Friday, June 10, 2011

Upside Down Bench Gives Birth!

Okay, I can't stay away.  The garden is weeded and some corn, a bit splotchy here and there, is up!
 concrete waiting to dry
The sun is out today and it will be a good day!  just like that and just because I said so! Attitude is everything, I know that, it is what allows me to carry whatever it is I want to carry. 
   Catchy headline, huh?  I am thinking of writing for the National Enquirer and have few words to catch your interest.  This is a true story though, it is what guys do.  It is interesting how men and women react to any kind of emotional issue, whatever it might be.  Women may cry or lose sleep or lose weight, talk with their friends, commiserate, that is a word women will understand more than a man. We are loners and just sort of suck it up. We are not good at talking "issues" and probably not much good at listening either.
  On a construction site if a guy were stupid enough to bare his soul and attempt to describe what was really bothering him, the response would be, "yeah, too bad, now let's get this roof on buddy."
It is not that we don't think while we are working.  We do, but we need the distraction. It is easier to feel our muscles ache than wondering the source of our tears.
   So, I made a bench!  It is all made from scrap and left-overs from my shop. I have made hundreds of benches in my life but don't own a single one. Most sold out of my shop before they were even finished.
 a slated bench
This one is mine!  It is steel, of course, with a concrete in-fill for the seat.  I think you can see how I do it from the photo. I am not sure how I will finish it, that remains to be seen. I could "paint" it, some kind of art paint stuff, or perhaps I will slate it.  It will have a back for sure, benches should encourage relaxing and contemplation.
   My benches are never rectangular,
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 Another bench that isn't mine!
 A "Painted" Bench
I leave those shapes to others. My only rules are flat, stable, heavy, comfortable, and never the same one twice.
This is the first "Painted" Bench I ever did and sold it while the paint was still wet.  If you are over 60 you might remember the song, "Sugar Shack".  The guy who wrote it is Jimmy Torres and you can google him for fun. He lives in Eugene, bought this bench from me and we have since become good friends.
Funny, the accidental things that happen in our lives!
More of my "stuff" is HERE.

10 comments:

Rama Ananth said...

Today must have been a good day for you Jerry. Have a very good weekend too.
Those benches are really cool.

Barbra Joan said...

Well, am I glad to see how you
'buckled up" ... and got yourself going and it works for guys. You get slapped down, you shake off the dirt , stand up and on with the show..
How I wish we women were like that.. I've been slapped down too , the past few days.. but not so easy for me to come back.. then again I can't build a bench, but guess what ? I did paint something! does that count?? BJ

Anonymous said...

It is a beautiful bench! Hurray for you! It's about time you built one for yourself.
I remember Sugar Shack... that's a groovy story.
Jeff does the same thing- physical working out of feelings. He lives with me so... he works a lot.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Glad you're back better than ever.
PAMO

Jerry Carlin said...

Pamo, my friend, thank you,thank you, thank you!

Constance Stanza Extravaganza Extraordinaire said...

I would rather chat to you Jerry!

Same time, same place tomorrow?

oxox

^ said...

Beautiful bench. Nice work. Just out of curiosity, how long does it usually take you to do one like this.

Glad to see you couldn't stay away long.

Dan Kent said...

So you were bench pressing, eh? That is a real man thing, for sure. I am so impressed that you can make these things - I love the slated bench. The shape of the new bench is intriguing - look forward to see what it will look like!

SooZeQue said...

Jerry, clean that shop up! The benches are great. I can think of a million things to set in the seat. Left over glass/rusted washers/scraps of steel/leaf patterns/old tiles all set in concrete.

Autumn Leaves said...

Gorgeous benches, Jer. So glad you are making one just for you! And I'm almost 52 and I remember that song and love it! "There's a crazy little shack beyond the tracks...and everybody calls it "the sugar shack"..." I do love my oldies!

Timaree said...

Great benches. They look wonderful and also look like they'll be around to hand down to the heirs! You sound a lot like how my husband explains the way men relate. And yes, I remember that song. Guess that dates me but I'm old enough to not care!