Photos A Walk in Nature

[DirtDawg]

Great work Ray... on both of them !
Wishing you a plentiful chaga harvest mi amigo


Beautiful walk Tom.
The most Diana and I have walked in recent years is 7.5 miles ( 12 km ).
We plan to get back at it more regularly now.
Is that a knife I see on that wall ?



Yes Harvey, for sure.
Stag +chickadees upcoming



I'll have to find me wall now to keep up with our new theme


I did not have any little suitcases however a couple of canoes will do just fine I figured .
They'll have even more room to carry away all the stuff

Greedy little fella !

Tell us more about that blue canoe. Great images of the Chickadees by the way.

 

[RayseM]

Hey CelloDan , maybe you can persuade a couple of the little blighters to join you on a Rideau Canal adventure next summer - you in Esperanza and the Chicks in their new shiny blue canoe.

 

[RLB0414]

Took a little stroll along the canal this morning, 9 miles or so in beautiful cool weather. Leaves are a little past peak color maybe, but still a treat for the eyes.

The leaves would actually block the scenery for me. That walk would certainly recharge the batteries

 

[CelloDan]

Hey CelloDan , maybe you can persuade a couple of the little blighters to join you on a Rideau Canal adventure next summer - you in Esperanza and the Chicks in their new shiny blue canoe.

How I wish that as a young man I had been the I am today ...

Tell us more about that blue canoe. Great images of the Chickadees by the way.

Thanks Frank !
It is a Rough Rider I bought about 4 years ago, the "plain" type ( not the "fancier" RR models with the stamped bolsters etc which are really NOT my thing).
I loved it the moment I opened the package and then ... my daughter saw it and wanted it too so I parted with it

She recently came from working at camp and handed it to me to be re sharpened and cleaned up.

It is too late, cold and dark right now to go looking for chickadees so a green cheeked conure will have to do

 

[DirtDawg]

A fairly recent saunter through the park allowed some photo opportunities with Liberty, a solid-bolstered, Serpentine Imperial, and an un-named grasshopper. All were very cooperative on this day. Note: Common Milkweed seed harvest in full swing.

The small lake in the background has a full cover of algae at this location.


I really like it when I find these guys in good health, like this one.

 

[Just Tom.]

Note: Common Milkweed seed harvest in full swing.

Are you planting them to attract Monarch butterfies?

 

[DirtDawg]

Are you planting them to attract Monarch butterfies?

Yes. Well actually, my purpose isn't so much to attract the butterfly as it is to provide a host plant for them. They need all the help they can get.

 

[CelloDan]

Yes. Well actually, my purpose isn't so much to attract the butterfly as it is to provide a host plant for them. They need all the help they can get.

Very nice Frank !
My Mom and my nephews/niece collected the eggs a few times and cared for them until they released the butterflies.
They really enjoyed the experience !
Cool pic of that grasshopper

A photo ( more than 4 years old ) from right about the time I started bringing my ebony lamb on my walks and posting on the Porch.

 

[DirtDawg]

Very nice Frank !
My Mom and my nephews/niece collected the eggs a few times and cared for them until they released the butterflies.
They really enjoyed the experience !
Cool pic of that grasshopper

A photo ( more than 4 years old ) from right about the time I started bringing my ebony lamb on my walks and posting on the Porch.

Beautiful image, good lookin' stick, handsome knife; the butterfly is a nice touch too.

 

[DirtDawg]

Wow Dave, they are exquisite !
Thanks for sharing them !
I had no idea that sticks with those diamond shapes came from the diamond willow tree.

I am watching a couple of very interesting videos on youtube about how to harvest and make sticks with diamond willow

Yes,me too


Hey, we won the the gold

Thanks Will, a few more noble beasts today to wrap up our visit to the park
We had a wonderful time with the whole family.

Crossing the Ottawa River separating Quebec and Ontario on the ferry at the end of the day

Thanks for sharing the YouTube video link to the Diamond Willow Dan. I was able to view three of his videos regarding Diamond Willow. (Great series, by the way) In one of them, it states there is a four part series, yet I'm unable to find the fourth. In #3 however, at about 8:16 in, he shows a folding knife with what he calls a scoop blade.

In my search for such a knife, I've found only two so far; one that was out of my price range, and the other is a Schrade import - 24OT. Does anyone have any suggestions for a folding knife with a scoop blade, preferably made in USA or Germany?

I've spotted some likely stands of river-bottom Willows and am just beginning my search for a stick to start with, and am thinking a scoop blade might work a bit better than my Buck 303 Redbone Cadet for working in the diamonds.

 

[Just Tom.]

Completely off topic (sorry), but I just now rediscovered this NASA website I think the folks who follow this thread may like:
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html

Check this one out:
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap231112.html

 

[RayseM]

That Cello Dan is a pretty fine photographer! Great guy too

 

[CelloDan]

n my search for such a knife, I've found only two so far; one that was out of my price range, and the other is a Schrade import - 24OT. Does anyone have any suggestions for a folding knife with a scoop blade, preferably made in USA or Germany?

I've spotted some likely stands of river-bottom Willows and am just beginning my search for a stick to start with, and am thinking a scoop blade might work a bit better than my Buck 303 Redbone Cadet for working in the diamonds.

Hi Frank , perhaps a Morakniv Hook knife would work for this application. They have different models of Mora Hook knives on the Big River Site ( with different curvatures on the blades)

Here is where he shows cleaning up of the inside of the diamonds

Now that I know about the diamond willow I will keep my eyes peeled for them, there is plenty of potential places in our area where they could grow.
Hope you find them in your "neck of the woods"

Wanted to show off my chaga score from that one spot that required my chaga choppah.

Yeah
That's awesome Ray !
Looking forward to the Chaga Grande documentation

Completely off topic (sorry), but I just now rediscovered this NASA website I think the folks who follow this thread may like:
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html

Check this one out:
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap231112.html

Very cool site Tom !
Amazing pictures on a daily basis.

Here is the one they posted for today.
Northern lights over Greenland.

Northern sunset lights up the sky
(I've shared this two before, taken September of last year )

 

[DirtDawg]

Hi Frank , perhaps a Morakniv Hook knife would work for this application. They have different models of Mora Hook knives on the Big River Site ( with different curvatures on the blades)

Here is where he shows cleaning up of the inside of the diamonds

Now that I know about the diamond willow I will keep my eyes peeled for them, there is plenty of potential places in our area where they could grow.
Hope you find them in your "neck of the woods"


Yeah
That's awesome Ray !
Looking forward to the Chaga Grande documentation



Very cool site Tom !
Amazing pictures on a daily basis.

Here is the one they posted for today.
Northern lights over Greenland.

Northern sunset lights up the sky
(I've shared this two before, taken September of last year )

Thanks for the suggestion Dan. However, I'm leaning toward a folder at this time.

 

[Just Tom.]

Thanks for the suggestion Dan. However, I'm leaning toward a folder at this time.

It looks like in the video he is using a Flexcut Carvin Jack. I guess that’s the one that’s out of your price range (mine too). It’s not really much of a pocket knife anyway.

Maybe you could get a similar effect from a flat blade, by cutting an arc into it, sort of like on this wire-stripper blade, but longer and with a bigger radius. I realize it’s sort of the opposite of a scoop, but it still might work:

 

[RayseM]

Yeah, DirtDawg , I think, that Flex Cut Carvin' Jack 2.0 is about all there is, without going custom. These are new, $125.00 from the Besos otherwise you hunt the 2ndary market. Much higher elsewhere. A pretty dedicated to the job folder as J JUST Tom suggests. Still, as you are asking...

 

[DirtDawg]

Yeah, DirtDawg , I think, that Flex Cut Carvin' Jack 2.0 is about all there is, without going custom. These are new, $125.00 from the Besos otherwise you hunt the 2ndary market. Much higher elsewhere. A pretty dedicated to the job folder as J JUST Tom suggests. Still, as you are asking...

View attachment 2395344

Thank you for the information RayseM. Yes, that Spoon Carvin' Jack 2.0 shown in your photo looks like a dandy. I'll keep searching though. I'm entertaining the idea of taking one of my old duplicate Barlows and re-profiling the blades some. I do like the feel of a Barlow in hand when it comes to cutting wood. And you just can't beat the way an old carbon steel Imperial cuts.

 

[DirtDawg]

Shoe Goo Update:

I've not gotten to applying this stuff to my Saunter Stick yet, but I did experiment with it on my 1986 walking stick. Report as follows:

I always enjoy wandering up the neighborhood streets to the local cemetery for activity, getting a breath of fresh air, and photographing whatever knife/knives I might have on my person at the time. On one day last week, it just happened to be that I took a shot of my 1995 Buck 112 Ranger with custom Elk antler handle scales as shown. P.S. The 303 Redbone Cadet was also in my pocket at the time. It's pretty much a regular there.


Coming in at 40 inches, this stick is made of an unknown wood. I whittled it completely with a Buck 703 Colt back in '86 and just never got around to protecting the tip with anything - until now that is. Enter Shoe Goo...
This shot shows the tip after the second of 3 applications of the stuff. I chose to apply multiple thinner coats as opposed to trying to do it all at once.


Ha! I might have to name this one Walker.


A closer look, showing the finished product.


Lookin' good after about 1-1/2 miles of pounding on smooth concrete, rough concrete, asphalt paving, turf, and crushed road rock.
Grip is excellent on all surfaces. Durability is yet to be seen, but any needed repair should be an easy task.


Note: I took it out for a second run yesterday and it doesn't look any worse for wear.
Another note: When applying Shoe Goo, use an ice cube to smooth it out before it sets up. I read that tip on-line and it worked very well.

 

[Just Tom.]

On my walk yesterday I found another beech branch that was snapped off by a larger falling tree limb, and used the saw on my Fieldmaster to hack off a suitable piece.

I don’t actually use a walking stick, but I found it useful when I left the path and cut through unmaintained parkland to get from one trail to another - scrambling down a long steep slope covered in wet leaves, whacking at sticker-bushes, negotiating steep muddy creek banks, etc. The rest of the time I just carried it.

I saw this beaver dam just feet off the paved trail I was trying to get to. If I keep bringing sticks home, I will have enough to build a dam of my own…

 

[DirtDawg]

J Just Tom.​

Ref: "If I keep bringing sticks home, I will have enough to build a dam of my own…"
And this is a problem how? Heh-Heh.

I too, have found that using my stick to poke here and there, or to move those thorny buggars out of the way is an added benefit on or off trail. That's a good lookin' beaver pond/dam too. Now we need a quick shot of that stick that followed you home.