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NOVEMBER 2021
THE JOURNEY OF ONE SPECIAL INSTALLATION
itself was full of our family (Winfred and Julie; Heidi, 7; Douglas, 5; Daisy, 4; and Judy, 1) and what we needed for a long trip! The journey was long and tiresome, but at last, we were rewarded with the sight of our little rental cottage where we stayed that week. A couple days after we arrived, our coworker, James, and his wife, Faith, arrived from the airport. On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, James and I spent all day installing the kitchen. The set was large — around 24 separate cabinets — with optional extra height and depth on most pieces. Two corners of the room were on a 45-degree angle, which required exact fitting of both of the ends and the crown molding. When we were assembling several of the cabinets, we found that some of the trim wasn't there. Ouch! A call to Ethan got that fixed: Duane made new pieces of trim, the finishing room rushed them through, and they were boxed and shipped the same day. As a whole, the set was made to fit exactly right. It was nice to see each set of cabinets tuck into the place where it was supposed to be.
There are some moments in life that make you pause and say, “What in the world?”
I had this happen recently, when I realized our craftsmen have created kitchen cabinets that are now installed in Alaska and Texas. In a way, we have cabinets across the country, and our most recent installation — the aforementioned Texas one — was a great opportunity for craftsmen Winfred and James to travel with their families and provide assistance to one of our customers. It takes a lot of bandwidth to produce, pack, haul, and install cabinets in homes outside of Delaware, but we do sign up for adventure sometimes.
On Friday, we stopped at noon, and our two families ate together at a Mexican- themed nacho restaurant with wagon wheels and antlers hanging from the ceiling. After going back to work, several more hours of careful trim work passed, until we were totally finished around 5:30 p.m. What a relief to be done! After admiring the work, we drove to Pappa's BBQ and enjoyed a late supper (after standing in line for an hour). We got up from the table around 9:30 p.m. — easily the latest I have ever left the table for supper! Our family got back home around 2 a.m. the following Tuesday. It was an interesting and worthwhile trip. In spite of the long drive, we always enjoy going somewhere together, especially if it means we're going home at the end!” There’s no doubt Winfred, Julie, James, Faith, and the children had a great trip, and we feel privileged to have installed kitchen cabinets for the Clark family. We wish them well in their new home. And speaking of home, we sure are glad to have these two craftsmen and their families back in the shop. A special thank-you to everyone who made this project possible. –Ethan Zimmerman
I hope you enjoy a brief part of our Texas story as written by Winfred and Julie.
“Our delivery to Texas began Friday morning, July 30. The trailer was full to the top with all the parts and pieces of a complete kitchen cabinet set. We had drawn out a careful plan for packing, and yet we had to change that plan several times to make it all fit! The van
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Normal Bikes began in 2017. Engineer Chris Kudha had experience creating products for major corporations, but his passion for cycling and the support of his wife, Jess, pushed him to begin building and selling bicycles made of wood. The bikes provide a sturdy foundation for cyclists and are lightweight for better speed and travel time. The science as to why is fairly common in everyday life. Wood materials greatly absorb the shock and pressure that come naturally from force. As wooden bike manufacturer Connor Wood Bicycles explains, wooden-handled tools, like an ax or a hammer, absorb the force of a user’s swing in the handle and metal of the tool. Likewise, on a wooden bike, the force produced by pedaling is easily absorbed by the bike’s wooden frame, making it lightweight and powerful. days before the first Thanksgiving, the colony’s governor put four men in charge of hunting for birds for the feast, and they very likely returned with some turkey. However, as far as mashed potatoes are concerned, in the early 1600s, most Europeans and the Wampanoag had no idea what a potato was. They weren’t cultivated in North America until the 1700s. Likewise, cranberries were still very new to the pilgrims, and they didn’t yet use them for food — instead, they used them to make dyes for fabrics! For dessert, pumpkin pie was not yet a thing either. Although the Pilgrims liked pumpkins, they didn’t have the butter and wheat flour needed to make pie crust. Instead, they hollowed out the pumpkins and filled them with milk
When you think of a durable, reliable bike, does a wooden frame come to mind? Perhaps not, but according to some bike manufacturers, it should. Bike companies are starting to understand why early bike-makers were so fond of using wood to create bicycles — other than the fact that wood was easier to mold and shape than steel or metal in those days. The first bicycle is said to have been created in 1418 by Italian engineer Giovanni Fontana, and after centuries of a complex history, which saw the bike downgraded to two wheels instead of four and wooden frames becoming metal, the classic bicycle many people know today was born. However, companies like Normal Bikes are now re-imagining the way cyclists ride back into its earliest forms. Every Thanksgiving, we gather with our families and friends. Turkey, cranberry sauce, and stuffing, oh my! But did the pilgrims actually eat all the same foods we do today? When we sit down at the Thanksgiving table, we are blessed with mashed potatoes, candied yams, green bean casserole, turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. However, if we wanted to be historically accurate, we would need to change up that dinner spread a bit. Historians know of a few foods on the table that Pilgrims and Wampanoags shared at Plymouth Colony in 1621. Wildfowl, corn (in grain form for porridge), and venison were sure to be served at the first Thanksgiving. Wild turkey was also a common and abundant food source but wasn’t likely the main course as it is today. A few
and honey to make a custard and then roasted them.
Although our Thanksgiving meals have changed over the years, it still is a fantastic time to get together and celebrate. In the spirit of evolving traditions, don’t be afraid to innovate to add your own personal traditional twist to the holiday as well!
According to Connor Wood Bicycles, wooden bike frames are typically made from American white ash and black walnut. These wood types are both visually appealing and easy to mold, shape, and craft into a bike frame. However, don’t assume the wood type or engineering feats make these bikes easy to produce. Because of the precision required to create a strong, light frame out of wood, each bike from Normal Bikes typically takes more than two months to complete, and Connor Wood Bicycles reports a three-month time frame. Still, as the science and the skill set of these craftsmen show, nothing can compare to the durability, strength, and customization of a wooden bike.
2 • THE SWISS CRAFTSMAN
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In 1784, Benjamin Franklin invented bifocals. These glasses allowed for vision correction for both near and far vision assistance within one frame. This later led to trifocals, and both bi- and trifocals became increasingly popular in the early 1900s. Today, glasses are very different from the vision correction pieces of the past. For starters, plastic is more readily used in eyeglasses, as this material is less likely to shatter or break. This also allows frames to be lightweight. The Vision Council reports that about 164 million American adults wear eyeglasses, and thanks to innovators scrambling for better sight, they no longer have to squint or hold glass to their face just to see.
Later, people across Europe and China inserted magnifying glasses into frames or held the frames up to their faces or what they were looking at for better vision. For centuries, people also fashioned ribbon ties around their heads to hold their frames in place. In 1352, the first painting depicting spectacles was created by Tommaso da Modena, and these tools only continued to become more popular from there. As vision correction standards improved, frames were soon created with posts on either end, which would sit on the user’s ear. This eliminated the need for ribbon, or holding the frames
If you can read this article, you may be doing so with perfect vision or the aid of some form of corrective eyewear. For centuries, humans have toiled over how to best modify the vision of those who are impaired, resulting in a complex, winding history for eyeglasses. The first recorded instance of glasses being used for better vision is attributed to Roger Bacon in 1268, according to Britannica, but civilizations have long had their own methods for better sight. For example, the Romans used glass globes of water — which they discovered would increase the size of what they were looking at — to improve vision, while the Vikings were said to fashion lenses out of crystals.
up to one’s face just to read, and created the image of glasses we know today.
INGREDIENTS Sweet Potato Mixture • 3 cups sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed • 2 eggs, beaten • 1/2 cup milk
Crumble Topping Mixture • 1/4 cup flour • 2/3 cup brown sugar • 1 tbsp butter, cold • 1/4 cup pecans, chopped
• 1/2 cup butter, melted • 1/4 cup brown sugar • 1 tsp vanilla
DIRECTIONS
1. Mix together sweet potatoes, eggs, milk, 1/2 cup melted butter, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and vanilla. Pour into a greased casserole dish. 2. For the crumble topping that will be sprinkled over the previous mixture, blend together flour and 2/3 cups of brown sugar. Cut in 1 tbsp cold butter until crumbly. 3. Sprinkle over sweet potato mixture, then top with pecans. 4. Bake uncovered at 350 F for 35–40 minutes.
- Heather and Megan
Photo from Heather and Megan
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Brought to you by KCS Builders of American Heirlooms and Penns Creek Furniture 291 Blackiston Rd. • Clayton, DE 19938 Phone: (302) 653-2411 • Email: kcs@emypeople.net The Swiss Craftsman
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Inside this Issue
We Have Cabinets in Texas! Page 1
The First Thanksgiving Menu
Looking for a New Bike? Consider Wood Page 2
Vision Correction History Illuminates How Far We Have Come
Crunchy Sweet Potato Casserole Page 3
Why You Should Call Termite Control Page 4
IT MIGHT SAVE YOU THOUSANDS
or flooding takes place. Termite control may seem like an unnecessary cost, but it will ultimately save you a lot of money, especially when you need it most. No. 2: Buildings have many openings that a professional will spot right away. Professionals will always know what to look for, including a building’s natural openings. Termites like to live in moist conditions, and while they can be subterranean, openings make it much easier for any type of termite to infest your home. While you can implement preventive measures for discouraging termites from eating away at your home sweet home, the best way to prevent infestation is with termiticide in all the right places. Plus, if you maintain the pest control’s warranty by paying an annual renewal fee, any infestation or re-infestation can be re- treated at no additional cost to you.
Termites can be subterranean, meaning they appear from under the foundation and usually show no signs of their presence until extreme damage has been done. Here's why you should include termite pest control service in your agenda this fall. No. 1: Many homeowners do not discover termite damage until it’s too late. As mentioned, there are many breeds of subterranean termites in America that aren’t seen on the surface very often. They burrow underground and get into your foundation that way. Usually, homeowners will discover the damage left behind while remodeling or tearing a wall open. It can cost thousands of dollars to replace the wood and infrastructure. Keep in mind that not all remodeling is done under ideal financial conditions. Sometimes, it happens after a pipe bursts
No. 3: You’ll have peace of mind that your home is safe. The holidays are a stressful time — the last thing you want on your mind is the potential for a termite issue. Don’t sweep this one under the rug, because termites cause issues that always come biting back.
Consider giving your local pest control company a call!
4 • THE SWISS CRAFTSMAN
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