leaves are falling...

...and Kenny is pure evil.


The other day I was looking on Ebay for stuff from the Lehigh Valley (like bottles or crates or photos. Nostalgia that I don't even remember from the first time... try it sometime.) where, after scrolling through all the railroad memorabilia, I found this cool photo of the Thomas ironworks near where I first lived.
As far as I can tell this view is looking southeast from near where the Hoky Legion, or maybe the Historical Society, is currently, with Catasauqua in the far left center. The Lehigh river is just behind the factory buildings. This is as close as my interweb detective abilities could get to a modern view from a kinda/sorta close-ish angle. I believe this building is the large building just to the right of the white building in the old photo.



Working at ReRun has its perks. Even if I don't have much cash I can usually snag some cool treasures with my store-trade. Check out this sweet weather vane. I'm still cleaning and oiling it up but I'm pretty sure I can get this thing functioning again. And two points to you, with the keen eyes, who noticed another fabulous Lelko Bench, upon which the vane rests. Check out how that lacquer really made the basil-tinged milk paint look kinda gross. Two more points for catching that cute little squash plant (with a bit of powdery mildew) sprawling along the walkway on the side of the house (also known as a sidewalk).
Another ReRun present. An oil paint-by-numbers from the 50's that I finished a few weeks ago! Sure, laugh it up, pal, but I had a great time painting this thing and it was almost art-like since I had to mix most of my own colors 'cos the paints that came with the set were mostly dried out.


Cats... sidewalk... you know....
A sweet Vivitar 35mm camera with three lenses. another work find. Just out of frame to the left is a flying saucer. I sure hope my photo turns out!


Emily had an old friend recently move to town and one Sunday, not too long ago, they went on a hike to Powell Butte, some city-owned ex-pasture land not far from our house but somehow far from our house. Allow this tree to illustrate my example of this bucolic hill-top nature area.
Czech out our Czech black hot peppers. They've been black forever but are finally, as summer quickly fades, turning to red. I've yet too eat a ripe one, but you'll be the first to know.
These mighty marigolds that emily saved from seed a few years back kept all the nasty bugs away from our tomatoes. She harvested the seeds again this year, so I'm interested in how they will look next year...Crazier? Smarter? BIGGER?
Time, my friends. It takes time.

I built this shave horse a few weeks ago in order to figure out some reason to use my drawknife (work find, again!). Here I am shaving some old cedar lumber in to a clubish thing. If I get any better wood i forsee table legs in my future.


And I got glasses.
And a mustache.
Again.
Lelko

Pictures Now, words later...

In the spirit of wanting to post but having nothing to say...yet...we here at Lelko Blog have decided to offer you an assortment of photos to hold you over until that time when words flow. Also, you can use this as an opportunity to stretch your imagination muscle and come up with your own caption, or gosh darn, even your own stories for these many photos you are about to enjoy.

One year ago today(ish)...

That's right folks, you remember a year ago, don't you? It was that strange time, that almost unreal time, when the four of us + Clyde headed east to the land that is... well, further to the east...Pennsylvania. Along with the anniversary of our fantastical road -trip comes the anniversary of this blog which, as you know, is one of the most pointless things ever to exist! YAY!!!
This carrot was pulled from the ground of our backyard and was the only of its kind to survive the mega-crappy spring/summer weather we've been ,uh, enjoying. It was dang tasty as well. Emily has been taking care of the garden this year and it seems way more successful than the one we both grew a few years ago. Lottsa lettuce. And it looks like we'll have about 50 tons of tomatoes come up right around the corner...
Yet another 5-board bucket bench I've been making variation of these last few months. Made of pine and fir, I doubt it will last more than a couple seasons if left un-attended outside, but as an indoor entryway bench it might last a while. Only time will tell.

This weird bookshelf-like potting bench was something I built that someone asked me to make, which made me worry about how good a job I did, which made me only want to make things I want and just hope someone buys it, just to keep it fun.
On the 4th of July, when 'our' 'nation' 'celebrates' 'it's' 'independence' Honeybunny and I decided to drive around the lower Willamette Valley west of Salem. On the way home Emily snapped this great shot of Mt. Hood looming at us from the horizon.
Oh yeah...I totally forgot about this one. I put a frickin' window in my work shed area! Have you ever done that? Hmmm? Oh...you have? Really? REALLY? well, so...it's still a big deal for me. Just gimme this one, please. I think it looks nice and it gives me some better natural light with which to work.

And this, my friends, is a barn in its natural setting.
Sweet Peas and nasturtiums growing on our fence.

Gettin' colorful 'round here.
Emily caught these aliens creeping around our backyard and chopped their heads off apparently.
Leach Botanical Gardens is some old homesteaders place out on SE 122nd and Foster that maybe the city bought (with what money again?) and runs as a walk-around-and-look-at-different-plants-and-stuff-and-also-you-can-have-a-wayyy-expensive-wedding-here-if-that's-your-thing deal that I have gone to a hand-full of times over the years.
Look at the pretty stuff... And the wacky stuff...

And the other stuff...
Oh Yeah It was Emily's 3??? birthday recently and here are a few presents , including a juice glass, a 33rpm record, two knives for the kitchen, and, well, just take a look at the photo wouldya? I mean, do I have to explain every little detail?!!
My brother Patrick ordered up a Steam-Punk (you look it up) type of bracelet and here's what Emily has come up with. All I'm saying is, if this was an alternate Victorian past, this thing would blow my mind!
This is my impression of Clark Griswold after jumping his station wagon Fifty Yards into the desert.
Don't ask...

You know...more of the same, and then some

Not much new happening in Lelkoland. I guess my bench-making venture is kinda taking off (people buy as many as I make and even order things I've yet to make), so that's something.
Emily has her stuff at our friend Peter's store and Etsy and they also appear to have some fans. Basically all is well and our garden is feeding us. Well, not litterally feeding us. We still have to go pick the veggies from the earth. You know what I mean.


Viola still hates everyone.

Kenny is turning into a creepy old man, as seen in this photo of him on my chair.

Later dudes.
lelko