Since my last post (rephrase that) Since I last posted to this blog I've been busy doing all sorts of things. The latest adventure was a trip to Victoria for a four-day intensive in graphic facilitation and graphic recording. Christina Merkley from whom Richard and I both took a workshop a couple of years ago, is moving out of the graphic recording and facilitation field and into graphic coaching. This was her last class so I decided I'd better get on it. It rained quite a bit but the views from the hotel were still gorgeous.
I've been interested in visual mapping, cognitive mapping, mind mapping whatever you'd like to call the animal since the early '80's. I've used visual maps to prepare for workshops I was giving, summarize content for students and give unit outlines as well as to make my own 'to do' lists.
This was the practice facilitation map that a group of four of us produced. There is software to whiten the background but my photos weren't good enough to really make that effective.
About four years ago I came across a book called Mapping Inner Space: Learning and Teaching Visual Mapping by Nancy Margulies with Nusa Maal. The book is well used and well loved as evidenced by the dog-eared corners, sticky tabs and paper clips to mark various pages. What I particularly like about the book is the format: it used one page of written text and on the opposite page is a visual map. When I got the book I started looking around on the web for information and discovered Christina Merkley in Victoria.
Working with Christina was a great experience. She wanted a volunteer to work with to produce a career map so I volunteered. I have the map which, unfortunately, doesn't fit anywhere in the house. I can unfold it between the living room and the kitchen to get a look at it but it will have to stay folded up for the most part. I'll take some pictures of it. Also, Christina had our conversation and the mapping process as we talked videoed for You Tube. I haven't checked to see if the back of my head is a movie star yet but it will be up eventually. I'm not sure how I'll use my developing skills in the graphic recording and facilitation area. I'm not that keen on facilitation, too much like teaching but I have volunteered to do some recording of meetings. I'll see what turns up.
I had a couple of minor adventures going through security at the airport both in Calgary and Victoria but that's a story for another day.
The other thing I've been enjoying since I got back is my box-making. I've made a box with curly maple and some of the walnut out of Mum and Dad's bedstead. It got water damage when it was stored in the atic so none of the auction places wanted it. I figured that a series of boxes would be a good way to use the wood and there's quite a bit of it there. I won't post a picture until I get it finished but it's the best dovetailed box I've ever made. It's still not where I'd like it to be but the four years of cursing and swearing and bloody-mindedness are finally starting to pay off. Rob Cosman has a new saw coming out which I think will also help my accuracy.
I'm back to using mineral oil on the boxes. I used a spray laquer on one of the last ones I did but it is so stinky I had to use it outside and even then the fumes got into the garage. It's too cold out now to do the work outside so I plan to do some more experimenting with mineral oil and wax. I'd like a semi-gloss finish and I'm trying a number of coats of oil over several days before I wax it. I'm going to do the same thing with the wax: several (many?) coats over time. It won't be as fast as the spray finish but at least I'll be able to do it in the house in the winter.
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