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.
All that you need to travel to an new place is some time. By that I mean you decide that nothing is happening there and it's so ho-hum that you stay away for a few years. For my wife and I that was what happened with Lexington, Massachusetts. You know Minutemen and such. I topped …
Continue reading "Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Close But Unnoticed"
Max- My mission is to restore order, and peace when my siblings misbehave. Of course as a Cattle Dog I am an epitome of righteous behavior...OK, so I do steal a bit of kitty food very once in a while. But, hey, running around after those two builds an appetite! Marcus & Sabrina: We are …
There was a poet in Greenwich Village called Mother Hibbard. Well, biologically, he couldn't have qualified as a mother. But he acted in a maternal manner to some of us younger habitués of the Village. Mother Hibbard did regular poetry sets in some of the same coffeehouses I performed in, and between sets we often …
In a couple of days I turn eighty. That's right the big eight zero. I still work about 24- 30 hours a week running an Access Television station in a small Massachusetts town. I'll stay as long as I am able, and need the distraction. That's right the distraction. I couldn't bear sitting around all …
Yes sireeeeee! It's a one-liner Wednesday, a Fandango's One Word Challenge, and a daily prompt wrapped in one: "Great things are done by a series of small things brought together." - Vincent van Gogh. OK, now that I have your attention, I'll admit that it's not the only quote that guides me. But it is …
Originally published in 2021 on August 5, I republishing for the WordPress Cracking Open The Time Capsule prompt.
I returned from a cruise around ports in Coastal Maine and the Canadian Maritimes not long ago. The experience stirred the pot. I want more. Actually, I want more of the same. I know you're saying, "Sheesh, the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, how about a nice cruise to Norway?" Well, I'm not saying that you don't …
Spammers! There shoulld be a sort of Expiration Date for all repeat spammers. You know what I mean. You empty our spam folder every day and the same idiot spammers are there the next- you know who you are you idiotic Pillow guy with your thrice daily spam! Yup. Once a week the repeat offenders …
"Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."
Confrontation? Not quite, a Catfrontation!
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