.

So for the check list, Two gaps removed = Progress!

That is all I can share for now on my weekend of sawdust and paint. However, I will say that my original plans for the water heater cabinet were changed when Mrs Wingnut saw the hinge sample test run to see how to make it work. She couldn't understand why anyone in their right mind would be doing it that way. All I could do was agree with her. I am usually not in my right mind and her idea would actually look nicer and be easier to build. It seems I had the idea for this cabinet in the back of my mind so long that I was still trying to work out all the details. But I was stuck on extending the all over to the cabinets, instead of the cabinets over to the wall...

Stay tuned for the next episode of, How Many Times Does It Take To Hang A Cabinet???

 

[A1an]

The space is coming along nicely!

 

[thomask]

Wingnut,

Great build and neat idea for ac handler storage cabinet.

More ideas are starting to flow.

Thanks for posting and letting us ride along on your build here.

 

[Wingnut65]

Thanks A1an, Slowly but surely as time allows, I continue to make progress. Little steps still get work done.

Thanks, tomask for stopping by. These cabinets solved two functions - adding much needed storage and eliminating the cluttered look of all the equipment at the front of the garage. I just finished the water heater closet in the same style as the A/C closet. Now I need to make time to clean out my other cabinet to fill these.

I'm glad you are able to use some of these ideas for your own place. I have gotten some of my ideas from others and then while I am posting, others jump in with suggestions that really work out well. So this build thread is also helping me improve my place with others offering me suggestions.

BTW, I love your C3. I'd love to get an '81-82 sometime. Wife says to wait till the kids are out of college. So, there's still hope. (Ooops I know there was no '83...)

 

[thomask]

Thanks, tomask for stopping by. These cabinets solved two functions - adding much needed storage and eliminating the cluttered look of all the equipment at the front of the garage. I just finished the water heater closet in the same style as the A/C closet. Now I need to make time to clean out my other cabinet to fill these.



Hey WINGNUT, You are right, minds working together with a common goal can always do good things.

A nice 81-82 vett would look right at home in your great Salt Life Hideout.
These cars are still affordable and with all the baby boomers starting to retire I think they will get harder to find as they become more of a collector car. Not great for long... trips but fun for cruises and weekends. I drove mine into work on Fridays and it made the weekend coming even more special.

 

[tinbender 66]

The devil is in the details. Nice work!!

 

[shopnut]

Oh great, now I'm going to be looking for shadows on my cabinets. Thanks Wingnut! I might just have to dim the lights and just forget about it.

I will admit, it does look better with that completely flush look.

 

[Wingnut65]

Thanks tomask for catching me. I have seen the only '83 at the Corvette Museum, but that was one of a limited few C4 test cars and the only survivor. I've been partial to the '82 as it was the first year with anti-lock brakes. But that is all I know. I have not researched them for any serious purchase ambitions. I've offered to house shopnut's '77 to protect it from any additional construction damage, but he doesn't want to lend me the keys to keep it warmed up at times. Oh, Well.

TB, That it is. I actually had more pix to post in the build, but it got too boring. I hope enough details are visible to get the point across.

shopnut, it is just the architect in me. I have an idea for that as a clean canvas and irregular surfaces would not look that good. Just wait for the next post to see what I mean when it is finished...

 

[Wingnut65]

Please feel free to lean back in the recliner, kick your shoes of (but don’t scratch the coffee table) and enjoy the next few moments of your day as you read my update. I really appreciate your time reading the adventures of the Salt Life Hideout when you could be doing many other things. Do you realize that this particular minute has never ever been in existence before and never will again and you continue to read with eager anticipation? Well then, let’s begin the

Water Heater Cabinet Build

This project goes back to the Master Plan to clean up the clutter at the front of the garage. When I built the paint cabinet, this is what I had for the concept at the front:

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The center Paint Cabinet and the A/C Closet on the right have been built
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Here is the starting point of the project

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Mops, brooms, other cleaning type stuff, windshield squeegee, Christmas tree stand… It’s all there and I feel it looks cluttered. Objective of this project will be to cover this area with a cabinet, (I tried the idea of eliminating all the stuff, but we’d be done by now. Besides we need them.)

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Mock-Up Time!

Since the corner of the wall has wood studs with 1/2" drywall on both sides, I need to provide solid wood framing for the hinges to fasten to. I have a 2x4 but used a 2x2 for this mock-up. The OSB will be the 5/8” plywood panel. The 1x6 will be the shelving unit on the inside of the door, just like the A/C Cabinet

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Here is the test door in the open position. Note that the hinge is planned to be fastened to the 5/8” plywood.

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(Ignore the 1x2 below. I realized it wouldn’t work but didn’t take it off yet.)
Here is the test door in the closed position.

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And this was where Mrs. Wingnut came to inspect. (You know that every project needs a Supervisor…) She couldn’t understand why I would mount the panel to be aligned with the wall when the rest of the cabinets are about 4” out in front of the wall. Here is what I had planned…

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And she was correct! The closed cabinet would look something like this.

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She couldn't understand why anyone in their right mind would build it that way when it should align with the other cabinets. All I could do was agree with her. She was right. Again! I was eager to listen since her idea would look much nicer and actually be easier to build. See…

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Besides, finishing off the front of the garage with the paint stripe and other details will look much better as well.

So, Mock-Up #2 was installed! It was convenient that a 2x4, one hinge and a 5/8” plywood was the exact thickness needed to align with the other cabinets.

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The hinge has to be held off the edge of the wall so the screws go into the wall studs instead of the drywall on the side. You will note that the hinge is not flush with the 2x4, but is actually offset.

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Another benefit of this solution is that when the cabinet is fully opened, the cabinet does not block the opening like Mock-Up #1 on top does.

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So, with the Mock-Up #2 approved by the Supervisor, time to cut the 2x4, mount the hinges and hang it. I used plywood spacers and then clamped the hinge, set the hole, drilled and mounted the hinges. I am using four 4” hinges to carry the weight of a loaded cabinet

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So, with all four hinges mounted, I set it in place with a couple drywall screws.

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This brought to light another problem. With the hinges mounted securely to the drywall, the knuckles of the hinges were binding against the drywall, making the door hard to open. Also, the door panel would not close flush to the adjacent panel.

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But, I came up with the idea that adding a spacer at the edge of the hinge would free up the hinge action and also align the closed door panel. When finally installed, this ended up being a piece of a jumbo bamboo skewer (+/- 1/8” Diameter)

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Let's Get Building!
When the 2x4 was mounted as the hinge post, it was now time to measure and cut the plywood. I cut the door panel to the same 56” height as the other three doors are. The top piece will be a separate door.

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I drilled holes in the plywood where it would be mounted to the hinge post. But trying to hold the panel in place with one hand and align and screw with the other would not be easy. So I made a jig align the bottom of the door with the one next to it.

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OK, I know this is not the most exciting cabinet build, but someone somewhere will have to do this sometime and they can remember all the fun I had here. Hang on, it’s almost done…

When I got the door panel mounted, I made a cabinet frame mock-up from scrap 1x6’s. I needed this to be able to measure how long the shelves would be. But this also me realize that putting the angle in the hinge also put an angle in the 2x4 hinge post. But this actually helps with giving more clearance from the shelf to the wall when the door is closed.

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It was also at this point as I had already measured and was just getting ready to cut the 1x6 vertical side panels, when the Supervisor came back out. She didn’t know why I cut the door panel to only 56” when it really needs to go all the way up. (I hate it when she is on a roll with good ideas). So, I re-measured and cut the 1x6 to a longer length. It’s OK, it all works out perfectly.

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It was at this moment that I realized that the hinge post was not aligned perfectly plumb with the wall. So, to answer the question I asked a couple days ago, this was the first time the whole cabinet was removed, adjusted and reinstalled. All the time realizing that I needed to move the screw holes a little so the screws won’t go back into the wrong holes. This includes the hinges to the wall and the door panel to the hinge post.

Once all was re-installed, I was able to measure the shelf lengths. Of course they were not all the same length. Couldn’t be that easy… Shelves were cut, glued and screwed in place, and then painted…

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Then the cabinet was mounted to the door panel and tightened in place. Then the door couldn’t close at all. So the shelves had to be removed so the door panel could come off for some more adjustments to the hinge post. Then the shelves were re-installed. Then the top filler panel was installed.

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I decided to make the top panel a completely separate panel with a 1/8” gap to match the two separate doors on the right.

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I added the handle and magnetic latches at the top and bottom to finish

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And this project can be stamped “Almost Done”. All that is needed is…
- Install the shelf bars to hold everything on the shelves,
- Finish the bottom closure panel door and
- Provide vent hole in the upper panel for the water heater ventilation
- Re-hang all the cleaning stuff that came out of there.
- Install the missing door panel piece at the top. Other than those…

I'm glad Mrs. Wingnut help guide my design to a nicer result.

Thanks for taking time out of your day to ride with me through this next step in the Hideout.

Now, Go Forth and Build!

 

[Omphaloskeptic]

Wingnut65, aren't you glad you have the Mrs. there to show you the 'error of your ways'? lol



"It was at this moment that I realized that the hinge post was not aligned perfectly plumb with the wall."

When tackling a new house project, I often mistakenly 'assume' that I live in a perfect world and the building contractor has taken the time to make sure that everything is 'plumb, level, and square', then I painfully recall my reality and get to work on a remedy for his shoddy work.

I'm glad you're taking the time to show us your tips, tricks, and fixes. Your may think you're boring us with a simple cabinet build, but the truth is that we get to see the whole process, warts and all, and those details are what may save our butts when we take on a 'simple' weekend project. Thanks for sharing your pain!

 

[Wingnut65]

Thanks O. I will keep the posts as they are since the system seems to work. If you are able to determine what I am doing and you can take the tips to use when you need to, then the objective has been accomplished. That and I get a cool new cabinet out of the project as well.

I will continue on showing all the steps and blisters (no warts yet) along the way.

Now I need to go fill the cabinets...

BTW, Yes I am glad Mrs Wingnut is here and providing some guidance to my delusional ideas. This project is better for her coming out at the right time!

 

[machine_punk]

Your cabinets are looking great! They have definitely unified the look of that wall and look like they have a great deal of storage room.

Don't worry about taking down and reinstalling the door so many times. The only reason it looks so easy on TV is that they cut out all the rough spots (Like on New Yankee Workshop...you only saw Norm make a series of different cuts...what you did NOT see was that each cut took a few minutes to change the blade, set the fence run enough test pieces to get a perfect fit, etc. so that all you saw on TV was a perfect cut. We all know that a new cut with a different blade can take 10-30 minutes to set up, depending on the complexity of the joint.

Anyway, that wall is looking great...I'm usually the guy who would rather see what folks are doing TO their garage, but I'm getting anxious to see some work on that VW van of yours.

M_P

 

[Wingnut65]

Your cabinets are looking great! They have definitely unified the look of that wall and look like they have a great deal of storage room.

Don't worry about taking down and reinstalling the door so many times. The only reason it looks so easy on TV is that they cut out all the rough spots (Like on New Yankee Workshop...you only saw Norm make a series of different cuts...what you did NOT see was that each cut took a few minutes to change the blade, set the fence run enough test pieces to get a perfect fit, etc. so that all you saw on TV was a perfect cut. We all know that a new cut with a different blade can take 10-30 minutes to set up, depending on the complexity of the joint.

Anyway, that wall is looking great...I'm usually the guy who would rather see what folks are doing TO their garage, but I'm getting anxious to see some work on that VW van of yours.

M_P

So am I M_P.

I can't wait to get the paint colors with the stripe painted across the doors to really make it look finished.

But are you telling me that Norm didn't build that china cabinet in 30 minutes??? Or that Adirondack chair? Or the NYW whirligig??? Say its not so...

 

[nkachur]

Wingnut,

The cabinet is coming together nicely. It is a great way to take an unusable ugly space and turn it into a functional storage space that camoflages the ugly.

Nice work.

 

[JCQuick]

yeah thats very nice work I need that exact same thing in my garage

 

[flybefree]

Good work Jeff...Mrs. was right, the flush look is money.
Shaun

 

[Wingnut65]

Before:

001c

After:

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Wingnut,

The cabinet is coming together nicely. It is a great way to take an unusable ugly space and turn it into a functional storage space that camouflages the ugly.

Nice work.

Thanks nkachur I am amazed that it really has camouflaged the mess that I had to work with, while providing additional storage shelves in the process. I had to dig up one of the early pictures to remind me what I had to start with. Man, what an improvement.

yeah thats very nice work I need that exact same thing in my garage

Thanks, JCQuick. These three cabinets have kinda evolved into what it is now. Started with a brief idea and each of the three cabinet builds changed it for the better. I hope you can pilfer plenty of ideas from here to use in your own place. Good luck.

Good work Jeff...Mrs. was right, the flush look is money.
Shaun

Thanks Shaun. I agree. She has been coming up with some pretty good ideas. I plan on keeping her around for quite a while to help me finish this place off. After all, being the Finance Minister, she has the checkbook... BTW, it was because of your idea that I cut the door on the left too short, but mounting it with a gap makes it match the upper door on the right. So it is all good.

 

[shopnut]

What a transformation!!!

 

[volksnick]

I joined because of this thread. I think we might be related... or at least we have a lot in common! Your avatar caught my attention and brought me to your thread because I too have a VW bus. Mine is a '70 bay camper (soon to be a hightop!) painted red and white. Second, I noticed the nice drawings and then the baseboard samples in an early picture (prior to you mentioning it!) and knew you had to be an architect too. I also guess the Monticello clock before someone else chimed in. I really dig the garage and plan to implement a few of the ideas in my garage.

Thanks and I hope I see you in November; hopefully you'll be driving that bus!!!!

 

[Amazzen]

Hey Jeff,

Can't go wrong with "function and form", well done!

I usually find that once I get things "cleaned up" a little...I'm inspired to make a bigger mess somehow!

Hope you feel the same way...

 

[Red Leader]

I joined because of this thread. I think we might be related... or at least we have a lot in common! Your avatar caught my attention and brought me to your thread because I too have a VW bus. Mine is a '70 bay camper (soon to be a hightop!) painted red and white. Second, I noticed the nice drawings and then the baseboard samples in an early picture (prior to you mentioning it!) and knew you had to be an architect too. I also guess the Monticello clock before someone else chimed in. I really dig the garage and plan to implement a few of the ideas in my garage.

Thanks and I hope I see you in November; hopefully you'll be driving that bus!!!!

Welcome to GJ! You couldn't have found a better thread to start posting in. Jeff (the OP) is a 'salt'-of-the-earth kind of guy, so the garage name is fitting. Keep on the lookout for more great ideas, I'm sure Jeff's got a lot more tucked away that he's gonna pull out!

 

[Section179]

The space sure cleaned up nice. And the shelves on the door are a great use of space.

 

[Wingnut65]

Welcome to GJ, volksnick. I am thrilled that my adventures of rebuilding my garage has convinced someone else to take the plunge off the deep end and into the vacuum of GJ. Many of the ideas I've implemented have started as ideas I obtained from another member. Feel free to pilfer all the ideas you can. Yes I am an architect and bus owner, so maybe we are related somehow. My bus will still be in progress for a while longer. If you are in the area, we'll have to get together some time. Glad you caught the Monticello trivia. And the base samples seemed like a good idea at the time, but. I'm not convinced now.

Thanks Amazzen, I've noticed that also that a clean area can inspire me to start another project. But that usually ends up in another mess. I've heard it said that a work bench should only be as large as the amount of stuff you want to store on it. So I guess mine is way too big for me now. Time to start cleaning it off again... Thanks for stopping by the Hideout. But I am still amazed with your place.

Thanks Red Leader for the kind words. It seems like each build here can take someone else's ideas and make them work for them. Each time making improvements for their own needs. I keep getting ideas from your place to add to mine, black accents on the door for one... When I can slow down, I'll post a photo showing that three cars can fit in the Hideout.

Thanks Section179 for stopping by. The ideas I have used here are free for the taking so others can improve their own shops. Mine is a humble place that works for me. I'm just trying to make everything fit and not look so cluttered. Next project will be to fill the door cabinets so I can free up some other space.

 

[Wingnut65]

As promised, here are some pix showing that the Salt Life Hideout can hold THREE vehicles

Empty...

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Full...

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Yes, there is 1" space to the right of the IS to the bus.

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And I did make one purchase for the Hideout over the past couple weeks.
This plate will hang proudly somewhere. But it looks good here for now...

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So, this will explain why there are three cars in the Hideout and why I have been away from the computer for three weeks. I now have a lot of catching up to to do on all my thread subscriptions and the rest of GJ. Please don't think I was ignoring all your informative updates. I will be back to normal soon, whatever that may be... No, I did not fall off the face of the earth, but I think I could see the edge. And since I have friends going up this week, I left the lights on...

More of the 3,885 pix I took when I can get them organized...

 

[Red Leader]

We'll leave the light on for ya buddy.

Hope all is well in the Hideout. Been thinking 'bout ya.

Stay cool out there (don't know what temps are like out in the FL, but we recently got done with a 4-5 day 100+ streak!)

 

[shopnut]

Welcome back Wingnut65!

3885 pix!!!!! That's not only a lifetime of memories, that's a lifetime of sorting

 

[SpeedinLemon]

Alaska is on my list. Glad you're back....i just caught up on all you've been doing lately. Looks great! It's come a long way in there. Nice job and lots of effort on those cabinets and storage...turned out very nice! Not sure I want to see all 3885, but throw a few choice ones up and fill us in on the highlights of the trip.

 

[Omphaloskeptic]

Alaska! Say isn't that the place that VW buses go to 'retire'? Sorta' like the mysterious, ancient, and sacred jungle valley 'The Graveyard of the Elephant'. lol

 

[flybefree]

Welcome home, I have always wanted to go to Alaska...with that many photos I hope we can see one.

Shaun

 

[Wingnut65]

Thanks SIL, O, and FBF! It has taken a while to get back in the swing of things. Life keeps getting in the way of things I want to do...

Omph, Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to search for Bus parts while up there. Besides the added weight concern for the return flight, it really took a lot of effort to vacation this hard. While everyone was enjoying lounging in the dome car on the train, I was freezing in the back observation deck getting a lot of cool shots like the one below. It rally took some time for me to really get into this relaxation and vacation thing. (Maybe I just missed the point) But we have decided that we will return in a few years to spend more time driving around and taking more time to enjoy the trails and other activities we missed this time. But by then, the Bus could be running...

Sorry for the delay on the pix, I thought I had posted something here already

This is the wallpaper on my computer. It was taken on the Alaska Railroad heading north from Seward to Anchorage at about 8 pm.

 

[Wingnut65]

I know these photos are larger than I like to post, but smaller size just doesn't do this scenery justice. Please let me know if they are causing your computer problems and I could downsize them.

Not to get away from the garage topic, but this may explain why I have been away from the garage topic for a little while...

Wingnut's Alaska 2012 Highlights

As I get started with a few highlight photos from my recent vacation, I will mention that I bought a new lens for my camera just for this trip. I have a Nikon D5000 DSLR camera that came with 2 lenses -18-55mm and 55-200mm. But I have found myself needing to change the lenses frequently to get the right shot. So, I purchased a Tamron 18-270mm super zoom lens that basically packages both lenses into one, plus a little more (that's a 15x zoom range). The lens had good ratings and friends have recommended it. So, all the 3,885 shots on the trip were with this one lens.

Just for my satisfaction, I took 2 shots from the same place to see the full capabilities of the lens. This is the 1962 Space Needle, now celebrating it's 50th Anniversary, shot at wide angle, 18mm.


And then I zoomed in to the same shot at 270mm


Not too bad of a range... I think I'll keep it. Now, on with the trip...

We hit the Space Needle on the only clear day we had while in Seattle. They say that Mt Rainier is only visible 80 days a year. So, we lucked out...


After Seattle, we went to Vancouver to catch our cruise. We took a day and went to Capilano Bridge and Grouse Mountain in North Vancouver. At Grouse Mountain ski resort, they have a 5 acre bear habitat and I got lucky that both bears were awake and one walked toward me.


We stopped in Ketchikan on the cruise (Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas). Saw this area and it reminded me of a jig-saw puzzle I used to build when I was growing up.


Took a whale watching trip from Icy Straight Point (Noonah) and saw some humpbacks entertaining the tourists...




Tour guide said they go out twice a day and see a breaching whale maybe once every 2 or 3 weeks, so we got lucky again...


And for a last taste of Alaska for now, in Juneau just outside the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center, this 18 month old bear cub came by for some berries. Second day in a row that he came there and only stayed about an hour. Another strike of luck... seems like a trend on our vacation.


More to come as I sort out all the photos.

 

[IGO2XS]

awesome pictures...

 

[shopnut]

Man, at that zoom, I think I see a crack in the structure - Shut down the Needle!

Great pictures.

Did Royal Caribbean treat you right? We're discussing a cruise right now with my sister and BIL. (Unfortunately, not to Alaska though )

 

[Wingnut65]

Thanks Mark. My goal this weekend is to catch up on the Monster Garage. I have a lot of reading about your Hoosier help and Camero project. You just don't slow down at all. Now that I'm back, I need to pop in on ya sometime.

shopnut, I'm hoping those are seams in the sheet metal. But you can almost count the bolts on the bottom of the white members.

Royal Caribbean did us well. It was a smaller ship to get into the small ports, but I would like to try one of the Caribbean cruises on a larger ship that has many more amenities. The friends we cruised with kept commenting how our ship didn't have features that the big ones do.

 

[tinbender 66]

Nice pics!! A couple look vaguely familiar lol!!

Hope you got your batteries recharged.

Alaska is on our short list. My cousin is a float plane pilot up there. He's got about 25k hours of Alaska time. I was in Kodiak to detail a job when he was working out of there. Went for a ride in a Beech 18 with his boss that was the wildest ride I'd ever been on. Those guys are nuts!! But from the air the scenery was spectacular.

 

[Bob Heine]

I had to smile at the Radiance of the Seas being a smaller ship. At 962 long by 105.6 feet wide with 13 decks, that's a different kind of smaller. The problem we've had with the newer cruise ships is using even a fraction of the amenities. Should I bring a wetsuit to go surfing or ice skates to go out on the rink? Should I spend my first two hours on board making reservations in the twelve alternate dining rooms and is it better to eat three good meals or eat less at each of the 9 meals offered each day. Library or movie theater? Casino or stage show? Tour presentation or trivia game? ***** or driving range? Nap or gym? If the weather is nice and you want to sit by the pool, get there early to stake out your lounge chairs.

We spent half the first day just finding our way around the Spleandour of the Seas and that's a hundred feet shorter with two fewer decks than your Radiance. Like your Alaska cruise, ours was up north (Scandinavia & Russia) so little time was wasted sleeping (four hours of twilight/darkness). All but two of the fourteen days was spent in port so those days were filled with sightseeing on shore.

I think the mega-ships are great if the cruise has long stretches at sea and only a couple of port visits. At the other end of the spectrum, one of our best cruises was on the Canadian Empress on the St. Lawrence river. At 105 feet long and 30 feet wide with 3 decks, it could fit nicely within the width of the Radiance. With 66 passengers and a crew of 15 or 16, it's like your own personal cruise ship. We went to see whales and even after the first hundred, we were still enthralled. No breaches but one 80-foot whale (a blue or a fin) eyeballed us in the dining room. I had that Jaws moment, thinking we needed a bigger boat!

 

[Ole_Red]

awesome zoom on the needle. Lived here 98% of my life and never saw such a detailed shot. You definitely lucked out with Rainier. She is a shy old gal. Some day I hope to get back to Alaska for vacation instead of work. I used to work in a cannery up there. It is absolutely beautiful terrain.

 

[thomask]

Welcome back to the lower 48, hope the storm did not flood your garage down in Tampa Wingnut.

BTW great pics of a great trip.

 

[Wingnut65]

Thanks, thomask. It was great to get away for a while, but didn't realize how hard it is to get back into the swing of things again. Or maybe just new things keep getting it the way.

As for Tropical Storm Isaac, we were spared from anything serious. A little wind over night, but a relatively normal summer day with some rain and wind. Didn't seem that we needed to cancel all schools or stay home from work, but it was all a precaution. I am praying now for all those in South Louisiana right now as Hurricane Isaac is just sitting there.

Ole_Red, that zoom lens has been great to have. No lens changes are needed anymore. We did luck out on seeing Rainier this time. When I was there in '83, we went up to Paradise Visitor center and that was the first place this Florida Boy saw snow actually falling. First football game in the snow as well... Take the chance to get back to Alaska sometime. Since you lived there, you know the beauty it has to offer. Our next trip will focus on more hikes and exploring the natural beauty. The cruise was great, but, been there, done that.

Bob Heine, the size of the small cruise ship is all relative, to it's relatives... Our 962 foot by 106 foot ship at 90,090 tons is relatively small compared to the biggest brother, Oasis of the Seas, at 1,187 foot long, 213 feet wide and 225,282 tons. Then there is the little sister, Majesty of the Seas at 880 feet long, 106 feet wide and only 74,077 tons. (Splendor of the Seas is at 915' long and 78,340 tons) I do agree on the amenities they offer. Our kids enjoyed the rock climbing wall, but we never made it to the spa or the gym. We did see all the evening shows from the front row, basically because I'm not that much into Bingo as an alternative. I'd like to take on of the big ships just to try it, but it would need to be a week at least and not with a lot of ports to visit as well. Your river trip on the Canadian Empress sounds like a great experience. Like you say, seeing whales close up never gets old.

Hope you didn't have any problems from the squall line and all the rain from Isaac on Monday.

TB66, I really wish we could have gotten together when I was in your neck of the woods, but we never had much spare time. Next time we get up there, we will need to rent a car and spend time seeing the surrounding areas, including the Pedestrian Garage.

I envy you with having some flight time in Beech 18 and in Alaska. Those pilots have to be nuts to consider their physical obstacles and weather conditions as 'Normal'. I fly in Florida and sometimes have to adjust my flight path due to an antenna, but nothing like they have to deal with.

I really wasn't that interested that I had to have a plane ride while in Alaska, until our Anchorage Trolley Tour took us past Lake Hood Seaplane Base, the world's busiest seaplane base. Seeing that many planes and hearing the airplane noises made me have second thoughts. But scheduling didn't allow it on this tip. Maybe next time.. (Not my photo)

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While I'm here...

Hideout Update...

Now that the kids are just getting back in school and evenings are still relatively calm, I've spent a couple evenings working on getting the ole Smithy Lathe put back together. I built a cover for the motor to cover the electrical connections and installed the new cord. It actually runs forward and backward, so I must have done something right. But the bevel gear for the mill on top does not turn when the engine is on. Before I install the heavy mill head, I need to contact the company for some Tech Support. Other than that, it is all put back together, turned around on the workbench to face front and it is almost ready to go. A little lubrication and alignment, then I need to finish ready all the manuals to figure out what to with it.

But I have also started to clean out the Bus, so I need to balance my time on priorities. Unless the Boss has other plans...