All work, and some play.

 Been keeping busy since my hiatus of regulated work. So I guess I'm a sort of early/semi retired. But been busy that ever spending the majority in the shop building something. It has been strange not having to get up and go feed the machine, but mentally soothing and healthy. So along with making everything I can think out of bourbon barrels and trying to kick start this business venture forward. I did make a swivel rocker barrel chair. I didn't have enough leather for it , so I disassembled a shirt that had made a few years back ,but didn't wear much. It worked perfect all the way down to reusing the fringe. As a child of the 70's the westerns were the thing. So a full size cedar cowboy with some of my old horse riding day stuff, and a moving head and gun arm was one of my favorite things I've made lately. Trying to get things going online, but I'm an analog man in a digital world. We'll see all I know is I worked my ass off for 40yrs, being gone and stuck in some hotel somewhere, which paid well, but at what cost I often ask. All I know now is I couldn't be happier going to the shop and doing or making whatever this disturbed mind can conger up. So far it has been sparse, the don't call us starving artists for nothing. As I know my time is ticking away I find that content and happiness is the most fulfilling. Life is a trail of many forks, we'll just see where this one leads even converted my first dulcimer into a 5 string with gear tuners.

TheFirst step

 I've been working on this project for about 3 months for the Brown -Forman corporation in Louisville Ky. I've been fortunate to make friends in Louisville which lead me to a lead to make a plaque for the top salesman for the year. Needless to say I was humbled and honored to due the project. So a trip to Ky to pick up whiskey barrels to make these, I've been wanting to show everyone , but I wanted to make sure that ceremony was over before I displayed my pictures as not to spoil anything. I made 3 plaques for a whiskey thief, a table, some bottle holders //displays, and some refrig magnets. This was the main reason to invest in a laser engraver to be able to present a product like no other that they have seen. I think I did. they were very happy and proud to say that  my wares are proudly displayed at corporate  headquarters. Also if you didn't know what brands of liquor they sell, Old Forester, Jack Daniels, Pepe Lopez to name a few. I hope this branches out to a whole new venture. But, this would have never happened without my dear friend Kim Wise who believed in me and my skills  to do something new and different than they had ever seen before. I think I did that, and warms my heart to know that someone would stick their neck out and say, " I know a guy who is better"  Someone ask me a few years ago when I made a totem pole for my friends at Amyz's Pub in Lyndon and put it up free gratis just to show how much I love them and th

e ones we lost, Karma that's why. I do believe kindness and generosity goes along way, and then if that person does it to next this world would be a better place.

Long overdue

 Today I got a google website for my new adventure. Working from home to supplement my income. So the website is the same Butch's Keystone Kountry.business. Looking at the future as local jobs for me are looking bleak. made a couple whiskey barrel chess tables. Hopefully this will work out and I can spend the rest of my days by this beautiful river making whatever comes to my heart. Paridise

Life after the pox.

 Well it seems just as fast as the pox showed up it left. I don't think life as we know it will ever be the same. But what are you going to do. The time I spent working down in Louisville I made  some dear friends . And one of them recommended me to one o Louisville biggest distilleries to do some artistic work. I would like to show everyone, but it has not been presented to client and being as they are paying for it , they should be the first to see it. But I have been making things out of used bourbon barrels, like this over the top end liquor cabinet. Topped with a walnut top that I cut from a standing dead tree.  Even had to wade in flo0o0d waters to chain it to the stump, before it floated away, Made a poker table for us in the garage with a recycled glass top and barrel. Got bit by a damn spider sometime in this process. Extremely painful, but I didn't lose a finger. Bought a laser engraver with my stimulus check to be able to add logos and  stuff for this job I'm working on. Marketing. The sun guy was made from old railroad spikes and when you have an abandoned, pretty easy to find. railroad track in your front yard the laser is cool you can burn about anything you can think of. Hopefully a new business opportunity

or if nothing else, a little extra cash.