LOST

Good Morning!
    Well, I am still trying to figure out my next MOVE! Either I go back to Cali, or someplace warm... or I head somewhere else. If it ain't warm, it's gonna have to be a music town. I'm leaning towards getting a BAND together, finally. Chop or sing... sing or chop??? Either way, I'm happy.
    I just wish I knew what STATE I was headed to!!!
                              CANOE! CANOE!

HEALED?

Good morning! 
    I rested my torn whatever-it-is, and it seems to have helped! I will wrap it up today, and see how I do. I must figure out which way I'm headed for the Winter, and what I will do with the little canoe. The big one is staying where it is.
                                CANOE! CANOE!
   

HURTS SO GOOD...

Good morning!
   Yesterday, Tom and Melissa helped me re-position the little canoe at Curlew Lake Canoe Camp. After "dressing" my camp, I got choppin'! 
    I started opening the middle of the canoe, and continued by opening the gunwales on the port side. I was excited to be chopping up top, in a suitable place! I may have been TOO excited. I ripped something in my right forearm... possibly a tendon. It's not good. The wood was cutting so well, and I was making much better progress, as I chopped. This set-back hurts in more ways than one. I could FINISH this canoe in about two weeks, if only I could keep choppin'!
    For now, I'm contacting local schools about coming to camp. I'm also making final touches on my new web-site for my canoe business. Will I ever be able to make a living doing this?
    I HAVE TO!

                         CANOE! CANOE! 

GOOD NEWS!

Good morning!
    Good news! The little canoe finally made it to Curlew Lake Canoe Camp! After my coffee, I'm headin' out to CHOP!!! The BIG PINE may have to be finished in the Spring, when I can spend more time on it, in it's awkward position. We'll see. It's possible that the tree brought me here to make the little one!
    The people I have met here, in Ferry County, have ben wonderful! There are SO many trees around here, that I might make this my Summer Canoe Camp on a regular basis. The Winter is NOT accomodating, however, and I still need to figure out my next move. Welcome to my world!
                               CANOE! CANOE!

COME TO ME

Good morning! 
    My little canoe is still missing. I'm a little concerned, to say the least. I've been leaving the BIG pine alone, since she's already oiled and happy. I'm getting stir-crazy, though, and might have to chop!
    It's clear to me, at this point, that part of THIS dugout journey was learning that I need a proper rig. or a better system of retrieving these trees. The arch-type skidders would work, IF I had a good truck. 
    I would have to trade or sell a canoe for a truck... or anything else. It's about time to market some of my beautiful canoes. I just wish I could FINISH the canoes I've been working on, lately!

                             CANOE...

                        COME TO ME!


                      CANOE! CANOE!

PLANS

Good morning!
    Nothing but the same ol' FOG up here. I'm still waiting for the Barter Faire canoe to come home! I want to finish at least ONE of these canoes before the snow comes! I'm still up-in-the-air about my Winter home. Gotta get ready to move soon.
                                     CANOE! CANOE!

DEJA VU

Good morning!
    Waited again, and nothing happened. Keith was coming by last night, I thought, with the little tree. Maybe he'll make it, tonight. Meanwhile, I'm trying to figure out my plans for the Winter. Where will I finish these canoes?
                              CANOE! CANOE!

Anticipation...

Good morning!
    As I sip on my coffee, I wait, with great anticipation, for my tree. The BIG pine looks good, but I don't want to chop on her until I get her up top, too. I'm thinking ahead, now, and must keep both canoes covered with linseed oil. I'm running out of time here, because Winter is sub-zero territory, here. Not suitable for chopping!
    I haven't heard from my old roomies, so I don't know where I'll be for the Winter. I really would like a place to take THESE trees, so I can finish them! We'll have to see how this pans out. 
                              CANOE! CANOE!

RESTED

Good morning!
    After two days of rest, I have basically recovered from Barter Faire! The canoe should be delivered tomorrow, and I have my camp set... up top. Hopefully, we'll hear from our other "tree guy", Paul, and find out when the big canoe will join the party.
Meanwhile, I continue to edit the footage from the fair...
                                         CANOE! CANOE!

SUCCESS!

Good morning!
    I'm back from Barter Faire. What a weekend! Hundreds of people, mostly kids, helped carve  about a thousand pounds of pine! We worked with the canoe right-side-up the whole time. At the moment, we have three seats carved into her! I have to open up the inside some more, and finish the ends of the canoe. 
    Dave Konz, after DUMPING the canoe off, came back to the Faire on Saturday. After spending the night, he and Martin went back to Republic, and worked on a ride back for the canoe. Keith, from Anderson's Grocery in Republic, came down with a big truck and a flat-bed trailer. A small crew of helpers, including our Netherlands friend, Martin, got the canoe on the trailer.
    Today, I wait to see when the canoe will come to town... sometime today, apparently.  I expect to set my new Canoe Camp up top, at Curlew Lake. Dave has considered having me at the ranch, I believe. We'll see. I've got TWO canoes to work on, now... and Winter is coming! Where will I go for the season??? We'll see...
                          CANOE! CANOE!

OFF WE GO...

Good morning!
    I'm taking the new tree to Barter Faire today. Gotta get going! I'll be back on Monday, friends.
                                 CANOE! CANOE!

READY FOR BARTER FAIRE!

Good morning!
    What a day, yesterday! I spent the day preparing for the move to Barter Faire, in Tonasket, Washington. Worked on making the camp "presentable", and went back to Dave Konz's place, the K-DIAMOND-K Ranch. Big Dave took a BIG chainsaw to the pine tree, and "roughed" it out, as we did last year. The tree now has a flat bottom, with the top basically flat, and the ends coming to a point. It's up to me and a couple of thousand friends to take it from here! Tomorrow, we will move to our new camp, and get CHOPPIN'!

                       CANOE! CANOE!

ANOTHER TREE?

Good morning!
    Another frosty fog this morning at Curlew Lake Canoe Camp! Had a big day yesterday, as I continued searching for some help. Dugout canoe magic is here. Only my "Blogger" friends will know about this FIRST...
    Melissa introduced me to a very nice man the other night. Dave Konz came over, after dark, on Sunday. He thought he could help get the BIG pine out of the hole... until he saw it! We talked for a while, and he invited us down to his ranch yesterday. 
    We took a look at his guge "dude ranch", while we waited. Very nice! He shwed up, and took us to see some logs he had lying around. Wow. WOW! He actually had three or four possible canoes! We agreed on one that was accessible for him, and will be heading back to the ranch today. We're going to slab off the bottom and top, and perhaps the ends, the way we did last year, for Barter Faire. THIS will be the 2013 Barter Faire Dugout Canoe!
     While in town, we ran into Paul Anderson. He is still planning on helping us with the BIG pine, as soon as he fixes the brake lines on his big rig. I'm hoping we can do this before I leave for the Faire. Either way, we'll get her out. I'll finish this beauty before I leave for the Winter.
I just didn't expect to carve TWO canoes here!
The trees come to me. I'm just goin' with the flow...
                        CANOE! CANOE!

WAITING

Good morning!
    Waiting on the latest "tree guys" to show, I ready the canoe for the big move UP. Chopped a little in the stern. Waited some more.
    Still waiting.
    At this point, I need to come up with a back-up plan, since the Barter Faire is FOUR days away. A local rancher, Dave, came by, after dark. I'm going to his property today to look for a back-up tree. He said he has a dump truck that could drop it off... We'll see...
                        CANOE! CANOE!

TOM'S PARTY

Good morning!
    Yesterday we had another Birthday Party for Tom. His musician friends Barry, Johnny, Dave, and Blaine came over, and jammed in the house! It was a wonderful time!
    I did, however, continue making headway in the canoe. I opened up most of thhe starboard gunwales a bit. She's getting roomier! I cleaned her up real nice, and oiled her down. This tree is responding well to the chopping. Today, if all goes well, we'll be dragging her up top.
                          CANOE! CANOE!

DUGOUT CANOE MAGIC

Good morning!
    After a cold, frosty fog lifted, I got choppin'. Realizing that Barter Faire is only five days away, I call on the tree to give us some love. Right on queue, a young trio of guys shows up in Canoe Camp! Paul Anderson believes he can move this tree, so we're shooting for Sunday, to get her up top! Dugout canoe MAGIC is real. Dugout Canoe Love is here!
    By the way... I pulled the starboard gunwales OUT a bit...
                                    CANOE! CANOE!

FROST

Good morning!
    27 degrees, with :a mix of wintry precipitation happening nearby"... looking at the current weather. Frost on the ground. I'm running out of time, here! Didn't get any chopping in yesterday, as I looked high and low for a little HELP. I think it's about time I did something, myself. Today, cold or not, I'm choppin' like a madman! We WILL be able to move this canoe with cables that are already here, some rollers, and the right rig. I've got 6 days.
                                          CANOE! CANOE!

CRUNCH-TIME

Good morning!
   Got crazy yesterday, choppin' all over the canoe! I even broke out the scorp, a beautiful draw-blade, to clean up the gunwales. She's cleaning up nicely, with a week to get her to Barter Faire! It's crunch-time, people!
                                            CANOE! CANOE!

DIGGIN'

Good morning!
    Chopped down between the second and third seats, yesterday. The third seat is a strong possibility as the stern of the canoe, although I allowed for four seats. I have found her width now, and still have a big dcision to make. The blue-colored wood LOOKS nice, and would allow for a wider canoe. The HOLES in the blue wood, from the beetles, pose problems. There are a LOT of holes! If I use the heartwood only, I have no holes, but I have less overall width. A smaller canoe would be more stable, in that case. Decisions...decisions!
                         CANOE! CANOE!

OPENED-UP

Good morning!
    Opened her up around the third seat, yesterday. I had to stay away from the knots, and give my back a chance to recover! At the moment, I'm allowing for the possibility of a shorter canoe. I just don't know, exactly, how we're getting her up top! This CONTINUES to be my biggest problem, besides the critters. It's opening up, in there! 
    I stopped BEFORE my back told me to, and just before some heavy rain. Hopefully, my back does as well, today! After the rain, a beautiful double-rainbow appeared over Curlew Lake Canoe Camp! I believe this is a good "sign", and the tree guy will come! I got some cool shots of the house, but couldn't make it to the tree in time for photos. 
    Tom got back from his sailing adventure, and they brought back some Mexican food! After my coffee here, I'm headin' out to CHOP!
                                  CANOE! CANOE! 

CRAZY

Good morning!
    Once again, my back is slowing me down. Of course, TIME doesn't matter here, but I'm hurting a bit, and frustrated, more than anything. I DO have to get her up top by next week, and I'm not sure how it's going to happen. I haven't even found her a ride to thr Barter Faire, YET!
    I did chop a little... on the starboard gunwales, again. I'm seeing this canoe much better, now. Looking at her from differetn angles, including from the TOP of the tree, gives a different perspective. I think I MIGHT be crazy!!!
                                   CANOE! CANOE!

EVEN IT OUT

Good morning!
    I decided to hop in the canoe, and work on the starboard gunwales. The canoe is presenting itself to me, now. Her lines are becoming more visible, even to a blind guy! (half-joking) I took a walk with Melissa, and wound up at the top of the tree. I had only been up there once or twice before. It's a very different perspective!
    This really IS a crazy way to make a canoe! It's almost surreal! Looking back DOWN the tree, the stern was about fifty to sixty feet down the hill! The bow, in comparison, is another 24ft or so UP the other hill. On the far side of the whole thing, the 25ft stump still stands. My little tent sits well below all of this. 
    I have cleared out debris to make access for Darren (the tree guy), so he can pull it up top, if he ever decides to. At this point, I'm figuring we'll have to get her light enogh to CARRY out of here. My only problem is the time-frame, which I don't usually HAVE in my camp. I promised I'd bring a tree to Barter Faire, and that is a week from Thursday. I've got to have her on a trailer by then. Oh yeah... gotta find a trailer... and a rig to move it...and a driver. I'm workin' on it!
                               CANOE! CANOE!

GRASSHOPPER

Good morning!
    Looks like a good day to get choppin'! Had another visitor at Curlew Lake Canoe Camp, yesterday. A grasshopper actually let me pet him! Too cool! Anyway, I kept working on the port gunwales with the adze. In particular, I dug into the knots by the bow and bow seat. 
    The knots are VERY hard chopping, and I can only do it for so long. Actually, I have trouble chopping for too long, on a regular basis. My back ain't exactly... good. Lucky me, there is NEVER a time constraint in MY Canoe Camp! It's done, when it's DONE! Of course, THIS canoe IS going to Barter Faire, later this month. I don't know where we're going from there...yet. This is my life...

                                  CANOE! CANOE!

Foggy

Good morning! 
    A thick fog this morning. Yesterday, I kept going on the port gunwales, chopping through the knots. My back isn't happy with me, right now! The canoe is looking good, but we still have to move it up top. I've got two weeks to get her to Barter Faire. When the fog clears, I'll proceed on...
                                          CANOE! CANOE!
   

Nothing

Good morning!
    Cold day and night. Didn't chop at all. Spent the day trying to find ways to move the BIG pine AND my little redwood, to no avail. The sun is burning off the cold mist in camp, this morning, and it should be good choppin' weather. Two weeks until Barter Faire!
                                    CANOE! CANOE!

COLD

Good morning!
     I'm typing in my tent, waiting for the sun to clear the edge of the kettle, over the tree. I probably shouldn't have my computer in the very moist air. Anyway, I chopped on her port gunwales, again. Made some habanero chile! A FACECROOK ARGUMENT made it into a long night... we'll leave it at that.
                                    CANOE! CANOE!

CHILE

Good morning!
    I only chopped a little, yesterday. Continued shaping the stern. I'm letting myself get psyched out by the weather, but it will end. I just wish this thing was up top, where I could work on it, freely! Another "blah" day outside, but I'll push through it. Gonna make some CHILE today! (between choppin')
                                   CANOE! CANOE!