paul kearsley
Bowers Tool Company
Waking up to a beautiful 71˚ but 93% humidity, the chances of writing a coherent review today are slim. In a flash it will be both 93˚F and 93% humidity. Welcome to The Philadelphia Summer.
All is not lost. Little thought is required. The perfect article for AmericanToolbox literally fell into our drafts folder. In my search for a light machinist hammer, I discovered the Carrollton Texas company of Nelson Bowers. Mr Bowers has a great philosophy. Save Time and Money: Buy it Once, Buy it Right. Everything he sells is quality. We have built partnerships with 21+ domestic manufactures bringing together a wide array of tools from Automotive to Gunsmithing, HVAC, Aviation and more. Bowers Tool
Carrollton Texas, the heartland. Not too far from some of my favorite camping spots. Home of the famous graphic artist Kadin Betts, God rest his soul. We’ve added a stop on our next road trip. Coming soon, on American Toolbox.
Cutting Tools – Pliers – Sockets & Socket Sets – Automotive – Punches & Chisels – Screwdrivers & Nutdrivers – Hex Key – L Wrenches – Hex & Torx Fastener Tools – Levels & Measuring Tools – Rethreading Tools: Files, Taps, Dies – Drill Bits & Accessories – Abrasives – Hammers & Hatchets – Tool Organization – HVAC: Heating, Ventilation, & AC – Wrenches – Gunsmith Tools – Cutting Tools, Snips – Pry Bars – Farrier Tools – Hardware – Air Tools & Accessories
Vintage Peavey Power Mixer
In garages across the land, adolescent dreams of rock and roll continue. Bluegrass jams, gospel groups, punky papas play. One thing tying them together is the staple of amplification in America, Peavey. Most everyone who plays has had a Peavey at one point. I started on one. Our group used their power mixer for the big speakers. Even now, barely able to call myself a performing musician, I turn to Peavey when the call comes.
PAUL KEARSLEY, farmer and musician, sounded the alarm! His power mixer blew up a few months back when a cocktail tumbled into the heat vent. Paul is limping through four solo gigs a week, and here comes his Summer Three with The Woodman.
There are few buying opportunities in his Eastern Shore community, but right up the street I found Paul this near-vintage gem for under a day’s pay. Mid-1990s production, a few models up from the basic version I used in high school. Still consistently durable, still a winner.
Another sunset starts another gig. Reggae & ska powering over the calming waters of Chincoteague Bay, bringing our souls back to Mother Earth. Thanks, Peavey!
Hidden Gems of Old City – Part I
PAUL KEARSLEY, DIRECT descendant of mid-1700s builder & architect Dr. John Kearsley*, said to me a while back, “Hey, Woodman, what’s with the tile mosaic in the coffee shop bathroom?” We had just enjoyed a private tour of Christ Church, at one time the most sumptuous church in the colonies, as well as the tallest structure in North America. And now, down the street, we find ourselves in Old City Coffee, where he noted the dual tourist-friendly customer washrooms, one of which sported a cut-tile mosaic. While not exactly in the style of Isaiah Zagar, clearly there was an influence.
Zagar made a name for himself throughout the 1960s onward as the premier cracked-tile mosaic artist, covering vast areas with his images. This bathroom mosaic was different. The tile was cut and arranged into a private story, the interpretation being at the sole discretion of the viewer. The key word here is cut, as in sliced on a wet-saw. Someone put a lot of work into it.
When walking through the area years later, I noted a tasteful renovation had rendered the bathroom to an employees-only area. Thus, this mosaic qualifies for Hidden Treasure status. The creator is rumored to be a wanna-be-artist plumber.
*** Paul Kearsley’s great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-granduncle was Dr. John Kearsley, the architect/builder of Christ Church. But, disappointingly, the Doctor didn’t get the commission for Independence Hall, narrowly losing out to a design by Edmund Woolley and Andrew Hamilton. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Hall
American Toolbox 