Scenes from the 2nd Annual Big Sky Country Knife Show, Barbeque and ABS Hammer-In

HTMD

HTMD

Joined
Feb 15, 2002
Messages
1,705
To all the good stuff that has already been shared about this terrific event I would like to add some simple scenes that I'll remember for a long time to come. As I look through my photographs from the weekend the one thing that comes through loud and clear is the smiling faces. Aside from the knives (which Coop will post shortly) it was the people that made the event so memorable. Put it all in a beautiful location with gracious hosts Josh & Jodi Smith, and you have the ingredients for what could become a long-running tradition: The Annual Big Sky Country Knife Show, Barbeque and Hammer-In. :thumbup:

Josh's place at sunset - my shadow - Maddie the furious fetching dog
orig.jpg


Rick Dunkerley critiques Erik Fritz's knife - Michael Rader looks on
orig.jpg


Smokin' and jokin' in Josh's shop - James Rodebaugh with Henry Torres (L) and fellow knife nut, J.Fred.
orig.jpg


The one and only... Harvey Dean
orig.jpg


Tim Hancock tells the pretty girl with the TV camera what it's all about
orig.jpg


cont'd
 
Last edited:
L-R, Josh Smith, Shane Taylor, Wade Colter and far R, Bill Burke surround Erik Fritz at the successful completion of his JS test
orig.jpg


My son, Robert, takes his turn marveling at Larry Fuegen's over the top creation, "The Ripper"
orig.jpg


Michael Rader's 50 Cal... two rounds for $5 and bragging rights... definitely an OMG experience! Erik Fritz's buffalo rifle (Bill Burke takes aim just beyond and below the table) was also a big attraction.
orig.jpg


And now for the moment everyone was waiting for... time to fire the bowling ball cannon!
orig.jpg


Its name? The Lucky Strike
orig.jpg


cont'd
 
Last edited:
Fun!!!

That Harvey Dean portrait is very good. Got to love that bokeh. Too bad the awning wasn't darker.
 
Light the fuse and run like heck... then wait... and wait... until finally, KAAABOOOOOM!!!
orig.gif


The ABS Saturday night banquet at the King Ranch with Keith Montgomery discussing the pros/cons and dos/don'ts concerning internet knife forums... In the background Tim Hancock sits next to Coop's laptop which displayed a looping slideshow of all the beautiful knife photographs he made during the weekend.
orig.jpg


Needless to say the weekend was a great success. Kudos to Josh, his family, the demonstrators, the ABS, the bladesmiths, collectors and enthusiasts who all came together to make it happen.

These images reflect only a fraction of everything that happened. I'll post a few more over the next day or so. Hopefully they will bring back smiles to the faces of those who were there and of course, to those who weren't but will be next year. ;)
 
Last edited:
Great moments, Buddy, and well documented too!

All the best,
David Darom (ddd)
 
Last edited:
Good show buddy you do a much better job than i do with the camera. It was great meeting you and your son at the hammerin. Tell Robert next year i will bring a couple of other buffalo rifles for him to try out.
 
Great photos, Buddy. It was a pleasure getting to meet you.

That black lab had me throwing things for her to fetch all weekend. It was over ninety degrees every day and that dog never quit.

The bowling ball cannon was definitely a lot of fun. You got some great shots of the support piece at the back of the cannon getting bent when it was fired after being loaded with a pound and a half charge.

Yep, your photos definitely bring back a smile to my face.
 
Hey Buddy great to get to talk wiht you and your son. You have a very nice boy there and your pride in him is well deserved. thanks alot for posting the great photos.
 
Buddy,

What great shots. Thank you for coming and lugging your camera around. It was great having you here and I hope you didn't have to work to hard. Thanks again Buddy.
 
Excellent recap, Buddy. Your photos are always engaging and a step above. Each one shows intention in the framing and angle of attack. (Folks, take a second look, and rethink your shots next time you are ready to click. :) )

Thanks back to YOU for your invaluable help with me, and for some dialog talking shop.

Maddie (the dog) was my son's constant play companion as well. What a blast!

Coop
 
Thanks, guys. Glad you enjoyed the photos and I've really enjoyed everybody elses posts and pictures from this great event. Josh, I think you're gonna be swamped next year with people that want to get in on the great fun, great knives, great education and comradarie.

Here are a few more images for those who are interested.

Larry Fuegen on carving... nobody does it better!
orig.jpg


This is one of my favorite shots... Tim Hancock, Larry Fuegen, Josh Smith, Harvey Dean, Rick Dunkerley - the talented bladesmiths whose work was featured on Friday night at the upscale L.A. Design Art Gallery. You won't see them dressed up like this very often but dang, don't they look good!
orig.jpg


Tim Hancock holding forth in Josh's shop... James Rodebaugh's reflection in the mirror... and Josh's decorations on the wall
orig.jpg


You see some weird stuff up there in Big Sky Country. I'm sure you guys know what this is but my son didn't, until I explained about "wind farms."
orig.jpg
 
Last edited:
Tim Hancock... a confident, competent teacher with a fluid style.
orig.jpg


He employed a live close-up video feed during his grinding demo. Great idea!
orig.jpg


Needless to say, a great time was had by all!

THE END
 
Last edited:
Great set of photos Buddy. Nice to see all the folks there. looking forward to seeing the knives themselves from Coop too.
 
Great photo coverage of a wonderful gathering. Looks and sounds like a top-notch event. Thanks for sharing!

- Joe
 
I'm glad you got that shot of the propeller(s). There were (3) trucks parked at a roadside inspection area all weekend, and I'm guessing because of the EXTREME length of them (100+ft?), the proper permits were holding them from proceeding.

That would be Dave Lisch playing the voyeur on Tim's forging demo. ;)

Coop
 
From the looks of the makers at the show friday night it looks like Josh needs a hat.............I got one he could borrow.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top