J-beetles tree cover

We've been getting Japanese beetles real bad here in Mid-Missouri for the last few years. They love our li'l plum tree (to death). I bought some big-bug netting to make a cover for it and have been making improvements on the design each year. Third year's the charm: finally made a 3D cover. I was hoping to make a rough cylinder shape but the netting is barely too small at 8-feet wide. [It probably would've been fine, but I wanted to make it big enough to get under and for growth.] So, I made a three-piece box ... which meant a ton of edge binding. The frame is made of 20-foot aluminum tent poles.

Like, 50-feet of binding ... getting rid of all that Sunbrella binding that I never use and old bobbin thread.

Bye, beetles! You can eat everything else, I guess.

Float Your Boat, take 3

Third time's the charm. Our cardboard boat, Boata Boxxx, earned first place in the food bank's fundraiser regatta. We might have to retire.

We pretty much did the same boat as last year but refined the prow and beefed up the gunwales. We also had seven people paddling!

 Bike boxes are our favorite boxes. Gaylord boxes for the bulkheads.

 Green for speed.

 And we're off! Pulling ahead of the doughnut boat!

 And, crushing it.

Bye, boats!