July

I have no pictures to go with this blog but hope that you will bear with me.  July is hot, always has been and probably always will be but this year seems unbearable!  I could go into my belief about climate change but don't want to get political here-I just hope that "we" don't wait too long to really start to try to understand this issue.  Summer wood working is always hot and dusty, try to run a fan to blow the dust away but dust just seems to swirl around the room and come right back at me and since it is hot...the sweat runs off my nose and gets in the way too.  There is a possibility that there may be a new shop space that I can share during the upcoming year, but still waiting for construction to begin-would be nice, just hope there is a view.

I miss those summer nights in the upstairs bedroom at the old farm house, with the south window open when you could smell the new mown hay but then I think about how I used to "stick to the sheets" and realize another example of the good old days .... Not!

But July will pass, weather will cool and snow can't be far behind, one of the advantages to living in the east is that August and September have the warm days but night temps that require a light jacket and an inviting fire pit.  This all happens before the leaves start to turn.  We have been very lucky that even the "heat" of the summer has not nearly compared to the "heat" of the midwest and I feel for the folks out there.  I do have a couple of benches in progress, several leaves cut out but not worked, several Santa Christmas ornaments and a couple of Santa's in various stages.  Still have an eagle that I need to start plus a couple of more loons and have to put legs on the huron!  Perhaps I need to spend less time writing and more time getting busy.  And try to post some pictures.

Thanks for visiting and remember to measure twice and cut once....
or

if you are waist deep in trout water some place-"keep a tight line".

Much peace in your world.

Our Legacy for the Next Generation

Have finished with the Art Walk down town so maybe life can get back to normal or at least as normal as it gets.  The decoys have been packed and unpacked to be put on display in our home, some on shelves, some on window sills or on the floor.  Most of the credit for any display has to go to Pat-she has great skills, especially when is comes to the spatial senses.  I was amazed at the people who stopped by and talked duck hunting or about a husband who carved decoys or membership in Ducks Unlimited or to debate steel shot vs lead shot or telling me of seeing a shoveler at a water fowl refuge in New York.  It was way too much fun.

I went to church last week to listen to a retiring minister who always has given good inspiring sermons-this one was a tribute to Andy Ronney of TV fame.  She talked about the church, which sits at the top of main street in Keene, being moved to make room for the park and circle street and how it was constructed in the late 1700's by donations of lumber.  The people building the church would post a list of needs:

The Church

200 2 X 4' or 100 2" boards.....  and people would sign up to bring in 25 or 50 or 10, and thus enough lumber was collected to build the church.  This lumber was often sawed and milled by hand by the individual land owners before being brought to town.  And the most fascinating fact to me, is that the lumber is still in the church!!!  I wonder if any of these people had any idea that their church and the lumber they donated was still around 200 years later.  I was amazed that I was able to collect the timbers from the local Colony Farm build in the late 1700's and every time I look at the logs I see old growth timber and I can't wait to see the first decoy, or leaf come into shape.

Colony House Old Growth Wood

I also look at the family farm and reflect on the buildings that my dad built-a chicken house that had running water before our house did; the three pen hog houses that he build on skids so that when the sows were having little pigs, the hog houses were close to the house but as the pigs got bigger, he would hook up the tractor and drag the house to the pasture.  We painted these buildings 20 years ago for a very special farm wedding but now it is time to repair and paint again.  Someone suggested that it would be easier just to set some of them on fire and not wasted the time, especially when we have no pigs or chickens on the  farm.  But what about the legacy that my dad left on the farm?  These buildings were key to the production and profits when we all lived on the farm.

Pat's Dad's Cedar Chest

As we build "things" or when we pass on information that we learned from a father, mother, grandparent, uncle, friend we are leaving a legacy to the next generation.  My wife wrote grants that changed small communities in Missouri, saved businesses or improved living conditions for community residents; many people will forget her but her legacy will live on for generations.  I have a friend who builds pine pole furniture, started as a hobby but has become a business that people return to buy another piece-a legacy.  Or the woman in  central Missouri who recycles old barns into furniture but takes a picture of the barn, creates a pewter medallion with a picture of the barn, attaches the medallion to the furniture and preserves the barn for ever-a legacy.  We all have choices that we make and I think as we get older we become more aware of the consequences of some of our choices.  As we learn more we start to think about adapting to make our choices more effective.  I have watched mom quilt for the time she has lived with us and how she has changed the techniques she used to complete her quilts, but the results, although slower, is still just as good if not better.

 Mom's Quilt

Mom at the Conway Train Station

I didn't start making decoys because I wanted to leave a legacy but as I have arrived in New Hampshire, retired and had some time to do research on pieces of furniture or decoys or shorebirds I find a need to preserve the legacy of those hunters or furniture makers who went before me.  As we get older I think that we often reflect back on "did we make a difference" moments and can say, "yep I made a difference" because we did, whether we intended to or not, we did make a difference.  So now I hope that 100 years from now that one of the descendants from the Kiley or Thomas families picks up a santa, a shorebird, a leaf or a decoy and say, "this is cool and I am glad that Pop pop made these".

 As always be sure "to measure twice and cut once" or if you are waist deep in trout water some place "keep a tight line".

Plus for all those dads out there-Happy Father's Day!

Papa Richter

Artists and Educators-Are They Different or The Same

So how is that for an interesting title?  I have always thought of myself as an educator and only lately have I started to think of my self as-perhaps- an artist.  I always knew that I was going to teach and coach but it took me awhile to get any good at either but all along the way I did it because it was fun and the pay was just a bonus; which was probably a bad idea for someone who got married and had to pay bills!!  But I can look back and realize that there were few days that I dreaded going to school because of the chance to play with students and hang out with teachers-just how good can that be?

Later I came to realize with the fun came some responsibilities, like I had the opportunity to be a part of many young people's lives and, maybe, have an impact upon who they became.  The money was nice but I think that I would have done it for a whole lot less-just don't tell too many people that.  I heard someone say that 80% of teachers just worked for the money-I think that if I heard the statement first hand I might have punched someone.  Teachers work hard, long hours, not much recognition, are asked to do more with less and often with little respect-I was just to naive to not notice these things.  The money was nice but I bet if you ask many teachers would they say the same thing about the dedication to the cause.

So what does this attitude have to do with artists?  I realize that for some artists a "good show" is one in which they are rewarded richly for their efforts and I appreciate that there are costs and time involved in producing their piece and should be rewarded.  But their are artists that believe that their work is a gift and that the gift should be shared with others.  My folks used to go to Arizona for the winters and brought back originals and prints of an artist named De Grozio (or something like that); they are pictures of native Americans, usually young children.  In a dispute with someone, he burned all his paintings; hard to tell how much money he lost but he had his principles.  So when I was selling some leaves to a man, he asked why I did not charge more for them; I had never really thought about the costs, I don't keep good track of the amount of time taken for each piece, I don't keep good records for painting costs, or brushes.  Often I don't really believe that the completed work is worth much more than I ask.

I could do the pieces quicker if I used power tools, especially when working with a decoy or shorebird-I use a bandsaw to rough out the decoy then work with a draw knife, smaller knives, sand paper and a wood burning piece.  A leaf or feather is cut on a scroll saw, then carved and sanded by hand; I am sure this is not cost effective but I love to watch the wood develop, the grain appear and the work take shape minute by minute.

So there is my dilemma-do I try to become more cost effective, raise my prices, work more hours?  I am sure that I will figure it out but while I do please keep looking at the pictures, checking out the blog and if you are in Keene, stop by at City Hall for the Art Walk-I will be there on opening night and the next couple of days doing some work.  As always measure twice and cut once and if you have time to get out on the water, keep a tight line.  Thanks for reading.

Nelson   Papa Richter

April Showers - not!

New Hampshire is dry, no fires outside because of the threat of brush fires, but trees are turning green and forecast for continued temps above freezing, so carving has moved to the deck and going strong.  Right now just trying to finish projects of miniature ducks, some antique and some flying, shore birds and a couple of Santa's.  Going out to the storage unit to check out wood supply (but also to find Pat's summer and spring clothes-she is tricky!) but need to get better organized.  Trying to keep my Facebook page "Papa Richter Carvings" updated with some pictures included in this post.

Will Be Antique Goose Miniature 

Miniature Sleeping Black Duck

Big news is that I have been accepted into the "Arts Alive Program" in the Monadnock Region; you can check it out at http://monadnockartsalive.org/artists/craft.  I've also applied to participate in the Keene City Art Walk in June-will have to wait and see where this goes.  The Art Walk is pretty cool in that artists display their crafts in store windows on main street down town for several weeks; during the opening night artists stand in front of the window and answer questions about their work.  I am still preparing a shore bird piece to submit to the New Hampshire Craftsman Group.  This is a highly judged presentation which requires that everything on the work be extremely high quality for acceptance into their stores, plus you get to participate in a week long festival in mid August. Could be great fun.  But on a downer note read the following:

One of Keene's oldest homes will be razed today, as the cost of renovating it appeared to be too high.

The Winding Brook Farm on Maple Avenue, built in 1785 by John Colony and now owned by the Cheshire Family Funeral Chapel, is scheduled for demolition.

Colony moved to Keene with his wife, Melatiah, in 1761 and settled on the Maple Avenue property that would remain in the Colony family for 155 years, according to the city's historical archives."Josiah Colony was likely born in that house," said Anita Carroll-Weldon, a member of the Keene Historic District Commission and director of the Horatio Colony Museum on Main Street, referring to one of John Colony's grandsons.

Along with Francis Faulkner, Josiah Colony bought the Colony Mill in 1815, according to the Historical Society of Cheshire County.Sidney J. Wilder purchased the property in 1919, where he started a dairy business. That gave the farm its present name, Winding Brook, derived from nearby Black Brook, which meanders through a side field, according to "Historic Homes of Keene" by Marjorie Whalen Smith.

She said that while the home appears to be dilapidated from the outside, the structural integrity of the house remains strong, in part due to its use of old-growth heartwood."The construction and the materials can't be replicated," she said. "The house has lasted over 230 years. Once they're gone, you can never have them back again. It's very sad to see them go."

Carroll-Weldon went to the home Sunday to take pictures of the interior and exterior. She also removed the original hardware from the front door, including a Norfolk-style, 18th-century wrought iron decorative latch. It will be recorded and stored with other items at the Horatio Colony Museum.

The above article appeared in the local newspaper the Keene Sentinel.  The house was located a block west of where I live so I got to see up close the destruction of this home; it had been turned into a rental property and not maintained and fell into a state of disrepair.  I talked with the contractor who was tearing the building down and ask him what he intended to do with the wood, his answer, take it to the dump or take it home and burn it.  He didn't have time to sort the lumber or preserve any of it as he had to be done by a certain date. 
 I walked around the site, picked up some square nails and was amazed at the thought of what I was seeing was wood from the 1700's!  I asked him if I could buy a couple of 12" X 12" beams that were under the house, he said take them.  So my next set of decoys will come from these amazing pieces of wood that were hewn by an ax, pegged at the ends to support this house built in the 1700's!


Everything is gone now, grass is sown, some funky out of place trees have been planted and we have lost another piece of history.  Oh yes, the Colony Families were part of the founders of Keene, NH.

Maine Lobster Man

Santa 

Dunlin Shore Bird

Santa Ornaments

So there you have the day, rain expected tonight and for the next several days up to 4" expected so will get a lot of stuff done.  Thank you for taking the time to check in with me-if you have any ideas about something you would like carved drop me a note and I will see what I can do.  Until then

Measure Twice and Cut Once

End of Winter

As the North East returned to more like winter weather, the old time residents are still excited about the mild winter.  As we jump into Spring  and Easter Sunday coming up, I always think of renewal with the flowers coming  back up, trees budding and flowering, song birds singing in the mornings and the sound of the geese flying over.  On the farm, potatoes were already in the ground, lettuce was up, new chicks in the brooder house and plans being made as when to plant the corn or beans.  Dad always walked with a little more spring in his step and one of the jobs was to "re-stack" the wood pile, and check all the implements that would be needed for spring.

I try to take stock of what is going on with carving and projects.  Speaking of projects, mom sent out some of her quilts to be "quilted" to a local woman who does machine quilting-takes way too long to hand quilt as mom has produced way too many projects this winter.  One of the quilts that she sent out was one that one of her grandmothers made some time around late 1800's or early 1900's-I have a hard time that material would still be good but the quilter said that it would be no problem.  Makes me think about the legacy that we leave for our generations to come-mom has numerous quilts that still are used by all the grand daughters and great grandkids.  Some of the quilts contain pieces that were left overs from PJ's, shorts or shirts that mom made for them-memory quilt?

Pat's 9 Patch

Mom's Flower Garden on the Diagonal 

I found the first decoy that I made, produced in the mid 1980's.  I hope that I am better now than I as then, but Pat has kept it  because it was #1 in my line of decoys!  Where will it be in 100 years?

Decoy #1 Pintail Drake

I also look at the leaves and feathers that I carved.  All the leaves are copies of leaves that have long returned to the soil but the wooden leaf will be here for a while.  I wish that I had kept a better record of the exact location of these leaves-the ones from hence forth will have this description.  The shoveler decoys seems to have hit a block-there are times when I just can't seem to match or make the colors that I want or expect and rather than screw it up, I just wait.  Glad it is not a commission.

A maple leaf from New Hampshire

Feathers and Leave

Shoveler Decoy

The Santa is carved from a piece of basswood from the Canaan Valley in the Ossippe Mountains; the tree was harvested by a Master Carver in the valley that I met at camp last summer.  He saw me carving in pine and brought me back this piece of wood-easy to carve and even more special I know where the wood came from.  A local house built by the Colony family in the 1700's is being torn down; these folks were part of the Keene history as they were connected to the Textile Mills that were important in Keene's history.  What I would give to get a piece of wood from that building to preserve a little Keene history.

Unfinished Santa

I wish that I had a "how to do" something in this writing but sometimes just too philosophical. Did go to the local library for their annual book sale with one of the grandsons today.  For $5 got a grocery bag plus a plastic bonus bag to fill with books-he hit the history, Star Wars and sports for his books, me I went for some sports books and some books that I can use for patterns to "make stuff".  Also picked up some books on dancing, horses and girl stuff for his history.  So much better than one of those electronic reader things, especially the smell, turning the pages and opening and closing the cover.  Life does get good.

Make sure that you measure twice and cut once; if you happen to be waist deep in some trout or bass water, keep a tight line.  Peace

St. Patrick's Day Plus

The following was written before St. Patrick's day, I got busy and didn't finish so now, will finish.  Today cleaned up a rocking chair that belonged to my aunt because Molly needed an exhibit for school.  I have included some pictures but I really don't know much about it, as we found it in her basement after she died.  It is in pretty good shape considering I assume it was built in the early 1900's-she was born in 1907.  It shows use on the arms, so I again have to assume that she used it rather than it being a doll's chair.  (Yes I know what happens when we assume stuff!)  It has a tag with a number on it but no company name or date.  Some of the wood appears to have some irregularities in it and I think it was turned by a lath but not a modern one.  The caning is original and does show some wear, there are also some small nails that look like they were put in later to hold the cane weaving.

A Number for nothing else  

I use a wax that I used on the old steamer trunk to both clean and preserve.  I also have a picture of the drawers in the antique dresser that belonged to my folks, just to show the workmanship that exists in handmade furniture.  I know we have craftsmen today that do this kind of work but when we compare tools of then and today, I find it amazing just how good there were.  Getting some much improved weather so able to get back outside and back to work-cut some small limbs into garden posts as I planted two rows of peas this past week.   Spring always makes me miss the farm as the smell of fresh turned earth behind the tractor plow was always cool, but today most of the farming is no till, so this smell is limited to the garden.  Still miss those days-but not the July heat and humidity!!

We are celebrating St. Patrick's Day, wearing of the green, drinking beverages that are green, green eggs and ham and have spent the morning helping Molly and Harry design and build a leprechaun trap.

This trap has rock attached amid the sparkles to attract the little fellow into climbing to the top to get the gold coins.  The ribbons have jewels attached with a gold coin at the bottom-all to get the leprechaun to take notice then climb to the top.  Here the tricky part is that there is no top, the felt collapses and BAM, a leprechaun bites the dust.  For those of you worried about the little guy getting hurt when he falls into the trap, the Thomas children put soft balls in the bottom to cushion the fall!  Just how cool is that.

The 5 leaves left for their trip to India this afternoon-actually they won't leave until next Thursday but they left me today.  My wife wrote a piece about when someone touches the curves of the leaves or looks at the detail they think of the green hills and mountains of New Hampshire.  Hope the folks in India know about the trees of New Hampshire.  Totally off wood stuff, I went back to the Monadnock Trout Unlimited meeting last night, listened to guys tell stories while they tied flies, spoke of past fishing trips and trips yet to come.  If the sun ever shines again, next week, would like to get into the water.

Going to spend some time finishing some leaves that need to be sanded and finished; could use the space for other stuff.  I have as much extra wood as mom has knitting supplies.  The leaf on the left I am going to try to add an orange oil wash to highlight the wood grain with some color-more pictures will follow.  And with the warming temperatures should be able to get back to getting more projects done.

So not to confuse anyone, the leaves left for India last Thursday and have not heard anything so have to figure that they made it ok.  Getting back to work tomorrow!  Much peace to all, thank you for reading by blog and remember to measure twice and cut once!  and if you are fishing, always keep a tight line!

Thanks.

March in New Hampshire

Today the temperatures reached 68 degrees, snow disappearing, people in shorts but in New Hampshire just like Missouri, tomorrow will be something else.  But as the weather improves so will I be able to get back to carving; it is a shame that there is not someplace in town where carvers and woodworkers can get together to do their work.  But I imagine the insurance for liability would be huge, so tomorrow back to the deck and since the folks under neath us have moved maybe I won't get flack from some wood chips hitting their deck.  The flu has jumped up and got all of us, I was first, then mom and now Pat, each time the recovery period is longer-it sucks to get older!

Do have 5 leaves that will travel from New Hampshire to India.  They will travel with a friend that works for IBM and will spend a month providing and working service with the people in India.  He travels extensively in the far east and India for his job, but this is about helping people.  The leaves will go to 5 people who provide leadership for the group.  The leaves are wooden copies of actual leaves from the mountains that surround Camp Merrowvista, so they travel with love.  I know that some of the hearts and leaves from the apple trees in Missouri are in the middle east, now in possession of the Kids 4 Peace that were here last summer!  Perhaps they can be the leaders that will make the world safer.  Now if we could just get some kids to take the place of many of our politicians!

If you get a chance check out the Ward Museum in Maryland; it's 9 hours away but I hope to travel there some time.  They have a world championship show in late April that attracts carvers from all over the world, conduct work shops and seminars, plus competition for all levels.  During the year they work with local schools and groups to conduct exploration of the wetlands and the animals that live in the area.  Would be so much fun.      www.wardmuseum.org


Working on two leaves right now, finish with Tung Oil and so far I really like the  rich, finished look, thin coat, rub like "wax on, wax off", drying time is 10 hours before next coat so not real time efficient.  I guess when you are retired that time efficient thing does not make much difference!   I am excited to get back to carving and getting outside-temps for this week are in the 50's and  60's so could be a productive week. Also going to get the mountain bike out, trails still  have too much snow and ice but the streets are clear and the local grandson needs some "outside time".

The leaf on the right is red cedar wood from Missouri; it is a soft wood that doesn't take kindly to rough treatment but has great colors.  Can be used to line chests and closets with a bug resistant smell but this one will have no smell.  The leaf on the left is from a piece of wood I picked from a burn pile some place, think it might be poplar, a much harder wood.  No matter what the wood is, extensive sanding reducing the grit to a fine level plus the type of finish (varnish, oil, acrylic) makes all the difference.  This is one process that can't be rushed.

The outdoors is calling so need to stop the rambling.  Thank you for reading this and I hope that your days, and weeks are good. Daylight Savings time starts today, so we have more daylight hours-use it wisely because once it is gone, it is gone forever.  Much peace to you.  And remember to "measure twice and cut once"!