The Suwon Korean Folk Village is the Williamsburg of Korea. It's a traditional village filled with old Korean culture. You feel like you step back in time when you walk around all the old houses and courtyards. Except for all the Koreans walking around typing on their iphones. :)
Enjoying a performance
Trying it out for ourselves...
Go Daddy!!
A commoners house. I would love to have a hut like this on our future farm....just for fun. :)
"I could so cook in something like this!!!" :)
Soon Dakota will be at Polyface...so we are trying to do lots of fun things while he's still here.
Hello, there chicken...
Beautiful Mommy and Dad
That smile just melts me!! :)
Yep, that takes a lot of trust!
The horse show was definitely the best.
Jumping rope while riding a galloping horse....now that's pretty cool!! :)
The torture area....
Haha.... :)
No worries...Dad is a very gentle and sweet husband. ;)
Dakota has been a naughty boy! :)
It's so interesting to have a look at old Korean culture and to experience and almost feel as if you were there. The Korean Folk Village was a lot of fun and we really enjoyed it.
We celebrated Dad's 36th birthday last week. I'm so thankful to have a Dad like my Dad. I wouldn't know what to do without him. I've always been a Daddy's girl. When I was little going hunting and fishing was still fun even if we didn't catch anything. Going to work with Dad at his weather station when he worked night shifts was a thrill to my little heart. :) I still enjoy every moment I get to spend with Dad. I love to go with him to his PT as we play football, frisbee, and run up mountains together. I can't wait till we get back to the states and we can go hunting again...and learn to trap. :) I love my Dad so much and I can't imagine life without him.....
We started the birthday morning with a special breakfast of cinnamon rolls, sausage, and coffee. :)
It was a beautiful day so we packed our picnic bag and headed out for a hike. Dad stopped by this guys stand to buy some of his Kimbap.
This was the first day it was warm enough to wear short sleeves.
Mom and Dad....the inseperable pair
The signs of spring
Our picnic spot.
The afore mentioned Kimbap...and Mom posing with it :)
He learns real quick with two photographers in the home. :)
One of our games. :) "Pin the grey beret on Dad..." :)
Dad's dessert of choice. Homemade ice cream, homemade chocolate syrup, homemade brownies, homemade whipped cream, and homemade raspberry sauce. :) It was the best "Brownie Earthquake" ever!!
For Dakota and I's present to Dad we took him out for coffee and a 4DX movie.
Dad's delicious frappe. :)
Chilling in the coffee shop while we wait for our movie.....
It's still cold....but I can see Spring coming! :)
I love my brother. He treated me to "Oz The Great and Powerful" in Imax 3D.
Us looking fancy schmancy in our 3D glasses!
Getting out and enjoying the sunshine. It was nice and sunny that day and just beautiful.
There is just something about little boys and dirt. Kade was in pure paradise as he laid there scooping dirt and throwing it on himself and making "dirt-angels." :)
Gotta love men in corduroy!
A guy at Dad's work invited us to go rock climbing with him. He had all the gear and knowledge, so why not?! :)
It was pretty tough. Our forearms and hands were so sore.
We definitely had fun!
Some of the most precious moments are these right here! Kade fell asleep on Mom's lap during her morning devotions.
A little Daddy's girl!
Artist in progress!! :)
Well, that's been a tidbit of life around here. We are watching the weather and anxiously waiting for warmth. It was in the 60's the other day, so we went out and had a picnic at a favorite park. We only have 6 months before we move. We still don't know where yet. That will be known soon though. It's so delightful to be with my family and enjoy these moments in Korea. I know that I'll look back and cherish these memories. Dakota only has a little time left here, so I want to make the most of it. We miss everyone back home and love you all!
Recently I have been out of work, and with my internship on
the horizon I decided to pick up a useful art that could someday become a
cottage industry, instead of trying to find a job for the next 2 months. Plus,
I get to spend more time with my family before I leave! But anyway, since last
year I have had a strong interest in flutes. We bought Dad a bamboo Native
American Flute for Christmas, and right away I knew I wanted to try and make
some of my own (but with wood instead of bamboo). Well, I have made a couple so
far and they turned out pretty good, so I am making more and am posting
pictures of the whole process. Ok, so maybe “101” isn’t quite the right word
for me to use in the title of this post, since I am not trying to teach
everybody how to make their own. My purpose in this post is to just let you see
what it looks like when I make a flute from start to finish. I hope you enjoy
it!
Step 1: I get the right wood (soft woods are better). Here is
a picture of what the wood looks like before I begin. The wood that I use is an
Asian version of Mahogany called “Luan.”
Step 2: Next I cut the wood into the right sized blocks. At
this point, once the boards are straight and the right size, I use a router to
bore 2 chambers in the flute. Here is a picture of the finished blanks.
Step 3: Now I choose 2 blanks that fit well and I pick 1 to
be the top piece. I drill holes then use files and a chisel to cut the right
ramps and holes in each chamber.
Step 4: After making sure the inside bores are smooth and
finished, I can then glue the 2 pieces together. At this point I let the flute cure
overnight.
Step 5: This is when things start getting really fun! After
evening everything up on all sides and finishing the wind way (the area between
the two holes), I then use a hand planer and begin to shape the flute.
Step 6: I also need to make what is called a “bird.” A piece
of wood on top of the flute that directs the air from the small chamber into
the big one, the air splits on the edge of the big chamber and that is what
makes the sound. Here is a picture of a couple birds and a cross section of a
flute so you can see what I just explained.
Step 7: Now I sand the flute smooth and to the shape I want
it, and then I use a tuner and cut off the end of the flute until I get to the
note I want. Then I mark the playing holes.
Step 8: At this point I drill the holes very small, and then
I use a tuner and tune the holes 1-by-1 and make sure the flute sounds good!
Step 9: Now here depends on what I want the flute to look
like. I can burn designs into the flute and then finish it, or I can stain it
then carve it, but the point is that this step is when I design the “look” of
the flute.
Step 10: This is the last step! I wax the flute then bind it
in 2 or 3 places with hemp in order to hold the bird in place and to protect
the flute from cracking. Then I use oil inside the flute to further protect it
(you have to oil a wooden flute every 3-6 months to maintain it).
Here is a video of me quickly demonstrating what they sound like.
Well, I hope you found that interesting! Till next time,
.JPG)
