We can easily get lost in the weeds talking about tradition in crafts.
New and Old
New York Pilot Boat 5
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.
Wood
As consumers, there is much that you don't know about your favorite woods.
Favorites
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.
R.M.S. Servia – 1881
I've been interested in steam/sail transition vessels for years. Ships with steam Auxillary and later sail auxiliary revolutionized travel at sea. Oceanic travel was no longer at the mercy of the winds.
Eagle Eyes
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 Shop
A twelve-step program for compulsive tool buyers might help. But I have a thing about being away from my tools for meetings. Just taking the time to write this keeps me away from browsing the Lee Valley site, not to mention Rockler, Woodcraft, and Highland Woodworking.
Just Right
A shop with all the tools neatly racked, and no chips are like a clean desk—a sign of a sick mind.
Free
The old saying goes that free advice is worth what you pay for it.
Twentyone
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.
Wishes
Listen, candy is sweet, but you can't make a steady diet of it.
Fearsome
"Glory is fleeting. But obscurity is forever."
Pond Life – June 2020
I needed a break from writing, So here is a short summer time video. I hope it helps put you in a relaxed mood
Tiger, Tiger!
Some people never learn.
True Places
"Queequeg was a native of Kokovoko, an island far away to the West and South. It is not down in any map; true places never are." Herman Melville
Welcome Mat
the Teahead of the August Moon- thought a poet and psychic would be an exciting addition to our menagerie of odd bits and pieces.
Tip of the Iceberg
I like to believe that unlike the later hippie phenomena, Folkies were diverse as a group.
Boxes and Spills
An old saying says, "Keep your eye on the donut, not on the hole." Well, this time, I was deep into hole territory. A simple build turned major construction.
Be Thankful For Friends
Be thankful for your friends.
On The Road In The 1960’s – a travelers guide
There was no doubt. It was a piggish indulgence. We sat, each of us holding a pint of ice cream and a jelly jar of maple syrup. Said Bill, " …and as Saint Augustine said…it was wicked, but I loved it." I just nodded my palate and brain, too frozen to speak in return.
Playtime
If your play is your business, you have to take care that the fun remains in the mix - or you might find yourself doing something you hate.
Life Boat
It's interesting to note what sort of prejudices people dispose of in need or acquire in leisure.
Flashback Friday – Train Dream
It was a Friday evening in the summer. Four or five of us were sitting on the porch, drinking beer, smoking, watching the nighthawks diving for insects, and telling tales.
Hair
The Operating Room supervisor said no. My girlfriend said yes.
Furious
Life is not always lived at a furious pace. The conductor turns the page, and the moderate pace of an andante begins.
A New York State Of Mind
head whipped around to look at me in amazement. What was it? My "New York"
Proficient
Periodically carving becomes a fad and not a cheap one.
Pat Sky
Pat Sky has died, and I'll miss him even though it's been over fifty years since I last saw him.
TOW
I love to watch the inexperienced motor out of the river mouth and into the ocean.
Adventure
One of the lessons my parents struggled to impart to me was that adventure is a relative term. A trip to the beach is a great adventure at age six. At sixteen, it's a routine summer activity. It can also be dangerous.
Sally
To quote the old Mickey and Sylvia song, "Love is strange." There is no ordinary on that carousel, and sometimes you need to jump off before the music ends. That's how it was for one summer entanglement that I had in Boston.
