I'm Just Walkin'

I've been following an interesting adventure of one man's walk across America that I thought I'd share. His name is Matt and he's pushing a little cart that is loaded with all his gear from New York to Oregon. The best part is that you can closely follow his adventures as he updates his website via a smartphone, sometimes several times a day with the photos of the people, places, and his other experiences so you're never more than just a few hours behind him.

You can find him at his website I'm Just Walkin' . Just click on the sidebar calender to get caught up on his journey then you're on your way. A good interview about his journey can be found on John Greenfield's blog.Matt meets kindly folks along the way who let him camp in their yards, fields, or barn and sometimes right in a real bed with a nice hot meal to boot. He also has an ongoing roll of awesome mailboxes along the way which are quite interesting. Matt is a great writer/photographer and you will quickly get addicted to his descriptive captions which tell his story well.

I've always been interested in the adventurous pursuits of others since I've had a few of my own adventures over the years and I'm especially interested in common people that do extraordinary things.Give him a visit. Who knows; it might be you out there looking for adventure one day!

A Woodshop Class That Changes Kids Lives

 I always like finding another school woodshop program that is changing kids lives for the better. Below is a short video that highlights the woodshop class run by teacher Brett Smith in Phoenix, Arizona at Valley View Elementary.

The unique thing about this program is that the kids are working hard making things that the school needs. They are currently working on a 2-1/2 year project for improving the school's library with bookshelves, magazine racks, cabinets, and you name it. Most woodshop classes seem to focus on having the students work on personal projects, which is great, but at Valley View the kids are learning the enormous rewards and gratification that result from helping others. The kids in this video are not only learning how to use their hands as a life-long skill, but they are also being taught a huge lesson in character. Just take a look for yourself...



According to woodshop teacher Brett Smith, "the kids are learning to solve problems everyday and the idea is to have that problem in front of you and then solving it."  He goes on to say that, "the kids come back the next year trying to get back in woodshop class. The work is hard but I think that they do appreciate it." I would have to say that this is an under-statement because from looking at the video, it's apparent that Mr. Smith is changing these kids lives for the better.

Some of the kids comments verify this as their newfound skills of working wood has helped build their family relationships: "I find that this class is a way for me to work with my dad when he doesn't want to be alone." and another student says, "When my mom doesn't know how to do something I can help her and other family members." Woodshop class has had a direct and positive effect on these kids self worth, character, and as a means for building stronger families.

Once again, the unique thing about this woodshop class is that they're building useful things for their own school. One of the kids in the video summed it up perfectly when he said both candidly and honestly, "When people visit we say 'Yeah'... We made that!" I can't imagine a more powerful life lesson that that.

WIP: Carving Totem Sticks Re-Visited (part 1 of 3)

WIP= "Work in progress"

I've been in the totem pole carving mood lately. 2010 has already brought on several totem carvings, all the way from a 16 foot pole down to a 2 foot table totem. As seen in the picture to the right I haven't tackled what I call a "stick" totem or perhaps a "limb" totem for about a year now.

These little totems are one of my favorites because it provides the golden example for making something from nothing. Yes, basswood is wonderful but still nothing thrills the depths of my carving psych more that to pick up a fallen limb after a wind storm then carve up something for posterity to examine. Rescuing it from the forest floor a certain tree limb, in this case a tulip poplar, would now have the opportunity not to rot back into the good earth, but perhaps become a wonderful admired object. Nothing thrills me more than found wood carving.

Although the first picture above shows the design that I first sketched on the stick of a Thunderbird on top, a duck in the middle, and a master builder on the bottom... the first step in prepping the stick is sawing it into four sides. As you can see in the picture to the left I flared the bottom of the stick outwards which will provide a built-in stand when completed.

I might add that you should exercise extreme caution when cutting any round object such as a found tree limb on the bandsaw. Doing so without proper support could result in not only a ruined piece of wood but the increased likelihood of severe bodily injury. Please exercise extreme caution when selecting a method for cutting a rounded tree limb because your safety is my ultimate concern.

As seen in the picture to the immediate right I also used a piece of the same limb to saw out a 5/16" thick 2" X 6" block that I will use for the Thunderbird wings. Notice that I have also notched out a tight fitting slot to fit the wings into later on when all of the pole carving is done. For right now it's a lot easier to carve without the wings attached. The measurements for the body of the totem stick is 9" tall and the "square" of the pole is 1-1/8" thick.

Looking at the picture to the left I started this totem at the top with the Thunderbird. This mythical bird of the Indians is one of my favorite to carve with it's tuft of feathers rustling in the wind above it's little head. I had some fun with this bird and curved back his beak on both sides in an arc that went most of the way to the rear side. I used my little palm u-gouge to pluck out the breast feathers then went on to make various decorative cuts over the entire body and I just let the "Great Spirit" guide me as I went. No patterns, no pictures... I just let my hands do the thinking. That's relaxation at it's best!

I'll post another update soon.

2010 Spring Fellowship @ Camp Raven Knob...and a New Arrowman

Last weekend was Spring Fellowship for Order of the Arrow's Wahissa Lodge 118 at Camp Raven Knob where several hundred Arrowmen met for a weekend of cheerful service. The main focus was setting up tents in all the campsites preparing for summer camp that begins in just a few weeks.

This was a unique weekend because there was an unannounced Ordeal going on at the same time where 4 new candidates were participating in a 24 hour ordeal to be Arrowmen in the OA. As seen in the picture to the left, today I just completed decorating the arrow worn by one new Arrowman which I hope will be a long-time memento as he grows into a man during the coming years. If he can somehow hang on to it for 40 or 50 years, one day it will have significant meaning in a way unexpected far down his path in life. I woodburned his name and date of the Ordeal on the rear side of the arrow so that he'll never forget and I'm anxious to present it to him in a couple of weeks.



The picture to the right was taken just after the OA ceremony and if you look closely, the wood arrow that was worn during the 24 hour Ordeal is hanging around the neck of the new Arrowman in the center. If you're wondering why he's wearing a buffalo head dress then take a look at the other pictures just below.

The Indian on the left decided that it would be a great picture if the Scout was wearing his head dress so he put it right on his head and what a great picture that this will be for his scrap book! Although the ceremony where a Scout transitions into Order of the Arrow is quite secret, I can assure you that it's very impressive. The ceremony is usually held at a special spot deep in the woods but due to a violent hail storm this afternoon, we had to move it inside near a fireplace "campfire".

Throughout the weekend we had a great time of fellowship and cheerful service as Arrowmen worked together in cheerful service to prepare Camp Raven Knob for the 2010 session of summer camp. The various chapters worked together in groups and in competition to set up the most tents.

It was like a well oiled machine as gear lines formed naturally to shuttle beds, mattresses, and tents into their proper place. A lot of laughter, jokes, songs, and highly spirited attitudes from everyone made the day a fantastic experience to remember.

Normally at spring fellowship there is a carnival that afternoon but a very dangerous hail storm kept everyone safely confined in their campsites. By 8:00p.m. the storm had passed and everyone met in the dining hall until near midnight for a CrackerBarrell which included good food, fun, patch trading, and as you can see in the picture to the left, Native American dancing is always a highlight.

Camp is now set for a successful summer session and Wahissa Lodge has gladly done their part again.

A Hands-On Lesson About Aerodynamics

It isn't every day that we end up in woodshop class. Working with kids that have various behavior issues, occasionally I must make the call to cancel class to ensure safety until the group is calm, cool, and collect.

This was one of those challenging days with one particular group but even when we can't use power tools I still make every effort to teach an alternative class with a hands-on emphasis. On a whim I suddenly had the idea of concentrating on a lesson in aerodynamics which, like working wood, is yet another great opportunity for powerful hands-on learning and even more it's a great opportunity to ensure quality time with kids. Yes, I'm talking about making an airplane from scratch then seeing it fly through the air. That's pure aerodynamics.

After grabbing some sturdy 2-ply cardboard from the trash pile I explained to the kids the parts of an airplane as I demonstrated how to sketch out and then cut the cardboard pieces. The fuselage, wings, rudder, and ailerons have always been some of my favorite subjects to talk about after learning to fly a plane back in the 1980's. More on that in a minute.

When the hands are busy and good stories are being shared it's amazing how the kids attention is dominated in
 learning something new and sharing their own knowledge with the class. Since getting the hands busy has a direct and positive effect on behavior I immediately got the kids busy cutting the slots in the cardboard as they found tight fitting parts that would withstand our experiments for a smooth flying plane.

After a good deal of measuring, cutting, and fitting it was time for a test flight. Everyone was anxious about whether the plane would glide through the air or crash fiercely into the earth. With an outstretched arm the plane was thrust forward and released... then plunged straight down into the ground. You might say that it crashed and burned. Right then someone blurted out to, "Lift up the nose and throw it upwards". Everyone thought that was a good idea so another launch was made. Once again it went into the ground with only a short trail of flight.

As seen in the picture above one bright student suggested that the front of the fuselage needed a little weight so I let him carve out a forked piece of tree limb to slip onto the nose of the plane. This ended up being a brilliant idea because the plane then had a near perfect straight path of flight. The kids solved the problems of flight, step by step and I didn't even give them any hints. A once canceled class ended up being a great lesson and with a lot of hands-on involvement the kids minds were at their best. The lesson went so well that I've decided to open up all of my Scout classes next week with this presentation.

As previously mentioned I learned to fly back in the 1980's as one of my life goals. I lived on the North Carolina coast at the time and about 75 miles south of Kitty Hawk where the Wright brothers first flew back in 1903. After a long work week I would always take the plane up for some stress free relaxed flying along the beach. I took the picture to the left on one of my weekly flights and that's the lighthouse at Cape Lookout that I've circled. Learning to fly changed my entire perspective about how I perceived the world around me and I love to share those experiences.

Wow! Blog's One Year Anniversary Today

Today marks the one year anniversary for my blog. In the beginning I wasn't sure where it would go but after a while it became a living part of my daily life . I was determined right from the beginning that my blog wouldn't take over my life in a way that was like "work". It would be a labor of love for sharing information about the things that I care about and nothing more.


Nothing to sell, nothing to peddle; just a means to get something out of my head that was screaming to be told. I refused to become a "slave" to my blog so if I suddenly lost interest, then there would simply be nothing to post  and without apology. Fortunately, I never reached that point and the blog hasn't dominated my life but rather it has enriched my purpose in life tenfold.

I love to share information, I love to write, and I love the art of creation... whether in the form of carving a piece of wood into a beautiful admired object or by crafting words and pictures together to paint the stories which flood my mind and beg to be written.

Looking back over the last 151 posts the most interesting discovery of this blogging experience has been the realization that I've created a "fingerprint" glimpse into who I am. Studying a blog is a great way to find out about what a person is all about and I believe that my blog presents that window for others to explore, learn, and perhaps in the process, become a better person. If you aren't blogging then I would greatly encourage you to consider it, whatever your interests might be. The stories that I choose to share are about the things I care about the most so it's something that comes out of my heart and not something that comes from being a slave to duty.

As the years roll by I'm sure that the "trails" in my life will continue to evolve and I hope that the direction of the blog will reflect those changes, whatever they might be. Thanks to all who have followed my postings over the last year and it is my greatest hope that what I've shared has added something meaningful to the quality of your own lives. Many Happy Trails!

Dick Proenneke: "One Man's Wilderness"

Looking at society as a whole, there is no other character trait that I admire more than a person who is determined to become his own person, even if it means grinding against societal norms. When a man decides that it's time to pick up what he owns and move deep into the Alaskan wilderness to live close to nature and to the land, to build his own log cabin home with his own hands, and to spend more than 31 years in that occupation, then there is no more kindred spirit to my own walk in life.

As seen in the picture to the left Dick Proenneke was one such man who at the age of 52 left everything behind to fulfill his life's mission. In 1968, when I was just 12 years old, Mr. Proenneke traded in his job as a master diesel mechanic to live the next 31 years in a log cabin that he built at the base of the Aleutian Peninsula, in what is now Lake Clark National Park & Preserve. At his death in 2003 Mr. Proenneke had willed his homestead cabin to the National Park Service where his legacy still lives on today.

As you can see from the picture to the right, Proenneke is posing inside of his famous dutch door that has been the focus of many conversations among master wood workers for it's amazing craftsmanship. I have heard that making the trek to visit his cabin is worth the journey just to see the perfection in art of those wooden hinges and latch. One day I will visit and see it for myself.



 Proenneke also fashioned many of the tools used to build his cabin as seen in the picture below. He was a master craftsman and spent much of his time on creating his own homemade furniture and devises that are a powerful reflection of his woodworking genius.







Fortunate for us Proenneke took the time to film the construction of his cabin, almost in a step-by-step manner as though he wanted to leave something of his experience behind to share with the world. In 1973 his friend Sam Keith edited a volume of his journal entitled One Man's Wilderness. In 2003 a documentary film, Alone in the Wilderness, was produced from Proenneke's recordings and it is often shown on Public Broadcasting stations.
To many, Dick Proenneke is thought of as a modern day Henry David Thoreau but there is one profound difference: Proenneke lived in his Twin Lakes cabin for over 30 years and Thoreau lived in his cabin on Walden Pond for just over 2 years. Not to diminish Thoreau because he did make a profound mark on American culture, but Proenneke has also made his own unique statement about life and living for men to ponder upon for many generations to come.


While living in an age where more and more Americans are looking to big government for the answers to their societal ills, it's refreshing to remind ourselves of the rugged individualism and self-reliance that can still be found by those determined to live their own lives. Proenneke lived those values which made America strong in the beginning and I only hope that they remain important to future generations.

The film below gives a small glimpse into the mind of Dick Proenneke which reminds us of the things that really matter in life.

Carving Wood Bear Claws

While at several recent Scouting events I've come across several people who had both real and carved wood bear claws, as necklaces, walking stick decorations, or just hanging from a string on a pocket. Bear claws have always caught my attention when used for decoration so I talked with a lot of these folks and they allowed me to photograph their claws.

About a month ago I began researching bear claws and the picture to the left shows my progress as I search in quest for carving my own bear claws.

From the tip of the claws root to the tip of the claw, they measure 2-1/4" long and I used basswood. As seen in the pictures to the right I first cut out the claws using a scroll saw then used my v-parting tool to separate the root from the claw, then proceeded to shape up the remainder with my jack knife.

After the initial carving I then applied a bit of dark maroon acrylic paint to the root of the claw, then used my propane torch to char the entire claw being careful not to actually catch it on fire.
I then read somewhere about running a project like this through clear candle wax so that's how I finished my first claw after lightly sanding it after torching. Looks like a pretty good finish to me but I'll be trying other options too.

 Although I haven't gotten that far yet, I would now like to carve several more claws and then work on making a necklace. I'm also thinking that they will also make a great addition to a walking stick wrist strap. Maybe one day I'll get some real bear claws like in the picture to the left, but until then I'm going with wood!