Roughing Out a Wood Nymph

While roughing out the carving of a Wood Nymph it became obvious that this piece of cedar was going to be a problem. Early on while working on the face and the hair line the wood split and forced a change in the original plan. I found I couldn't be pounding away with my rubber mallet without splitting the wood so I had to lighten-up and use an angle grinder. The grinder does a good job , but I worry about the saw dust. Sounds funny from a guy who smoked for too many years. The grinding disc I like to use is shaped like a saucer with teeth on the edge which scoop out slivers of wood as it spins. The wood it removes isn't small enough to get airborne.

Wood Nymph Nears Completion

The details have been worked with a variety of chisels. The wood is Cedar, and this particular piece seems drier than most I've worked with, so I've painted it with PEG 6000 in an effort to add some moisture and minimize its tendency to split or check. I'm going to try to locate a cheap source of anti-freeze, some folks use polyethylene glycol anti-freeze to moisten the wood. I'll leave her standing in the garage and try to come up with an idea for the final finish. I can't really refine the features any further. At least it'll make a nice outdoor piece if left the way it is.

They're finally up front for Halloween

Halloween is definitely getting close. These characters love Halloween. They spend most of their time in the back yard. I've been adding a member to this cast of beauties each year. They like to be where they can startle the joggers and terrorize the walking dogs and wish everyone a Happy Halloween!

Chrysanthemums Join The Band

Lavender mums look really striking next to the Swamp Sunflowers.

Trout Fishing in Stone Mtn. State Park

When I go to Stone Mountain I look up at that huge bubble of granite and I'm reminded of a day when I walked to the top. Both of my sons have spent some time here. Mark, here climbing the mountain, Scott, fishing the river.
I took a campsite in the clearing rather than set-up on a wooded site. The weather was predicted as partly sunny with a chance on showers. I thought the open site would speedup any drying of the tent. It seemed too dark under the canopy of the oaks.

The Tent is Good to Go.

The back door to the tent is opened here, it makes for easy access. What I love about this tent is that it has a little screened area at the other end. There I can have a small table with stove and a chair. If it rains I can cook right there and be out of the rain. This is also the first time for me to have a regular pillow to sleep with.

A Beautiful Section of The river

Many places such as this remind me of the Willowemoc in the Catskills. This shot was taken looking down-stream. The day was gray and misty.

The Bridge

A favorite spot of mine. The wind would kick up and leaves would flutter down on to the surface. When there were a lot of leaves it was difficult to cleanly pick up line for the next cast. In a few minutes with only a little wind the leaves would drift to the bank like little sailboats. This pool is usually loaded with fish, since the stocking truck can come very close to the stream. My line is out on the water, the fly is undisturbed by any fish.

The Magical Pool By The Bridge

This pool has always been a wonderful pool for me. Almost every time I get to fish it. I get a fish. Even when I was giving a demonstration of how to catch a trout on a dry-fly. There was talking, shuffling of feet, still with all the commotion a trout still rose to the fly and ultimately into the net. Behind the rock nearer the center of the stream is the holding spot where I usually find a trout.

A Really Nice Rainbow

This 14" Rainbow with the blushing cheeks came out of what I like to think of as the magical pool. I was surprised to find so heavy a fish there so early in the day. The fly, a Lady Heather rests on it's side.

Another Beautiful Pool

A beautiful pool yields several fine fish. I usually start at the bottom of this pool and slowly work my casts closer to the chute of flow. Today I was able to net three fish before they got wise.

A Brown Trout

Here's a nice little brown that came out of that beautiful pool.

Dinner

The beans and hot dogs were fortified with some TVP. Being out-of-doors really gets me hungry, so this did not last long. This was supper one night, the next supper consisted of creamy chicken soup with a packet of chicken pieces added. On the next trip I'm thinking of bringing some flat bread for wraps and general use.

Evening Arrives

It's a very comfortable evening. Dinner is finished, the dishes done, and coffee set up for the morning. I could hear what was a bunch of squabbling dogs in the distance. A neighbor camper said they were coyotes or coydogs passing through the area.

At Day's End

After a day of fishing, it's nice to sit by the fire and think about it all. I was lucky to bring some nice fish to the net. As usual, there were the one's that got away. I cheat here in the fire department, In days gone by I would have collected logs and struggled to start a fire. These days i put one of those compressed fake logs on and with one match we can enjoy the flames for several hours, no muss, no fuss.