Author Archives: gregorykimball

Mt Hamilton ride

Posted on May 15, 2020 by gregorykimball

After I completed my Mt Umunhum ride, I turned my sights on another prominent feature on the horizon in San Jose – the Lick Observatory at Mt Hamilton. For my first exploratory attempt I followed the recommendation to use Mt … Continue reading →

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Homemade face mask

Posted on April 19, 2020 by gregorykimball

With the new recommendations to wear face masks meeting a shortage of masks, I decided to bust out my mini sewing machine and make some DIY masks. Luckily the internet is full of wisdom on this matter – Anjurisa’s video … Continue reading →

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Goodbye old music equipment

Posted on March 15, 2020 by gregorykimball

I write a lot of posts in this blog about making and acquiring new music equipment, but this time I’m writing to say goodbye to a few pieces. I’m donating four pieces of well-loved but lightly used equipment to a … Continue reading →

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Lighting retrofit

Posted on November 20, 2019 by gregorykimball

I just finished a kitchen lighting retrofit so I thought I would share some of the things I learned. Our kitchen had four 40W T12 fluorescent bulbs when we moved in and by the time two of bulbs stopped working … Continue reading →

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Mt Umunhum ride

Posted on October 11, 2019 by gregorykimball

If you’ve spent time in San Jose, you’ve probably noticed the large concrete building on a mountain peak to the south in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The peak is Mt. Umunhum and the building is part of a radar tower … Continue reading →

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24″ Pancake Monster

Posted on August 29, 2019 by gregorykimball

As much fun as I’ve been having with my pancake drum kit, I keep wondering how it would sound with a huge bass drum. One feature of a pancake rack tom is that it leaves plenty of room for big … Continue reading →

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Screen door for the foster room

Posted on August 19, 2019 by gregorykimball

Earlier this year we started volunteering as part of the The Dancing Cat foster network, a group that cares for cats while they are looking for their forever home. We have two resident cats so keeping a two-week quarantine with … Continue reading →

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Pancake drum kit

Posted on June 16, 2019 by gregorykimball

Ever since my trashcan bass drum project I’ve been trying to find the minimum requirements for making a drum. After a few sessions of use, the trashcan “bearing edge” started getting a little warped so I went back on the … Continue reading →

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Updated busking kit

Posted on April 22, 2019 by gregorykimball

Using my new bass drum I updated my busking kit for playing on the street.  The requirement is that the hardware and throne have to fit in a rollerboard suitcase and the cymbals have to fit in the bass drum. 10″ … Continue reading →

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Cannondale Synapse

Posted on April 16, 2019 by gregorykimball

After 5 years without a road bike I decided to invest in some new equipment.  I was lucky enough to get a huge discount on a 2018 Cannondale Synapse. Carbon frame and fork, Shimano RS505 discs with 105 hardware and … Continue reading →

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