Friday, March 15, 2019

Dwemer Construct 2

Construct 1 - the original setup


45+ parts including extras stored inside the puzzle

Construct 2


Another view - so much more packed into this one

And one more view

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Sequence Logic

An inside look at the Sequence Logic Box by Jesse Born - the mechanism and logic bars revealed to demonstrate the craftsmanship and ingenuity.  Click away if you don't want to know.  

Sliders bars on front manipulate the locks

The locks released and the top removed

Inside, a clever locking pin can be removed to allow access to the external logic bars

The sliders removed. You can see the stops as well on the front of the box.

Logic bars can be rearranged to create a completely new sequence.

Thursday, March 30, 2017

The Shoomaker

I've gotten a few requests about how I create my whimsical cocktail garnishes from citrus peels, so here is a glimpse into the process.  This garnish is meant to recall a cobbler, or shoe maker, and decorated a Gin Rickey, which was created and made famous in the late 1800's at Shoomaker's bar in Washington DC.

Fresh citrus informs the color palette

For large areas I cut a swath of peel and scrape off the pith

All designs start with a drawing.  A fine scissor is my secret weapon.

Meyer lemon peel is incredibly soft and pliable 

Design taking shape

Adding movement with separate pieces works well

For smaller pieces a Y-peeler does the trick

Little details add a lot

And the cherry on top!

Securing everything on a bamboo skewer helps stabilize the design for the final presentation

And viola! Cheers!

For the Gin Rickey history and soothing "Roll Box" which accompanies it see the full article at:
Boxes and Booze: Roll with it!


Friday, December 30, 2016

Messing with Time

A few photos of the Gates of Time in various stages of discovery

The Gate is open
It's always 5 o'clock somewhere ...

The maker's mark

The gears have been stripped ...

Some bits and pieces from the solve - 36 moves to the treasure

Monday, September 19, 2016

Ahoy Mateys - The Pirate Translator

Bung your eye – drink a dram until your eye is bunged up
Death’s head upon a mop stick – to look awful
Dowse on the chops – punch in the face
Eternity box – coffin
Flummery – mush of oatmeal, or useless compliments
Flush in the pocket – full of money
Frummagemmed - Choked, strangled, suffocated, or hanged
Guzzle guts – drunkard
Heart’s ease – gin
Higgledy piggledy – mixed up, confused
Hobbledygee - A pace between a walk and a run, a dog-trot
Hood-winked
Huckle My Buff - Beer, egg, and brandy, made hot. (like flip)
Jackanapes – ugly apish fellow
Keelhauled – dragged under the keel (punished)
Odd-come-shortlys - I’ll do it one of these odd-come-shortly’s; I will do it some time or another.
Oliver’s scull – a chamber pot
Owl in an ivy bush – frazzled hair (wig), insult
Picaroon – scoundrel
Prittle-prattle – insignificant talk
Quick and nimble – insult of the opposite
Quirks and Quillets – tricks and devices
Ragamuffin - A ragged fellow, one all in tatters, a tatterdemalion
Ribaldry – vulgar talk
Rum – fine, good
Rum bluffer – jolly host
Scragged – hanged
Sluice your gob – take a hearty drink
Sly boots – a cunning fellow
Bamboozle – to fool, to trick
To feather one’s nest – to enrich oneself
Spiflicate – confound
Wry Neck Day – hanging day
Carouser, rapscallion, scallywag, Admiral of the Black, scourge of the seven seas – insulting terms
Hearties – endearing term
Kill devil, Nelson’s folly  - rum
Give no quarter – never yield
Hang the jib – act sad, frown
Loaded to the gunwalls – drunk
Motherload – booty
Run a rig – play a trick
Scuttlebutt – gossip
Splice the main brace – have a drink or few
Squiffy – drunk

Weigh anchor – leave port, set sail

All definitions taken from The Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, originally by Francis Grose circa 1811 and compiled and edited on the official Talk Like a Pirate site:

Friday, May 6, 2016

Saturday, April 16, 2016

How? Box Locks!

The impressive, massive lock inside the How? Box is hard to fathom from the wooden exterior.  How? in the world do you unlock it?