Post by Alex Vipond on Jul 20, 2015 12:20:05 GMT -8
Alex Vipond: Alex was glad he had brought the Range Rover up. It made hitting Home Depot so very much easier. Or at least it made bringing things home easier. He had a project in mind, one that he had several months to complete and he was looking forward to getting started. His gum rolled from one side of his mouth to the other as he stepped inside and yeah, he was geeking out over the place. He usually did when he started his projects. "Okay, lumber...." And he was off!
Ian Lighter: ::trailed after, he'd seen the pattern and it was very cool, he wanted to make one too, but there weren’t any kids at home young enough to ride it, so he followed Alex, occasionally politely asking a fan to step aside so Alex could get his shopping finished::
Alex Vipond: Most were respectful, and tended to observe from a distance, though occasionally one would get over eager. Alex would smile politely, thank them for their compliments and carry on. A promise of a show soon, and the occasional selfie taken with them, or an autograph signed and they were on their way. The first thing Alex had to decide was what kind of wood to use. "What do you think? Oak or Walnut?" Alex looked over at Ian. "Pine is too soft I think. Hardwood would be better."
Ian Lighter: Hmm Oak, I think.. You can laminate to get the width for some of the parts.
Alex Vipond: "One by twelve should do it, I can cut the pieces I need out from that, I just need to draw out the pattern." Alex started checking boards, making sure they weren't warped or twisted and the ones he wanted, he stacked on the cart he'd been dragging around with him. "What are your hobbies, Ian, other than cars?"
Ian Lighter: :: A grin:: Well racing said cars... I like to ride, did alot of it when I was younger... and believe it or not RC aircraft.
Alex Vipond: "No kidding?" Alex grinned at him as he continued to eyeball the boards and stack them. "I think that would be cool. There's a hobby store about twenty minutes from the house that has a huge selection of RC models. Boats, cars and planes. Helicopters too, for that matter. They got pretty much everything." Once he had what he figured would be enough, and yes, he was just guesstimating, but he then headed off to get a new blade for the band saw.
Ian Lighter: There was an RC helicopter club not far from the place in Napa Valley. Some of the craft could get up to 5-6 feet long, depending on the scale. ::he followed after:: You do much wood working?
Alex Vipond: "Occasionally. I try to keep busy. I made some of the furniture in the studio." Once they hit the tool aisle, he was totally gone. Yeah, he wanted a saw blade but he didn't stop there. Hey, tools were like toys, you always had to have more.
Ian Lighter: ::he watched, bemused as Alex spent more than he made in a month ... ::
Alex Vipond: Well, not a month. A week, maybe. By the time he was done though, the cart was well loaded. He'd gotten stain and samples of paint, brushes, rollers, trays, drop cloths... Those things he knew they'd need, but colors... that was something they'd not decided on yet, so he got the sample cans to try stuff out. He foresaw the nursery looking like a patchwork quilt before long.
Ian Lighter: heck you're gonna need CHROME!
Alex Vipond: "oooh, leaf, like gold leaf only not. I'll have to get that at a craft store though." Heading for check out, Alex spotted some string lights in various shapes and he paused to look at those for a while. "I wonder how hard it would be to run LCDs into the headlight...."
Ian Lighter: Hmm okay this is for a litle kid, right?: You need to make sure there is no lead in anything you put on it. but saying that, why not look in a toy shop for a bike headlight?: There might be something retro that you could use..
Alex Vipond: "That's a good idea." Alex nodded. "I'll look into that." As the cashier started scanning the items, Alex pulled his wallet, and waited. "How many siblings do you have, Ian? A big family?"
Ian Lighter: There's six of us. Tav and I are the youngest. One sister, Aly, the oldest, god is old enough to be our old man, and he tries, whenever we're around him. He's a good guy, just.. he was in his 20's when Tav and I were born. So we dont really share a sibling bond. Trevor, Nash and Aly, well we were all kids at the same time, though since they were older, also tried to boss us around.
Alex Vipond: "Wow." Alex nodded. "It was just me and my sister, for me. I mean we had cousins, but it was just me and Nicole." Alex chuckled. "Nicole and I are close enough in age that we didn't have that problem."
Ian Lighter: Yeah. Trevor was 12 when we were born, Nash 8, Aly 5 years older. so it was great having a brother the same age.. ::a grin:: and with the same face.
Alex Vipond: "That could be useful." Alex chuckled. "Especially when getting into and out of trouble." One everything was rung up, Alex handed his card over. "The closest thing I had to a brother was Mars." Alex kind of went quiet there.
Ian Lighter: :: Clapped him on the shoulder in sympathy:: Im sorry , Man.
Alex Vipond: Alex shrugged. "Can't change it, shouldn't dwell on it." He smiled to the cashier, signed the slip and took his card back, which he tucked into his wallet. Then he was dragging the cart out for the lot.