Kimler Adventure Pages (http://randsco.com)

IKEA Svala Checkerboard Table Project: Alex got an IKEA "Svala" table from her grandparents. Most IKEA furniture must be put together and a finish applied. This was no different. What was different, however, was that Scott turned it into a checkerboard. (Step-by-step instructions, tips and photos are included for other do-it-yourself project types).

IKEA Svala: (Starting Point) An un-finished children's table that comes with two chairs, which was given to Alex by Gran and Grandpa Pilley. (First thing 4 year old Alex did? Scrawl on it with Crayola crayons! The project started with a fair bit of sanding).

DIY Project for an IKEA "Svala" Children's Table
(or any other unfinished table, for that matter)

I had the idea of doing something special with an IKEA TRIVIA: What Does IKEA Mean? The popular Swedish home furnishings retailer - IKEA - has 282 stores in 36 countries (and plans on opening about 23 more stores during 2008). It was founded in 1943 by Ingvar Kamprad (17 at the time). The company name combines the first letters of the founder's name and the village in which he grew up (Elmtayrd Agunnaryd) ... hence: Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd! Now you know! Just remember it for the next time you play Trivial Pursuit!  table that Alex got from her maternal grandparents, as a gift. Sure, I could have simply stained it, or applied polyurethane to it, but I wanted to try my hand at something slightly more fancy.

Final Svala Checkerboard Table: Here's the final table and chairs, in Alex's room. A fun project, it provides Alex with a game table, in addition to a table for tea parties and a surface upon which she can color. The polyurethane finish makes it impervious to spills & stains.

By adding a checkerboard playing surface, Alex could use the table for more than just tea parties and coloring sessions. The only question was, "What's the best way to add the checkerboard?"

The project languished, partly because of other chores and a busy schedule, but also because I was couldn't decide on the best way to proceed.

Ultimately, I flew by the seat of my pants, using a combination of spray paint, wood stain and polyurethane. I tried to add an 'antique touch' to the finished product and all-in-all, I'm pleased with the way it turned out.

I thought I'd share the steps (plus a bit of what was learned along the way and things I'd do differently) in case someone else out there wants to take on a similar project.

For step-by-step instructions and photos ... carry on brave DIYs!

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See how searching for an EXIF program, led me to find a 50 year old photo of my mother on the Internet! (She was then "Miss Marilyn Dyer") SURPRISE MOM!!

The Things You Find on the Internet!

Camp Wolters: Here's an aerial view of Camp Wolters, taken sometime prior to 1963. During WWII, Camp Wolters was the largest infantry replacement training center in the United States (it covered 7,500 acres, reaching a peak troop capacity of 24,973). It's certainly larger than what I suspected.

I didn't get much done today, as my nose led me tripping across the Internet. The bloody web, eh? It can be such a time waster.

During my travels however, I happened to dig up an old photograph of my mother (a certain Miss. Marilyn Dyer) taken in 1957! If it surprised me, my bet is that it will really surprise her!

When she met my father, she was working at Camp Wolters, just outside of Mineral Wells, Texas. (They were both living there, my dad as an army dude - not sure his rank or duty. Funny how little we actually know about our own parents.) Mom however, was the Assistant Director of the Camp Service Club. (I bet she had lots of guys asking her out on dates, because, being single and setting up all those social activities, you're just bound to meet lots of cute guys.)

Wedding Chapel: My parents were married in this church (2006 photo), at Camp Wolters, just a tad over 50 years ago! (Happy 50th wedding anniversary Mom & Dad!)

So my dad stood out from the crowd at Camp Wolters. They met there and married there too, at the little church that was on the base. The church is still there, but Camp Wolters (later called Fort Wolters) is no longer. An Army camp from 1925 to 1946 Camp Wolters was deactivated for a time. It became an Air Force base in 1951, but in 1956, it reverted to the Army to house the U.S. Army Primary Helicopter School. Camp Wolters was renamed "Fort Wolter" in 1963, when it was designated as a "permanent" military base. The base was deactivated in 1973 and now the site is an industrial park, National Guard training center and a Weatherford College branch campus.

To find out what led me to discover my mom's old photo, to see the photo and a bit more about Camp Wolters ... trip on to the next page!

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Alex caught her first fish (a rainbow trout), at Nora Lake, while visiting her grandparents in California, during our mid-June holiday. She had great fun fishing and catching her first slippery trout!

Alex Catches Her First Fish at Nora Lake, in Northern California

Alex Catches Her First Fish at Nora Lake, California! Holding a nice-sized rainbow trout in a washrag, Alex proudly shows off the first fish she's ever caught!

There's something very special about a kid catching their first fish! Funny though, because the Oop probably won't remember the event, as she's only four and a half. Nope, it's more a memory for the parents and - if your lucky - a great photo opportunity! (Wonder how many family albums contain grinning kids and their prize catch?)

The Oop didn't disappoint, in the photo department. Sporting rather cool-looking purple shades and gripping a decent-sized rainbow trout, Alex proudly showed off her first fish. Grinning gamely, she's gripping it tightly with a washcloth, in order to gain some traction against her slippery catch!

Alex's first fish came during a recent trip to California, with her Dad, to visit her paternal grandparents. The fishing expedition was suggested by Bill and Kitty, friends of the family and it was a huge relief to drive out of the (hot) northern valley and into the hills that surround Mount Lassen.

The weather was cool and the smell of pine trees permeated the air, as we drove past Grace Lake, driving over to nearby Nora Lake. Alex was excited to go fishing and eager to get her mitts on some ' Power Bait What is Power Bait? Powerbait (Berkley Trout Bait) is a moldable fish bait that comes in a small jar. It's effective for catching fish, but boy does it stink! Powerbait comes in a variety of bright colors and also comes as pre-formed nuggets. ', which she wanted to buy when we got home, as she was pretty certain that Tuxedo, our cat, would find it a delicious snack!

To read more about Alex's first fish ... continue on ...

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A trip to California with the Oop, a new hot-tub project and the normal run of web work ... things have been pretty thin at Randsco for a while. We recently took a family boat trip to the floating cabin in Julia Passage (our first solo voyage down the Alberni Inlet). Read about the adventurous ordeal in this floating cabin log entry.

First Solo Trip to the Floating Cabin

Blurry Bear: At dusk, a black bear and her cub came out of the woods near the cabin, to eat mussels off a log that had been lifted onto the beach at high tide. Using a zoom lens through misty rain, Scott added this image to our growing collection of "blurry wildlife" photos.

Our first solo trip to the floating cabin in the Barkley Sound was very memorable. Some of the memories will actually be GOOD ONES!

A flat tire, a bloody nose, getting hung up on the dock while launching, a rough-as-cobb trip (during which, we almost turned the boat around and headed for home), a four-hour boat ride, locked out of the cabin and running out of gas ... are some of the not-so-good ones.

We're new to the floating cabin and also to our boat. As a bunch of newbies, we're learned a BUNCH of valuable lessons during our ill-fated trip! HA!

There were some positive events. Despite pouring rain all Friday night and Saturday morning, it did - eventually - clear up and we had a rain-free (and sometimes sunny) Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. We spotted a couple of sea otters (a baby one on the back deck, which we watched from about five feet away). We also saw loads of bald eagles and a few bear (one of which we watched all morning, as it meandered along the beach, flipping rocks and eating various sea creatures). We met a few of our cabin neighbors. We also learned where we can get gas, along the way to the cabin.

To read the cabin log entry from our first solo trip to the floating cabin ...

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A National Geographic photographer I am not. As providence would have it, however, I spotted a "Barred Owl" in our pasture the same week I was testing a new (powerful zoom) digital camera. I was able to get some decent photos and now I'm sold on the camera. (It was an expensive owl sighting!)

Barred Owl Spotted at the Hutton House

I happened to be taking our guest dog for a pee break, in the pasture, when I spotted this Barred Owl (Strix Varia) in a large Douglas Fir tree. I quietly and quickly went back to the house and grabbed the new Lumix TZ5 digital camera I'm testing this week (it has 70X digital zoom).

Sometimes, lady luck smiles broadly in your direction!

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