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.
Fresh out of the oven, these are the last zucchini breads of the season. We used up the last two zucchinis on this batch. These were barely cool before the family had started to devour the first one. What's up next? Pumpkin bread. We have three lovely pumpkins that after making a nice fall displaay …
A Tower View. From top to bottom, Sabrina, Marcus, and Max are ready to leap out at an unsuspecting squirrel!
I've made side hustles into main hustles. Woodcarving and videography; currently, I have no active side hustles. At this point, I'm not looking for any more, either. Over the years, I had many. I was the managing editor of a small community newspaper. I wrote the editorial and a feature article or two, but mostly …
She slid into the next stool like poetry in motion. If she were a day under fifty, he'd eat the hat he wasn't wearing, but ohhh, she looks great to seventy-year-old eyes. When he was in his prime, she'd have been the sort of tasty morsel he hunted in bars like this. Now he was …
I think any physical therapist would flinch at a list of exercises that everyone can do. One size does not fit all; it shouldn't, and it would be dangerous to suggest one regimen of exercise for many people with physical ailments. I burn wood for most of the heat provided to our house in winter. …
"First learn the meaning of what you say, and then speak." - Epictetus
It's not nice to tell stories out of school...you know, drop the dirt on the former significant other who ruined your life. It's so much better to be discreet rather than indiscreet. But I woke up this morning with the urge to slander, defame, and abuse one particular person from whom I learned so much …
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"
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