From One Extreme To Another...

[Mistwalker]

It has been a bit of a dry summer here this year, it has been better for my work than it has been for the forest. Some of the trees and shrubs have been looking a little wilty in places, but along streams others have managed to do ok.

This is what it looks like when you sneak up on a flock of turkeys...

And this is what it looks like when a curious young fawn tries to sneak up on you

Looks like this guy hasn't been playing well with the other kids

As I got hungry I knew a good spot for lunch

Then as I sat there, the dark clouds came rolling in

By the time I got back to the truck it was coming down pretty good, and time to switch gear. There are good reasons why I wanted a kephart in CPM S35VN. One day I will land the right custom shop version. Storms never last long, so I thought I would pass the time driving further into the forest.

By the time I made it out to a pond I like working by, the rain had started slowing down

Hopefully we get more rain in time to help some of the poor blackberries

The crab apples aren't looking too bad though.

The storm knocked a lot of unripened fruit out of the persimmon trees.

But the passiflora seems to be doing pretty well. Looking forward to these!

.

 

[M4Super90]

Fantastic pictures, as usual Brian. Thanks for sharing!

 

[necrolicious]

Thanks for that lovely dose of greenery I needed this afternoon Brian! Love that frog. Purty lil bugger.

 

[Scotcha]

Stunning pics & great post as usual :thumbup:

 

[VANCE]

awesome post Mistwalker


great pics too.

did you miss your little buddy to share the smoked oysters with or did you enjoy them all?

 

[Tim the Wizard]

That rainstorm coming in is captured really well in your photographs.

 

[Bmurray]

Thanks for sharing Mist.

 

[Uncle_P]

I like the perch overlooking the bend in the river. Love those turkeys, I bet they'll be talking about you for a week.
Great pics, always enjoy your perspective.

Preston

 

[Odaon]

Awesome! What a view.

 

[Mistwalker]

Fantastic pictures, as usual Brian. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks man, glad you enjoyed the post!

Thanks for that lovely dose of greenery I needed this afternoon Brian! Love that frog. Purty lil bugger.

Glad you enjoyed it man. From the look of Big Sur I guess it is dry out there right now. I hope you're not down that way.

Stunning pics & great post as usual :thumbup:

Thank you Abe.

awesome post Mistwalker


great pics too.

did you miss your little buddy to share the smoked oysters with or did you enjoy them all?

Thanks Philip. Well...yes and no. I have gotten used to having her out with me more while she is out of school, so yeah I miss her when she isn't around. But one of the projects involved some very specific photos taken from a high bluff and I needed to be able to concentrate on what I was doing, so better to do that one alone. Though, I didn't mind not sharing the oysters to be honest

That rainstorm coming in is captured really well in your photographs.

Thanks man.

Thanks for sharing Mist.

Glad you liked the post Bob.

I like the perch overlooking the bend in the river. Love those turkeys, I bet they'll be talking about you for a week.
Great pics, always enjoy your perspective.

Preston

Thanks Preston, glad you liked it. Yeah, I like that spot a lot. Lol, I can't help it when I catch them like that. I like to watch them quietly for a while, and then watch them hit fight or flight mode when the shutter starts clicking

Awesome! What a view.

Thank you. Yes, the first time I saw that was around at 6 or 7, and more than forty years later I'm still never bored with it.

 

[Fiddleback]

I'm jealous of your plant knowledge Brian. I know a very small bit. I can identify some trees, but almost no edibles/medicinals. I can't identify nettles for example. I need to take one of those medicinebow courses ...

 

[xxkcxx]

Dammit Mist, Every time I finally talk myself out of a production Kephart you post up another few rounds of inspiration

Great photos by the way!

 

[Tekton]

Awesome pictures as always!

 

[Mistwalker]

I'm jealous of your plant knowledge Brian. I know a very small bit. I can identify some trees, but almost no edibles/medicinals. I can't identify nettles for example. I need to take one of those medicinebow courses ...

Lol, I didn't get as much formal education as I would have liked, but I did end up getting a pretty good education in the environments I spent time in. As fate would have it the woods of the southeast were literally my home through much of my youth. There is still much that I do not know for certain and I am still constantly studying. I loathed the older plant books from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Black and white line drawings of plants left too much room for error for me. So when I got my first digital camera and had access to the internet, it dawned on me one day that I had the perfect means for a different approach to study, and I have been working on my own flora database for the last 9 years. I don't have everything I want yet, but I have managed to capture many of the plants in their different phases from spring through winter. The guys at RMJ have asked me to d a lecture and slideshow of the database for them this autumn. If that goes well, maybe we should do a get together there at the shop one weekend and I can do the lecture and slide show for you guys too.

Dammit Mist, Every time I finally talk myself out of a production Kephart you post up another few rounds of inspiration

Great photos by the way!

Thanks KC! Yeah, I love the mid-tech Kephart. I am one of the few who would not have minded 5/32, but with this steel and this heat treat it is stronger and more durable in thinner stock than lesser steels would be in thicker stock, plus the corrosion resistance of CPM S35VN is just awesome, so it being lighter on long hikes with other gear is a definite plus. So I have zero complaints there. And, to be completely honest, the stock handles are fine for my work in my environment. The crenelations are nice for grip and don't cause me any issues, so it's mainly for aesthetics that I want the custom handles, and partly because I am spoiled to Andy's ergonomics. Plus the shade tree is plenty grippy when wet as well. So ideally I want a natural bolstered evergreen one, and some day the stars will line up just right to make that happen

Awesome pictures as always!

Thanks man, glad you enjoyed them!

 

[hasco]

Great pics as always Brian! I love the journey you take us on through your photos and the things you choose to highlight. So many beautiful plants and creatures. The knives aren't bad either

 

[Fiddleback]

Lol, I didn't get as much formal education as I would have liked, but I did end up getting a pretty good education in the environments I spent time in. As fate would have it the woods of the southeast were literally my home through much of my youth. There is still much that I do not know for certain and I am still constantly studying. I loathed the older plant books from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Black and white line drawings of plants left too much room for error for me. So when I got my first digital camera and had access to the internet, it dawned on me one day that I had the perfect means for a different approach to study, and I have been working on my own flora database for the last 9 years. I don't have everything I want yet, but I have managed to capture many of the plants in their different phases from spring through winter. The guys at RMJ have asked me to d a lecture and slideshow of the database for them this autumn. If that goes well, maybe we should do a get together there at the shop one weekend and I can do the lecture and slide show for you guys too.

I would love that. Is it possible to attend the RMJ one as well?

 

[Mistwalker]

Great pics as always Brian! I love the journey you take us on through your photos and the things you choose to highlight. So many beautiful plants and creatures. The knives aren't bad either

Thank you Todd, I'm glad you enjoyed the post!

I would love that. Is it possible to attend the RMJ one as well?

Cool. I don't know how many seats the conference room table has, but I will check and see. There will definitely be a few fans of your work there. One of my mentors, and their former shop manager before he retired, John Hutcheson will be there, and I have standing orders from him to snag the next KPH with tapered tang and desert ironwood scales from you that I see. He has been wanting one for a few years now, and always goes by your table at Blade to see if you have one.

 

[Bmurray]

I'm in.