I've always wanted to give making a "circuit sculpture" a try - where the circuit is built freeform in space from brass rods and "floating" components. Here are some photos of my first attempt - which is a clock, of course. It was a lot of fun to make - I will definitely be trying this technique again at some point.
Finished Lixie Clock
I just realized that I never posted a finished photo of the lixie clock I was working on in this post. Here it is in all its glory. It looks much better (and more readable) in person - for some reason it never really looks right in photos.
Domino Clock
Puzzle Box
A couple of months ago I needed a quick weekend project just for something to do, so I tried making a pair of puzzle boxes. The trick to open them is centrifugal force - there are pins that can slide in holes that are drilled into the lid, and no matter which was you tip the box at least two of the pins will be engaged and prevent the lid from opening. But if you spin the box around its central axis, centrifugal force will push the pins into the body of the box and allow the lid to be removed.
Bowling Alley Desk
I built this desk out of another chunk of salvaged bowling alley lane. It's three feet deep and seven feet long, so it's a lot more surface area than my old desk - which should help a lot when working on electronics projects. It weighs a ton - I had to cut it in half (the long way) for Sean and I to even get it up the stairs.
Ceramic Ghosts
CRT2023: Big Cypress National Preserve / Everglades National Park
On this trip we passed west-to-east through Big Cypress National Preserve and Everglades National Park. We saw TONS of wildlife, but didn't take a lot of photos. We must have seen a hundred alligators while driving Loop Road through Big Cypress. And it's hard to tell scale from that photo, but that turtle's shell was easily two feet in diameter.
CRT2023: Gulf Coast Sunset
CRT2023: Florida State Parks
A lot of Florida state parks have trails that are basically boardwalks through the wetlands, which is a great way to get out into that area and see things you might not otherwise see. But a lot of the parks *also* have these signs warning you not to "molest" the alligators. Such an odd choice of words. :P
CRT2023: Universal Studios
When we passed through Orlando we spent a day at Universal Studios. Carter and I both aren't very good with rides (we get motion sick too easily) - we went on a single ride when we first got there, and immediately afterwards decided that we were done with rides for the day. I know, we're a couple of sissies. But who wants to spend a whole day feeling nauseous? Instead we walked around and looked at everything - it's a pretty impressive place! The Harry Potter area was pretty impressive, and we love the Simpsons and really enjoyed that area as well.