Who JohnQuixote…John Pollard

[JohnQuixote]

Chapter 3:

Construction begins.

 

[JohnQuixote]

Brick finished.

 

[JohnQuixote]

Plumbing, electricity and appliances.

 

[JohnQuixote]

Tile, cabinets, vents and doors.

 

[JohnQuixote]

Chapter 4: Finished!

The project took 2 months to complete.

 

[JohnQuixote]

At night with lights.

 

[JohnQuixote]

"The Zone."

 

[Lorelei]

JQ - that's FABULOUS

No wonder you are excited about it!!!! I guess the inside kitchen won't be getting much use this summer

Well done you!

 

[JohnQuixote]

Moral of the story: Come -n- get it!

 

[belle]

sweeeeet.......when''s the party?

 

[JohnQuixote]

Date: 7/4/2005 9:16:07 AM
Author: belle
sweeeeet.......when's the party?

Lorelei & Belle - thanks.

Chillin' & grillin' all day... Come on over.

Either check your jewelry at the door or just 'ware the sauce! (wear the sauce?)

 

[Kamuelamom]

Oooooh, John, love your project! Bet that will make for a fantastic 4th of July celebration! Let the party begin!!

 

[MissAva]

Thats fantastic! Wow!

 

[mrssalvo]

John,
I lOVE it. My neighbor has a pool/hot tub/outdoor grill and I have yet to see anyone in in ONCE

Looks like yours will get plenty of use. What a great idea and use of the space. It fits perfectly

 

[Mara]

LOVE IT John!!

We''ve seen some amazing homes with the outdoor kitchen area...I love them, esp here in California! I would love to have one at some point, along with the big ole outdoor table that seats 8-12...we love outdoor entertaining. Oh and the outdoor fireplace too! Hopefully one day we''ll actually have a yard that can accommodate all of this!! But I can daydream vicariously through you in the meantime!

 

[hlmr]

Date: 7/4/2005 4:16:51 AM
Author: JohnQuixote
''The Zone.''

Wow, ''The Zone'' looks awesome. Great idea!

Heather

 

[yellowfan]

love the outdoors bbq. have you looked into an outdoors fireplace? outdoor cooking = easy cleanup!

 

[JohnQuixote]

Matatora - Well thanks for stopping by here

Kmom - and thank you kindly too...

The party was great. 4 friends turned into 8 (self-invited, lol) and we did steaks, chicken kabobs and cedar-plank salmon on the grill. The pool volleyball lasted until after midnight and I am proud to report that the ''home team'' mostly vanquished

(the refrigerator got ''vanquished'' too!).
MrsSalvo - You need to sneak on over next door and pillage their zone!

Thanks for the kind words.

 

[JohnQuixote]

Heather - I'm thinking I need to have a standing invite for PriceScopers... I'll need a few days notice of course!

Mara - Use me vicariously all you want. I can give you details anytime, lol. You live in such a great state for outdoor entertaining. I've no doubt that you and Greg will 'cook up' the 'Zone D'Resistance' one day!

Yellowfan - Have you seen the small outdoor fireplaces. I actually have a place for one of those and a smoker on the other side of the pool. You know - for extended 'projects.'

That will wait until Phase 2 or so.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Ohhhhhhh, quintessentially quixotic kitchen!!!

Makes no sense gramatically, but I just had to say it.....

cheers--Sharon

 

[Diamonds4Me]

Oooo, that''s my dream backyard!

It turned out beautifully.

Need a renter??

 

[Diamonds4Me]

Date: 7/9/2005 3:14:03 AM
Author: JohnQuixote
Heather - I'm thinking I need to have a standing invite for PriceScopers... I'll need a few days notice of course!

Mara - Use me vicariously all you want. I can give you details anytime, lol. You live in such a great state for outdoor entertaining. I've no doubt that you and Greg will 'cook up' the 'Zone D'Resistance' one day!

Yellowfan - Have you seen the small outdoor fireplaces. I actually have a place for one of those and a smoker on the other side of the pool. You know - for extended 'projects.'

That will wait until Phase 2 or so.

Check these out. They have them for outdoor fireplaces. I even saw some that was a fireplace/water fountain combo. Really cool.

http://www.fireonice1.com/gallery.html


Actually, this one is way cooler. It actually shows the fireplace/water fountain a little further down this page.

http://www.moderustic.com/index.php Just scroll down when it pops up. I love this one!

 

[Diamonds4Me]

Date: 2/23/2005 7:29:41 PM
Author: JohnQuixote
With one of my students marching with the World Champion Cavaliers drum & bugle corps.

Get OUT! The Cavaliers?? I was in marching band in high school and saw them live one year. I actually wanted to be in the drum & bugle corps......

I also must say that I really did enjoy reading your life story. You write with a wonderful flow and you have a great sense of humor.

Wow, what a life. Travel, music, teaching, writing and diamonds. I'm so jealous.

 

[JohnQuixote]

Date: 7/17/2005 11:03:08 PM
Author: canuk-gal
HI:
Ohhhhhhh, quintessentially quixotic kitchen!!!

Makes no sense gramatically, but I just had to say it.....

cheers--Sharon

Sharon, now say it 5 times fast:

She sells sea shells by the quintessentially quixotic... Well, you get the idea.

Danke

 

[JohnQuixote]

Date: 7/25/2005 9:40:52 PM
Author: Diamonds4Me

Date: 2/23/2005 7:29:41 PM
Author: JohnQuixote
With one of my students marching with the World Champion Cavaliers drum & bugle corps.

Get OUT! The Cavaliers?? I was in marching band in high school and saw them live one year. I actually wanted to be in the drum & bugle corps......

I also must say that I really did enjoy reading your life story. You write with a wonderful flow and you have a great sense of humor.

Wow, what a life. Travel, music, teaching, writing and diamonds. I'm so jealous.

Heather - BAND NERD!

Hehe.

I did some sports as well as band in HS and got no end of grief from my joc(k)ular buddies. Being a drummer softened the heckling. The band in TX where I did my full-time teaching is a repeat state champ and national finalist so the concept of band 'geek/nerd/whatever' is alien to the whole school. It's just the cool thing to do. Pssst - don't tell them otherwise

The Cavaliers just came through TX on the Southern leg of the DCI tour. That student you saw pictured back on page 1 is drumming with them again this year and they're currently favored to win another world championship. For anyone in Boston, the 2005 DCI Championsip Finals are Saturday, Aug 13 at Foxboro stadium.

 

[Diamonds4Me]

lol, yes I was a "band nerd" and loved every minute of it. Even dated a drummer

My jr year we went to Houston and marched in the Foley''s (sp???)Thanksgiving Parade. No one told me that it actually gets cold in Texas. So, there I was in shorts and a t-shirt and its 40 degrees out..haha, what fun

. The only time I wasn''t freezing was when I had that wool uniform on! We even went to the Grand Nationals in Indianapolis that year and came in sixth overall. We went a few times but my jr year when we came in sixth was our best year.


How cool for him! If you get a chance to talk to him again wish him luck for me!

Oh, and I won''t say a word to them. I still think its a really cool thing to do

 

[old timer]

John,
I have just finished reading your biography and, I must admit, found it quite entertaining and enjoyable. I can tell you are a fellow diamond techno-freak. (for lack of a better phrase) I especially enjoyed your command of the written word. So few these days actually revel in the fine art of repartee or conversation. I''ll bet you tell a great joke,also!
Allow me to introduce myself. I am Vel, logged in as "old timer". I chose this moniker because of my many years in the jewelry industry. (33 to be exact) No, I have no problem with anyone knowing my age. It''s totally irrelevant and I ve lost track of the years, anyway.
I am completely self taught, and I am a firm believer in continuing this education as I believe I can always learn more. I love my profession, but the geologic and history aspect has me totally captivated. I am an avid reader and history buff. American history and ancient history are my main interests, especially civil war history and Egyptology. I do not watch network TV. I subsist on the various history and discovery channels mostly. I am not a snob! I just get bored and annoyed with alot of the *#$% that''s broadcast these days.
I am a trivia nut, to put it mildly, and music is a great love of mine. My husband, in his younger days, is a percussionist. Maybe that''s what I picked up on in your bio. Music is a wonderful, pure form of communication. Good to drink to, too!
I am totally enthralled with dinosaurs and the history of the solar system, as well as oceanography. I suppose I could have just said earth sciences and eliminated several sentences.
I''ve been married 30 years, have 3 children and 5 grandchildren. Don''t draw any premature conclusions! I''m not ancient!Well, with the exception of my knees. I think they''re 80 years old!
I, as you, am very much into the mathematics and technology of the cut of diamonds. I had the good fortune to go to Antwerp,Belgium in 1999 and have a very educational training experience in the diamond district. I toured cutting factories, the diamond bourse,(women aren''t usually included here)and several high profile vendors. I had the good fortune to sit in on some very intense buying sessions which taught me an enormous amount.
I have been "lurking" on this website for about two months now and absolutely love it. The knowledge and expertise of so many of you is so amazing and refreshing. I am not a computer whiz.(remember, I have a few years on ya''ll!) None the less, I''m getting there.
I recently became disillusioned with my employer of 10 years and decided to beat a hasty retreat from retail and the jewelry industry. (look where I am at this moment!) I can''t do it. I can''t stay away from this industry. I only hope I can find a company that will appreciate my skill and knowledge and put it to good use.
All of that aside, I, too, have two cats and they are spoiled rotten. They are our children and i firmly believe they are what keeps my blood pressure down. I in no way can be stressed when one of them is on my lap or snuggled up with me!
Too much information? Sorry. In closing, you and so many other members are becoming familiar to me and I truly appreciate all of you.

Vel

 

[Richard Sherwood]

Wow. Love the backyard hotel you''ve got there John.

Can I park my RV in there somewhere?

 

[zhuzhu]

I just visited this board for the first time today, and enjoyed reading all the postings deeply. John, I want to respond first to you because I am also "a different pianist" and "a different bassonist". Having traveled from the Juilliard school training to business to medical scientific research today, I too know what "taken a road less travel" mean. John, thanks for your inspirational writing, I enjoyed every little stories you shared. You are such a great writier, do you by chance have an interest in writing my dissertation (kidding)

???

Thank you for being here with the rest of the wonderful PS "expert team" to help diamond nuts like us. Later!

 

[Sparkle Boy]

Jon,

I just read your bio, and I had no idea you had a percussion background. I actually lived in Plano TX a while back and that is where I really learned percussion. I went on to major in music, but have since switched over to business and completed an MBA. I still have a marimba in one of my rooms and I pick up the mallets periodically.

I attended a few yamaha percussion camps many years ago while I lived in Texas, small world.

I can also say I have seen LD Bell''s drumline many times, and I always made it a point to watch them at competitions. They are one of the best high school drumlines in the entire country, I am sure you have something to do with that.