Homecoming

Nearly 20 years ago, I decided that I needed to build a harpsichord from a kit. There were two major harpsichord kit manufacturers in the US, Hubbard and Zuckerman. Both companies are still in business now, and still have a variety of kits to build. I decided on Zuckerman, and Mary Ellen and I spent a weekend in Stonington, CT, so I could attend a two-day seminar on building the kit.

It took me about three years to build, but it turned out to be a fine instrument, one that we used for a number of years with Allegro Chamber Orchestra. Here's a photo of Mary Ellen at the harpsichord in 2005:

Sharon's Cabinet

Every once in a while, I'll take on a project even though I have some mental reservations. This was one of those! Bob Zimmerman, the superb electrician who rewired the entire Grant St. Garage, asked if I would look at a cabinet that his wife Sharon bought at auction, for the princely sum of one dollar. He said, "I just want you to put a back on it."

Well, Bob has done a lot for me, including using his MIG welder to un-stick a seriously stuck bolt in the Z3 Coupe (link). I said OK, and decided I could make the cabinet better, at least. It was "rustic" at best, having lived in a barn for many years. We agreed that I would try to make it structurally sound and useable, while leaving the rustic exterior untouched. Bob said that they might put it in their kitchen as additional storage.

Milestone Reached!

Not much posted about the Z3 Coupe lately, which is kind of odd. After all, this blog got its start as a project log for that car! But as things happen sometimes, the project car sort of morphed into my daily driver. And I like it that way, because driving that little car makes me happy!

For the past year, I've been saying "nearly 200,000 miles." Today, the milestone was reached, and I can drop the "nearly." 

Jack Miller, of Jack's Auto and Aero, once said to me, "You're unlikely to put the next 100,000 miles on it." I decided to take that as a personal challenge! I'll post the picture when it hits 300,000.

An Uninvited Guest

The Thanksgiving holiday last week meant that the Grant St. Garage was mostly dark, since we had company all week. But, I did make it by on Saturday afternoon just to drop something off, and was annoyed to see a car in the side lot, parked none too carefully, and in the way if I wanted to pull into my overhead door. Annoying!

I actually am quite laid-back about that lot, because I am so often NOT there. I made it clear to the neighbors that they were welcome to use it on a temporary basis, when unloading stuff or when they had guests for a few hours. But I asked a couple of neighbors, and they said the car had been there several days. Since I was just dropping by, I didn't do anything right away. I made some calls to other neighbors and renters, and no one knew whose car it was.

So, this morning (Monday) I called the police, gave them the license number, and asked that the car be towed.