More Rough Lines...

    Good morning! Took a different route in, yesterday. This gave me a chance to see the horses, which I hadn't done in a while! I still plan on riding one before I'm done with Tess. I really like having horse property next to Canoe Camp!
    Tesla had me choppin' away, here, there, and everywhere. I'm constantly having to remind myself that she is, indeed, FLAT on her bottom... not tilted, like she was for the last month! My first goal is to rid myself of this illusion that she's still tilted. Of course, Tesla shows me other places to go, all the time. It's a dance, and I like it!
    I've put the call out, for a chainsaw. I feel the need to define her stern, which has a bit of rot. I still think I have a fine canoe, here, but she'll be a little shorter than I thought. A BONUS... she might well be "roof-rack material!" 
                                              Canoe! Canoe!

Flippin' Out!

    Good morning! What a day, yesterday! I got to Wheat Ridge Canoe Camp fairly early, and looked for Miss Ellie's tow strap. Randy volunteered to help, with his truck. As we were preparing to flip Tess, Miss Ellie offered her BIG chain. THIS is what we needed!
    Before we got to it, I had raked the area, cleaning up a few "stray" chips. I made two piles of chips, so that we could roll Tesla up onto them. I dug through, where I could, underneath the canoe. We fed the chain through, and attached it to Randy's pickup. It worked like a dream! She rolled right over, onto her flat bottom! Wow!
    I finally got to see the top of the canoe, which I only saw before, when the tree was still standing... about a month ago! Her scars are part of her story, and I want to integrate them into her design. There are some interesting things going on, here. She's got a knot that was sticking out a bit, and split, I presume, when we dropped her. The funky wood in her stern DOES, in fact, go through to the top-side. This is my biggest concern. I still believe there is good wood there, but, as I suspected, I'll have to make her a little shorter. I'm confident we still have a canoe, here.
    To get a better assessment, I'm going to borrow a chainsaw. This will save me time, as I peel back the stern. I've decided to rough the inside out, as well, to speed-up the process, and save my aching back. The adze will still be moving a LOT of chips, though! I don't usually carve on a "time-frame," but I'm SUPPOSED to be on the Missouri River, in Knotty The Dugout Canoe... already! 
    Anyway, I'll be heading to the canoe, shortly. I'm uploading the first VIDEO of Tesla, as I write. Looking forward to making BIG progress, once I get a hold of Joe... and his chainsaw.
                                      Canoe! Canoe!

Ready To Flip!

    Good morning! Great day choppin', yesterday! It was Sunday, so the bus ride was even longer than normal... almost 3 hours... each way! I'd MUCH rather be camping with Tesla, but I'm dealing with it. At "My Stop," there was a man out early, spraying weed-killer onto the rocks lining the street across from me. It was PROBABLY "Roundup," and he had no mask on. Ah, "civilization!"
    Anyway, after the very long bus ride, I finally got to Tess! I carved on her bottom some more, smoothing it out fairly well. I finally got rid of her tall knot, on the stern! THAT was fun. She looks pretty damn good, though not "finished," on the hull. I needed to leave room for "adjustments," as, again, I haven't SEEN the top of the canoe since we made Canoe Camp! 
    Today, the goal is to FLIP HER! Miss Ellie has a tow-strap, and I will find a vehicle, and some "rollers." I'm planning on setting her on top of two piles of chips that I've made from her. If there are 4X4 posts around, I can use them, but there shouldn't be a need. I kind of like the idea of using the chips. This is something I can ALWAYS do, when making the canoes. Canoe Camps are always unique, in one way, or another. That's part of the fun of this job! The carving, however... though somewhat "random," always entails certain things... like FLIPPING the tree! If I can have ANY consistency, like the "chip blocks," I'll feel better, somehow. I think. I'm rambling... gotta get choppin'!
                                   Canoe! Canoe!

So Close...

    Good morning! Great day, yesterday... not much wind, very warm, with clouds giving some relief from the sun. Of course, I'm talking about Canoe Camp. That was AFTER I got there...
    The ride in was great! A young girl, new to town, was trying to figure out the bus system. I gave her the phone number, and web-site, for RTD. Then, I guided her to the two main stations on 16th St. Mall, since she was headed my way. At the bus stop, a wheelchair-bound woman sped away, dropping her sweatshirt. She didn't hear me calling her, as I went to pick it up, and sped away! A nice girl, who was right where it happened, decided to grab the shirt before I could (handling two trees and my pack), and ran after her! Beautiful. Another girl needed a pen, which I had in my pack. Later, on the way back, I offered a tissue to a crying girl on the light rail. After this simple act, the two girls across from her started to console her. Beautiful.
    Anyway... GREAT DAY, like I said! The choppin' was pretty good, too! The hull is almost ready to flip. Today, I plan on getting her ready to flip A.S.A.P.! I'll finish flattening her, and oil her up well, since I won't be flipping back anytime soon. We'll see what it takes to flip her! She's still a BIT HEAVY! (but a SEXY CANOE!) I'm up earlier than ever, so far (on this project), thanks to the birds. Windows open, now, because of the heat. That means the Mighty Mo' is getting warmer, too...
                                     Canoe! Canoe!

"Back" At It?

    Good morning! As much as I wanted to, I couldn't chop, yesterday. My back was not going to let that happen. I've damaged it through work, and through a couple of wrecks. Yesterday, the sciatica was acting-up, in a big way. I couldn't even sit down! I knew this might happen, when I helped my friend, the other day. No big deal. Ya gotta do what ya gotta do!
    The good news is... the day of rest seemed to work, more or less. There's still pain, but it worked it's way around, so I can actually SIT here, and write. This is good, since I sit for an hour or two on the bus, depending on how full it is. I'm gonna roll with it, and get ready to chop!
    I anticipate finishing her bottom, for the most part, by the end of the weekend. I want to see the top of this canoe!!! I'll be looking a lot harder at the STERN, as well. I still don't have a clear line, there. It's gonna be a hot one, today...
                                    Canoe! Canoe!

Love Is Here

    Good morning! A BEAUTIFUL day, yesterday! Headed out, on my long bus journey, anticipating a good day's work. I was right! But... it wasn't what I was thinking...
    One of the neighbors needed some help, when I got there. This, after helping Miss Ellie get her tractor going. Randy had some things to move out of a storage unit. Go figure. I did this a few months ago, myself. Nobody helped me, and I remember that. This guy had nobody to help him, until I showed up. I talked to Tess, and she assured me that it was "the thing to do."
    I jumped in his VERY questionable vehicle (nothing new, for me), and headed to his storage unit. Little did I know, but it was a LONG drive from Canoe Camp! We had a few things slow us down, and had to make TWO trips, in the end. Actually, he made a third, without me. This process, however, took all day.  I had no reason to complain. Randy did all this after he "got his chemo." Cancer is trying to take TWO people in Canoe Camp. 
    This is an unusual pattern... my last Canoe Camp had ONE person dealing with the same problem. Dugout Canoe Love is here, for a reason. I think I'm beginning to understand...
    I got back to Tess, and coated her well, with some more linseed oil. My back was starting to hurt. By the time I got home, the pain was getting really bad. It wound-up as a sciatica thing... excruciating! I couldn't sit down, anymore. Long night. Not great sleep. As I write this, I'm having trouble sitting, again. I will attempt to go, anyway. I feel the need. Canoe! Canoe!

 

More Wind...

    Good morning! Another really windy day, yesterday! I almost left BEFORE I started, because of threatening storms in the foothills. Canoe Camp is very close to the mountains. As I walked back to the bus stop, I noticed the storm blowing south, along the foothills. I decided to turn around...
    The wind was cold, and I had to keep my layers on. Tesla, however, had to take some layers OFF! I worked her bottom, on the stern, again. It's so awesome, watching her take shape! The actual stern is a concern, as I have not, yet, managed to clarify the lines. Her BIG check in the stern will need a BIG patch, but I have to get to the point where I expose it, properly. Soon.
    My back was good, for a little while. Eventually, IT is the reason I normally quit. Truth. Somehow, I can't see giving up canoe-carving...
                                              Canoe! Canoe!