When I was living in Keizersberg Abbey in Leuven Belgium, I came up with a game to familiarize my children with the multiplication table (which is a bit advanced for their age).

I created a board game version of one of their favorite video games, Smash Brothers. Painting little miniatures was also travel friendly way to relax while living alone abroad. 

The historically accurate samurai replica armor continues. These are the sode, or shoulder pauldrons. As before I cut them all from sheet metal and punched hundreds of holes with a metal punch.  Then I shaped, primed, and painted them. The most difficult part was getting the lip on the top edge of each lame to match their historical counterparts.  Since silk lace is cost-prohibitive, I continued using shoelace to bring the whole thing together.

I also found a forum where I chatted with none other than Samurai historian Ian Bottomley and armor restoration expert David Thatcher who steered me through several assembly questions.

With the onset of the pandemic and lockdowns, we set about learning some new skills.  We 3D printed, assembled and painted some some toys from favorite franchises!

Our family loves to play Catan and we also love Lord of the Rings, so we brought them together. Thanks to an avid online community of 3D modelers, I was able to scale and synthesize existing 3D files for a Catan board with mostly existing 3D files of famous locales from Middle Earth (I had to model a few myself).  The 3D printer then worked nonstop to produce the game pieces (resource tiles, cities, and roads).  We then hand painted everything and used resin for water effects.  I also magnetized the board so it doesn't slide apart when bumped!

One of the axles on our remote control car broke!  So using a pair of calipers we measured all the dimensions and created a 3D model of the part from primitives.  Then we 3D printed a replacement and returned the car to operation!

A screen accurate replica costs close to a thousand US dollars, but someone I picked up a poorly treated and broken recast for a pittance.  I thus learned about auto-repair to re-sculpt and reshape several aspects of the mask, the domed helmet, and the chest armor with dimensions and measurements supplied by Star Wars enthusiasts.  I sanded and then used Bondo and  sanded again.  I sanded and then used spot potty and sanded again. I built a paintbooth and then primed and sanded again. Then masked and painted....only to have the final step of high-gloss automotive clear coat turn to overspray and ruin the finish with a cloudy, grainy, surface.  SO, I sanded the paint off and repeated the process for a second time! Thankfully it turned out the second time! I restored the lenses and added all the final components.

I heard costumed kids  at Disney receive special treatment, so I acquired a 48" Stormtrooper doll, disassembled and hollowed out the suit using a hot knife.  Using industrial velcro and side release buckle straps off an old backpack, we made all the separate pieces wearable.  We suited him up in the park and the cast not only brought him straight to the character exhibits, but invited him to march in the parade!

Using nothing but screenshots, we made custom patterns to my wife's dimensions (using the saranwrap and duct tape method) and transferred them to EVA foam.  The complicated Eagle and belt we wrapped in heat a sensitive material called Worbla.  After assembling, we coated it in a plastidip primer to secure the foam and then hand painted everything (and sealed with a high gloss).  The original skirt was also made from a foam roll before we came across a discarded blue pleather ottoman which we skinned and stitched together for a more durable and realistic look!

After demolishing the old undermount sinks, we measured out travertine tile to mount vessel sinks.  The plumbing proved to be less straightforward than it should have been, but that's to be expected when updating an older home I suppose.

Back when I was in still working in business, my wife and I paid our students loans off by renovating an old home.  In addition to a lot of painting, we learned to tile and put in new countertops, a new backsplash, and a new floor on top of installing a dishwasher

I inherited an anvil and a pile of sheet metal, which was just begging to be made into armor.  After considerable research (and finding exquisitely detailed instructions from an English speaking armorer, cf. sengokudaimyo.com) , I identified a type and style of armor with the aim of reproducing a historically accurate (within reason) suit.  The learning curve has been steep. Cutting and cold working steel broke my jig saw and burned out my bench grinder (I nearly broke my sewing machine).  Whether "knitting" chain mail, using a metal punch, or lacing armored plates, I found the work is almost meditative given its slow and repetitive nature.     

After undergrad, I decided to try my hand at gardening, or at least an ornamental garden surrounding the traditional tea ceremony.  After considerable research of garden types, asymmetrical balance, obscured middle ground, forced perspective, and plants suitable for my climate, I literally built a garden.  I converted a garden shed with siding and a veranda. I poured concrete for washbasin and cut bamboo for a deer-scarer all plumbed with running water.  I also hauled lots and lots of rocks.  However, my Japanese maple and Wisteria all struggled.  In the end, my azaleas and dogwoods made it all worth while. 

My father apprenticed in a cabinetry shop before attending college.  Starting with a blank sheet of paper he showed me how to draw up plans and fit shapes to lumber sizes before we purchased all the wood.  We cut, assembled, and stained a matching set, one for him and one for me which is still a physical reminder of all he has passed on to me.