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July 23, 2018
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The Value of Going Camping.
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I am not really an avid outdoors person, but I do value Nature in its many forms: the human contoured backyard gardens that my wife and I have created for our own daily enjoyment, the common spaces further afield such as Provincial Parks where we can all have access to places and geography that are not in our own backyards, and the great spaces set aside by Federal governments for the enjoyment and good of us all on grander scales preserved by visionaries who also appreciated what Nature can bring to the health and enjoyment of all of us.
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Although we have daily access to the space we have in our own backyard, and it is a space of calm and beauty for our spirits and minds, there is something worthwhile in the process of planning and managing a camping excursion. Each summer we have planned and enjoyed several excursions to our Provincial Parks in Ontario. Our first forays were to pretty civilized campgrounds with a lot of amenities. It was a good start for us as we learned what we needed to manage a few days away from the comforts of home. We became a little bolder last year and went to a site that was a little more off the beaten path of mainstream campers. We even tried a trek into the wilderness, to see what it might be like to venture even farther into Nature. This year, we returned to a Park with more amenities ;)
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July 23, 2018
​
The Value of Going Camping.
​
I am not really an avid outdoors person, but I do value Nature in its many forms: the human contoured backyard gardens that my wife and I have created for our own daily enjoyment, the common spaces further afield such as Provincial Parks where we can all have access to places and geography that are not in our own backyards, and the great spaces set aside by Federal governments for the enjoyment and good of us all on grander scales preserved by visionaries who also appreciated what Nature can bring to the health and enjoyment of all of us.
​
Although we have daily access to the space we have in our own backyard, and it is a space of calm and beauty for our spirits and minds, there is something worthwhile in the process of planning and managing a camping excursion. Each summer we have planned and enjoyed several excursions to our Provincial Parks in Ontario. Our first forays were to pretty civilized campgrounds with a lot of amenities. It was a good start for us as we learned what we needed to manage a few days away from the comforts of home. We became a little bolder last year and went to a site that was a little more off the beaten path of mainstream campers. We even tried a trek into the wilderness, to see what it might be like to venture even farther into Nature. This year, we returned to a Park with more amenities ;)
​
​
​
July 23, 2018
​
The Value of Going Camping.
​
I am not really an avid outdoors person, but I do value Nature in its many forms: the human contoured backyard gardens that my wife and I have created for our own daily enjoyment, the common spaces further afield such as Provincial Parks where we can all have access to places and geography that are not in our own backyards, and the great spaces set aside by Federal governments for the enjoyment and good of us all on grander scales preserved by visionaries who also appreciated what Nature can bring to the health and enjoyment of all of us.
​
Although we have daily access to the space we have in our own backyard, and it is a space of calm and beauty for our spirits and minds, there is something worthwhile in the process of planning and managing a camping excursion. Each summer we have planned and enjoyed several excursions to our Provincial Parks in Ontario. Our first forays were to pretty civilized campgrounds with a lot of amenities. It was a good start for us as we learned what we needed to manage a few days away from the comforts of home. We became a little bolder last year and went to a site that was a little more off the beaten path of mainstream campers. We even tried a trek into the wilderness, to see what it might be like to venture even farther into Nature. This year, we returned to a Park with more amenities ;)
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"New Thinking
For A New Year" Audio Messages
I wanted to try to use a special mini chainsaw attachment I have for a 5in grinder. This tool requires a larger piece of wood to work on since it removes quite a bit of material and is more for roughing in a shape than finessing a design.
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I used a 10in diameter Maple log and cut it in half, thinking the flat back would allow for vertical surface mounting, perhaps on some 4x 4 posts.
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To work on this I drilled holes at the top and bottom and used wood screws to mount the piece on a 2x6 piece of lumber I had. I just leaned the lumber on the garage wall, outside, and straddled the timber . The wood goes flying so you have to be cautious, using safety glasses or a face shield, and go slow. The roughed in shape can be detailed, and smoothed out a bit. I like the rough strokes and left the image mostly with a rugged look of a Tiki mask, finishing the piece off with a natural Min-Wax stain and shellac (Fig 1).
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I quartered the the remaining piece of Maple and tried a similar approach on a small piece, adding a little more detail on this one. (Fig 2).
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Switching to a much lighter and more fibrous woody stalk, I sliced the 8 in diameter section into triangular slivers and used the edge as the peak of the nose. The effect is almost a Man-in-the-Moon shape (Fig 3). I used a quarter section of that same light wood to carve a Funky beard Wood sprite (Fig 4) , staining the beard a darker walnut because of a discoloration on the wood where the bottom lip was. I had hoped the darker stain on the beard would mask the imperfection. Alas, it still shows and it shows that you never know what you're going to get once you cut into the wood. Work with what you've got ;)
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All in all, a very productive start to the summer working in the garage, instead of the basement.
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TW
May 22, 2018
Fig 1
Fig 2
Fig 3
Fig 4
How about adding some fun to a window box
Add bit of interest to a 4x4 post
Moved into the garage for the summer