And now here is your final meal

Well, it's finally time for the grand banquet. The main course, as it always is, features that wonderful creation made of...well, we have no idea what it's really made of, do we. For now, let's just call it squirrel, possum, and mouse. Or, more easily, just...





Okay, let's start this little feast with a review.

The original idea was simply a steampunk clock. Sounds like a simple idea, but then I got carried away. The collection of stuff grew and grew as repeated trips to Goodwill and other thrift shops yielded more and more parts. What began simple morphed into something much bigger and far more complex. I kept finding neat stuff to include.

When the dust began to settle...actually it never really did, but I like that old hackneyed term...here's what resulted.

There is a boiler, which supplies the steam necessary for any steampunk enterprise.



There is a clock, along with three other vital scientific instruments.



Since it was/is to be a birthday present, it also includes the appropriate greeting for the day, using an aerolux bulb.



There are also two additional parts that control the steam. The first is the steam recovery accumulator



The second is the steam controller. While this includes things like a flow regulator (at the bottom) it also includes a bunch of other stuff that just seemed like fun.

Hidden away, out of view, is the power supply that drives all of this insanity. Here's the last view, just before the lid went on.



Now, here's the "tower" coupled with the boiler assembly, including Andi's secret still.



So, there are a bunch of little things hidden here and there, private jokes and sneaky surprises.

Therefore, here is the final assembly, with everyone in place (except the nameplate). It's a pretty busy place.



Now, while it is difficult to photograph the thing while it's running, here is a picture with it turned on. The Happy Birthday light is on the left. The flame is burning under the boiler. The regulator is rotating, controlling the flow of steam. Inside the tower there are gears turning. Here and there lights are on, and some of them are flashing, sometimes in different colors. And then there is the great mystery. In the upper window of the tower, a series of scenic dioramas involving couples of various ages kissing parade by. Why?



Well, so far no one has succeeded in understanding, so I guess I'm left to explain it. First, remember this is Steampunk, which means we need steam. We have steam. Now, if you're old enough, you might have heard that certain scenes in movies, usually the scenes involving kissing, were described by Hollywood as "steamy."

Yes, I hear you groaning. I don't care. I happen to like it. So there!

In any case, tomorrow the whole thing goes into a box and begins its' journey to Boston. And, as Paul Harvey would say, Now you know............................the rest of the story. If you want to see the ultimate result, check out Kay's journal or whatever on her birthday, Friday August 6.

As Edward R Murrow would say now...Good night, and good luck!

C