Okay.
It's a ladle.
When I was a kid my dad planted a red maple in the side yard. It grew huge and held this back in 1975. I climbed it regularly. I even would climb up in it as an adult ... just to keep my skills up. I like being high in trees ... high enough that the branches are almost too thin to hold you and every breeze sways you and the tree together. So high that you get yelled at by ground dwellers.
This tree had to come down a few years ago. The 2004 hurricane season made us realize it was too frail and too close to Mom and Dad's house. They hired a pro and the tree was taken down in one day. I asked them to save me a few pieces for carving. They did, but I didn't get there for awhile and the wood sat. During that time a fungus invaded the cut maple and created the beautiful spalting you saw in the photo below.
The fungi did the real artwork here, I just shaped a basic ladle.
It's decorative, a gift for Mrs. FC from a few years ago.
She's down in St. Pete for a few days at a public health meeting.
I'm home, just a little (barely) under the weather and it seemed like a great excuse to get some things done here while I recharge.
Now, I must go and write Emma's senior page tribute.
Wish me luck. 
15 comments:
Ah HA! It was a spoon/ladle.
I suggest its use to feed poison ivy juice to developers, akin to other suggestions already made below.
THINGFISH!!
Where the %&*$# have you been?
I thought you quit this craziness.
Good to hear from you.
Now to reinstall the Bandaid link ...
Oh, man! That is magnificent! Is there anything you can't do?! Reckon maybe you could transfer some of that get-er-dun gene to Duller? He's a native, but not a real cracker. He's been an administrator way too long and is terminally infected with delegatitis.
I have a tall straight oak I'd like to have taken down Feel free to come get it. 8-]
Ah, that is just a lovely piece of work! good job!
Oh man that is nice. I love me some spalted maple. I have a bowl like that somewhere in storage...
Now FC, the next time you get it into your head to carve something, you should have a contest. The winner would get the carving and be envied by all. And the person who suggested the contest in the first place should probably be the winner. (It's only fair.) :)
Good luck with the tribute, hope you will post it when you're done.
Excellent work; feel better soon-- it is making the rounds!
Sophie,
You're too kind and you're crackin' me up... "delegatitis".
Trust me, there's plenty around here that doesn't get done. Just ask my wife.
ThreeCollie,
Thanks. It took a little while to do.
I like knowing which tree it came from.
Rurality,
Hey, fair is fair!
Sandy's family at Abandoned In Pasadena are good bowl turners/carvers. Worth a look!
What would the contest be???
The tribute turned into a poem ...probably toooo sappy sentimental to post. I was almost through when it got to me.
MoMadness,
Thanks, but I'm fine. More a mental health day ...
You're a good man, Gunga Din.
Another senior page eh? Good luck, and feel free to shed a few happy tears.
I liked Thingfishes idea, too.
All kidding aside, that is a beautifully carved ladle. You are very talented!
Hope Mrs. FC is staying warm, it's just a tad chilly down here tonight.
Good luck with Emma's senior memoir. I had to write Samantha's tribute last fall and it was harder to do than I thought!
I'm laughing at Laura's comment. Don't listen to her- the weather is positively balmy. We have yet to turn on the heat and we sleep with open doors and windows every night. Rich is back in Chicago for some football game or another and I fly up Saturday- he called to say high winds and temps in the teens equals a windchill of 4. ARRGGH- I'm on duty at the zoo on Monday! Polar Bear weather.
You know how I like wood, esp. maple as it gets shaped by the forces of nature. Birds eye, spalted, quilted-the perfect combination for form and function!
That's a lovely ladle.
P.S. If Mrs. FC were staying by chance at the Hilton, the Snarl could say hello and talk to her about USF-St. Pete! She's doing her barista thing each morning from 6-11.
Thanks Hoss!
Deb,
This one came around so fast after the last... whew!
Laura,
At least it's the last one for a few years. Chilly here too!
Vicki,
That would have been great ... meeting the Snarl, but she's home now. 4 degree windchill, that is ARRGGGHHHH. At least there won't be any brick dust ;)
A friend of mine had a huge Beech tree in his yard for years. A pretty fierce storm blew it down, but I was lucky enough to grab a couple of perfect branches from it while we were cutting it up. You guessed it, I used it to make my "Buck Naked Beer". A Budweiser clone that was so close it fooled loyal Bud drinkers!
Post a Comment