For my wife and me, perhaps our favorite time in the mountains is when we are tucked in a safe shelter and a thunderstorm rolls through.  The sounds of thunder echoing back and forth between the valley walls is something you can only experience in person.  No words can describe it.  And after the storm clears the world can be […]

For the third year I have helped put on the Bozeman Tritons Triathlon.  This is Bozeman, Montana’s biggest and longest running triathlon event.  We have been offering a Sprint and Half Iron distance race, and each year it has sold out at our 250 racer limit. Racing a triathlon takes a level of commitment to training and suffering.  I know, […]

Life can be such a treat.  Spring in Bozeman has been fantastic.  A mix of sun and rain has resulted in an amazingly lush landscape, snow in the mountains, and blankets of wildflowers.  I’ve been exploring the trails around the Gallatin Valley as I train for a marathon trail run in July. Today took me on a 15 mile run/hike […]

I’m jumping ahead a little bit in the story line this morning to share a quick shot of the lacquer finish.  It is a bad photo from my phone, but you get the idea.  This is after three finishing sessions.  Each session has three coats of lacquer thinned 50% with lacquer thinner.  Another session or two and I’ll level sand, […]

Disaster struck as I was working out some final bumps in the abalone inlay!  Ahhhh!!!! Hmm.  Opportunity to try something else.  Luckily, the pieces all fit together nicely.  So I started by super gluing them to a thin piece of Indian rosewood that was leftover from the back of the guitar.  This created a nice stable base to work off. […]