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.
My father was a Merchant Mariner, and the family history, on both sides, is crammed full of merchant mariners; well, OK, on my mother's side there were a few Privateers ( !!Not Pirates!!). In any case, there was a sea of ink embedded in the skin of my family members over the generations. But not …
Perhaps you are familiar with the old Yogi Berra (no, that's not Yogi the Bear, idiot!) quote: “When you arrive at a fork in the road, take it.” Well, back in 1979, I did take the proverbial fork in the road, and it altered everything that followed- in a very good fashion. But not right …
Back in the early 1970s, I was introduced to making maple syrup by my first father-in-law, the Cap'n. Like many things the Cap'n introduced me to, they were duties more than pleasures. He wanted to do it, needed it done, or expected it, and my first wife ( the dutiful daughter) decided that Wes should …
When you are out in a bad enough blow, there can come a moment when the distinction between the water and air becomes indistinct.
Glory daysYeah, they'll pass you by, glory daysIn the wink of a young girl's eye, glory daysGlory days Hey? Want to revisit that night traveling from Boston to Philly when....Three times no! I have no desire to relive my past. Remember, yes. Mine for experiences, yes. Write about, Yes. But relive? Shudder! The youthful days …
The typical movie theatre - over-padded seats reclining either too much or not far enough, the feeling of someone's gum sticking to the sole of your shoe, and the diffuse cones of light coming from the projection booth. Gee, I think it's been over a year since I was in one. Our normal movie experience …
Your words surround you like fog and make you hard to see. - Blackbeard
The problem with edits of the timeline is that they have consequences. I mean, it's basic science fiction and fantasy. The election of a certain orange porcine political candidate had antecedent events. It also has events that have flowed from it. A simple erasure leaves a gaping hole in the space-time continuum. As much as …
Continue reading "Edits, Erasures, And The Nature Of The Multiverse!"
There is at least one conspiracy theory that I feel has a grain of truth at its core, and that is that the super wealthy are preparing for a blow-up. Credible stories about their compounds, retreats, and bunkers have been published. When the shit hits the fan, those folks do not expect to be camping. …
When in doubt, chicken out. That's right: when you reach a standoff with reality that exceeds the magnitude of a DEFCON 4 situation, chicken out...if possible. Now, normally I am in favor of building up routines for dealing with uncertainty: collect data, confer with those who are knowledgeable, and deal rationally with it. This has …
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