Profile: The Slingshot Man

Friday, July 3, 2009

Profile: The Slingshot Man

I've been away for a week taking care of personal business and didn't have time to update the blog but I'm back for now. Thanks for all the comments and I'll answer them ASAP and I'll post my latest carving project soon.

Meantime I wanted to post this link to one of the most amazing old timers that I've ever seen and he lives only about a two hour drive from me in North Carolina. His name is Rufus, he lives with no telephone or TV, and he's made over 4,156 slingshots since 1952. As the video shows, Rufus is the best there is when it comes to hitting a target. Absolutely amazing!

2 comments:

Tom HJuly 5, 2009 at 1:31 PM
Very interesting, Dave. He's neat ol' boy for sure. You called him an old timer, and he's only 65.....
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Dave BrockJuly 5, 2009 at 10:44 PM
Glad that you liked the video of this one fine gentleman of only 65 years young. :) This guy has inspired me to start a plan for making myself a slingshot. I even ordered the rubber today! Now I've got to get some nice dogwood cross pieces in the drying.
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About my blog...

1. Woodcarving/Woodwork: Working wood has been a lifetime obsession for me and I enjoy sharing what I know. It is my belief that hands-on and experiential learning has a direct and profound effect on the development of a child's intellect, confidence, and character. Projects of mine (and my students) will be posted as they progress and I will occasionally include a video tutorial. All of my videos can be found here .

2. Bushcraft/Primitive Living Skills: Finding ways to live closer to the land has always fascinated me. Whether it's building a shelter, fire starting, animal tracking, or just making rustic furniture... you'll eventually see some of it here.

3. Long Distance backpacking, canoeing, & bicycling: Some of my long distance adventures include thru-hiking the 2,600 mile Pacific Crest Trail, Mexico to Canada and I solo paddled the 1,800 mile Yukon river across northwest Canada and Alaska to the Bering sea. More detailed accounts of these and many other adventures can be found here

4. Sustainable Living: I'm always looking for better ways to do more by using less. It's not so much an "environmental" thing to me as it is a quest for personal independence from material things and finding a path to more substantive living .

5. Scouting Activity: As a scoutmaster of 6 years (and currently assistant scoutmaster) I'm actively involved with the troop and "Order of the Arrow" where it is a joy to volunteer hundreds of hours each year because investing in the next generation insures a better tomorrow for everyone. In an era when most schools don't value hands-on learning, outdoor education, and the arts... scouting soars in meeting these critical experiences for boys.

6. Profiles: Behind everyone's success you can usually find a trail of some very significant mentors and teachers along the way. And sometimes you don't completely understand how someone affected your life for the better until many years later. You'll find some of those stories here.

Friday, July 3, 2009