FundyBrian’s Explorations

Brian, I remember you writing about Flow Shot and I have just put up a window bird feeder. I will have to wait for the birds to cotton on to the fact that it is there but when they do I want to get some pics. Does Flow Shot stop the phone from going into sleep mode while it’s open? Or does it still react when the phone goes to sleep?
 
Brian, I remember you writing about Flow Shot and I have just put up a window bird feeder. I will have to wait for the birds to cotton on to the fact that it is there but when they do I want to get some pics. Does Flow Shot stop the phone from going into sleep mode while it’s open? Or does it still react when the phone goes to sleep?
I’ll have to check. I can hardly remember the app.
 
I’ve been busy... working.
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it’s that time of year to get in the winter firewood.
but first I needed some more room at the end of the carport. And then I needed to make the support posts frost-free by putting them on metal screw posts that go down 4 feet in the ground. That was a lot of digging in ground full of rocks.
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I made some new racks to stack my wood on and put various things underneath to keep the ground moisture away from my wood.
 
More flute work.
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I think the last flute I posted is the Raven flute at the top with the Raven totem and feather wood-burned design. That one is key of G minor. The next one down is an F minor, with the same 7/8” bore and also made with western red cedar. The bottom flute in E minor gets into the next size larger bore of 1” and the longest one is a D minor, also 1” bore and also western red cedar.
That black band I forgot to take off is a Velcro strap used to attach a microphone.
You might also notice the top and bottom flutes have the finger holes all in a straight line, which is more traditional, while the other two have ergonomic finger hole positions, which does make it more natural to place your fingers to line up with the holes.
I haven’t decided what sort of pattern to burn into the new ones.
 
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Fall is the time of year supposedly wild animals decide they want to move in with me. Squirrels try to get into the house, making their own private entrance. Mice decide that the best place to be out if the weather in the winter is in my car. But it’s nasty if the get into the fresh air duct and into the heater. They will chew a hole through the cabin air filter and if they make a nest in there it smells mousy. Not healthy.

Last night I made a wire mesh guard to keep mice from getting into the heater air inlet that is under a plastic trim piece in front to the windshield.
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Here it is installed. You can never see this unless you take the car apart.
When I removed the plastic trim piece I found a big mouse nest in that space in the bottom left of the 2nd photo. I had to vacuum it all out with my shopvac, then clean out the shopvac. Then clean & disinfect the area.

Every car I have owned (except my 1970 Mini Cooper S) has had problems with mice getting into the heater in winter. Why don’t they put mesh guards over the inlet right in the factory when building the cars?

I hope it keeps the mice out.
You can also keep mice from getting into the rest of your car by regular oil undercoating your car, especially the frame members with vent holes to the outside.
 
More flute work.
View attachment 150988
I think the last flute I posted is the Raven flute at the top with the Raven totem and feather wood-burned design. That one is key of G minor. The next one down is an F minor, with the same 7/8” bore and also made with western red cedar. The bottom flute in E minor gets into the next size larger bore of 1” and the longest one is a D minor, also 1” bore and also western red cedar.
That black band I forgot to take off is a Velcro strap used to attach a microphone.
You might also notice the top and bottom flutes have the finger holes all in a straight line, which is more traditional, while the other two have ergonomic finger hole positions, which does make it more natural to place your fingers to line up with the holes.
I haven’t decided what sort of pattern to burn into the new ones.
They are beautiful.
 
Driftwood flute
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I found a beautifully crooked driftwood root at the beach. I know it was a root because it was still attached to the tree stump along with about 15 feet of tree trunk.
I couldn’t work on it in the usual way because it was too crooked for most power tools. So I ended up doing it the old way with a curved chisel, and some finishing help from a dremel with sanding drum attachment.
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I moved outside for this part to avoid making a mess indoors.
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These are my only curved chisels - I never planned to be chiseling out a flute. The little white template above is used to tell me how close I am to the correct shape for the half bore. The marks on the flute tell me where there are high spots and the squiggly lines mean remove more material here.
 
Driftwood flute
View attachment 151541
I found a beautifully crooked driftwood root at the beach. I know it was a root because it was still attached to the tree stump along with about 15 feet of tree trunk.
I couldn’t work on it in the usual way because it was too crooked for most power tools. So I ended up doing it the old way with a curved chisel, and some finishing help from a dremel with sanding drum attachment.
View attachment 151539
I moved outside for this part to avoid making a mess indoors.
View attachment 151540
These are my only curved chisels - I never planned to be chiseling out a flute. The little white template above is used to tell me how close I am to the correct shape for the half bore. The marks on the flute tell me where there are high spots and the squiggly lines mean remove more material here.
Wow! It’s wonderfully rustic! A work of art.
 
Our first morning this season waking up to snow!
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There was more snow when I first looked out the window but it was still fairly dark so I went back to bed for a while.
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Then I had to go back in the house to get my stepladder.
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The lichens look vibrant with the moisture.
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Little snowy caps.
I was tempted to add some blue to the pictures to make them seem cooler, but I had already made a custom white balance to get the right colour so I decided to leave it alone.
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Some of the last leaves left fluttering in the breeze.
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A little dash of snow makes yesterday’s ordinary branches look a little more exciting.
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Soon to be snow covered til spring.
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Later, when food has become scarce, the deer will be around digging in the snow for these apples.
There are just too many apples for us to pick and store.
 
Our first morning this season waking up to snow!
View attachment 151607

There was more snow when I first looked out the window but it was still fairly dark so I went back to bed for a while.
View attachment 151605
Then I had to go back in the house to get my stepladder.
View attachment 151600
The lichens look vibrant with the moisture.
View attachment 151601
Little snowy caps.
I was tempted to add some blue to the pictures to make them seem cooler, but I had already made a custom white balance to get the right colour so I decided to leave it alone.
View attachment 151602
Some of the last leaves left fluttering in the breeze.
View attachment 151604
A little dash of snow makes yesterday’s ordinary branches look a little more exciting.
View attachment 151606
Soon to be snow covered til spring.
View attachment 151603
Later, when food has become scarce, the deer will be around digging in the snow for these apples.
There are just too many apples for us to pick and store.
That next-to-last photo is remarkable. It almost makes me wish we got snow here. Almost.
 
I suppose that even snow would be better than wildfires.
Most Californians (except those who actually live in the Sierras) view snow as a recreational opportunity. You drive, you play around in the snow, and then you drive home.

Wildfires are the equal of hurricaines as far as scary things go. Earthquakes are a distant third.
 
Our first morning this season waking up to snow!
View attachment 151607

There was more snow when I first looked out the window but it was still fairly dark so I went back to bed for a while.
View attachment 151605
Then I had to go back in the house to get my stepladder.
View attachment 151600
The lichens look vibrant with the moisture.
View attachment 151601
Little snowy caps.
I was tempted to add some blue to the pictures to make them seem cooler, but I had already made a custom white balance to get the right colour so I decided to leave it alone.
View attachment 151602
Some of the last leaves left fluttering in the breeze.
View attachment 151604
A little dash of snow makes yesterday’s ordinary branches look a little more exciting.
View attachment 151606
Soon to be snow covered til spring.
View attachment 151603
Later, when food has become scarce, the deer will be around digging in the snow for these apples.
There are just too many apples for us to pick and store.
Look at all the apples you still have. And the second to last image...it looks like fossils! So beautiful.
 
Our first morning this season waking up to snow!
View attachment 151607

There was more snow when I first looked out the window but it was still fairly dark so I went back to bed for a while.
View attachment 151605
Then I had to go back in the house to get my stepladder.
View attachment 151600
The lichens look vibrant with the moisture.
View attachment 151601
Little snowy caps.
I was tempted to add some blue to the pictures to make them seem cooler, but I had already made a custom white balance to get the right colour so I decided to leave it alone.
View attachment 151602
Some of the last leaves left fluttering in the breeze.
View attachment 151604
A little dash of snow makes yesterday’s ordinary branches look a little more exciting.
View attachment 151606
Soon to be snow covered til spring.
View attachment 151603
Later, when food has become scarce, the deer will be around digging in the snow for these apples.
There are just too many apples for us to pick and store.
Nature’s art! Wow, that ice is just wonderful.
 
Most Californians (except those who actually live in the Sierras) view snow as a recreational opportunity. You drive, you play around in the snow, and then you drive home.

Wildfires are the equal of hurricaines as far as scary things go. Earthquakes are a distant third.
My “like” is for playing the snow, not wildfires, hurricanes and earthquakes.

And, thinking about it, I’ll stay very happily in the snow.....
 
Our first morning this season waking up to snow!
View attachment 151607

There was more snow when I first looked out the window but it was still fairly dark so I went back to bed for a while.
View attachment 151605
Then I had to go back in the house to get my stepladder.
View attachment 151600
The lichens look vibrant with the moisture.
View attachment 151601
Little snowy caps.
I was tempted to add some blue to the pictures to make them seem cooler, but I had already made a custom white balance to get the right colour so I decided to leave it alone.
View attachment 151602
Some of the last leaves left fluttering in the breeze.
View attachment 151604
A little dash of snow makes yesterday’s ordinary branches look a little more exciting.
View attachment 151606
Soon to be snow covered til spring.
View attachment 151603
Later, when food has become scarce, the deer will be around digging in the snow for these apples.
There are just too many apples for us to pick and store.
Your photos remind me of the reasons I love my four-season country. So evocative of nearly every winter I’ve had until I moved to a concrete city :)

Beautifully photographed as well.
 
My latest flute.
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Native American style Flute, aromatic cedar with maple totem for contrast, key of C4 minor pentatonic, 1-1/4” bore (32mm), 28” long (71cm), natural sunflower oil finish with tea tree oil and peppermint oil, looks lustrous, sounds rich and warm, meditative. I find after playing the flute for a while the resulting feeling is much like after a meditation. Some of it is the breathing and some is the focus but there’s also something about the sound. It is very energizing and healing.
OK, yes, I used invisible thread to suspend the flute.
PureShot, DNG HDR, Affinity.
 
My latest flute.
View attachment 152356
Native American style Flute, aromatic cedar with maple totem for contrast, key of C4 minor pentatonic, 1-1/4” bore (32mm), 28” long (71cm), natural sunflower oil finish with tea tree oil and peppermint oil, looks lustrous, sounds rich and warm, meditative. I find after playing the flute for a while the resulting feeling is much like after a meditation. Some of it is the breathing and some is the focus but there’s also something about the sound. It is very energizing and healing.
OK, yes, I used invisible thread to suspend the flute.
PureShot, DNG HDR, Affinity.
Beautiful... :inlove:
It would be wonderful to have an accompanying video along with each flute.
 
Beautiful... :inlove:
It would be wonderful to have an accompanying video along with each flute.
I’ve been working on that. I hoped to do the driftwood flute at the beach but winter descended upon me too soon. I tried to get Fabi to help me do some video at Waterside Beach the other day. It was sunny but with a cold wind. I was wearing fingerless gloves. 5 video clips had 00:00 time content for some reason.
I don’t have a good indoor audio space. I may have to build one. If the sound isn’t done well it will make the flutes sound crappy.
Another problem is that if I play a known song there are copyright issues. Just going doodle de doo would be silly. So do I need to compose my own tunes as well?
 
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