Keeping Busy

I've been working in Bloomington for the last 6 weeks and has allowed me to go to the shop every evening after work. First a stray dog that I named "Rat" showed up and wouldn't leave. Second some long awaited projects to complete before deer season starts and a new work location. A huge knife from from some exotic stainless and a moose antler I bought in Maine, an antler dagger, and finally another moose antler kokopelli. One of my better pieces. Then Taunya and Jeff came one weekend and Jeff got a dog. Yeah! He said he was going to train her and find her a good home, but I think she's not going anywhere.

Maine bear

Taunya,Bub and I just got back from a 10 day trip to northern Maine. Isolation at its best. Our quaint little cabin had gas lights and stove. No TV, no cell service, no electricity, no problem. Our cabin was 10 miles from the highway and 30 miles from Canada. Bear hunting was the reason for the trip, but the tranquillity was the gem. Night was DARK hand DARK, the star show was incredible. I also got my first bear. A 225lb sow was the the biggest of the week. As a seasoned hunter I was amazed how ghosty a bear moves in the woods. It was almost dark and there she was 40 feet from me. Not a sound. A quick shot and deadly silence. The 30 minute until my guide Darrin showed up was unbearable. But when I finally laid my hands on her beautiful jet black coat, I got the shakes like my first deer. A tear and a wave of emotion almost over took me. I never felt so alive. A quiet moment and thanks given to my bear brother for feeding my family and Taunya said a Cherokee prayer to make it complete. Bub was a ham and made many friends with locals and did me. They all said " Is he your bear dog?" "Naw, he's more like a sandwich dog" I replied with many chuckles. We were all so relaxed no one wanted to leave, but back to the grindstone for us all, Bub excluded, you know the dogs life. We saw grouse, turkey, and moose. We will go back next year for a bigger bear or maybe a moose if I get lucky enough to draw one of lottery tags. And you can't go wrong with $4 lobsters, Mmmm.

Living the High Life

As anyone who knows me knows I like neon and beer, so a new neon beer sign was going to happen, but only with the right sign. Well I found one from a sign guy in NE Ohio. But, when I went to pick it up I ended up buying 2, ah he gave me a deal. Now all I need is a bar. Humm?

Elko Exit

As with all good things it must come to an end. Will be heading for home tomorrow. Taunya flew out last Thursday and spent the weekend and left on Tuesday. Trips to the mountians, the local waterhole for refreshments and gambling, which we did pretty good I must say. Went to eat at JJ's a resturant atop an old gold mine,very quaint ,to eat one night. The cool starry nights were marvelous, compare the the sweat box back home. Cost of living is very high here and house are outragous. The this really equates to great place to visit, just not to live here. As always I met some great people and heard some better stories, which is why I like traveling and working in different parts of this great country and get a real feel for what's really going on in the USA. The polar bear Tawny's standing in front of is supposedly the largest polar bear ever killed at 12' tall and almost 2000lbs, it has been the mascot of the Commerical Casino since 1933.

Tuscarora, NV

Went to gold mine ghost town about 50 miles Nw of Elko. Didn't see any gold or ghosts. Just a little town out in nowhere with as few as 15 houses/shacks. Junk has a way of dying gracefully in the desert. The old Dodge truck and stuff stacked in a yard like art were cool. The town did have a post office, tiny though. When I stopped by bar on the way back to have a sandwich and beer. The bartender told me I missed the old smelter, a photographers buffet. One thing that I found that I remembered from my first trip was the fake cow hoof shoes that a local rustler used for 3 yrs to fool the posse. See fake tracks and shoes were cool long before Bigfoot and plaster

Lamoille Canyon

What can I say, Lamoille Canyon is glacial oasis in the middle of the high desert. It,s only 30 minutes from Elko and is a must see. Sunday was hot and windy upper 90's, but it doesn't feel hot like at home, and up the canyon it was in the 80's. It's probably why my nose is so sunburnt it's bleeding. Look close at the brown picture and you can see a blue grouse. She and her babies crossed the road right in front of me. She froze and her camo blend perfect and all I could hear were the little peeps of her 2 chicks. I drove off and let her be. Driving up and down the canyon looking at natures wonders at there best and see a grouse and her chicks makes you slow down and really enjoy the small things in life. I have seen grouse before, but never chicks. I bet that golden eagle I saw the other day would have like to seen them too.

Elko, NV

Here in Elko, NV again. I'm not sure why I like this place so much, but I do. Scenery in top notch, I guess hanging out in an old Pony Express town, standing at the bar like the Duke, is what it is. I know in my younger years when I was riding a horses everyday, this would have been the tit's.The West at it's best. Enough of the past. The Ruby Mtns were as gorgeous as I remembered 4 yrs ago. Even though it's 90+ it doesn't feel like it, other than my burnt, dry skin. The pictures at Harrsion Pass are 8000', snow still present on Ruby Dome. I sat and watched a golden eagle soar around for over an hour. The rock formations looked as they were poured from a mold. The one rock looks like s0 much like an eagles it is why the local Indians called it Eagle Rock. So much, so little time, absorb what I can, forget the rest.