Authentic Nautical Accessories, and Custom Furnishings
Figureheads get lots of attention in maritime museum exhibits. There are even museum collections of figureheads lost at sea. Often, the names of the ships they graced are unknown. If we knew, we could reconstruct a travelogue of all the ports they'd seen. But many ships lacked figureheads. The old figure went overboard in a …
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, a Drummer was not just a percussionist. A drummer was a traveling salesman who'd make the rounds with tools, clothes, or anything else you might wish to purchase but could not easily find at the small retail establishments in your town. Think no internet, no Walmart, and few …
Yesterday, I spent a significant part of the day working on a carving of a large schooner. I based it on research I did for an earlier schooner built by the same yard around the same time in the late 19th century. I used skills acquired in the earlier carving to ease the work on …
Photographs help me remember steps and processes. Years ago, I used photography only to record the results. But pictures of the in-between stages were more than a bit helpful. One of the big reasons I say this is because there are some things that I only do rarely. Reminders are valuable.I need to be a …
If you studied economics, process engineering or are an enthusiast of popular psychology, you might have heard of the Sunk Cost Fallacy. It's alive and well in woodcarving too. Sunk costs are costs you have paid and can't get back. That's fine if everything works out. But if the project just hasn't been the success …
This is my second run at the Steam Yacht Zaida. I've used different techniques and am more satisfied with the outcome.
I found the wood sitting in the shorts at my favorite hardwood dealer. It was very dark, heavy, and dense. It was mahogany but so dark and heavy that I felt it was a wayward piece of Dominican, not Honduran. It was just what I wanted.
We all want to be instant experts. One of my sensei describes this in terms of the training montages that are standard fare in martial arts movies; the neophyte progresses from clumsy beginner to skilled pro in thirty seconds of cinematic snapshots.
I admit that the sort of non complex carving that happens when I carve a small bowl is pretty alluring. No antsy detail. No pattern that needs to be followed. Just follow the will of the wood.
We can easily get lost in the weeds talking about tradition in crafts.
This chest was not in stock long enough for me to do a proper set of photos. It sold at it's first appearance at the Maine Boatbuilder's Show to a pair of Boston Harbor pilots who were going to give it as a retirement gift to a colleague.
As consumers, there is much that you don't know about your favorite woods.
It sails on my wall with a cherry ocean and sky heading east from Japan or China towards Los Angelos. I think my father is pleased that his ship is restored to an essential place in our lives, through the unexpected kindness of a fellow seaman.
While teaching, I always like to decorate the workshop with carving examples for students to use as a reference. Week-long excursions to teach away from home mean emptying the house of many of my carvings. But samples in three dimensions often are better than pictures or demonstration, and the extra work was worth it.
The problem with imagination is that it's boundless. On the wall is a poster telling you that you can do it if you can imagine it. Don't take it too literally.
The grass is always greener somewhere else, I guess. I sometimes think of this when I see a note about someone starting up a new business, and then I think about mine. I started my woodcarving business after years of carving. It was right after the end of my Government job, and I started doing …
During the sixties and seventies, I had lots of friends who generally fit into the category of "Folkie". We spent a lot of time experimenting with alternative lifestyles, attire, music, and food. A certain number followed this experimentation to what they considered to be a logical exit from conventional religion as well. Over the years …
It's that in-between time of year when lots of the plants that were "on Vacation" outside are coming in, and I have two gardens. The outer garden is almost all done, and the inner one if adapting to being inside and under the grow lights again. The inner garden is part of my plan to …
Continue reading "Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Inner and Outer Gardens – 9/26/2026"
Advice on how to live a fruitful and happy life can cost nothing or be very expensive. You can pay hefty sums to a life coach to help put your life on track, or you can find your own sweet spot through experimentation. What about me? It was luck, experimentation, and listening to some good …
Various friends of mine have had opinions regarding karma, but the one that stuck with me is that of Bosun Mate First Class John O'Toole, " Karma is wonderful, but it sometimes needs a bit of help." What O'Toole meant was that waiting for the snotty first lieutenant to get caught with his pants down …
I know when and where I'm not. It's not Navy, and it's not Maine.
My posts are rarely overtly political in nature. But the target of Washington stupidity is soooooo tempting; I find it hard to refrain. You can Google Murphy's Laws of Combat. It's not only entertaining, but my friends who've seen combat say that it's perceptive and accurate. One of the laws listed in it is:" The …
I read about "influencers" on the news with hundreds of thousands followers, and I marvel at some of the idiocy they propose, and people seem to oooh and ahhh about all that rubbish. That's not me. Those folks could seemingly write a post about how pesto is implicated in making those addicted to it glabrous, …
"There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow men. True nobility lies in being superior to your former self." - Ernest Hemingway
At the end of June I contracted some weird viral thing that first gave me laryngitis and then a follow-on series of idiotic symptoms. The symptoms formed a retinue; there were so many and varied: little and large irritations. I wasn't deathly ill, thank god, but I wasn't well for about three months. At last …
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